Prologue

Year 2077 – ever since the rise of superpowers 100 years ago, the world powers have been in disarray. A cold war lingers over modern society, and the fear of war consumes everyone. However, our country, Azuria, has always been individualistic and cannot be more excited at the prospect of war. Our nation now values power above all else. Every individual is gifted with a power now called "Regalia," which comes with a degree of energy that, once expended, requires rest to regain. Although you might think that with everyone born with a power, the world would be in chaos, only about 10% of individuals actually receive a powerful Regalia. Of those, only about 0.1% possess the ability to change the world single-handedly. Fortunately for the world, most countries have a few of the 0.1%, and those that didn't have already been taken over. As for me, my name is Natsuya Kiyotaka. I was born with an ocular power that is always active. Essentially, I have incredibly fast reflexes because of it. If I focus a lot, I can even see microorganisms. It's quite burdensome to use it at that level, so it just feels like a quality-of-life Regalia. Although countries measure power levels differently, ours focuses solely on combat effectiveness. The rankings range from Tier 5 to Tier 1, with those exceeding Tier 1 being far superior in combat capabilities. These exceptional individuals earn the ranks of Elite, Ascendant, and, at the pinnacle, the absolute strongest are said to possess the power of the King. As such, I was ranked with a Tier 5 Regalia due to being limited to only human capabilities despite my faster reflexes and enhanced vision. My life is not bad. By the time I was born, Regalia had already been around for about 83 years, so to me, they've always been a part of life. The shift in society did not affect me either; Regalia had become a part of everyday life by the time I was born. I go to school normally, and every so often, they check if my power has had an awakening or if nothing has changed. Overall, I really love my life, and I don't mind being in the lowest rank, Tier 5. However, sometimes I do wish I wasn't so powerless.