"Rain! Rain! Rain! Rain!" Students chanted his name as he stood in the middle of the circle where the Awakening ceremony was about to begin. His heart pounded against his ribs, but he kept his face carefully neutral.
"You can do it!" his friend Jacob called from the back of the class, genuine encouragement ringing in his voice.
"I can't wait till he fails," one student sneered, a cruel smile twisting his features. "That kid's always been a piece of junk."
"Yeah, it's honestly pretty satisfying watching him squirm," another added, crossing his arms with smug satisfaction. "He's probably going to fail spectacularly."
"You idiots," a student beside them interjected sharply. He was older than most of them, with a mature bearing that commanded attention. "You know each one of you could fail just as easily. Rain is going first, which means there's a chance he could become the strongest out of all of us. Then you'll all feel like the miserable losers that you truly are."
"What did you just say to us?" They both turned around, staring at the older man with barely contained fury.
"I mean, come on," he said, shaking his head in disgust. "Do you really have to stoop so low as to bully someone? You have to flex your power by using words? How pathetically weak are you? Are you so feeble that you have to use insults instead of your fists?"
"I'll kill you!" one of them snarled, stepping forward with clenched fists.
"You're not killing anyone with those puny arms," the older man replied calmly. "I don't think you'd be able to kill a fly, let alone another person."
"I swear I'll—"
"Calm down," another classmate intervened, stepping between them. "We don't want any fighting before the ceremony."
Rain stood at the podium, his palms sweating despite his outward composure. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, they glowed an eerie crimson red.
"D-Rank Talent. Skill: Demonic Stare."
Rain looked out at everyone, his transformed eyes sweeping across the assembled students. The weight of their judgment pressed down on him, but he refused to flinch.
"What'd you get?" his friend called out, concern evident in his tone.
"I have a D-Rank talent," Rain's voice was steady as he addressed all of his classmates, looking at each and every one of their faces, "and my skill is Demonic Stare."
"That seems odd," a student muttered, confusion furrowing his brow. "Autonomous, sure, but did you forget the other part? D-Rank talent?"
Rain just smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Yes, a D-Rank talent indeed."
"All right, next up," one of the professors announced. "Joshua."
Rain went back toward his seat near the front of the classroom, his shoulders tense with suppressed emotion. Joshua stood up, his blonde hair gleaming as he walked toward the podium confidently, practically radiating self-satisfaction.
"Watch this," he said, smiling to himself as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they gleamed yellow with power.
"E-Rank talent. Skill: Fireball," he announced proudly.
"E-Rank talent," a student said, smiling with approval. "That's pretty neat."
"Pretty useless, you mean," Rain interjected, his voice cutting through the murmurs. "Are you telling me you can't develop strength on your own and that you need a skill to do that for you?"
Joshua stared at him, anger flashing across his features. "Listen here, you pathetic kid. I don't know who in the world you think you're talking to, but—"
Suddenly, Rain was right in front of Joshua, staring directly into his eyes with an intensity that made the blonde boy's breath catch.
"But it's not me?" Rain finished for him, his voice dangerously quiet. "You really want to say that?"
Joshua's face paled. "How'd you get such speed?"
"That's what you get when you train your body for a long time instead of relying on talents and skills," Rain smirked, stepping back.
"You don't even look strong," Joshua said defensively, though his voice wavered.
"I don't? You're right about that," Rain acknowledged with a shrug. "But appearances really don't mean anything, do they, Joshua?"
Joshua stared at him, his jaw working silently before he finally managed, "Whatever." He walked back to his seat, his confidence visibly shaken.
"You're not going to retaliate?" one of his friends asked, surprise evident in his tone.
"Of course he's not," a student said from behind Joshua's seat, barely concealing his contempt. "He's a wimp."
Joshua backhanded his fellow classmate in frustration, though the blow did nothing to the other student, who barely moved.
"Seems like that one skill didn't help you out, did it?" the student taunted. "Also, just because you have an E-Rank talent doesn't mean you have the strength of an E-Rank Awakened person. You know that, right? All skills start off as F-Rank. Your talent just shows how far you can go with that particular skill, or how far you can go in general."
Joshua stared ahead, his fists clenched. "I'll make sure I become S-Class."
"Dude, did you not just hear me?" the student said, exasperation coloring his words. "You will only become an E-Class Awakened. You're not getting to S-Class."
"What did you say to me?" Joshua demanded, his voice rising.
"Dumb people like you don't deserve to be in this world," the student said, facepalming. "What an idiot. All brawn but no brain."
