The city beyond the walls was dead.
Or at least, that was what they were told.
Lin Kael stood by the classroom window, his gaze fixed on the distant ruins. Broken structures stretched endlessly beneath a gray sky—remnants of a world that had already lost.
Thirty years ago, the Catalyst descended.
It changed everything.
Humanity gained the chance to evolve… but so did everything else.
Animals became monsters.
Monsters became predators.
And predators became something far worse.
Cities fell. Communication collapsed. Weapons that once ruled the world became useless against creatures that refused to die.
In the end, humanity turned to nuclear fire.
Not to win—
but to survive.
The explosions erased entire regions, wiping out both beasts and cities alike. What remained was not victory… but balance.
A fragile one.
Now, in 2084, civilization existed only behind walls.
Beyond them—
was death.
Lin Kael blinked slowly, his expression calm. At seventeen, he looked unremarkable—lean build, black hair, quiet demeanor.
But his eyes were different.
Sharp. Observant. Always calculating.
He lived in the outer slums of Greywall City, within the Tianhua Federation. Life there was harsh. Resources were scarce. Opportunities… even rarer.
Yet somehow, he had made it here—Ping'an High School.
"Attention, students."
The sudden voice cut through the classroom.
"All third-grade students are to report to the Resonance Hall immediately."
A ripple of tension spread across the room.
Lin Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
So… it was today.
The moment the announcement ended, the classroom fell into a brief silence.
Then it exploded into noise.
"It's finally today…"
"Do you think you'll awaken?"
"I heard only a few succeed every year…"
Excitement. Anxiety. Anticipation.
It spread through the room like a spark.
Chairs scraped against the floor as students stood up one after another, their earlier fatigue replaced by nervous energy.
Lin Kael remained seated.
His gaze shifted slightly, observing the reactions around him.
Some were eager, clenching their fists in anticipation. Others looked pale, their confidence wavering. A few tried to act calm—but their restless movements betrayed them.
So this is what it means to stand at the threshold, he thought.
For most of them, today would determine everything.
Their future.
Their status.
Their place in this world.
A Pathwalker… or just another ordinary human.
Lin Kael exhaled slowly and stood up.
He didn't feel excitement.
Nor fear.
Only clarity.
"Move aside."
A cold voice cut through the noise.
The crowd instinctively parted.
A young man stepped forward, his posture relaxed yet commanding. His clothes were pristine, clearly of higher quality than the standard school uniform. Behind him, a few students followed closely, their expressions respectful—almost submissive.
Zhao Kai.
The son of one of Greywall City's influential figures.
His presence alone shifted the atmosphere.
His gaze swept across the room lazily—until it stopped.
On Lin Kael.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
Zhao Kai's lips curled slightly, a hint of disdain flashing across his face before disappearing just as quickly.
Lin Kael didn't react.
As if nothing had happened, he turned and walked toward the door.
But the subtle tension did not go unnoticed.
"Hey… isn't that the guy Zhao Kai has a problem with?"
"The scholarship student?"
"Yeah… the one from the slums…"
The whispers were quiet—but not quiet enough.
Lin Kael heard them.
He simply ignored them.
The corridor outside was already filled with students moving in the same direction.
The closer they got, the quieter the crowd became.
At the end of the hall stood a large reinforced door.
Above it were two words:
Resonance Hall
The air felt… different here.
Heavy.
Almost suffocating.
Lin Kael's steps slowed slightly—not from fear, but from instinct.
His body reacted before his mind could process it.
Interesting…
He raised his eyes toward the door.
Beyond it—
lay the first step toward evolution.