THE MAN WITH THE SSS RANK ABILITIES

Chapter 2: The Awakening That Shouldn’t Exist

Leo’s legs moved on their own, carrying him out of the Awakening Hall as the laughter and whispers could be heard right behind him. His vision blurred—not from tears, but from the throbbing head pain spreading through his body like wildfire.

His head pounded, his blood felt like it was boiling, and an overwhelming force pressed down on him, suffocating and intoxicating at the same time. He gripped his head like they were going to explode anytime soon.

He barely registered where he was running to, only stopping when he reached the empty training grounds behind the academy. The moment he did, his knees buckled.

"Ahh—!" He clutched his head as a surge of raw energy exploded within him.

A blinding white screen flashed before his eyes.

[Error: Ability Concealment Failing]

[Warning: SSS-Rank Ability Unstable]

[Releasing Suppression—Activating Core Awakening]

Leo’s breath hitched. His whole body convulsed as invisible chains that had been binding his true strength suddenly shattered. His veins glowed faintly, his muscles tensed, and the air around him crackled with an unseen force. The very ground beneath him trembled.

His mind screamed, but deep inside, something… something else stirred awake.

Boom!

A wave of invisible power erupted from his body, sending a gust of wind in all directions. The nearby trees bent under the force. Dust and debris swirled into the air, forming a vortex around him.

Leo gasped for breath, his vision flickering between reality and something far beyond.

He saw flashes—cities burning, figures kneeling before a lone shadow, galaxies shattering at the wave of a hand. And then—

It all stopped.

The pressure vanished. The energy within him settled, as though it had never erupted in the first place.

Leo collapsed onto his hands, panting heavily. His uniform clung to his sweat-drenched body.

“What… the hell was that?” He muttered hoarsely.

He slowly lifted his hand, half-expecting to see flames, lightning, or some sign of his power. But nothing. Just his trembling fingers and the eerie silence of the training ground.

Had he imagined it?

No. That wasn’t an illusion. He had felt it—something awakening deep inside him. The system had called it an SSS-Rank Ability. That was higher than anything recorded in history.

But why had the academy’s Awakening Crystal concealed it?

Before he could think further, a sharp voice cut through the silence.

“You—what the hell did you just do?”

Leo’s heart leaped. He spun around, his body still weak, only to find himself face-to-face with a girl standing a few meters away.

She was tall and striking, her violet eyes glowing faintly in the dim evening light. Long black hair cascaded down her back, and her uniform was different from the others—a custom combat suit, signifying she wasn’t just any student.

Leo recognized her instantly.

Iris Vaughn.

A second-year student. An elite among elites. A rumored S-rank ability user, and the student council’s combat division leader. She was known for her ruthless efficiency, and if she was here—

That meant she had seen everything.

Leo’s mind raced, his pulse pounding. He had just uncovered something he wasn’t supposed to.

And now, someone else knew.

Iris narrowed her eyes. “I felt an energy surge from across the campus. That wasn’t a normal awakening, was it?”

Leo swallowed, forcing his expression to remain neutral. “You must be mistaken.”

“Don’t play dumb.” She stepped forward, her presence overwhelming. “The Awakening Ceremony marked you as an F-rank. But what I just saw…” She paused, her gaze sharp as a blade. “That was anything but weak.”

Leo clenched his fists. He couldn’t let anyone know. Not yet.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said coolly, stepping back.

Iris stared at him for a long moment, then—

Boom!

A second explosion rocked the academy. This one was far stronger than Leo’s earlier outburst.

Smoke rose in the distance, followed by the deafening sound of alarms blaring across campus. The ground trembled, and terrified screams filled the air.

Leo and Iris snapped their heads toward the source of the explosion.

The front gates.

A shadowy figure emerged from the smoke—tall, armored, and radiating a malevolent aura. Dark energy crackled around them, distorting the very air.

Leo’s breath caught in his throat.

That wasn’t a student.

That wasn’t a teacher.

This was something far, far worse.

The academy had been breached.

Iris's expression turned cold. "That… That’s an Abyssal Fiend.”

Leo’s blood ran cold.

An Abyssal Fiend. A creature born from the abyss, capable of wiping out entire cities.

And it was here.

The students were still inside the Awakening Hall. The instructors weren’t prepared. No one was ready.

Leo barely had time to think before the creature raised its hand—dark energy gathering into a massive sphere.

It was going to destroy everything in its path.

And Leo—F-rank, powerless, ridiculed—was standing directly in its line of fire.

His fingers twitched. His body still hummed with power.

He didn’t know what his ability was yet.

But he had a choice.

Run—or fight.

The creature’s attack reached its peak, black tendrils lashing out toward him.

Leo exhaled.

Then, his body moved.