The city was quiet. Too quiet.
Kairis stepped into the middle of the street, knife sheathed but fingers tracing the edge of the Graviton Blade's faint shimmer. The first kill had awakened him, the system humming faintly in his mind, but he still barely understood what he could do.
He spread his legs, tensed his muscles, and thought hard about the blade.
> [Skill: Graviton Edge – Lv.1]
[Effect: Bends space at a small scale. Cuts with added gravitational weight.]
Kairis swung the knife.
At first, nothing happened. A mundane slash through empty air. Then, as he concentrated, the blade's edge pulled at the very molecules around it, drawing dust, loose stones, even a piece of broken metal toward the tip. The effect was subtle but unmistakable.
He repeated it. Faster. Harder. Leaning his body into the motion, tilting the blade to experiment with angles. Small objects were lifted, moved, even crushed in his wake. Each swing made his shoulder scream, but he welcomed the pain—it reminded him he was alive.
He crouched, testing precision. A shard of metal lying across the street. One quick flick, one thought, and the shard twisted toward him, spinning as though the street itself obeyed his will.
He smiled faintly, the first smile since the city burned.
This… this is just the beginning.
He opened the system menu in his mind. Stats, skill level, experience, quest progress. But something else caught his attention:
> [Ability: Analyze – Lv.1]
[Effect: Scans entities to determine approximate stats, health, and attributes. Cannot read system layout or skills.]
Kairis tested it instinctively, spotting a stray cat in the alley. The system flashed:
HP: 3/3
Agility: 7
Strength: 1
A grin crept across his face. This was more than power. This was information. If he could read others' strengths, even partially, he could plan, avoid mistakes, survive.
The Awakener Network
Kairis moved cautiously toward the city center, scavenging for more supplies while testing the blade and Analyze. That's when he saw them—humans moving with control, precision, power. Not monsters. Not random Awakened.
Three figures were gathering survivors in a half-collapsed square. One was massive, a man whose shadow swallowed everything around him, bending gravity slightly with each step. The second, a woman, moved like liquid, her hand leaving traces of dark energy that reshaped the environment. The third was smaller, wiry, a spark of purple electricity dancing along his fingers as he organized barricades.
Kairis hid behind a wall, observing. They weren't alone. Around them, small groups of humans obeyed, listened, and prepared defenses.
A realization hit him.
The humans weren't scattered. They were forming strongholds—organized pockets of survival. And from what he could see, these three were trying to create an organization specifically to fight the monsters.
> Estimated human population in the city: 12,000–15,000
Known Awakeners: 23 confirmed (in Kairis's observation)
Strongholds in the region: 5 major, several minor
Kairis's system pulsed with a subtle glow as he used Analyze on the leaders:
Leader 1 (gravity manipulator): HP 250/250, Strength 18, Agility 12, Dark Matter Affinity 45%
Leader 2 (dark matter reshaper): HP 180/180, Strength 12, Agility 18, Dark Matter Affinity 52%
Leader 3 (electric manipulator): HP 160/160, Strength 10, Agility 20, Dark Matter Affinity 40%
The numbers were impressive. These weren't ordinary humans—they were Awakeners, like him, but already far more advanced.
Kairis narrowed his eyes. They didn't see him. They couldn't. And that was fine. Observation first. Knowledge first. Power first.
By nightfall, Kairis had returned to the old house. Elyra and Aeren were asleep. He set the supplies down and reviewed everything in his mind. The system pulsed faintly, almost impatiently.
> [Quest Progress: 2 / 7 Nights Survived]
[New Objective: Experiment with Graviton Edge, survive encounters, observe Awakeners.]
He allowed himself a brief moment of reflection.
The world wasn't just monsters. Humans were awakening too, forming factions, networks, power hierarchies. This wasn't just survival—it was a war of strength, wit, and ruthlessness.
And he would rise above them all.
They think monsters are the threat. They have no idea.
Kairis flexed his fingers, the faint glow of the Graviton Blade shimmering in his mind. He tested a small levitation effect on a broken chair across the room. It lifted slowly, wobbling slightly, but it didn't fall.
A small smile, dark and confident, played across his lips.
I'm ready.