Strolling down the wide hallway with the endless lines of red lockers was always the hardest time for Lex, walking in the wide open and being vulnerable.
The weak boy that had been stuck at LVL 1 since birth, and was always bullied by the other popular, rich and powerful kids, couldn't remember the last time he was happy.
"Look at that LVL 1 trash" screamed a student while pointing at Lex.
Lex lowered his head and ignored the insult, knowing that he couldn't refute, while the rest of the students laughed at him.
Humanity after reaching a threshold and the pinnacle of technology, entered a long era of peace and prosperity and started focusing on outside of the clouding sky, the universe.
Once, while experimenting with space itself and extra-terrestrial objects and beings, they had disrupted the balance of the law of space on earth, causing various different dimensions with beasts, and other more powerful and intelligent races to gain access to their universe, threatening humanity.
Humanity was then in constant danger and wars, and was unable to defend the earth even with their advanced technology, mechs and mass-destruction weapons.
Death and destruction were all that remained in the places ravaged by the beasts and extra-terrestrial beings.
The humans that were once the top of the food chain fell down to the lowest.
Those that were captured were used as slaves and research subjects, while for the beasts they were a delicious snack.
Overtime the humans were only left with a country-sized piece of land holding a population of 100 million humans.
Yes, 98% of humanity had perished.
During the dark ages, finally, a human scientist had discovered the way of survival.
After the opening of the dimensions and due to the holes in space, the energy which was previously unavailable and made up the 80% of the universe, had entered the earth's atmosphere.
The energy could be used by the body to strengthen it, gaining unimaginable power and the power to break off the limit of mortality
With it, they created a system categorizing people's talent of absorbing a considerable amount of energy into F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS.
That is how the humans fought back, and after the long and continuous wars, they were finally able to take back earth.
They never invaded the other planets, as they knew with their current situation it was a miracle that they were able to take back earth, and as the wars were still raging on the borders of the dimensions, they focused on building the strength of their forces.
Only until after a few hundreds of years, when technology had developed once again to heights that surpassed the past, was humanity able to take over 4 other planets and become a race that had some footing within the universe.
History and calendars were all a blur in the current times with too many events to record.
All that was left was a battle ridden universe, filled with supernatural occurrences.
Before humans used to be united and stood strong, but now they were split apart forming their own organisations, groups and families for their own selfish desires and gain.
This made the education system and all life revolve around strength, which was measured and based upon the olden day things called games, which showed the percentage of each realm of power that was completed.
Now Lex was 14 in high school and it was the last day of junior high school.
If you weren't strong or rich, you are bullied and segregated, and would never have a good time or go far in those times.
As school finished, and being an orphan who had always been living off what was provided by the government, and due to his low talent, Lex who became a young adult at 14, had no choice but to join the government.
Lex had no parents since birth and was mysteriously found at a crash site alone without anybody nearby.
After scanning the baby and confirming he was human, he was taken to an orphanage where no one wanted to be friends with him.
Everybody looked for their own gain and a frail orphan who had nothing to offer would be shunned and treated like trash.
Years passed and he lived in a small apartment in the slums, which was provided by the government, and he found that instead of wasting his time with others, he would cram as much information within his mind that he could.
From a young age, all he did was research on Skynet using an old ancestral laptop that he found while searching a trash bin and was scoring top grades in all subjects.
Yet it still wasn't enough for the deluded and ignorant boy to break away from where fate had placed him, and with humanities quality of envy being untameable, it brought him even more trouble.
Being abused and persecuted had become a daily occurrence for him and was even eventually segregated and harassed to the point that the abuse became physical.
Patience and hope were all he had, as he lay low by keeping his grades just below average to get by, but being LVL 1 throughout his life without wealth, he was still abused.
Now as an official young adult, and not being talented in levelling, he could either work slave-like jobs for people who weren't levellers or work as a cannon-fodder.
Society was cruel, and Lex was currently on the firing range with no idea of what he was supposed to do.
[I have only average grades on my record, so I won't be allowed in any department that needs you to have high grades like the research, mechanic and IT departments, so the only thing left is the army and labour departments] he thought to himself as he planned sorrowfully for his future.
Normally he was beaten up or abused by bullies all the time on his way out of school, but today he hadn't bullied yet, which made him feel odd.
Thinking that it was his lucky day, he tried to not attract any attention while urging his legs to walk as fast as they could.Β
But jokes were on him, being the weakest and not from a prestigious background.
