“Yesterday, a terrifying roar erupted from the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
Experts believe a Ninth-Tier Beast Emperor may have broken through to a higher realm.
All coastal cities have been ordered to strengthen their defenses.”
“A month ago, a breach appeared in the defensive barrier surrounding Redhaven City, resulting in a catastrophic beast tide.
Tens of thousands of civilians lost their lives.”
“Following an investigation led by the renowned Tier-Eight powerhouse known as the Gale Sword, Jonathan Reed, authorities have confirmed the cause of the incident.
A press conference will be held tonight at exactly nine o’clock.”
“Another outstanding graduate from Chicago Superpower University, Lucas Walker, broke through to the Fifth Tier yesterday.
He has officially accepted an invitation to join the Ember Guild.”
“After four years, the United States has once again produced an S-rank Ability Awakener.
The newly awakened individual possesses a Wind-type ability and has already received an early admission offer from Houston Superpower University.”
“…”
Kael Veyron slowly scrolled through the morning’s trending news on his phone.
After reading several more reports, he finally locked the screen and placed the phone on his desk.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
A dull headache throbbed behind his eyes.
The memories flooding through his mind, combined with everything he had just read, had finally allowed him to reach an unavoidable conclusion.
He had transmigrated.
Not metaphorically.
Not in some strange dream.
He had genuinely crossed into another world.
And this world was called Blue Star.
At first glance, Blue Star looked remarkably similar to the world he had known.
Modern cities.
Cars.
Smartphones.
The internet.
Skyscrapers.
Universities.
Advanced technology.
Almost everything seemed familiar.
But there were two enormous differences.
Ferocious beasts.
And superpowers.
The first was an ever-present threat to human civilization.
Ferocious beasts had appeared across the oceans, forests, mountains, wastelands, and even underground regions.
They ranged from creatures barely stronger than ordinary animals to terrifying monsters capable of destroying entire cities.
The second was humanity’s answer.
Superpowers.
Every human being had the possibility of awakening a supernatural ability.
Those who successfully awakened became known as Awakeners.
With sufficient training, an Awakener could eventually become an Ability User, a genuine powerhouse capable of fighting the terrifying beasts threatening civilization.
Kael stared blankly at his phone.
“I only drank a little too much at my graduation party…”
He sighed.
“And I woke up in another world?”
He couldn’t help shaking his head.
“Who exactly am I supposed to complain to about that?”
Then came the second problem.
“If I’ve already transmigrated, couldn’t I at least have gotten a better starting point?”
According to the memories he had inherited, his new identity was also named Kael Veyron.
He was an eighteen-year-old senior at Rivergate High School, an ordinary public school in the city.
His grades were average.
His family background was ordinary.
His physical abilities were nothing remarkable.
His only notable feature was his fairly handsome appearance.
Other than that…
He was painfully ordinary.
And his awakened ability?
E-rank — Weak Electricity.
Kael stared at his right hand.
He slowly raised it.
Snap.
A tiny spark jumped between his fingertips.
Blue-white electricity danced across his skin before disappearing.
Kael stared at it.
Then his expression became complicated.
“In my old world, this would probably make me famous.”
He produced another tiny spark.
“But here…”
He glanced toward the phone on his desk.
People were awakening abilities capable of manipulating wind, fire, ice, and lightning.
Some could transform their bodies into beasts.
Others could heal serious injuries.
Some could even summon creatures or manipulate the minds of others.
Compared with those abilities, his little electric spark was almost embarrassing.
Kael looked down at his fingers.
“Am I really going to become a human stun gun?”
The thought made him sigh.
“I wanted to become a powerhouse who could dominate the battlefield…”
His gaze drifted toward the classroom window.
Outside, the morning sunlight illuminated the city.
For a moment, Kael wondered whether his new life would simply become an endless struggle to survive.
Then he remembered something important.
The awakening system of Blue Star.
Every human being was given an opportunity to awaken an ability at the age of sixteen.
The abilities themselves varied enormously.
Some people awakened powerful elemental abilities.
Others received physical enhancement abilities.
Some obtained healing or spiritual powers.
And some received abilities so strange that nobody knew how useful they would become.
To classify them, the world’s researchers had established nine ability ranks.
F-rank.
E-rank.
D-rank.
C-rank.
B-rank.
A-rank.
S-rank.
SS-rank.
SSS-rank.
The overwhelming majority of people awakened either F-rank, E-rank, or D-rank abilities.
C-rank and B-rank abilities were already considered considerably valuable.
A-rank abilities were extremely rare.
Those who awakened them were often regarded as the chosen ones.
As for S-rank…
They were monsters among monsters.
Only a handful appeared across the entire world.
Sometimes years passed before another S-rank Awakener emerged.
SS-rank abilities were even more extraordinary.
And SSS-rank?
Those existed almost entirely in legends.
Kael’s own ability, Weak Electricity, belonged to the Lightning category.
Lightning-type abilities were generally considered powerful.
But an E-rank Lightning ability?
That was an entirely different matter.
The electrical discharge Kael could currently produce was barely stronger than a stun gun.
In some circumstances, it might actually be weaker.
He extinguished the sparks between his fingers.
“Yeah…”
“This is definitely the worst possible starting point.”
Abilities were also classified into several broad categories:
Elemental.
Enhancement.
Spiritual.
Recovery.
Natural.
Special.
His Weak Electricity ability belonged to the Natural category and was classified as a Lightning-type ability.
Normally, even an E-rank ability could become stronger through cultivation.
But the quality of an ability placed an enormous limit on its potential.
