The time passed quickly for Alex, and today was the weekend.
Alex could say with confidence that this had been the best week of his entire life.
After believing that his future was doomed, he now found himself awakening a system, earning money, and going on a date with a beautiful girl every day at the café. It was as if he had hit the jackpot—achieving a dream that so many people spent their entire lives chasing, all in just one week.
He spent his week following a strict routine. When he woke up, he went to school and studied. After school, he met Catherine at the club—or, more accurately, the mansion—where he began training the other members in the basics.
After training them, he trained himself to complete the system's daily missions. Finally, at the end of the day, he always went out with Catherine to have coffee and enjoy small talk. It felt like a dream life. He had already moved out of his old apartment, and now he lived in the mansion, in a room that Catherine had prepared for him, with everything he could possibly need.
It felt like the dream he had imagined as a child: being able to practice martial arts and be with a beautiful girl. Of course, he hadn't achieved the latter yet, but it no longer seemed impossible. Alex was not dense; he noticed how Catherine acted around him, and he had begun recognizing the emotions building inside him. The only thing holding him back from making the next move was suspicion. A beautiful girl had appeared and approached him the same day his system awakened. He couldn't shake that thought, and more importantly, he still didn't understand Catherine's ultimate goal.
She was training seemingly useless people. Among them, Alex could say with confidence that only Ethan, the farmer boy, had real talent. The others wouldn't survive a martial arts tournament. Yet Catherine trained them and invested in them with quiet confidence, which Alex couldn't understand.
Still, he brushed it off. He had something far more important on his mind: his awakening. According to the system, today was the last day he needed to complete his missions, and he would finally awaken. He was filled with enthusiasm.
Throughout the week, he had kept finishing his daily missions and growing stronger and stronger.
[User: Alex Anderson]
[Strength: 2.6]
[Defense: 2.4]
[Endurance: 2.4]
[Mind: 1.1]
[Soul: 4.8]
[Mana: 0.0]
[Power: In Awakening (90%)]
According to the system, the soul needed to surpass 5 points to awaken—something he would achieve today.
He got out of bed and went to the kitchen, where breakfast had already been prepared by the maids. One of them nodded to him as she set the tray on the table.
Since moving into the mansion, life had become much easier. He no longer needed to cook, clean, or waste time on chores. Everything was taken care of by the maids, allowing him to focus entirely on martial arts. Of course, after receiving the system, he hadn't wasted a single moment. If he wasn't training, he would sit and question the system to gain as much information as possible.
Knowing that the apocalypse was coming, he understood that every moment was a chance to save someone. He wouldn't want to lose anyone in the future if he could have saved them with just a bit more effort.
The day passed normally. Standing in the backyard, he watched the other members running in circles. They had been at it for over half an hour, which was impressive for people who couldn't even last ten minutes at the start of the week.
To be honest, after spending a week with them, he had come to respect them.
For example, he looked at Ethan. He was the strongest among the members and had great spirit. Even though he was more advanced than the others, he took time from his own training to help them, just as Alex did now. Even after completing the required laps around the yard, he decided to match their pace to encourage them. Watching him smile while running, Alex couldn't help but smile back. Those other group members weren't bad either. If they truly had the talent Catherine claimed, he would be more than happy to help them.
The other three members weren't as strong as Ethan, but all of them had unbreakable willpower, which they showed in every session. At first, Alex had trained them lightly, afraid of pushing them too far. But after the first session, when he saw them training to the point of near exhaustion without hesitation—even Emma, the girl, was so hard-willed—it made him question the lives they had lived until now. He wanted to ask them about it, but it wasn't the right time; they were still in the training session.
After finishing the training, a group of maids came with different kinds of drinks and towels.
"Everyone with their maid," he thought to himself. "This is truly a VIP club. Even some big names in the martial arts world couldn't afford a life like this."
Looking at them lying on the ground, he smiled and said, "Our session ends for today. Great work, everyone. I expect even more from you next session."
Alex turned away, not waiting for their reaction, since he already knew what it would be.
After going to the park, he began his own training to finish his system missions. This time, he completed them incredibly fast—in just 18 minutes. He thought to himself that he was already a superhuman.
He could already lift 270 kg, sprint as fast as 70 km/h, and his endurance was unmatched. He felt truly inhuman.
[Mission: Do 100 push-ups — Completed]
[Mission: Do 100 pull-ups — Completed]
[Mission: Run 10 km — Completed]
He still had only one mission remaining:
[Mission: Kill 100 bugs]
He went to a secluded area in the park with few people around. If you wondered why he didn't do it in the backyard of the mansion, it was because he didn't want to look like a weird guy with a hobby of killing insects.