Being an orphan, had made people in better situations, look at him with pity, so avoiding all the gazes of the students looking down on him, he walked towards the exit.
[No one is bullying me today], he thought joyously as he reached the exit.
Descending the stairs giddily, believing that he had gotten away without a beating, he suddenly realised just how wrong he was.
It all happened to quickly and before he could react, a fist was being launched at him.
With no time to manoeuvre, he felt a sudden pain on his face as he stumbled and fell back.
He furiously glared at the person who stood before him, but was still unable to act despite his rage.
[I thought I got away yet this bully, Jona, can bully me all day because he thinks he is rich, it is the last day of school. I cannot let myself be bullied on the last day], he said to himself trying to convince himself to gain the confidence to fight back.
Steeling his will, he glared back at them without a single hint of fear and let out all the pent-up anger he had suppressed over the past years.
Over the past 4 years of being in junior high school, the one to bully him the most was Jona.
He was from a large and wealthy family that was of high status, but Jona had only F grade talent, and even with all the resources, his family provided, he was merely an LVL 1 trash just like Lex.
To relieve his own frustration of having F ranked talent, and to feel better about himself, he would always let his anger out on Lex who had E ranked talent, which was also very low.
But Lex had, had enough and was no longer allowing himself to be stepped on.
"Fuck you and your goons" he screamed as the adrenaline pumped through his veins and he launched a fist with all his power to the arrogant Jona's face.
Jona, being from a rich family, made it so that the surrounding people were LVL 2, 3 and the strongest at LVL 4 with low talents of E - D ranks.
An increase in an LVL, would be equivalent to increasing the overall capability of a human being by around 10%, but it would vary on talent and the original body of the leveller.
Not expecting the weak coward, who they bullied all this time, to strike back, the punch shocked him and his subordinates.
But, without a hint of fear, Jona scoffed at Lex's poor attempt to fight back against him.
As soon as the fist was about to land on Jona, another fist came from his side, that was much faster and stronger, and struck Lex's face.
It was the LVL 4 who made the move, and even if he had only improved his body by 40%, he was stronger than an average adult human.
The weak and malnourished Lex was launched into the air and sent flying backwards, hitting his back onto the large and sharp corner of the steps.
He had 2 teeth broken, blood splattering from his mouth and a swollen cheek.
[I wasn't able to do it, it was all waste. I trained for 4 years to be able to accomplish something with my poor life, yet I still can't even compare to an LVL 4 that doesn't take his studies and training seriously. Why is fate so cruel to me], he exclaimed within his mind sorrowfully.
Lex knew better than to stay there, but as he tried standing, he suddenly noticed something.
"Uh, why can't I stand up, why can't I feel my whole lower body, AHHHH-my back!" Lex screamed.
Lex drowned in despair; he knew exactly what was going to happen to him.
The gap in LVL and Lex's momentum being used against him as he hit his back on the sharp corner, was enough to paralyse his body.
The strike to his spine and the shock it caused made Lex's nervous system almost completely collapse as his body slumped over the stairs.
"Shit, I am so dead," he muttered pathetically looking at the situation he was in.
[I am so pathetic, HAHAHA. Fate, if you had always wanted me to die why didn't you just kill me when I was just a new-born child, why do it now after so much suffering, WHY!?....at least now I will be put out of my misery]
Depressed and unable to do anything, he closed his eyes and lay there unable to move like a slug.
After keeping the small strand of hope, that he could live a better life someday in the future, for 14 years, and working hard throughout, Lex felt as though it was a waste and that finally time to give up on life.
Seeing his sunken expression, Jona smiled at him evilly ready to get his revenge for Lex attempting to strike him.
"Let's take him to the woods to punish him for daring to harm my handsome face" he ordered angrily as he turned to leave and began to laugh like a maniac.
Under his payroll, the goons had no way to refute and being low talented, were relying on Jona's family resources to level up.
They did exactly as they were told, and carried him to the back of one of the latest hovering cars, that were only allowed to be used in the city by those in the upper echelon.
The world no longer had any concrete laws.
The strong and rich ruled, while the weak and the poor were left to be cannon-fodders and servants.
Lex was merely a weak ant, just like the rest of those that didn't have the talent for levelling.
Many were in similar situations to Lex, and had to resort to living in slums and working like slaves to earn enough to manage to feed themselves and their families, yet those at the top didn't care in the slightest.
