At the edge of a dusty sidewalk, a young man sat casually on a rickety chair. The skin of his hands looked darker than his body, contrasting with his tousled black hair. The black shirt he wore was worn out with several rips, as if screaming that its owner had lived in poverty for too long.
In his hand, there was a small cup filled with pure cow's milk, hand-pressed without any mixture. He sipped it slowly, letting the warm liquid flow over his tongue.
The taste? Not what he expected. Bland, with a distinctive aroma that made his nose wrinkle.
"Well, at least I know what it tastes like now," Enzo muttered as he stared at the remaining milk in his cup. He didn't regret it too much even though the milk cost him his last penny. The curiosity that had plagued his mind for weeks was finally answered.
Across the street, stood a magnificent black building shaped like a tulip. It was the branch headquarters of the Primordial Association, where many people's dreams began. Enzo watched as a group of high school students walked in and out of the building. They entered with eager steps, but almost always came out with disappointed faces.
"Hmph," he snorted softly, looking at them with a pitying gaze. That gaze then shifted to his right palm. There, a luminous symbol in the shape of a world was faintly visible. It was not a tattoo, but rather a mysterious mark that appeared a few hours ago.
'In the end, I who never touched anything from the Primordial World, can become an Awakener,' he thought with a faint smile.
Fifty years ago, the earth was connected to a mysterious world called the Primordial World and was often referred to as a Game Like World or Leveling World due to its resemblance to a world from a virtual game.
The world was full of monsters and dangers, but for some people, it was a field of strength. Those who are chosen-called Awakeners-can enter the Primordial World, hunt monsters, and become super beings with extraordinary abilities.
However, becoming an Awakener is no easy feat. Of the fifteen billion humans on earth, only about 1 million made it. Most were those who could afford to purchase items from the Primordial World as catalysts-such as food, various objects, or most famously, the Awakening Orb which was often the finishing touch as it had a success rate of nearly 1 percent.
And on the other side, there were those like Enzo. Ordinary people who, without much effort, suddenly received the gift.
Enzo stood up from his chair, walking towards the black building. Around him, people began to take notice. His shabby clothes made him stand out among the other well-dressed students. Some of them whispered, holding back a small laugh.
Actually, those students had come to obtain an Awakening Orb that was given to them for free.
They were elite students who had prepared themselves for a long time by constantly eating food from the Primordial World so that the possibility of them awaking was higher when they came into contact with the Awakening Orb.
At the entrance of the building, a large security guard stopped Enzo.
"Hey, where are you going?" the man asked in a cold tone.
Enzo didn't answer. He just raised his right palm, revealing the glowing symbol.
The man's eyes immediately widened. Before he could say anything, sounds of commotion could be heard from the surrounding students.
"He has awoken!"
"No way! Look at his appearance!"
"Something must be wrong. How could someone like him..."
Enzo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He had expected this kind of reaction.
"Excuse me," he said calmly to the still silent security. "I heard that the association can help with this... problem on my hand."
The crowd was getting rowdy. One of the students, a tall man with a muscular build, stepped forward. His face was bright red with anger. "Hey, you think this is a joke? You don't even know what that sign means, but you're acting like it's nothing!"
Enzo only glanced at the man, then turned back to security. "So, can I go in, or what?"
"Yes, please follow me, sir!" The security man replied, changing his tone to one of politeness.
His surprise was short-lived as this was not his first experience.
He took a step into the building.
Enzo couldn't hide his smile, following the security with steps that looked like he wanted to dance.
The students behind him could only stare at him with mixed feelings-jealousy, hatred, and regret.
Unpleasant whispers accompanied his steps.
Even they knew that this seemingly very poor boy's life was about to change forever.
Entering the building, he found a sizable auditorium with at least a thousand seats.
The students who had not yet received their Awakening Orb sat on those seats to wait their turn until their name was called and then they would take the stage.
There, they immediately used the Awakening Orb given to them.
It was like a diamond that was blue in color and emitted blue light endlessly, having a size that fit comfortably in the hand.
When it was grasped, the light would expand and envelop the body of the person holding it.
That process is the finishing touch for people trying to awaken.
Unfortunately, the result for most people is failure.
With hundreds of people who had tried, only one had succeeded, a girl with short pink hair.
She had a sweet face with fair white skin, and gave off a gentle impression with her polite-looking style.
Unlike the others who had to leave, she remained standing on the stage, behind a dignified-looking old man.
He seemed to be the overseer of this Awakening Orb distribution.
Enzo quickly attracted the attention of the students in this auditorium.
Only, the security seemed to have notified the supervisor over the radio.
The old man waved to him, signaling him to come to the stage.
The security guard then guided Enzo to the stage.
"Sir, this is Mr. Paul, the person responsible for taking care of the new Awakeners in Vera City..." The security told Enzo.
Enzo nodded his head, continuing to walk regardless of the students' stares.
He didn't always hide his palms, so they saw that he had awoken.
