The cold air of Sector F hit Zane the moment he stepped out of the collapsing dungeon. The world felt sharper, clearer, like he was seeing everything for the first time. His boots scraped against the cracked pavement, dust swirling around him as the portal behind him flickered violently before vanishing with a low hum.
He took a slow, steady breath.
His body felt different.
Lighter. Stronger. Sharper.
Every movement felt precise, like his body had been recalibrated for perfection. His senses stretched beyond their usual limits, registering every minute detail of the ruined landscape. He could hear the distant crumbling of a broken structure, the faint hum of residual mana in the air, even the soft vibration of energy lingering beneath the earth.
No normal awakened should be able to sense this much.
Something had changed.
He needed confirmation.
Focusing his mind, he willed his Status Panel to appear.
A familiar blue glow flickered into existence before him—but the moment his Status Panel materialized, his breath hitched.
This… wasn't normal.
---
[ Status Panel ]
> Name: Zane Vexis
Class: SSS-Class – Sovereign of the Infinite Realm
Rank: Iron (Eligible for Advancement)
Level: 1 (EXP: 0%)
System Level: 1 (Next Unlock at Level 5)
Authority: Incomplete (System Restrictions Apply)
Attributes:
▸ Vitality: 200 (Endurance, Health Recovery, Stamina)
▸ Force: 200 (Physical & Energy-based Power Output)
▸ Dexterity: 200 (Speed, Reflexes, Precision Control)
▸ Perception: 200 (Awareness, Sensory Expansion, Domain Reach)
▸ Willpower: 200 (Mental Resistance, System Adaptation, Control Over Abilities)
▸ Mana: 200 (Energy Capacity, Affects Spatial Abilities)
Abilities:
▸ Domain Perception [Passive] – The space around you is no longer just an environment. It is an extension of your will.
▸ Extreme Mana Regeneration [Passive] – Your mana regenerates at an absurd rate, making mana depletion nearly impossible.
▸ Absolute Domain [Active] – Create a controlled space where you have absolute authority. Within this domain, you can manipulate reality, restrict enemy movements, and alter the environment.
▸ Spatial Manipulation [Locked] – ???
▸ Rank Advancement Trial [Pending] – Complete the required trial to unlock the next rank.
▸ [Corrupted Entry] – Data cannot be accessed.
System Store: [ Locked – Unlocks at System Level 5 ]
System Notifications:
▸ New Awakening Recognized – System Override Detected.
▸ Warning: System Recognition Pending.
▸ Potential Threat Level: Unknown.
---
Zane's hands tightened into fists.
Everything about this status screen was wrong.
His Rank was still Iron, but his stats were absurdly high—normal Iron-Rank awakened barely started with stats between 10-50.
And then there was the System Level.
Normal awakened didn't have a Leveling System. Their power was determined purely by Rank, and their abilities were assigned by the system with clear limitations. They couldn't level up—only rank up.
But Zane?
He had both.
His Mana and Extreme Mana Regeneration stood out the most.
Only mages and high-rank awakened had mana-based abilities, and even they struggled with mana depletion. It was common knowledge that long fights required careful mana management.
But his mana would never run out.
And then there was Absolute Domain.
He exhaled slowly. This ability… it wasn't just powerful. It was broken.
From what he could tell, Absolute Domain wasn't just a simple skill. It meant he could create a space where he had complete control.
That shouldn't be possible.
Normal awakened had limits—they were bound by their Classes, their mana consumption, and the laws of the system. Even the strongest Mythic-Rank warriors had to obey the fundamental rules of reality.
But in his Domain…
Rules wouldn't apply to him.
Zane clenched his fists.
This… this was why the system didn't recognize him.
He wasn't supposed to exist.
His very presence was an error.
He scrolled through his Status Panel again, stopping at his attributes. His stats were far beyond normal Iron-Rank limits.
Normally, awakened had to increase their Rank to raise their attribute cap.
From what he remembered, the general limits were:
---
IRON: 1-200
BRONZE: 200-400
SILVER:400-600
GOLD:600-750
PLATINUM:750-850
DIAMOND:850-950
MYTHIC: 950-1000
---
That meant his current stats were already at the maximum for Iron Rank.
But if he was eligible for rank-up, why hadn't he automatically advanced?
He scrolled further.
---
His eyes landed on the Rank Advancement Trial notification.
[ Rank Advancement Trial [Pending] – Complete the required trial to unlock the next rank. ]
So that was it.
Unlike normal awakened, who advanced through dungeon clears and system recognition, he had to prove himself through a trial.
Would it be a battle? A survival test?
He had no idea.
But one thing was clear—his awakening wasn't free.
If he wanted to grow, he had to earn it.
---
Zane closed his Status Panel, his mind racing.
The world operated on a strict hierarchy—Iron to Mythic, following a set structure. No one could bypass the system's laws.
But he had.
He wasn't supposed to exist.
And if anyone found out about his abilities…
They would hunt him down.
His fingers curled into a fist.
The thought should have terrified him.
But instead, a quiet thrill settled in his chest.
For the first time in his life, he wasn't just surviving.
For the first time, he had the power to change his fate.
And no one—not the guilds, not the awakened, not even the Cataclysm System itself—
Was going to stop him.
