The Awakening Hall was packed with teenagers. Everyone was nervous. Today was the day they would touch the Mana Stone to find out their Level. In the world of Aetheria, your Level was everything. It decided if you were a king or a slave.
Levels gave you stats: Health Points, Mana, and Strength. A person at Level 10 was twice as strong as a normal human. A person at Level 50 could destroy a building with one punch. If you were born with a low Level, you were basically trash.
Han Sen stood at the back of the line. He wiped his sweaty palms on his cheap tunic. He didn't need to be a hero. He just wanted to be Level 5 so he could get a job at the city docks.
"Next! Han Sen!" the Priest shouted.
Han Sen walked up to the large, glowing blue stone. He felt hundreds of eyes on him. He reached out and placed his hand on the cold surface. The stone hummed for a second, then it turned a dull, muddy grey.
A floating screen appeared above the stone for everyone to see.
[Name: Han Sen]
[Level: 1]
[Health Points: 10/10]
[Mana: 10/10]
[Status: Level Locked]
The hall stayed silent for a heartbeat. Then, the laughter started. It was loud and cruel.
"Level 1? Even a farm chicken is Level 2!" a boy mocked from the front row.
"Look at his status: it says Level Locked. He can never level up. He is a permanent weakling," a girl whispered with a sneer.
The Priest sighed and pulled Han Sen away from the stone. "Move along, boy. You are a waste of a soul. A Level 1 human has the body of a child. You won't even survive a walk in the woods."
Han Sen felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked toward his childhood friend, Lin Yue. She was a Level 20 prodigy. She looked away, her face full of shame. Her father stepped in front of her, blocking Han Sen from her sight.
He was officially an outcast. He left the hall and walked toward the edge of the city. He needed to clear his head. He sat down by a small stream in the Quiet Woods.
Level 1. Only 10 HP, he thought. One bite from a wolf and I am dead.
Suddenly, a golden light flashed in his eyes. A screen appeared, but it was different from the one at the Mana Stone. This one was private.
[System Initializing...]
[Host: Han Sen]
[Level: 1 (Fixed)]
[Skill Points: ∞]
Han Sen froze. He stared at the sideways eight symbol. Infinite? He opened his skill menu. Since he was Level 1, he only had three basic skills: [Basic Vision], [Basic Movement], and [Basic Strength].
He focused on [Basic Vision]. A small plus sign appeared next to it. He pressed it.
[Ding! You have spent 1 Skill Point. Basic Vision is now Level 2.]
[Ding! You have spent 1,000 Skill Points. Basic Vision has evolved into: Eagle Eye.]
[Ding! You have spent 10,000 Skill Points. Eagle Eye has evolved into: Eye of Truth.]
His head throbbed for a second. When he opened his eyes, the world was different. He could see the wings of a fly moving in slow motion. He could see the mana flowing through the trees like glowing veins.
He looked at a small bird in a tree. A box appeared over its head.
[Forest Sparrow: Level 3]
[Health: 25/25]
[Weakness: Left Wing]
Han Sen gasped. He was still Level 1. His health was still only 10. But he could see everything. He could see the secrets of the world.
He looked at [Basic Movement]. If he maxed that out, would he be faster than a Level 50 Knight? He pressed the plus sign again. He didn't stop until he had spent 50,000 points.
[Ding! Basic Movement has evolved into: God-Speed Flicker.]
Han Sen stood up and thought about moving to the other side of the stream. In a flash, he was there. He didn't even see himself move. He looked back and saw that he hadn't even disturbed the grass.
He let out a shaky breath. The world thought he was a loser because he couldn't level up. They were wrong. He didn't need levels if he could master every skill in existence.
He was the world's only Level 1 God. He just had to be careful. One mistake, one hit, and his 10 HP would be gone.
"I'll show them," Han Sen whispered. "I'll show them all."