Two hundred years ago, the world ended—
and began again.
The day the Rifts tore open, the sky itself cracked apart. From the glowing red wounds between worlds poured creatures of nightmare: horned, winged, or scaled; bodies burning with black fire. They slaughtered without mercy.
Those monsters came from a realm humanity would later call the Abyssal World.
Within weeks, half the continents burned.
When humanity was ready to vanish completely, something else descended—
a voice that filled every mind on Earth.
[ System Integration Commencing ]
[ New Law Established: Professions ]
[ Awaken or perish. ]
And just like that, humans changed.
Ordinary men and women awakened to powers beyond imagination.
Warriors split mountains.
Mages burned armies to ash.
Healers restored crushed bodies with a touch.
The war raged for fifty years.
Humanity survived—but barely.
Now, two centuries later, peace had returned.
Cities rebuilt. Guilds formed.
Every person dreamed of awakening their Profession—their key to strength and survival.
Present Day – Valoria City
The sun rose over Valoria's silver spires, gleaming against the morning haze.
Thousands of young adults filled the Central Awakening Plaza, the air buzzing with nervous excitement.
It was Awakening Day—the day every eighteen-year-old would be chosen by the System.
At the plaza's center stood the Awakening Crystal, a twenty-meter-high pillar of light that pulsed like a beating heart.
Students stepped forward one by one, hands trembling as they touched the crystal.
Some received cheers:
[ Profession Unlocked: Warrior (C-Rank Talent) ]
[ Profession Unlocked: Mage (B-Rank Talent) ]
Others left pale-faced, eyes hollow.
[ Profession Unlocked: Farmer (E-Rank Talent) ]
The difference between glory and mediocrity was decided in seconds.
"Next candidate—Lin Xuan!"
A tall, lean youth stepped from the line. His uniform was simple, a little worn. His hair was black, his expression calm.
Unlike most of his classmates, he had no family banners embroidered on his chest—no noble bloodline.
But his eyes were sharp. Focused.
He climbed the marble steps to the platform.
The examiner, a middle-aged man in guild robes, nodded. "Place your hand on the crystal. Focus your intent."
Lin Xuan obeyed.
The moment his palm touched the surface, a cold wave rushed through his body.
His heart skipped a beat.
The crystal began to glow—first faintly, then violently.
[ Soul Synchronization: 100% ]
[ Talent Rating: SSS – Unique ]
[ Profession Determined: Assassin ]
[ Hidden Evolution Path Detected ]
[ Passive Skill Unlocked: " Soul Assimilation " ]
The entire hall shook.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
The examiner stumbled back. "SSS-grade talent?! That's impossible!"
Even the principal of the academy—an A-rank Mage—stood up from his chair.
[ Global System Notification ]
[ A unique-tier profession has been born: Assassin – Hidden Evolution Path. ]
Lin Xuan slowly lowered his hand.
A translucent blue window appeared before his eyes.
Status Panel
Name: Lin Xuan
Level: 1
Profession: Assassin
Talent: SSS – Silent Killer
Passive: Soul Assimilation (Absorbs a fraction of the target's attributes permanently upon kill.)
Skills: [ Dagger Mastery I ], [ Shadow Step ], [ Perception Boost ]
Evolution Path: Hidden – Locked
Exp: 0 / 100
He blinked once, taking in every line.
It was real.
He was an SSS-talent—the rarest classification in existence.
"Congratulations, student Lin Xuan."
The examiner's voice was trembling. "You are officially registered as an Assassin under the Central Guild. Report tomorrow for evaluation."
Lin Xuan nodded calmly. "Understood."
But deep down, his heart raced.
Whispers
As he walked back down the steps, hundreds of eyes followed him.
"SSS Talent?"
"Even top academies don't get one every decade!"
"Assassin though… that class isn't known for ranking high."
"Still, SSS means he's destined for greatness."
Lin Xuan ignored them.
He wasn't looking for attention. He was thinking about one thing only:
Soul Assimilation.
If that passive worked as described…
then every battle would make him stronger permanently.
No pills.
No training.
No limits.
Later That Night
Valoria's lights twinkled in the distance.
Lin Xuan sat on the edge of his apartment balcony, watching the city skyline. His System interface hovered before him like a faint blue ghost.
[ Beginner Quest: Eliminate 1 Low-Tier Beast outside the city walls. ]
[ Reward: 100 EXP + Basic Skill Upgrade Chance ]
He smiled faintly. "A beginner quest, huh?"
He strapped on an old pair of steel daggers—the kind sold for cheap to trainees—and left through the northern gate.
Outside the Walls
The world beyond Valoria was wild and broken.
The land here was tainted by the Abyss, home to creatures known as Abyssal Beasts—mutated remnants of the Demon invasion.
The air was colder, heavier.
Lin Xuan moved through the ruins quietly, each step guided by instinct.
A low growl echoed from a collapsed building.
Two eyes glowed red from the darkness.
[ Target Identified: Dusk Wolf (Lv. 3 – F-Tier Beast) ]
Lin Xuan tightened his grip. His heart didn't race—his breathing slowed instead.
His body felt lighter, sharper.
The wolf lunged.
He sidestepped, sliding past the claws by inches.
[ Shadow Step ] activated automatically—his body blurred, reappearing behind the beast.
One clean strike across the throat.
The wolf fell with a thud.
[ Target Eliminated ]
[ +50 EXP ]
[ Soul Assimilation Activated ]
[ Permanent Attribute Gain: +1 Strength, +1 Agility ]
Warmth flooded through him, spreading from his chest to his limbs.
He clenched his fist—muscles tightening, nerves singing with energy.
"Permanent stat growth…"
He couldn't help but grin.
"This is broken."
He hunted two more beasts before dawn.
Each time, the System's calm voice echoed in his mind:
[ Target Eliminated ]
[ Soul Assimilation Activated ]
[ Permanent Attribute Gain: +1 Strength, +2 Agility, +1 Perception ]
By the time he returned to the city, the night's chill couldn't touch him.
He opened his panel again.
Status Panel
Level: 3
EXP: 80 / 200
Strength: 11 (+2)
Agility: 14 (+3)
Perception: 12 (+1)
Passive: Soul Assimilation (Active)
The Next Morning
The academy plaza was filled with chaos. Soldiers and Mages hurried in and out of the command building.
[ System Alert: Demon Rift detected near Northern Perimeter. ]
A minor rift. Small, but dangerous.
All active combat trainees were summoned for field duty.
Lin Xuan fastened his dagger sheath.
The others looked pale. He felt calm.
He could still feel the strength of last night's kills thrumming beneath his skin.
He stepped into formation quietly, eyes fixed on the crimson sky.
"So soon…"
The System chimed softly in his mind:
[ New Mission: First Demon Subjugation ]
[ Objective: Eliminate 3 Abyssal Scouts ]
[ Reward: Skill Evolution Opportunity ]
His lips curved into a faint smile.
"Perfect."
And as the gates of Valoria opened,
Lin Xuan—the first Catastrophic Assassin—took his first step toward a path that would one day shatter worlds.