Chapter 1: The Transmigrator's Last Chance
The morning sun came up over Aetheria High School.
The stadium was huge. It could hold tens of thousands of people, and today, it was packed. Every seat was taken. Families, friends, and strangers filled the stands from the lowest row all the way up to the nosebleed section. Banners hung from the railings. Food vendors shouted from the walkways. The noise of the crowd was like a living thing — it buzzed and hummed and never stopped.
Down on the field, hundreds of senior students stood in neat rows, all wearing the same white uniform. Some of them were laughing. Some were stretching. A few were throwing up behind the bleachers.
Today was the Awakening Ceremony.
Every year, the graduating seniors of Aetheria High would step onto the Awakening Platform, place their hand on the Crystal Orb, and find out what martial innate soul lived inside them. It was the single most important moment in any person's life. Everything that came after — your career, your wealth, your rank in society — all of it started here.
Now, to understand why this mattered so much, you had to understand how this world worked.
Every person was born with a martial innate soul. It was already inside you the day you came into the world. It could be anything. A rabbit. A wolf. A fire snake. A dragon. A mythical beast that hadn't been seen in a thousand years. You didn't get to pick. You got what you got.
Your martial innate soul was the source of all your fighting power. When you "fused" with it — meaning you pulled its energy into your body — you could use its abilities. A person with a fire snake soul could breathe fire. A person with a steel turtle soul could make their skin hard as metal. A person with a wind hawk soul could move faster than the eye could see.
But here was the thing: you couldn't use all the abilities right away. You had to level up.
At Level 1, you might only be able to do the most basic thing your soul allowed. Maybe a small fireball. Maybe a tiny speed boost. But as you trained, fought, and gained experience, your level would rise. Level 10. Level 20. Level 30. Each level unlocked more abilities, more power, more control. The kind of skill that could flatten anything.
So leveling mattered. A lot.
There was also another option: external martial innate souls. Rich people — and only rich people — could buy additional souls and fuse them into their bodies on top of their natural one. These extra souls were never as strong as your born soul, but they gave you more options in a fight. More tools. More tricks.
Of course, this option cost a fortune. We're talking millions. The kind of money that normal families would never see in ten lifetimes.
And Ran's family? They were about as far from rich as you could get.
Ran stood somewhere in the middle of the field, surrounded by other students, and he was sweating.
Not from the heat. From fear.
His palms were wet. His stomach was doing flips. His jaw was tight. He kept his eyes straight ahead, staring at the Awakening Platform in the distance — a raised stone stage covered in old runes that glowed faintly blue, with high-tech holographic projectors built into the sides. The mix of ancient and modern was normal in this world, but Ran still found it strange, even after fourteen years.
Fourteen years.
That's how long he had been in this world. He wasn't originally from here. He was a transmigrator — a person from Earth who had died and woken up in the body of a baby in this strange, power-driven world. He had all the memories of his past life. He remembered Earth. He remembered phones, cars, the internet, school, everything.
But none of that helped him here.
"I've tried everything," Ran muttered under his breath, quiet enough that no one around him could hear. "I really have."
He had. In every transmigrator story he had ever read back on Earth, the main character always got something. A system. A cheat ability. A golden finger. Some kind of unfair advantage that let them rise to the top.
So from the time he was old enough to talk, Ran had tried to trigger his.
He had shouted "System!" out loud in the middle of the night, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, hoping a blue screen would pop up. Nothing.
He had tried meditating for hours, sitting cross-legged in the backyard, trying to feel some hidden energy inside him. Nothing.
He had even — and he was embarrassed about this one — run headfirst into a tree, because he read somewhere that a near-death experience could trigger a hidden power. All he got was a bump on his forehead and a lecture from his mother.
No system. No cheat. No golden finger. Nothing.
He was just Ran. A normal, good-looking guy with average grades and no special talent. The only thing that made him different from everyone else was that he had memories of another world — and those memories were completely useless here.
"Great," he whispered. "I'm the world's most useless transmigrator."
Up in the stands, three people sat together in the middle section.
