Chapter 2: The Taste of Vengeance and the Path Unveiled
The hum of S-Rank Cosmic Energy Manipulation coursed through Alex Vance's veins, a constant reminder of the immense power now at his command. Yet, his mind, still a blend of the ancient and the recently enlightened, understood the perilous truth: this power was a secret, an absolute, non-negotiable secret. In a world defined by a meticulous ranking system, jumping from non-Awakened directly to S-Rank was not merely unprecedented; it was impossible, unbelievable. It would invite intense scrutiny, dangerous curiosity, and potentially, lethal suppression from those who held power. No, Alex couldn't claim S-Rank power, not yet. He would play the long game. His S-Rank superpower was not his current manifested strength, but rather the potential his system could rapidly unlock, a potential that a normal Awakener could only dream of reaching after decades, even centuries, of arduous training and dangerous mana stone absorption.
For a normal Awakener, the path was slow and perilous: risking life in the dimensional rifts, extracting mana stones from slain creatures, and painstakingly absorbing their energy to gradually strengthen their Mana Core and Superpower. It was a grind, a constant dance with death, offering incremental gains over decades. But Alex wasn't a normal Awakener. His "Ten Thousand Times Enchantment System" was a shortcut, a cheat code to unimaginable heights. He wouldn't slowly absorb mana stones like the others; he would become a "Dimensional Walker," an explorer and hunter of the rifts themselves. He would kill creatures to level up, rapidly increasing his base stats, and then sell the mana stones he harvested, not just for wealth, but for the resources to acquire more skills, more bloodlines, more things to enchant. His goal was no longer merely to survive, nor just to become the strongest Awakened on the planet; it was to become an unchallengeable force, a being who transcended the very notion of a power scale.
With his purpose solidified, a cold, calculating resolve settled over Alex. Before he could truly begin his ascension, there was a debt to be paid. A karmic balance that demanded satisfaction. The memory of the boy, Alex Vance, starved, beaten, and left to die for a single loaf of bread, burned vividly in his mind. The bullies had taken more than his life; they had stripped him of his dignity. They deserved to feel a fraction of that despair.
He moved quietly through the orphanage, his newfound S-rank senses making him unnervingly aware of every creak, every muffled snore. His frail body was still weak, but the potential of Cosmic Energy Manipulation thrummed, ready to be unleashed. He found them sleeping in their usual corner, huddled together for warmth, their faces slack with the fleeting peace of unconsciousness. Dagger, Retch, and Flicker.
Alex moved with the silent grace of a predator. He carefully woke each of them, muffling their gasps with a hand, dragging them one by one into the darkest, most secluded corner of the orphanage's dilapidated yard – a place where cries were absorbed by the surrounding squalor. He used his mana, a raw, unfocused burst of S-rank power, to create an almost imperceptible pressure field, ensuring no one would hear their inevitable screams.
He started with Dagger, the leader. Alex grabbed his arm, not with strength, but with a precise application of his Cosmic Energy Manipulation. He focused a minute amount of energy, not to destroy, but to agitate the nerve endings, to twist the fibers of muscle and bone. Dagger's eyes widened in terror as a silent, searing pain shot through his arm, then his hand. He tried to cry out, but Alex's other hand, surprisingly firm, covered his mouth.
"Do you remember," Alex whispered, his voice dangerously low, stripped of all youthful innocence, "a piece of bread? Yesterday?"
Dagger's eyes darted frantically. He recognized the boy he'd beaten, but this Alex was different. The gaze was ancient, terrifying.
Alex didn't wait for an answer. He began to apply the same subtle, torturous energy to Dagger's legs, his stomach, his chest. Each application was agonizing, a slow, internal burning that left no external mark. He wanted them to feel helpless, just as he had been. He wanted them to understand the absolute vulnerability of being prey. He watched Dagger's silent pleas, the tears streaming from his eyes, the shuddering breaths. He described in gruesome detail the sensation of dying from internal bleeding, of a body slowly shutting down. He showed him, through the subtle use of his power, a glimpse of that sensation.
When Dagger finally collapsed, shivering violently, Alex moved to Retch. The brute was tougher, tried to fight back, but Alex, despite his physical weakness, held him captive with an unseen force. He used his cosmic energy to slowly constrict Retch's breathing, making him gasp for air, showing him the terror of suffocation. Then he began to subtly dislocate and reset his joints, slowly, meticulously, one by one. The boy's silent agony was immense, his body convulsing in pure terror.
Finally, Flicker, the smallest and most cunning. Alex lifted him by his collar, looking into his terrified eyes. "You enjoyed watching, didn't you? You liked seeing me suffer." Alex conjured a tiny, barely visible sphere of dark energy in his palm, pulsing with raw, destructive power. He brought it close to Flicker's face, letting the boy feel the oppressive heat, the chilling whisper of annihilation. "This is what true power feels like. This is what you took from me. This is what you will never have." He let the energy ebb and flow, making Flicker believe he was about to be obliterated, then pulling back. The psychological torment was as potent as the physical.