Soon he arrived at the stage.
"Son, come!" The old man called out to Enzo, gesturing for him to come to his side.
From how he smiled widely when he saw him, he seemed to be pleased with him.
He stepped up onto the stage with a calm look on his face, although in his heart there was a sense of nervousness. The crowd of students in the auditorium kept looking at him with jealous and disbelieving glances. However, he tried to ignore them.
On the stage, the pink-haired girl watched him with a gentle smile that seemed like it was trying to erase the pressure on the stage. As Enzo approached, she suddenly spoke.
"Hello," she said in a friendly voice. "My name is Rosa. Congratulations, you managed to awaken. That's a big achievement."
Enzo paused for a moment, not expecting to be addressed first. "Uh, thank you," he replied briefly, bowing his head slightly. "I'm Enzo."
Rosa extended her hand confidently. "Nice to meet you, Enzo."
He hesitated for a moment, looking at his own hands that were full of dust and dirty from his long journey. "My hands are dirty," he said quietly, almost embarrassed.
But Rosa just chuckled, not seeming bothered. "I don't care about that. If it's awkward for you, I can shake hands with my elbow too." She raised her arm, trying to make him laugh.
Enzo raised an eyebrow, a little surprised, but eventually smiled faintly. He finally extended his hand, and they shook hands quickly.
"You look like someone who's just been through a lot," Rosa continued, noticing Enzo's shabby clothes. "I wonder how you managed to awaken? You know, most of us had to pay a heavy price for everything from the Primordial World."
Enzo stared at Rosa for a moment, trying to read her expression. There was no hint of contempt or mockery on her face, just genuine curiosity. He decided to answer honestly. "I don't know either, it just suddenly happened."
Rosa smiled widely, as if the answer comforted her. "That's amazing! You know, some people will hate you for your luck."
"I knew it," Enzo muttered in a flat tone, casting a quick glance at the other students who were still looking at him with envious eyes.
"But I don't hate you, really," Rosa added, her voice slightly lower. "I think it's cool. I mean, it makes you like the main character in this story." She smiled again, this time a little embarrassed.
Enzo didn't know what to say. He scratched the back of his head, not used to receiving such compliments. "Thanks... I guess."
"It's just that..." Rosa tilted her head, looking at him with eyes full of interest. "If you had that much power now, what would you do? What are your plans, Enzo?"
The question left Enzo speechless. He hadn't really thought about what would happen after this. But he knew one thing. "I want to live a better life than before," he answered briefly, but there was firmness in his voice.
Rosa nodded slowly. "That's a good goal. I hope you achieve it."
Before Enzo could say anything else, the old man suddenly grabbed his hand.
"Hahahaha, have you seen this boy?" He suddenly burst out laughing.
"He managed to awaken while all of you failed even after using the Awakening Orb," he said very loudly and with sarcastic fervor.
Enzo couldn't help but roll his eyes at his words which made the students' faces turn red and pale.
He was actually using him to taunt them.
"Even if you guys are jealous and can't accept it, you can't change this fact, hahahaha. The chance to become a superhuman is limited and it doesn't always fall on your group," he added with a louder laugh.
After that, he turned his gaze to him.
"Son, you must want to complete your awakening, right? It's not finished yet, your innate skill haven't appeared yet. If you wait, it will take you at least a month, but with your current condition, coming into contact with the Primordial Power is enough of a catalyst, no need to use the Awakening Orb again," he said to him then placed his hand on his head but did not touch it.
Suddenly, a red light emanated from his hand which immediately enveloped Enzo's figure and the light was then absorbed by the symbol on his palm.
Buzz!
The symbol seemed to activate something hidden within him, causing his veins to glow.
This was indeed the reason he had come to the Primordial Association because his awakening had not been completely completed. He needed the association's help to complete it in addition to registering himself as a new Awakener, who was said to be getting a monthly commission from the association.
DING!
Suddenly he heard a bell-like sound in his head followed by the appearance of something that looked like a virtual screen shaped like a panel with writing on it.
(Congratulations, you have successfully awoken!)
[Name: Enzo Moonvale]
[Rank: Beginner]
(Attribute Points: 0)
[Strength: 8]
[Defense: 8]
[Agility: 9]
[Vitality: 8]
[Stamina: 8]
[Intelligence: 3]
[Primordial Energy: 0]
- Maker Skill
- None
(Attribute Points; you need to collect them to increase your attribute points. To advance to the next Rank, you need at least two attributes that have 100 Points. The more the better for you!)
(Skill Maker; is a innate skill that allows you to create skills by imagining them and you can use each skill you create. Skill creation does not require Primordial Energy but requires Intelligence as the basis for your imagination. You cannot create more powerful skills if your Intelligence is insufficient. If you insist, your skill's power will be reduced to a weaker version or you will completely fail!)
That was what was written on the screen that was supposed to be Enzo's status panel.
His eyes could not help but flicker when looking at his innate skill.