The day had finally arrived.
Awakening Day.
Lucas stood in front of the mirror, fixing his uniform.
He looked like any other seventeen-year-old preparing to go to school.
But inside, he was completely different.
He had already lived through this day once.
He knew what would happen.
He knew how the ceremony worked.
He knew that thousands of people across the world would awaken abilities today.
Some would receive powerful abilities.
Some would receive abilities that seemed useless.
And a very small number would awaken abilities that would change their entire lives.
Lucas took one last look at himself.
This time, he wasn’t going to make the same mistakes.
He grabbed his bag and left his room.
His mother was waiting downstairs.
“You’re awake early.”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
She smiled.
“Nervous?”
Lucas paused.
“A little.”
It wasn’t a lie.
He was nervous.
Not because he was afraid of awakening.
He was nervous because he knew exactly how important today was.
His entire second life would begin with what happened inside that awakening chamber.
After breakfast, Lucas left for school.
The streets were unusually crowded.
Awakening Day had become one of the biggest events in the world since the appearance of Awakeners.
Large screens throughout the city displayed information about the ceremony.
People gathered around television stores.
Families waited outside schools.
News reporters stood near major awakening centers.
Everyone wanted to know who would become the next powerful Awakener.
Lucas walked past them without stopping.
He already knew that today wasn’t about becoming famous.
He just needed to awaken.
The school was packed when he arrived.
Students filled the hallways.
Everyone was talking.
“My brother got C-Rank last year.”
“My parents think I’ll get at least B-Rank.”
“I’m hoping for an elemental ability.”
“What if I get F-Rank?”
“Don’t worry.
Even F-Rank abilities can become useful.”
Lucas listened quietly.
The conversations brought back memories.
He remembered standing in this same hallway during his first life.
Back then, he had been excited.
He had believed Awakening Day would solve everything.
He had been wrong.
This time, he wasn’t expecting miracles.
He already knew that power wasn’t something that simply appeared.
It had to be earned.
Eventually, the students were called into the main awakening hall.
Lucas entered with everyone else.
The room was enormous.
Rows of seats surrounded a raised platform.
At the center stood a large crystal pillar.
It was several meters tall, with faint energy moving beneath its surface.
That crystal had become one of the most important objects in modern society.
It was used to awaken abilities.
An instructor stepped onto the platform.
“Everyone, settle down.”
The room gradually became quiet.
“Today, each of you will have the opportunity to awaken.”
The instructor pointed toward the crystal.
“The crystal will identify your awakened ability and assign it a rank.”
A screen behind him displayed the familiar rankings.
F-Rank.
E-Rank.
D-Rank.
C-Rank.
B-Rank.
A-Rank.
S-Rank.
“These are the ranks currently recognized by the public.”
Lucas paid attention.
The instructor continued explaining the process.
“Your rank does not determine your future completely.
An ability’s usefulness depends on how you develop it.”
Lucas almost smiled.
That part was important.
Most people judged abilities by their initial rank.
They didn’t understand that some abilities could become far more powerful with the right development.
Lucas knew that better than anyone.
The instructor began calling students forward.
The first student stepped onto the platform.
He placed his hand against the crystal.
Light spread across the room.
ABILITY: ENHANCED STRENGTH
RANK: E
The student looked disappointed.
The instructor smiled.
“Congratulations.”
Another student stepped forward.
ABILITY: WATER MANIPULATION
RANK: C
The room erupted with excitement.
Then came another.
D-Rank.
Then another.
B-Rank.
Each awakening brought a different reaction.
Some students celebrated.
Some cried.
Others stood silently, disappointed by their results.
Lucas waited.
He wasn’t worried.
He already knew what was going to happen to him.
Eventually, the instructor looked toward the next student.
“Lucas.”
Lucas stood.
The room seemed to become quieter as he walked toward the platform.
He could feel dozens of eyes following him.
He ignored them.
His attention was completely focused on the crystal.
