Awakening The Gods: System's Ascension

The Beginning of the End

He always thought the world would end in fire or ice. Turns out, it started with a glass of filth and a crowd that wanted to watch him drown in it.

"Drink it! Drink it! Drink it!"

His classmates' voices echoed through the classroom, steadily growing louder with every second that passed.

Levi sat on a bench at the center of this crowd, with his hands curled into fists at his sides. His eyes were locked on the glass cup in front of him.

He watched the murky liquid inside ripple as drops of sweat trickled down from the towel Lukas squeezed above it.

It wasn't just the sharp sour scent that mixed with the musty smell of moist clothes, but also the faint metallic smell of blood from someone's scraped knee.

All of this formed a suffocating pressure, yet Levi remained still.

Mind your own business.

A number one rule Levi had always abided by ever since the day he woke up at the orphanage.

Avoid any unnecessary attention and stay out of trouble. He lived with the belief that the more people you let into your life, the more problems you invite.

However, his best efforts always proved to be futile. No matter how much he tried, trouble still found him like a curse latched onto him from the day he was born.

He gave the cup a second glance, catching a glimpse of his reflection in the stomach turning liquid.

Black hair, dripping with sweat, while clinging to his forehead. Cold blue eyes, displaying little to no emotion, but somehow unable to hide the anger growing in them.

And glowing brown skin, bruised from past encounters, marked by the world that refused to leave him alone.

He clenched his jaw. He didn’t want to do this. He hated them all. Hated Lukas, hated the laughing faces surrounding him, hated the teachers who always turned a blind eye.

But he had learned his lesson long ago—fighting back only made it worse. He had been a target from the moment he started school, not because he had done anything wrong, but simply because people like Lukas needed an object to stroke their egos.

"Come on Levi... What's with the look?" Marcus taunted, shoving the cup closer. His grin stretched wide, eyes glinting with sadistic amusement. "Don't you want to try our Special?"

"It's made with extra love you know?"

The crowd’s laughter swelled. The circle around him tightened. The heat of their stares pressed down on him like weights.

Levi gulped down a ball of spit. He tried his best to hold down the bile gathering in his throat.

"Something freaking happen." He begged silently. "Someone just walk in. At this point I don't freaking care who it is..."

Like a response to his request, a flash of lightning struck. It was so bright it illuminated the locker room in stark white. What followed was a thunderclap so deafening it rattled the lockers.

The sky outside—once bright and cloudless suddenly turned black.

And Levi's nightmare truly began.

The atmosphere shifted in an instant. The cruel amusement that had filled the locker room just seconds ago vanished, replaced by fear.

"What... What was that?" The voice cut through the stunned silence, colored with fear and confusion.

"A... an earthquake?" someone muttered, their voice shaking.

"No freaking way that was an earthquake." Another student scoffed. "Since when did earthquakes start with lightening dimwit?"

The smug expressions on the faces of Lukas and his cronies crumbled as they exchanged glances.

Levi didn’t waste the opportunity. Without a moments hesitation or thought for what just happened, he turned and sprinted.

"What exactly are these dumbasses looking at? Is this the first time they're seeing a storm or what?" he wondered as he shoved past his frozen classmates

Pure chaos. That was the only way he could describe the sight he was met with the moment he burst into the hallway.

Students running, teachers shouting, and papers scattering and flying around like fallen leaves being carried by the wind.

"What in the name of..." Levi trailed off, trying to wrap his head around the current scene unfolding before him.

Without warning, another sound tore through the air. It was a deep roar that shook the walls, immediately followed by a screech that sent shivers down Levi’s spine for reasons he couldn't explain.

Suddenly, he slid to a stop. Something caught his attention at the corner of his eye. He turned his head slowly toward the window on his right and froze in shock.

He thought the hallway was in a chaotic state, but the situation he was currently staring at outside made him question if the hallway was really in a state of disarray.

Was this what his classmates were all staring at?

The sky had torn apart.

There were dark swirling vortexes of darkness stretching across the sky, like reality it's had massive gaping wounds carved into it.

From their depths of these dark abyss emerged creatures he had never seen before. Anatomies that defied logic and all forms of reasoning.

Monstrous figures with leather like skins, limbs with edges as sharp as blades.

Some had twisted, elongated bodies while others had glowing, soulless eyes that burned like dying stars.

Then there were flying creatures with wings of shadow, claws like glowing dark scythes, forms too grotesque for the human mind to comprehend.

And they were descending upon the earth like a pouring rain of destruction.

The city below was already in ruins. Desperate screams rang out. Buildings crumbled as fire and smoke filled the streets.

Cars lay overturned, crushed like tin cans. Blood painted the sidewalks, mixing with the rain that had begun to fall.

Was this the end of the world? Levi wondered.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he watched. "What the... Freaking hell..."

