Blue Planet, Galewth University...
"Gosh... he's so ugly..."
"He looks like a psychopath."
"His parents must have abandoned him out of pure disgust."
"I'm literally about to throw up."
...
....
Whispers echoed through one of the many long corridors of Galewth University as Mark walked by, his jaw clenched and his fists balled tight.
He quickened his pace and ducked into the bathroom.
"Am I... Am I really that ugly?" Mark leaned against the door and stared at the large bathroom mirror before letting out a bitter laugh.
"Yeah... I really am hideous."
His voice dripped with deep bitterness and sorrow.
He almost started to cry, but he forced himself to hold it back, keeping his eyes locked on his reflection.
Brown skin, 162 cm tall, a thin frame, and a face marred by acne and blemishes.
"I'm 22 years old and still a virgin. I feel so much envy toward those tall, handsome guys." Mark laughed bitterly, remembering the grim reality that his appearance was his own worst enemy.
Shaking his head, he adjusted his backpack and walked toward the bathroom door with a look of determination.
"I can't be late for class because of them."
He was just about to leave the bathroom and face the malicious criticism head-on when...
Ding!
[Congratulations Mark Miller, you are about to Awaken!]
[Initiating Awakening...]
"Huh?" Mark's eyes widened in shock. Before he could process anything else, his vision went black, and he collapsed onto the cold bathroom floor.
While Mark was undergoing his Awakening, desperate screams and terrifying roars echoed throughout Galewth University and the entire city.
Chaos descended upon the Blue Planet, but incredibly, the bathroom where Mark lay undergoing his Awakening became the safest place on Earth.
.....
One day later...
"Ugh... what the hell happened?" Mark groaned, slowly opening his eyes with a confused expression.
Ding!
[Awakening Complete!]
[All Attributes increased by 200%!]
Two golden holographic screens appeared before him, shocking him to his core.
Mark was about to speak, but a second golden screen suddenly materialized.
[Status Panel]
* Name: Mark Miller
* Race: Human
* Age: 22 Years Old
* Rank: Iron
* Level: 1
* Experience Points: 0/1,000
* Strength: 30
* Agility: 30
* Defense: 30
* Wisdom: 30
* Vitality: 30 (Average adult human
attributes are around 10!)
* Mana: 500/500
* Spiritual Energy: 1,000/1,000
* Talents: Supreme Amplification, Primordial Evolution
* Skills: None
* Affinities: All (Max)
[Supreme Amplification]
Rank: ??
Description: Allows the user to amplify anything up to 10x permanently or temporarily at the cost of a certain amount of Spiritual Energy.
[Primordial Evolution]
Rank: ??
Description: Allows the user to evolve anything to a superior level, twice per day.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Mark lunged up from the floor, his face contorted in shock and disbelief.
His scream echoed through the dark bathroom and beyond, but Mark ignored it, staring at his surroundings in silence, his heart racing.
"What's going on? Why is it so dark?" he whispered to himself. He glanced at the mirror and froze at what he saw.
Mark's eyes widened in shock at his reflection. He was handsomer and taller than before. His many pimples and blemishes had vanished; his face was now refined and attractive, and his height had increased by 10 centimeters or more!
Mark observed himself in the mirror for a few seconds, marvelling at his new look and height. He even felt a bit uncomfortable as his clothes had become far too tight.
Bang!
Suddenly, the bathroom door was kicked open with immense force, startling Mark.
He looked toward the door and froze in fear and shock. Standing there was a tall young man with clothes and mouth stained with dried blood, dull eyes, and sinister black veins pulsing under his skin.
Ding!
[Analysis Function Activated!]
[Common Zombie]
* HP: 100/100
* Level: 1
* Skills: None
Note: Headshots deal 2x damage.
"He... he turned into a zombie?" Mark swallowed hard and took a step back.
Roar!
The zombie roared and lunged at him with alarming speed.
Mark paralyzed with fear; he tried desperately to move but couldn't, watching the zombie get closer and closer, teeth ready to tear and devour his flesh.
"NO! I NEED TO MOVE!" Mark roared in his mind. At the very last second, he managed to move and dodge the zombie's sharp teeth.
Mark put some distance between himself and the zombie, his breathing irregular and his face pale.
The physical effort of dodging at the last second was nothing compared to the mental strain of overcoming his fear and reacting.
"I... I need to deal with this bastard and find out what's happening..." Mark muttered in a low voice, clenching his fists tightly.
The zombie roared again and attacked with a fierce expression.
"Uh? Why the hell is he so slow?" Mark prepared to fight for his life but was confused by how sluggish the zombie's movements seemed.
'No! It's not that he's slow, it's that my reaction speed has increased so much—now that the fear isn't paralyzing me.' Mark's brown eyes glinted, and a cold, chilling smile appeared on his face.
Only now did Mark realize how much stronger he had become after his Awakening, something that still confused him greatly, but he decided to ignore it for now.
Mark waited for the zombie to get close and threw a punch with all his strength into its chest, sending it flying backward to collide against the bathroom wall.
After all, who would be crazy enough to punch a damn zombie in the face?
Bang!
-90
A damage number appeared above the zombie's head, leaving Mark perplexed. However, he didn't hesitate; he ran toward the zombie and crushed its head with his foot, using all his strength.
-180
[You killed a Level 1 Common Zombie!]
[+10 Experience Points.]
The notification rang out, but Mark didn't care. He began to vomit to the side; the mess he had just made by crushing the zombie's head made him sick to his stomach.
"Am I gonna get arrested for this?" Mark joked, his face a bit pale as he wiped the corner of his mouth.
He looked at the zombie's corpse with disgust, his stomach turning, but his eyes widened when he saw a red box beside the body.
[Survivor's Box]
Grade: Common
Description: Contains essential items for Awakened and non-Awakened living beings.
Drop Rate: 40%
[Do you wish to open the Survivor's Box?]
Mark's eyes sparkled. He didn't hesitate and nodded.
"Open!"
[+1 Metal Baseball Bat]
[+1 Mana Recovery Potion (Common)]
Ding!
[Spatial Storage Function Activated!]
Mark watched the red box explode into fragments of brilliant light and disappear, leaving behind a metal baseball bat and a small glass bottle with a blue liquid inside.
[Metal Baseball Bat]
* Rank: Iron
* Grade: Common
* Durability: 100/100
* Attack Power: 6
(Note: 1 Strength Point = 3 Attack Power Points)
[Mana Recovery Potion]
Grade: Minor
Effect: Allows for the instantaneous recovery of 50 Mana Points.
"Very good. Now that I have a weapon, I don't need to use my fists anymore..." Mark nodded with a very satisfied smile.
He then knitted his brows, wondering how to activate the Spatial Storage and his Talents.