The Only Powerless is the Apex Predator

In a world where everyone was a predator, Zuraiz was a sheep.

Twenty years ago, the Great Awakening changed human history forever. A rogue scientific experiment went catastrophic, releasing a primordial gas that swept across the globe. It didn’t turn humans into monsters; instead, it fused prehistoric beast DNA into human genetics. Overnight, humanity became a superpowered society ranked strictly by their primal bloodlines, from the pathetic E-rank lizards to the catastrophic, Country-level apex predators like the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

And then, there was Zuraiz.

"Still trying to fix that ancient piece of junk, useless?"

A mocking voice echoed across the scrap yard. Zuraiz, a lean twenty-year-old with dark messy hair and sharp but tired eyes, didn't look up. He wiped the sweat from his brow, his oil-stained hands tight around a wrench as he continued repairing a broken generator.

A heavy foot crushed his toolbox.

Zuraiz finally looked up. Standing over him was Riaz, a muscular thug from the local syndicate. Riaz’s skin was faintly shimmering with coarse, pebbled scales, and his eyes slit into vertical pupils—the trademark physical manifestation of his D-Rank Ankylosaurus bloodline.

"The rent for this sector doubled today, Powerless Lord," Riaz sneered, using the derogatory title the slums had given Zuraiz. "Pay up, or I’ll use your ribs for teeth-picking."

Zuraiz clenched his fists, his heart pounding, but he forced his voice to remain calm. "The contract said next week, Riaz. I don’t have it today. I need this money for my sister's medicine."

"Like I give a damn about your mutant sister," Riaz barked. He kicked Zuraiz squarely in the chest.

Without a primal beast aura to protect his body, Zuraiz felt like he had been hit by a speeding truck. He flew backward, crashing into a pile of rusted iron pipes. A gasp of pain escaped his lips, the metallic taste of blood rising in his throat.

Why? Zuraiz thought, staring at the gray, smog-filled sky as he clutched his bruised ribs. Why am I the only one born without a prehistoric soul?

His parents had mysteriously vanished five years ago, leaving behind nothing but unanswered questions and an empty house. Since then, Zuraiz had been fighting tooth and nail just to keep himself and his seventeen-year-old sister, Amaya, alive. In a world where your worth was determined by the prehistoric beast roaring inside your DNA, being a "Zero-Aura" was worse than being a criminal. It was a death sentence.

"Next time, I won't just kick you," Riaz spat, turning away after stealing the few credits Zuraiz had earned that morning. "Have the money ready tomorrow, or your sister belongs to the syndicate."

Zuraiz dragged his bruised body off the ground, swallowed his pride, and forced himself to walk home. He couldn't let Amaya see him like this.

Their home was a cramped, crumbling apartment in the poorest sector of the city. As soon as Zuraiz unlocked the door, a warm, sweet voice greeted him.

"Brother! You’re back early!"

Amaya ran toward him. Despite the harsh environment, her smile was radiant. However, her pale skin and slight wheeze betrayed her weak constitution. Unlike Zuraiz, Amaya had awakened a bloodline—a rare but dormant avian strain from the ancient Pterodactyl family. Unfortunately, her awakening had been corrupted, leaving her lungs weak and dependent on expensive cellular suppressants.

"Hey, princess," Zuraiz forced a bright smile, hiding his limp as he gently patted her head. "Did you take your medicine?"

"I did," Amaya nodded, but her sharp eyes instantly caught the tear in his shirt and the dark bruise forming on his jaw. Her smile faded, replaced by deep sorrow. "Riaz’s men did this again, didn't they? Brother... you don't have to keep fighting them because of me. If I just stop taking the medicine—"

"Don't ever say that," Zuraiz interrupted, his voice fiercely protective. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "As long as I am breathing, I will protect you. I don't care if the whole world is full of gods and monsters. Nobody touches my little sister."

Amaya’s eyes welled with tears, but she nodded softly, hugging him tightly. Zuraiz held her, his gaze turning incredibly cold and ambitious. I need power. I don't care what it takes. I will find a way to become strong, to find our parents, and to give Amaya the life she deserves.

