Chapter 2 - Awakener License

Lucian stepped out of the shimmering blue portal, his backpack sagging under the weight of [Core]s. Before him sprawled a vast ivory hall, where clusters of students—some who had died early within the Portal, others who had triumphed against dungeon BOSSES like himself—stood gathered, waiting for the final few to emerge.

As he moved forward, curious eyes flicked in his direction. But no one approached. By now, they all understood he wouldn't speak—not to them, not to anyone. It had been that way for months, ever since his mother passed.

Amid the scattered conversations, a girl in an elegant dress stood chatting idly with her friends. Claire.

The moment she saw Lucian, she hesitated…

Claire finally sighed and walked toward him with determination. She had decided—she would make him talk.

"Are you okay?"

She asked with genuine concern, but Lucian remained silent.

She had been his girlfriend for as long as he could remember—until she suddenly wasn't. She had left him just before he lost his mother. But what had truly shattered him was the fact that, while he had spent his days tending to his dying mother, she had been with his best friend.

At the time, he hadn't had the energy or the time to confront her. Not until she had decided to "come clean" and end things on her terms.

Seeing that Lucian still wouldn't respond, Claire's expression twisted with frustration.

"Are you seriously planning to just keep ignoring me forever? …We've known each other since we were kids, Lucian! Can't you stop being so petty for once and at least try to understand where I'm coming from?"

Lucian responded with nothing but a hollow, insincere smile. He knew he was being petty and even cruel. But why should he be the only one left to suffer?

She chose to cheat on him... and he chose to treat her like a stranger who never mattered.

After a few more harsh words and a sharp glare, Claire stormed back to her friends as she threw occasional, scathing glances his way—like some vengeful ghost unable to move on.

May your nights be wild, your choices reckless, and may Karma bless you with a disease so rare even the best healers struggle to name.

Satisfied with his silent 'blessing', Lucian turned and left the Portal Hall, making his way to the Academy entrance. The lobby buzzed with life—students and parents chatting excitedly, some celebrating victories while others consoled their crying children.

Lucian's focus remained elsewhere. He needed to sell the [Core]s, but government regulations wouldn't allow it without an Awakener License. 

So, he had to get that first.

Leaving the Academy grounds, he walked a few minutes through the bustling city streets until he stood before a towering skyscraper marked with a bold emblem—[AB]. The Ascension Bureau.

A single entity with branches spanning the world, responsible for managing Awakeners, regulating Portals, overseeing research, laws, policing, and virtually every supernatural affair. Their authority was absolute over anyone below an S-Rank.

And this particular branch housed the equipment needed to measure his potential and grant him the license he required.

Lucian stepped through the automated doors and into the lobby, where Awakeners moved in and out, most here to update their ranks. He made his way straight to the reception desk. The woman behind the counter greeted him with a warm smile.

"I would like to apply for an Awakener License."

The receptionist nodded, retrieving a form and placed it on the counter toward him. "Please fill this out and submit it to the examiner in the Evaluation Wing—down the right corridor. He will explain the rest. Have a pleasant day, sir."

With that, she returned her attention to her invisible-screen computer, leaving Lucian to glance over the application. Taking a pen from the desk, he moved to an empty seat nearby and skimmed the form.

It asked for details regarding his mental stability, his criminal record—if any—and, most annoyingly, an essay on his thoughts about Portals and Awakeners.

Lucian scoffed. Why do I need to write an essay for something I already attend school for?

After a few minutes, he finished scrawling his responses and stood, heading toward the right corridor—marked with a large sign that read Evaluation Wing.

Inside, his gaze flicked across the spacious hall, taking in the various equipment: combat dummies, VR pods, massive screens displaying the current top-ranked Awakeners, and—at the center of the room—an elevated glass pedestal holding a round transparent crystal. The device that would soon confirm what he already knew.

In the corner, a middle-aged man in a white lab coat sat hunched over his phone as he tapped away at whatever game had his attention.

Without even glancing up, the examiner extended a hand. "Application."

Lucian approached and handed over the form with both hands.

The examiner arched a brow, momentarily surprised, because polite youngsters were a rare breed these days.

Lucian's mother had drilled manners into him since childhood. He might have found her lessons old fashioned at the time, but out of respect for her, he had always followed them. Being polite had become a habit now… though it didn't stop him from cursing inwardly when necessary.

"Place your hand on the crystal and wait for it to flash. It reacts to your Class, not Mana... so don't embarrass yourself trying to force anything into it." the examiner 'instructed', gesturing toward the pedestal.

Lucian took a steady breath and stepped forward. His heart pounded, knowing exactly how this would go. The crystal would soon mark him as the lowest of the low—F-rank, the ultimate disappointment.

Bracing himself, he pressed his palm against the cool surface. For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then, the crystal pulsed faintly before emitting a dim blue glow, that felt a bit hot.

A single letter materialized within the crystal's depths:[ D].

Huh? Lucian was stunned!

The Crystal was a magical device extracted from the Evolution Portals themselves, was said to be an infallible tool for assessing one's Awakener potential. It was supposed to be absolute.

His Status Window had marked him as an F+… whatever that plus meant.

Apparently, the crystal disagreed!

"Wait here," the examiner didn't suspect anything, already turning toward one of the side rooms with Lucian's application in hand.

Was the crystal malfunctioning? or was it unable to measure his potential? or...

Lucian paced the hall, trying make sense of what the crystal meant.

Twenty minutes later, the examiner returned, holding a small card between his fingers.

