White.
That was all Nex could see.
Then—
His feet touched something solid.
The endless space chamber vanished.
The faint sound of vehicles and people walking can be hear.
Nex stare to surrounding alleys , convenience store.
I came back where I was left.
Better get home first.
Nex started running toward his home.
He enter the apartment, insert key , open the door and get inside his house.
He turn on the lights oh his room.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Nex looked around.
His room, desk, bed, half-open curtains.
His laptop was sitting on the desk exactly where he had left it.
For several seconds, Nex didn't move.
"..."
He simply stood there.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The clock continued moving.
Everything looked completely normal yet..
Nex slowly looked down at his hands.
There was no blood by stabbing relentlessly.
No pen.
No Wild Wendigo trying to tear him apart.
No Ethan screaming.
No Eris yelling at Ethan for screaming.
No Karl.
No Ruby.
No Violet.
No System.
Just him.
For a moment, a ridiculous thought entered his mind.
Was it really a dream?
Nex immediately dismissed it.
"No."
He could feel it.
His body was different.
He clenched his fist.
The movement felt strangely effortless.
Not simply stronger.
Lighter.
As if his entire life, invisible weights had been attached to every muscle in his body...
And someone had suddenly removed them.
Nex turned toward the clock.
Only a few minutes had passed.
His eyes narrowed.
"Interesting."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
Karl's number was there.
That alone was enough proof.
Nex stared at it.
Then another thought appeared.
"Status."
Nothing happened.
"...Status Window?"
Ding
A translucent white panel appeared directly in front of him.
Nex froze.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Nex Abyssel
Bloodline: Locked
Realm: Human
Core Stage: Low-Tier
Strength: 15/20
Agility: 15/20
Intelligence: 15/20
Energy: 300
A slow smile appeared on Nex's face.
"So it wasn't a dream."
He raised his hand toward the screen.
The System lady had said something before disappearing.
Status windows have all your answers related to your stats.
Just click on specific tabs.
Nex had almost forgotten.
He touched Strength.
Ding.
[STRENGTH]
[Represents the Host's physical power and durability.]
[Current Rating: 15/20]
[20 represents the limit of the Host's current Realm.]
Nex's expression changed.
"limit..."
He read the sentence again.
Current Realm.
Human.
Meaning twenty wasn't the absolute limit.
It was merely the limit of a human.
Nex close strength tab and click on Realm section.
[Realm]
[Represents host current existence power]
[Earths planet realm order: Human->Peak human->Super Human(Non-existed)]
[Reach any basic stat rating to max for next realm advancement.]
Nex raised his eyebrows.
Non-existed, what does thatmean?
Nex closed the information and touched Agility.
[AGILITY]
[Represents movement speed, reaction speed, flexibility, and physical control.]
[Current Rating: 15/20]
Then Intelligence.
[INTELLIGENCE]
[Represents memory, learning capability, mental performance]
Nex remained silent.
That explained the strange clarity in his thoughts.
But there were more important things.
He touched Energy.
[ENERGY]
[The fundamental resource required for abilities beyond ordinary biological functions.]
[Current Capacity: 100]
[Further information unavailable at current Core Stage.]
"...Of course."
Nex wasn't surprised anymore.
The System seemed obsessed with withholding information.
His finger moved upward.
Bloodline.
He touched it.
[LOCKED]
[Bloodline requirements have not been fulfilled.]
"What requirements?"
[Information unavailable at current Core Stage.]
Nex stared blankly at the screen.
"...Again?"
There was one final option.
Core Stage.
He touched it.
The panel changed.
[CORE STAGE]
[Current: Low-Tier]
[Progression:]
[Low-Tier]
[Mid-Tier]
[High-Tier]
[Peak-Tier]
[Further information unavailable.]
Nex's eyes stopped at the second final word.
Peak-Tier.
The main mission.
Three years to reach it.
But how?
"How do I increase my Core Stage?"
The Status Window didn't respond.
Nex tapped the words.
[Core is empty]
"Great."
He dismissed the Status Window.
Then—
Bzzzt.
His phone vibrated.
A message.
Unknown Number.
Nex opened it.
Ethan: YO
Another message immediately appeared.
Ethan: IS EVERYONE ALIVE???
Then another.
Ethan: I JUST JUMPED OVER MY FUCKING SOFA
Nex stared at the screen.
"..."
Another notification.
Eris: Stop sending useless messages.
Ethan: HOW DID YOU GET MY NUMBER
Eris: My borther made the group, you dumbass.
Nex looked at the top of the screen.
A group chat had been created.
Six members.
Karl had named it:
Generation-7
Nex smiled faintly.
Of course he did.
Messages started arriving rapidly.
Ruby: Everyone got back safely?
Karl: Yes.
Eris: Yeah.
Ethan: PHYSICALLY YES
Ethan: MENTALLY I HAVE QUESTIONS
Eris: Nobody cares.
Ethan: Ruby cares
A few seconds passed.
Ruby: I'm glad you're safe :)
Ethan: SEE
Eris: She said that to everyone.
Nex shook his head.
They had been separated for less than ten minutes.
And somehow Ethan and Eris were already fighting again.
He typed.
Nex: I'm back.
Immediately—
Ethan: NEX
Ethan: MY MAN
Ethan: Tell Eris she's bullying me
Nex considered his response.
Then typed.
Nex: She probably has a reason.
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Ethan: Betrayal.
Nex chuckled.
Then Karl sent a message.
Karl: Has everyone checked the Status Window?
The conversation immediately changed.
Ruby: I was about to.
Violet: Yes.