The debates continued as more students went up. Some students received B-Class talents with decent skill aptitudes, while others got C-Class talents with strong aptitudes. Rain just sat there at the front of the class, his mind wandering.
"This is all useless," Rain muttered to himself, a hollow feeling settling in his chest. "All pointless pageantry."
Suddenly, the bell rang. Everyone had completed their Awakening, and every single student surged toward the classroom door in a chaotic rush.
"Guys," a student said, raising his voice above the commotion, "don't come out here screaming. You do know that some people are still doing their Awakenings in other classes, right?"
"You really think we care about those other classes?" a student smiled arrogantly.
"Dude, I don't care," another student declared. He got to the door before all of them and yanked it open. As everyone poured out of their spots into the hallway, they headed toward the dormitory hall. Everyone dispersed to their assigned dorms.
Rain went to his room, which he shared with two other roommates: Cline and Kyle.
"Hey," Rain said as he opened the door and sat down on his bed, exhaustion washing over him.
Cline looked over with barely contained excitement. "Hey!" he said, lifting up his hand enthusiastically. "Look what I got! Ice affinity, and my first skill is Ice Ball." He shot out an ice ball toward the wall. The projectile flew and smashed against the wall's surface as ice spread around it, frost creeping outward in crystalline patterns.
"And I think I have a C-Rank talent," Cline added, his eyes bright with determination, "but that's not going to stop me."
Kyle walked over beside Cline, his expression more reserved but equally proud. "My skill," he said, lifting up his hand as well. His black hair shimmered underneath the sunlight that reflected off the windows. "Wind. My skill is Wind Blade." A gust of wind shot out from Kyle's hand and struck the wall, doing no visible damage but making a loud crack that echoed through the room.
Rain looked at them both, managing a small smile despite his own disappointment. "Cool," he said, genuinely happy for them despite his circumstances.
"What about you?" Cline asked eagerly.
"My skill is Demonic Stare," Rain said, activating his ability. His eyes glowed crimson once more.
Both Cline and Kyle froze instantly, their bodies locked in place as if invisible chains bound them. Kyle tried to move but couldn't manage even a twitch. Cline moved slightly, but the small movement was nothing compared to the complete paralysis that gripped him.
"That's pretty cool," Kyle managed to say through gritted teeth. "Now can you get us out of here?"
Rain deactivated his skill with a sigh, and both of them collapsed slightly, catching their breath. He fell back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling with unfocused eyes.
"Anyway," he said after a moment, "I'm going to go for a walk. Clear my head."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Cline asked, looking at Rain with concern evident in his features.
Rain looked back at him and shook his head. "No, I'm good. I'll just go by myself." He stood and walked out of his dorm room, his footsteps heavy with the weight of the day's events.
He left the academy building and walked down a narrow trail nearby the forest. The scent of pine and earth filled his lungs, and for the first time that day, he felt something close to peace.
"You could never get such tranquility being in an academy like that," Rain mumbled to himself, his voice barely audible above the rustling leaves. "Only nature can provide such luxuries."
Then suddenly, someone ran up behind him. The figure had blonde hair and stood with aggressive posture—Joshua.
Rain turned around slowly, recognition dawning. "You again?" he said, his voice flat with resignation.
"Yes, my chance to kill this kid," Joshua thought, his mind racing with violent intent. He lifted his hand dramatically. "Die!" he shouted as he activated his skill. "Fireball!"
A torrent of flame shot out from Joshua's hand. The fireball wasn't particularly large, but Rain could feel the heat radiating from it even at a distance—it packed a serious punch.
Rain tried to dodge, twisting his body to the side, but it was useless. The fireball hit him dead center in his forehead with explosive force. He was sent flying backward, his body ragdolling through the air until he slammed into a tree nearby. Pain exploded through his skull and spine.
Rain slowly dusted everything off his clothing—dust, dirt, random leaves that stuck to his pants—his movements deliberate despite the throbbing pain.
"Since I can't beat you one-on-one fairly," Joshua pulled out a knife from his belt, the blade glinting menacingly in the fading light, his voice dripping with malice.
"Oh, so you're just weak then," Rain said, forcing himself to stand despite the dizziness threatening to overwhelm him. "Can't beat me one-on-one, so you resort to weapons?"
Before Rain could finish his sentence, Joshua hurled the knife toward Rain's throat. The blade sliced through the air with deadly precision, aimed directly at his artery. Rain's eyes widened, and he jumped backward at the last possible second. Instead of the knife hitting his neck and killing him instantly, it struck his chest, the blade digging through his skin with sickening ease.
Blood gushed from the wound as Rain fell to the ground, his vision blurring at the edges. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.
