Chapter 1 - The World 3023

Do you know what's going to happen in the year 3023?

You're probably imagining a world where technology has advanced beyond our wildest dreams.

Flying cars? Maybe.

Teleportation portals? Possibly.

NerveGear like the one in Sword Art Online? Fascinating.

But there's one thing you might not expect to happen on Earth in 3023.

Monsters!

That's right. Monsters appear on Earth in 3023. Actually, even before that. There are many categories of monsters like Therians, Avians, and more. All of this will be detailed later.

When did all this begin? Well, in 2223, a massive alien object entered the Earth's atmosphere.

Sounds familiar right? Scientists have warned for years that Earth might be hit by an object from space. Yet, it had never become a reality. Not until 2223. 

Imagine on that day, the sky split open. The object's movement seemed slow but was incredibly terrifying. Many knelt, cried, and begged for forgiveness.

They thought the end of the world had arrived. Fortunately, it headed straight for the area once known as Bermuda Triangle. This object was so massive that even after it reached the ocean floor, most of it still emerged.

The part that surfaced was bigger than Mount Everest! Huge, right?

Today, it's called Nebulon. A mountain shrouded in mystery, still being explored and studied. When the object hit Earth, surprisingly, there was no destruction. Only a continuous tremor lasting ten minutes.

Once again, no deaths were reported. However, Earth's landscape completely changed. Areas that were once oceans became land. Arid regions turned into lush jungles and vice versa.

Not only that, Earth's locations shifted.

Can you imagine Seoul suddenly being next to Bangkok?

London beside Cape Town? It was all messed up.

Earth had become like a new planet for humans to explore. Though confused, local leaders played their roles wisely. Things were under control until 24 hours later when the object emitted green radiation covering the entire Earth.

For ten minutes, the Earth glowed green. Once again, people panicked, and life became chaotic. It was until the media reported that the radiation posed no danger that everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But it was temporary. Another strange phenomenon occurred. Individuals on social media claimed they had superpowers. There were videos of people flying, moving objects with their minds, controlling fire, super speed, super strength, and more.

At first, Earth's inhabitants thought these were special effects. By 2223, CGI and AI were highly advanced, making such effects easy to produce. They only realized the truth when some individuals with superpowers began causing havoc and becoming villains. They robbed, killed, and claimed to be gods.

The world descended into chaos. Fortunately, in 2223, many still harbored dreams like ours today if we ever get the superpowers. The dream of becoming superheroes. 

They chose to protect and maintain peace. Those evildoers were annihilated quickly. Some of them work alone while some work in groups. These extraordinary individuals were known as… Novas.

After a census, almost 30% of Earth's population had superpowers. The rest remained ordinary humans. Some powerful individuals in the world governments began taking action. UN member countries were called upon.

They had to send three Novas as representatives to participate in a fighting tournament. The top 75 fighters in this tournament would grant their countries the power to govern 75 New Territories.

Then, ten major countries were given veto power to establish one Republic, forming the Ten Republics. Fifteen of the largest and strongest royal families created 15 Kingdoms.

The world's governance structure had completely changed. If you went to the year 3023 and mentioned your country's name, it would no longer exist.

Only history remains.

As for the monsters? That story will be told later. Otherwise, this introduction would be too long. So, let's move on to our main character's tale.

***

At this moment, in a highly advanced city, in a luxurious office, a muscular man in military attire was reporting something. The individual receiving the report was also muscular but dressed more casually, sitting on a chair and gazing out the office window.

Not far from them, a young woman stood, acting as an observer. Occasionally, she typed something into the tablet she held.

"Lord Yara, more territories are on the brink of collapse. The monsters seem to be getting crazier," reported General Darian.

Yara, one of the Novas, said to be among the most powerful Novas on Earth, sat looking out the window of his office on the 100th floor. This office was in the heart of a metropolitan city once known as New York, now called New Hope. A city heralded as the world's new beacon of hope. It was located within the Republic of Sienna, one of the largest and strongest republics on Earth.

"Let it be. I never care about other regions. Attacked, destroyed, or at peace, it's none of my concern."

"But…"

"Enough! If any refugees from those regions come to Sienna, allow only those with potential and a minimum power grade of A to enter. The rest… drive them away. As usual," ordered Yara.

General Darian was stunned. Even though he held the second-highest position after Yara in Sienna, he had no authority to give any opinions or orders. Yara's command was absolute. Obey or die. 

After 800 years, humans had become much better at using their powers. They were able to come up with a power grading system. Power grades ranged from the lowest grade F to the highest grade SSS. Yara was one of the few individuals with an SSS power grade. His powers? Only a very rare few people knew.

"Understood, Lord Yara." General Darian saluted before leaving Yara's office.

Where he should go or what he should do next, he was not sure. Maybe he just needed to relay Yara's orders to his subordinates as he didn't care what happened after that.

