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Chapter 1
The city streets smelled of sweat, urine, blood, and above all carbon emissions. These were the slums, the parts of the world where the dregs of society were forced to live and cultivate. Allegedly there was ample opportunity to cultivate in the slums, the only problem is that down in the slums, you as a citizen were second class, as even the automated transit systems had right of way over you. Meaning anyone who wished to cultivate while in the slums did so at their own risk.
Frank Fotos was the epitome of what one would call a slum rat. For generations his family has lived deep underground, in the depths of the world, forced to make his way to school through back alleyways, automated roadway systems that have long since been overrun with automated vehicles that were deemed to be too dangerous and too carbon ineffective to remain on the surface of the Earth, as such they were forced down here, where they could still perform a valuable role to society, right next to the other slum rats who have been sentenced to a slow death by absorbing emissions and carbonated fumes, rather than those blessed with being able to cultivate on the surface of the world.
Of course, there was one chance that all slum rats were given, a sort of genetic lottery. A lottery where if you were lucky, you would be allowed to not only leave the slums but be awarded cultivation harnesses and headsets that could be used by anyone, despite their upbringing, and help anyone become a better cultivator overnight. That Legendary product of course is none other than the Occultivator.
Item: Occultivator.
Comes in many different models, styles, and sizes. Useable by anyone beginning their cultivation journey, and with a simple standard equipment rental fee, and basic monthly charges, you too can work your way up to become a cultivation master.
It was a scam of course. The whole thing was, especially for people like Frank, who could only cultivate in the slums. See what the Occultivator didn’t tell you about was the fact that it only helped show motes of cultivation energy in front of you. Those pockets of photons that your eye occasionally catches glimpses of out of the side of your eye, those are motes of cultivation energy. The only thing the Occultivator does is make it so you can see these motes of energy a little easier.
There is of course a catch, as the Occultivator is a series of headsets and harnesses that go over your head, and body and block out all sources of external stimuli so you can focus on cultivating. A great idea if you are on the surface, where cultivation fields have been established and are available to anyone who can afford to frequent them, but down here in the slums, the Occultivator is a death trap. For again, down here, automated vehicles have right of way. Anyone foolish enough to try wearing an Occultivator down here will suffer two things. First, they will likely die due to injury sustained while searching for free floating motes of energy, unaware of the dangers around them. Then Secondly, their family will be held responsible for paying for any lost, damaged, or stolen Occultivator equipment that gets destroyed during the death.
No, right now, as Frank and everyone else in the slums saw it, they only had one chance to leave here, and that was if their awakened gift was B-Rank or higher.
A Gift, otherwise known as a Talent, is a power that everyone is born with on the day of their Awakening. While the Gifts can be upgraded over time, their ranking and impact is always based on their ability to help you externally manifest your powers. With a B-Rank gift, the individual cultivator is allowed to leave the slums and go up to at least the mid-tier levels. With A-Rank gifts, they are allowed to go to the surface, the lands where the most abundant cultivation is possible. With awakening an S-Rank gift, the cultivator is moved to the surface, while their entire family is moved up one Tier.
It was the last Tier that explained why after so many generations, that only the dregs of society, those deemed to be useless were still alive in the slums.
Allegedly, the reason why humanity was driven into the cracks of the Earth was due to a great war against monsters that randomly appeared on the surface of the Earth. A war where only those with A-Ranked powers and above had a chance of surviving at all.
Originally, being forced into the slums, away from the war was a mercy for the weak. Now it seemed to serve as a permanent prison for those unfortunate enough to not awaken a B-Rank talent or above.
Of course, there was another way to be able to leave the slums. Anyone who managed to get to the fifth layer of the body refinement stage of cultivation would be allowed to go to the mid-tier levels. Then anyone who fully broke through the body refinement stage of cultivation, and entered the blood cleansing phase of cultivation would be allowed on the surface, where they could be put into the front lines of the war, where cultivation was quick and easy. Everyone wanted to go to the surface, as it was the only true path to Immortality, at least that is what all the books that the government provided to every institution of learning in the mid-tier and below were allowed to read and learn about.
This was why Frank was so adamant about awakening his true potential and rising higher high enough to get not only himself, but his entire family out of the lot in life they were given.
Standing in line, waiting for the chance to have his talents awakened, Frank stared dully at the posters detailing each step of ranking and cultivation possible.
