The journey from the school infirmary to the Desmerk estate felt shorter than usual. It wasn't because the distance had changed, but because my perception of space had shifted. Every step I took felt lighter, more deliberate. The +15 Agility wasn't just a number; it was a fundamental rewrite of how my joints moved and how my nerves fired.
I sat in the back of the family's armored sedan, staring out the window at the neon-drenched streets of Seoul. The city was a sprawling monument to the Gods' Union, a place where the skyline was built on the backs of those with high mana counts.
[Stamina: 12/110]
[Divine Digestion: 85% Integrated.]
The sensation in my chest—the burning remnants of the parasite I had inhaled—was finally cooling. In its place was a cold, dense weight that sat behind my ribs. It felt like I had swallowed a stone that was slowly becoming part of my skeleton.
"You're quiet today, Second Master," the driver said. His name was Park, a B-Rank with a talent for [Kinetic Dampening]. He had driven me for five years, and in all that time, he had mostly treated me like a piece of luggage that breathed.
"Just thinking about the Trial, Park," I said.
"The Ranking Trial is a difficult time for everyone," he replied, his voice devoid of pity. "Especially for those in your... position. Your father has invited the Board of Directors this year. The pressure will be immense."
"Immense is one word for it," I muttered.
The Ranking Trial was the Desmerk family's public tradition. Every year, the children would display their growth in front of the world's elite to secure their spot in the global hierarchy. For my sisters, it was a victory lap. For me, it was a public shaming—a ritual where I stood in a mana-testing circle and watched the meter stay at zero while the crowd whispered about the "defective" son.
But this year, the game was different.
The Mother's Audit
The mansion was quiet when I arrived, the air thick with the scent of expensive incense and filtered oxygen. I tried to slip past the main foyer, but the sound of a holographic interface clicking stopped me in my tracks.
My mother, Hee-sun, was standing in the center of the room. She didn't look up from the complex web of data floating in front of her. Her talent, [High-Speed Calculation], allowed her to process thousands of variables a second. To her, the world was a series of equations that needed to be balanced.
"You're late, Raven," she said. Her voice was like a scalpel—precise and cold. "And your physical expenditure over the last twenty-four hours is anomalous."
I froze. "I was in the infirmary, Mother. You likely received the report."
"I did," she said, finally turning to look at me. Her eyes, a sharp, calculating grey, scanned me from head to toe. I felt the pulse of her mana-audit washing over me. "The report says you suffered from a panic attack and exhaustion. But your current muscle density has increased by twelve percent since yesterday morning. Your heart rate is lower, and your bone mineral density has spiked."
She stepped closer, the holographic screens vanishing with a flick of her wrist.
"Explain the discrepancy," she demanded.
I kept my face a mask of boredom. "I've been taking the supplements Serena gave me. Maybe they finally worked. Or maybe I'm finally hitting puberty properly."
My mother walked a slow circle around me. The pressure she radiated was different from Juno's gravity. It was mental—a crushing weight of scrutiny that felt like she was trying to peel back my skin to see the gears underneath.
"Do not lie to a Calculator, Raven," she whispered, stopping inches from my face. "I see everything. I see the way you're standing. You aren't leaning on your left heel anymore. Your center of gravity is perfectly balanced. That is not the posture of a Zero."
"Maybe I just learned how to stand up straight," I said, meeting her gaze.
For a second, the air between us turned brittle. I could feel the King's Eyes trying to activate, a golden heat rising in my pupils. I forced it down, burying the Monarch beneath layers of fake apathy. If she saw the gold, the "Trial" wouldn't matter; I'd be in a laboratory by midnight.
"Three days," she said, her eyes narrowing. "At the Ranking Trial, you will be tested by the Union's newest Mana-Probe. If you have been hiding a talent, it will be found. If you have been using illegal stimulants to mimic growth, you will be disowned. The Desmerk name does not tolerate fraud."
"I'll try to be as disappointing as usual, then," I said, stepping past her.
"See that you do," she replied, already reopening her data screens. "Disappointment is predictable. Ambiguity is dangerous."
Testing the Limits
I locked my bedroom door and stripped off my shirt. In the mirror, my body looked different. The soft edges of a teenager who spent too much time napping were gone. My shoulders were broader, my waist leaner, and my muscles were defined like corded steel.
