"F-rank talent: Extraction. Status: Absolute Trash."
The words hit me harder than a physical blow. The awakening stone's cold, mocking glow dimmed, and the examiner's voice echoed through the hall like a death sentence. Behind me, the muffled snickers of my classmates erupted into full-blown laughter.
"A trash talent for a trash person," a feminine voice hissed.
It was Elena, my ex-girlfriend. She was already clinging to the arm of the class elite, Brad, who looked at me as if I were a bug he stepped on. I gripped my fists until my nails drew blood. In this world, where monsters tore through cities and warriors were treated like gods, an F-rank talent meant I was destined to be a servant, a nobody, a piece of human garbage.
I didn't say a word. I turned and walked out of the academy, my back burning from their stares. Outside, the sky was a bruised purple, and a freezing rain began to pour.
"Is this it?" I whispered, my voice cracking. "Twenty years of struggling, just to be told I'm a scavenger?"
As I stepped into a dark alleyway to take a shortcut home, a sharp, mechanical ping resonated inside my skull.
[Ding! Resentment detected. Soul synchronization... 100%!]
[God-Level Sovereign System has arrived!]
[Initializing Host Interface... Scanning for compatible targets...]
I froze. A system? I thought only the S-rank elites got those legendary growth-type supports.
[Warning: Host is currently too weak. Initializing Starter Pack!]
[Ding! You have extracted: Dragon-Blood Physique (SSS-Rank)!]
[Ding! You have extracted: Eternal Void Storage (Infinite)!]
Suddenly, a surge of searing heat exploded in my veins. It felt like my very DNA was being rewritten by a thousand needles of fire. I collapsed to my knees, gasping for air as the world around me blurred into gold and black.
[Extraction Successful! Your Strength has increased by 500 points!]
[Your Agility has increased by 300 points!]
I looked down at my hands. The pale, thin fingers I once had were gone, replaced by muscles that thrummed with raw, violent power. I felt like I could punch a hole through a skyscraper.
Just then, a low growl echoed from the shadows of the alley. A stray Shadow Rat—a Level 3 monster—crept out, its red eyes fixed on my throat. Usually, a scavenger like me would have to run for my life.
But now? All I saw was a target.
[Target Detected: Shadow Rat (Lvl 3). Flaw: Left Ribcage.]
I moved. To the rat, I must have been a blur. Before it could even squeak, my fist connected with its tiny skull.
*CRACK.*
The monster was sent flying into the brick wall, turning into a mess of black mist.
[Ding! Kill Confirmed. Extracting rewards...]
[Obtained: Shadow Step (Passive Skill), +10 Agility!]
I wiped a drop of rain from my eye and smirked. The rain didn't feel cold anymore.
"Brad, Elena... everyone who looked down on me," I whispered, the system's golden interface reflecting in my pupils. "The hunt has officially begun."
The mechanical voice in my head wasn't done yet.
[Ding! First Kill Bonus triggered!]
[Extracting 'Shadow Movement' gene fragments... Integration successful!]
Suddenly, my body felt light, almost weightless. I took a step forward, and to my shock, my figure blurred, leaving a faint afterimage in the dark alley. This wasn't just strength; this was a high-level skill that even B-rank explorers struggled to master!
"This system... it doesn't just give me stats," I muttered, my heart racing. "It lets me take everything from my enemies."
I looked at the corpse of the Shadow Rat. In the past, I would have had to drag this heavy thing to a black market just to earn a few copper coins for a stale piece of bread.
[Do you wish to convert the remaining biological energy into Attribute Points?]
"Yes!"
[Conversion successful. +5 Constitution.]
The fatigue from the awakening ceremony vanished instantly. I stood tall, my old, tattered clothes now tight against my expanding chest. I wasn't the same person who had crawled out of that academy an hour ago.
As I walked out of the alley, the neon lights of the city felt different. They were no longer signs of a world I didn't belong to; they were markers of a playground I was about to conquer.
I headed toward the 'Low-Level Hunter Zone' on the outskirts of the city. I needed more. More kills, more extractions, more power.
But as I reached the gate, a familiar, annoying voice called out from a sleek, hovering limousine.
"Hey, scavenger! Still alive? I thought you'd have jumped off a bridge by now."
Brad's smug face leaned out of the window, Elena sitting right next to him. They were heading to a high-end celebratory dinner. Brad tossed a gold coin onto the muddy ground at my feet.
"Here. Buy yourself a decent meal. Consider it a parting gift from your superiors."
Elena didn't even look at me. She was too busy admiring the ruby ring on her finger—a gift from Brad.
I looked at the gold coin in the mud, then at Brad. In my vision, a red notification flashed over his head.
[Target: Brad (Lvl 12 Warrior). Potential Extraction: 'Fire Manipulation' (A-Rank), 'Superior Reflexes' (B-Rank).]
I didn't pick up the coin. Instead, I looked him dead in the eye and smiled. A cold, predatory smile that made his smirk falter for a split second.
"Keep your change, Brad," I said, my voice calm but vibrating with hidden power. "You're going to need it to pay for your medical bills very soon."
Before he could react, I turned and vanished into the shadows of the hunter zone, moving faster than any F-rank should ever be able to move.
[Ding! New Quest Triggered: The First Hunt!]
[Objective: Reach Level 5 within 24 hours.]
[Reward: God-Tier Skill Chest x1.]