The moment Juan's fingertips touched the ice-cold surface of the Awakening Altar, time seemed to stand still. The endless low-frequency hum of the city grid began to vibrate in perfect unison with the wild thumping in Juan's chest. In the first second, everything felt normal; those rainbow hues within the crystal seeped into Juan's palms, enveloping him like a wave of warmth. But in that instant, the Primary Core in his pocket truly woke up.
Instead of flowing into Juan's body, the pure energy from the Altar began to rush toward that small piece of metal in his pocket like a savage river. Juan reeled from the massive data load surging through his nervous system. Thousands of complex circuit schematics, lines of code, and technological secrets from the old world exploded before his eyes. His consciousness clung on desperately, trying not to be crushed under this data storm. At that exact moment, the shimmering lights of the Silver District flickered with a sudden blackout. The energy systems of the gargantuan buildings suffered a split-second failure, though the High Proctor and the guards perceived it only as a sensor glitch or an isolated overload.
The booming voice of the Altar thundered in Juan's ears: "Rank: E. Capacity undetectable. Please vacate the Altar immediately."
The Altar's AI, blinded by the Primary Core's energy absorption, saw Juan as nothing more than a hollow shell. A wave of mockery and disdain rose from the massive crowd in the plaza. The frail boy from Sector 7 was exactly the disappointment everyone had expected. As Juan descended the steps on trembling legs, the shrill voice of the academy cadet, Vor, sliced through the crowd: "Look, the great hope of Sector 7! Your spot in the mines is already waiting for you, loser." Vor and his cronies roared with laughter, pelting Juan with scraps of trash. Juan walked with his head bowed, carrying the heavy weight of shame and physical pain, until he felt Sofia reach his side.
Sofia stood before her brother like a lioness, carving through the crowd with her sharp, protective presence. She met Vor's arrogant gaze with equal ferocity, but when she leaned in to whisper to Juan, her voice trembled with tenderness: "Juan, don't listen to them. Just keep walking. I'm right here." Gripping Juan by the shoulder, Sofia dragged him out of the plaza and away from the shimmering but poisonous Silver District.
On the way back, the data storm in Juan's mind slowly subsided, but it left something entirely different in its wake. As they entered the rusted streets of Sector 7, Juan stopped abruptly. His eyes were burning. When he looked up at the buildings around him, he realized he no longer saw the world as he once had. Upon the rusted walls of the structures, thin, golden-yellow lines floated in the air. These lines laid out the buildings' static weaknesses, energy leaks, and material quality before him like a map.
"Sofia, everything... everything looks so different. Those lines on the walls... do you see them?" he asked, his voice shaking. Sofia sighed, looking at the terrified expression on her brother's face. Her own rank was C-tier, but this kind of 'sight' had never been described in any awakening. "You're just in shock, Juan. You'll rest when we get home, and it'll pass" Sofia said, assuming Juan was hallucinating from the stress of the ceremony. Juan said nothing, but he watched as those golden lines revealed even the cracks beneath the pavement he stepped on. When his eyes landed on a rusted valve, a technical schematic appeared before him, whispering exactly which way to turn it to make it burst.
As night fell and the darkness of Sector 7 swallowed their container home, Sofia left a ration bar beside her brother and drifted off from exhaustion. Juan, however, could not sleep. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Primary Core that had changed everything that day. The texture of the metal felt warmer now, more familiar. The moment he lightly touched the core, a transparent, blue holographic screen—visible only to him—suddenly flickered into existence in the darkness of the room. The script on the screen was in the languages of the old world, but Juan could understand them instantly.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED. DATA INTEGRATION COMPLETE.]
[USER: JUAN - RANK: UNDEFINED (INFINITE)]
[FIRST ENHANCEMENT AVAILABLE: ANALYTICAL VISION.]
Juan looked at his trembling hand, glowing in the light of the screen. The Altar had branded him an 'E' rank, but this forbidden technology in his pocket promised him a power that even the gods could not imagine. He was no longer a scavenger; he was a virus embedded within the system, a 'Risen' who could see the world's breaking points. Closing his eyes, he saw how the golden lines interlaced the entire city like a web, and he smiled. The rules of the game had changed.
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'The Grid's Ticking' — A rhythmic, metallic ticking sound, resembling thousands of antique clocks hidden behind the walls of New Madrid, which only Juan can hear.
'The Burden Stamp' — A temporary, glowing red tattoo applied to the foreheads of those ranked E at the Altar, lasting for 24 hours to mark them for public ridicule.
'Ozone Mist' — A thick, neon-toned fog that emanates from the energy barrier after a power surge, smelling of burnt sugar and old electricity.