"Even in death, may you burn."

A young man was praying amidst the raging flames.

The scenery that surrounded him could only be described with two words... utter destruction. A once-flourishing city had been reduced to a blazing sea of fire, with only a few charred corpses as remnants of its people.

Who was he praying to? Vex himself didn't know. Perhaps the gods that blessed the land he was standing on?

He had heard of them. The omnipotent gods who blessed humanity with rain when there was drought. The omniscient gods who guided humanity. Such stories flew around in the now destroyed city.

No matter. They were all dead anyway, devoured by this unforgiving world.

All Vex cared about, right now, was plundering any valuables before someone noticed the destruction of the city. After reciting a strange prayer, he fixed his gaze on the City Lord's mansion. If there was one place that would contain awakened materials and maybe even essence crystals, that would be it.

Passing by the raging flames, Vex hummed a low tune. He didn't care about the countless lives that had been lost merely minutes before. He didn't even care about the fact that he was an indirect culprit.

After all, no one would care if something similar happened to him. In fact, maybe they'd celebrate.

Sparing no glance to destroyed houses and whatever was in there, Vex swiftly traveled towards the City Lord's mansion.

Despite the smoke rising and enveloping the sky, the sun could clearly be seen. It looked different from the one Vex was used to. This one had darkness inside. Like a black hole inside the sun, it poured rays of darkness that mixed in with light.

At least, that's how the dead residents had described it. Vex noted no visual difference except for a black spot in it.

He passed the old bakery where the owners had once kicked him out for his tattered clothes. Then he passed what he thought was the ruined shelter of a kind old man. The sight stirred something faint in his heart.

It was alright. He didn't know it would end up like that. It wasn't his fault. He convinced himself.

And yet, he stopped, clapped his hands together, and recited the strange prayer once more.

After some time, he finally reached the mansion. A flicker of mirth played in his heart as he stepped past the shattered door.

The mansion was the only building in the city that had only partially been destroyed. It was a good thing really, because he couldn't loot a completely burned house.

Vex's concern was just that one strange guy.

"I should be several thousand kilometers from that maniac. It will take days even for him to get to me." He remembered a weird inquisitor that somehow always found him. No matter what plunder Vex planned, that young man would be there. The weirdest part was that the inquisitor wasn't even seriously targeting Vex.

As he searched, Vex wondered about the inquisitor's strange nature. "Maybe he has an artifact that affects luck. Or perhaps his awakened ability is related to luck..."

It wasn't impossible. Vex himself seemed to have a deep tie to misfortune. "Whatever, he's too far away anyway."

It didn't take long for Vex to search every room except the owner's room. Unsurprisingly, he found nothing of value except for some gold.

"If only I could carry gold with me," he muttered with a sigh, eyeing the wealth wistfully. "Shame it can't pass through the gate."

Vex had a strange ability to open a 'gate'. That gate served as a link between Vex's homeworld, Earth, and this strange Abandoned World. However, there was no way for mundane objects to pass through the gate.

Through painstaking efforts, Vex realized only awakened materials and similar could pass.

Opening the door, Vex found a clean room and a safe.

"Agh," he groaned, exasperated.

Lock-picking wasn't difficult, but Vex... He hated it nonetheless. It was time-consuming, and the memory of his last close call—when someone caught him and beat him senseless—still lingered. Fortunately, his artificial System could handle the task for him.

Glancing at his watch, he gave an order. "Note as I turn the... wheel. Try cracking the code."

[ Analyzing...]

[ Awaiting input.]

Two short notifications rang in his ears.

Vex was glad he had invoked the First Law to create an evolving artificial System. It was undoubtedly a better choice than some of the absurd wishes other awakened had made. He still remembered one that wished for a mountain of pancakes.

It was just that...

[ Warning! Low power! ]

[ Unnamed System is in energy saving mode. Most functions will be blocked. ]

[ Please provide energy. ]

The System was practically useless. It couldn't even analyze him. At best, it could handle basic calculations and predictions.

And the worst part... it drained money.

Awakening was supposed to make him rich. It did for almost everyone—just not for him.

Every single cent Vex rightfully earned and totally didn't steal was spent on keeping his system from shutting down.

At first, he cursed the heavens for his bad luck, but after testing it, Vex realized that there were uses for such an ability. For example, he could pick locks. The System would carefully calculate the combination based on his inputs.

As he fiddled with the dial, excitement bubbled within him. A life of wealth was just within reach.

Or so he thought. Just as the safe clicked open, an all-too-familiar humming drifted in from outside. It was the very same humming that had been chasing him to the end of the world.

"Whoa, what happened to this city? Was this the work of a Rank 2 awakened?" a young voice called from outside.

"How?!" Vex grimaced. That infuriatingly lucky bastard had found him far sooner than expected. He quickly glanced inside the safe and saw hundreds of essence crystals.

"Rich!" His eyes lit up with greed.

Essence crystals weren't just currency; they were lifelines for the awakened, used to replenish energy, power abilities, and fuel ancient formations. Without them, advancing to higher Ranks was almost impossible. Every crystal was a treasure, worth a fortune.

Not that many use it for their advancement. It was almost impossible to advance after all.

Even Vex only knew one tier 0 spell they were taught in academy. So officially, he wasn't even Rank 1 awakened.

Amidst the wealth, Vex noticed a small book. Its title read: "Foundation is the Key: Ways of Cultivation"

Cultivation was one of many methods the awakened of the Abandoned World used to harness power. It was also the second most popular due to its simplicity.

Power manuals were rare but not impossible to find. Vex, as an awakened, already possessed one. However, obtaining a high-quality manual was nearly unheard of in his home world, which was only beginning to adapt to the awakening phenomenon. Even here, such a manual would cost a fortune. Vex guessed that the City Lord had likely spent years—or even decades—getting his hands on one.

Despite his racing heart, Vex frowned. Should he take the money or the book?

Yes, the book was more valuable, but money had unique value for his System. Who knew what functions it might awaken once it gets enough essence crystals?

In the end, he didn't have much time to think because he heard the inquisitor enter the mansion. So he simply grabbed the book with one hand while trying to stuff as many crystals inside his shirt as he could. He even put a few in his mouth, making sure not to leave any to waste.

Then, he stirred a hidden power inside him and a violet portal of sort appeared. With a smirk, he entered, leaving behind the ruins of a once-flourishing city.

Not long after, a report was made.

The city of Dam was destroyed for reasons unknown.

Estimated casualties: over 50,000.

Survivors: One individual, presumed to be the culprit.

The cause of destruction?

A meteor.