Sonny stared at the glowing screen of his smartphone, eyes wide in disbelief. The words «manipulate reality» seemed ripped straight from the pages of some fictional novel.
When you think about it, the power to manipulate the world order was, indeed, nothing but a fantasy.
It was an utterly unreasonable, impossible ability that stepped into the realm of the divine. For example, imagine if someone could will mountains to rise or oceans to part with a mere thought. If they could bend cause and effect, turn lies into truth, or erase an event from history as though it never happened.
But could such a person really exist? No. If they did, they would no longer be called human.
All living creatures die at some point. An apple dropped from above will fall down. 1+1 equals 2. These were the natural, unchangeable laws of the world. But to someone with this power, such rules could be thoroughly destroyed, rewritten, and replaced with new ones. They could make 1+1 equal 3, cause an apple dropped from below to fall up, or revive the dead as easily as breathing. Such beings were called Demon Gods.
Not gods from some demonic realm, but humans who had clawed their way into the domain of the divine through their own means.
Demon God.
That word slowly oozed its way into the back of Sonny's mind, and his body trembled before he could stop it.
Because just moments ago, that grinning chibi mascot from the mysterious app had declared It was his 'power.' And that power, in question, was the authority to manipulate reality.
What kind of sick joke was that?
Sonny scoffed.
"Yeah, right! Like I'm supposed to believe some shady app. Do I look like I'm still wearing diapers?!"
No matter how many times he tried to reason it out, the whole thing was absurd. If someone like him really had a heaven-defying power like that, then the Tower would've been conquered ages ago. Hell, those seventy percent of the Assault Squad wouldn't have died just to push humanity past the 71st Floor.
Was the app seriously trying to tell him that he was more powerful than the War God, Jin Rosenkrantz?
Hell no!
Realizing just how absurd the whole thing was, Sonny couldn't help but laugh. A sharp, slightly unhinged laugh that echoed through the quiet hospital room. If any of the nurses or neighboring patients heard him, they'd probably start questioning his already questionable mental state.
"Haha! I'll give you credit, that was a pretty good one. Almost had me going there. If my Intelligence stat was just a little lower, I might've actually bought it."
He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, grinning.
"Nice try, but no one's going to believe a whopper like that. So, come on, what's the real deal? You've got to be some hacker messing with me, right? Is that it?"
Wasp blinked in shock.
[Oh dear me... How could I be found out so quickly?!]
Then, the chibi's face twisted into a mischievous grin.
[Well, I guess the jig is up. There's no point in pretending now, right? Or... is that what you want me to say? Oh my God, I didn't realize Master was this delusional! You must've hit your head harder than I thought!]
Sonny's grin twitched.
This damned thing… it was messing with him the entire time!
He jabbed his finger at the screen. "Watch it, you little gremlin. I've got half a mind to uninstall you right now."
Wasp only widened its grin, resting its chubby face on its tiny palm like it was watching an amusing show.
[Uninstall me? Ohhh, Master, you're really funny. Well, if you want have a try, go ahead. I won't stop you.]
Sonny's thumb hovered over the app icon. For a brief second, he considered it. But then—
[Error: Unable to uninstall. This application is bound to your Soul Code.]
His eyes narrowed.
"Soul Code? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Seizing the moment, Wasp spoke with a teasing glint in its eye.
[Aww~ Master, you're just too adorable when you're confused. Like I told you before, I'm linked to your Aspect. Deleting me? That's basically the same as trying to erase your own power. Sorry, but you're not quite at that level yet.]
Then, the chibi smirked and added with a wink,
[By the way, has anyone ever told you you're handsome? Like, really, really handsome~]
Sonny's eyebrow twitched.
"You're really enjoying this, aren't you? And for something that claims to have just been born, you've got a very lively personality."
Wasp's eyes shone, practically vibrating with excitement.
[Of course! This is my first time having a conversation with Master! And as for your second question, well... I'm a being born from your power. That means my personality was shaped by your subconscious. Sooo… it's all your fault, Master! And Master is a filthy pervert who likes...]
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Sonny screamed with a flushed face, attempting to silence the mischievous chibi from exposing his secrets.
Realizing the chibi had managed to tease him yet again, Sonny clicked his tongue in annoyance.
'Calm down. Think this through.'
Too many strange things were happening at once.
He took a deep breath, lowering his head as he forced himself to clear away the noisy clutter in his mind. As his thoughts settled, the throbbing in his head eased just a little.
Slowly, Sonny raised his head.
Now that the confusion had subsided and a sense of calm returned, a new curiosity stirred within him. The mysterious app called SnapWarp, what exactly was it? There was an old saying: to grow stronger, one must know themselves first
If this app was truly connected to his Aspect, then the path forward was obviously clear.
In order to understand himself better, Sonny took the first step and reached out to the living app with a question.
"So, you said your name was Warp, right?"
[Yes.]
"And you're my Innate Ability?"
[Not exactly. I'm not your Innate Ability itself, but I'm a product of it and linked to it. In other words, you're my Creator and my Master.]
"I see... Then, what exactly can you do?"
This time, Warp fell silent, its tiny face scrunching up in thought. Watching the chibi's serious expression was oddly entertaining.
