Chapter 1: Ashes of the Past, Spark of a New Dawn
The stench of stale refuse and human despair clung to the air of the Aegis Imperium's Seventh Ring, a perpetual shroud over the sprawling shantytowns that clung like barnacles to the base of the colossal walls. Here, beneath the faint, distant glow of the upper rings, life was a brutal, unending struggle. For sixteen-year-old Alex Vance, an orphan with eyes that had seen too much and a stomach that had felt too little, it was a particularly unforgiving day.
A single, crusty loaf of bread, pilfered with a desperate surge of courage from a distracted street vendor, was his sin. It was a treasure beyond measure in the impoverished alleys, a beacon that drew the wolves. They were older, stronger, and crueler, fellow orphans hardened by the same merciless existence. There were three of them: Dagger, a gaunt boy with a chipped front tooth and a predatory gleam; Retch, whose frame was as wide as he was tall, a brute force; and Flicker, the smallest but with a sharp, venomous tongue. They had cornered Alex in a blind alley behind a dilapidated food stall, their shadows long and menacing in the dimming twilight.
"Give it up, Vance," Dagger sneered, extending a grimy hand. His voice was a rasp, a constant reminder of the acid hunger in his belly. "You think you can eat while we starve?"
Alex clutched the bread tighter, his knuckles white. His thin frame trembled, not just from fear, but from the gnawing emptiness that had been his constant companion since birth. "I... I got it fair. I'm hungry too."
Retch laughed, a low, guttural sound that seemed to rumble from his very core. He shoved Alex against the grimy wall, the impact rattling his teeth. "Fair? Nothing's fair in the Seventh Ring, runt. This bread's ours now."
Flicker, nimble as a rat, darted forward, attempting to snatch the bread. Alex flailed, a desperate, pathetic attempt to protect his meager prize. He tried to duck, to evade, but the combined assault was too much. A fist, heavy and unforgiving, slammed into his ribs, eliciting a choked gasp. Another blow connected with his temple, sending stars dancing before his eyes. The bread, his lifeblood, slipped from his grasp and tumbled to the filthy ground.
As Dagger greedily scooped it up, Retch delivered a brutal kick to Alex's gut. The world blurred. A sharp pain lanced through his side, then his head. He crumpled to the ground, trying to curl into a ball, but the blows kept coming – dull thuds, sharp stings, a crescendo of agony. He could hear their triumphant jeers, their excited murmurs as they tore into the stolen bread.
His breath grew shallow, each gasp a searing fire in his lungs. Blood, warm and metallic, seeped into his mouth. The alley floor, cold and unforgiving, pressed against his cheek. Above him, the faint, shimmering light of the upper rings seemed to mock his plight, a reminder of a world he would never see.
I just wanted... to eat. The thought was a whisper in the dying embers of his consciousness. I just wanted to be strong enough... to not be kicked around. To make them pay... for everything. A tear, hot and defiant, traced a path through the grime on his cheek. His vision dimmed further, the sounds of the bullies devouring his bread fading into an echoing void. He drew one last ragged, rattling breath, and then, Alex Vance was no more.
Darkness. An oppressive, endless void. Then, a sudden, blinding flash, accompanied by a torrent of raw, overwhelming information. It wasn't just memories; it was an entire life, a thousand years of history, poured into a vessel that was simultaneously new and familiar. The surge of information was like a dam breaking, a thousand-year flood crashing into a mind that had just flickered out.
Alex Vance. The name echoed. That's me. But also... not me.
The new consciousness, seasoned by a forgotten past, grappled with the deluge. He saw images: towering walls, creatures of nightmare, cities built to touch the sky, and humanity teetering on the brink of extinction. He felt the hunger, the pain, the despair of the boy whose body he now inhabited. And then, he saw the death. The brutal, humiliating end in a desolate alley.
A choked gasp ripped through the stillness. His eyes snapped open, wide and unfocused, staring at the grimy ceiling of what he now recognized as the orphanage's common room. The pain in his body was real, searing, a testament to the brutal beating. But the hunger, the profound emptiness, was overshadowed by a far greater terror.
"This... this world..." he croaked, his voice hoarse, unfamiliar. "This isn't... I died. How am I...?"
Memories of the past, the memories of the original Alex Vance, solidified. He understood now. The apocalypse of 2025. The mana core awakening. The dimensional rifts. The monsters. The last kingdom, Aegis Imperium. The seven rings of privilege and squalor. The power structure. The sheer, overwhelming danger of simply existing. His breath hitched. The old Alex Vance, the one from a thousand years ago, had lived in a world where technology ruled, where peace was, if not universal, at least a concept. This new reality was a nightmare made manifest. A world where he, a helpless orphan in the lowest ring, was utterly insignificant, a morsel for the monsters lurking beyond the walls, or for the predators within.
