The city of Lunareth was awake before the sun.
Stone streets stretched between tall white buildings, their surfaces worn smooth by centuries of footsteps. Old carvings lined the walls—symbols left behind from an age when the world first broke and monsters poured in from places no one could name.
People moved quietly through the early morning.
They all walked toward the same place.
The Hall of Awakening.
Today, talents would be revealed.
In this world, effort alone was never enough. A person could train their body until bones cracked and muscles tore, but without a talent, their growth would stop early and permanently.
Talents were born with the soul.
They decided how a person touched power, how power responded, and how far that person could go.
Some talents strengthened the body.
Some controlled elements.
Some sharpened the mind.
Some touched strange ideas like fate, space, or authority.
Once awakened, a talent could never be changed.
Its grade was fixed forever.
Across Lunareth and all human lands, the known grades were simple and absolute:
F
E
D
C
B
A
S
SS
SSS
SSS was the highest known grade.
Anything beyond that had never been proven.
Inside the Hall of Awakening, silence ruled.
Thousands of young men and women sat in rising rows of stone seats. Nervous breaths filled the air. Some whispered prayers under their breath. Others clenched their fists tightly. A few stared straight ahead, afraid to blink.
At the center of the hall lay a wide circular platform carved into the floor. Thin lines of pale light flowed through it like veins beneath skin.
This was the Awakening Circle.
It did not grant power.
It only revealed what already existed inside the soul.
Several elders stood near the circle. Their bodies carried scars, and their presence pressed down on the hall like weight. These were people who had survived monster attacks, broken lands, and failed invasions into other dimensions.
One elder stepped forward.
"The awakening begins," he said.
His voice was calm, but it carried easily across the hall.
He looked down at a crystal plate in his hand.
"The first candidate," he announced,
"Evan."
A ripple of surprise spread through the hall.
Usually, weaker candidates were called first. Calling someone first meant nothing good or bad—but it meant everyone would watch closely.
Evan stood up from the middle rows.
He stretched lightly, rolled his shoulders once, and walked forward.
His face was calm.
Almost cheerful.
Evan did not feel fear.
Only curiosity.
He stepped into the Awakening Circle.
The light beneath his feet slowly brightened.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then something opened inside his mind.
Not pain.
Not force.
It felt like a sealed door unlocking quietly.
The world sharpened.
When Evan looked at the elder standing in front of him, understanding appeared instantly—clear and complete.
Name – Ruvan
Role – Awakening overseer, veteran combatant
Talent Type – Weapon Mastery (Spear)
Talent Grade – S
Strengths – High combat experience, refined spear control, stable soul power
Weak Points – Declining physical endurance due to age
Growth Paths – Technique refinement, limited advancement
Evan's breathing slowed.
He turned his head slightly.
Every person he looked at unfolded the same way.
The students.
The elders.
Even the guards near the walls.
Each soul revealed itself honestly.
Evan saw how power moved through bodies.
He saw how talents shaped growth.
He saw limits—hard, unmovable limits.
The elder spoke again.
"A mind-type talent has awakened."
His voice grew heavier.
"This talent grants complete perception and theoretical understanding."
The elder paused.
"The grade is SSS."
The hall froze.
Then erupted.
SSS.
The highest known grade.
A mind-type talent at SSS-grade.
That alone was enough to shock the entire city.
Evan barely heard the noise.
Information pressed against him from every direction.
The Awakening Circle.
The structure of the hall.
The flow of soul power in the air.
It was too much.
Evan closed his eyes.
He breathed slowly.
One breath.
Then another.
Gradually, the flow stabilized.
The information did not disappear—but it stopped overwhelming him.
The Awakening Circle dimmed.
The elder nodded.
"The awakening is complete."
But it was not.
The moment Evan's perception stabilized, something else responded.
Something deeper.
Something that did not belong to the world.
Only Evan sensed it.
Clear messages appeared within his awareness.
[ Talent detected on host ]
[ Talent type confirmed: Absolute Information Perception ]
[ Talent grade confirmed: Beyond local measurement ]
Evan's heart skipped.
Before he could think, more messages followed.
[ Compatibility verification in progress ]
[ Perception capacity: sufficient ]
[ Mental stability: sufficient ]
[ Soul integrity: stable ]
Then—
[ Pickup System detected ]
[ Binding to host ]
[ Binding complete ]
Evan froze.
Another message followed.
[ Pickup System activated ]
[ Core function: Retain attributes generated by others ]
[ Collection scope: Unlimited ]
[ Restrictions: None ]
Evan understood immediately.
This was not his talent.
Talents were part of the soul.
This thing was different.
It was a framework.
A mechanism.
Something that should not exist.
No one else noticed anything.
The ceremony continued.
The second name was called.
"Tarin."
A broad-shouldered boy stepped into the Awakening Circle, visibly nervous.
As Tarin's body changed—muscles tightening, stance growing heavier—Evan watched closely.
Understanding unfolded.
Name – Tarin
Role – Frontline combatant candidate
Talent Type – Body Enhancement
Talent Grade – B
Strengths – Reinforced bones, high durability, strong endurance
Weak Points – Low flexibility, weak ranged combat
Growth Paths – Heavy warrior, shield bearer
As Tarin's talent stabilized, faint glowing bubbles appeared around him.
Evan focused on one.
Name – Physical Reinforcement Attribute
Role – Structural enhancement imprint
Talent Type – None
Talent Grade – Fragment
Strengths – Improves physical durability
Weak Points – Limited effect alone
Growth Paths – Collectable, stackable
Evan reached out.
The bubble vanished.
[ Attribute collected ]
[ Storage status: Stable ]
Tarin showed no reaction.
No weakening.
No disturbance.
Another bubble drifted close.
Evan collected it.
[ Attribute collected ]
Evan's eyes sharpened.
"So this only takes what's left behind," he thought. "Nothing is stolen."
More awakenings followed.
Lina awakened fire control.
Name – Lina
Role – Elemental combat specialist
Talent Type – Fire Control
Talent Grade – A
Strengths – Extreme precision, low energy waste
Weak Points – Weak defense, stamina limits
Growth Paths – Fire mastery, fusion candidate
As she used her talent, several bubbles appeared—each related to precision, heat control, and energy efficiency.
Evan collected them calmly.
[ Attribute collected ]
[ Attribute collected ]
Next came a speed talent.
Then a sensing talent.
Then a healing talent.
Evan observed everything.
He collected attributes related to:
Strength boosts
Speed enhancements
Defense layers
Healing effects
Mental focus
Temporary buffs
Every buff left something behind.
Every enhancement left a trace.
Even when the effect faded, something remained.
Evan collected all of it.
Silently.
Effortlessly.
By the end of the ceremony, Evan sat quietly in his seat.
To everyone else, he was a genius.
A boy with an SSS-grade mind talent.
They believed his growth would come from understanding and efficiency.
They would never imagine the truth.
Because nothing was being stolen.
Nothing was being taken.
Evan was only keeping what the world could not.
He smiled faintly.
The ceremony ended.
And the future changed direction.