In a secret laboratory in Lunaria, multiple researchers and high-ranking military officers had gathered.
At the center of the laboratory, the corpse of a massive monster lay motionless.
The creature was at least five meters tall, with an appearance strikingly similar to a gorilla.
But unlike the gorillas they knew, this monstrous being possessed earthy brown fur and a wide muscular body capable of crushing humans into mush of blood.
Even in death, the tightness of its muscles left no doubt that, when it had been alive, it must have been akin to a demonic giant.
A monster of utter destruction!
Yet… even such a monster had died brutally.
By the time they found it, its flesh bore the marks of scorched earth.
At the back of its neck were at least fifteen sharp tears, carved deep into the flesh.
If that wasn't enough proof, its stomach was split open, as though the killer had taken its organs when it died.
'Brutal…'
Who could have done such a thing?
General Volks couldn't help but stare at the Earthen Kong's lifeless body, deep in thought.
"Report."
At that moment, a beautiful blonde haired woman suddenly came forward, bowing at him respectfully.
She was Dr. Lisa Archenfield, the Director of Special Research.
As most of the old veterans had died during the spiritual descent, the new director was chosen among the most accomplished in the military, regardless of age.
General Volks shifted his gaze to Director Lisa, speaking slowly, "Proceed."
Director Lisa raised her head and looked at the Earthen Kong's body.
"After examining its body, we're certain it mutated significantly from spiritual energy, transforming its biological structure to something we have never seen before, nor thought to be possible. For the sake of consistency, we began referring to this process of mutation as Awakening."
As she said this, she turned on the monitor in the center of the laboratory, showing a detailed comparison between the monster's current body and its former unawakened body.
"Its original species was a Western lowland gorilla, but after awakening, its flesh had hardened like an indestructible mound. Its bones became as hard as steel, while its muscles enlarged and tightened even further."
"Combining all of its changes, its body became nigh indestructible, invulnerable to ordinary firearms and metal weapons. Even the sharpest blades in the inventory can't make a dent on its flesh. With humanity's current technology, it's impossible to kill it without employing drastic measures."
Drastic measures obviously referred to the 'forbidden bombs'.
General Volks fell silent.
Then after a moment, he asked, "Then, how do you explain the damage on its back?"
Director Lisa nodded, switching the screen's display to a video.
The video showed a middle-aged man walking up to the monster's corpse and attacking it relentlessly with his powers.
Then, the video paused and the spot where the middle-aged man attacked was zoomed in.
There, a small scratch appeared.
Director Lisa explained unhurriedly:
"We found that the monster can only be damaged by the newly awakened powers in people's bodies. We tested this through multiple personnel in the lab, each of them possessing a different kind of offensive-type ability. All of them were able to successfully damage the monster's flesh, but…"
She paused, frowning.
"…As you can see, it merely scratched it. None could damage it as deep as the wounds on its back. We think that the person that did this must have an extreme kind of offensive ability, one that allowed him to tear apart the monster's flesh with ease."
Hearing that, General Volks couldn't help but close his eyes, attempting to cover up his worries.
A civilian possessing such an ability…
It was too dangerous.
After a short breath, General Volks opened his eyes.
He asked hoarsely, "Then, that person that killed the gorilla. Did you find them?"
"That…"
Director Lisa narrowed her eyes, looking at the stack of papers in her hands.
She found it hard to believe, but the evidence was there: the survivor's statements—specifically all of the kids' statements—pointed to the same person.
"It's better for you to see for yourself, General."
General Volks frowned, taking the stack of papers.
But before he could read it, someone suddenly entered the laboratory and called out to him.
It was a Lieutenant General.
"General. Report!"
The Lieutenant General bowed respectfully, interrupting General Volks' focus.
"Is this important?"
General Volks frowned, temporarily putting the paper aside.
The Lieutenant General saluted, immediately answering.
"Yes, General!"
General Volks nodded slightly. "Make it quick."
"The Auburn Family's eldest daughter reached out just now,"
The Lieutenant General hesitated for a moment, causing General Volks' expression to change.
'Just for this?!'
General Volks glared at the Lieutenant.
Just as he was about to harshly scold him, the man continued in a low tone.
"She… she said that she has a solution to solve all of the nation's problems."
---
Three days quickly passed by.
In the height of a full moon, all of Lunaria was thrown into an uproar as the government suddenly announced the end of the lockdown!
Following the abrupt lift, the government shocked everyone again by publishing the Awakeners Guidelines and Regulations Bill—a series of laws and regulations for Awakeners.
All of this happened overnight, catching every citizen and journalist off guard!
