"Why didn't you offer to recruit me?"
His voice echoed through the hall.
Everyone turned toward Luo Xinyan.
She sat calmly upon her floating throne.
Her long silver hair fell behind her shoulders like a waterfall, and her crimson eyes remained indifferent.
"I do not want you in my battalion," she said.
The answer was simple.
But the entire hall froze.
Shi Yuchen's expression darkened.
"You don't want me?"
"I awakened a B-rank ability."
"My combat power is 100."
"I'm already a First Tier Warrior."
Then he added with clear pride,
"And I am the son of the Stone Emperor."
But Luo Xinyan's expression didn't change.
"I heard you."
"I still do not want you."
For a moment, Shi Yuchen's face twisted slightly.
His pride had clearly been wounded.
But he snorted coldly.
"Fine."
"I'll join the Azure Wolf Battalion."
Zhao Tianlong smiled faintly.
"Welcome."
Shi Yuchen stepped down from the array.
But as he passed by Luo Xinyan, his eyes lingered on her figure.
The gaze was obvious.
Greedy.
Lustful.
Luo Xinyan noticed immediately.
Her crimson eyes turned cold.
A terrifying killing intent suddenly filled the hall.
"You should control your eyes," she said calmly.
But the killing intent behind those words made the air feel heavy.
Shi Yuchen's expression stiffened.
"If I catch you looking at me like that again…"
Her voice became icy.
"I will kill you."
The hall fell silent.
Shi Yuchen clenched his teeth.
Even though his father was the Stone Emperor, he knew one thing very clearly.
His father would never take his side if he provoked someone powerful recklessly.
Especially not against a King-level warrior like Luo Xinyan.
So he swallowed his anger and looked away.
The ceremony continued.
One by one, more youths awakened their abilities.
Eventually—
"Next," the attendant called.
Du Shentian stepped forward.
His heartbeat pounded loudly in his chest.
This moment would determine everything.
His future.
His family's future.
All the years of hardship he had endured had led to this moment.
He handed over his citizen card.
Name: Du Shentian
Age: 18
Du Shentian slowly walked toward the awakening array.
The glowing runes pulsed beneath his feet.
He stepped into the center.
For a moment, he closed his eyes.
Faces appeared in his mind.
Liang Zhen.
The eldest among them.
Always the one protecting the others.
Chen Wei.
Always laughing, always trying to make everyone smile.
Lin Hao.
Quiet, steady, someone who never abandoned his family.
Alice.
Sharp-tongued but caring more than anyone realized.
And finally—
Mei Lin.
His little sister.
Sweet and childlike.
The one who had waited excitedly for this day.
Du Shentian clenched his fists.
Please…
Just give me enough strength.
Enough strength to protect my family.
Big Brother Liang Zhen…
Chen Wei…
Lin Hao…
Alice…
Mei Lin…
I just need enough power so none of you will suffer anymore.
City Lord Han raised his hand.
The awakening array activated.
Ancient runes lit up across the floor.
A pillar of pale light descended from above.
It engulfed Du Shentian completely.
Energy flowed through his body.
At first it felt warm.
Then—
Tiny sparks flickered beneath his skin.
Like faint electrical currents.
Du Shentian's eyes widened.
Lightning…?
But the energy was extremely weak.
The sparks flickered briefly.
Then they faded.
The light slowly disappeared.
The screen appeared above the array.
Ability Detected: Weak Lightning
Ability Rank: F Rank
Du Shentian's heart dropped.
Another set of information appeared.
Strength: 10
Speed: 10
Endurance: 5
Combat Power: 25
For a moment—
The hall became quiet.
Then whispers spread through the crowd.
"F Rank?"
"Did it say Weak Lightning?"
Someone leaned forward.
"Wait… his combat power is only twenty-five."
Another person laughed.
"Isn't an average person around thirty?"
"Yeah."
"So he's weaker than a normal human even after awakening?"
A few people chuckled.
"Weak Lightning sounds useless."
"Maybe he can barely produce a spark."
Du Shentian stood inside the array like a statue.
Every word pierced his chest.
F Rank…
Weak Lightning…
His chest tightened painfully.
All the hopes he had carried for years collapsed in an instant.
