Waking up, Gray felt refreshed for the first time in a long while. His smile was high, his head was bobbing to a beat he made up all on his own, and he was twirling in bliss, not minding the neighbor couple below stomping on his floors and door telling him to keep it down.Today, he didn't even care that he was beaten to death.Nothing could stop his shine! (^_^)"Boots... Check!" "Gloves... Check!""Wind scarf?... Check!""Trusty Black goggles... double check!" Grabbing a slightly moldy donut as hard as a stone, Gray dunked it in water before heating it over a pot, allowing the heat to recook it up. It wasn't the best meal option, but as someone with dry pockets, how can he complain knowing how broke he was? "Ah-- It's hot." Biting a chunk of the doughnut to keep it stationary on his lips, Gray reached for the black goggles dangling on his neckline. Great! Now, he was ready to set off. Well, at least the crippled version of him was. Aiyo~"My leg... my poor leg." Bring in t
In silence, Gray followed Emelia with his hands in his pockets, though his eyes kept staring sideways within the faint fog. You never know who could be watching or listening. This was a commercial place, and the fog here was 80% less than in the poor communities. A single stronghold is a combination of several cities or towns before the apocalyptic era was ushered in.Humanity fought and built walls around these captured territories.Thus, the stronghold is extremely large with each major clan controlling 1 territory the size of a standard city.The good places with less fog and worries were kept for the wealthy, middle class, those starting to rise, and commercial purposes. As for the poor and those labeled Stronghold workers, they lived in the dumps, the worst places within the stronghold.Bam!A vehicle missing 2 doors slammed into another wagon-styled one without mercy. "Prick! This is what you get for trying to sideways one on the road!""Bastard! You Arelis bastards are gett
Staring at the scene before him, Gray just had one word in mind...F***! He couldn't believe his eyes. Where did this massive underground site come from? This was his first time seeing an ancient abandoned Train Station.It was incredibly huge, almost 6 floors underground, with a big broken clock hanging from the wall, and several signs showing directions to the many train platforms. There were stairways going up and stairways going down.There were enough seats for waiting and indoor store sites that looked very worn out to the ancient humans, but in his current apocalyptic world, it was seen as Luxury even in its current state.The ceilings were so high he felt they could touch the sky when one was looking up from where he was standing.It was amazing that although the place was broken down, it was completely clean and devoid of dust compared to the surface where the beggar association crowded. Still, there were old and dried-up stains of blood everywhere one looked, with some s
The rumble of the shaky train echoed throughout the silent tunnels as its sharp headlights sliced through the darkness ahead. Gray found the ride a bit bumpy, but not something he couldn't handle. Surprisingly, this was his first time entering a train in his life, and it surprised him greatly. Inside the dimly lit compartment, Emelia sat across him with one leg crossed over the other and her hands folded against her chest. Raising her cat-like eyes, she strayed at the Gray expressionlessly. "So you want to know more about Sigmore Forest? There's nothing much to say since I'm sure you've gotten the general gist of how dangerous typical Level-1 restricted zones are.""You know that's not what I'm talking about," Gray added, staring at Emelia intensely."Gray Ravenleaf! It's best you not mistake my laxity for weakness. This is my Bardolian clan's matter, one you are unworthy to know."Although Emelia felt a little strange, not wanting to hurt Gray's feelings with her arrogance, she s
[Nightmare Cafe.]The name was as intimidating as its surroundings. It was neat and clean compared to most places Gray had been to, yet it gave off a chilling vibe that crawled up his spine.The place was full of all sorts of people from various walks of life.They looked casual, but seeing their side-eye glances at him made him aware that one wrong move and Gray was sure he would be dead faster than his brain could react. "Over here!" Someone at a corner waved, and Gray was instantly met with several pairs of scrutinizing eyes from the nose at the table. The one who waved seemed welcoming, but looking at the identical person beside him, Gray knew these were the twins. One had pale purple hair and another had very dark purplish hair. If not for their hair color, it would be near-impossible to tell them apart. One was a poison master and the other an alchemist, who occasionally healed people too. Heh. Bogo and RogoOffend one and you are asking for death. To their left was Zil
Sunken buildings buried deep onto the grounds, slopes formed over other buildings, collapsed roads... all sorts of chaotic images flooded Gray's eyes the longer they traveled.Soon, they left the space filled with buried abandoned buildings, now driving along open plains of roads, sand, and ground. Seeing everyone in the vehicle reach for their support, Gray who was seated by the windows also did the same. But just then he spotted the grounds beside his door break apart at an alarming rate.A giant mutated Caterpillar, the size of a human shot out wiggling its hideous body for all to see.It was amazing that these caterpillars which were once benign and minuscule, had now grown to monstrous proportions with insatiable hunger that led them to devour any and everything in their paths.Its body was blue and almost transparent-like, with a wide ring-shaped mouth and sharp razor-like teeth.Graaaaahhhh~Gray was taken aback, instantly staying sharp, knowing this was a Z-grade 1 Blue Cate