By the time the early birds rose, the announcement had spread through the Lunarian forums, even becoming a hot topic in the Global forums.
In the Lunarian Forums, a user who went by "AlwaysPositiveExceptForSTD" posted an analysis regarding the new bill:
"Hello, friends.
I've read the entire article and here are the following points I summarized:
According to the government, the world is now filled with spiritual energy, and those that managed to survive the initial spiritual descent have all awakened powers. Because of this, the government chooses to refer to the survivors (everyone) as Awakeners.
For this reason, the government established a separate governing entity for Awakeners called the Lunarian Awakeners Association:
1. All individuals must register and obtain official identification through their respective cities' Awakeners Association, undergoing a series of tests to assess their awakened powers.
2. The public use of awakened abilities is regulated and prohibited except under lawful circumstances, including self-defense, emergencies, or authorized operations. Violation of this principle shall be punished severely.
3. Awakeners are classified into ranked tiers from E-Rank to S-Rank based on ability performance, societal impact, and threat level of their powers.
4. Awakeners are encouraged, on a voluntary basis, to participate in professions and public service fields where their abilities contribute to public safety, research, and national stability. Offensive-oriented talents are encouraged and heavily rewarded if they help eliminate monsters through official channels.
5. Awakener ranks determine operational permissions, benefits, legal privileges, and recognized social status.
That's basically it. You can start registering now if you apply through the government app or online. Good luck!"
Under the post, comments started to flood.
"CrazyWoozy: Thanks, OP! The poster from last time was right. The world really is transitioning to a strength-based hierarchy. But does this mean now that we've awakened, we're no longer in danger?"
"NihilisticBuddha: @CrazyWoozy It means we're in more danger than before. And those mysterious beings who called themselves Apostles—why hasn't the government addressed that yet?"
"MysteriousLoner: What does the fifth point mean? The higher one's rank, the more benefits they get? Did the bill specify how much benefits one could get?"
"AlwaysPositiveExceptForSTD: Yeah, check the bill."
"SerenitySincerity: That was fast! The lockdown only lasted for four days. I thought it would take months. Did they take inspiration from Crownreach? The laws look similar."
"ThreeThousandPureOnes: The world is turning like the novels I've been reading… look out for those who awakened E-rank talents! They might be the protagonist!"
After the announcement, everyone immediately applied for a registration slot.
Zold raised his eyebrows as he read the new bill, finding it to be strikingly similar to the Awakener Association's rules from his previous life.
He thought that Maria would manipulate it slightly to her advantage, but maybe she didn't find it necessary.
'That was quick. Even if her uncle is the Senate President, how did she make those old guys listen to her?'
Politics wasn't his forte, but even he knew that it would be extremely difficult to convince an entire government body with words alone.
As for strength, Maria didn't have the ability to threaten an entire nation at this point yet.
Zold was silent, deep in thought. But after a while, he shook his head.
'She is a Regressor...'
However, even if the lockdown period was lifted, cross-region travel was still prohibited…
Unless he registered in the Association and applied for a ticket, he had no way of going to the Lunaria Dark Jungle.
'Should I register?'
Just as Zold was wondering what he should do, a call from Maria came through his phone.
He picked it up, greeting her.
"Hello. The Association was established quite early this time."
[Mhm, you already saw the bill?]
"Yes."
[Then, that's perfect.]
Just as Zold was wondering what she meant, Maria clarified.
[Using my authority, I immediately assigned you to one of the Association's highest-ranking seats. You don't need to register through the Association personally anymore. I've already put you in the records and classified your talent as A-rank—a Limit Individual. Do you have time? I can give you your ID.]
Zold widened his eyes in surprise.
This solved all his problems.
He didn't really want to register in the Association anyway, since no one would be able to assess his talent properly.
Just like in his previous life, he was rated as E-rank by the Associations since they couldn't tell the true nature of his talent.
Perhaps if he had told them the truth, things would've gone differently…
But at the time, the nation was already on the brink of chaos, so Zold never revealed it.
If he had no choice in this life, Zold was planning to use one of his skills to cover for his talent.
However, since Maria already arranged everything, he didn't need to do that.
"Thanks, Maria. I owe you this time."
Zold sighed in relief before clarifying.
"I was planning to go to the Lunarian Dark Jungle, but I didn't have clearance to get through the cross-region prohibition. It shouldn't be a problem now with your arrangement. When could we meet?"
On the other side, Maria smiled.
[Then I'm glad. You should've told me you were planning to go there. Since going through official channels would take a while, would you like to use our private plane instead? I'll give you the ID there as well.]
Zold was speechless.
Having a rich friend really changes everything.