The World Beyond the Rift

Barolt could barely contain his excitement. His 13th birthday had finally arrived.

For years, he had endured his father's ridiculous training—getting thrown into monster nests, forced to train on volcanoes, and even made to consume questionable substances that Adam swore would "strengthen his soul." Now, after surviving what no normal human should, it was finally time.

The awakening ceremony.

Like every other child in the world, he would receive his system, the foundation of strength for all awakened beings. He would finally have access to his stats, his rank, and his path forward.

As he walked downstairs, Hans and Bam grinned at him.

"Happy Birthday, kid!" Bam said, ruffling his hair. "You survived another year of hell. That alone deserves respect."

Hans smirked. "Surprise, surprise. I was half-expecting you to be missing a limb by now."

"Ha ha, very funny," Barolt muttered.

"Good morning," Adam's deep voice rumbled from behind him. "Sit."

Barolt immediately straightened up. Whenever his father spoke like that, it usually meant something either ridiculous or terrifying was about to happen.

"Before you awaken," Adam said, reaching behind him, "I have a gift for you."

Barolt swallowed nervously. The last time he received a "gift," Adam had handed him a sword, pointed at a monster-infested dungeon, and said, "Survive."

Adam placed a cage on the table.

Inside sat… a chicken.

Barolt stared.

Hans and Bam leaned over, equally confused.

"...Dad," Barolt said slowly, "why is there a chicken in a cage?"

Adam nodded solemnly. "This is no ordinary chicken."

Bam choked. Hans covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.

Barolt pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please, don't tell me this is another one of your 'training tools' like that rock you gave Hans last year."

"That rock made him stronger."

Hans snorted. "That rock was just a rock, Adam!"

"Not the point." Adam waved a hand dismissively. "This chicken is special. From now on, it will be your companion."

Barolt looked at the bird, which stared back at him with unsettling intelligence.

"...It's a chicken."

"A training chicken."

Barolt opened his mouth. Closed it. Then sighed. "Okay, I'll bite. How does a chicken help me train?"

Adam folded his arms. "Simple. You must carry it with you everywhere. Never let it out of your sight."

Bam burst out laughing. "Pffft—HAAHAHAHAHA! Kid, enjoy your new best friend!"

Hans wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, this is the best birthday ever."

Barolt groaned. Of course, his father wasn't kidding. He had long since accepted that Adam's methods made no sense… yet somehow, they always worked.

The chicken clucked.

Its beady eyes met Barolt's.

Why do I feel like it understands everything that's happening?

"Fine," Barolt muttered, picking up the cage. "I'll take care of it."

Adam smirked.

Hans and Bam were still laughing.

And the chicken… just stared.

---

The Awakening Ceremony

Hours later, Barolt stood at the Awakening Center, surrounded by other kids his age.

A large, glowing crystal stood in the center of the room, pulsing with energy. Each child would step forward, place their hand on it, and officially awaken, receiving their status screen for the first time.

Barolt took a deep breath. This is it.

One by one, students awakened, their stats appearing in front of them in glowing blue panels. Some cheered, some groaned in disappointment, and a few even cried when they realized they had weak stats.

Finally, it was Barolt's turn.

He placed his hand on the crystal.

A bright glow engulfed him.

Ding! [Awakening Complete]

A blue screen popped up in front of him.

---

[Status Window]

Name: Barolt

Rank: E (Unawakened)

Strength: 1

Agility: 1

Endurance: 1

Mana: ???

---

Barolt blinked.

He blinked again.

"...What?"

Hans and Bam, who had been waiting outside, peeked at his status screen.

Silence.

Then, Hans collapsed on the floor laughing.

Bam clutched his stomach. "Oh my God, it's even worse than I thought!"

Even the other students were whispering.

"Wait… isn't he supposed to be strong?"

"I heard he trained like a madman under Adam!"

"Why are all his stats… 1?"

Barolt felt his eye twitch. Years of hellish training, and I'm at the same level as a normal kid who sat around all day?!

But then he saw his Mana stat. Unlike the others, it wasn't showing a number. It was just… ???

What does that mean?

Before he could ask, he heard Adam chuckling behind him.

"HAHAHAHA!"

Barolt turned around, confused. "Dad?"

Adam grinned. "This is the funniest thing I've seen all day."

Barolt gritted his teeth. "You think this is funny?!"

"You trained your body," Adam said, still smirking. "But the system doesn't measure that. It only shows your potential before you truly awaken. The real test is what happens when you actually unlock your power."

Barolt took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. Alright. Fine. I'll just have to wait until I awaken properly.

Then he felt a presence behind him.

He turned around.

The chicken sat perfectly still in its cage… staring at him.

For some reason, Barolt felt judged.

-----------

Barolt took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts. Strength: 1. Agility: 1. Endurance: 1.

One. One. One.

"HAHAHAHA!"

The sound of Hans and Bam rolling on the floor laughing made it impossible to ignore.

"Stop laughing, damn it!" Barolt snapped, his eye twitching.

