"Kill this runt!"
Men in ragged jackets kicked at a boy curled up on the dirt. Their boots thudded against his ribs, his arms, his stomach. The sound echoed through the narrow alley of rusted metal and trash.
"Didn't I tell you, brat?" The leader spat and drove his boot harder into the boy's gut. "If you don't pay up next time, I'll peel your skin off piece by piece."
"P-please! I'll pay! I swear I'll pay!" the boy cried, clutching his stomach.
"Listen to him squeal," one of them laughed and punched his cheek. "Next time you give me excuses, I'll smash that pretty face flat."
"I'll let you live for now," the leader said, wiping his boot on the boy's shirt. "Three days, or you're dead."
The three men laughed as they walked off, leaving the boy bleeding in the dirt.
Leo lay still, his body shaking from the pain. His bruises throbbed, his lip split open. When he finally forced himself to move, blood trickled down his chin.
"Bastards," he muttered, spitting to the side. "They hit harder this time."
Those men weren't random thugs. They were from a local gang that ruled this part of the slums, self-proclaimed "landlords" who collected "rent" from the poor. Refusing to pay meant ending up in a ditch by morning.
And in this place, no one dared to fight back.
Dragging his battered body, Leo limped through the maze of broken streets.
The ground was cracked and dry, the air heavy with rot and smoke. Trash filled the gutters. Flies hovered above piles of spoiled food. Drunkards slept against the walls, surrounded by the stench of cheap alcohol.
This was the slum district of Aegisburg City, one of the countless human cities scattered across Teralis, a world twenty times larger than Earth, where monsters roamed the wilds and the strong ruled everything.
Here, there were no heroes. Only survivors.
"Smells like shit… but it's home," Leo said with a weak grin as he reached a small shack made of tin and wood. Barely four square meters wide, just enough space for him to lie down.
He dropped onto the cold floor, groaning as pain flared across his ribs. For a long moment, he just lay there staring at the cracked ceiling before reaching into his pocket.
His fingers brushed against a single coin, his last.
"At least they didn't find this," he muttered with a hollow chuckle. "One more cup of coffee tomorrow."
It was a small comfort, but that single coin felt like hope.
The gangs had been squeezing him dry for months. The diner where he washed dishes had thrown him out two days ago. "Too filthy to serve customers," his boss said.
Since then, he had nothing. No job, no food, no one to rely on.
"What a damn life," he whispered. "Guess that's just how the world works."
In this city, the poor stayed poor, the powerful lived like gods, and the only real law was strength.
His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since yesterday. He closed his eyes, exhausted.
"I just want food… clean clothes… maybe a real bed. Is that too much to ask?"
Silence answered him.
As sleep crept in, memories he didn't want came flooding back, the day his parents died. He had been twelve then, hiding under piles of trash while monsters tore through the outer walls. He still remembered the screams, the shaking ground, and the blood.
By the time awakeners arrived to kill the beasts, it was too late. His parents were gone.
From that day on, survival became his only goal. He worked any job that would keep him alive, hauling garbage, cleaning kitchens, running errands, each one shorter than the last. To everyone else, he was just another slum rat.
Still, no matter how bad it got, Leo refused to give up.
He clenched his fists. "As long as I'm breathing, I'll keep going."
Tomorrow would be his sixteenth birthday, the day every youth waited for. The Day of Awakening.
It was the one chance every person got. When you turned sixteen, you could awaken, gain a skill, a rank, and maybe the power to change your life.
But only one in a hundred succeeded. The rest stayed ordinary forever.
Leo's eyes softened as he whispered to the dark ceiling,
"Tomorrow… I'll definitely awaken. I don't care what rank, I'll take anything. Just… not this life."
His voice trembled with equal parts fear and hope.
Leo's eyelids grew heavy. And before long, he drifted into sleep, clinging to the fragile dream that tomorrow might finally be different.
….
Morning came faster than Leo expected.
The streets of the slums were already alive, children chasing stray dogs, vendors shouting over each other, and the smell of burnt bread filling the air. Leo walked quietly among them, his hands tucked in his pockets, the bruises from last night hidden beneath his thin hoodie.
Today was the day.
He followed the long road that wound toward the heart of Aegisburg City, where the Awakeners Association Guild stood, a massive arena built to hold ten thousand people. Its metal walls gleamed in the sunlight, far too clean for someone like him.
Leo stopped at the entrance, staring up at the huge archway.
"Biggest building I've ever seen…" he muttered under his breath, then sighed. "Let's hope I don't walk out of here the same as I came."
Hundreds, no, tens of thousands of teenagers his age lined up outside. Some looked excited, some anxious. Everyone here was chasing the same dream.
Leo slipped into the line. He hadn't eaten breakfast, his last coin had gone to coffee hours ago, but the excitement around him dulled the hunger a little.
"This is it, huh…" he whispered. "My one chance."
He'd read about it before. Two hundred years ago, when rifts first tore open across their world Teralis, monsters poured in and cities fell. Humanity was nearly wiped out until people started awakening, gaining powers, mana, and skills that could fight back.
Since then, the world changed. The strong built cities, while the weak clung to whatever walls they could hide behind.
That divide never disappeared, it just got bigger.
"Next!" someone shouted from the front. The line shuffled forward a little. Leo groaned quietly. "At this rate, I'll still be standing here by sunset."
Then came the sudden roar of engines.
A line of luxury buses rolled up. Students stepped out one after another, neat uniforms, polished shoes, and gold eagle crests pinned to their chests. Even their laughter sounded rich.
The Academy kids.
