[Seoul National Hunter Association – Main Testing Facility] [5 Years Ago]
The world held its breath.
It wasn't an exaggeration. Across the globe, from the neon streets of Tokyo to the ruins of New York, billions of eyes were glued to screens. The servers of YouTube and Twitch were crashing under the load.
The reason? Me.
I sat in the center of a stark white room, reinforced with tungsten-carbide walls and layered with S-Rank magic barriers. I was eighteen years old, wearing a standard-issue grey tracksuit that smelled like industrial detergent.
"Mr. Ash," the voice of the Association Chairman boomed over the intercom. "Are you ready?"
I looked at the one-way glass in front of me. I couldn't see them, but I knew they were there. The Guild Leaders. The Generals. The Presidents. The vultures waiting to pick the meat off my bones.
"I'm ready," I said. My voice didn't shake. Why would it? I was the chosen one.
A week ago, during the Awakening Ceremony, the mana reactor hadn't just hummed; it had screamed. The feedback loop destroyed three city blocks' worth of electrical grid infrastructure. The analysis machine had spat out a result that defied the known ranking system (F to S).
[Class: The Ruler] [Rank: EX (Immeasurable)] [Ability: Absolute Control]
The scientists had wet themselves explaining it to me.
"It's not just magic, Ash," the lead researcher had stammered, his eyes wide with manic glee. "Pyromancers control fire. Telekinetics push objects. But you... you control the code of the universe. The Progression Tree we found in your status window... it's terrifying."
I closed my eyes and visualized that tree now.
Tier 1: Basic Elements (Fire, Water, Wind, Earth).
Tier 2: Advanced Matter (Magma, Ice, Lightning, Metal).
Tier 3: Fundamental Forces (Gravity, Magnetism, Friction).
Tier 4: Abstract Concepts (Light, Dark, Negative Energy).
Tier 5: Universal Laws (Antimatter, Time, Space).
They called me a Living God. They said I would be the one to clear the S-Rank Gates. They said I would end the Age of Monsters.
"Commencing ability demonstration," the Chairman announced. "Subject: Tier 1, Basic Elemental Manifestation. Target: A single flame."
A metallic pedestal rose from the floor in front of me. On it sat a single, unlit candle.
It was almost insulting. They expected me to warp reality, and they started me with a birthday candle.
"Begin."
I raised my right hand. I felt the gaze of the world on the back of my neck.
Easy, I thought. Just a spark.
I reached into the core of my being, searching for that ocean of power that every Awakened talked about. I found the connection to the system. I found the command for [Fire].
I pulled the trigger.
CLICK.
That was the sound inside my head. Not a roar of power, but the dry, hollow click of an empty gun.
Then came the pain.
It didn't start in my hand. It started in my brain stem. It felt like someone had shoved a rusty spike into the base of my skull and twisted it.
"Gah!"
I lurched forward, gripping the table.
"Mr. Ash? Is something wrong?"
"I..." I gasped, tasting copper. "I can't... the fuel..."
I tried again. I forced my will upon reality. Light the damn candle.
CRACK.
My nose exploded.
It wasn't a trickle. It was a geyser. Bright red blood sprayed over the white table, splattering the unlit candle.
"Medical team! Stand by!" someone shouted.
"No!" I screamed, waving them off. The cameras were rolling. The world was watching. If I stopped now, I looked weak. "I can... I can do this!"
I was the Savior. I was the EX-Rank. I just had to push harder.
I focused everything I had on that tiny wick. I didn't care about the pain. I didn't care about the ringing in my ears that sounded like a jet engine.
Burn. Just burn, you piece of shit!
I felt something snap deep inside my chest. My heart stuttered. The capillaries in my eyes burst, turning my vision into a red haze.
I saw the candle flicker. For one millisecond, a tiny, pathetic wisp of smoke curled up.
And then, my body shut down.
It wasn't a faint. It was a system crash. My legs gave out, and I smashed face-first into the metal table. I convulsed, foam mixing with the blood pouring from my mouth.
The last thing I heard before the darkness swallowed me wasn't applause. It was the disappointed murmur of a billion people realizing their God was mortal.
[Seoul Central Hospital – VIP Ward (Downgraded)] [3 Days Later]
I woke up to the sound of hushed arguments.
"...a complete farce," a male voice hissed. I recognized it. The Chairman. "Do you know how much money we spent on the marketing campaign? 'The King of the New World'? He almost died lighting a candle!"
"It's a hardware issue, sir," a doctor replied, sounding bored. "We ran the tests three times."
I kept my eyes closed, listening. My body felt like it had been run over by a tank.
"Explain it simply," the Chairman snapped. "The public is demanding answers. Stocks are plummeting."
"Think of a car," the doctor said. "His Ability, Absolute Control, is a Ferrari engine. A V12 monstrosity capable of breaking the sound barrier. It's perfect. Flawless."
"So what's the problem?"
"The chassis," the doctor sighed. "Ash's body isn't a Ferrari. It's a rusted bicycle. And his fuel tank? It's a thimble."
There was a pause. The silence was heavier than gravity.
"His Mana Capacity is F-Rank," the doctor concluded ruthlessly. "Actually, it's lower. It's F-minus. He has the lowest mana density I've ever recorded in an Awakened. To cast even a Tier 1 spell requires 100 Mana. He has 5."
"Can he train it? Increase the capacity?"
"Maybe. Over fifty years, he might get enough mana to light a campfire. But combat? Dimensions? Space-time?" The doctor laughed, a cruel, dry sound. "Impossible. If he tries to use a Tier 2 spell, his brain will liquefy instantly. He is a walking contradiction. Infinite potential, zero capability."
"So he's useless," the Chairman said. It wasn't a question.
"Effectively? Yes. He's a defective product."
Footsteps approached my bed. I felt the cold presence of the Chairman looming over me.
"Cancel the contracts," the Chairman ordered. "Revoke the S-Rank salary. Pull the security detail from his mother's house."
"Sir? The press is waiting outside."
"Tell them... tell them it was a false positive. Tell them the machine malfunctioned." The Chairman's voice dripped with disdain. "Tell them there is no Savior. Just a waste of time."
The door slammed shut.
I lay there in the dark, tears mixing with the dried blood on my face.
I looked at the status window hovering above my bed. It mocked me. The golden letters of [Absolute Control] shone brightly, locked behind a grey wall of insufficient mana.
A Ferrari engine in a bicycle, I thought bitterly.
I clenched my fist, feeling how weak my grip was.
One day, I promised the empty room. One day, I'll find the fuel. And when I do... I'm going to run all of you bastards over.
[End of Chapter 0]