Chapter 1   - 1: The Beggar And The Academy

"Back in the old world, they say that the humans took 72 hours to reach the moon... Well, I did it in a blink of an eye" - Evans, Holder of the Hermes System, the Year 1327 APC.

More than a thousand years ago, portals opened up in the world.

It took the whole world by surprise. Raining down monsters that swallowed the cities of the world whole, turning it asunder. Huge eagle-like monsters with a body of a lion, three-headed wolves, nine-headed gigantic lizards-- creatures that one could only see in the mythos.

This event came to be known as the Portal Calamity.

The humans fought back. But their hi-tech weaponry was only able to kill the weaker beasts. There were beasts with skin that seemed impenetrable, deflecting even their strongest bullets.

Every second was a battle to survive.

All seemed lost as most of the population have succumbed, their military defeated, their weapons useless, their bullets... depleted.

Their nuclear bombs only caused society and technology to regress, bringing them back to the age of Dark.

But everything changed when the first superhuman was discovered years after their struggle.

A child that was born after the portals have appeared in their world.

A child that was born with abilities that one could only call god-like.

And soon, another one appeared. From then on, the humans have discovered that there were others-- Humans that were born with supernatural powers.

And although their powers were different from each other, the super-humans all called their powers by the same name...

The System.

The humans struggled to keep them safe until they were old enough to harness and control these powers. Millions of soldiers, as well as normal people, sacrificed themselves in order to protect their only hope.

And it paid off. A few years after, the balance of war has finally shifted. And although the world has not yet been saved, it was worth it.

Soon, one by one, they reclaimed their cities with the help of the System Holders.

But the portals, even with the defeat of the monsters... the portals remained.

It was not until the first System Holder entered a portal with his comrades that they discovered that they needed to defeat the monsters that were also left inside.

And so, this continued.

A portal opens up, and System Holders are sent to clear it. Those System Holders soon came to be known as Explorers.

The portals and the creatures that come from it were now a part of their world, and so were the System Holders. Living side by side. Any trace of the old civilization was gone, their technology, all but obsolete.

And so, more than a thousand years have passed like this.

The first system holders, in honor of the humans who have protected them, created schools.

Schools to train young System Holders until they were old enough to control their powers. They will nurture them, like how the humans of the Old World have nurtured them.

The Academy for Gifted Children and System Holders, or The System Academy, in short. Except for the extra-curricular activities and other classes, in hindsight, it still functioned as a normal school.

And in one of those schools, a young boy stood carrying a big straw sack. Looking at the gigantic pillars that held the gates of the academy with his eyes full of passion and excitement. Even with his tattered and dirty clothes, even with his feet bare and full of wounds, his swollen eyes sparkled.

Because in front of his eyes, were floating words--

[The Hermes System - Locked]

Floating words that only he could see. It suddenly appeared in front of him when he woke up 3 days ago.

The young boy couldn’t read it as he was illiterate. But he knew enough to know that this was usually the first proof that one was a System Holder.

But this was just a ticket. Some people die of old age without even unlocking their System.

And that is why he, Evans, was in front of the academy-- in the hopes that the Academy could help him unlock his potential.

Evans closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. Finally, he will be able to escape his home, escape the hands of his father.

And so, he released his breath and approached one of the guards that were standing in front of the huge gate. The students that were coming and going inside the gate were staring at him, trying to walk a few meters away from him.

"H...hello!", Evans smiled as he bowed towards the guard, "I have come here to enroll, pleet!", due to his nervousness, he bit his tongue.

Seeing the dirty boy in front of him, the guard quickly covered his nose, "Go away, there are no beggars allowed inside the academy!"

"N...no!", Evans shook his head, the smile on his face still strong even with the obvious discrimination, "I am a System Holder!"

"You... a System Holder? Bwahahaha!", the guard laughed, and the students that also heard what he said could not help but scoff.

"If you are a System Holder, then I am a Gold Rank Explorer", the guard continued to chuckle, "Beat it, boy. You are being a disturbance to the students", he then said in a cold tone.

"But I really am a System Holder, look!", Evans raised his finger, trying to point at the words in front of him.

But unfortunately for him, for some reason, the guard saw this as an attempt to touch him. And so, he hit Evans with the hilt of his sword, hard enough for him to be thrown to the ground.

"N...no!", the contents of Evans’ sack were blown away, causing it to scatter on the ground.

"Oi, kid!", the guard kicked him, "Pick up your trash!"

"T...these aren’t trash!", Evans said as he hastily collected his... items. They were relics-- items from the old world, and as the guard said, were usually trash.

"I...I am going to use this as payment to enroll in the academy!", Evans stood up as soon as he picked up all of his things.

Hearing what Evans said, the people around him once again laughed hysterically.

But Evans did not mind, his eyes were still full of resolution as he stared at the guard straight in the eye.

"I am not going to ask again, boy", seeing Evans’ eyes, the guard could not help but click his tongue, "...Leave if you do not want to get hurt aga--"

"Now now, Fred. Let’s give the boy a chance"

Before the guard could finish his words, a group of students approached him, led by a student with golden hair.

"Y...young master Gerald!", the guard quickly saluted as soon as he saw who the owner of the voice was.

"The kid seems willing enough", the student called Gerald chuckled, "We will take him to the Headmaster"

"!!!", hearing the student’s words, Evans’ dirty face instantly brightened, "R...really!?"

"Of course", Gerald smiled at Evans as he approached Evans and patted his shoulder, "Everyone is welcome in the Academy, isn’t that right, Fred?", he then turned towards the guard.

"This...", the guard could only grit his teeth as he nodded.

"See?", Gerald clapped his hand, "Now, follow us inside the academy...", he squinted his eyes towards Evans.

"It’s Evans! My name is Evans!"

"...Evans, I and my group will bring you to the Headmaster", Gerald smiled.

Once again, Evans thanked Gerald, bowing a couple of times before following them inside the academy.

The guard, Fred, could not help but click his tongue and shake his head as he saw the boy’s back disappear into the distance with Gerald’s group. The boy looked to be only 12 or so years old, even younger than his son.

He then whispered in a very sorrowful tone,

"...Sorry, kid"