The city of Arkan always looked different on Awakening Day.
Banners fluttered from floating cars, drone-screens broadcasted news from across planets, and the air itself buzzed with expectation. This was the day when every young man and woman of eighteen would awaken their System—their life-defining ability.
In a world where cultivation, magic, and technology overlapped, the system determined everything. Whether one would be a grand mage, a planetary explorer, a beast tamer, or just another forgotten worker depended on the single blue screen that appeared when the crystal tested them.
For some, it was the first step toward greatness. For others… just another reminder of mediocrity.
Kairen Vale didn't care much either way.
He yawned as he walked through the gates of Arkan High, hands buried in his jacket pockets. Students all around him whispered and laughed nervously, some trembling in excitement, others pale from anxiety.
"Kairen! You're late again!" his childhood friend, Mara, snapped as she caught up to him. She was sharp-eyed, tall, and already brimming with confidence. "Don't you realize today decides your future?"
"Mm," Kairen replied with half a nod, eyes drifting to the sky where floating billboards displayed heroic cultivators and armored warriors. "Future, huh? Guess I'll finally know if I'm destined to flip burgers or save galaxies."
Mara groaned. "You could at least pretend to take this seriously."
Kairen tilted his head at her, lips twitching. "But it's more fun watching you get worked up."
He wasn't being sarcastic—just honest. Kairen had always been like that: intelligent, frighteningly so, but without motivation. He read novels, scrolled manhwas, memorized cultivation realms and spell chants, but never applied himself beyond that. School exams bored him, competitions were "a waste of time," and yet he scored high whenever he bothered.
The truth? Very little held his interest. Until now.
The entire senior year gathered in the auditorium, a massive dome lined with glowing crystals. The Awakening Ceremony was broadcast live across the city. Each student would step into the crystal pillar at the center, and their ability would be revealed.
The first student, a tall boy named Darius, stepped forward. The pillar glowed crimson.
[System Awakening Successful]
[Unique Ability: Flame Control]
[Rank: B]
Flames danced around him instantly, earning gasps and cheers.
"B-rank! That's incredible!"
"He's guaranteed a spot in a combat guild!"
Darius puffed his chest, basking in the attention.
Next came a slender elf girl. The crystal pulsed green.
[System Awakening Successful]
[Unique Ability: Nature Communion]
[Rank: A]
Vines burst from the ground and curled around her, shimmering with life. The auditorium erupted.
"A-rank!"
"She's going straight to the Academies!"
One by one, students awakened. Some got combat skills—sword aura, lightning bolts, beast summoning. Others received support talents—alchemy mastery, data-interface, space-folding tech. Even the weaker ones, with D-rank or E-rank powers, were still greeted with polite applause.
Kairen leaned against the wall, watching with his usual detached gaze.
So far, just like the stories. Flashy powers, cheers, tears… cliché after cliché.
He stifled a yawn.
Until, finally, his name was called.
"Kairen Vale."
He walked forward casually, ignoring the whispers. Most of his classmates didn't expect much from him. He was the quiet one, the "lazy genius," but without achievements or ambitions, his name rarely came up in conversations.
Stepping into the crystal, he felt a strange hum vibrate through his body. Light enveloped him, warm and suffocating.
And then… a translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.
[System Awakening Successful]
[Unique Ability: System Edit]
[Rank: ???]
[Functions: Modify personal system parameters.]
[Warning: Excessive use may cause instability.]
Kairen's eyes widened. For the first time in years, the haze of boredom that always clouded his mind vanished. His lips curved ever so slightly.
Edit… my system?
A second screen blinked open, visible only to him:
[System Edit Mode Activated]
[Current Stats:]
[Strength: 6]
[Agility: 7]
[Intelligence: 21]
[Vitality: 8]
[Skills: None]
[Bloodline: Human (Standard)]
Below, a flashing cursor awaited his command.
[Add Stat?] [Modify Skill?] [Insert Ability?]
His heart thudded once. Twice.
This… This is broken.
Meanwhile, the crystal pillar projected only one thing to the outside world:
[Unique Ability: Unknown]
[Rank: Unmeasured]
The teacher frowned but quickly masked it. The system sometimes failed to categorize rare abilities. "Kairen Vale has awakened. Results will be further evaluated later."
The students murmured. "Unknown?" "Did his awakening fail?" "Figures…"
Kairen didn't bother explaining. He stepped down, expression calm, but inside, his thoughts were racing.
He sat at the back of the hall as the ceremony continued, eyes flickering toward his invisible edit screen.
Just to test it, he selected "Strength: 6." A cursor blinked.
[Modify Value?]
He typed: 10.
The change was instant. A warm surge coursed through his muscles, subtle but real. His body felt lighter, stronger, as if he had been training for months.
Kairen's grin widened, almost imperceptibly.
It works.
The ceremony ended. Students left with joy, tears, or indifference. Recruiters from guilds and academies were already lining up the A and B ranks. Mara caught up with him again.
"So? What did you get? The teacher said it was unknown."
"Mm. Guess I'm just special." Kairen shrugged, not offering more.
Mara frowned, studying him, but before she could pry, a voice called her name. One of the recruiters. She gave him a quick, apologetic smile and left.
Kairen walked home alone, the city's neon lights reflecting in his calm eyes. Floating trains whooshed overhead, elves and beastkin bartered in the streets, cultivators flew on swords across the skyline, while drones patrolled beside armored guardians. A world of magic, cultivation, and tech, all tangled together.
And now, a world where he could edit his own fate.
He glanced at his screen again.
[Add Skill?]
His fingers twitched. Slowly, carefully, he typed:
"Fireball Lv.1."
A notification chimed.
[New Skill Added: Fireball Lv.1]
His palm tingled. With a thought, a tiny orb of flame flickered to life, hovering above his skin.
The flame danced, harmless but real.
Kairen chuckled softly, extinguishing it before anyone saw. For the first time in his life, something had pierced through the gray monotony of his existence.
"This," he murmured under his breath, "might actually be fun."
And just like that, Kairen Vale—ordinary boy, lazy genius, silent observer—took his first step into a future where he could shape his own destiny.
Not by following the system.
But by rewriting it.