The slums of Arcanum Nexus did not wake with the sun.
They stirred beneath it, like rats waiting for the sky to look away.
In the far reaches of the outer ring, where the cobbled roads dissolved into cracked stone and sewage-choked alleys, a crooked shack leaned into the morning breeze like it was too tired to keep standing.
Mold crept along the walls. The roof sagged with every gust of wind. Rats scurried in and out through a hole in the back wall.
Inside, Kairo Vale sat motionless on the bare floor, legs crossed, eyes closed.
He wasn't meditating.
He was remembering.
The scream of brakes… the crunch of shattering wood… his sister's hand, so small in his, slipping free as the white-robed strangers pulled her away.
The promise he made, 'I'll come find you. I swear'.
And then… nothing.
That was eight years ago.
She'd been six, he'd been eight. No family, no money, just the mercy of the state, and the cruelty of its systems. She'd been adopted as soon as their parents died in an accident. Him? He'd been forgotten.
He opened his eyes.
Sunlight trickled through a crack in the wall, painting the floor in a thin beam. Dust danced in it, slow and weightless.
Kairo watched it silently as the system chimed.
DING!
~----~
[MUSCLE INDEX: 1.2%]
Next Threshold: 2.0% - Unlock: [Muscle Lock]
Note: Daily Intake Still Inadequate (Required: 2,000 kcal)
Current Caloric Deficit: 1,717 kcal
~----~
His stomach growled viciously.
He stood.
The pain in his muscles was sharp, but not unbearable anymore. The burn was familiar now. It accompanied him like an old companion, the kind that never said a word but always pushed him to keep going.
He rolled his shoulders, feeling the tension pop in tight arcs beneath his skin. There was new weight there; a stiffness in the way his arms moved.
The kind of stiffness that only came with growth.
Not fast, not pretty, but it was happening.
He strapped on his threadbare boots, grabbed a half-empty flask of water, and stepped out into the gray morning.
The slums buzzed with the usual activity.
Vendors shouted half-heartedly. Smoke drifted from old cookfires. Children ran barefoot through puddles, laughing until they hit the smell of dead gutters and went silent.
Drunks slept in corners. A preacher screamed about redemption near a broken statue of the Six Realms.
Kairo ignored it all.
He made his way to the central message post, a massive metal board bolted into the side of a collapsed watchtower, glowing softly with old magic. Messages shimmered across it, updating every dawn: bounties, market shifts, territory disputes, missing persons…
And one announcement that made his breath hitch.
["ENTRANCE OPEN FOR THE ACADEMY TOURNAMENT."]
The letters glowed golden, animated with runic fire.
A teenage boy near the board gasped. "The Nexus Academy tournament…! It's really starting!"
Kairo stepped closer. The message scrolled.
[ANNOUNCEMENT: ACADEMY ENTRANCE TOURNAMENT – ARCANUM NEXUS]
Open to all citizens awakened within the last 30 days.
Prove your worth. Rise through the trials. Claim a place in the most prestigious institution across all Six Realms.
Rewards:
Nexus Academy Crest. Full sponsorship from Guild Houses. Access to Realm Sanctums.
Phases:
Trial of Steel. Combat Phase. Crest Evaluation.
[Ten Candidates will be chosen. Only one will be crowned Nexus Champion.]
["Awakened or not… Genius or Slumrat… if you stand on that stage, you will be seen"]
Kairo stared at the glowing text, jaw tight.
That was it. His path. His door.
The door they said he wasn't worthy to knock on. The one that led to prestige, to the inner sanctums of power, to the nobility that had never once looked his way, and most importantly, to wealth.
And maybe, just maybe, to the people who took his sister.
His fists clenched instinctively.
He turned and walked, faster now.
The F-rank public training grounds weren't far.
The air was thicker near the training zones. Dust kicked up from cracked stone tiles as young, freshly awakened hopefuls jogged legs, sparred with blunt weapons, or fumbled their way through basic mana channeling exercises.
This was the bottom tier, where those with no money, no connections, and no guidance were herded like cattle.
The instructors were tired. The equipment were dented. The training dummies were stuffed with straw and held together by duct-thread.
Kairo stepped into the courtyard.
Eyes turned toward him immediately.
A girl near the gate laughed. "He's back again. The meathead".
Someone else snorted. "The one who awakened Muscle Genesis, right? Poor bastard".
They laughed.
Kairo ignored them and walked straight to the weighted chain station.
Five rusted plates, each one supposedly around 40 kg. The record for most pulled was two and a half, barely lifted by a dual-ability Awakener named Kael who used a support skill to cheat his way through.
Kairo grabbed the chain, and pulled…
His muscles tightened like steel cables.
One plate lifted. Then two.
"…"
The crowd went silent.
Three. Four.
Instructors turned to look.
Then… five.
The whole stack rose off the ground.
Veins bulged in his arms. His breath came in short, controlled huffs. The metal links creaked. He held it.
And slammed it down.
BAM!
Dust shot into the air.
Silence.
In the silence, Kairo heard the familiar voice whisper in his head.
DING!
~----~
[MUSCLE INDEX: 1.5%]
Efficient Weight Training: +0.3%
Pain Adaptation: +1% Boost to Recovery Speed (Temporary)
~----~
Then someone clapped.
Slow. Mocking.
"So the muscle freak really can lift stuff. Great. Want a medal?"
Kairo turned.
A tall boy stepped forward; wavy blonde hair, cheap but clean armor. A smug grin that reeked of delusion lined his features.
"Name's Rusk," he said, flexing. "I'm an Earth Core Awakener. Dual ability. Bet you've never heard of something like that, have you, Slumrat?"
The crowd chuckled.
Rusk pointed at the sparring circle.
"Why don't you show us how your genius muscles do in a real fight?"
Kairo didn't answer.
He just stepped into the circle. He was also curious to test how strong he was, an opponent was just what he needed.
The match began without warning.
Rusk charged, swinging a heavy wooden blade with both hands. "Let's see you flex against this!"
Kairo dodged, just barely. His body was stronger, but not yet fast. Not yet trained.
The blade scrapped his shoulder. With a grimace, he staggered.
Rusk laughed. "Not so tough now, are we? Are y…"
CRACK!
Kairo's fist slammed into his stomach.
Rusk folded like wet paper.
Kairo didn't even use full power; just one Hypermuscle Charge in his arm, just enough to break the strike.
DING!
~----~
[Hypermuscle Creation Activated: 1/5 Charges Used]
[Muscle Index: 1.6%]
~----~
The crowd gaped.
Rusk gasped for breath on the ground.
Kairo turned to the instructor. "Is there a weight certification for the Academy tournament?"
The man blinked, then nodded. "All… all official training grounds record results. You lifting five plates? That's going into the Nexus Tournament ledger".
Kairo nodded once.
He left the circle in silence.
No cheers, no applause, but also no more laughter.
…
That night, Kairo stood on a rooftop overlooking the glowing spires of the Central Nexus.
He could see the gleaming walls of the Inner Sanctum. The skybridges. The banners of the Six Great Realms fluttering proudly in the distance.
The wind whispered around him.
And he whispered back.
"I'm coming".
"My name is Kairo Vale".
"And I will become strong enough to make this world remember it".