[Stamina: 25/110]
[Strength: 41]
[Agility: 32]
"System," I whispered. "Show me the comparison."
A screen flickered into existence.
Power Comparison:
Average Human Male: Strength 5 | Agility 5
C-Rank Awakened: Strength 20 | Agility 15
B-Rank Awakened: Strength 45 | Agility 35
Raven Desmerk (Current): Strength 41 | Agility 32
I was nearly at the physical level of a B-Rank, and I hadn't even started training yet. I had simply eaten my way there.
I walked over to the heavy, reinforced steel desk in the corner of my room. It was built to withstand the temper tantrums of my sisters. I placed my hand on the edge and squeezed.
The steel didn't just bend; it groaned and buckled under my grip. I could feel the power flowing from my shoulder, through my forearm, and into my fingers. It felt effortless, like crushing a soda can.
"Forty-one Strength," I muttered, looking at the deep finger-marks in the metal. "I could kill a man with a handshake."
[Warning: Physical strength without technique is a liability.]
[Quest: Master the Vessel.]
Objective: Complete 500 reps of 'Shadow Boxing' and 100 'Explosive Leaps'.
Reward: Skill Unlocked: [Point-Impact].
Penalty: Stamina Reset to 0.
"You really don't let me rest, do you?"
I began the workout. At first, it was easy, but as the repetitions mounted, I felt the thrum of my muscles protesting. The Agility made my movements fluid, my punches cutting through the air with a sharp crack. I wasn't just throwing fists; I was learning how to move this new, denser body.
By the time I reached the four-hundredth rep, sweat was pouring off me, stinging my eyes. My heart was a frantic beat in my ears, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. The image of Juno's green-eyed possession and Elena's predatory smile were burned into my mind.
I finished the last leap, my knees barely absorbing the impact as I landed.
[Quest Completed.]
[Skill Unlocked: Point-Impact (Rank: C)]
Description: Focus your physical strength into a single point of contact. Increases damage by 200% but consumes 10 Stamina per strike.
I collapsed onto my bed, my lungs burning. I was a Zero with the strength of a B-Rank and a skill that could shatter concrete.
The Midnight Visitor
I must have drifted off, because the next thing I knew, the room was freezing. Not the sterile chill of Elena's mana, but a heavy, metallic cold that smelled of sandalwood and blood.
I didn't open my eyes. I reached out with my hand, ready to use [Point-Impact] on whoever was standing over me.
"Careful, little bird," a voice purred. "You wouldn't want to break your new toys so soon."
I snapped my eyes open. Lilith was crouching on the edge of my bed, her silver hair falling over her face like a shroud. Her violet eyes were glowing in the dark, fixed on the finger-marks I had left in my steel desk.
"You've been busy," she said, reaching out to trace the line of my jaw with a black-painted fingernail. "I can smell the Greed on you. You didn't just stop the parasite; you digested it. That's very... naughty of you."
I grabbed her wrist, my grip tightening. "What are you doing in my house, Lilith? The security drones would have shredded anyone else."
"I'm not anyone else," she laughed, leaning in until her nose brushed mine. "And your family's security is built to stop Gods, not shadows. I came to give you a warning, Raven."
She shifted her weight, pinning my legs with her own. The "spiciness" of the encounter was overshadowed by the sheer killing intent she radiated. She was like a beautiful viper coiled around my throat.
"The Ranking Trial in three days isn't just a party," she whispered, her lips a breath away from mine. "The God of Greed has put a bounty on your soul. He's sending a Hand—a vessel stronger than those troops. They're going to use the trial to 'accidentally' eliminate the Anomaly."
"Why tell me?" I asked, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Why do you care if I die?"
Lilith's smile widened, showing a hint of sharp teeth. She leaned in and licked the spot on my lip where Elena had bitten me earlier.
"Because," she whispered, her voice a low, dangerous cadence. "I haven't decided if I want to save you... or be the one who finally breaks you. See you at the party, King."
She vanished into the shadows before I could respond, leaving only the scent of sandalwood and a cold, lingering pulse in the air.
[Stamina: 5/110]
[Warning: Multiple 'Predators' detected in the immediate vicinity.]
[Current Objective: Survive the Ranking Trial.]
I lay back in the dark, staring at the ceiling. The world wanted the King, but all they were going to get was a Zero who had learned how to bite back.