Global Awakening: Starting With Ten SSS-Rank Talents

Jet walked out of his bedroom and made his way toward the living room, where Inez was sitting on the fabric couch watching television.

Seeing him enter, Inez immediately waved her little hands, beckoning him over to the sofa as she spoke with a bright laugh.

”Big brother, come and sit down! This show is too funny.”

Jet’s eyes flickered slightly as he looked at his smiling sister. The weight of his hidden knowledge pressed heavily against his chest, but he forced his features to relax.

He walked over, sat down right beside her on the cushions, and gently rubbed her platinum hair.

Pulling his smartphone from his pocket, Jet began to silently scroll through the internet. He browsed through global news feeds, social media platforms, and local forum boards. Everything was perfectly peaceful.

People were arguing over trivial politics, sharing memes, and planning their weekend routines.

Looking at the entirely calm internet and billions of ordinary citizens going about their daily lives without a care in the world, Jet simply shook his head.In just a few hours, this entire world would be turned upside down, and the peaceful reality they took for granted would vanish forever.

Inez tilted her head, her large white pupils turning to look at him curiously. ”Big brother, why didn’t you go to work today? And why did you lock the door and not let me go to school?”

Jet locked his phone screen and looked back at her for a few quiet moments.

He reached out, gently pinching her chubby cheek. ”I just wanted to spend some quality time with you today, okay? School and work can wait. Family comes first.”

Inez thought about his words for a second, her brows furrowing slightly before she nodded with a huge, radiant smile.

She threw her arms up in the air. ”Then let’s play! We haven’t played together for so long.”

”Okay,” Jet nodded, his voice softening.

For the rest of the day, the brother and sister spent every single hour together. They played board games on the living room floor, watched animated shows on the television, and built crude fortresses out of blankets and sofa cushions.

Jet threw himself entirely into the moments, completely focusing his attention on making his sister laugh. He didn’t check his financial notifications, he didn’t look at his loan details, and he didn’t think about the ink resting beneath his clothes.

In the blink of an eye, the bright afternoon hours began to bleed away.

The sun slowly set beneath the western horizon, and the night sky took its place, bringing a cool darkness over the city.Looking out the living room window at the silver moon beginning to take its rightful place in the sky, Jet took a deep breath.

The internal countdown in his head was reaching its final stretch. He turned his head back to Inez, his expression turning firm.

”Okay, Inez. Let’s hurry up and get you cleaned up. We need to eat dinner and get you to sleep early tonight.”

”Come on, big brother!” Inez pouted instantly, sticking out her pink tongue and looking up at him with wide, sad eyes. ”I haven’t enjoyed myself enough yet. Let’s keep playing for another five hours, please?”

Jet’s eyes twitched slightly at her dramatic display, and he shook his head resolutely. ”No. We have been playing all day long. Come on, get up. You don’t want to be late for school tomorrow morning, do you?”

With a significant amount of patient persuasion, Jet finally managed to convince the stubborn little girl. It didn’t take him long to guide her through her nightly bath, prepare a quick dinner, and tuck her securely beneath her heavy blankets.

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Standing out in the quiet hallway outside Inez’s closed bedroom door, Jet stood perfectly still for several minutes, listening intently until her breathing slowed into a deep, rhythmic slumber. Once he was certain she was fully asleep, he quietly walked through the apartment.

He checked the main entrance lock, ensuring the heavy iron deadbolt he had thrown early that morning was completely secure. Then, he went room by room, manually locking every single window in the entire apartment.

Turning off every single light in the living room and kitchen, Jet made his way back to his own bedroom.

He shut the door, locked it from the inside, and pulled the thick, light-blocking curtains tightly over the glass window casing.

The room plunged into absolute darkness, save for the faint green glow of his digital alarm clock.

He walked to the center of the room, lowered himself onto the hard floor, and sat cross-legged in absolute silence.

Time ticked by.

The outside world remained completely calm, enveloped in a thick layer of joy and ignorance. High up in the sky, the moon shone down upon the concrete jungle with its familiar, silver brilliance.

Minutes bled into hours as the clock slowly approached midnight.

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In a cool, quiet municipal park located a few miles away from Jet’s residential district, a group of six friends, three boys and three girls, all of them in their early twenties, were walking along the paved pathways.

They were enjoying the refreshing night breeze after a long, exhausting shift at their corporate offices.

”I swear, if the department head asks for another financial audit spreadsheet by Monday morning, I’m going to throw my terminal out the window,” one of the boys grumbled, running a hand through his hair.

”Oh, stop complaining,” a girl beside him chuckled, adjusting her jacket against the chill. ”At least your sector has a stable budget. Our logistics division is practically bleeding capital because of the new dungeon material tariffs.”

”Speaking of tariffs, did you guys see the market valuation for Mid-Grade Mana Crystals today? It’s completely insane,” another boy chimed in, stepping over a stray branch on the path. ”The Guilds are completely monopolizing the supply lines.”

Just then, one of the girls stopped dead in her tracks. Her conversation died instantly, and her posture went completely rigid as she stared straight up at the sky.