Hans wiped a tear from his eye. "I—pfft—I'm sorry, kid. I just… HAHAHA! After all that training, all that hell Adam put you through, and you're… just normal?!"

Barolt clenched his fists. This is humiliating.

Meanwhile, other students whispered around him.

"Wait… isn't he Adam's son?"

"Yeah, THE Adam?"

"Shouldn't he be a monster by now?"

"Maybe the training was a lie?"

Barolt gritted his teeth. He wasn't just any student.

Unlike most kids, who studied in standard academies, Barolt had been privately trained since birth. The only reason he was here today was because awakening had to be officially registered at a government facility. It was a legal requirement.

And as for Adam…

Everyone in the room knew about him.

The man was a living legend. His strength was terrifying, but more than that—his unpredictable nature made him infamous.

Stories of his absurd training methods, random disappearances, and bizarre logic had spread everywhere.

"Didn't Adam once throw a kid into a monster nest and tell him to 'figure it out'?"

"I heard he used a live bear as a training partner for a toddler!"

"He tried to teach someone how to fly… by throwing them off a cliff."

"I heard he trained his son in a—"

"SHUT UP!" Barolt groaned, covering his ears.

None of it was wrong, but hearing it out loud made it worse.

Adam, meanwhile, just chuckled. "You're thinking too much, Barolt."

"How can I NOT think about it?! My stats are one across the board!"

Adam smirked. "So?"

"SO?! Dad, I trained harder than anyone! This is embarrassing!"

Adam shrugged. "Let's find out why. System, explain."

Ding!

A robotic voice echoed in Barolt's head.

[Explanation: Awakening measures a person's initial potential. It does NOT reflect actual power. Final strength is determined by growth after unlocking abilities.]

Barolt frowned. "So… this doesn't mean I'm actually weak?"

[Correct. These numbers reflect current baseline, not trained capability. Subject's body, despite unawakened state, is significantly beyond normal parameters.]

Bam snorted. "So basically, the system doesn't know what to do with him."

Adam nodded. "Exactly. Right now, you're unregistered. The system only gives low values by default because it follows standard rules."

Hans smirked. "That means the moment you awaken for real, you're going to break the system's expectations."

Barolt felt a wave of relief… until he noticed something.

"...What about my mana?"

His Mana stat wasn't a number. It was just "???"

Adam's smirk widened. "That's the interesting part."

Barolt sighed. "I don't like the way you said that."

Adam ignored him. "Alright. Time for testing."

Barolt frowned. "What?"

"You need to test your strength. Fight me."

"...Excuse me?"

"Come on." Adam grinned. "Show me what you got."

Hans and Bam immediately backed up. "Welp, kid. It was nice knowing you."

"Wait, wait, wait! I JUST awakened! How is this fair?!"

"It's not." Adam cracked his knuckles. "Life isn't fair. Now fight."

Barolt groaned. Of course.

---

[Training Grounds]

Barolt stood in the middle of an empty training field.

The chicken was still watching him.

Adam stood across from him, arms folded. "Alright. Attack me."

Barolt took a deep breath. Alright. Let's do this.

He charged.

Adam didn't move.

Barolt swung his fist—

And hit nothing.

A gust of wind. That's all he punched.

Before he could react, Adam flicked him on the forehead.

BANG!

Barolt flew backward, smashing into a training dummy.

"...Ow."

Hans winced. "Oof. That had to hurt."

Bam nodded. "A flick from Adam is like getting hit by a truck."

Barolt groaned, sitting up. "Dad, this is—"

"Again."

Barolt gritted his teeth.

Fine. You want me to go all out? I'll go all out!

---

[Fusion Power: Activation]

Barolt exhaled slowly, focusing.

For years, he had trained under Adam, not just in physical combat, but also in controlling energy.

Adam had taught him something beyond normal mana. Something that felt different.

Now, as his body tensed, he felt his mana stirring—fusing with that mysterious energy.

Something clicked.

A bright glow enveloped his hands.

The air shifted.

Hans and Bam immediately noticed.

"That… doesn't feel like normal mana."

"Yeah. It's different."

Adam smirked. "Good. Now come at me."

Barolt vanished.

His speed exploded beyond normal levels, his fist aiming directly for Adam's stomach.

Adam blocked with one hand.

BOOM!

The ground cracked beneath them.

Barolt's eyes widened. He actually made Adam move.

But before he could feel victorious—

Adam grabbed his wrist.

And yeeted him into a tree.

CRASH!

Barolt groaned, peeling himself off the bark. "Ow, ow, ow…"

Adam nodded. "Not bad."

Hans raised an eyebrow. "So? What's the verdict?"

Adam folded his arms. "It's… improper."

Barolt frowned. "What do you mean?"

Adam pointed at his hands. "Your power isn't fully awakened yet. What you're using now is a diluted version. It's incomplete."

Barolt clenched his fists. "Then what do I need to do?"

Adam smirked. "Simple."

"Train harder."

Barolt groaned. "I hate you."

Adam ruffled his hair. "Love you too, kid."

The chicken clucked.

And for some reason… Barolt had the unsettling feeling that it understood everything.