Florida, USA.
Magic high school, Awakening Temple.
Gazing at the towering grand structure, thousands of 18-year-old students sported a mix of expressions.
Some were pumped, some were on edge, and others just plain confused.
In the crowd, a young dude was totally gobsmacked, checking out the buildings around him, muttering, "Man, I can't believe I've zapped into this parallel world that's so like Earth!"
This planet, while super similar to Earth in many ways, had a whole lot more of that magical vibe.
Merging memories in his mind, Mike couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic.
300 years ago, a mysterious Force enveloped the globe, making the world's landmass balloon to eighteen times its size. Though the territory expanded big time, the shifting and colliding continental plates triggered countless earthquakes and tsunamis.
At the same time, eighteen Abyssal Planes opened up, unleashing hordes of wicked creatures from the abyss, posing a massive challenge for human survival. Humans had to kick off the Blood War with these abyssal creatures to survive. Traditional human tech was pretty useless against these monsters, and within just a year, the human population plummeted by 30%.
The following year, the Tower of Truth descended, and the first supreme being, Morpheus, entered the Tower, sparking an era of mass awakening.
Every human hitting 18 could snag a chance to awaken their innate talents, ranging from F to SSS grade. After awakening, they could enter the Tower of Truth to face challenges, and the powers and items they scored could be brought back to the real world!
From there, the Human Alliance began to turn the tide in this drawn-out war with the abyssal creatures.
This battle would later be known as the Blood War.
Fifty years on, the second supreme being, Ares, emerged, awakened with SSS-grade talent, and with his own might, ended the century-long Blood War, bringing humans back to a time of peace.
And now, the third supreme being, Apollo, has been around for 100 years.
Merging memories in his mind, Mike took another stroll down history lane.
In the last 300 years, humanity had seen three supreme beings: Morpheus, Ares, and Apollo.
These three were the pride of humanity, making indelible contributions, each marking the dawn of a new era.
And now, it's been a whole century since the last supreme being emerged!
Lately, there's been buzz that a new era of ultimate power is just around the corner.
The Era of Supreme Power.
Mike could totally feel it—when his classmates talked about the Era of Supreme Power, their faces lit up with longing.
When a new SSS-grade talent awakens among humans, the Era of Supreme Power will arrive, and a new supreme being will be born.
"Classmates, for 300 years, we've been battling enemies from the abyss, and though we've now won a temporary victory, giving us a brief peace," a white-robed mage shouted in the Awakening Temple.
"But you gotta know, the enemies from the abyss aren't totally defeated; they're always ready to invade our planet again."
"You all are the future hope of humanity, and today, today is the biggest turning point in your lives!"
"From here on out, whether you're just another face in the crowd or a hero, that's gonna depend on the talent you awaken today!"
As the mage finished, the vibe among the students on the square shifted from defeat to pumped-up excitement, all eager to step up.
"Next up, I declare the Awakening Ceremony officially begins!"
"Those I call, step up for testing!"
"Number one, Mike!"
Under everyone's gaze, Mike walked into the Awakening Temple.
"Now, place your palm on the Crystal of Truth to awaken your talent."
Following instructions, Mike did as told and closed his eyes.
A white light enveloped him.
"Talent Awakened, D-grade talent: Watcher's Eye."
As the white light faded away like the tide, Mike opened his eyes feeling just fine.
"Alright, Mike, please head to the observation area and hang tight for two hours. If you're feeling good, you can head on home," a Priest stepped forward after checking the info on the Core Crystal of Truth.
"Mike, D-grade talent."
D-grade, huh?
Mike wasn't surprised; it felt pretty standard to him.
Talent levels range from F to SSS, with F being the weakest and SSS the strongest!
According to human stats over the last century, during talent awakening, over 90% end up with D-grade or even lower.
Only about 3.36% awaken a B-grade talent.
And if you're really hitting the jackpot, waking up with an A-grade talent, that's like winning the lottery!
The future potential is immeasurable!
Mike's D-grade awakening was neither good nor bad, just average.
After the awakening, he was required to stay at school for observation.
Mike had just sat down when he yawned. For some reason, he felt sleepy all of a sudden.
His eyelids grew heavy, and sitting by the window, he rested his head on the sill and was out like a light.
In his dream, it seemed like the Crystal of Truth appeared again.
Blurry lines of text floated before Mike's eyes. As he focused, the writing slowly became clear.
[You've awakened an SSS-grade talent: Eye of Truth.]
"Eye of Truth: A pair of eyes that can see all truths, capable of accessing hidden information/entries, and sometimes offering strange hints."
SSS-grade talent?
Mike thought to himself: Man, even my dreams don't need to be this vivid, right?
The text before his eyes kept changing.
[SSS-grade talent Eye of Truth, at your service!]
Mike's smile froze on his face as he tried to access more information.
[Current survival probability: 66.56%]
Mike was shocked. A survival chance of just 66.56%? How's that any different from a death sentence?
[Tip from your SSS-grade talent: This world is dangerous, keep your identity a secret.]
"Man, that dream felt way too real."
Just as Mike was pondering this, he felt someone shaking him.
Mike snapped back to reality.
The one shaking him was none other than his desk mate and buddy Cain, a super skinny dude.
"I awakened a D-grade talent, what about you?"
"Same here."
"This is really terrible; I was hoping to ride your coattails in the future."
Cain, always the optimist, quickly shook off any disappointment and rallied,
"No worries, Mike. I'll snag a job at Mystic Market, and you can join the United Legion as a scout. Bright futures ahead for both of us!"
"Yawn—"
Clearly, Mike was still feeling sleepy.
Cain pointed at the clock on the wall and announced, "School's out."
"Oh, let's bounce."
Mike looked up and glanced at the ceiling fan.
[Nail loosens, falls off after 5 seconds]
The strangely familiar text appeared again.
Mike remembered that strange dream. Could it be that he really had awakened an SSS-level talent?
What a joke!
As he was lost in his thoughts, the ceiling fan suddenly tilted and crashed to the floor with a clatter, its rapidly spinning blades slicing through a wooden chair.
Hiss—
Mike gasped, instinctively focusing his attention to check his survival probability again.
[Current survival probability: 100%]
[Please continue to maintain this!]
Mike shook his head as the text before his eyes faded.
Acting as if nothing had happened, he looked at Cain and called out, "Let's go home."
On the way home, Mike continued to experiment, looking around.
[This pretty girl may look innocent, but she's not wearing any panties. If you pursue her now, there's a 69% chance you could end up in bed with her tonight!]
[This is an eggplant lying on the ground, ignored by everyone. If you plan to pick it up and eat it, that would be a terrible idea. Because an hour ago, a lady used it for self-pleasure. By the way, she experienced three orgasms.]
[This is a pile of dog poop. Unfortunately, today five unlucky souls have stepped in it already. If you don't change your walking path, you're about to be the sixth.]
After some time experimenting, Mike roughly understood the effects of his talent. As long as he focused, he could see more information.
Conversely, when Mike didn't want to see the notes, they would slowly fade away.