Chapter 1
In a rugged canyon, an aging man stared intently at the sky. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, yet tinged with deep sorrow and reluctance, as if stained with the scent of blood.
The sky responded. As if offended by the man's gaze, it began to churn. Lightning crackled, thunder roared, clouds swirled, and mist condensed.
Bang!
Bang!
The canyon trembled, accompanied by a bone-chilling rain. The old man remained stoic, his face devoid of emotion, as if his heart and soul were nailed to the ground.
Swosh! Bang!
A tsunami surged, landslides tumbled, an earthquake shook the earth, and a lightning storm raged. These natural disasters, each terrifying in their own right, now converged, creating an atmosphere of utter despair. They charged towards the old man with relentless speed.
Without hesitation, the man leaped high into the air, facing the wrath of nature head-on. He raised both hands, holding a broken sword. His movements were slow as if time had stopped for him, while the disasters sped towards him.
Invisible energy gathered around the broken sword, forming a thin, dense layer that emitted a brilliant light. As the disaster neared, the man's slow-motion vanished. With a muffled roar, he swung his sword from top to bottom.
The Mysteries of the Universe: Big Bang Impact!
Boom!
A tremendous energy burst from the sword, spreading outward like a strange and powerful firework. The natural disasters were held back, and forced to retreat. A rare smile graced the old man's lips.
But the smile quickly froze. The natural disasters surged back, stronger than before. Panic surged through the man as he desperately increased the intensity of his energy. The catastrophes were held back momentarily, before the sword shattered, crushing his hope.
The tsunami, storm, and lightning struck first, followed by the other disasters. The old man was engulfed in chaos, his body nearly consumed by the fury of nature. He cried out in despair.
"Aghhhhhh!"
In a classroom, a teenager screamed, silencing the entire room. All eyes turned to him, their expressions ranging from mischief to confusion and curiosity. The teacher, who was lecturing, was annoyed and angry.
"Raka!" she shouted, throwing a marker.
Raka woke from his nightmare, still disoriented. After a moment, he realized his mistake and apologized.
"Sorry, Ms. Teacher, I accidentally fell asleep," Raka said sincerely.
The teacher snorted. "Hmph, what were you doing last night to fall asleep like that? Tomorrow is the Awakening Ceremony, don't let your habit of sleeping in class make you awaken a virtual resonance of a pillow or a bed!"
Raka replied confidently, "Don't worry, Ms. Teacher, I won't do that! I will awaken a virtual resonance of an unparalleled sacred sword that will slay the evil dragon because I am the strongest swordsman in the entire universe!"
The teacher ignored him, dismissing it as the ramblings of a naive young man. Some students snickered. Raka didn't care; he thought his classmates were envious of him.
"Raka, what were you dreaming about? Why are you always so over the top?" asked Agung, Raka's friend.
"Nothing, just dreaming of being a great swordsman. Jealous? I've been dreaming the same thing over and over, maybe it's a sign that I'm the chosen one!" Raka replied.
Agung seemed thoughtful. Raka's behavior had been strange lately. He had never heard of dreams before awakening virtual resonance.
"Hey, don't brag, Raka! I, Rangga, am going to be the strongest person in the world!" Rangga exclaimed.
Raka just scoffed. Ethan, Rangga's seatmate, suddenly looked at Raka with enthusiasm.
"Raka, how can you dream whatever you want? Is there a trick? Teach me! It would be amazing if I could hug beautiful women on my left and right, even if it's just a dream! No, no, I want four... I mean, a hundred!" His eyes sparkled, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.
Sari and Dewi, sitting in front of Raka, simply groaned at the antics of their four male classmates.
"Those guys are so weird!" Sari complained. Dewi just blushed in embarrassment.
Time flew by. The bell rang, and all the students cheered, ready to go home.
"Hey Raka, do you think we'll awaken good virtual resonances tomorrow?" Agung asked, a little worried.
"Of course! You'll awaken a good resonance too! Don't worry, even if your virtual resonance is bad, I'll still be your friend and protect you!" Raka replied enthusiastically.
"Yeah, don't worry Agung, this young master will help you in the future because this young master is going to be the strongest person in the world!" Rangga chimed in confidently.
Agung nodded, still worried. Ethan was thinking about something, muttering about resonance, virtual, beautiful, and older sisters. His cheeks were flushed, and saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth.
Suddenly, a loud ripping sound echoed.
Krak!
Agung's pants had ripped due to the pressure of his stout body when he bent over to pick something up. Everyone burst into laughter.
"Hahah Agung, it would be better if your virtual resonance was underwear! They say virtual resonances are very strong and durable, so you won't have to worry about ripping your pants anymore!" Raka joked.
Agung snorted. The others joined in the teasing. They joked and chatted as they walked out of the school.
At the gate, they parted ways. Raka headed towards the bus stop, excited about tomorrow's Awakening Ceremony, walking cheerfully while humming a nonsensical tune.
Meanwhile, in a dark alleyway, a group of teenagers huddled together. They were skipping school, smoking cigarettes, and trying to project an image of "toughness."
As the group idly chatted, a rat suddenly darted out. Unlike ordinary rats, this one was the size of a cat and seemed dazed, as if something was troubling its mind.
The teenagers barely registered its presence; rats were commonplace in the city.
However, one sharper-eyed youth noticed something unusual clutched in the rat's paws.
Intrigued, he approached to get a closer look.
Just as he neared the rat, a childish yell rang out.
"The Beginning of Creation: Big Bang Impact!"
The cat-sized rat was cleaved in two by a swift sword stroke.
Raka appeared, brimming with pride, as if he had vanquished a mighty demon king. He preened, his joy increasing as he saw that his vanquished foe had dropped a "treasure chest."
Raka rushed towards the rat to investigate.
Seeing his potential prize about to be snatched, the other youth protested, shouting, "Wait!"
Raka, annoyed, retorted, "What?"
"What do you want?" the other youth countered.
"I want to see what the rat dropped," Raka said.
"You can't take it; it's mine!"
Raka frowned. "How can it be yours? I killed the disgusting rat!"
The youth faltered, but after a brief internal struggle, he stood his ground. "It doesn't matter; I saw it first, so it's mine!"
Raka's annoyance grew. How dare this weakling try to steal his spoils?
"So, if you see something, it's yours? Does that mean this alley is yours? Or this street? Or everything in the world? Wow, you're so dominant!" Raka sneered sarcastically.
The youth was speechless, unable to retort.
Raka, feeling his time was wasted, turned to leave.
But before he could, an unpleasant voice interrupted.
"Tedy, what's going on here?" a young man with a square jaw and a masculine appearance asked.
A group of school kids, their uniforms slightly disheveled, arrived, surrounding the scene.
Tedy, feeling defeated moments before, was suddenly filled with hope, as if rescuers had arrived.
Raka sensed something was wrong and quickly gripped his sword hilt, preparing for the unexpected.
"This is Ron. This guy, I don't know where he came from, is so arrogant. That box is mine, but he's trying to take it by force!"
The group glared at Raka, their hostility palpable, ready to attack at any moment.
Raka's anger flared. "Hey, what do you mean it's yours? I killed the rat, so the box it dropped is my trophy!"
Seeing Raka's continued defiance, one of the group shouted, "Enough talk! Let's attack him! Show him who's boss here!"
With that shout, the group lunged at Raka, striking various poses.
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