Crescent moonlight bled onto a vast crowded field.
Thousands of youths strolled around leisurely while a few engaged in sparring sessions at designated areas, testing their physical and magical powers against one another.
At a vacant corner of the field, a group of boys mercilessly pummeled a frail-looking kid, delivering punches and kicks without restraint.
The frail kid, popularly known as Marlon within the preliminary training camp, curled into himself on the ground, silently enduring the beating.
Strangely, instead of crying or flinching in pain, a reveling smile remained plastered across his swollen face.
His black hair was stained with dirt mixed with blood, while his blue eyes were hidden beneath swollen lids.
"This masochist bastard is still smiling!" one of the boys gritted out in annoyance as he threw another punch.
"We're not beating him enough! Aim for his chest and stop holding back!" another shouted.
"Move aside. I'll kick his balls!" another barked angrily before driving a swift kick into the family-producing region of the frail-looking kid.
"Damn... are his family jewels even still intact?"
"Who cares? He asked for it!"
The boys intensified the beating after the complaints ended. However, the smile on Marlon's face never disappeared.
If anything, it widened further.
Eventually, the boys became frustrated and exhausted from beating him. They spat on him before finally leaving in annoyance.
Marlon coughed out a mouthful of blood as he slowly lifted his badly swollen body from the ground.
Even after the vicious beating he had just received, he felt no hatred toward them.
No.
Instead, he was grateful.
If anyone judged the situation from the outside, they would naturally think he was being bullied.
But the truth behind everything was not only ridiculous but downright confusing.
And it all started about three months ago, when the annual preliminary training camp for aspiring students of Hunter Academy began.
On the very first day, Marlon personally approached the biggest group of boys in the camp, cursing at them and provoking them until they completely lost their patience and beat him to a pulp.
The following day, the boys assumed they were finally free from the unprecedented lunatic.
Instead, Marlon returned and provoked them even more intensely, earning himself another brutal beating.
And it continued every single day after that.
Day after day, he would approach different groups of boys, provoke them relentlessly, and receive another beating.
He repeated the act so often that he eventually became famous throughout the entire preliminary training camp as Masochist Marlon.
MM for short.
Why would someone willingly subject himself to such suffering every single day?
The answer lay in the strings of translucent text floating before his eyes.
[ Day 100 Compulsory Task: Get yourself beat up and humiliated for more than ten minutes — successfully completed ]
[ You've completed all the required tasks to awaken your innate power ]
[ Please enter a secluded area to begin your awakening ]
The texts read.
Relief, joy, and anticipation flashed across Marlon's swollen face.
The suffering he had been forced to endure for the past hundred days had finally paid off.
"Ahh... if I had a system like this back on Earth, being bullied every day would've made me overpowered already," he muttered under his breath.
As expected, he was not originally from this world.
He had once been your typical weak high schooler on Earth, constantly picked on by popular kids for simply existing.
One day, while returning home from school battered and hating his life, he accidentally fell into a pit.
But when he climbed back out, he found himself in an entirely different world called Arden.
It resembled Earth in many ways, yet at the same time, it was a hundred times more dangerous.
This world had undergone a catastrophic transformation fifty years ago.
On that chaotic day, massive rifts appeared across the sky, and from those rifts poured a supernatural energy known as Aether.
With the arrival of this energy, everything changed.
Animals evolved into terrifying demonic beasts of darkness and steel, becoming overpowered and bloodthirsty toward humans.
Plants reached unnatural heights, gained demonic sentience, and began feeding on humans because photosynthesis alone no longer satisfied their needs.
From the rifts also emerged monsters, demons, and extraterrestrial beings, all of them wreaking havoc upon the world.
Billions lost their lives during that disastrous period.
Fortunately, the universe had no intention of completely wiping out humanity.
Certain humans were allowed to wield Aether and evolve into supernatural beings capable of fighting back against the calamities destroying their kind.
They became known as Pioneers.
For months, the Pioneers fought desperately for humanity's survival, and after endless bloodshed, mankind finally adapted to the new world.
Aether, the same force that had nearly destroyed humanity, eventually became mankind's greatest weapon for survival.
It awakened in the form of systems that granted countless talents.
Those who awakened were trained to hunt, fight, and protect humanity. They were given titles such as Hunters, Guardians, and Seekers, warriors sworn to defend humanity from the countless dangers lurking in the world.
To prepare the younger generation, academies were established throughout Arden.
These institutions trained youths to master Aether, survive the wilderness, and rise through the ranks as Hunters.
And it was within this system that Marlon found himself thrown into the preliminary training camp, alongside countless other hopefuls taking their first step toward entering the academy.
Unfortunately, unlike the other youths who had already awakened their powers, Marlon possessed nothing.
Nothing except a mysterious system that forced him to endure pain, humiliation, and suffering every single day.
"But now the suffering ends."
He clenched his fist despite the pain shooting through his bruised body. Determination flickered within his swollen eyes.
"My path to supremacy begins now."
With those thoughts, he slowly lifted his battered body and staggered toward his tent.
As he walked, many youths spat at him in disgust while others mocked him openly.
He had long since lost count of how many times they called him Masochist Marlon.
After a humiliating journey filled with insults and spit, he finally staggered off the field and entered the encampment, where hundreds of tents stretched across the land.
Campfires flickered beneath the night sky while crystal lanterns illuminated the camp with steady light.
Dragging his battered frame behind him, Marlon slipped into his tent, away from the mocking gazes and whispered insults.
The moment he entered, he collapsed onto his bed.
"System, begin the awakening."
DING!
[ Awakening process begins... ]
[ Awakening 1%... 3%... ]
The moment the process started, a flood of unbearable heat surged through his body.
Pain followed immediately.
Raw. Suffocating. Intensifying with every passing second.
[ Awakening 97%... 99%... Complete. ]
[ EX-Rank Talent: Absolute Attack — Awakened. ]
[ Drain (D-rank, Passive) – All punches siphon 10% of the target's HP or Aether. Each attack has a 10% chance of absorbing one of the target's skills and a 0.1% chance of stealing their talent or affinity. ]
[ Punch of Iron (D-rank, Active) – Damage dealt by this punch is amplified by 500%. Cooldown: None ]
[ Punch of Judgment (B-rank, Active) – Calls forth divine wrath. Deals ×10 damage against evil-aligned beings, especially demons. Cooldown: 10 seconds. Requires: Aether ]
[ More skills will be awakened as you grow stronger. ]
[ Awakening trial complete. Trial System has been replaced by Absolute Attack System. ]
[ You can now view your character panel ]
[ Congratulations. ]