The morning sky was gray.
Not because of rain—but as if the heavens themselves weren't ready to accept that the world had changed. A thin mist clung to the air like a sheer curtain, blurring the truth.
Kaelen stepped through the school gates. The building stood tall, unshaken by the chaos outside. Its walls were the same. The bell sounded the same. But the atmosphere within...
was fractured.
Just a week ago, life felt normal.
No "kingdom." No "Nythera." No False God, no burning skies. The world was nothing more than school, exams, online games, and teenage gossip.
But somehow—somewhere along the way—everything had shifted.
And this new reality struck them without warning.
Until yesterday, the Kingdom of Nythera was nothing but myth—recorded in the history of another world, with no diplomatic presence, no representatives, not even a blip on any global map. But today, every nation—without exception—had bowed.
All legal and educational systems now fell under the Ministry of Structural Reformation.
And slowly, they began to realize...
Everything had been planned from the start.
This school. Their curriculum. The so-called "mandatory" physical assessments.
Even the Appraisal devices...
All of it belonged to them.
And we've all been part of their system—long before we ever knew it.
Out of the System
Kaelen walked calmly, as if unbothered by the storm in the air. But each of his steps seemed to cut through the silence. Everyone felt something as he passed. But no one knew exactly what.
The hallways were alive with whispers—all echoing the same thing:
"Did you see the broadcast? They went insane… How could Hunters that strong have stayed hidden all this time?"
"That ring in the sky... are you sure that's not god-tier magic?"
"Transcendants are real... They fought in the middle of the city!"
Every eye was lit with excitement. But when Kaelen passed...
the light dimmed.
Some looked away.
Others stared at him with something unreadable: a mix of confusion... and resentment.
Because amid all the chaos, the change, the Awakenings—
Kaelen Virelith was the only one who hadn't changed.
The only one...
who was still a nobody.
System Announcement
Morning classes began.
But the room felt like a courtroom.
Everyone waited—silent—as if their fate was about to be handed down.
Their teacher entered. An older man, usually full of small talk and warm smiles. But today, he brought only one thing:
Tension.
"Everyone, listen up," he said.
"Starting next week, this school will fall directly under the jurisdiction of Nythera's Central Academy. This comes straight from the Ministry of Structural Reformation."
Gasps filled the room.
"The Royal Academy?"
"We're... part of Nythera's system now?"
"Wait... does that mean we could be trained to become elite Hunters?!"
The teacher raised a hand. His tone sharpened.
"Only those who have undergone Awakening... or shown exceptional talent... will be transferred. The rest will be placed on a civilian track."
Silence.
Sharp. Final.
And then... every head turned.
Toward Kaelen.
Erased or Chosen
One student stood.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Muscles barely hidden beneath a school uniform. His buzz-cut dark brown hair framed a face carved in smug superiority, and his deep green eyes locked on Kaelen like a predator sizing up weak prey.
Brandon Cross.
Eighteen years old. Known for throwing his weight around. A walking storm of testosterone and ego—always picking fights, always needing to be the loudest voice in the room. And for some reason, Kaelen had always been his favorite target.
"So... anyone without an Awakening gets tossed aside?" Brandon said, his voice loud enough to echo across the classroom.
He took a step forward, lips curled into a sneer. "Well, that should've happened from the start."
His gaze pierced through Kaelen like he was looking at something foul. "You've just been leeching off this world, clinging to a system that was never meant for you. You're not one of us. Never were."
A low ripple of laughter followed, nervous but real.
No one spoke up for Kaelen.
No one ever did.
Kaelen slowly lifted his head.
His eyes met Brandon's—steady, unreadable.
There was no anger.
No fear.
Just... stillness.
"I underwent Awakening last week," he said, his voice calm.
A beat of silence.
Then the classroom erupted.
Brandon let out a sharp laugh. "You? Don't make me laugh."
"The system couldn't even read you!" someone added.
"Appraisal said you were blank!"
"If that's true," Brandon snapped, stepping closer, "then prove it. Retake the test. Right now."
Kaelen stood.
"Alright."
A Fractured Appraisal
The Appraiser arrived—a woman in a robe laced with golden runes, carrying a next-gen crystal prism from the Tower of Evaluation.