Ranking System:
F-Rank: A Gift that only manifests internally. Often manifesting as a heightening of senses, or a hardening of internal organs, ultimately useless in the war against the
D-Rank: A Gift that only manifests from the skin out an inch. Often manifesting as hardened skin, the ability to grow claws or teeth, or ability to alter pigmentation of the body to blend into surroundings.
C-Rank: A Gift that manifests from one inch out to five feet away from the body. These often manifest as automated defensive measures, to borderline ESP awareness of immediate danger. If given enough time and cultivation, a C-Rank gift will mean a longer life on the battlefield but are too costly to the war effort to develop personally. This is also the group that is deemed most likely to work their way up from poverty by renting Occultivator equipment to train on their own.
B-Rank: A Gift that manifests up to twenty-five feet away from the body. These often manifest as mid-range attacks and can be trained to be a good front line soldier, or eventual sergeant in the war effort.
A-Rank: A Gift that can be manifested up to fifty feet away from the body. These are the born leaders of society, and the ones most likely to be promoted to leading field units to glory on the battlefield.
S-Rank: A Gift that can be manifested up to a hundred feet or more from the body. These are the future leaders of the world. As it is with the manifestation of S-Rank users that we will be able to rain down death on the enemy from a distance, and claim back the surface of the world for humanity.
Then panning right showed a human body, along with the layers of cultivation and their impact on the human body.
Cultivation Layers:
Body Cultivation (Black): 1 – 9: You will know as a system prompt will inform you when you reach each layer.
Blood Cultivation (Red): 1-5: You will know as your system prompt will inform you when you reach each layer.
Skeletal Cultivation (Orange): 1-4 You will know as your bones will become like iron.
Breakthrough Layer (Green): You will begin the process of becoming a true Immortal.
Silence.
No one spoke, while waiting for their chance to be Awakened. There were many reasons for no one speaking, first the Guardians of the battlefields were watching. Each wore their military uniform with multiple markings on them. On their right arm was a color stripe depicting their ranking along the body cultivation path. Just looking it was clear that each soldier present was at layer five of the Body Cultivation phase, as noted by their five black vertical stripes. Then on their chest, right over their heart was a letter showing their Awakened Gift’s grade. A quick scan showed that everyone present had at least a C-Rank or higher, with the majority of the higher-ranking soldiers having B-Rank or higher. Then on their chest was their actual military rank, which were a series of stripes and lines that meant nothing to Frank as he stared.
Another reason why no one spoke, aside from annoying the guards and future bosses of everyone here, was the fact that it was a myth that the quiet ones were always the ones who awakened B-Rank and above talents.
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As Frank looked around, he saw that most kept their eyes down and forward, not wanting to miss the moment they could take one tiny step forward towards destiny. Of course, that was the majority of people that looked around, there were others who were playing the same game as him. Those that looked around, while the guards were facing away, that was of course when he looked to his right and saw Luther Camello, an arrogant prick whose claim to fame was that his uncle awakened an A-Rank talent, and his aunt awakened an S-Rank talent. This meant that both families were of course moved out of the slums. This meant that Luther’s family inherited the dwellings and resources left behind by their family members as they went onto bigger and greater things.
This meant in an area were resources were scarce, Luther’s family effectively had three times as many resources as other families did, as they had the resources allotted to not one but three different households, that were now all funneled to Luther’s family. As such, Luther became more and more spoiled as time went on.
At one point in time, before the awakenings in Luther’s Aunt’s and Uncle’s houses, Luther used to be someone Frank could call a friend. That was of course a long time ago, back before Luther became an insufferable prick, who felt that Frank was no longer worthy of his friendship, unless he grovel at Luther’s feet.
While Frank wouldn’t let himself grovel at Luther’s feet, there were many others who were more than happy to exchange their dignity for extra scraps from Luther’s plate.
In the slums, food and calories are a valuable commodity, so seeing someone with a bit of a paunch to their stomach is rare. Normally only high-ranking leaders who were demoted to oversee the slums and their families had a paunch. As such, over time the ability to see a protruding stomach was seen as a status symbol. As most women were taught at an early age to flock to those types of people, as they were able to excel at gathering food, even in the worst of environments.
Now Luther, having had three times as many meals as his peers not only had a paunch, but he had one that was threatening the balance of power within the slums, as his was even larger than the mayor’s son. Of course, the mayor was unable to, or unwilling to do anything about the oversight of resources, as Luther’s father was the last of a family that had all produced peerless geniuses. As such, it was a given that Luther, or maybe even his sister would eventually awaken a B-Rank or higher talent and be able to leave the slums. That was why Luther acted so arrogantly, as he knew it was only a matter of time before he too awakened his B-Ranked talent and left here. When he did, he wouldn’t look back at all at those he left in his wake.