Eris: Strength, Agility and Intelligence all say 20 is the limit.
Karl: Exactly.
Nex stared at Karl's next message.
Karl: Which means we're already at 15.
Nobody replied for several seconds.
They all understood what that meant.
They had received three times their original attributes.
And now they were only five points away from what the System considered the human realm limit.
Ethan: So how strong is 15 actually?
Nex looked away from the phone.
Good question.
His eyes moved around his room.
He needed something safe to test.
His gaze landed on his desk.
No.
Breaking furniture would be difficult to explain.
He walked toward the wall.
Raised his fist.
Stopped.
"...Also stupid."
He lowered it.
There were easier ways.
Nex crouched.
If his Agility had really increased threefold...
He looked toward the ceiling.
Then jumped.
Barely any effort.
WHOOSH!
His body shot upward.
Nex's eyes widened.
"Shit—"
THUD!
His head slammed into the ceiling.
He dropped back onto the floor.
"..."
Silence.
Nex remained crouched for several seconds.
His hand slowly moved toward his head.
"Ow."
It hurt.
But far less than it should have.
He looked upward.
A small crack had appeared in the ceiling.
Nex stared at it.
Then at his legs.
Then at the ceiling again.
"...Fifteen."
He hadn't even jumped with everything he had.
His phone vibrated.
Ethan: GUYS
Ethan: IMPORTANT DISCOVERY
Ethan: DO NOT PUNCH IN THE WALL.
Nex stared at the message.
A second later—
Eris: Too late.
Ruby: Are you both okay?! Violet just jumped and hit her head into ceiling.
Violet: Yes.
Nex blinked.
Violet?
Then—
Violet: Don't do that either.
For some reason, that was the one that made Nex laugh.
He leaned against his desk.
For the first time since returning, some of the tension left his shoulders.
But it didn't last.
Karl sent another message.
Karl: We need to keep something in mind.
Nex's smile faded.
Karl: Starting now, nobody shows these abilities publicly.
Karl: Nobody tells anyone about this system , It will just create trouble for us.
Ethan: But who gonna believe anyway in things like system.
Karl: We are not normal average human anymore, especially you Ethan keep your mouth shut.
Eris: This guy is walking radio, he won't shut up.
Ethan: HEY!
Eris responded.
Ruby: Agreed.
Ruby followed.
Ruby: Until we understand what's happening, we have to keep it to ourselves.
Karl: Exactly.
Nex looked toward the window.
Outside, people continued living normally.
Cars moved along the road.
Someone walked down the sidewalk.
Somewhere nearby, a dog barked.
Billions of people were going about their lives without knowing that six humans had just been selected for something called the Generation-7 Ranking Order.
Without knowing that monsters existed.
Without knowing that Gods existed.
Without knowing that somewhere beyond Earth...
There were other heirs.
Other planets.
Other bloodlines.
Nex looked at his reflection in the dark glass.
And then there was the mission.
Conquer Earth.
Three years.
His phone vibrated again.
Karl.
Karl: We also need to discuss the side mission.
No one replied immediately.
Finally—
Ethan: Yeah.
Ethan: About that.
Ethan: How exactly are six teenagers supposed to conquer the planet?
Nex stared at those words.
Six teenagers.
Three years.
An entire planet.
Impossible.
At least—
He stare at his status window.
His eyes narrowed and face turn serious.
His fingers moved across the phone.
Nex: We're thinking about it wrong.
Three dots appeared from several people.
Karl: Explain.
Nex typed slowly.
Nex: We have huge advantage now.
Nex: It gave us three years.
Nex: Right now we don't know what we can become.
Nex: Do you all know about Alstrike Academy?
A pause.
Then—
Karl: Yeah, the world most famous and high class academy.
Ethan: I hear that academy have all type of genius students from scientist , businessman, athletics, also mafia.
Eris: Didn't this academy doesn't accept student from scholar, only through deep connection?
Ruby: Why are we talking about this school Nex?
Violet: Yeah
His eyes moved toward the translucent Status Window.
Nex: We need to conquer that academy.
Eris,Ethan,Ruby,Violet,Karl: ?!!
Eris: What ? Are you out of your mind?
Karl: Now, I understand what you are thinking.
Ethan: What?
Karl : Alstrike academy is source for us to have full authority over this Earth.
Karl: But question how do we get admission in it?
Nex: yeah , But for admission we need recommendation letter.
Eris: How can we achieve that?
Nex: I suggest to you all to enter military to get stronger and achieve captain or higher position.
Nex: With our current abilities and advantage, it will be easy.
Nex: We need to prove ourselves, I have plans for my own for getting recommendation.
Karl: That's a good idea, But you had other plans for yours?
Nex: Yes, I am gonna take over the mafia gang in my city.
Karl: Why? Doesn't it more hassle and troublesome rather than joining military?
Nex: No, I have feeling this will be useful.
Karl: Ok, If you say so.
Ruby: Nex, mafia stuff isn't good , they kill people and do criminal activities, I don't want you to do that.
Nex: Don't worry, I won't change but I will give them good beating.
Ethan: I didn't know you were violence type of guy.
Eris: Yes, It sound bad.
Nex: Ok, enough of me, you all think how you wanna join military.
They chatted for a minute discussing how would they join military.
After they said goodbye to each other.
Nex sitting on his bed.
Room once again feels silent to him.
His eyes had stern look on them.
As he stare at something new floating in front of him.
[BINDING COMPLETE]
[SPECIAL SYSTEM OWNER: NEX ABYSSEL]
[Quest: Stop the school bullies]
[Reward: +2 stat points]
....Holy shit