Leo's eyes narrowed. "Figures…"
The difference was obvious. The academy students were from noble families, the kind who could buy skill manuals before even awakening. Meanwhile, the ones in Leo's line wore torn shirts and patched pants. They were the bottom of the city, the slum-born.
"Why are they getting in first?" someone in the line shouted.
"Yeah! We've been waiting here since dawn!" another complained.
The crowd grew louder, frustration building until a voice thundered across the arena.
"SHUT UP!"
Everyone froze.
A huge man stepped forward, nearly three meters tall, his muscles straining against his uniform. A scar cut across his face, making him look like something carved out of battle itself. His presence alone silenced the crowd.
"You brats dare question the Association?" His voice boomed like thunder. "Be grateful you're even allowed inside, trash!"
No one dared to speak again.
Leo clenched his jaw, keeping his head down. 'Trash, huh… nothing new.'
Hours dragged by before the lines finally moved. The academy students entered first, escorted like VIPs. Only after they were done did the rest, the ones from the slums get ushered in.
The inside of the stadium was even larger than Leo imagined. Rows of seats surrounded a massive stage at the center, where a glowing blue orb sat atop a stone pedestal.
At the front stood a man with a deep, commanding voice.
"My name is Magnus Ironvale, Branch Chief of the Awakeners Association here in Aegisburg," he announced, his tone echoing across the arena.
Even the rowdiest students went silent.
"Two centuries ago," Magnus began, "when humanity stood at the edge of extinction, awakeners rose to fight back. They shed blood and built these walls so that we could live. Today, each of you stands here because of their sacrifice."
His gaze swept over the crowd, first the academy elites, then the slum-born at the back.
"Now it's your turn. Awaken your power, protect humanity, and never waste what you are given."
The front rows erupted into cheers, the academy kids practically glowing with pride.
In the back, Leo just stood still, expression unreadable.
"Protect humanity, huh?" he muttered. "I just want to survive."
The ceremony began. Officials guided the students one by one onto the stage. Each would touch the glowing orb, the crystal that channeled mana to awaken the dormant potential within them.
Leo watched quietly, his pulse quickening every time someone's name was called.
He saw how the orb shone brightly for some, dimmed for others, and stayed dark for most.
When the tall announcer read, "Jaren Draken," the crowd went wild.
Leo's head tilted. "Draken… that name sounds rich."
The boy stepped forward confidently, placing his hand on the orb. Light burst from the crystal, engulfing him in a glow so bright it drew gasps from the audience. A few seconds later, it dimmed, and the announcer nodded.
"Jaren Draken, successfully awakened."
Cheers exploded through the arena. The boy smirked and raised his head high.
"I'm an A-Rank," he declared, basking in the applause.
Leo felt a bitter laugh rise in his throat. "Of course he is."
More names were called. Some cheered, some cried, most walked away empty.
By the time they reached the 300th name, only a handful had succeeded.
The air in the stadium grew heavier. Every failed awakening echoed like a hammer on the crowd's hope.
Finally, the elites were done. The announcer's tone flattened as he called the next batch.
The ones without uniforms. The forgotten side.
The slum kids.
Their results were predictable. Out of thousands, only four managed to awaken, and neither revealed their rank.
In this world, ranks weren't just for show. From SSS down to F, it decides how far one can climb. Higher rank means higher level cap.
No one could see another's rank unless you revealed it, but those with D or higher always did. It brought offers, backing, and fame.
The ones who stayed quiet? Everyone knew, they were the low ranks.
Leo watched silently as they walked off the stage with their heads lowered, ignoring the whispers and pity around them.
"Figures," someone snorted behind him. "The poor can't awaken real power anyway."
Leo's jaw tightened.
Then the announcer's voice boomed again.
"Next… Leo Vale."
He froze for a second, then exhaled slowly.
"Finally."
Walking toward the stage, he felt every stare, mockery from the elites, sympathy from a few, and pure indifference from most. He ignored them all.
When he reached the glowing crystal, the announcer gestured impatiently. "Place your hand."
Leo took a deep breath, pressing his palm against the cool surface.
For a moment, nothing.
Then light surged from the orb, brighter than he expected, flooding the stage in a soft blue glow. Mana rushed into his body, like warm electricity flowing through his veins. His breath caught.
The crystal flickered one last time before dimming completely.
"Leo Vale, successfully awakened," the announcer said, his tone neutral. He waited for the rank, but Leo stayed silent.
The man frowned slightly. "No rank to announce?"
Leo only shook his head. "I'll… keep it private."
The crowd murmured, already assuming the answer.
Low rank, trash tier, another failure.
But Leo barely heard them. His chest thumped hard as a strange light flashed across his vision.
A window appeared before him, letters glowing faintly in the air.
Name: Leo Vale
Level: 1 (0 / 100 exp)
Rank: Exclusive (Demon Lord)
Skill: SSS Rank Shadow Awaken
Shadows: 0 / 5
Health: 10 / 10
Mana: 15 / 15
Strength: 5 (10 for Average Adult)
Intelligence: 7
Speed: 6
Agility: 6
Perception: 4
Stamina: 4
Vitality: 4
Stat points: 0
Leo's breath stopped.
'Demon Lord…?'
He stared blankly, unable to move.
Around him, the crowd was already shifting to the next name, but Leo's mind had gone white.
A chill ran through his spine.
Demon Lords, only a few hundred existed in the entire world. Beings without level limits and possess broken skills. People feared them because they didn't follow the rules of power where normal awakeners hit their level cap, Demon Lords just kept climbing.
They were too strong, too unpredictable… and too hated.
Leo swallowed hard.
'If they find out what I am… I'm dead.'
His heart pounded faster, hands trembling as he forced his face to stay blank.