His mind raced, a whirlwind of the past and present. The boy's last wish, a desperate plea for strength, for retribution, resonated with a deep, primal urge within the transmigration soul. They made him suffer. They killed him for bread. And this world... it made them that way. A cold fury began to simmer beneath the terror.
He forced himself to breathe, slow and deep. The logical part of his ancient mind, honed by experiences now fragmented and distant, began to assert itself. Fear was a luxury. Survival was paramount. He needed to understand this world, its rules, its power.
From the author's perspective, this world was forged in fire and magic. In the year 2025, a cataclysmic event, dubbed the "Mana Surge," bathed the entire universe in a wave of exotic energy. For Earth, it meant the end of the old world. Only 0.1% of humanity possessed the genetic predisposition to awaken a "Mana Core," an internal reservoir of this new energy. These were the Awakened, humanity's new elite.
With the Mana Surge came the "Rifts" – shimmering tears in reality that appeared seemingly at random, disgorging grotesque and terrifying creatures from other dimensions. These "Dimensional Creatures" were living engines of destruction, varying wildly in form and power, from feral beasts to sentient horrors. Their bodies, however, were humanity's greatest resource. Their hearts contained "Mana Stones," crystallized mana that could be consumed by Awakened to boost their power or used as fuel for advanced technologies. Their flesh, bones, and even hide could be fashioned into potent "Magical Artifacts," weapons, armor, and tools far surpassing anything pre-Mana Surge humanity could conceive.
The Awakened themselves developed "Superpowers," unique manifestations of their mana. These powers were categorized by a strict ranking system, mirroring the threat levels of Dimensional Creatures:
F-Rank: The lowest tier. Awakened at this level might possess minor physical enhancements (speed, strength) allowing them to dodge bullets or strike with the force of a powerful blow, or project weak energy blasts equivalent to a firearm. F-rank Dimensional Creatures were often pack hunters or territorial beasts, dangerous in numbers but manageable by trained F-rank Awakened.
E-Rank: Low-level. Physical strength capable of breaking steel walls, or energy projections that could shatter concrete. E-rank creatures were more resilient, often the size of small vehicles, requiring coordinated teams.
D-Rank: Low-mid level. Capable of destroying a small building with a single strike, or wielding powers that rivaled such destructive force. D-rank creatures often possessed minor elemental abilities or enhanced senses, capable of leveling entire city blocks if unchecked.
C-Rank: Low-high level. Enough power to level an entire street or unleash equivalent destructive superpowers. C-rank creatures were formidable, often possessing unique adaptations or resistances, capable of wiping out entire squads of E-rank Awakened.
B-Rank: Mid-low level. Destroying multiple streets was within their capabilities, or possessing superpowers of similar scale. B-rank creatures were territorial behemoths or cunning, intelligent hunters, requiring significant military deployment or high-rank Awakened.
A-Rank: Mid-mid level. Destructive force rivaling a city-destroying mini-nuclear blast, or equally devastating superpowers. A-rank creatures were considered "calamities," capable of leveling entire districts or cities, requiring S-rank intervention.
S-Rank: Mid-high level. Power to destroy multiple cities, or superpowers of equivalent devastation. S-rank creatures were often unique, legendary beings, sometimes known as "World Eaters," and could challenge the most powerful human Awakened.
SS-Rank: High level. Capable of destroying an entire nation or country, or wielding world-shattering superpowers. SS-rank creatures were exceedingly rare, often altering ecosystems or weather patterns by their mere presence, requiring combined might of multiple S-rank Awakened and national armies.
SSS-Rank: The highest known level. Power to destroy planets, or superpowers that could tear reality itself. SSS-rank creatures were cosmic entities, forces of nature, theoretical threats that humanity prayed they would never encounter, as a single one could spell the end of the Aegis Imperium.
Superpowers were incredibly diverse, encompassing everything from enhanced physical attributes (super strength, speed, constitution) to mutant abilities (elemental manipulation, bizarre transformations, psychic powers) and rare, potent Bloodline abilities (werewolf transformations, vampiric regeneration, draconic breaths). The strength of an Awakened was determined by their Mana Core's capacity and the potency of their Superpower.
For a thousand years, humanity had fought, adapted, and rebuilt. The last bastion, the Aegis Imperium, stood guarded by its insurmountable walls, a testament to their unwavering will. Within, the seven rings structured society, each ring a layer of protection and privilege, the seventh ring a forgotten underbelly where lives like Alex Vance's were cheap. The Global Alliance maintained the rifts, coordinating guilds like The Rift Wardens, The Arcane Forgers, and The Bloodmoon Hunters to protect what little remained.