Randolf, Ran's father, was a big man with rough hands and sun-darkened skin. He was a carpenter. That was his job — building things, fixing things, climbing scaffolding. His martial innate soul was a Spring Rabbit. All it let him do was jump higher than normal. Not exactly a world-shaking power, but it was useful when you spent your days working on the upper floors of half-finished buildings. He could leap from beam to beam without needing a ladder.
He made enough money to keep the family fed. Barely.
Next to him sat Aurora — Ran's mother. She was a small woman with kind eyes and white hair that she kept tied back in a simple braid. Her martial innate soul was Gentle Light, a healing-type soul. It let her heal small wounds and ease pain. She used to work at the local hospital, helping patients recover after surgery.
Used to.
Six months ago, the hospital had called her into the administrator's office. They sat her down. They told her, very politely, that they didn't need her anymore. A pharmaceutical company had released a new medicinal pill that could do the same thing her healing soul did — but cheaper. Much cheaper. The pill cost a few coins per dose. Aurora's salary cost the hospital thousands per month.
"We appreciate your years of service," the administrator had said, not looking her in the eye. "But the pill is simply more cost-effective for our patients."
Aurora had walked home that day in silence. She didn't cry until she was in the bathroom with the door closed and the water running.
Since then, she had been a stay-at-home mom. She cooked. She cleaned. She smiled. But sometimes, late at night, Ran could hear her and his father talking in low voices about money.
And then there was Mia.
Mia was thirteen years old, and she was sitting right between her parents, bouncing up and down like she had springs in her shoes. She was holding a big, handmade banner above her head. It read: GO RAN! YOU'RE THE BEST! The letters were crooked, and the paint was smudged, but she held it up like it was the most important flag in the world.
Mia was beautiful. Everyone said so. She had taken the best parts of both parents — her mother's white hair, her father's strong features, and striking red eyes that seemed to glow in the light. Her face still had the roundness of youth, with slightly chubby cheeks that made her look even younger than she was.
Next year, Mia would have her own Awakening Ceremony. But right now, the family couldn't even think about that. They had spent everything — every last coin of their savings — on Ran.
Tutoring fees. Awakening preparation courses. Health supplements that were supposed to improve your chances of getting a better soul. Registration fees for the ceremony itself. All of it had drained the family dry.
If Ran awakened a good martial innate soul today, everything would change. He could get recruited by a university. He could get a scholarship. He could join the military or the City Guard and start earning real money. He could pay for Mia's schooling. He could take care of his parents.
If he failed...
Randolf didn't want to think about that. He squeezed Aurora's hand. She squeezed back. Neither of them said a word.
Back on the field, Ran was staring at the Awakening Platform when someone slapped him on the back.
"Hey! Don't make that face. You look like you're about to pass out."
Ran turned around. It was Leo — tall, messy brown hair, wide grin. Next to him was Ken — shorter, calmer, with sharp eyes and a quiet way of standing that made him look like he was always thinking.
They were Ran's two closest friends. And they had just come down from the platform.
"How'd it go?" Ran asked.
He already knew. He had seen the results flash across the giant holographic screen like everyone else. But he needed to talk. He needed to hear someone else's voice instead of the panicked screaming inside his own head.
Leo held out his right hand, palm up. A faint red glow appeared, and a small lizard made of light took shape above his skin. It was about the size of a mouse, with tiny legs and a flickering tail. It looked around for a moment, then faded away.
"Fire Lizard," Leo said. "Normal-type. Attack category."
"That's not bad," Ran said.
"It's not great either," Leo said, but he was still smiling. "It's no dragon, that's for sure. But hey — attack-type means I can fight. I can join the City Guard. I can level up. I can send money home to my mom. That's all I need."
Ken raised his own hand. A small black cat appeared above his palm. It was see-through, like it was made of smoke. It sat there for a second, licked its paw, and then disappeared.
"Phantom Cat," Ken said. "Normal-type. Attack category."
"Two attack-types," Ran said. "You guys are lucky."