For 30 minutes, they traveled like so until certain they weren't followed. Tapping his feet against the trees Gray soon met Emelia high up, staring at the vast lands surrounding them.They now stood at the tallest tree in their surroundings.The tree overlooked a deadly cliff with its bottom filled with thick fog.Of course, the entire place is misty, but at least very see-through and airy, unlike the thick fog below. Just one stare and Gray knew this fog masked deadlier creatures roaming within it."Well, thank you," Gray said softly. "I'm guessing this is where we split up, right?" Pushing her hair behind her left ear, Emelia tilted her head and showed Gray a true smile.Beautiful.Emelia chuckled, seeing him lost in her beauty again, though she again felt it odd that she wasn't offended."A deal is a deal. As promised, I got you into the forest. Just know that once we cross this fog, we will no longer be in the forest's outskirts. Once in, the true dangers within the forest wil
There were ants of all kinds here.Some slender and some muscular as though pumping iron and working out for years. But was Gray phased by this? No chance! Raising his fists, he swirled his hands like flowing water at the hoard of ants rushing his way. "Palm Water Fists!"Splack! His fist collided with several ants, pushing them back, as their beheads exploded terribly. Instantly, Gray knew these were the weaker front-line ants, who were sent first to test his strength.But so what? In this battle, there can only be one victor... him! With reddish black blood bonging to the ants flowing Down his face, Gray looked like a killer emerging from an ancient horror movie. No matter how many times he was hit, his smile never faded, not even for a second. Left, right up, down, back, front, ants began haggling him, climbing over him and fiercely staining their blades antennas his way. Both the weak and strong joined in without mercy. [+ 90 points!][+ 100 points][+ 20 points][+ 50
Venturing into the academy, everyone was not disappointed. There were towering castle-like stony buildings scattered around with magnificent giant statutes. Wow! Was that water flowing out from the mouths of several stone dragon heads? Gray had never seen anything like this before! The buildings were all so gigantic, and the space stretched out for as far as the eyes could see, enclosing many hills, paths and terrains. Some buildings stood on hills, others stood on cliff sides, and some stood on ground floor with massive ancient fountains shooting out at the center of their many courtyards.Many people's hearts hammered in their chests, feeling country bumpkins seeing city life for the first time. Everyone who has gotten accepted into the academy, was obviously an awakened human. So kicking their feet, they steadily ran forward to cover more ground. Walking normally will take them forever to get to their quarters. So how dare they dilly dally when nightfall had already come?
After fighting, boxing, stabbing and punching, Gray finally saw the academy’s silhouette from a distance. “Really there?” Real or fake? The siblings, Fariel and Faron, who were behind Gray, were painting heavily, wondering how this guy could fight and keep running at the speed he did without even breaking a sweat. You have to know that they were panting so hard after running 5 hours at max speed while carrying their luggage. Fortunately, this guy didn't mind fighting off the many underground creatures and clearing the path for them. Who was he truly? Could this guy be a senior and not a first year like them? Giving each other tactful stares, suddenly, they didn't feel like geniuses anymore after being with Gray for this short time. Just this accident that happened earlier, allowed them to know how big the world truly was. Forget revenge. They must first grow strong enough to survive before thinking of ever making a move at their cousin who clearly had all the resources an
In another corner, a broken down vehicle was getting ambushed by flesh eating plants from all corners. The vines yanked the massive metal tires away, before reaching force to tears the rest of the vehicle apart. Bam! The 2 siblings in the vehicle broke through the vehicle’s roof, getting on it while fighting the many vines that came their way. “Brother!” The dainty girl with brown hair in a ponytail and short bangs, quickly called to her brother when feeling a sharp pain on her left leg. Oh no! One of the spiky vines was now wrapped several times around her leg, pulling her away without mercy. “Sister!!!” ~Slash! Slash! Slash! The brown curly haired boy sliced and diced with his long twin blades with a pale face when seeing his sister getting dragged into the ground below. They were supposed to go to the academy, grow strong together, so they can finally take their revenge on their despicable cousin who caused their parent’s deaths. Their journey towards revenge had just
