Chapter 4 - Thunder

A flash in the sky always precedes thunder, and thunder always precedes a storm.

Even by this logic, humanity could never have predicted that the Red Night was just the lightning before the thunder. What an ironic fate, right?

After the Red Night, society collapsed with the appearance of the Portals and the Transcendent, monstrous beings that even the best human weapons have trouble killing. And with society in pieces, the Awakeneds appeared as the light, the last resource and hope for humanity. However, even with such an upcoming help, this was still far from the end of the story, as the storm finally arrived after nearly twenty years of the Red Night.

In the year 2069, the quantum scientists of A-City, who are in charge of the studies on the dimensional portals, finally got permission to reopen the old laboratory in the basement of the city, the same one from which all the energy came out that plunged the world into darkness for three days and that the population believes to be the reason for all the misfortunes on Earth in the last two decades. And with the possibility of the place being radioactive, they entered wearing thick protective clothing and heavily armed, just in case.

Their prudence in arming themselves was rewarded, as the place was infested with unique Transcendents, similar to spiders, but with the size of wolves.

It took days for the main team of scientists to reach the epicenter of the energy explosion, the main laboratory. And when they got there, the whole journey was worth it, as what they found changed the whole world's perspective on science.

The main idea of a teleportation portal is to serve as a shortcut between point A and point B, but what would happen if instead of connecting the two desired points, something interfered, a point C, revealing a completely unknown world? Would that be an alternate reality? A parallel world? Or the same world?

Whatever definition such a place would receive, this is exactly what happened. The portal at the center of the lab led to a place unlike anything else on Earth.

This discovery shook humanity's understanding of the nature of dimensional portals. It was normal for Awakened Ones to enter portals to defeat the main monster and then leave the dungeon, but to have a vast world waiting for them on the other side was something else entirely.

And the existence of a C-point in the equation raised several questions and theories about the nature of portals and the possibility of multiple realities coexisting.

The scientists of City A, faced with this revelation, began intensive studies and experiments to explore and better understand this new world beyond the portals. In the first months, they sent expeditions equipped with advanced technology and specialized scientists to investigate and document this alternate reality, but for some reason, no modern equipment is able to function in the world they call the Celestial Abode. Furthermore, they have discovered that, as with random portals, only Awakened Ones can pass through the Great Portal to this new world, if a normal human were to attempt it, their body would be completely torn apart.

Nevertheless, the expeditions of the Awakened Ones brought back fascinating and haunting tales of exotic landscapes, unique creatures, and different laws of physics. They have discovered that this world beyond the portals is inhabited by a variety of transcendent beings, some friendly, and some hostile. New life forms, resources, and opportunities were also found in this new territory. With the knowledge gained, humanity began to see new possibilities, but also new challenges. Humanity stood at a crossroads, with the opportunity to shape its future and find balance as it searched for answers. However, the unknowns and dangers of this new world also demanded caution and care.

The presence of the Transcendents and other hostile beings could pose a constant threat to Earth, and humanity needed to protect itself from this, so it created shelters in the Celestial Abode. Since each of the different portals to the Celestial Abode was found in different regions of this new world, this was necessary.

Kaito learns all this from the Beginner's Handbook and confirms some of it by reading some newspapers among the hundreds of letters at the foot of his apartment door.

Finding out that a year has passed is definitely a shock to him since the night before was only a few hours ago for him, but this passage of time also explains that he didn't become an Awakened overnight.

So, with more response than before, Kaito smiles with excitement because his life can finally change once and for all. He can stop being the humiliated and poor boy from before.

"Well, I guess I have to test my powers first. How did it say in the manual? Activate! No, that wasn't it... .... Switch on!... Um, maybe it is: Analyze!" He tries to open the system according to the instructions he received.

Suddenly, a holographic window of his web link appears, displaying his physical attributes as if he were in a game. The numbers and information float in the air, forming a visual representation of the attributes of his awakened body.

[Attributes window.

Name: Kaito | Race: Vampire

Level: 1 (0/1000 XP)

HP: 100

MP: 20

Attack: 10 | Defense: 10

Agility: 10 | Stamina: 10

Speed: 10

Intelligence: 10

Luck: 5

Class: Villain

Points left: 0

-

Unique Abilities: Life Drain and Evil Point Manipulation].

Kaito looks at the floating numbers and graphs and realizes that he has relatively low physical strength by common sense, but only a few seconds after seeing this window, his eyes widen in surprise.

It is common knowledge that the only UP an Awakened can have is when he becomes an Awakened. And after Awakening, the Awakened are ranked from E to S after an Alliance evaluation.

Even an Awakened rank E, which is stronger than most ordinary humans, is much weaker than a rank D, and so the strength gap increases with each rank. This system was created to prevent weaker Awakened Ones from dying in vain, as each portal can hide a sinister, desperate monster much stronger than even a Rank B or A Awakened One can face.

Of course, just as becoming an Awakened is a rarity among those who contract Lethal Encephalitis, becoming an S-Rank Awakened is extremely unlikely.

Considering Kaito's physical attributes, he was nowhere near an S rank, but...

"So I can evolve like I'm in a game? HAHAHA! That must be a joke, right?" Kaito says.

Suddenly, as if someone is answering Kaito, another window appears in front of his eyes.

[Message! The daily quest {Empty Stomach} has arrived (Unread)].

"Read." Kaizen says, a bit confused.

[Quest Guide! Feed on Blood (0/1)

Warning: Failure to complete this daily quest will result in death].

"DEATH?!!!"