14: Ding!

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┃ 【Opening Host Status…】 ┃

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Another translucent blue screen appeared in front of Vivi’s eyes and for several seconds, she simply stared at it.

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┃ 【HOST STATUS】 ┃

┃ ┃

┃ * Name: Vanessa Viola Shepard (Vivi) ┃

┃ * Race: Human ┃

┃ * Awakening Status: Complete ┃

┃ * Hunter Rank: Unclassified ┃

┃ * Core Energy: Unstable ┃

┃ * Abilities: Not Yet Registered ┃

┃ * System Synchronization: 100% ┃

┃ * Special Condition: Thirty Golden ┃

┃ Crystals Absorbed ┃

┃ * System Assessment: Abnormal ┃

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Vivi’s eyes moved slowly from one line to the next.

Hunter rank? Core energy? Abilities?

She had seen these terms before. In her past life, they had become the foundation of the new world. People who awakened abilities became Hunters, while those without useful powers were forced to struggle for survival.

The Hunter Association would eventually establish a ranking system, dividing awakened individuals from the lowest ranks to the highest.

F-rank. E-rank. D-rank. C-rank. B-rank. A-rank. S-rank.

That was how humanity measured power and worth.

But according to the information she remembered, the awakening process wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

The crystals were meant to fuse with their finders, awakening their abilities and determining their initial ranks. Most people could only absorb one crystal. The stronger the crystal, the greater the potential of the person who absorbed it.

White crystals generally produced lower-ranked Hunters.

Blue crystals produced much stronger ones.

Golden crystals were different. They were the rarest and most valuable, capable of awakening individuals with terrifying potential.

Yet Vivi had absorbed thirty.

Thirty golden crystals.

And she could feel the difference in her body. Her senses were sharper now and her body felt lighter, too. It was as though something heavy had been removed from her bones.

But the status screen said her core energy was unstable.

Vivi frowned.

“System, explain my condition.”

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then a fresh notification scrolled into view.

【 Ding! 】

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┃ * The Host has successfully awakened ┃

┃ the System. ┃

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The text dissolved, replaced by a new prompt as she read on.

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┃ * The System will assist the Host in ┃

┃ adapting to the new world, developing ┃

┃ her abilities, and improving her ┃

┃ overall strength. ┃

┃ * Due to the Host’s unusual awakening ┃

┃ process, the System requires additional ┃

┃ time to analyze her current condition. ┃

┃ * Detailed ability information is ┃

┃ temporarily unavailable. ┃

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Vivi’s expression hardened. “Unusual awakening process?”

She stared at the words.

Of course it was unusual. She had absorbed thirty golden crystals at once. Even if the world had already changed beyond recognition, she doubted many people had experienced anything similar.

But what exactly did she gain from it?

She had expected to awaken an ability. Perhaps something powerful enough to let her survive the coming disasters without depending on anyone.

Instead, she had a system that couldn’t even give her a straight read on her own stats.

“How convenient.”

Her voice was hoarse, and she winced when she moved toward her bed.

The pain in her back reminded her of the impact with the wall.

She gritted her teeth as she sat down, using the nearby table for support. Once she was sitting, she took a moment to examine the bunker.

Everything had shifted during the earthquake, but fortunately the bunker remained intact.

She had spent a considerable amount of money preparing this place, reinforcing the structure and securing its essential systems. The earthquake had shaken it violently, but the shelter had survived.

Before she could dwell on it further, another chime broke the silence.

【 Ding! 】

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┃ 【EMERGENCY NOTICE】 ┃

┃ ┃

┃ * The Host has remained unconscious for ┃

┃ approximately two hours and seventeen ┃

┃ minutes. ┃

┃ * The first stage of the world’s ┃

┃ transformation has begun. ┃

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Vivi’s eyes widened slightly. ‘Two hours. I was out cold for over two hours?!’

She looked toward the bunker’s wall-mounted clock. The display was still functioning, although the time had stopped briefly during the earthquake before restarting.

She needed to know what was happening outside.

The first eight hours had been the worst part of the earthquake in her past life. Countless buildings had collapsed, roads had split apart, and people had died without ever understanding what had happened.

Then the gates appeared.

And the crystals began to fuse with those who had found them.

Vivi remembered the first reports of awakened individuals. Some had collapsed immediately after the crystals entered their bodies. Others had screamed in agony. A few had displayed strange abilities within minutes of awakening, frightening the people around them.

At the time, nobody understood what the crystals were doing.

The authorities had tried to reassure the public, but even they had no answers.

And now, the same thing was happening again.

Except this time, Vivi had a system.

She approached the control panel beside the bunker entrance and checked the internal monitoring system. The cameras showed no signs of structural damage within the accessible corridors. The air filtration system was running, and the emergency power supply appeared stable.

She checked the communications equipment next, but the network connection was unreliable.

She tried again. Nothing.

“Just great.”

Vivi moved to the desk and switched on the backup computer. The screen flickered twice before displaying a warning about network instability.

She opened the available news channels.

For a few seconds, the screen showed nothing but static.

Then a broadcast appeared.

The image was shaky, and the audio kept cutting in and out. A reporter stood beside a damaged road, her hair disheveled and her face pale. Behind her, people moved through the wreckage, some carrying injured relatives while others searched desperately beneath fallen concrete.

Vivi’s fingers tightened around the edge of the desk.

The reporter was crying.

She was trying to maintain her composure, but her voice kept breaking.

“We are receiving reports of catastrophic damage across multiple regions. Emergency services are overwhelmed, and communication networks remain unstable. We have not yet received an official explanation for the earthquake, which continued for approximately eight hours in several affected areas.”

The camera shifted.

A building had collapsed across the road. Dust still hung in the air, and a group of survivors stood near the wreckage, calling out names.

Then someone in the background screamed.

A woman rushed into view, clutching a child’s shoe to her chest.

Vivi looked away.

She remembered this.

Not this particular woman or this particular street, but the helplessness. The confusion. The terrible silence that followed the shaking, broken only by people searching for loved ones who would never answer.

In her past life, she had spent the first days trying to contact Ward. She had believed that if she could reach him, they might find a way to survive together.

What a joke.

While she had worried about him, he was already with Susan, both of them making plans of their own.

Vivi’s eyes returned to the screen as the broadcast changed abruptly.

A new image appeared, showing a massive circular structure suspended above a city. Its edges shimmered with an eerie blue light, while its center looked like a deep, bottomless void.

“The spatial gate,” Vivi muttered in recognition.