The Protagonist Treatment.

Silence.

Then—

An explosion of gasps.

The entire school field went dead silent, every single student and even the teachers frozen in place, staring at the impossible sight beneath Creed's feet.

A blazing, radiant formation had erupted beneath him, glowing with an overwhelming presence. Not one, not two, not five—

Nine.

Nine rings!

A formation of nine brilliant, interlocking circles shone beneath him, spinning in a mesmerizing, almost hypnotic motion.

The glow was blinding, its aura surging like a contained storm, power pulsing outward with every passing second.

Someone finally managed to whisper.

"S-rank…?"

"No…" another voice choked out, eyes widening in terror. "SSS-rank."

That word sent shockwaves through the crowd. This was ridiculous!

A one in a million talent!

A talent so rare, so powerful, that even the greatest Awakened warriors in the Bastion might not have one!

Even the DMA officials—men and women trained to handle high-level talents—were speechless.

Their usual strict, professional expressions cracked, their sharp gazes locked onto the scene as if they couldn't believe their own eyes.

One of them even cleaned his glasses twice, staring at the sight in disbelief.

Creed, standing in the middle of it all, blinked slowly.

Then, his inner thoughts burst into chaos.

'Okay. Okay. I take it back. This isn't a knock-off reincarnation. This is the PERFECT start to my story!'

He had spoken too soon. He should've been more patient!

But...

'A one in a million talent?! Do you know what that means?! IT MEANS I'M SPECIAL! THE UNIVERSE CHOSE ME!'

'Wait—does this mean I get all the OP abilities, a broken cheat skill, and endless beauties throwing themselves at me?!'

'…Or will I have to fight for my life every two weeks because some ancient monster sees me as a threat?'

His thoughts were going in all directions, but one thing was clear—he had won the lottery of reincarnation.

No, this wasn't a trash tier MC lifestyle.

This was THE Protagonist Treatment!

His lips twitched, barely holding back the wild grin threatening to spread across his face.

Then, before the students could start screaming, the DMA officials moved.

"Escort him to the side," the lead officer ordered, his voice unusually tight. This was a very serious matter.

Two uniformed officers immediately stepped forward, motioning for Creed to follow.

The moment he did, they swiftly recorded his information, inputting his details into their advanced database.

Because there was no way they weren't keeping an eye on him.

An SSS-rank Awakened was far too rare to be left alone.

In the entire Bastion, which housed hundreds of millions of people, only several handful of SSS-rank talents had ever been recorded.

Each one was a strategic asset, someone who could potentially change the tide of battle against the Dimensional Beasts.

They were monitored, guided, and given special treatment from the very beginning.

Which was why, as soon as Creed's information was processed, one of the officers approached him, holding a small silver bracelet in their hand.

"This is for you," the officer said, presenting it with both hands.

Creed took the bracelet, his eyebrows rising slightly.

It was sleek and metallic, shaped like a thin silver band with a faint glowing line running through the center.

A Level 2 Dimensional Bracelet.

His eyes flicked toward the other students, all of whom had received Level 1 bracelets—simpler, with no visible glow.

Creed grinned.

'Ah. Yes. The Protagonist Treatment continues.'

The Dimensional Bracelet was one of the most important tools for an Awakened. It was the gateway to their power, allowing them to monitor, train, and develop their abilities.

Without it, an Awakened was like a soldier without a weapon.

But a Level 2 bracelet? That was a direct upgrade from the very start.

Creed fastened the bracelet onto his wrist, watching as it adjusted to fit him perfectly.

And just like that—

He was officially one step ahead of everyone else.

Two hours later, the Awakening Ceremony came to an end.

The final student had received their Dimensional Serum, and the results were brutal.

Out of the 636 students who took the injection—

Only 183 managed to awaken a talent.

That was less than one-third of them.

But the numbers got even worse.

Out of those 183 students, only 83 had a talent of D-rank or higher.

Which meant the rest?

They barely had a fighting chance.

Creed sat back, watching as some students cried with joy, while others sank to their knees in despair.

This was the harsh truth of becoming an Awakened.

It wasn't just about surviving the process—you needed a strong enough talent to actually have a future.

The principal stepped forward, his expression solemn yet proud as he addressed those who had passed.

"To those who have awakened a talent today," he began, his deep voice carrying across the field, "congratulations. You now stand at the starting line of a long and dangerous path."

He let the words sink in, scanning the faces of every new Awakened.

"The road ahead will not be easy. You will struggle. You will fight. Some of you will fall." His tone grew heavier. "But those who persevere will rise to greatness."

A brief pause.

Then, his voice rang out clearly—

"I wish you all the best of luck."

---

As the ceremony officially ended, Creed immediately turned on his Dimensional Bracelet.

Whirr…

A faint hum vibrated through his wrist as the bracelet powered up. The glowing line in the center brightened, flashing softly as it synchronized with his newly awakened energy and began powering up.

Creed felt a rush of excitement build in his chest.

This was it. This was where it all began.

And the first thing on his mind?

Going home and testing out his Bloodline.

Because if he had an SSS-rank awakening, then his ability had to be insane.

He grinned.

"Alright, let's see just how broken I really am."

_____

Power stone Goal!

20 PS - 1 Bonus chapter

50 PS - 2 Bonus chapter

100 PS (Quite an achievement as of now) - 3 Bonus chapters.

Castle - 10 Bonus Chapters!