Ken shrugged. "Lucky? I don't know about that. Ninety percent of the population gets a Normal-type soul. That's just how it is. The real lucky ones are the people who get Rare-type or higher. But as long as it's an attack-type, you can still level up and make a living. Defense-type and support-type are harder to work with on your own."
"What about utility-type?" Ran asked.
Ken made a face. "Utility-type? That's basically what your dad has, no offense. Good for a regular job. Bad for everything else. You can't really fight with a utility soul. You can't really level up with one either, at least not in any way that matters."
"Thanks for the pep talk," Ran said dryly.
Leo laughed and threw an arm around Ran's shoulder. "Relax, man. You'll be fine. Just go up there, put your hand on the orb, and let it do its thing. You don't have to do anything special. The crystal reads what's already inside you."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Ran said quietly.
Leo didn't hear him. He was already looking at the platform, where the Elder was calling the next name.
The Elder was an old man. Very old. His beard was long and grey, and it hung all the way down to his belt. He wore traditional robes — dark blue with silver trim — but in his left hand, he held a sleek digital tablet. He tapped the screen, checked the next name on the list, and raised his voice.
"Next student: Ran!"
Ran's heart stopped. Then it started again, twice as fast.
"That's you!" Leo said, pushing him forward. "Go, go, go!"
"Good luck," Ken said, and he meant it.
Ran walked toward the stone steps.
The platform was about thirty feet above the field. The steps were carved from the same dark stone as the base, and the ancient runes along the edges glowed with a steady blue light. At the top, a pair of high-tech projectors hummed quietly, ready to display the results on the giant screen for all to see.
Ran started climbing.
Each step felt heavier than the last. He could feel the eyes of the entire stadium on him. Thousands of people. Students, parents, teachers, and — in the VIP section off to the right — representatives from the top universities.
These scouts came every year. They were here to find talent. If a student awakened a Rare-type or higher martial innate soul, the universities would fight over them. Scholarships. Free housing. Personal training. The works.
If you got a Normal-type? They didn't even bother looking at you.
Ran glanced toward his family. His father was sitting up straight, hands on his knees, jaw tight. His mother had her hands clasped together like she was praying. And Mia was standing on her seat, holding the banner over her head, her mouth wide open in a silent scream of encouragement.
"You got this, brother!" she mouthed.
Ran forced a small smile.
I can't fail, he thought. Not for me. For them. If I'm really a transmigrator, then there has to be something inside me. There has to be. Please. Just give me something. Anything. Anything at all.
He reached the top of the platform.
The Crystal Orb sat in the center of the platform on a stone pedestal. It was massive — about three feet across — and completely clear, like a giant glass ball filled with nothing. Up close, you could see tiny runes etched into its surface, so small they looked like scratches.
The Elder looked at Ran over the top of his tablet. "Name?"
"Ran."
"Full name, boy."
"Ran Aldric."
The Elder tapped something on his tablet. "Alright, Ran Aldric. You know the drill. Place your hand on the orb. Clear your mind as best you can. Don't force anything. Just let the crystal do its work."
Ran nodded.
He stepped up to the pedestal. The orb was cool to the touch even before he made contact — he could feel the chill coming off it, like standing next to a block of ice.
He took a deep breath.
Then he pressed his right palm flat against the surface of the crystal.
For one long, horrible second, nothing happened. The orb just sat there, cold and dark and silent. Ran's hand was shaking. He could hear the crowd holding its breath.
Come on, he thought. Come on, come on, come on—
Then the orb started to hum.
It was low at first, almost below hearing. Then it got louder. A soft vibration traveled through the crystal, up through Ran's palm, and into his arm. He felt it in his chest. In his teeth.
Light appeared inside the orb.
It started as a tiny spark in the center, then grew outward like smoke filling a jar. The light swirled. It twisted. And then it settled into a steady, even glow.
Grey.
The light was grey.
Ran's stomach dropped.
Everyone in this world knew what the colors meant. It was basic knowledge, taught in schools from the time you were five years old.
Grey meant Normal-type. The most common. The most ordinary. Nothing special.