Joshua grabbed the knife from Rain's chest and pulled it out with a savage twist, making Rain jolt in pain. A strangled gasp escaped his lips.
"I'm going to end your life for disrespecting me like that," Joshua hissed, his face contorted with rage and something darker—a twisted satisfaction. "I'm going to kill you. I'm going to make sure that your family, your roommates, everyone will forget about you." His voice rose to a fevered pitch as he plunged the knife deeper into Rain's chest, creating a gaping hole.
Rain's world began to fade to black, the forest around him dissolving into shadows as his lifeblood pooled beneath him.
Joshua, still unsatisfied, walked off, leaving Rain to die alone in the darkening forest.
***
"Wake up, host."
Rain's eyes snapped open. He was still in the forest, but something was wrong—terribly wrong. His chest should have been torn open, his life bleeding out into the earth. Instead, his wounds were completely healed, not even a scar remaining. A crimson system panel floated directly in front of him, pulsing with an otherworldly glow.
"What the hell?" Rain said, standing up abruptly. He looked around the empty forest, then finally registered the system panel floating before him.
**Name: Rain**
**Race: Human**
**Stats:**
**Strength: 5**
**Agility: 5**
**Speed: 8**
**Health: 10/10**
"Host, you are awake," a voice echoed in his mind, neither male nor female, ancient and powerful. "Welcome. The Demon System has finally bonded with your body."
"If you think I'm relying on some system to give me strength, then you're incorrect," Rain said flatly. "Plus, what even is this anyway?"
"It's a system," the voice replied. "You know, the game-like interface that gives you stats and whatnot."
"I know that," Rain said, "and honestly, it's useless."
"It's going to give you power that you've never seen before. Power that you've never even heard of," the voice insisted.
"Okay, and I'm assuming I will probably be able to get that power even without the system's help," Rain said, looking around.
"The system gives you quests," the voice in his mind spoke. "And if you do those quests, you could gain rewards."
"I know how a system works," Rain said dismissively. "Anyway, what now?" He dismissed the system panel with a wave of his hand and started walking back towards the academy. "What now, now that I have this useless system that's only good for gaining a little bit of power and a voice in my head? That's going to suck."
Rain continued to walk back towards the academy when he heard a noise. He turned around as a man ran towards him. The stranger slowed his pace, finally arriving in front of Rain, breathing heavily.
"Hello there," the man said, catching his breath. "My boss told me to inform you that you are the new bearer of the Demon System."
"Go away," Rain said coldly.
The man was shocked. "But I said—"
"Go away. I don't care about that," Rain stared down the man.
"But the Demon Lord—"
"I don't care about the Demon Lord," Rain said, "and I'm sure the Demon Lord doesn't care about me either. Now leave."
The man stared at Rain, then sighed. "I guess I'll just have to take my leave after all. He only asked me to go tell you that you awakened—"
"A useless system," Rain interrupted. "A useless system that doesn't give me anything but a little bit of power and plot armor. Come on now, if this system is so cherished by you guys, you must be weak."
"I was weak? A useless system cherished by such strong people?" Rain said mockingly. "If the system is good for nothing, then you guys are probably good for nothing as well." Rain walked off towards the academy.
"Don't try to follow me," Rain said without looking back, "or I'll kill you."
The man stood frozen, watching Rain disappear into the distance. Then, slowly, a smile crept across his face—not a friendly smile, but something far more sinister.
"Perfect," the man whispered to himself. "The Demon Lord will be very interested in this one. Very interested indeed."
He pulled out a communication crystal from his pocket, its surface swirling with dark energy. As he activated it, shadows began to gather around him, and a deep, rumbling voice emerged from the crystal—a voice that made the very air tremble.
"Report," the voice commanded.
"My Lord," the man said, bowing even though no one could see him, "the new host has awakened. But there's a problem. He's... different. He rejected the system. Rejected you."
Silence stretched for a long moment. Then, laughter—cold, ancient, and filled with dark amusement—echoed from the crystal.
"Different, you say? How delightfully unexpected. Very well. Let him reject it. Let him believe he has a choice." The voice paused, and when it spoke again, it carried a weight that made the man's blood run cold. "But soon, he will understand. The Demon System doesn't ask for permission. And neither do I."
The crystal went dark, leaving the man alone in the forest as night began to fall. In the distance, Rain walked toward the academy, completely unaware that his rejection had just set into motion events that would change everything—not just for him, but for the entire world.
Above the forest, hidden in the shadows of the twilight sky, something watched. Something ancient. Something hungry.
And it smiled.