The world ended not with fire or flood, but with a crack.
It was a sound that echoed across the skies, like glass shattering in slow motion. For three days and nights, humanity stared upward as a glowing scar spread across the heavens. The scientists called it an anomaly. The monks whispered of heavenly punishment. The military prepared for war.
But no one knew what awaited on the other side.
When the Eternal Rift fully opened, the earth itself trembled. Through that luminous scar spilled storms of energy, strange beasts, and fragments of a power humanity had never known. The age of technology bled into the age of martial arts, and humans awakened abilities long lost to myth.
Some could breathe fire. Others moved like lightning. Some bent space itself with a flick of the hand.
The world had changed.
And in this new world, the strong ruled.
I was not strong.
My name is Li Feng, a student of Xinghua Martial Academy. I was ordinary in every possible way—my bones lacked spiritual resonance, my body lacked strength, and my soul… well, the less said about that, the better.
The instructors called me trash behind my back. My classmates didn't bother to hide it. In a world where even twelve-year-olds could smash bricks with bare hands, I was weaker than a malnourished goat.
And today was the Awakening Ceremony, the day all first-year students stepped into the crystal dome to awaken their martial attributes.
One by one, my classmates stood inside the formation, glowing runes wrapping around them like chains of destiny. Each would emerge with an attribute sphere hovering above their palm—a sign of their future path. Fire, water, sword, fist, lightning… the crowd erupted in cheers with every success.
Then it was my turn.
I stepped inside. The runes flared weakly, flickered… and died.
The silence that followed was louder than thunder.
"Failed awakening," the instructor declared flatly.
The students burst into laughter.
"Ha! I knew trash would stay trash."
"Useless. He can't even awaken a single attribute?"
"Forget cultivation. Li Feng should just go home and plow fields."
Their words pierced deeper than any blade. My fists clenched, nails digging into my palms, but there was nothing I could do. The humiliation burned, yet all I could do was bow my head and walk away.
That night, I sat alone beneath the academy's ancient willow tree, staring at the stars. I wanted to scream. I wanted to curse the heavens. But what good would that do?
I would forever be the weak one. The discarded one. The forgotten one.
As I closed my eyes, a faint chime echoed in my ears.
Ding!
I snapped upright.
A translucent blue screen floated before me, filled with glowing text.
[Attribute Collector System Binding Successful.]
[Host: Li Feng.]
[Scanning Environment… Attribute Fragments Detected.]
My heart nearly stopped.
"What… what is this?" I whispered.
The screen shimmered, and lines of text shifted:
[System Explanation: When cultivators train, fight, or comprehend the Dao, they naturally release stray attribute fragments. Host can collect these fragments to strengthen self.]
My breath caught in my throat.
"You mean… I can get stronger without awakening?"
[Affirmative. Collect attributes to grow. The path of martial kings is now open to you.]
For a long moment, I just sat there, staring blankly. Then, faint sparks of light drifted through the air around me. Curious, I reached out instinctively—
Ding! Strength +1.
Ding! Endurance +2.
Warmth flooded my body. My muscles tightened, veins surging with newfound power. I gasped aloud, looking at my hands in disbelief. Just picking up glowing motes made me stronger?
I shot to my feet, heart hammering. The willow tree was beside the training grounds. All around, I could hear students practicing late into the night. Their sweat, their effort—it wasn't wasted. It scattered into the air, into fragments only I could collect.
I stretched out my hand again.
Ding! Sword Comprehension +1.
Ding! Fire Affinity +2.
Ding! Agility +1.
In an instant, my body felt sharper, lighter, alive.
I staggered back, laughing and crying at once. The trash had become… something more.
But then, a thought struck me.
"If I collect fragments when others train… what about when they fight?"
The system's text shifted as though mocking me.
[Answer: Combat generates high-density attribute fragments. Defeating opponents yields multiplied fragments.]
My lips parted slowly.
So… beating people up would make me stronger?
My eyes darkened.
For years, I'd been the one beaten, the one humiliated. Now… maybe it was time to return the favor.
That night, I returned to the willow tree. The fragments swirled around me like fireflies, flowing into my body. My attributes skyrocketed, each ding of the system fueling my hunger for more.
But even as I grew stronger, I knew one truth: power attracts envy.
Already, whispers spread through the academy. Already, eyes turned toward me with suspicion, greed, and fear.
And deep in my chest, I felt it—a strange heat, a mark I hadn't noticed before.
A faint glowing sigil pulsed beneath my skin, shaped like the Rift itself.
When I touched it, the system's screen flickered violently.
[Warning! Unknown force detected.]
[Foreign presence attempting synchronization.]
[Host body unstable.]
Pain ripped through me like a thousand blades. My vision blurred. My knees buckled.
And then, a voice that was not my own whispered inside my skull:
"So… you are the one who picked up my fragments."
I froze. My breath caught.
The system's alerts went wild, red text flashing across the screen.
[Caution! An ancient will has noticed the Host.]
[Emergency Protocol Engaged.]
The voice chuckled, low and cold.
"Enjoy your borrowed power, little thief… for I will come to reclaim it."
The world spun. Darkness swallowed me whole.