The sound of a shattering glass and a scream erupting behind him snapped him out of his thoughts.

He made a sharp turn just in time to see the windows of the hallway explode inward, shards of glass raining down as monstrous, winged creatures tore through.

The violent force from their wings, sent out gusts of wind that made his hair whip around his face.

They were like moving exo-skeletons, covered in patches of muscle and leathery skin.

Long, needle-like teeth lined their snapping maws, dripping with saliva. Clawed hands stretched out, grasping, slashing.

And then, the massacre began.

They ripped every form of flesh and bone in their path regardless of who it was. Blood splattered across lockers, pooling beneath twitching bodies.

Levi’s stomach twisted. He staggered backwards, his breath coming in short gasps.

"W-What the hell…"

He wanted to run but he couldn't. He was frozen in place like a deer trapped in the gaze of a predator, his body refused to move

"Move… Please move!" He screamed, hitting his legs. "Fucking M—"

His words were cut short by a force slamming into him from behind.

The impact was like being hit by a train. His body launched forward, crashing through the shattered window.

What followed was pure unfiltered agony as His body slammed into the hood of a car with a sickening thud.

A rush of pain ran through his ribs, dashing all the way up his spine. He struggled to breathe, his vision blurring in and out of focus, as his consciousness slipped away.

And then suddenly, a blue screen flickered before his eyes.

[User has sustained critical damage.]

[System initializing…]

[Does the User wish to call upon the System?]

He shook his head trying to stabilize his fading vision. The moment he did, the screen vanished, like it had never been there.

"Ugh… I definitely hit my head really hard," he muttered, coughing up blood as he struggled to sit up.

The creature that had knocked him aside was already gone, lost in the chaotic atmosphere.

Suddenly he heard a scream coming from a girl nearby. He shot up immediately, ignoring the pain in his ribs. As he turned to identify the source, he stopped dead.

A fusion of a wolf and an insect, its body covered in black leather skin. Six glowing red eyes lined its elongated face, mandibles clicking hungrily. Its razor-sharp claws dripped with fresh blood.

He could tell just by looking at it. This one was more dangerous than the others.

Get out of here. That was the first thought that crossed Levi's mind. But the more he thought about it, was running even an option against these monsters?

As he staggered backwards, his hand accidentally hit a can, sending it straight to the asphalt. What followed was the sound of tin clashing against concrete.

The creature snapped its head toward him, its red eyes locking onto his. It let out a deep growl. And without a moments hesitation, it lunged.

Levi had no time to react. The monster’s claw swiped toward him, faster than he could process

"Stop!" He stretched his hands out instinctively, in defence. But nothing happened. The atmosphere suddenly went silent.

He didn't realize until he opened his eyes. Half of his right hand was gone.

For a second, his brain refused to process it. The nerves still buzzed as if the rest of his fingers were still there. He turned what was left of it, slowly, confused.

"Where did…?"

Then the realization slammed into him like an out of control truck. The pain burned through him, erupting from the severed limb.

Levi screamed, collapsing, and clutching the stump. He reeled off the car he crashed on earlier, his vision blurred by hot tears.

Blood spilled between his fingers, drenching his clothes. The agony drowned everything—his thoughts, his fear—until nothing else remained.

Levi looked up, gasping.

The monster stood there, watching him. Its elongated face held something sickeningly human: amusement. It was enjoying this.

"Fuck!!!" He screamed in frustration and agony. "What the hell is even this?!" He yelled, gazing at the destruction around him.

"What is this fucking nightmare!"

"I'm done, okay? I'm done. Please just wake me up already!"

"Something please just freaking wake me up." His lips parted, and his tone went down, making way for a desperate plea.

As he struggled to stabilize his breathing, he saw it again. The blue screen that made him question his sanity earlier.

[System Warning]

[User has sustained critical damage.]

[New Quest Available – Slay the Void Reaper.]

[Reward: A Breath of Life.]

[Penalty: Death.]

[In order to initiate the quest, please call upon the System.]

Levi’s breath hitched. His eyes scanned the floating text, his bloodied hand trembling.

Then suddenly, he began to laugh. A broken, bitter chuckle that barely sounded like his own voice.

“All that brain rot from playing too many games… Now the world is mocking me with it?”

His vision blurred. The pain, the exhaustion—it was all too much.

Another message popped up.

[Warning: HP depleting rapidly.]

[User is advised to call upon the System.]

Author's Note: To anyone reading this, thank you for taking your time to do so. This is my first fantasy novel which I have been planning for a long time. I would really appreciate if I can get your reviews and criticisms to let me know what you think and how I can develop to satisfy you and gain more of your support. Your reviews would go a really long way in encouraging me and help me decide if I should make updates faster and more consistent ~ Karma