Secretly Godly

Henry took the lunchbox from Mrs. Mason. He wondered why she wanted him to deliver it to her husband. She could easily enter the company herself, after all, her husband was the CEO.

He noticed a strange look on her face. It was as if she had argued with someone, or perhaps she had fallen and gotten hurt.

Henry brushed the thought aside as he walked back into the warehouse. Why should he worry about other people’s problems, especially rich people? Right now, he needed money to feed his family and to enroll in the Mage Academy. That was all that mattered.

Henry opened the door without knocking, and he immediately regretted it.

His eyes widened at the scene before him. Lilly, his co-worker, was sitting on Mr. Mason’s lap, and they were kissing.

His sudden entrance startled them. Lilly quickly pulled away, but Henry had already seen everything. She looked at him with frightened eyes before rushing out of the room.

Mr. Mason’s bloodshot eyes met Henry’s. For a moment, he seemed to be searching for the right words.

“Leave.”

His voice was cold, yet calm.

Henry obeyed immediately. He hurried out of the room and returned to his duty post. The scene replayed in his mind, and his heart pounded heavily.

He couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.

He didn’t blame Lilly. She came from a family even poorer than his, and she hadn’t awakened any magical element in a world where magic was almost everything.

Having magic alone guaranteed a stable life and a chance to become incredibly wealthy, if wealth was what one desired.

For someone like her, it was almost expected to take such a path to survive. He only wished he hadn’t seen it.

He knew what was coming next. Mr. Mason would definitely fire him. If he was lucky, he would only be threatened.

Henry prayed for the latter. He couldn’t afford to lose this job. If he did, he wouldn’t be able to enroll in the Mage Academy, and his family’s future depended on it.

Becoming a mage was the fastest way to rise in status. Entering the Mage Academy was free for those who awakened strong elements, but people from lower classes had to pay. The school saw them as burdens, requiring extra resources.

If he lost his job, he wouldn’t be able to afford the fees. That would be the end of everything for him.

Henry was lost in thought when someone tapped his shoulder.

“Henry.”

He turned and saw his best friend, Jeremy. A flicker of hope rose in him, but it died instantly.

“Mr. Mason wants you in his office,” Jeremy said.

“I think it’s about that promotion. Congratulations, Henry. Your dreams are about to come true.”

Henry forced a smile. If only Jeremy knew the truth. He had expected a promotion, but that was no longer the case.

He was about to face his worst nightmare.

He arrived at Mr. Mason’s office and knocked three times before being granted permission to enter.

Henry walked in, keeping his posture straight, though his eyes quickly dropped to the floor.

Mr. Mason wasted no time.

“Henry, you are fired. I don’t want to see you in this company again. And no paycheck for you this month.”

Before he could finish, Henry collapsed to his knees.

“Please, sir, I swear I won’t tell anyone. I won’t dare. I swear!”

Mr. Mason paused, staring at him.

Henry had gotten this job through his wife’s recommendation. His wife was a close friend of Henry’s mother. How could he trust someone like that? Besides, this wasn’t how he intended to keep things quiet.

“You can leave when you’re done with this nonsense.”

Henry’s heart skipped. He struggled to process the words. His dreams were shattering, and there was nothing he could do.

What was he going to tell his parents? They had placed all their hopes on him.

“Sir, I have awakened my magical element. My wages are for my academy fees. I really need this money. I swear I won’t tell anyone. This job means everything to me.”

Henry trembled as he spoke, believing Mr. Mason might pity him.

What did it matter if Mr. Mason was cheating? The man was rich. Henry, on the other hand, was struggling to survive.

Seeing Mr. Mason remain silent, Henry thought he might be reconsidering. He was hardworking, and now he was an awakener. His power could benefit society, even Cherry City.

Awakeners were treated with respect everywhere.

Mr. Mason leaned forward, his gaze falling on Henry’s wrist. The class detector watch displayed a person’s rank and elemental affinity.

The moment he saw it, his lips curled.

Then he burst into laughter.

Henry stiffened, confused, until Mr. Mason spoke.

“You call yourself an awakener? Have you ever heard of an E-rank class? The lowest in the world is C-rank, and you think this makes you a mage?”

His laughter grew louder.

“What a fool. To think you could become a real mage. If I were you, I would have killed myself already. Loser.”

Henry was speechless.

Yes, his rank was the lowest ever recorded, but his element was fire.

Fire was one of the rarest elements.

“I awakened fire, sir. Fire—”

Mr. Mason’s laughter cut him off.

He couldn’t believe the boy’s delusion. Even a C-rank fire mage could barely harm a monster, let alone an E-rank.

“You are a waste. Your existence is useless to this world and to Cherry City. Now leave before I throw you out myself.”

Henry tried to speak, but the door burst open, and several hefty men entered.

“Take this trash out of here!”

They grabbed Henry and threw him out of the building.

Henry couldn’t go home. He didn’t know what to tell his parents. They would be devastated.

He waited until closing hours before slowly making his way back.

All his life, he had been mocked and bullied. Even non-awakeners looked down on him.

No one had ever awakened an E-rank before. He was the first.

And yet, he had believed he could become a great mage.

Now that dream was gone.

He was only a few blocks from home when a group of men stepped out of the darkness.

Their expressions were cold and merciless.

Henry recognized them instantly. They were the same men from Mr. Mason’s office.

“What do you want?” he asked.

Their leader stepped forward, revealing his class detector watch.

C-rank. Earth Mage.

“Mr. Mason wants you dead.”

Henry’s heart skipped.

He staggered backward, fear gripping him.

“No… no…”

He fell to the ground, his voice breaking.

“I won’t tell anyone. I swear!”

The man chuckled.

“Orders are orders. And besides, Mr. Mason is doing Cherry City a favor. Removing the shame of an E-rank mage.”

Fear took over Henry completely.

He bowed his head, crying.

“Please don’t kill me. My family is poor. My sister needs treatment. I’m the only one they have. Please… I’m important to them…”

The leader crouched in front of him and whispered,

“Run.”

Henry scrambled to his feet and ran.

But before he could take three steps, a heavy blow slammed into him.

He crashed to the ground.

A rock sphere landed beside him. The man extended his hand, and it flew back to him.

With a grin, he reshaped it into a bat.

Henry coughed up blood. He tried to crawl, but his body wouldn’t respond.

The men surrounded him, their smiles cruel.

They brought the bat down on him again and again.

Henry lay helpless on the ground.

This was how his life had always been.

Only this time, it would end.

Even as an awakener, he was no better than an ordinary human.

Perhaps even worse.

His breathing grew shallow. His vision darkened.

So this was the end of his worthless life.

Maybe everyone had been right about him.

He was useless.

His sister’s face flashed in his fading vision.

He suddenly remembered.

Today was his eighteenth birthday.

There was nothing to celebrate.

At eighteen, he died.

[System Activated]

[Henry Tucker has been chosen as the perfect successor of God Of All system]