Unable to move and with no way to call out for help or escape, he gave in to fate, and didn't do anything to resist.
All he did was wish for a good life, in his next life.
After a while, he felt the car reach a halt.
[It's finally time for my death] he thought as he was carried away.
Not having any family, talent, or wealth, he had nothing to live for and had completely given into his poor fate that he had tried to fight against his entire life.
He was held from each limb, by the goons, and was thrown onto the ground.
"You have been a fly buzzing around me like a nuisance for the past 4 years, now time to get rid of you" Jona announced as he kicked him in his stomach.
BLURGH!!!!!
Vomiting due to the impact, Lex despite not feeling much pain, could feel that his body was in dire condition.
With his useless body, Lex began to roll backwards continuously and only stopped after colliding with a tree.
"Beat him, then throw him off the cliff" ordered Jona as he turned around and walked away nonchalantly as if nothing had occurred.
Jona knew that the death of a non-leveller, without family or wealth, would easily be covered up by his family, as he would be able to bribe the government, that was already collapsing and couldn't care less about a poor orphan who was merely a small leach to their scarce resources.
As he saw him walk away as if nothing happened, Lex engraved the hatred in his heart and vowed that he would not allow anyone that had harmed him to get away with it, if he had the power and the opportunity to get revenge.
Blow after blow, his body began to shut down as he blurted out another dark red curdle of blood.
Lex lay on the ground of the deserted woods on the verge of death with 5 other youths stood around him beating him.
Seeing him on the verge of death, the evil goons under Jona wanted him to have to feel the fear and despair of falling off a cliff and didn't want Lex to die before feeling the sense of impending doom, while falling off the cliff and being unable to do anything.
They carried him and placed him on the edge of the cliff.
The LVL 4 goon who punched him before, with the chance to display dominance, looked down at Lex with a wicked smile.
"You little trash time to die," he remarked as he kicked him off the side of the cliff without an ounce of remorse.
Falling down, he could hear their profuse laughter and they didn't seem to feel any guilt in the slightest and seemed to have enjoyed it.
As he fell, all that ran through Lex's mind was hatred and revenge and he had finally had enough of submitting to others.
SPLAT!!!!
After a 20-metre fall, he lay there painfully half-dead with one of his limbs separated and blood splattered everywhere, as he waited dispiritedly for the soul reapers to take his soul.
{Ding, the Eye System has chosen you as a host, to accept please say yes}.
Hearing this ring through his mind, being crazed with the drive to get revenge on all those who bullied him and shock all those who looked down on him, Lex was shocked and was wondering whether it was his mind trying to give him false hope on the verge of death.
"HAHAHA! Fate even when I am on the verge of death, you want me to suffer by giving me false hope!" he uttered to himself.
Unexpectedly, the voice rang out again within his mind, repeating the same statement.
[Looks like it wasn't just an illusion or fate giving me false hope] he thought, shocked by the revelation.
On death's door, there was nothing he was unwilling to do if he had the chance at survival.
And now with the unexpected opportunity of survival...
Opening his bloodied mouth, with great difficulty and pain he managed to utter through the blood rising in his throat, "yes".
His eyes felt a sharp pain as he no longer felt anything.
He felt neither any pain from his body, nor the surroundings, and he felt as though he had been teleported into another dimension and gently his eyes closed and that was his end, or so he thought.
Seconds later..... a blood-curdling scream from his sore and blood-filled throat, that sounded like a demon's screech, was released.
"AHHHHHHHHH- FUCK"
His eyes started bleeding and it felt as if a needle pierced into his eyes.
He felt a sharp pain from his irises, and both his eyes started turning eerie red.
After who knew how many hours, the pain from his eyes finally receded.
But Lex still feeling uncomfortable in his eyes and still had the constant feeling of needles poking his eyes.
{Ding, the host has successfully merged with the Eye System, granting the host many opportunities to gain remarkable and infinite Eye Powers and also by completing missions the host can gain rewards from the system, current status:
Name-Lex Black
Power- Mortal LVL 1
Talent: E (SSS)
State- Near Death
Eye Powers- None
Skills-None} stated a voice within his mind.
Not really knowing what was going on, Lex was completely baffled and dumbfounded by the current situation he was in.
But what he knew was that a weird system within his mind was promising him power and opportunities, which was exactly what he wanted and needed, and Lex was not one to miss out on a free lunch.