The day after the certification test dawned bright and cold.
Base City 5 buzzed with energy; banners fluttered above the streets, congratulating the new generation of Quasi-Warriors.But inside the marble halls of the Martial Association, the atmosphere was different — quiet, solemn, expectant.
Today wasn't about numbers.It was about destiny.
Every year, only those who passed the certification were eligible for the Elemental Affinity Awakening — the moment that decided a martial artist's entire future.
Aiden stood among the other students in a grand circular chamber filled with glowing runes and crystalline obelisks.Each obelisk pulsed with faint light — red for fire, blue for water, green for wind, and so on.
At the center hovered a large, translucent sphere of cosmic energy, radiating faint white mist.That was the Resonance Core — a fragment of alien technology recovered decades ago, said to reveal the true essence of one's genes.
Instructor Kellan stood at the front, his tone steady."Once your name is called, step forward and place your hand on the core. The resonance will reveal your affinity. Do not resist. Do not interfere. Simply let it happen."
A low hum filled the air as the first student approached.The core flared faintly, turning pale blue.
"Water affinity," the examiner announced.
Applause followed.
Then came another — flame-red. Fire affinity. Then earth, wind, lightning, ice.Each student stepped away smiling or subdued, depending on their result.
Then it was Ronan Drake's turn.
The room's air grew heavy as he stepped forward, his arrogance restored overnight. He pressed his hand to the core — and for a moment, it blazed with crimson lightning.
Gasps echoed through the chamber.
"Dual Affinity — Fire and Thunder," an examiner whispered. "Extremely rare."
Ronan turned, his smirk triumphant, eyes locking on Aiden. "Good luck topping that."
Aiden met his gaze calmly, saying nothing.
Then came his name.
"Aiden Cross."
The room quieted.
Even the examiners straightened subtly, curious after the previous day's shocking results.
Aiden stepped forward slowly. The glow of the obelisks reflected in his eyes as he raised his hand and placed it against the sphere.
For a moment — nothing.
Then—
Boom.
Light exploded outward. The entire chamber trembled as if struck by thunder. The core's glow didn't settle on any one color — it cycled rapidly through all of them: red, blue, gold, green, violet, white, black — then shattered into an indescribable pattern of shifting hues.
Students gasped, shielding their eyes. Instructors shouted to stabilize the energy field, but the resonance was beyond control.
The mist from the sphere spiraled upward, forming a vortex above Aiden's head. The symbols carved into the floor ignited all at once, radiating ancient light.
And then — it stopped.
The energy withdrew as quickly as it had appeared. The chamber fell silent.
The core, now dim and cracked, hovered lifelessly.
Aiden stood still, the faint shimmer of light fading from his skin.
He turned slightly, looking toward the stunned examiners. "...Did it work?"
One of them swallowed hard. "It... more than worked."
The lead examiner looked pale. "We've never seen that kind of reaction before. The core— it's... drained."
Instructor Kellan stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "What was the result?"
The lead examiner hesitated, then spoke quietly. "No standard elemental signature detected. It's... undefined."
Murmurs broke out among the students.
"Undefined?""Does that mean he failed?""Or is it something else?"
Kellan's gaze lingered on Aiden for a long moment.Finally, he said, "Undefined means unclassified — not that he failed. His body's resonance may exceed the measurable spectrum. For now... record it as Non-Elemental Variant."
Ronan laughed sharply. "So basically, nothing special."
Aiden didn't even look at him. He simply nodded once to Kellan and stepped back into line.
But inside, his thoughts were far from calm.
Undefined.What does that even mean?
He could still feel the energy — faint, coiling within his core. It wasn't gone. It was waiting.
That night, back home, Aiden sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes closed.
The System interface shimmered faintly into existence before him.
[Host: Aiden Cross]Physique: 51.2Spirit: 51.2Talent: ???
He frowned. The "Talent" field had changed.
Before, it had said Unawakened. Now, it pulsed faintly with flickering light — glitching between symbols he didn't recognize.
"System," he said slowly, "explain."
There was a pause. Then, for the first time, the mechanical voice sounded… different.Deeper. Older.
[Acknowledged.]Talent: Infinite Comprehension — Primordial Class.Description: Host possesses limitless capacity to perceive, learn, and evolve all forms of energy, matter, and law. Boundaries of comprehension are nonexistent.**
Aiden's breath caught.
Primordial?
Before he could process that, another prompt appeared.
[New System Function Unlocked: Reality Gacha]
Use 1 Reality Token to draw a random reward from any accessible plane. Rewards may include skills, weapons, companions, or enhancements.
Below it, a single icon pulsed — a small silver coin marked with ancient runes.
[Reality Token: 1 available.]
Aiden stared at the glowing interface, his pulse quickening.
A gacha system? Here?Randomized rewards from… any plane?
His mind raced. If the System truly had access to "planes," that meant it wasn't just connected to Blue Star — it was connected to everything.
"Let's test it," he whispered.
The panel shifted.A massive wheel appeared, filled with countless blurred icons — artifacts, skill symbols, glowing names he couldn't even read.
[Initiating Reality Gacha Draw...]
The wheel spun, faster and faster, until it became a blur of light.
Then — it slowed.Clicked.Stopped.
[Reward Obtained: Skill — Primordial Breathing Technique (Incomplete)]
The words hung in the air.
A scroll of golden light materialized before him, floating silently. When he touched it, the knowledge poured into his mind — vast, ancient, overwhelming.
He gasped, clutching his head as images, diagrams, and chants seared into his consciousness.Breathing patterns that manipulated cosmic energy, postures that resonated with the origin of existence — it was like glimpsing the code of the universe itself.
And then... understanding came.
He didn't just learn it.He perfected it.
The technique that was labeled "incomplete" in the system data had, within seconds, reorganized itself inside his mind — every flaw corrected, every inefficiency refined.
Another line appeared.
[Infinite Comprehension Effect Triggered.]
Skill: Primordial Breathing Technique (Complete).Rank: Transcendent-Class.
Aiden opened his eyes slowly.
The air around him vibrated faintly, rippling with invisible power. He drew in a slow breath, and energy — pure and fluid — flowed into his lungs, his veins, his very soul.
It wasn't just power. It was creation itself, obeying his will.
He exhaled, and the entire room trembled.
This... is what comprehension truly means.
He sat there for a long moment, eyes glowing faintly silver in the dim light.
Outside, the world was calm, unaware of the shift that had just occurred within its walls.
Aiden closed the panel and leaned back, the faint hum of power still resonating within him.
"A system that doubles my power... and a mind that can perfect the universe."
He smiled faintly.
"Let's see how far this goes."
And as the moon rose high over Base City 5, unseen forces far beyond Blue Star stirred — their attention drawn, if only for a moment, to a faint flicker of light in a forgotten world.