When he arrived, he noticed insects scattered around. With his speed, he could catch them easily. One by one, he put them into a small box he had brought, making sure no one was around to see before he started killing them.
Finally:
[Mission: Kill 100 bugs — Completed]
[Awakening the user: Alex]
[Do you accept?]
He clicked Yes.
The moment he did, a strange feeling surged through his body, and he passed out.
After some time, a group of little kids gathered around him.
"Who is this guy?""Isn't this the bad guy our mother always warned us about?""I don't think so. He looks more like the victim the bad guy beat.""Are you sure?"
As they continued talking, Alex woke up and began hearing the voices of two children at the top of his head.
"Look, he woke up."
When he stood up and looked ahead, he saw two twin children—a boy and a girl—looking at him. One of them asked,
"Uncle, are you a victim?"
Alex was dumbfounded. "No… why do you ask?"
"Because you were sleeping in the park. We thought the bad guy beat you down."
Alex smiled and reassured them. Then he began walking, but his focus was elsewhere—on the system and the information it was now showing him.
[User: Alex Anderson]
[Status: Awakener 1]
[Strength: 5.2]
[Defense: 5.4]
[Endurance: 5.4]
[Mind: 5]
[Soul: 10]
[Mana: 0.0]
[Power: Steady Growth, Targeted Growth]
"That was easier than I thought… is it always this easy?"
[No. The first awakening is easier because of the system and the host's natural talent. Every awakening differs based on individual talent.]
This sounded chaotic and unpredictable. Alex asked,
"Is there a moment when awakening can be dangerous or cause harm?"
[During awakening, the person cannot control their power. It manifests naturally in the world. It usually doesn't harm others, though it may harm the awakener.]
He looked at his stats window and felt the power intuitively.
Steady Growth felt passive, like something always working around him—even while sleeping. Targeted Growth felt like complete focus, his mind steady as the sea, entirely devoted to perfecting one thing at a time.
[Steady Growth: Your growth is steady. Even when others hit boundaries, as long as soul remains, you grow.]
[Targeted Growth: Your growth is focused. By concentrating on one stat and consuming soul power, you advance efficiently.]
Looking at his skills, a thought crossed his mind: they felt powerful not because they automatically made him strong, but because they gave him the ability to choose how to grow stronger.
He suddenly remembered his full stats window:
[User: Alex Anderson]
[Status: Awakener 1]
[Strength: 5.2]
[Defense: 5.4]
[Endurance: 5.4]
[Mind: 5]
[Soul: 10]
[Mana: 0.0]
[Power: Steady Growth, Targeted Growth]
The Mind stat had always been 1. Now, after awakening, it had become 5.
He knew what it meant—he had already asked the system. Mind measured perception, calculation, and reaction speed. He could now react five times faster than his old self, which felt surreal.
After testing his new powers, he felt relief. Thinking of the future, he knew he now had some power to save himself in the coming apocalypse.
Returning to the mansion, he saw that all the other members had fallen asleep. Intense training would make anyone tired. Just as he thought this, someone appeared in front of him—it was Catherine.
She wore a white night dress that perfectly matched her snowy hair and pale skin, but her black eyes were focused intently on him.
He smiled and asked, "What are you doing here at night? Didn't you sleep?"
She blushed. "I noticed you were late, so I decided to wait for you."
"Did all the other club members fall asleep?"
She smiled. "After all the torture you put them through this morning, I don't think they had the strength to stand."
Alex grinned. "By the way, since you mentioned training, aren't you going to join us? I know you're a princess, but wouldn't it hurt to grow stronger?"
She smiled. "Don't worry, I train too—it's just a different kind of training."
In her mind, she reflected on her routine, which began from his regression. Based on her knowledge, awakening mostly occurred after the apocalypse.
In the apocalypse, animals would evolve, and as they evolved, they could create crystals in their bodies when storing soul power. If a human obtained such a crystal, it could trigger awakening based on its level:
God-level monster – Heavenly Crystal
Emperor-level monster – Earthly Crystal
King-level monster – Goldly Crystal
Advanced monster – Radiant Crystal
Intermediate monster – Shimmering Crystal
Low-level monsters – Common Crystal
She remembered that pre-apocalypse awakenings were rare and mostly a matter of luck. However, some future speculations suggested hidden realms were involved.
These hidden realms were usually inaccessible due to the lack of mana, but after the Red Moon and the world was flooded with mana, these realms would open. She believed this theory. Gathering information about these places was crucial. Even if the realm wasn't open yet, it only meant people couldn't get out, not that they couldn't enter. Since some monsters could enter, why couldn't humans?
If she succeeded in controlling the hidden realm, it would become the safest place during the apocalypse. It was dangerous, yes, but the best chance she had to awaken and help others awaken. They could not leave their fate to chance and hope to survive the Red Moon.