So this is my ability.
His mind replayed Mei Lin's cheerful voice from that morning.
"Big brother will definitely awaken something amazing!"
Du Shentian's fingers trembled.
I'm sorry…
Liang Zhen…
Chen Wei…
Lin Hao…
Alice…
Mei Lin…
I'm sorry I couldn't become strong.
I'm sorry I couldn't protect you.
I'm sorry I couldn't change our lives.
He stepped down from the array slowly.
Not a single battalion leader raised their hand.
Not one.
As he walked toward the exit—
Shi Yuchen's voice sounded behind him.
"Well, well…"
"If it isn't Du Shentian."
Du Shentian stopped briefly.
But he didn't turn around.
Even without turning around, he knew whose voice it was.
Shi Yuchen laughed.
"So you awakened an F-rank ability."
"And your combat power is twenty-five."
"That's weaker than a normal human."
His voice carried clear contempt.
"I guess slum rats really can't escape their fate."
Du Shentian clenched his fists slightly.
But he remained silent.
Shi Yuchen stepped closer.
"You should know your place."
"People from places like the slums should always stay at the bottom."
Then he laughed and walked away.
High above the hall, Luo Xinyan heard the entire conversation.
Her enhanced hearing easily captured every word.
Her brows slowly furrowed.
She hated people like Shi Yuchen.
People who judged others purely based on where they were born.
Because no one knew the struggles another person had endured.
Some people were born at the top.
Others had to crawl through suffering just to survive.
Her crimson eyes followed Du Shentian as he left the hall.
A faint trace of anger appeared within them.
But she remained silent.
Du Shentian left the cathedral of the Awakener Association in Dragon Sanctuary 007.
He walked through the city without knowing where he was going.
People celebrated around him.
Friends cheered.
Families hugged their children.
But their voices felt distant.
Eventually the streets became quiet.
Broken buildings appeared.
Burned walls.
Collapsed rooftops.
He had unknowingly reached the ruined district.
Months earlier, a Beast Tide had struck Dragon Sanctuary 007.
Thousands of demonic beasts had attacked the city.
This district had become the battlefield.
The fighting destroyed entire streets.
Even after the battle ended, the area was never rebuilt.
It remained abandoned.
A silent ruin.
The wind passed through the broken buildings.
Du Shentian walked deeper into the empty streets.
Eventually he saw a phone booth beside a cracked road.
He stepped inside.
The metal door creaked shut behind him.
For a moment he stared at his reflection.
A boy who had just awakened an F-rank ability.
He inserted ten Union coins into the phone.
His hands trembled slightly as he dialed a number.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
A soft voice answered.
"Hello?"
"Big brother?"
The moment Du Shentian heard that voice—
Something inside him shattered.
It was Mei Lin.
His shoulders trembled.
Tears began falling silently down his face.
He quickly covered his mouth with one hand.
He didn't want her to hear him crying.
"Big brother?" Mei Lin asked again.
"…Yeah," said Du Shentian.
"Did the awakening ceremony finish?"
Her voice was full of excitement.
Du Shentian closed his eyes tightly.
More tears slid down his cheeks.
Inside the small phone booth, he cried silently.
But when he finally spoke—
His voice sounded normal.
"…Yeah."
Mei Lin immediately sounded happy.
"I knew it!"
"So what ability did you awaken?"
Du Shentian's fingers tightened around the phone.
For a long moment, he didn't answer.
Outside the booth stretched the ruined battlefield district.
Burned buildings.
Broken streets.
A place abandoned after war.
Tears continued falling silently down his face.
He wiped them away quickly.
Mei Lin could never hear them.
She must never know.
Du Shentian forced his voice to remain steady.
"I awakened lightning."
There was a brief silence.
Then Mei Lin's cheerful laughter came through the phone.
"I knew it!"
"My big brother is amazing!"
Her happy voice echoed inside the small booth.
But Du Shentian could only lower his head.
More tears slipped down his face.
Yet his voice remained calm.
End of Ch 6
Author's Note
This is my first novel, so there may be mistakes along the way. Please feel free to point them out so I can improve.
Also, English is not my first language, so there might be some inconsistencies.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the story!