Alex breathed, forcing his ragged lungs to work. The bitter taste of his blood filled his mouth, a gruesome reminder of his recent death. But a strange, nascent energy stirred within him. The old Alex Vance might have crumbled under the weight of this terrifying reality, but the new Alex, the one forged from a thousand years of forgotten experience, refused to yield. The desperation of his predecessor's dying wish mingled with his own newfound resolve. Strength. I need strength. To survive. To make them pay.
As he calmed his frantic thoughts, a soft, ethereal blue light shimmered into existence before him, coalescing into a translucent, holographic screen.
[Ten Thousand Times Enchantment System Activated!]
Alex's eyes widened. "A... System?" The concept was alien, yet strangely familiar from the fragmented memories of his past life's fiction.
The blue screen displayed a series of text prompts:
[Welcome, Host Alex Vance. Initializing functions...]
[System Name: Ten Thousand Times Enchantment System]
[Function 1: Infinite Enchantment]
[Description: The Host can enhance anything – abilities, skills, items, bloodlines, vials, artifacts – an infinite number of times. There are no limitations on enchantment points or resources. Note: Direct enhancement of the Host's physical strength and Mana Core is not possible via this function.]
[Function 2: Level Up]
[Description: By defeating Dimensional Creatures and enemies, the Host gains energy to Level Up. Each Level grants 10 Attribute Points to all base stats (Strength, Agility, Endurance, Constitution, Mana). Levels are categorized by Awakened Ranks.]
[Current Level: 1 (F-Rank)]
[Function 3: Unique Abilities Copy]
[Description: The Host can copy any unique skill, ability, or bloodline upon meeting specific requirements.]
[Function 4: Status Panel]
[Description: Displays Host's current Level, Stats, Skills, Unique Abilities, Bloodlines, Awakened Rank, and Superpower.]
[Initial Superpower Awakened: F-Rank Energy Projection.]
Alex stared, disbelief warring with a sudden, overwhelming surge of hope. This wasn't just a system; it was the system. The answer to his predecessor's dying wish. The key to survival in this brutal world. Infinite enchantment? Unique ability copy? It was almost too good to be true. He, a boy from the slums, reborn, now possessed the ultimate cheat.
His gaze fell upon "F-Rank Energy Projection." A basic ability, barely more than a party trick in the grand scheme of this world. But then, the system's first function slammed into his mind: Infinite Enchantment.
"System," Alex whispered, his voice trembling with a nascent excitement. "Enchant... my Energy Projection. Ten thousand times."
The system responded instantly, a soft chime echoing in his mind.
[F-Rank Energy Projection selected for enchantment.]
[Enchanting... 1x... 10x... 100x... 1,000x... 5,000x... 10,000x!]
[Enchantment Complete! F-Rank Energy Projection has been enhanced to S-Rank Cosmic Energy Manipulation!]
A jolt, like pure electricity, coursed through Alex's veins. It wasn't just a notification; he felt the change. His body hummed with a power he hadn't possessed moments ago, a vast, swirling energy that felt connected to the very fabric of space. He lifted a trembling hand, and a faint, violet-blue glow emanated from his palm, not the simple F-rank bullet-like energy, but something far more profound, something that whispered of stellar power. He was no longer just an F-rank Awakened; he had skipped directly to S-rank, a mid-high level power in a single, audacious leap!
His new reality felt profoundly different. The raw, terrifying power thrummed within him, a stark contrast to his weakened body. He was still a scrawny, beaten orphan, but within him resided a power capable of destroying multiple cities.
A triumphant, albeit cautious, smile touched Alex's lips. "Status Panel."
The blue screen reappeared, now displaying his current state:
[Status Panel: Alex Vance]
Level: 1
Awakened Rank: S-Rank
Superpower: Cosmic Energy Manipulation (S-Rank)
Skills: None
Unique Abilities: None
Bloodlines: None
[Attributes:]
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Endurance: 10
Constitution: 10
Mana: 10 (S-Rank Mana Core Equivalent)
[Dimensional Creature Ranks:]
F-Rank: Weakest, Pack Hunters.
E-Rank: Low Threat, Small Vehicle Size.
D-Rank: Mid Threat, Building Destroyers.
C-Rank: High Threat, Street Wipers.
B-Rank: Major Threat, Multi-Street Wipers.
A-Rank: Calamity, City Destroyers.
S-Rank: World Eaters, Multi-City Destroyers.
SS-Rank: Nation Destroyers.
SSS-Rank: Planet Destroyers.
[Awakened Ranks:]
F-Rank: Minor Physical or Energy Projection.
E-Rank: Steel Wall Breaker.
D-Rank: Building Destroyer.
C-Rank: Street Destroyer.
B-Rank: Multi-Street Destroyer.
A-Rank: City Destroyer (Mini-Nuke).
S-Rank: Multi-City Destroyer.
SS-Rank: Nation Destroyer.
SSS-Rank: Planet Destroyer.