Kaelen stood before the crystal—calm, steady. He placed his hand on it—without hesitation, without fear.
The crystal shuddered.
Light pulsed... then slowed.
As if it had dived too deep into something it was never meant to read.
Text appeared in the air, one line at a time:
[Appraisal Result]
Name: Kaelen Virelith
Status: Awakener
Class: ???
Skill: Transfer Ability (Class Unknown)
Level: Data Locked
Origin: Classified
The class froze.
"Transfer Ability...?"
"That's an S-tier skill, right?"
"But... why's the data locked?"
What's Being Hidden
A girl with a combat emblem stitched onto her uniform asked softly:
"Kaelen... what does Transfer Ability mean?"
Kaelen gave a faint smile. His voice was calm.
"The ability to move something... from one place to another."
No one knew.
Kaelen could store skills within his system.
And give them to anyone he chose.
Plant power. Forge legends.
Or orchestrate collapse.
All with a single touch.
Reading the System from Within
At last, the teacher spoke.
"This data is official. Kaelen Virelith... is now registered as an active Awakener in the royal system."
No objections.
No one could deny the system's verdict.
Because their world no longer belonged to the people.
It belonged to the system.
And Kaelen...
was part of that system.
But only as much as he allowed.
Afternoon arrived. The sky was still gray. But now not out of doubt—
Rather, because too much lay hidden behind it.
Kaelen sat alone by the window.
Pen in hand, but his thoughts drifted between this world and another—
Little Garden.
A system embedded from the inside.
A system now... reading the entire world.
He gazed out the window and whispered:
"Your system reads me now."
"But only as far as I let it."
Nythera Royal Diplomatic Hall — Eastern Expansion Zone
In a grand chamber lined with silver marble and enchanted royal carvings, a massive crystal screen replayed the latest Appraisal report sent from the central system. Several high-ranking military officers and Nytheran diplomats stood frozen, their faces grim.
[Appraisal Result]
Name: Kaelen Virelith
Status: Awakener
Class: ???
Skill: Transfer Ability (Class Unknown)
Level: Data Locked
Origin: Classified
"Repeat that," came the cold voice of Ambassador Virell—a silver-haired woman with an impeccably smooth bun.
"The system assistant triple-verified the result, Your Grace. No data tampering. But... the outcome remains inexplicable," a technician replied nervously.
In the corner, an elderly man in golden robes—the Royal Magic Circle's chief advisor—stared blankly at the screen.
"Transfer Ability..." he muttered. "That skill belongs solely to the royal bloodline. Not a single lesser noble has ever awakened it."
"Impossible," Virell snapped, her eyes narrowing. "That skill is the foundation of Nythera's monarchy. Without it, the King is nothing. His army is nothing."
She turned, her glare sharp enough to pierce stone.
"And now you're telling me some underworlder has the same ability?"
"Worse, Your Grace," the advisor said grimly. "If his classification is Transfer Ability, but the level is locked and class unreadable... then we might not be dealing with a wielder of the skill."
He glanced at everyone in the room.
"We may be looking at the origin of the skill."
Silence strangled the room.
Virell slowly sat, fingers gripping the armrest with force.
"If that's true, then it's not just our social hierarchy at risk. The very foundation of Nythera's power will collapse."
A royal agent in light armor, marked with the Three-Eyed sigil, stepped forward.
"What are your orders, Your Grace?"
"If the people learn that divine power can exist outside royal blood... what use is the crown? What meaning does a sacred lineage have if the system starts choosing on its own?"
Virell looked at the screen again—Kaelen's face frozen in appraisal data. Calm. Almost boring.
Which made him all the more dangerous.
"Watch the boy. But don't engage. Don't provoke. Report every move he makes—every interaction, every word. And if he tries to approach the kingdom…"
Her voice dropped—cold as forged steel:
"I'll request execution clearance from the King himself. Because no commoner has the right to carry a god's inheritance."
A Shadow Watching
In a separate chamber, hidden across dimensional layers, a woman in a dark hood watched the conversation through an illusion window.
Her eyes were dim, but her lips curled faintly.
"As expected... Their world still clings to blood and birthright. But he is no heir. No king. No hero."
Her hood rustled as she turned.
"He is walking ruin. And by the time you understand what that means... it'll already be too late."