An E-rank ability simply couldn’t compare with an S-rank ability.
That was common knowledge throughout Blue Star.
Kael leaned back in his chair.
Then he noticed the large display at the front of the classroom.
COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION
1 DAY REMAINING
Tomorrow was June 7th.
The most important day for every eighteen-year-old Awakener.
The annual College Entrance Examination.
In Blue Star’s society, Superpower Universities were far more important than ordinary colleges.
After all, Ability Users were humanity’s strongest line of defense against the beasts.
And Ability Users enjoyed enormous social privileges.
Status.
Resources.
Money.
Authority.
Respect.
Everything changed once a person became a powerful Ability User.
But there was an enormous gap between an Awakener and a true Ability User.
Awakening an ability did not automatically make someone powerful.
An Awakener merely possessed the potential for power.
Through cultivation and combat training, they had to gradually strengthen themselves.
Only then could they become genuine Ability Users.
The Ability User hierarchy consisted of nine tiers.
Tier One through Tier Nine.
Each tier was further divided into:
Low-Tier.
Mid-Tier.
High-Tier.
Even reaching Tier One Low-Tier was incredibly difficult for an ordinary Awakener.
Without proper guidance and resources, it could take four or five years of hard cultivation.
Superpower Universities changed that.
There, talented students received experienced mentors, advanced training facilities, precious resources, and combat instruction.
Their cultivation speed could increase dramatically.
That was why the College Entrance Examination mattered so much.
A good score could completely change a person’s future.
But for someone with an E-rank ability like Kael…
The possibility of entering a prestigious Superpower University was practically nonexistent.
Kael rested his chin on his hand.
“Everyone says transmigrators get some kind of cheat…”
He glanced around the classroom.
“Where’s mine?”
Nothing happened.
He sighed.
“Come on.”
“I could really use some help here.”
Still nothing.
Kael lowered his head.
“Maybe I’m just unlucky.”
Then…
DING!
A cold electronic voice suddenly sounded inside his mind.
[Deep Blue System activating…]
Kael froze.
His eyes widened.
The voice continued.
[System activation successful.]
[Beginner’s Gift Pack is being distributed.]
[Distribution complete.]
[Would you like to claim the Beginner’s Gift Pack?]
Kael’s mouth slowly fell open.
For several seconds, he simply stared ahead.
Then his heart began pounding violently.
“A system…”
He almost said it aloud.
He quickly covered his mouth.
“A system actually exists?!”
The shock lasted only a moment.
Then overwhelming excitement flooded through him.
As someone who had read countless stories about transmigration, Kael knew exactly what this meant.
A system wasn’t merely a convenient tool.
It was a chance to rewrite destiny.
A shortcut to power.
An opportunity to rise from the bottom and stand at the very peak of the world.
Kael took several slow breaths.
He forced himself to calm down.
He wasn’t going to make a stupid decision just because he was excited.
Instead of immediately claiming the gift, he asked silently:
“What exactly is inside the Beginner’s Gift Pack?”
The system answered without hesitation.
[The Beginner’s Gift Pack contains:]
[200 Ability Points.]
[S-rank ability: Purple Sky Thunder.]
Kael’s pupils contracted.
“S-rank…”
His heartbeat accelerated.
The name alone was enough to make his breathing heavier.
Purple Sky Thunder.
An S-rank ability.
This wasn’t some ordinary ability.
It was one of the highest-grade powers known to humanity.
Kael immediately remembered the headline he had read moments earlier.
The United States had just produced another S-rank Awakener.
Four years.
Four entire years had passed before another person with an S-rank ability appeared.
And the United States was one of the most powerful nations on Blue Star.
Even the other major powers rarely produced S-rank Awakeners.
The fact that his system was offering him one as a beginner’s gift was absurd.
Kael swallowed.
He still wasn’t completely convinced.
“System…”
He asked cautiously.
“If I claim the Beginner’s Gift Pack, will I really obtain the S-rank ability?”
There was no hesitation.
[Affirmative.]
Kael’s eyes brightened.
An S-rank ability.
The weakest student in the classroom…
About to become the owner of an S-rank ability.
His fate was about to change completely.
A grin slowly appeared on his face.
His opportunity had finally arrived.
Just then…
“Kael.”
A quiet voice came from beside him.
“Stop spacing out.”
Kael blinked.
His desk mate leaned closer.
“Mr.
Carter is here.”
Kael immediately looked toward the front of the classroom.
He hadn’t even noticed when the lesson had begun.
A middle-aged man with short-cropped hair stood at the podium.
His expression was stern.
This was Daniel Carter, the head teacher of Class Five.
Kael quickly sat upright.
His heart was still pounding.
The Beginner’s Gift Pack was still waiting inside his system.
200 Ability Points.
S-rank Purple Sky Thunder.
He wanted to claim it immediately.
But doing so in the middle of class would be reckless.
If something happened when he activated the system, there would be no way to explain it.
So Kael suppressed his excitement.
Wait until I get home.
Then I’ll claim it.
His fingers slowly tightened beneath the desk.
For the first time since waking up in this unfamiliar world, Kael felt genuine anticipation for the future.
Yesterday, he had been an ordinary student with an E-rank ability.
Tomorrow, he would take the College Entrance Examination with almost no hope of entering a good Superpower University.
But tonight…
Everything would change.
Kael looked toward the blackboard.
The countdown still displayed:
1 DAY.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Just wait.
The world has no idea what is about to happen.
And for the first time since his transmigration…
Kael began looking forward to his new life.