The world didn't end with a whimper; it ended with a roar. On March 3, 2026, the sky fractured. Portals—jagged wounds in reality—breathed monsters into our streets. In three days, half of humanity was silenced. Those who remained learned to adapt. We discovered Mana. We discovered Levels.
But more importantly, we discovered Status.
From the common G-Rank to the terrifying SSS-Rank, human worth was suddenly measured by a blue holographic screen. Above them all sat the EX-Rank, a legendary ceiling no human had ever touched. Your future wasn't written in books; it was etched in your Talent—graded from Normal to God-Tier.
Fast forward five hundred years to 2526. The world has stabilized into a hierarchy of the strong, and today was the day my fate was supposed to be sealed.
The Awakening
The Great Hall of the Central Academy smelled of ozone and nervous sweat. I stood at the back of the line, the "Good-for-Nothing" of the graduating class.
"Next! Lin Feng!" the instructor barked.
I stepped toward the Awakening Stone. A murmur rippled through the crowd—the kind of cruel laughter that precedes a disaster. I placed my palm on the cold, obsidian surface. A dull, grey light flickered.
[NOTIFICATION]
Talent Awakened: Normal-Tier
Skill: Minor Acceleration (Increases Leveling Speed by 1%)
The silence lasted a heartbeat before the hall exploded in mockery.
"One percent? He'd need ten lifetimes to reach F-Rank!"
"A loser stays a loser, even when the heavens intervene."
I walked down the stairs, my face burning. My girlfriend, Li Mei, was waiting at the bottom. She didn't offer a hand; she offered a cold stare.
"Lin Feng, we're done," she said, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'm an A-Rank talent destined for the upper circles. I can't have a 'One-Percent' anchor dragging me down."
My friends, the people I had shared meals and dreams with, turned their backs as I passed. They didn't even look at me. They were already erasing me from their lives.
The Shattering
I took a taxi home, the city lights blurring through my tears. I thought my parents would be my sanctuary. I was wrong.
"A 1% talent?" my father whispered, the disappointment in his eyes sharper than any monster's claw. He looked at my mother, then back at me. "Pack your things, Lin. We've spent too much on your education to be the laughingstock of the district. You are no longer a member of this family."
My heart didn't just break; it pulverized. The betrayal of my blood hurt more than the cruelty of the crowd.
But as the door slammed behind me, a sound—sharp, mechanical, and ancient—echoed in the depths of my mind.
[DING! GOD-TIER SYSTEM BINDING SUCCESSFUL...]
[HOST: LIN FENG...]
A vibrant blue screen materialized in the air, glowing with a light that felt like starlight. The cheat code, I thought, a manic laugh bubbling in my chest. The protagonist's luck.
"I'm done with all of you," I whispered to the closed door. "From this moment on, we have no connection."
The Trade
I checked into a grimy hotel and stared at the interface.
"System," I commanded. "What are you?"
[SYSTEM UTILITY: SINGLE-USE TRANSCENDENCE]
Description: I can convert one existing skill into a God-Tier Skill.
Warning: Following the conversion, the System will be permanently erased.
I didn't hesitate. I didn't need a system to hold my hand forever; I needed a foundation that would break the world. "Change my 'Minor Acceleration' skill. Now."
[CONVERTING... NORMAL-TIER 'MINOR ACCELERATION' -> GOD-TIER 'LEVEL HARVESTER']
[SUCCESS. SYSTEM ERASURE COMMENCING IN: 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...]
The blue light flickered and died, leaving behind a standard, primitive user interface. But when I opened my skill tab, my breath hitched.
[SKILL: LEVEL HARVESTER (GOD-TIER)]
Effect: You no longer gain Experience Points (EXP). Instead, upon defeating an enemy, their Total Level is added directly to yours.
Limit: None.
I sat on the edge of the bed, calculating. In this world, the milestones were clear:
F-Rank: Level 10
C-Rank: Level 100
S-Rank: Level 5,000
SSS-Rank: Level 50,000
The strongest hunters in history peaked at Level 100,000. They spent decades grinding mobs for tiny percentages of EXP. Me? If I kill a Level 50 beast, I am Level 50. If I kill a Level 1,000 Dragon, I jump a thousand levels in a second.
The next morning, I walked into the Registration Office. I filled out the form with a steady hand, wiping away my past.
New Name: Kong Li.
I looked at the rising sun through the window. Tomorrow, the "loser" dies. Tomorrow, the harvest begins.