He spent hours. Not a sound escaped the secluded corner. When dawn began to paint the sky in hues of gray and pale pink, Alex stood over three broken, utterly dehumanized figures. They were still alive, barely, but their minds were shattered, their wills utterly crushed. He looked at them, their eyes wide and vacant, bodies trembling uncontrollably, and felt nothing. No triumph, no satisfaction, just a cold sense of completion. He had paid the debt.
With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a tiny, controlled burst of his S-Rank Cosmic Energy. It was almost imperceptible, a silent, internal implosion. Each of the three bullies gasped one last time, their eyes still frozen in terror, and then, their hearts simply stopped. There were no external marks, no screams, just three bodies slumped lifelessly in the dirt. It was as if they had simply... ceased. No one would ever know. Alex, the boy who had died for bread, had exacted his vengeance. The brutal lesson of the Seventh Ring had been repaid in full.
He returned to the orphanage, his clothes still grimy, his face impassive. No one noticed the slight tremor in his hand, nor the ancient, weary glint in his eyes.
Later that morning, Alex walked towards the gate leading to the Sixth Ring, his destination the Guardian Office. The air here was subtly cleaner, the buildings a little less dilapidated, a stark contrast to the absolute squalor he left behind. The gate itself was a massive archway of reinforced metal, guarded by stern-faced Awakened in uniform. He approached the Guardian Office, a functional, no-nonsense structure adjacent to the gate.
Inside, the waiting room was sparse, filled with a few nervous-looking individuals and burly guards. Alex, despite his outwardly weak appearance, carried himself with a quiet confidence that belied his age. He approached the reception desk, where a bored-looking Awakened in a crisp uniform looked up from a data slate.
"Name?" the Guardian asked, his voice flat.
"Alex Vance. I'm here for the Awakening test."
The Guardian raised an eyebrow, scanning Alex's scrawny frame. "Another one, huh? Fine. Go through the archway, touch the mana stone on the pedestal. Don't waste my time."
Alex stepped into a small, sterile chamber. In the center, a simple stone pedestal held a fist-sized, crystalline mana stone, glowing with a faint, internal light. This was the basic test, meant to detect the presence of a Mana Core. He extended his hand, his heart beating a steady rhythm against his ribs, and placed his palm against the smooth, cool surface of the stone.
The mana stone immediately flared with a brilliant, pulsing blue light, far brighter and more vibrant than normal. The light pulsed with such intensity that it almost vibrated, a clear indication of a powerful, awakened Mana Core. The Guardian at the console in the adjacent room looked up sharply, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
"Confirmed," the Guardian announced, his voice now laced with a hint of respect. "Mana Core detected. You've awakened, kid." He gestured for Alex to return. "Congratulations, you're officially an Awakened."
Alex nodded, his expression carefully neutral. He knew the stone hadn't just detected a Mana Core; it had reacted to an S-Rank equivalent Mana Core. But he wouldn't let that show.
The Guardian, a man named Officer Theron, a B-rank Awakened if Alex's refined senses were any indication, now regarded him with genuine interest. "Alright, Alex Vance. Since you've awakened, you now have choices. Usually, new Awakened are tested for their superpower potential. This next test determines where you'll be placed. It's not about how strong you are now, but what your superpower is capable of becoming."
Officer Theron gestured to a holographic display that materialized on his desk, outlining the Awakened placement guidelines.
"If your power has the potential of an F-Rank, you'll typically remain in the Seventh Ring. Your Awakened status will grant you better security and access to basic training, but your future prospects are limited."
"If your power shows E-Rank potential, you'll be granted residence in the Seventh Ring's 'Paradise Section' – better housing, more reliable food, a slightly safer environment. You'll be assigned to basic Rift Warden patrols or similar tasks."
"If your power has D-Rank potential, you'll be allowed to move to the Sixth Ring. Better quality of life, more specialized training opportunities, and a chance to join minor guilds or secure better employment."
"If your power has C-Rank potential, you can aspire to the Fifth Ring. Higher living standards, access to advanced training facilities, and more dangerous, but rewarding, assignments."
"Now," Theron continued, his gaze sharp, "if your power has the potential of B-Rank, A-Rank, or S-Rank... that's where things get interesting. You'd be granted immediate access to the Third Ring, the heart of the Aegis Imperium's Awakened society. You could join a major Guild, like The Rift Wardens or The Bloodmoon Hunters, enroll in an Awakened University, or even attract the attention of powerful families or the Global Alliance itself." Theron leaned back, scrutinizing Alex. "So, the next step is to test your superpower. What is it, kid?"
Alex met his gaze, a flicker of an ancient, knowing smile playing on his lips. "Energy Projection, sir."
Theron nodded, already expecting a common F-rank ability. "Right. Simple enough. We'll schedule you for a more comprehensive assessment. Come back tomorrow morning, same time. We'll see what you're truly made of."
Alex, however, simply nodded and turned to leave. He knew what he was made of. And it was far, far beyond anything they could ever imagine. He had just ensured his passage to the Third Ring, and from there, the entire world was his to conquer.
As he walked away, a faint, internal blue glow briefly enveloped him.
[Status Panel: Alex Vance]
Level: 1
Awakened Rank: S-Rank (Disguised as F-Rank Potential)
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.