The light swallowed him.
And then he felt it.
With a flash, Ren stepped into the gateway, his body dissolving into a violent current of energy.
The first sensation was suffocation. Then came the pressure.
It crushed in from every direction, as though he had been dragged into the deepest part of the ocean. The force slammed into him relentlessly, leaving no space to breathe, no room to escape.
What the f#ck—
Is the awakening meant to feel like this? Ren cursed inwardly.
Every nerve in his body ignited.
His cells screamed as they activated, greedily absorbing the ambient energy around him, desperately trying to adapt to the hostile environment. Heat, cold, pressure, and pain blended into a single overwhelming storm of sensation.
Then—
Hum.
He felt it.
Synchronization.
Every cell in his body pulsed in unison, as though connecting to something far deeper… far older.
Ancient.
Images flooded his mind—abstract shapes, shifting symbols, and unfamiliar patterns that defied logic. His consciousness drifted as his cells continued absorbing the surrounding energy, rewriting themselves.
And then—
It stopped.
Abruptly. Completely.
The crushing pressure vanished, the suffocation faded, and the storm of sensations evaporated as if it had never existed.
Has it ended?
So fast…? Ren thought, confused.
Ding!
[Ascension Complete]
[Class Partially Activated]
Partially activated? Ren thought.
He appeared inside a room—
—and before he could form another thought, exhaustion crashed over him like a tidal wave.
His vision blurred.
His legs gave out.
He fell.
Somewhere far away…
Inside a vast, dark chamber, a colossal statue sat in a meditative posture.
Suddenly—
Crack.
Crack.
Fractures spread across the statue's surface.
Then—
Crash!
The stone shell shattered completely.
Beneath it sat a massive figure with crimson, glowing skin. Four horns jutted from its head—two on the sides, glowing purple, and two central horns, pitch black. The being remained seated, legs crossed, unmoving.
Then its eyes flew open.
Ancient patterns flickered within its gaze.
A voice thundered through the chamber, heavy with authority and wrath.
"A new Genesis have appeared."
"And an anomalous one at that."
"We must locate it"
"Or face another disaster."
Light returned to Ren's vision.
The first thing he felt was the faint glow filtering into his eyes.
"Hah—!"
Ren jolted awake, gasping for air.
Where am I? he thought, before memories of what had happened moments ago came flooding back.
Raising himself slowly, he scanned the unfamiliar room.
I'm still in the pathway… right? he thought.
First—confirm the class.
With a thought, a translucent screen appeared before him.
[Full Status]
Race: Human
Ren:Ordinary
Class: Partially Activated
Life Span: 200
Requirement for Ascension: Ascension permit.
Ascension Permit Progress: 0%
Beast Memory: None
"So it wasn't a dream…" Ren muttered.
His gaze locked onto the Class section.
As he focused—
A new screen unfolded before his eyes.
The screen hovered before him.
[Class Details]
Class: Transformation??
Name: HALF
Ability: None
Class Description: —
Ren froze.
Slowly, he closed the interface… then opened it again.
The same words stared back at him.
No matter how many times he checked, the result did not change.
His breath grew shallow.
"How…" his voice trembled. "How can something like this exist?"
His hands clenched into fists as his thoughts spiraled.
Who did I offend in my past life to deserve this?
Why me?
"Why…?"
His voice cracked.
"WHY!"
The scream tore from his chest as his strength gave out. Ren collapsed to the ground, his body shaking.
Born with a weak physique.
And now… an awakened class without even a single ability, one of those failed classes.
For every awakened class, a foundational skill was supposed to manifest—something that defined the path forward. That first ability was the core, the axis around which all future growth revolved.
Without it, a class was incomplete.
Broken.
Ren's class didn't just lack power.
It lacked existence.
Even though his body had grown slightly stronger from the ascension, it meant nothing. Without a foundational skill—even a mediocre one—the gap between him and others would only widen.
No amount of intelligence could bridge it.
Because the higher others climbed, the further they stepped beyond logic—into the realm of legends, myths, and the supernatural.
And Ren?
He had been left behind at the very starting line.
Sometimes later after crying himself out. He raised himself up and walked towards the teleportation gate in his room knowing fully well what was going to happen when he gets back to the clan.
Before, his weak physique had made him a target. He had survived only because of his intelligence—his ability to learn things faster and adapt quicker than those around him. Without that, he would have been broken long ago.
But now? Without a class? He is as good as nothing.
This time, no one could shield him.
Not Erin.
Not Eric.
Not even his adoptive parents.
His legs trembled as he stepped into the gate.
Light flared—
And he was gone.
The Awakening Ceremony was nearly finished.
One by one, the year's participants returned from the Ascension Pathway. Unlike ordinary clans—where children were escorted individually at sixteen—the Big Seven conducted their awakenings twice a year, gathering their new generation together in a single event.
Ren's awakening fell in the latter half of the year.
The teleportation platform hummed quietly as the final figures emerged.
"When will he be back?" Erin asked, worry creasing her face as she scanned the crowd.
Eric snorted lightly. "You know that clever bastard. He's probably off somewhere testing his new ability."
His tone was casual. Confident.
Almost certain.
Just then, the gate flared again.
A figure stepped out.
His movements were slow. Uneven. As if each step demanded effort.
His gaze stayed fixed ahead, unfocused.
Erin's breath caught.
Eric tilted his head. "Looks like Mister Smarts finally decided to show up," he said, still joking. "Judging by that look, he must've gotten into something big."
The figure drew closer.
And then—
"Number 47," a clear voice called from the side.
"Please step this way."
Ren moved like a puppet, his body responding before his mind could catch up, as he walked toward the voice that had called him.
"Place your hand on the crystal," the station master's assistant ordered.
Without hesitation, he obeyed.
The crystal glowed softly as the questioning began.
"Name."
"Ren."
"Race."
"Human."
"Class type."
"Transformation."
At the word transformation, a grin spread across Eric's face. He shot Erin a look that clearly said I told you so.
But that expression was about to vanish as the questions continued
"Transformation name," the assistant continued, recording everything into her ledger.
"…Half," Ren answered quietly.
The room stilled.
Half?
The word echoed through the minds of everyone present.
Erin's heart skipped. A cold premonition settled in her chest.
"Class ability," the assistant said.
Ren hesitated.
"Number 47," she repeated, her tone firm. "State your class ability."
"…Half-wolf transformation," Ren said at last.
The crystal flashed.
Its bright green light turned red.
The assistant sighed, rubbing her temple. Third time today, she thought.
"This is a lie-detection crystal," she said sharply. "Do you think wasting time will change the outcome? Lie or not, the truth will surface."
She straightened. "We'll proceed again."
"Class ability."
Ren's lips trembled.
"…None."
The crystal remained unchanged.
Her brows knit together. She checked the device—no malfunction.
"Class ability," she asked again, slower this time.
"…None."
Silence followed.
The assistant's expression softened, just slightly.
A class without an ability. That's the worst kind of class to ever exist she thought
"…I see," she said quietly.
Then—
"Hahaha!"
Laughter broke out from the crowd.
"So the trash really is trash!"
And here I thought he would be more than that now
The words struck harder than any blow.