"Lord Yara, why don't you take advantage of this situation?" asked Aira, the beautiful young woman who had been acting as an observer.

Aira was exceptionally beautiful. In her hand, she held a device like a tablet. She was making sure to stay updated with the latest global developments and reporting them to Yara.

"What do you mean?" Yara asked.

A meaningful smile etched across Yara's face. He still faced away from anyone speaking to him, his gaze fixed on the outside. Only his well-built but not overly large physique was visible, a stark contrast to General Darian's warrior-like frame.

"Couldn't we use this opportunity to gain resources from the attacked territories in exchange for Sierra's assistance?"

"Exchange? Hahaha!" Yara laughed heartily.

"No need to wait for them to be in trouble. I can force them to give us their resources anytime," Yara continued with a sinister smile.

"But wouldn't it be better for Sierra's image to do it this way?" Aira countered.

Among all of Yara's subordinates, only Aira dared to challenge or offer opinions. Strangely, Yara never got angry.

Aira was special in Yara's eyes. Though she acted as Yara's personal assistant, she was one of the few with a high power grade, like Yara, an SSS grade. This was known only to Yara and General Darian.

"Aira, you need to understand one thing. What represents image nowadays?"

Aira was taken aback by Yara's question. She knew what Yara meant but chose to remain silent.

"Power and strength. When it comes to these, who has a better image than Sierra?" Yara's words were followed by another hearty laugh.

Aira remained frozen in her position, processing Yara's words. She herself was unsure what suited the current world best.

Peace? Without strength, there's no peace. Humanity? There are too many other things every human needs to think about now.

Sierra's citizens were worried about making the same mistakes their Republic did 750 years ago, always trying to be the 'hero' for humanity. Their Republic quickly sent Novas to assist other areas attacked by monsters.

Who would have thought the monsters were too cunning? It was all a trap for Sierra's Novas. When Sierra's aid arrived, they were ambushed from all sides. Half of their strength was wiped out in an instant. The monsters used this chance to attack Sierra. 

The Republic of Sierra was lucky because that was when Yara emerged. Yara, who was still young at that time, easily thwarted the monsters attack with his extraordinary powers. That incident marked the transition of the Republic of Sierra to Yara's rule until today.

"Enough, Aira. It's better for you to focus on training and helping me later. We still have a major mission to carry out."

"Alright, Lord Yara." Her tone was half-sighing.

That's how their conversations always ended. Yara would always remind her about their major mission. A mission she didn't fully understand.

Not wanting to linger in Yara's office, she quickly stepped out, leaving Yara alone. She didn't need to salute Yara like the others.

"Endless training and missions," Aira muttered to herself.

Yara was one of the 'elders' in the Martinez Family. Aira, also from the same family, had spent her childhood training relentlessly.

The training was unsuitable for children, more appropriate for assassins. Training that shaped their hearts and attitudes to be very cold.

Her steps halted before a large iron door. Behind this door was an expansive area with technology unseen by humans a thousand years ago. Not only that, it was also a place filled with brutality. 

She took a deep breath before exhaling. She was about to engage in her increasingly burdensome daily routine. Her eyes fixed on a scanner that emitted a light, confirming Aira's identity as one of the individuals granted access to the area.

"Hello, Aira," greeted a soft voice. Its owner was a woman in her 30s wearing a high-tech battle suit.

"Hi, Jen," Aira replied.

"Ready for today's training?"

Aira nodded. She pressed the side of the ring on her right pinky finger. Immediately, her body was enveloped in a blue light, transforming her formal attire into a battle suit similar to Jen's.

"Ready?" Jen asked, taking a fighting stance.

Without waiting for Aira's response, Jen lunged at her. Even though attacked suddenly, Aira wasn't surprised.

A powerful kick was aimed at the left side of Aira's body. The kick was swift but easily dodged by Aira.

All thanks to Aira's super speed and reflexes. She could run a hundred meters in half a second! She could even dodge bullets fired just inches from her forehead!

Jen smiled proudly because she had used about 10% of her power in that kick. Jen was a Specialist Nova with an S power grade. Jen's level was still far beyond Aira, who was currently ranked as an Apprentice Nova.

Nova ranks, from weakest to strongest, are Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Specialist, Expert, Elite, Master, Ascendant, Supreme, and Paragon.

Yet, Aira's current performance far surpassed what others at her age or rank could do. Despite this, Jen continued her relentless assault on Aira. Jen's power was size manipulation of any body part. Her fist grew to about five times its original size.

BOOM!

As soon as the giant fist hit the spot where Aira stood, dust billowed into the air, obscuring vision. This time, Jen used about 11% of her power. She wanted to test how much Aira's strength and capability had grown.

Her smile widened as she saw Aira's silhouette walking calmly towards her. Aira had easily dodged the previous attack without any injury. Aira's progress and capabilities far exceeded the Martinez Family's expectations!