The classroom buzzed with murmurs.
Students chatting amongst themselves as the teacher continued his lecture, undeterred by the noise. The room was spacious, holding around seventy students, all dressed in identical uniforms—light green jackets, matching ties, crisp white dress shirts, and gray dress pants. The only difference was that the girls wore skirts instead.
In the middle of the classroom, a student sat slumped over his desk, his body trembling slightly. His dark hair clung to his forehead, damp with sweat. His crimson-red eyes twitched beneath his closed lids as he shook in his sleep.
A voice called out, distant at first.
"Mr. Khal."
It echoed in his mind, firm yet muffled.
"Mr. Khal."
The voice grew louder, breaking through the haze.
"MR. KHAL!"
Khal jolted awake, his breath ragged, eyes darting around the now-silent classroom. Dozens of pairs of eyes locked onto him, curiosity and amusement flickering in their gazes.
"Sir. Khal, I was asking you a question," the teacher said, his tone even yet firm. He was an elderly man with glasses, his sharp gaze peering over the rim as he observed Khal.
Khal exhaled deeply, forcing himself to steady his breathing. "Apologies, sir. I didn't quite catch that. Could you repeat the question?"
The teacher adjusted his glasses. "I asked, 'What year did the Great Tearing occur?"
Khal's expression darkened. He sat up straight, his voice clear and precise.
"The Great Tearing occurred on January 1st, 2039. That was exactly 2289 years, eight months, and seventeen days ago, marking the date the world as we knew it would change forever."
The teacher smiled, nodding in approval. "As sharp as ever, Mr. Khal. Well done. But in the future, kindly refrain from napping in my class."
A few students chuckled quietly, and Khal simply nodded, sinking back into his seat.
The Great Tearing...
It had been nearly 2290 years since the world as we knew it had ceased to exist. Once, humanity thrived on modern technology and industrial weapons… Then came the Tearing.
Reality as we knew it shattered.
Rifts—known as Tears—began forming all over the planet.
Space had become inaccessible, and the earth's radius expanded hundreds of times further, isolating many countries from the outside world.
What was initially seen as an unknown disaster quickly turned into an extinction-level nightmare. From within the Tears, creatures emerged—monsters, horrors beyond human comprehension. Weapons of the old world were useless.
And with no way to escape the chaos. Cities burned. Nations crumbled. Billions died.
Humanity was on the brink of annihilation.
And then—the system appeared.
A mysterious interface, granting select individuals the power to fight back. These group of people were called the Awakened.
The Awakened were humanity's last hope. With abilities beyond human comprehension, they turned the tide of war, reclaiming territories that had been lost.
Khal clenched his fist.
I wasn't originally from this world. My previous world was rather identical to this world. Somehow, I transmigrated into this one—reverting back to infancy. For the past eighteen years, I've lived here, retaining memories of my old life."
RING! RING! RING!
The school bell echoed through the halls. The teacher smiled at the class.
"Alright, everyone. This will be the last time I will be seeing you in my classroom. I hope each of you receives the blessing you desire. Now, please stand and proceed in an orderly fashion to the auditorium."
Chairs scraped against the floor as students rose from their seats. Excitement buzzed in the air, their whispered conversations filled with nervousness.
"Man, I hope I get a combat blessing. At least a complexity rating of D-grade," a student muttered.
"Same," another sighed. "If I don't unlock a decent combat blessing, my family's doomed. They invested so much money into preparations for my awakening.
Khal walked silently among them, his mind elsewhere.
As they entered the auditorium, the massive space was already packed with students. At the center stood an elevated oval platform and at it's center, a towering golden crystal. Beside it stood a priest, his robes pristine, his expression unreadable as he gazed down at the gathered students.
THUD!
Khal felt a jab at the back of his head, followed by an arm slinging casually over his shoulders.
"Yo, why so serious, man?" a voice teased. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to smile once in a while."
Khal glanced over at the boy beside him and sighed. "Nice to see you too, Jiang."
Jiang grinned before rubbing his knuckles against his head. "Where've you been, man? I haven't seen you in days; I even came by your house a few times and they said you were busy."
Khal pulled away, calmly fixing his now-messy hair. "Been studying a lot lately. Also, my family really hates when you come over, so do me a favor and stop giving them fuel to hate me too."
Jiang chuckled, placing his hands on his hips, before letting out an exaggerated sigh. "Yeah, those guys can't stand me. But whatever, you're not getting rid of me that easy." His frustration vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by a wild grin.
"Anyway, I'm so pumped right now—I can finally awaken my blessing!" He shouted, bouncing on his feet, throwing a few shadow punches, a few students staring at him, laughing.
"Heyyy, stop. You're making a fool of your—"
"May I have your attention, please!"
A voice echoed through the auditorium, cutting Khal off. The entire room fell silent as all eyes turned to the stage.
Standing at the podium was a tall, well-built man with sharp features and neatly combed gray hair. Holding a microphone, his presence alone commanded attention.
"Good evening," he began. "As you all know, I am Principal Lou. And today is the day of your awakening." His voice was steady, authoritative. "I am not one to waste time, and I know most of you are eager to see your results, so let's get straight to it."
A wave of anticipation rippled through the students.
"The selection process is randomized," Principal Lou continued. "When your name is called, step onto the stage and place your palm on the Salvation Orb. The orb will trigger the dormant mana within you that can now be accessed without causing any harm to your body, allowing you to awaken your blessing and giving you access to the system.
