I woke up to sunlight spilling into the room and a headache that felt like the world had slammed into my skull. The memory of the white void hit me at once—the faceless God, the apology, the order to "save the world."
Great. Just great.
"As if going to Nova Academy wasn't enough," I muttered. "I only wanted to be rich and lazy."
I pushed the sheets away and sat up. My body felt… wrong. Or maybe too right. Stronger. Lighter. Like someone had replaced my old bones with upgraded parts.
I took a slow breath.
Status Window.
[DING]
A blue screen appeared.
[ SYSTEM INTERFACE ]
Name: Jayden Cross
Rank: UNRANKED — GOD-TIER
Status: Wandering Soul
Soul Tools:
• Twin Vipers — fast dual daggers (original Jayden's tool)
• Transforming Spear — changes shape (my soul's tool)
Attributes:
Physical Ability: MAX
Intelligence: MAX
Charm: MAX
Special Skill: Authority of the Glitch — can change small rules of reality
I stared at the word MAX until my brain went silent.
Yesterday, I struggled to lift a chair.
Today, one wrong move and I could destroy someone.
I turned to the mirror. My silver hair shone like metal, my red eyes looked sharper, and my face didn't match a kid my age.
"Two soul tools…" I whispered.
One from the boy who died.
One from the soul that replaced him.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
I nearly fell off the bed.
I opened the door to see Jamie standing there, arms crossed, looking annoyed.
"Why am I waiting for the beggar?" he said. "Move it, 'brother.' We're late."
My hands twitched. With MAX strength, I could've knocked him through a wall.
But Silas stood behind him, watching me.
Not now.
I forced a smile. "Give me ten minutes."
I dressed and followed them downstairs. Lara welcomed me with her warm smile.
"Come eat, dear."
After breakfast, I got into the armored limo with her. The city outside looked unreal—floating signs, glowing runes, buildings touching the clouds.
"I'll never get used to this," I whispered.
We headed toward the National Awakening Bureau, a huge pyramid made of shining glass.
Then everything turned red.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Sirens screamed. Red lights flashed across the streets.
Lara's face fell.
"Oh no."
"What's happening?" I asked.
"A monster outbreak. A gate ruptured."
THUD!
A giant shape landed on the car in front of us and crushed it. People screamed and scattered. Smoke rose in the distance.
I sighed.
"…Right. Action story life."
The sky cracked open, spilling shadows.
Jamie didn't flinch.
Silas looked bored.
Dominics were not normal.
Suddenly, Lara threw open the door and ran straight toward danger.
"What is she doing?!" I yelled.
Silas shrugged.
"She's S-Class. Let her handle it."
I looked out the window.
Ogres. Huge ones.
Green skin, glowing red eyes, clubs bigger than cars.
They smashed everything—roads, buildings, people.
But I felt nothing.
No fear. Just focus.
Lara floated above them. A whip of purple light formed in her hand—her Soul Tool, the Violet Lash.
She swung.
CRACK!
The first Ogre's head vanished.
She spun, the whip stretching and wrapping around three at once. With one pull, she sliced through them.
More charged at her.
She poured mana into the whip.
It exploded into a long blade of purple fire.
She swung again.
Ogres dropped like grass.
Within minutes, it was over.
A cleanup team arrived as Lara walked back to the car without sweating.
"Everyone is safe, right?" she asked softly. Then she looked at me. "Jayden… I'm sorry you had to see that. I want you to see beautiful things from now on."
The car went quiet.
I tried to joke.
"It's fine. They're not worse than the beasts in the slums."
Dead silence.
Jamie froze. Even Silas blinked.
…Wrong joke.
I cleared my throat.
"Aren't we late for my registration?"
"Oh! Yes—let's go!" Lara said.
The limo moved again toward the Bureau.
Inside, Jamie groaned as we stepped into the lobby. "Why do I have to watch this beggar become a Dominic?"
I ignored him.
Silas smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"It's my little brother's registration. I wouldn't miss this 'special moment.'"
He wanted to see what level of trash I was. Fine.
A man in a sharp suit approached. "Mrs. Lara, apologies for the wait!"
"This is my son, Jayden," she said. "Please handle his registration."
I smiled politely. "Hello."
"You're a cutie," Mr. Clayman chuckled.
He led us to a counter. A woman named Anna typed my name in and placed a glowing crystal in front of me.
"Thumb here."
I pressed it.
The stone flickered… then turned grey.
"That's strange," Anna whispered.
"What?" Clayman asked.
"He has no information. Nothing. The system says… he doesn't exist."
Lara gasped.
Jamie looked shocked.
We moved to Clayman's office. His face was serious.
"Mrs. Lara… who is this boy?"
She explained the orphanage and how they found me.
Clayman's jaw tightened.
"He wasn't just mistreated. He was erased. Kids with no records can be used, sold, or killed. The law won't know they existed."
A cold chill crawled down my spine.
"Anna, take this report to the Director," Clayman ordered.
Once she left, Lara asked quietly, "What now?"
Clayman sighed.
"He must start from zero. Before the adoption papers can be finished, he must go through the Awakening Ceremony again."
My heart stopped.
No.
No, no, no.
I wasn't the original Jayden.
I had a God-Tier rank and a hidden system.
If that crystal reacted wrong—if it glowed gold or exploded—I was done.
The government would lock me up.
Cultists would hunt me.
My "peaceful life" would vanish.
I stared at the glowing doorway to the Awakening Chamber.
The universe really had a sick sense of humor…
and I really wasn't interested