As the two sets of eyes met, Luther gave a slight sneer to Frank. Frank was about to break eye contact with him, but then he mouthed something. As soon as Frank saw the lips move, he instantly knew the mocking chant being spoken.
“F-Rank Frank.” A simple but effective nursery rhyme created by Luther and spread about by his minions at the time when Frank chose not to associate with Luther anymore.
At the recognition of those words, Frank turned his head away and faced forward. It had been a long time since such words would get to him. He definitely wouldn’t let such words get to him today, of all days. For today he needed to be calm, cool, and collected while having his body awakened.
Fortunately, with there being two lines, and Luther being in the alternate line, Frank only had to deal with avoiding Luther for a few minutes. Though honestly, those minutes felt like hours.
Darkness.
There was one person before him now, as he waited at the entrance to the gymnasium that had been converted into an awakening chamber.
Frank watched as the person, two spots in front of him was already up standing before a giant crystal ball. There she placed her hand on the ball, causing the ball to glow brightly for a second.
This was of course yet another test. The longer you held on to the awakening ball, the more energy you had thrust into you, and ultimately the higher your chances were of awakening a higher ranked talent. At least that was the legend, and it was a fact that was encouraged by both the teachers and administrators of this event.
The minute the girl, Stacey Lyons, removed her hand from the sphere, her rank appeared, and her shoulders dropped as she realized the futility of her status.
D Rank.
Seeing the ranking, Frank couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl, as it meant she wasn’t even able to rent out Occultivator equipment to try to improve her standing and eventually get her way out of here. Though if they saved up enough money, they could ultimately purchase Occultivator equipment at full retail price, but that never happened for someone in the slums.
Ding-ding-ding.
There was a shout and a sudden alarm that went off from the other line. Being as he was just about to enter; Frank was close enough to be able to peer around the divider that had been established between the two lines and see what all the commotion was about.
As soon as he looked on, his stomach dropped, as he saw the worst thing imaginable, Luther, his former friend turned fat archenemy was a B-Rank. Not enough to get his family away from the slums, but more than high enough that Luther himself would be able to leave and go to the mid-tiers, where cultivation was easier, and death wasn’t around every automated corner.
Breathe.
Frank forced himself to calm down and use the meditation principles he had been taught. While he hadn’t fully awoken as a cultivator yet, it was felt that teaching the basics of cultivation as early as possible was important for helping those who awaken talents to cultivate faster. As such, meditation, and other mind calming methods were taught at an early age. A fact that Frank was thankful for now, as he tried to calm himself as he looked forward to see the boy before him, Charles Upton, go forward and awaken his talent.
There was a bright flash of light, and then a pause before C-Rank was shown on the giant board.
While nowhere near good as a B-Rank, a C-Rank was not too bad, as they were allowed to rent out Occultivator equipment at any time, even being allowed to go into debt to rent out Occultivator equipment.
Finally, it was Frank’s turn.
As he walked forward, his legs felt like rubber as his nerves were finally getting to him. Still he forced his way forward through sheer willpower alone. This was his chance to change everything, he was going to awaken the best gift, and take not only his mother, but his little brother with him and leave the slums forever. Not only was he going to get a better ranked gift than Luther, but it was going to be one powerful enough that he would be able to move his entire family out from the slums.
When he finally got to the giant orb, a director was there to help him.
“Today you will be going through an awakening. Just place your hands on the stone for as long as possible and then when you are done, your ranking will be displayed on the screen.” The guard with the letter A printed in giant font on his chest spoke.
Hearing the words, Frank could only nod in acknowledgement, as his mouth was suddenly too dry to speak.
With that, there were other sounds, other sights but they were all muted. Suddenly the only thing Frank could hear was the intense pounding within his head, as he made his way forward.
Taking a deep breath to center himself, he quickly found his center and then exhaling placed his hands upon the stone.
Frank was glad he touched the stone after exhaling, as he immediately felt an intense burning sensation filling his body. This was the core functionality of his body awakening, as his body was being forced to cultivate. He felt the equivalent of a sharp electrical current flowing through his body, breaking through his passageways and burning away any corruption in his body. This was simultaneously the most refreshing and painful experience Frank had ever experienced in his life.