He reached the platform.
The instructor gestured toward the crystal.
“Place your hand on it.”
Lucas slowly raised his hand.
For a brief moment, memories of his first awakening surfaced.
He remembered the confusion.
The disappointment.
The feeling that his ability was worthless.
But that was the old Lucas.
This time, he knew exactly what he had.
Lucas placed his hand against the crystal.
Nothing happened.
Then—
BOOM!
A powerful wave of energy exploded from the crystal.
The entire chamber shook.
Students stumbled backward.
The lights flickered.
The instructor’s expression changed.
“What?”
The crystal began glowing brighter.
A series of words appeared above it.
ABILITY DETECTED.
BOOST BREAKER.
RANK: F
The room went silent.
Then the whispers started.
“F-Rank?”
“That’s all?”
“Why did the crystal react like that?”
Lucas didn’t move.
F-Rank.
Exactly as expected.
His original ability had awakened exactly the same way as before.
Boost Breaker.
At first glance, it was nothing special.
An F-Rank ability.
Something most people would overlook.
But Lucas knew its true potential.
Boost Breaker wasn’t an ability that simply became stronger with training.
It had another function.
Quests.
The ability could give him specific objectives.
Complete them, and Boost Breaker would develop.
New abilities.
New effects.
New upgrades.
The stronger Lucas became, the more of Boost Breaker’s potential he could unlock.
But there was something else.
Something nobody in this room knew.
Lucas looked toward the crystal.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a second message appeared.
UNKNOWN ABILITY DETECTED.
Lucas’s eyes narrowed.
The words disappeared almost immediately.
Nobody reacted.
Nobody seemed to notice.
Then a message appeared directly in front of Lucas.
ABILITY: TIME MANIPULATION
STATUS: SEALED
Lucas’s heart skipped.
So it was real.
The ability he had been waiting for.
Time Manipulation.
But unlike Boost Breaker, it wasn’t fully available.
Most of its power was sealed.
Lucas couldn’t use it freely.
He couldn’t simply stop time or travel through history whenever he wanted.
He would have to become stronger.
As his strength increased, the seals would gradually weaken.
That was fine.
Lucas wasn’t in a hurry.
He already had another ability.
Boost Breaker.
The one he understood.
The one he could develop immediately.
The one that had already helped him reach heights nobody his age should have been capable of reaching.
Lucas removed his hand from the crystal.
The strange energy disappeared.
The instructor stared at the crystal.
“An F-Rank ability…”
He looked at Lucas.
“Are you feeling alright?”
Lucas nodded.
“I’m fine.”
The instructor still looked confused.
The reaction from the crystal had been far stronger than what an ordinary F-Rank awakening should produce.
But the result was clear.
F-Rank.
There was nothing more to say.
Lucas stepped down from the platform.
As he returned to his seat, a small window appeared in front of him.
Nobody else could see it.
[BOOST BREAKER]
[Current Rank: F]
[Available Functions: Locked]
[Upgrade System: Active]
[Quest Available]
Lucas’s eyes focused on the final line.
A second window appeared.
[BEGINNER QUEST]
Reach E-Rank.
Reward:
Boost Breaker Upgrade.
Lucas stared at the message.
Then he smiled.
This was enough.
He didn’t need to reveal his hidden ability.
He didn’t need to make everyone aware of what he could eventually become.
For now, Lucas would remain an ordinary F-Rank Awakener.
He would train.
He would complete quests.
He would slowly unlock Boost Breaker.
And when the time came, he would allow Time Manipulation to awaken piece by piece.
The world around him continued celebrating.
Students were already discussing their abilities.
Teachers were recording results.
Parents were waiting outside.
Nobody realized that Lucas had just received two abilities.
One that the world knew about.
And one that only he knew existed.
Lucas leaned back in his chair.
For the first time since returning to the past, he felt completely calm.
He didn’t need to rush.
He had time.
And this time, he intended to use it properly.