Finally, it replied:
[As far as I can tell, I can do pretty much anything. But that depends on you. To be honest, even I don't fully know the limits of my power. What I do know is that there's always a sacrifice involved. Have you heard of alchemy? It follows the principle of equivalent exchange. Well, it might be hard to grasp all at once, so you can check things yourself.]
[The SnapWarp app has several functions, just like a regular app. There's a Status icon, which shows your attribute parameters like strength, agility, stamina, level, things like that. An Ability icon, which explains your Origin, innate abilities, how to use them, and their weaknesses. And finally, there's a Camera icon. That one's self-explanatory… but you'll understand its real use later. So take your time and explore at your own pace.]
[Though, Master, checking your stats won't help you much at your current level or any time soon for that matter. Still, feel free to take a look.]
The chibi went silent after that. It had silently declared its intent of leaving Sonny to his own devices.
Everything that needed to be explained had been done.
Sonny understood the situation and began exploring the SnapWarp app. Just like the chibi had explained, the app's layout was deceptively simple.
Three main icons floated against a crimson background: Status, Abilities, and Camera.
His finger hovered over the Status icon first. Even if Warp had said it wouldn't do much, his curiosity got the better of him.
Click!
Immediately, a new screen unfolded, displaying rows of data in neat, glowing fonts:
[ Name: Sonny Kyre ]
[ Age: 21 ]
[ Rank: Level Zero ]
Attribute Stats:
[• Strength: H143 ]
[• Endurance: H155 ]
[• Dexterity: F397 ]
[• Agility: F355 ]
[• Soul Power: SSS1999 ]
[• Abnormal Resistance: SS ]
[• Luck: G ]
Narrowing his eyes, Sonny carefully studied his attributes from the top to the bottom. Then, he frowned.
'Huh? My stats are not as good as I imagined.'
The numbers were far from impressive by Tower standards. Well, considering he was still just a Sleeper, it made sense. But much to his surprise, both his Soul Power and Abnormal Resistance stood out, so much so they practically screamed at him from the screen.
'What's with this abnormal Soul Power? And my Abnormal Resistance is SS too? Hehe… Guess my luck isn't that bad after all. Wait, my luck is G?! Goddamn it.'
According to the Hunting Guild Association's ranking list, attributes were ranked using a hybrid scale of alphabetical grades combined with numeric values. "I" marked the lowest tier, while "SSS" sat at the absolute peak. The hierarchy was neatly structured:
I (0-99), H (100-199), G (200-299), F (300-399), E (400-499), D (500-599), C (600-699), B (700-799), A (800-899), S (900-999), SS (1,000-1,099), and SSS (1,100 and above).
The higher a person's stats, the more they could manipulate the physical 'laws' of the world.
For instance, a Hunter with sufficiently high stats could generate shockwaves with their strikes, withstand blows of the same magnitude, and move at speeds exceeding supersonic levels. In contrast, a Dreamless could never achieve such feats. Their mortal bodies would simply break down under the strain.
However, this rule did not apply to Awakened humans.
Even those with low power or endurance could move at supersonic speeds once their agility reached a high enough level. This was because their stats allowed them to ignore the destructive effects that such speed would normally inflict on the body.
Simply put, Awakened were inhumans who could ignore and manipulate physical laws. For this reason, they were considered extremely dangerous to society if one of them turned rogue.
This was why the Monitoring Division and DCA came into existence, to suppress those rogues.
Truth be told, Sonny didn't care much about those rogue inhumans. If they had fallen to the point where they would harm innocent people then they don't deserve to live as 'humans.'
To take a life, you must be prepared to be killed.
Naturally, this was an old saying but it somehow manages to slip through the minds of most people. Forgetting that matter, Sonny refocused his attention back to his attributes.
Soul Power and Abnormal Resistance.
These were, without question, the two most difficult attributes for a Hunter to raise.
Soul Power was an attribute that governed one's understanding of spiritual 'laws.' Those with high Soul Power didn't just amplify the potency of their strikes; they also gained heightened perception beyond the five senses, along with sharper mental clarity.
Abnormal Resistance, on the other hand, was a universal attribute among Hunters. It allowed them to negate various abnormalities such as poisons, diseases, curses, and other debilitating effects. Sure, a Hunter might have formidable defense, enough to shrug off most physical attacks. But what if their Abnormal Resistance was low? What if, hypothetically, they ate food laced with poison or got hit by a skill that inflicted something as humiliating as 24 hours of diarrhea?
Needless to say, the outcome would be far from pretty.
But in his case, his Soul Power and Abnormal Resistance were ranked SSS and SS, respectively. That was practically unheard of, especially for someone who had only just awakened as a Sleeper.
Could his attributes grow even further when he leveled up and reached Level 1? And what about when he advanced to Level 2, or even Level 3?
The thought made Sonny's body tremble and before he knew it, he was grinning like a schoolboy who'd just been confessed to by the prettiest girl in class.
'Oh, right. If my stats are like this, I wonder what my Origin would be.'
Suppressing his excitement, Sonny closed the attribute tab and glanced at the Ability icon.
This was the inevitable moment of truth. Swallowing his dry saliva, he hesitated for a moment before he moved his finger and tapped on the icon.
And from there,
[Origin Name: Fallen Seraph]
Sonny froze. And at that moment, he even stopped breathing.
[Origin Rank: Divine]