Here's the English version of Chapter 1, ready
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The June sun blazed down on the city like a giant oven.
Lin Yue walked out of the school gates, his uniform soaked with sweat on the back. He kept his head low, trying to ignore the whispers behind him.
"That's him? The one who still hasn't awakened, even in his third year?"
"Yeah, he's the only one left in the whole grade. I heard his father was an A‑rank awakener back in the day…"
"Tsk. Like father, like son? More like the opposite."
The voices weren't loud, but they were just loud enough to reach his ears.
Lin Yue's steps faltered for a moment. His fingers tightened around his backpack strap, but in the end, he didn't turn around. He'd heard this kind of talk for two years, ever since his first year. He should have been numb to it by now. Yet every time, a dull ache gripped his chest, like something was squeezing it shut.
He turned into an old alleyway, avoiding the main road. The alley was lined with residential buildings from the 1980s, withered vines crawling up the walls. The shadows offered some relief from the heat.
His phone buzzed.
He pulled it out—a message from his mom.
"Xiaoyue, I have a night shift today. Fix yourself dinner. There are frozen dumplings in the fridge. Don't forget to eat."
Lin Yue replied with a quick "Got it" and shoved the phone back into his pocket.
He wasn't really hungry. Truth be told, ever since the school's awakening assessment last month had once again shown "no signs of awakening," his appetite had all but vanished.
Of all the third‑year students in the city, he was the only one who still hadn't awakened.
He would have been happy with even the most useless F‑rank ability—making his fingertips glow, turning tap water lukewarm. At least then he wouldn't feel like a freak.
But reality was what it was. He had nothing.
It had been five years since the Spirit Awakening. All over the world, people had begun to manifest supernatural abilities. From E‑rank, barely strong enough to lift a slightly heavier object, to C‑rank and B‑rank, where they could control fire, lightning, or even fly for short periods—awakeners had gradually become the backbone of society.
And he, Lin Yue—son of an A‑rank awakener—had nothing.
His father had gone missing on a mission five years ago, leaving behind only the title of "martyr" and a cabinet full of medals. His mother had raised him alone, never complaining. But Lin Yue knew that whenever she saw a neighbor's child showing off their abilities, a flicker of sadness would cross her eyes.
He clenched his fist.
Halfway down the alley, Lin Yue suddenly stopped.
Seven or eight meters ahead, a man in a black hoodie was crouched on the ground, rummaging through something. That alone wouldn't have been strange—but Lin Yue noticed dark red lines crawling across the man's hand, like veins rising to the surface.
An awakener.
And those lines didn't look like normal ability activation. He'd seen classmates use their powers at school—the glow was usually blue, gold, or white, clean and bright. But this man's lines were a murky red, as if something was corroding his skin.
Lin Yue instinctively took a step back. His foot kicked a loose brick, scraping loudly against the ground.
The man's head snapped around.
He had a pale, almost translucent face, deep‑set eyes with an unnatural glint. He grinned, revealing a row of yellowed teeth.
"Oh? Another one…"
Another one? Lin Yue didn't have time to process the words. His body had already turned and started running.
A sharp whistle cut through the air behind him.
He threw himself forward just as a wave of scorching heat blasted past his back. The metal trash can at the end of the alley exploded, fragments clattering to the ground.
"Why run?" The man's voice came from behind, slow and amused. "I'm not a bad guy."
That's not what I'd call a good guy.
Lin Yue scrambled to his feet and kept running. If he could just reach the main road, with more people around, the man would have to think twice.
But in the next instant, the ground seemed to vanish beneath him—a wall of earth rose up out of nowhere, catching his foot and sending him crashing down.
Bam!
He hit the ground hard. His knees and elbows burned, and the taste of blood filled his mouth. He rolled over just as the man walked up to him, looking down.
"High schooler?" The man tilted his head, glancing at Lin Yue's school badge. "No awakening, huh? I don't sense any ability waves from you."
He seemed to be talking to himself, or maybe to someone else. Lin Yue noticed a tiny earpiece in the man's ear, faint static crackling from it.
"…Alright, I get it."
The man sighed, looking at Lin Yue with something like pity—like a rabbit caught in headlights.
"Kid, don't blame me. Blame your bad luck. You saw something you weren't supposed to."
He raised his right hand. A ball of dark red flame formed in his palm, the air around it warping from the heat.
Lin Yue's pupils shrank.
I'm going to die.
