If you could choose to be strong or weak, which would you choose? To be strong and fight, or to be weak and powerless? Personally, I would choose to be weak. You’d probably ask why—but why would I want to be strong? To help others and risk my life for people I don’t even know? That seems idiotic.

So, I would choose to be weak. But I’m special… and yet, I’m still weak. And because in this world, those who are strong have to fight for the weak it means the weak are treated unfairly.

My name is Shi. Shi… I’m a homeless 15-year-old just trying to survive. If you want to know how I ended up here, well, it’s because I was once part of one of the most prestigious government facilities—The Garden. A place where they create superhuman children by enhancing them with Pragma.

But I didn’t make the cut.

They threw me out. I was supposed to be killed, but instead, they discarded me—like a notebook that had lost its purpose. The anger I felt from being tossed away like trash was unbearable.

Because of my uselessness, I wandered aimlessly for days until I finally came to my senses. After a long time of trying to pull myself together, I found a place to stay—an abandoned apartment.

“Nothing to eat,” he muttered as his stomach growled.

He got up, took the fish he had caught, and started a fire to cook it. As the flames flickered, he sat there, gazing at the stars, waiting for the food to be ready.

Just as he was about to stand up and grab his meal—

BANG!

A bullet grazed his face.

Frozen in fear, he stood there, trying to process what had just happened.

What’s going on? Am I gonna die?

His breath quickened. His body refused to move. But finally, after mustering the courage, he ran. As hard and as fast as he could. He didn’t think—he just ran.

And then—

THUMP.

He crashed into something. No… someone.

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A body.

A Collector.

N-No… not a Collector…

Shi’s heart pounded in his chest. He turned around and ran. Faster. As fast as his legs would carry him.

Shi was running for his life, keeping his head straight when a flash blitzed across his face.

"Why do you keep running?" the Collector said in a sluggish tone.

Shi kept pushing forward, using the last bit of energy left in his body, but it was futile.

"You finally noticed?"

The entire time he had been running... he hadn't moved at all. His legs were moving, but his body was stuck in place.

Before he could process it, the Collector was suddenly right in front of him. In an instant, he unsheathed his sword and slowly pressed the cold blade against Shi's neck.

"WHY? W-What do you gain from this?!" Shi shouted, his voice trembling, fear the only thing he could feel.

"Is it money? How much?"

He tried bargaining, desperate to live— knowing full well he didn't have a single cent to his name. At that moment, he understood-if he said or did the wrong thing, his life would be over in an instant.

"What I want, huh?" The Collector's grip on his blade tightened.

"What l want... is for a monster like you to die."

Shi's breath caught in his throat. His body froze.

Tears rushed down his face as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to accept his fate.

Silence.

Nothing.

Shi slowly opened his eyes.

"H-How..?"

The Collector-who had been moments away from killing him-was now barely clinging to life.

Before Shi could even process what had happened-

"HEY!"

A voice echoed from the distance.

Shi looked up and spotted another

Collector riding through the air.

The Collector jumped down, barely missing Shi.

Overwhelmed by exhaustion, fear, and the sight of the Collector's black suit, Shi's vision blurred—

And then—

Darkness.

Shi woke up to find a Collector standing in front of him.

"Take it," the Collector said, tossing a katana toward him. Shi barely managed to catch it.

"W-what do you want me to d-" His words were cut short as the Collector drove his knee into his core. Shi collapsed, struggling to get up while vomiting.

"Get up," the Collector said, his voice laced with annoyance.

Shi lay on the ground, crying.

For weeks, the cycle repeated-over and over, nonstop. But over time, Shi adapted. He learned. Eventually, he could put up a fight, even stand a chance at winning. One day, instead of waiting in fear, he sat still, sword in hand, silently anticipating the Collector's arrival.

“Aww are you waiting for me”

Collector asked with a smirk.

In an instant, Shi dashed toward him.

The Collector swung his gauntlets, missing Shi's face by mere inches, but Shi blocked the strike with the hilt of his sword. The Collector was swept off his feet. Shi planted his sword into the ground, using it as leverage to flip himself upright. Gripping the weapon with all his strength, he wrenched it free and brought it down in a powerful slash.

The Collector dodged. Seeing Shi off balance, he lunged with a punch. Shi had only milliseconds to react. His eyes widened.

The patterns in his eyes—a square and a triangle-glowed like rays of light, bursting toward the Collector.

"Finally.." the Collector murmured.

"AHHHHHHH!" A scream of pure agony tore from Shi's throat as blood spewed from his eyes.

Another Collector entered the room and and immediately healed him.

"M-my eyes... how?" Shi stammered.

The Collector sighed. "I have to explain this again?"

"Again?"

"I'm the trainer for the new Gaiden agents... or as you know us, the Collectors."

“Ok but why am I here” “because your special”,

“Special what how” “ You see “

“Gaiden’s Perspective on Pragma

Pragma is the life energy within all living beings, but it remains dormant unless activated. The Garden forces this activation through a serum developed by Adam, unlocking abilities tied to a person’s genetics, personality, and potential.

How The Garden Uses Pragma:

1. Forced Activation – The serum triggers Pragma, awakening abilities that range from physical enhancements to elemental control.

2. Combat-Based Inheritance – The Garden’s method of growth is brutal: by injecting DNA from a fallen opponent, a subject can inherit their ability. However:

• Not all abilities are fully compatible, sometimes resulting in weaker or unstable powers.

• Absorbing too many foreign abilities leads to Pragmatic Overload, which can destroy the body or mind.

3. Artificial Evolution – The strongest subjects learn to refine multiple abilities, sometimes merging them into new ones.

4. Experimentation & Manipulation – The Garden constantly pushes the limits of Pragma, conducting inhumane experiments to accelerate power growth.

Gaiden’s Approach:

Unlike The Garden, we don’t believe power should come from destruction. We focus on controlled, ethical development—training Pragma naturally, refining skills, and mastering teamwork to surpass raw strength. True power isn’t stolen. It’s earned.”

“So your saying I have a special ability”

“exactly”

“so what is it”

“well it’s …”