1 Meeting the End to Start the Beginning

The bright moon and stars were peacefully doing their job as natural torches for the night. Suddenly, a wave of malicious looking dark clouds appeared to disrupt the serene evening of a country. According to the country's forecast that day, the weather should be good. However the dark clouds had weirdly encompassed the whole country during this time of late night.

Right above that country and just a distance from Earth, two elderly figures were hovering in space with solemn expressions. They were invisible from the sight of the world and its technologies.

"If System no. 901 hadn't fallen, he would've attained the first rank in just a moments time" Among those figures was a female. She let out a sigh and shook her head in dejection. "He was a genius amongst those geniuses." She added and went into a quick daze.

'I should pick up a replacement that is either on par or above him. That person shall be the 18th System no. 901 or else I'll get kicked out of my job and be left out to die.' She thought.

Her male companion chuckled. "That was unfortunate of you. To think you have finally picked up a treasure after so many years yet he died before he could fully grow. Take my System no. 845 as an example, even though he's not much as your deceased treasure, at least he still lives and it won't be long before he surpasses your System no. 901." He took pleasure at the downfall of others. "I think the 1st step of the process is finished" He said and took a glance of the dark clouds shrouding the country they are currently hovering above.

The female, including him, holds a middle position in SA as system trainers. They are assigned of a system each and it is their job to be the association's teachers. What they teach are monitored and if they break a rule, they are subjected to inhumane punishments or worse, death.

The elderly woman was already on the brink of being fired from her spot. The systems she had chosen gave poor results and the SA doesn't want those for its efficiency. The 17th System no. 901 was already her last chance and luckily, he gave good results that even the elders were proud. But, unfortunately, her student met his demise early. The association gave her another chance to continue her job and pick a new one that will decide her fate. The person next to her was assigned to be her assistant in completing the arduous process of picking one that's why even thou she hates this man, she can't afford to disobey orders.

"Let us start" The female let out another sigh and did preparations.

Earth is where the System Association picks its members. This is because Earth is a special planet that is different from the others and furthermore it has the main qualities of a system. It is the only planet where magic and power doesn't reign but instead intelligence and knowledge does.

Choosing a system also requires luck or perhaps meticulous preparations. For example, since there is a time limit in replacing a dead system, one must immediately choose a new one in Earth. However, the person needs to be deceased within a week or else they aren't susceptible as replacements so they need luck for this. One could also plan someone as replacements when they are still living. However, the future replacement's life span and the current system's may be in conflict and there's the large possibility of one of them dying before the other with a large time gap so this method is quite impractical.

"Are you sure this is the only country you have chosen to pick the replacement? Shouldn't you at least add another country so that your 1 star size in area of picking geniuses will be fully used?" The old man asked gave a weird gaze at the female.

"My guts tells me that this is the only place where I would find that person who can stabilize my position. If I add another country of the appropriate missing area in choosing, searching will be an even more troublesome job. There's a possibility that I may choose the wrong person because of the pressure in choosing the replacement within the time limit." She reasoned out.

The old lady, after speaking, closed her eyes while her companion aided her in maintaining the just-activated scanning formations that are numerously hovering on the planet. A rough golden sketch of buildings, sceneries and the deceased human souls appeared on the old female's mind. On these souls were numbers indicating that person's IQ.

"You have an hour to search. Time starts now" The old man said and a timer appeared in front of the two.

---------

Inside a rich household, during this time of the evening, was a young male hardly getting any sleep. His room was dimly lit and if you scrutinize the area, you could see just how messy the place is.

The door creaked open and a silhouette appeared holding a tray with a glass of milk in hand. The room's switch clicked and the light went from dim to bright.

"Oh! Sis! You felt it again that I couldn't sleep?!" The young male immediately sat up and beamed a bright smile at the female standing beside the door.

She nodded and returned a small smile while walking towards the male before putting down the tray in front of him.

"I thought my brother Argen couldn't sleep without his milk again" She chuckled. "I can't believe that at our age, you still couldn't sleep without milk"

"Well, I don't know why but ever since last week you started bringing me this, I can easily sleep as soon as I finish drinking your own formulae milk. Its taste is quite superb than other brands!" He said happily and drank the glass.

While gulping down the milk, Argen did not notice his sister's smile turning malicious.

'Mom and dad had adopted you when we were both 2 years old. But no matter how much I work and please them, their eyes always seem to be focused on you. A lazy good-for-nothing brat.' The female thought while letting out a cold and malevolent gaze at her brother.

'My achievements feels like fleeting clouds for them even though I'm the real child. However you, without doing anything, lazing around and only achieving poor results when you work, how come their pamper and love always seem to be fixated on you?'

'Every time we go to the mall and some products catches your eyes, my parents work hard to buy it without you even telling them to. But I don't receive such attention and attitude like yours from them. What I wanted---no---needed, they always create excuses and reasons for it to be stalled or not to be bought.' Her fists slowly clenched as she bit her lips in anger and frustration.

'They pay exuberant tuition for you and your measly intelligence to go to school and learn some gold but only intake a scrap of rusted steel in return. They work hard day and night to feed your useless self. They even told me to take care of you in the future when they're gone. Well guess what. I don't take care of a piece of useless sh*t.'