"Here. Don't lose it unless you're dying to pay a fine and waste both our time. The door's that way—show yourself out."

The examiner was back to tapping his phone, already done with him.

Lucian had never seen a more enthusiastic public servant!

Shaking his head, he examined the license.

[Awakener] : Lucian Vale

[Rank]: F

[Potential]: D Grade

It looked no different from a credit card.

It was an indispensable tool for every registered Awakener, granting access to Portals, authorizing trade, and even linking to the banking system.

So, they hadn't even bothered testing his combat ability—probably because he had only awakened a few hours ago. Not that it mattered. Every new Awakener, regardless of potential, started at F-Rank anyway.

With a shrug, he shoved the card into his pocket and exited the room.

Before he knew it, he was back in the reception hall, moving toward the exit when the Awakeners around him suddenly stirred. Conversations halted. Every gaze in the room snapped toward the entrance, their reactions almost theatrical.

"Is that really him? One of the Five Gods, SS-Ranker Cain Sungrave?!"

"Oh my god! It really is him! I heard his daughter is also a Natural Awakener like him! He must be here for her evaluation!"

"She is so young! I bet she is at least S-Rank potential."

Natural Awakeners were different from the majority of Awakeners, who needed Evolution Portals to formally unlock their Genetic Codex. Unlike them, Natural Awakeners were born with theirs unsealed, and under the right conditions, they could acquire an Evolution Class without external intervention. They were destined to walk further along the Evolution Path than most, and history had yet to record a Natural Awakener with a potential lower than A-Rank... further proof of their inherent superiority.

Under the awed gazes of the Awakeners and the simmering, hate-fueled glare of Lucian, a man strode into the reception hall.

He was nearly eight feet tall, and looked no older than his twenties, though his true age was far beyond that. He didn't flaunt his aura on purpose, but his mere exhale was enough to suffocate everything near him. SS-Rank Awakeners weren't just powerful; they were calamities in human form, beings capable of reducing entire stars to their crucibles. 

Most call them as Gods for a reason.

Unfortunately for Lucian, this particular calamity bore a face eerily similar to his own.

He was Cain Sungrave—one of only five SS Rankers in the entire Hyperion Galaxy. Following just behind him was a girl barely fifteen, Evelyn Sungrave, his only daughter. Her crimson hair barely covered the shy ferocious fire in her eyes.

Lucian tensed. He had no desire to get entangled in this mess. Without hesitation, he turned on his heel, facing the nearest wall to hide. Maybe if he stayed still, no one would notice him?!

But how could an F-Rank like him hide from a God while practically radiating bloodlust?

Cain had noticed him before even stepping into the building.

With a weary sigh, he walked toward his stubborn son.

Lucian cursed under his breath. Don't you dare walk toward me, you insensible freak! Can't you see I'm actively avoiding you?

He didn't want attention, and more importantly, he didn't trust himself to hold back the flood of emotions if he opened his mouth.

"Did you come here for an evaluation too?" Cain's voice was indifferent, but his gaze sharpened as he studied Lucian.

Lucian didn't respond. 

"Your strength has almost tripled. You must have awakened a unique Class to advance this quickly within hours."

Cain was genuinely taken aback. The last time he'd seen Lucian, the boy had been gaunt with a frail body. But now, he stood with a solid frame, carrying a quiet strength that rendered him almost unrecognizable. The only plausible explanation for this change was that he had awakened a powerful Class. Strangely, Cain couldn't sense even a trace of Mana from him, and that made it all the more satisfying, as Lucian had stepped onto an Evolution Path so unique that even SS Ranker like him couldn't sense it. A flicker of pride crossed Cain's face.

Lucian, meanwhile, could feel the weight of the crowd's stares, their silent speculations buzzing in the air:

"Did he just glare at Cain Sungrave…?"

"Is he suicidal or just stupid?"

"Wait, is he... are they related?"

"Must be another disgraced heir…"

He wasn't affected by it.

But for some reason a memory flashed in his mind.

In the memory, he was kneeling before a distant ivory villa that was enormous enough to be visible even across the miles between them. Minutes bled into a freezing night but he didn't move. And just when it felt like he might truly freeze to death, the villa gates finally opened!

Still shivering from the cold, Lucian looked up but before he could speak—before he could beg SS Ranker Cain, one of the Five Gods, to save his mother—his father uttered, "Your mother has passed away. Go and complete what must be done."

That was it.

That was all a father to his kneeling son!

This bastard could have saved her. A simple D-Rank potion would have been enough. But he chose to let her die, and now he had the audacity to stand there with what?! …pride in his eyes?

FUCKING HELL!! Lucian's mind roared inside.

I will take everything from him! Ruin everything he built after leaving us in the streets. …Even if it means crossing every line!

Cain gently nudged Evelyn forward. "This is Evelyn. She's your—"

"Sir," Lucian cut in flatly, "you must be mistaken. I'm just a lowly D-Rank from Helix Academy — hardly worth your attention."

He had no desire to look at that face a moment longer.

....!!

Lucian simply darted away from the lobby, leaving everyone baffled. But no one would dare speak of today's incident, because they didn't want to entangle their [Karma] to an SS Ranker. 

Cain's eyes trembled slightly as he sensed overwhelming hatred from his own son.

Evelyn stood quietly beside him, her eyes glassy and her smile long gone, because the only reason she had come for her Evaluation here was to see her brother—just to catch his eye, maybe hear him say her name—but he hadn't even looked at her… that hurt more than she ever thought it would.