Later that evening, Zuraiz walked Amaya to the local community clinic for her weekly check-up. The streets of Sector 9 were dark, illuminated only by flickering neon signs.

Suddenly, a terrifying pressure descended upon the alleyway.

The air grew heavy, smelling faintly of sulfur and rotting meat. Zuraiz’s instincts screamed in primal terror. From the shadows ahead, a tall, imposing figure stepped out.

It was a man clad in a dark leather trench coat, but his arms were unnaturally long, ending in three-inch, razor-sharp black talons. The faint, ghostly phantom of a feathered, blood-thirsty bipedal dinosaur—a B-Rank Deinonychus—hovered aggressively over his shoulders, visible only as a terrifying spiritual aura.

"Well, well. Look what we have here," the man grinned, his teeth sharp and filed. "The Powerless boy and his pretty little sister. Boss Riaz said you were short on rent. He told me to fetch the girl as collateral."

"Run, Amaya! RUN!" Zuraiz roared, pushing his sister behind him.

"Brother, no!" Amaya cried out.

Before she could even turn, the Deinonychus user vanished in a blur of terrifying speed.

Fast! Zuraiz couldn't even track his movements. A heavy blow struck Zuraiz’s face, sending him crashing into the concrete wall. The impact fractured his shoulder, and he collapsed, paralyzed by the sheer physical disparity.

"Pathetic trash," the man mocked, stepping right over Zuraiz's bleeding body and grabbing Amaya by her hair.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Amaya screamed, kicking frantically, but the B-rank fighter didn't even flinch. His claws dug into her shoulder, drawing blood.

Seeing his sister’s blood, something inside Zuraiz’s mind violently snapped. A hot, roaring fury consumed his entire being.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Zuraiz screamed, dragging his broken body off the ground. With absolute madness in his eyes, he threw himself at the man, locking his arms around the fighter's waist.

"Get off me, cockroach!" The man roared. His raptor-like talons slashed backward, tearing deeply into Zuraiz's chest.

Slash!

Flesh tore open. Blood sprayed across the cold pavement. Zuraiz fell to his knees, his vision blurring as life rapidly drained from his body.

"Brother!!!" Amaya’s agonizing scream felt miles away.

Zuraiz stared at the pool of his own blood. Is this it? Am I dying? I couldn't even protect her... God, if you are listening, give me power... Just give me the power to tear them apart!

Suddenly, the world froze. The rain stopped mid-air. Amaya’s screams grew silent.

A cold, mechanical, and absolute voice resonated directly inside Zuraiz's dying consciousness.

[Ding! Host's strong desire for survival and absolute dominance detected.]

[Scanning genetic makeup... Warning! Host possesses no inherent prehistoric bloodline.]

[Error! High compatibility with 'The Void' detected. Universal Law activated.]

[Initializing: The Primordial Evolution System!]

Zuraiz's eyes snapped wide open as a massive, glowing blue holographic screen materialized in front of his face.

[System Bound Successfully.]

[Host Name: Zuraiz]

[Current State: Critical Failure (Dying)]

[Unique Innate Ability Awakening: 'Absolute Mimicry & Devour' (Rank: Unknown)]

[Target Detected in Immediate Vicinity: Human Variant (Deinonychus Bloodline - B-Rank)]

[Activating First-Time User Privilege: Automatically copying target's primal DNA...]

[Ding! 100% Extraction Successful. You have acquired the B-Rank Prehistoric Ability: 'Raptor's Swift Claws'!]

Instantly, a surge of blistering hot, ancient energy erupted from Zuraiz’s heart, flooding his veins. His broken shoulder snapped back into place. The deep gashes on his chest closed and healed at a visible rate.

Behind Zuraiz, the air began to distort wildly. A terrifying, colossal shadow of an ancient, prehistoric predator began to manifest—not as a weak spiritual aura, but as an absolute, suffocating pressure that made the entire alleyway tremble.

Zuraiz slowly stood up, his dark eyes now glowing with a dangerous, golden primordial light.

The mechanical voice chimed one last time, sending chills down his spine.

[System Warning: It is time for the Apex Predator to hunt.]