The feeling was refreshing in that he could suddenly cultivate, in his mind, he felt what true power was. In the center of his slowly awakening mind, he could see the extent of power in the universe. He could feel Immortality at his beck and call. Most importantly, he could feel the hairs on his head standing up on end, as he could feel his mind and body synchronizing to be able to wield this power, this rush, this excitement. It was a high, something that he had never felt before, and hoped to continue to experience every moment for the rest of his life.
Frank’s heart was racing, but that was okay, even it if pumped its way out of his chest that would be fine, worth it even. The power he felt was indescribable, unavoidable, and untamable, at least that was how it felt at first.
Then slowly over time, Frank felt his mind fighting back. Within seconds of his release, he felt his body forcefully calming itself down. His heart went from racing a mile a second, to slowing down to that of a quick run, then a quick jog, and finally to that of a resting heartbeat.
Frank calmed himself, until finally the flow of energy flowed where and how he wanted it to throughout his body. He felt his body awaken deeper layers of comprehension, he could feel the niches being carved out showing the different levels of cultivation he would need to achieve and what exactly each step meant.
Most importantly, he could see the golden flashing motes of energy around him, and emanating from the stone. He held onto that sight, forcing his mind and body to forever engrave this sight into his brain.
He had only about the sun, about its bright golden rays and intense feelings of warmth that it provided. Being so low below the earth’s surface such pleasures were lost on him and his kind. Yet, right now seeing the motes, and feeling their bright warm sensation on his body, Frank felt content, truly content. At this moment, all his thoughts on rankings and gifts were washed away, as he settled in the glowing richness of the energy emanating from the stone. Energy that was no longer being forced through his body, but rather being cycled through his body. Through his body, into his eyes, that allowed him to see and experience everything so vividly that he could almost cry from the beauty.
Then finally, the energy stopped flowing.
Ringing.
There was an intense ringing in his ears. It took Frank a second to realize what happened, he had been in the realm of the gods, with the sun, and the stars, and suddenly he was back here in the slums where everything seemed cold and dark by comparison.
Frank looked around, seeing the slack jawed look on the proctor’s face, though Frank couldn’t understand why the look of shock was there. Fortunately, he spoke, making it clear what was so odd.
“I’ve never seen someone manage to hold on all the way through the process.” The proctor began, then stared at the now blank stone and the blank screen.
There was darkness everywhere, off in the distance, Frank could see little specks of flowing light all around the gymnasium, up on the rafters, in the dark crevasse, but none around him.
“One second.” The Proctor said, as he went over, and noticed that the energy source that fed into the mobile testing lab was empty. With a quick practiced speed, he opened a nearby military box, and pulled out a giant replacement battery that he put in, then used the now empty case to hold the depleted battery. The entire process took only a minute, but the entire time Frank just waited in anxious anticipation.
He felt so powerful. Better still, he could see energy, of that he was certain. Then a thought hit him, if this was what it looked like to see energy with his own eyes, imagine what he could do with the Occultivator.
“There we go.” The Proctor said, charging up the crystal and causing the instruments to come back online. “Just stand right there.”
With that he pointed to the exact spot where Frank was currently standing.
As the machine came online, Frank could feel a slight surge of energy washing over his body. Energy that he began absorbing almost by reflex, he tried to stop, but found himself unable to as the energy just flowed freely from the outside to inside his body.
Mentally he felt his mind come alive, as this was apparently the last part to get the system to fully awaken within his mind.
System activated.
In his mind, he felt the same words that were being displayed before him up on the screen. Was this the same for everyone? He couldn’t tell, while Frank had never read about such occurrences, maybe it was left out as it was a given? Or it would be too disorienting? Either way, it took Frank a second to adjust, then finally he saw the readouts.
Strength: 8 (Below Average)
Dexterity: 9 (Below Average)
Agility: 8 (Below Average)
Mind: 7 (Way Below Average)
Power: 12 (Above Average)
Willpower: 12 (Above Average)
The attributes listed were low, but sadly they were on par with what one would expect from someone who spent all their life within the slums. Fortunately, his Power and Willpower were high, as that meant he likely could gain a high-ranking gift.
At least that was what he hoped, until he felt reality shatter around him, as he saw his gift.
Awakened Gift: Energy Sight (F-Rank)
Then just like that, Frank’s hope at being able to leave the slums was dashed in an instant.