The morning bell rang across Sector 9, a long, grating clang that sounded more like an alarm than a welcome. Kai sat on the edge of his bed in the near-empty dormitory. His duffel bag lay packed beside him—what little he owned fit into it easily.
His interface glowed faintly in his mind.
[Class: ???]
[Rank: SSSS]
[Title: Void Emperor — Sealed]
He stared at the sealed skills again. Nothing had changed overnight.
Still locked. Still unreadable by any known system.
A knock came at the door.
He closed the screen with a thought. "Come in."
The door creaked open, and a small, nervous head poked in.
"Kai?"
It was Mina, one of the few people who ever bothered to talk to him. Short, red hair, oversized hoodie, and always looking like she was about to bolt.
"You're... still here?"
"Morning," Kai said. "Yeah. I've got until noon."
"Oh." She stepped in, awkwardly clutching a packet. "I... brought you these. Food tokens. I know you don't have any left. Figured you might get hungry on the road."
Kai looked at the packet. "You don't have many either."
She shrugged. "Still more than you."
He smiled faintly and accepted them. "Thanks."
Mina hesitated. "Hey… about yesterday…"
He stiffened slightly.
"I don't think you failed," she said quickly. "I mean, I know what they said, but… the stone did react. It glitched or something, right?"
Kai didn't reply.
"You felt something, didn't you?" she asked.
His silence was answer enough.
She nodded slowly. "Then it wasn't a failure."
Kai finally looked up. "Doesn't matter. They already marked me."
Mina lowered her gaze. "That's unfair."
"Life usually is."
A long pause.
She stepped closer. "So what will you do now?"
Kai stood and slung the duffel over his shoulder. "Survive."
"That's it?"
"For now."
She bit her lip, clearly wanting to say more. "If you ever… need a place to crash or—"
"I'll be fine," he interrupted gently. "Thanks, Mina. Really."
She nodded, eyes downcast, then turned and left.
As the door clicked shut, Kai exhaled.
She was kind. But kindness wouldn't save him.
The lower districts were a different world. The glittering towers of the Academy Zone gave way to rusty railings, flickering lights, and narrow alleyways. Kai walked with his hood up and his eyes forward.
People gave him looks—some indifferent, others sharp and calculating.
Word spread fast in Sector 9. A failed Awakening was practically a death sentence. No academy meant no guild. No guild meant no missions, no income, no protection.
And someone with no protection?
Easy target.
A group of thugs sat around a half-broken vending machine on the corner. One of them spotted Kai and elbowed his friend.
"Hey, that him?"
"The zero?"
Kai heard them, but didn't stop.
"Oi!"
Footsteps approached.
Kai turned slowly. Three of them. Late teens. Lean and wiry, like rats who survived by scavenging and biting.
"You're Kai, yeah?" the tallest one asked.
"Depends who's asking."
The thug grinned. "Name's Rulo. We heard you flunked the Awakening."
Kai said nothing.
"Which means," Rulo continued, "you got no class, no rank, and no backup."
Still nothing.
"You know what that means in Sector 9?"
Kai tilted his head slightly. "Enlighten me."
"It means," Rulo said with a grin, "we can take your bag and you won't do jack."
The two behind him chuckled and stepped forward.
Kai didn't move. But in his mind…
[Skill: Void Gaze — Locked]
[Skill: Domain of Nothingness — Locked]
[Skill: Void Spawn — Locked]
All of them still grayed out. Still unavailable.
He sighed inwardly.
Not now, huh?
Rulo stepped closer and grabbed his duffel strap.
Kai caught his wrist.
In an instant, the smile vanished from the thug's face.
"You've got a choice," Kai said quietly. "Let go, walk away, or I break your arm."
Rulo laughed. "Big words for a failed—"
Snap.
The thug howled and dropped to the ground, clutching his wrist.
The other two lunged, but Kai moved fast.
A punch to the gut. A sweep to the legs.
Both hit the ground hard.
Kai stood over them, breathing steady.
"I may not have a visible class," he said, "but I'm not helpless."
Rulo whimpered. "Y-You're bluffing…"
Kai knelt beside him. "Tell everyone I'm a zero. Let them come."
He stood and walked away without another word.
Behind him, one of the thugs muttered, "What is he…"
By evening, Kai had found a place to crash—a half-abandoned warehouse near the outskirts. He lit a small fire in a barrel and sat against the wall, watching the flames flicker.
He opened his interface again.
[System Diagnostics: 2% Synced]
Still crawling. Whatever this system was, it wasn't meant to be understood easily.
Then, without warning:
[Skill: Void Gaze — Unlocked]
Kai sat up straight.
The screen flashed.
[Void Gaze (Lv. 1): Passive Skill — Allows detection of weaknesses, hidden stats, and intent through direct eye contact. Caution: Overuse may cause mental strain.]
"…Nice."
He focused on the warehouse wall.
Nothing.
Then he turned toward the rats skittering in the corner.
A flicker of red surrounded one. [Injury: Right Leg — Fractured]
Kai blinked.
It worked.
A detection-type skill. Subtle but powerful.
Exactly the kind of ability that suits someone who has to stay in the shadows.
Then, a message appeared:
[You are being observed.]
His blood ran cold.
He scanned the room. Nothing.
"System. Source?"
[Unknown presence. Observation origin: External. Spatial interference detected.]
Kai's heart pounded. "Is it hostile?"
[Unable to determine. Observation has ceased.]
Just as suddenly as it came, the feeling vanished.
He clenched his fists.
Someone—or something—was watching him.
But why?
Because of the class? The rank?
He looked back at the interface.
Void Emperor.
A class so rare—or unknown—that even the Awakening Artifact couldn't recognize it.
And now… someone knew.