The thought flashed through his mind with terrifying clarity. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His body was frozen, as stiff as stone.
The flame shot forward—
Boom!
The explosion rang in his ears. Lin Yue shut his eyes.
One second. Two seconds. Three.
The searing heat never came.
He cracked one eye open. Half a meter away, the dark red fireball was blocked by a pale blue energy shield, its surface rippling like water but holding firm.
"Using your powers near a school? The Dark Crow has some nerve."
A woman's voice came from the alley entrance, casual and slightly amused. Lin Yue turned his head. A young woman in a black trench coat stood there, right hand extended—the shield was emanating from her palm.
The man's expression shifted. "Night Watcher?"
"Ding, ding. Correct. No prize, though."
She twisted her wrist. The shield exploded outward, splitting into several blades of light that shot toward the man. He cursed, vaulted onto the wall, and disappeared over the rooftops in a few bounds.
The woman didn't chase. She crouched down beside Lin Yue and pulled a tissue from her pocket.
"Here. Your lip's bleeding."
Lin Yue took the tissue mechanically, his hands still shaking.
"Are you hurt?" she asked.
"N‑no…" His voice came out hoarse. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." She stood as if to leave, then paused, glancing back at him. "What's your name?"
"Lin Yue."
"Lin Yue…" She repeated thoughtfully, her gaze settling on his eyes. A faint smile tugged at her lips. "You don't have any ability waves, but when I blocked that attack just now… did you see something?"
Lin Yue froze.
He had. Right when the shield blocked the flames, he had clearly seen the flow of energy inside the woman's body—like luminous rivers branching from her heart to her limbs, every channel distinct.
And he had the feeling that if he wanted to, he could…
Could what?
He didn't know.
But the woman seemed to read something in his expression. Her smile deepened.
"Interesting." She pulled a business card from her pocket and handed it to him. "If anything strange happens to your body, give me a call."
Lin Yue took the card. It had only a name and a number printed on it.
Su Yao · Night Watcher
She tucked her hands back into her trench coat pockets and walked toward the alley entrance, tossing over her shoulder:
"By the way—you might not be a waste. You just awakened in a different way than most people."
Her footsteps faded.
Lin Yue sat on the ground, gripping the card, staring into space.
The setting sun painted the alley in shades of orange. Cicadas droned in the distance. He looked down at his hands, slowly clenching and unclenching them.
His heartbeat was getting faster.
Not from fear.
Because he could feel it now. Deep in his consciousness, something that had been sleeping for a long time was slowly opening its eyes.
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That night, Lin Yue couldn't sleep.
He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying Su Yao's words over and over. Not a waste? A different way of awakening? What does that mean?
He closed his eyes, trying to recall the image he'd seen in the alley—the luminous rivers inside Su Yao's body. At the time, he'd only seen them, without any real sensation.
But now, as he focused on that memory, a strange feeling spread from his chest.
Like something was being activated.
Lin Yue sat up abruptly.
He could feel it.
Something new was there, deep in his awareness.
A point of light.
He reached out to touch it in his mind, and a flood of information rushed into him—
[Detected copyable ability: Radiant Barrier (B‑rank)]
[Copy?]
[Note: Host's current mental energy level is low. Copied ability can only be used once and will last no more than 30 seconds.]
Lin Yue's eyes widened.
Copy?
His heart slammed against his ribs.
Wait… was this his ability?
One he hadn't even known he'd awakened?
He took a deep breath and mentally selected "Yes."
In the next moment, a wave of warmth surged from his chest to his limbs. A faint blue glow appeared on his palm—exactly like the one Su Yao had used!
But it faded after only a few seconds.
[Copied ability consumed. Cooldown: 24 hours.]
Lin Yue sat on the bed, trembling.
Not with fear.
With excitement.
He checked again and again—the "copy" option was still there in his mind, just temporarily unavailable. That meant—
He really had awakened.
And his ability was to copy others' powers.
He clamped a hand over his mouth, barely stifling a laugh. If this was real, then he wasn't a waste at all. On the contrary—he might be the most special kind of awakener.
As long as he could see it once, in theory, he could have any ability.
Outside the window, the city lights flickered.
Lin Yue clenched his fist, still feeling the residual warmth of the blue glow.
He turned his head toward the business card on his desk—Su Yao · Night Watcher.
It seemed he had some questions to ask.
And his story—from this moment on—was only just beginning.
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End of Chapter 1
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