Vrmmmmm! The vehicle roared to life, its engine bellowing like a beast unleashed. Gray's cheeks flapped wildly, his gums fully exposed as Yegan's car surged forward with incredible speed. "Fuck!" Gray cursed inwardly, his fingers digging into the seat. In this post-apocalyptic era, seatbelts were a forgotten luxury, a relic of a safer past. Just having a car, especially one pieced together from rusted scrap, was a miracle in itself. If Gray had been born before the apocalypse, he would have marveled at these current steampunk-inspired vehicles that ran on water and sometimes coal. The engin
The Dean looked at Yegan's gangster attitude and wasn't offended. Reaching for the bottom of his desk, he calmly took out 2 vials and threw them Gray's way. Gray held on to them in confusion but soon understood their uses thanks to the dean and the system. The first was a Grade Z-3 Energy gathering elixir. It was blue and would make many newly awakened humans breakthrough in strength. Having a Z-3 grade potion was very unbelievable. Do you know what Z-3 is? In Z-sphere, pills, potions and elixirs are graded from Z-1 to Z-6. Weapons and skills are also graded as such. For people like them at the bottom of the awakened food chain, a Z-3 potion was like a godly item dropped from the heavens. The next vial contained 4 red booster pills that will give anyone additional strength for at most an hour after taking it. It's just that your eyes will give away the fact that you took it. Still, when fighting for your life out in the forest or dangerous places, who cares if your ey
"Teacher," Lohan's voice humbly bellowed. "Apologies, won't be going with you at once. But I swear to report to the academy soonest."He came from a clan and had several matters to finalize before leaving. What's more, if he left his mother without so much as a simple goodbye, he truly believed the woman would storm the academy and break in just to give him a good beating. Don't underestimate his mother. In their clan, although his father was a Patriarch, his mother was stronger than his father. It's said that growing up, his mother used to beat his father in battles so badly that anyone with common sense would stay away. But his father seemed to be a different breed, sticking his mother like glue. One thing led to another and now, they're married with 2 children, himself and his younger sister. It was amazing how many times Lohan had heard his father falling off from bed from his mother's kicks. His mother loved wearing handles and always walked with her hands on her waist an
Many recruiters stared at Yegan with envious eyes. This guy managed to indirectly recruit 4 of the top 6 giants into his school. Lucinda and Emelia were going to his academy, alongside Gray and Lohan who now had different identities, being his students.All 4 are going to Phoenix Tide Academy, who would've known the odds would be so different? Luckily for the other academies, they could still recruit a few more impressive students below the big 6. Of course, many talents had long decided to attend Yegan's academy too. It can be said that before today, several people had done their research, already having a clue of where they wanted him You could say that Gray was the only oddball who didn't even bother researching what academies would benefit him or not. After all, understand that it's just recently that the system came to him. With his previous 1.4 spirit score, although he didn't want to give up, he subconsciously knew his fate. Thus, never bothered researching the big acad
True or false? Many looked at the intimidating Yegan and suddenly felt shivers crew up their spines. Gray's head was lowered, so no one could see what his expression was. But if it were them, they would definitely jump at the chance of leaving Yegan's side. F***! Didn't you know what the female recruiter said? The last time Yegan had a student 35 years ago, his training was so intense that the student appealed to the academy on his knees, crying and begging for a way out. The student looked like he was begging for his life, even promising to work free for the academy and do multiple jobs on their behalf if it meant he would never get Yegan as his teacher again. Yegan has only had 2 students he took in all his life. The first one unfortunately died out on a mission and the 2nd disgraced him, throwing his face when begging to be removed from his care. People speculate that Yegan began stricter in his teachings after the death of his last Student. Anyway, the one pleading gave
"What is it? What is it?... What is the score?"Many people poked their heads over other's shoulders, clenching their fists to bite the anxiety that was eating them up inside. And then… the score finally stabilized. [49145]Boom! Many felt their chests, breathing in and out like crazy while others rubbed their eyes to ensure they weren't dreaming. 49 thousand, 1 hundred and 45.That score was too shocking! Many didn't even have to quench their shock before Gray bombarded them with another surprise attack. Putting his hands on the Spirit Ball, Gray felt the surge of energy explore every nuke and cranny of his body.It took a long time, a little longer than others .. and when it stopped, many cleaned in, forgetting to breathe. With their awakened eyegazes, they could further than a normal human. [ Purity (%): 100 ][Spirit Score: 5.2]--Silence--The whole place fell in utter silence, as they still couldn't believe their eyes. This… this… isn't this witnessing history in the ma