The holographic projectors activated. The giant screen above the platform lit up, displaying the results in letters ten feet tall for the entire stadium to see:
[Name: Ran Aldric]
[Martial Innate Soul: Basic Orb]
[Type: Normal]
[Elemental Affinity: Zero]
The stadium went quiet.
Not the respectful kind of quiet. The "oh no" kind of quiet. The kind where everyone was thinking the same thing but nobody wanted to say it out loud.
Then someone in the front rows — one of the rich kids, the ones whose families could afford external martial innate souls on top of their natural ones — let out a snort.
"Basic Orb?" a voice said, loud enough to carry. "What is that?"
"It's literally just a ball," another voice said. "A grey ball."
"It's not even a weapon. It's not a beast. It's not anything."
"Zero elemental affinity too. That means he can't use fire, water, ice, lightning — nothing. He's got nothing."
More laughing. It started small and spread through the front rows like a disease. The rich students. The ones who had nothing to worry about. They laughed the hardest.
Ran stood there with his hand still on the orb and his eyes fixed on the screen. He read the words again. And again.
Basic Orb.
Normal-type.
Zero.
He looked out at the stands. He found his family.
His father's shoulders had dropped. The straight back was gone. He looked like someone had punched him in the gut. His big, rough hands hung limp at his sides.
His mother had turned her face away. She was wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to be quick about it, trying not to let anyone see. But Ran saw.
And Mia — Mia was still standing on her seat. She was still holding the banner. But she wasn't bouncing anymore. Her arms were shaking, and her red eyes were filling with tears. She was trying so hard not to cry. She was biting her bottom lip so hard it had turned white.
Something inside Ran cracked.
All those savings. All those years of his parents working extra hours, skipping meals, wearing the same old clothes so they could put money aside for this moment. All of Mia's future schooling funds, spent on him. Everything the family had — gone. Bet on him. On this.
And he got a grey ball.
Ran's jaw tightened. His eyes burned. But he didn't cry. He wouldn't give them that. Not the laughing students. Not the scouts who had already looked away. Not anyone.
He started to pull his hand off the orb.
And then—
A sharp sound cut through his skull.
Ding!
It was like a bell, but not from outside. It was inside his head. Inside his ears. Inside his brain. A clear, clean, electronic chime that came from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.
Ran froze.
A screen appeared.
Not on the holographic projector. Not on the giant display. This screen was different. It was small — about the size of a book — and it floated right in front of Ran's face. It was blue. Semi-transparent. Glowing with soft light.
And only he could see it.
He knew this because no one in the crowd reacted. No one pointed. No one gasped. The Elder, standing three feet away, didn't even glance at it. It was invisible to everyone except Ran.
Ran read the words on the screen.
[System Initialized...]
[Detection: Key detected — Martial Innate Soul 'Basic Orb' confirmed]
[Link Established to Private Pocket Dimension: Sayfrid]
[Welcome, User. Out of all the people in this universe, you have 0.00000...1% chance to be chosen as a Lord, and yet you got it. Only 1 billion user has been selected from the uncountable soul from this universe. Cherish it! and fight for supremacy! be the LORDS OF ALL LORDS ]
[Would you like to enter your Private World for the first time?]
[YES / NO]
Ran stared.
His mouth was open. His hand was still on the orb. His heart was beating so hard he could feel it in his throat.
A system.
After fourteen years of nothing — of shouting into the void, of meditating, of running into trees like an idiot — a system had finally appeared. And it wasn't just any system. It wasn't a simple stat screen or a quest log.
It was a key.
His martial innate soul — the Basic Orb that everyone was laughing at — wasn't just a grey ball. It was a key to a private dimension. A whole world that belonged only to him.
"Wait," he whispered. His voice was so quiet that not even the Elder heard him. "This isn't just a martial innate soul... it's a key to a private world."
His mind was racing. His hands had stopped shaking. The laughter from the crowd was still there, but it sounded far away now, like it was coming from the other side of a wall.
Ran looked at the floating screen one more time.
The blue light reflected in his eyes.
He made his choice.
End of Chapter 1