The priest will then analyze the complexity of your blessing with his skill and grade it appropriately; blessings are graded: F - D - C - B - A - S - SS and Divine, with F being the lowest and Divine being the highest.
Awakening a blessing, B grade or above, will guarantee you placement in a college, even without taking the college placement exams.
The tension in the room thickened. Some students sweating profusely. Others whispering prayers under their breath.
"Now then…" Principal Lou took a step back, releasing a bright yellow aura around his body.
"Without further ado—let the awakening begin!"
"YEAHHHH!!!"
The students erupted into cheers as Principal Lou stepped off the stage.
One by one, students ascended to the platform, each placing their palm on the Salvation Orb.
"Blessing: Minor increased grass growth. Complexity: F."
The priest's voice echoed through the auditorium.
Then—
"GOD, WHY ME?! WHY ME, GOD?!"
The devastated student wailed as he was dragged off the stage by school security, his cries of despair lingering in the air.
Jiang flinched. "Damn, man, that's brutal." He bit down on his fingernails, anxiety creeping into his voice. "I really hope I get something good. I need to get into a good college, man."
Khal, however, remained calm, his arms crossed as he watched the ceremony unfold.
Most students are awakening F to C-grade blessings. Not surprising. Obtaining a high-complexity blessing is incredibly difficult—entirely dependent on luck.
The nature of a blessing wasn't just about uniqueness—it was about potential.
Each blessing was unique to the user, and only after the previous user died could said blessing be awakened by another, but that alone didn't make it powerful or useful. They were graded based on two things:
Description Complexity—Lower-ranked blessings had simple descriptions, while higher-ranked ones were far more intricate, outlining multiple abilities or future abilities.
Future Growth—An F-grade blessing would only ever grant a single ability. But an S-grade blessing, could have thirty or more future abilities, and that's just separating the unique abilities.
The stage rotated through names.
"Serine Azuol."
A beautiful girl with long, light blue hair and silver eyes made her way to the podium, a serious expression on her face as she stepped forward onto the stage, placing her hand on to the orb.
FWOOSH!
A surge of golden energy erupted from her body, flooding the auditorium in radiant light. Students shielded their eyes as wind whipped through their uniforms. The teachers, however, only smiled, impressed.
Then—the energy shifted.
It formed a shape.
A winged horse—glowing majestically—took shape from the golden aura, galloping around Serine in a dazzling display before finally dispersing into specks of light.
A heavy silence followed.
The priest smiled. "Blessing: Pegasus Knight. Complexity: S."
"YEAAHHHH"
Cheering came from the crowd of students.
"As expected from the young miss of the Azoul family." A student cheered. "Though it's not of the ice or water element that the Azoul family specializes in, it's still an S-grade blessing!" Said another.
Jiang grinned, slinging his arm around Khal's shoulder. "Dude, an S-grade blessing! That's crazy. Let's go talk to Serine; maybe some of her luck can rub off on us!"
Khal folded his arms, side-eyeing Jiang. "You already know my family and hers don't get along. We haven't spoken in years—it wouldn't be appropriate and that girl hates me."
Jiang sighed, shaking his head. "Man, you can be such a buzzkill."
Before Khal could respond—
"Alright, everyone, calm down."
The principal's voice cut through the noise. The students fell silent. After a brief pause, the principal nodded and sat back down.
Then the announcer spoke.
"Khal Dragul."
A murmur spread through the room.
Jiang clapped Khal on the back, pushing him forward. "That's you, man. Get up there."
Khal glanced back—Jiang gave him a big smile and a confident thumbs-up.
As he walked toward the stage, whispers filled the air.
"First the young miss of the Azuol family, and now the young master of the Dragul family..."
"He's definitely getting an S-grade. Probably even SS."
"Yeah, he's ranked at the top of the school in academics, too."
"Pfft, test scores don't determine your blessing. But still… It's the Dragul family. There's no way he gets anything lower than S."
Khal ignored the voices.
He stepped onto the stage, standing in front of the massive golden crystal.
Taking a deep breath, he reached out and placed his palm on the orb.
Nothing happened.
For a long, excruciating second, the room was completely still.
Then—
WOO—PSSHHH!!!
A dark red energy exploded from Khal like a raging storm, shattering the ceiling. A violent shockwave blasted through the auditorium, hurling students back.
"PROTECT THE KIDS!" the principal shouted.
A teacher immediately stood, raising her hands.
"Protect those around me—BARRIER FIELD!"
A massive shield expanded across the auditorium, sealing off the stage. The wild energy continued to swirl, an overwhelming force pressing down on everyone.
And then—
In the eye of the storm, she appeared.
A woman in a flowing red dress descended from the energy. Ethereal. Otherworldly. Her presence alone was suffocating.
Khal looked up at her, a sense of warmth and familiarity flooding his body.
She leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to Khal's forehead.
Then—she vanished.
And the storm ended.
The room was wrecked. Students lay scattered across the floor, dazed. The teachers stood frozen, faces pale.
At the center of it all, the priest trembled, struggling to regain his composure as he read Khal's ability description.
His hands trembled.
"WELL? WHAT IS IT?!" the principal roared.
The priest licked his lips, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Blessing: Adapt."
A pause. The audience held their breath.
Then—
"Complexity… F."