The moment the spatial gate opened, a cold chill ran down his spine."What… is that?"
That moment changed everything. The world was never the same again.
Three years later—
In the morning, Ryan opened his eyes, and something felt off.The air was heavier, the silence unusual. Suddenly, a faint blue light appeared in front of him.
(SYSTEM ACTIVATED)
His heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly cried out in joy,"YES! YES! YES!"
Ryan felt like he was in heaven. He knew he was special. He knew he would have a cheat, and now that he had it, he was overjoyed.
He instantly tried calling the system in his mind, and a translucent screen appeared in front of him.
(System Activated)
Status Window:
Name: Ryan
Age: 3 years old
Intelligence: 7 (10 for a normal person)
Beast: None
Special Ability: Beast Potential Analysis
Ryan looked at the status window and exclaimed, "Seven?"
His expression darkened.
"Seven? My intelligence is only seven? Am I dumb?"
"No… this can't be real. My intelligence cannot be this low."
Ryan started using his brain to figure out the logic behind the intelligence stat, but still found no clue.
He immediately went downstairs and saw his parents sitting on the sofa, looking extremely tense.
Ryan felt something was off and slowly approached them.
"Dad… Mom… what happened? Why are you looking so tense?"
His parents looked at each other and suddenly—
"Happy Birthday, Ryan!"
Ryan was confused, and his mind went blank for a second. Then he suddenly remembered—it was his birthday.
He had completely forgotten about it, but right now, he was in no mood to celebrate.
Seeing his reaction, his parents realized something was wrong.
They asked with concern, "What happened?"
Ryan opened his mouth, but no words came out. He didn't know how to explain the system.
If he told them, they might not believe him and think he had hit his head somewhere.
Seeing his reaction, his mother immediately understood.
"Ryan… did your system activate?"
Ryan looked at his mother with wide eyes."H-how… do you know?"
His mother smiled gently. "Everyone in this world is born with a system, but it only awakens on their third birthday."
Ryan instantly felt speechless.
He had gotten worked up for nothing.
Seeing his reaction, his father burst into laughter, tears forming in his eyes.
Marcus (laughing): "Do you… hahaha… did you think you were special? That you were the only one with a system?"
Ryan felt ashamed, and his face turned red like an apple.
Seeing her husband teasing their son, Cynthia gave Marcus a sharp glare, and he immediately stopped.
Cynthia then asked Ryan to show his system.
After seeing it, she raised an eyebrow and said one word—"Impressive."
Marcus, feeling ignored, quickly glanced at the stats—
And then froze.
His mouth hung open wide enough to fit an airplane.
He was completely speechless.
Ryan, still confused, became even more bewildered by their reactions.
"Mom, Dad… is there any problem?"
Marcus snapped out of it and shouted,"Problem? A BIG problem!"
"What are these stats? Intelligence—7 plus a special ability?!"
He exclaimed with jealousy,"Do you know how many people in the world have special abilities? One in a million! And you're asking if there's a problem?!"
Cynthia's expression turned serious.
"What you have isn't normal. You may not find another person like you in the entire city."
Ryan muttered,"One in a million… so I actually hit the jackpot after dying?"
For a moment, Ryan stood there imagining beautiful women, luxury villas, and overwhelming power, drool forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Hey! What's wrong with you?" Marcus said, scrunching his nose. "Eww… you look weird."
Ryan blinked and snapped out of it.
His expression turned serious.
"Why is my intelligence lower than an average adult?" he asked.
Cynthia smiled and gently placed a hand on his head.
"You're only three years old. Don't overthink it."
Marcus leaned forward curiously.
"Wait… what's your special ability?"
Ryan hesitated before replying,"It's called Beast Potential Analysis… it shows the potential of a beast."
Marcus's eyes sparkled.
"Can you also see the potential of contracted beasts of other people?"
Ryan nodded.
Immediately, Marcus took Ryan to the backyard. He snapped his fingers—
A spatial gate opened.
The ground trembled as a colossal behemoth emerged. Its ten-meter-tall frame loomed like a living mountain, its scales glinting like molten steel.
Ryan had seen it three years ago, but—
Seeing it again still sent a shiver down his spine.
Marcus stepped closer, urgency in his eyes.
"Ryan… check its potential."
Ryan nodded and focused.
The world blurred as his ability activated.
A translucent screen appeared.
[Beast Potential Analysis Activated]
Name: Duruma (Ancient Dragon)
Current Power Level: King
Potential: Emperor
Skills:
Dragon Claw
Dragon Tail
Flight
Inferno Breath
Flamethrower Spark Surge
Ryan's pupils shrank.
He stared at the screen again… and again…
"Emperor…?" he whispered.
Even at its current level, the dragon was already a King-level beast.
And yet… its potential reached Emperor.
His hands clenched.
For the first time in both his lives—
He desired power.
And then—
The dragon's eyes slowly opened.