'I'm not jealous or anything. It's just that I pity MY parents and myself to continue feeding a lazy good-for-nothing fake son and brother. Life would be so much happier and easier if you die.'

Suddenly a choking cough could be heard from Argen. He was sweating profusely and clenched the area where the heart was located to try and ease the excruciating pain. It was futile and he could feel his sight turning dark.

"S-sis..."

The female let out a chilling guffawing laughter.

"You know what? It's a good thing you have a weak heart to begin with. Saves me the trouble of wracking my brains in finding out a way to murder you and make it seem like a natural death!" She gave a cold gaze filled with killing intent to the dying boy.

Argen's sister had concocted a slow acting poison that promotes heart attacks to even a healthy heart. She dissolved this and mixed it together with the milk. She carried this plan tonight where their parents are currently out of town for it to be successful.

"Aren't you happy that your beloved sister has concocted a new formula in which you will finally get a wonderful permanent sleep?" She taunted. "You want to know the reason why I did this?" She asked when she read Argen's pitiful expression.

"It's because we don't need a dead weight like you. I would love to beat you up to fasten your journey to death. But doing that will provide evidences against me. Hurry up and die, trash." As soon as she finished her words, Argen hesitantly left the world of the living.

His sister checked his breathing and pulse to see if he had already passed away. When she found out that he did, she smiled and took out her phone. She dialed their parent's number.

"Hello? Jana? How come you called----"

Suddenly, Jana's malevolent smile was wiped out and a pitiful expression replaced. She let out crocodile tears and sobbed.

"M-Mom! DAD! It's Argen! He's having a heart-attack! I don't know what to do!" Her voice was quivering with panic. "ARGEN! HANG IN THERE!" She shouted as if her brother is still fighting the claws of death.

"WHAT!? DEAR, CALL THE AMBULANCE!! TO OUR HOME! ARGEN'S HAVING A HEART ATTACK!" Jana's mom screamed in a panic to her husband before she returned to the phone. "Jana. How's the situation? Is he holding up?" She asked with a voice filled with worry and fear.

Jana's cries intensified and screamed her brother's name to hold on. A few seconds later, she shrieked. "ARGEN! NO! DON'T LEAVE US YET! MOM! ARGEN'S NOT WAKING UP AND I CAN'T FEEL HIS BREATHING!" She sobbed yet again. She let her phone slip from her hands to the floor to end the call.

"Hello Jane? JANE!" On the other side of the line, Jana's mom tried to call her back but to no avail, not knowing that when her daughter's phone fell, the battery jumped out.

Argen's sister let out a wicked smile. "Plan success!"

Meanwhile, Argen's soul was standing next to his corpse. He had heard and seen his sister's despicable actions and couldn't help but be disappointed.

"B*tch" He cursed. He seemed to have realized the reason why he's sister killed him so he retorted. "It's not my fault I don't have anything that usually interests me that's why I always spend my day lying down in bed and relaxing. I have a weak heart that's why I always need tranquility and calm." He added but unfortunately, his voice couldn't be heard by his target. Still, he continued.

"You jealous mongrel of a sister! I could easily accomplish what you deemed as the peak if I didn't mark it as dull and boring. I'm a useless pile of sh*t? Oh please, I am very the reason why mom and dad's careers are currently on the rise and why we're rich now! I once-in-a-lifetime helped them big with my brains! Expenses? I'm a dead-weight and a freeloader? Hmph! TELL THAT TO THE MIRROR B*TCH!" If only his murderer could hear his voice, he wouldn't be feeling this indignant and perhaps he would slap some senses into that woman.

------

Back to the two figures hovering on the space near the Earth, the old female's sight was fixated upon a particular soul. It was the soul she had found with the highest IQ within the country and so far it was the one with the highest IQ she had ever seen.

She celebrated her luck and she was about to reach out and brand that soul with the insignia from SA when suddenly, she could feel a heavy suppression bearing down on them. The two heightened their vigilance. They could feel the space and the formations shaking and distorting.

"What…?!" In a flash, the golden soul she was about to reach out was suddenly switched. The soul which had the highest IQ the SA had ever seen was exchanged with a soul having blurry digits. Her reflexes weren't fast enough to stop her actions and the soul was mistakenly branded. "NOOO!!"

*ding*

[SA Trainer no. 901. Congratulations in obtaining a new student and for choosing Argen Vamia as the newly 18th System no. 901. You shall return at the headquarters for the SA's initiation for the new member, Argen Vamia. After that, you shall do your job and teach the new system well as his trainer.]

The old woman was in a daze. The heavy suppression immediately vanished as soon as the SA's voice and panel announcement disappeared.

"W-what just happened?" She asked herself.

The old man sighed in relief after the suppression vanished. He shrugged his shoulders at his companion's question. "Well, congrats for obtaining a new System no. 901, I guess"

"NO! That soul wasn't the one I had chosen! Something intercepted me when I was branding my chosen soul and exchanged it for that one! That Argen soul's IQ was a blur!" She adamantly explained to the old man.

Her interlocutor blinked his eyes and glanced at the floating golden figure next to her. "You're right! His IQ digits are indeed a blur! Let us report this to the SA immediately." After that, he flicked his hands towards Argen's soul to place him in a special container before they went on their way.