---
Zane exhaled slowly, closing his Status Panel. The weight of what he had just seen still pressed on his mind.
Everything about his system was different. His stats, his abilities, his leveling system—it all defied the world's rules. And now, the system itself was demanding proof of his strength before allowing him to rank up.
He had no idea what it would require, but one thing was clear: this was no ordinary awakening.
Looking down at his hands, he flexed his fingers. There was no visible change, no glow of energy or any indication of what had happened inside the dungeon.
But he felt it.
Something deep inside him had shifted, like an unseen force was now woven into his very existence.
Testing it was the only way to understand it.
He took a slow breath, grounding himself. First, Absolute Domain.
Focusing his mind, he willed the ability to activate.
---
The moment he did, something clicked—not a physical sound, but a shift in reality itself.
The air around him froze.
Time didn't stop, but it felt as if the world had hesitated, waiting for his command.
Then, a pulse rippled outward from his body. It wasn't like Domain Perception, which simply let him sense his surroundings. This was different.
Everything within a ten-meter radius became his.
The faint, ambient energy in the air settled under his control. The dust suspended in the wind stopped moving. Even the cracks in the pavement seemed to exist in a state of absolute stillness.
It wasn't just an aura.
It was his space.
His Absolute Domain.
Zane took a step forward, and the world inside his domain responded immediately, like a living extension of his will. He focused, testing his control, and the dust particles hanging in the air shifted in unnatural patterns, bending according to his thoughts.
This was beyond normal awakened abilities.
He could feel it.
Inside his domain, the rules of the world could be rewritten.
A slow, dangerous smile crossed his lips.
This… this is real.
Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the domain collapsed.
The world snapped back to normal, the wind resumed its natural course, and the weight of reality returned.
Zane took a shaky breath, his pulse racing.
He had controlled space itself.
But the duration was short. He had barely held it for a few seconds before his connection broke.
So there's a limit.
His stats were high, but he was still Iron Rank. If his Domain was based on his Perception and Willpower, then that meant…
I need to get stronger.
---
Zane scrolled through his Status Panel again, stopping at the notification for his Rank Advancement Trial.
[ Rank Advancement Trial [Pending] – Complete the required trial to unlock the next rank. ]
No details. No instructions.
Just a single, vague requirement: Complete the trial.
Frowning, Zane tried tapping the notification.
The system responded.
[ Trial Condition: Survive a battle against a Silver-Rank opponent. ]
His body tensed.
Silver-Rank?
He barely had time to process the challenge before a cold realization settled in.
His current Rank was still Iron.
Even though his stats were already at Silver or higher, the system wasn't acknowledging it. The world still saw him as Iron Rank.
Which meant—
To everyone else, he was still weak.
And that was a dangerous position to be in.
If he stayed like this, stronger opponents would underestimate him. And when they realized the truth, they'd try to kill him.
Zane clenched his fists.
Fine. Let them think I'm weak.
If the world refused to recognize him, he would just force it to.
But first, he needed to find a Silver-Rank opponent.
And he had a good idea where to start.
---
Zane started walking, his boots crunching against the debris-strewn ground.
The night was silent, but he could sense something moving in the distance. His Domain Perception was still active, expanding his awareness, and within his range, he could detect faint life signatures.
Monsters.
Most of them were weak—Iron-Rank creatures scavenging the ruins. Not worth his time.
But deeper into Sector F, there were stronger presences.
Flickers of Silver-Rank energy.
Zane's lips curled into a smirk.
That would do.
Before he could take another step, a sudden presence entered his range.
Not a monster.
A person.
Zane stilled, turning his head slightly.
Who else would be in Sector F this late?
The presence moved closer.
Then, a voice rang out.
"You don't look like a scavenger," a girl's voice said. "So what the hell is an Iron-Rank doing here?"
Zane narrowed his eyes as the figure stepped into view.
A girl, maybe a few years younger than him, wrapped in a tattered cloak. Her short brown hair framed sharp, calculating eyes that studied him with suspicion.
She didn't look like a normal hunter.
And from the way she carried herself, she wasn't afraid of him.
Zane didn't move.
"I could ask you the same thing," he said evenly.
The girl tilted her head slightly, as if analyzing him. Then, without warning, her hand twitched beneath her cloak.
A knife.
Zane didn't flinch.
She didn't attack.
Instead, she exhaled slowly, lowering her arm. "You just came out of that dungeon, didn't you?"
Zane said nothing.
Her eyes narrowed. "Then you don't know, do you?"
Zane frowned. "Know what?"
A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.
"That dungeon shouldn't have existed," she said. "And now that you've stepped out of it alive, you're in more trouble than you realize."
Zane's pulse remained steady, but inside, he was already preparing himself.
More trouble?
Before he could respond, a distant roar echoed through the ruins.
A deep, guttural sound, vibrating through the night air like a tremor.
Zane's Domain Perception flared to life.
Something big was moving.
The girl cursed. "They sent one already? We need to move. Now."
Zane didn't move.
His instincts sharpened—not in fear, but in something else.
A thrill.
For the first time, he didn't feel like prey.
For the first time, when danger came looking for him—
He wasn't planning to run.