I woke up before the alarm.
That alone was unusual.
For six months, my body had followed the same routine—wake late, move slow, blend in. Survival through invisibility. That was how I lived in this world. Not because I was weak, but because I didn't belong here.
The ceiling above me was cracked, the kind of crack that looked like it had been repaired once and then forgotten. Pale morning light slipped through the curtains of the dormitory room, cutting the air into thin, dusty lines.
Today was different.
I could feel it—not excitement, not fear. Pressure. Like the world had leaned slightly closer to me overnight, waiting to see if I would break.
*Awakening Day.*
In this world, that phrase carried more weight than birthdays or funerals. It decided futures. It decided whether you fought monsters… or became collateral damage.
I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes. The mirror across the room caught my reflection: black hair, average build, unremarkable face. A boy who looked like he could disappear into a crowd and never be remembered.
That part hadn't changed.
What had changed was the lie I'd been telling myself.
For half a year, I pretended I could live normally. Go to school. Learn this world's language, history, rules. Pretend the dungeons cracking the land open outside the cities weren't my problem.
Pretend I wasn't waiting.
I wasn't from this world.
I still didn't know how I arrived here—only that I woke up in a ruined district, surrounded by the aftermath of a dungeon break, with memories that didn't belong to this body layered cleanly into my mind. Enough to function. Enough to hide.
But no memories of awakening.
No memories of power.
And today, that excuse ended.
Everyone awakened at sixteen.
Some gained strength.
Some gained magic.
Some gained nothing.
And some… were publicly reminded of their place.
I dressed quietly, pulling on the standard academy uniform. Outside, the halls buzzed with energy students tried—and failed—to suppress. Nervous laughter. Forced confidence. Prayers whispered like bargains.
The Awakening Ceremony was held once a year, in the central evaluation hall. Government officials. Guild observers. Military representatives. Even nobles sent proxies.
Talent was currency.
I walked with the others, hands in my pockets, gaze lowered. No one paid me attention. Good. I had worked hard to be forgettable.
The hall itself was massive, built more like a cathedral than a school facility. At its center stood the **Awakening Array**—a circular platform etched with runes that pulsed faintly, like something breathing beneath stone.
One by one, students were called.
Names echoed.
Light flared.
Gasps followed.
"D-rank Martial talent!"
"C-rank Arcanist compatibility!"
"B-rank profession—Runesmith!"
Applause. Murmurs. Futures being rewritten in seconds.
I watched without expression.
Awakening didn't grant tiers. Everyone started at **Tier Zero**—empty vessels with potential but no realization. The rank only determined how high you *could* climb… if you survived long enough.
Eventually, my name was called.
"Farhan."
The sound felt heavier than it should have.
I stepped onto the array.
The runes reacted instantly. Light surged upward—sharp, jagged arcs snapping like broken glass.
Lightning.
A few surprised sounds rippled through the hall. Lightning awakenings were rare.
Then the evaluation crystal flickered.
Once.
Twice.
And stopped.
Silence.
The official overseeing the process frowned, tapping the device. "Reconfirming."
The crystal glowed again.
**Profession:** Combat-Type
**Elemental Affinity:** Lightning
**Talent Rank:** **F**
The hall broke into noise.
Laughter. Whispers. Not even subtle.
"Lightning F-rank?"
"What a waste."
"Flashy garbage."
"Unstable and useless."
I stood still as the words hit.
Lightning was powerful—but only at high tiers. At low levels, it burned more mana than it delivered damage. F-rank lightning users rarely reached Tier 3. Most died early, their bodies unable to handle the strain.
An examiner cleared his throat. "Farhan. F-rank combat talent. Tier Zero. You are dismissed."
Dismissed.
Just like that.
No applause. No acknowledgment. Just a quiet instruction to step aside.
I walked off the platform under dozens of gazes—some pitying, most amused. A noble heir near the front didn't bother hiding his smile.
Public humiliation wasn't loud.
It was efficient.
By afternoon, the academy had already reassigned me. No elite classes. No specialized training. Instead, I was placed into a **dungeon labor unit**—Tier Zero recruits used for low-risk clearing and bait.
Disposable.
I accepted without protest.
That night, I was transported with a group to a newly stabilized dungeon on the city's edge. Gray stone gates. Rank-one clearance. Supposedly safe.
We entered.
The moment the gates closed behind us, something felt wrong.
The air was heavier. The light dimmer. The dungeon walls pulsed faintly, like veins beneath skin.
Then the monsters came.
Too many. Too fast.
Screams echoed. Formation broke instantly. Veterans cursed. Someone ran.
I tried to move—but lightning flared in my veins, wild and uncontrollable. My mana dropped in seconds. Pain tore through my muscles.
A claw pierced my side.
I fell.
The world tilted. Sounds blurred. The dungeon ceiling spun above me as footsteps retreated. No one came back.
Of course not.
Blood pooled beneath me, warm, slick. My breathing grew shallow. Vision darkened at the edges.
So this was it.
Six months of waiting. Of hiding. Of pretending.
*Normal life,* I thought bitterly. *What a joke.*
As consciousness slipped, something inside me cracked—not physically, but deeper. Like a lock that had never been meant to stay closed.
The dungeon went silent.
And then—
> **[CRITICAL CONDITION DETECTED]**
> **[SOUL ANOMALY CONFIRMED]**
> **[RE-EVALUATION AUTHORIZED]**
The voice wasn't sound.
It was law.
My heart stopped.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then light returned—layered, vast, incomprehensible.
I saw structures folding into themselves. Space bending. Shadows stitching gaps reality couldn't hold. A pulse—warm, defiant—refusing to let me die.
> **[RE-AWAKENING COMPLETE]**
Information slammed into me like gravity reversing.
> **[Talent Rank Updated: S]**
> **[Dual-Path Compatibility Unlocked]**
> **[Elemental Authority Detected: Lightning / Space / Shadow / Life]**
> **[Status: Tier Zero — RESET]**
I gasped.
The dungeon trembled.
And somewhere, far beyond human perception—
The System noticed me.
---
**End of Chapter One**
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