The rain in the city of Astrum didn't feel like water. It felt like needles.
Kai Chen stood at the edge of the Awakening Plaza, his feet numb inside his cheap, worn-out sneakers. He was eighteen, a time when most teenagers felt like they could conquer the world.
But Kai felt like a ghost. He was the boy who sat in the back of the class. He was the boy who never raised his voice, even when the teachers ignored him.
On his back was a heavy, waterproof equipment bag. It wasn't his. It belonged to Lucius, the son of the city's largest mana-stone merchant.
"Hey, errand boy. Are you asleep?"
Lucius's voice was sharp. He stood under a wide, silk umbrella held by another student. He looked at Kai with the kind of expression a person might use for a bug they were about to step on.
"No," Kai whispered. He adjusted the strap of the heavy bag. His shoulder was bruising, but he didn't complain. He never complained.
"Then move. You're blocking the view of the stage," Lucius said. He didn't wait for Kai to move. He simply walked forward, slamming his shoulder into Kai's chest.
Kai stumbled back, his sneakers sliding on the slick pavement. He fell hard on his side. The heavy bag spilled over, and a set of expensive polishing cloths for armor tumbled into a muddy puddle.
"Look what you did!" a girl's voice cried out.
Kai looked up. It was Sarah. She was wearing a beautiful white dress, her hair pinned back with a glowing crystal clip. A week ago, she had promised Kai that they would go to the best Hunter Academy together. A week ago, she had told him he was the most hardworking person she knew.
Now, she looked at him with pure embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, Sarah. I'll clean them," Kai said, reaching for the cloths.
"Don't touch them with your dirty hands!" Sarah snapped. she stepped closer to Lucius, grabbing his arm. "Honestly, Lucius, why do you even keep him around? He's so pathetic. It's like he wants people to hate him."
"He's useful for carrying things," Lucius laughed, pulling Sarah closer. "But after today, even that might be too much work for him. Someone like Kai? He'll be lucky if he awakens as a Chef's Assistant."
The crowd of students around them began to titter.
"Look at him," someone whispered. "He's shaking."
"He's the top student in the class, isn't he? What a waste of brains."
"Brains don't kill monsters. Power does."
Kai blocked out the noise. He crawled on his knees, picking up the muddy cloths one by one. His heart was a lead weight in his chest. It's okay, he told himself. Once I awaken, Sarah will see. Once I awaken, Lucius won't be able to treat me like this. I just have to endure.
"Next! Kai Chen!" the High Priest on the stage shouted.
The laughter died down, replaced by a cold curiosity. Kai stood up, wiped his muddy hands on his pants, and climbed the stone stairs. At the center of the stage stood the Primordial Stone. It was a jagged pillar of obsidian that pulsed with a faint, rhythmic light—the heartbeat of the world.
"Place your hand on the stone," the Priest said, his voice bored.
Kai stepped forward. His breath was shallow. He could see Sarah in the front row. She wasn't cheering. She was looking at her fingernails, waiting for him to be done so Lucius could go next.
Kai placed his palm on the stone.
It was freezing. For a second, he felt a spark deep in his soul. A rush of heat traveled up his arm. This is it, he thought. Give me a Sword Saint class. Give me a Great Mage class. Anything!
The stone hummed. Then, it emitted a dull, brownish light. It wasn't the gold of a hero or the blue of a mage. It was the color of dirt.
A holographic screen floated above the stone for everyone to see.
[Name: Kai Chen]
[Class: Basic Gatherer]
[Rank: F]
[Talents: Basic Harvest (F-Rank), Enhanced Backpack Capacity (F-Rank)]
The silence that followed was worse than the rain. Then, a single snort of laughter broke the dam.
"A Gatherer?" Lucius roared, doubling over. "He's a literal trash picker! His talent is having a big backpack? That's not a hero, that's a mule!"
The plaza erupted. Hundreds of students were pointing and laughing. The teachers shook their heads and looked away, erasing Kai's name from their mental lists of "students who matter."
Kai stood on the stage, his hand still on the cold stone. He felt like the air had been sucked out of the world. He looked down at Sarah.
She was laughing. She didn't even have the decency to look sad. She was leaning her head on Lucius's shoulder, whispering something into his ear that made him laugh even harder.
"Priest," Kai croaked. "Is... is there a mistake?"
"The stone does not lie," the Priest said, waving his hand. "Move along, Gatherer. You're wasting the time of the real candidates."
Kai stumbled down the stairs. His legs felt like jelly. As he reached the bottom, Lucius stepped in his way.
"Hey, mule," Lucius said, his eyes gleaming with cruelty. "I don't think I need you to carry my bag anymore. A Gatherer's bad luck might rub off on me."
Lucius grabbed the heavy equipment bag from the ground and swung it. He didn't just take it; he slammed the heavy bag into Kai's chest. The metal buckles of the bag cut into Kai's neck.
"Get out of here," Lucius hissed. "You're an eyesore."
Sarah didn't say a word. She didn't even look at the blood trickling down Kai's neck. She just turned her back on him.
Kai walked. He didn't know where he was going. He just knew he had to leave. He walked past the gates, past the shops, and into the narrow, dark alleys of the Outer District. The rain turned into a downpour.
"There he is!" a voice shouted from behind.
Kai didn't have time to turn around. A heavy boot slammed into his lower back, throwing him face-first into a pile of wooden crates.
It was Ben and two other cronies who followed Lucius everywhere.
"Lucius said you looked too peaceful," Ben said, kicking Kai in the ribs. "He said a Gatherer should learn how to crawl."
Kai didn't fight back. He curled into a ball, protecting his head. Thud. Thud. Thud. The kicks came one after another. He felt a rib crack. He felt his lip split open against the pavement.
"Say something!" Ben screamed, frustrated by Kai's silence. "Beg for mercy! Tell us how much of a loser you are!"
Kai gritted his teeth. He bit his tongue so hard he tasted copper. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction. He wouldn't let them hear him cry.
"Tch. He's like a stone," Ben said, spitting on Kai's head. "Let's go. He's not even fun to beat up. He's just a broken toy."
They left him there, lying in the mud and garbage.
Kai lay still. His vision was blurring. The cold was beginning to feel like sleep. He looked at a discarded, rusted soup can laying in the puddle next to him. That's me, he thought. Trash. Just like the system said.
[Ding!]
The sound wasn't in the air. It was inside his skull. It was deeper and sharper than the Awakening Stone's chime.
[Detection: Host has endured 100 counts of physical trauma without resistance.]
[Detection: Host has endured 1,000 counts of mental humiliation without breaking.]
[Hidden Requirement Met: "The Silence of the Abyss."]
[The Limitless Evolution System is binding to your soul...]
[Binding... 10%... 50%... 100%!]
[Binding Complete.]
[Welcome, Kai Chen. The world gave you nothing. Now, you will take everything.]
[Current Multiplier Unlocked: 10x!]
Kai's heart gave a violent thud. The pain in his ribs didn't vanish, but a strange, golden warmth began to spread from his chest to his fingertips. He looked at his hands. They were glowing with a faint, predatory light.
[Daily Quest: The First Harvest.]
[Objective: Harvest any item. Reward: 10x Evolution.]
Kai's trembling hand reached out and touched the rusted soup can.