SSS Awakening: Conquering Worlds with My Cupid System

There was a saying.

The people who smiled the brightest weren’t always the happiest. Sometimes, they were simply the best liars.

BOOM!

A steel dummy weighing nearly two tons shot across the training hall before crashing into a reinforced concrete wall. The impact echoed throughout the underground facility. Gravity twisted around the dummy’s body, and the thick alloy frame folded inward like crumpled paper before collapsing into a heap of scrap.

”...”

A young man stood silently in the center of the room, with sweat dripping from his chin. His breathing was controlled, while his blue eyes remained fixed on what was left of the dummy.

Damien.

He wore black compression pants and a sleeveless training shirt drenched with sweat. His blonde hair clung to his forehead while faint violet currents of distorted gravity flickered around his body.

The private training center belonged to his family. There were no cameras, no spectators, and no classmates. Only him and destruction.

”Again.”

A mechanical voice answered.

[Training Dummy Deployed]

Hydraulic doors opened, and another humanoid construct rolled into the arena. It was three meters tall, made entirely from awakened-grade alloy rated to withstand attacks from A-Rank hunters.

Damien inhaled, and gravity gathered around his right hand. The surrounding air distorted, while the floor cracked.

BOOM!!

He vanished. The dummy attempted to raise its shield, but it was too late. Damien’s fist connected with its chest, and the invisible gravitational force didn’t merely strike it... It crushed it.

The dummy imploded.

Its chest caved inward before the rest of its body collapsed after it like a collapsing star. Metal screamed, and bolts burst apart. The machine hit the wall and kept sinking into it. Nearly half its body disappeared into reinforced concrete before finally stopping.

Silence enveloped the arena afterwards. Damien lowered his fist and muttered in a cold tone.

”Still not enough.”

His expression twisted with frustration. Every single day, he trained. Every single day, he became stronger. Every single day, one face refused to leave his mind.

Pink hair, pink eyes, that annoying smile... Silas. Damien clenched his fists until blood trickled from his palms.

”Damn you.”

Another dummy emerged. Then another. Soon, twenty dummies flooded the arena, all coming toward him. His gravity exploded, causing the entire room to tremble.

Some dummies floated helplessly into the air, while others slammed into the ceiling. Several were crushed flat against the floor. The sound of twisting steel filled the hall.

BOOM!

CRASH!

BOOM!!

Metal flew everywhere while dust filled the arena, but Damien never stopped moving. He punched, kicked, delivered countless palm strikes and elbow strikes. Gravity surged with every movement. He wasn’t training anymore. He was venting.

Minutes later, every dummy had been reduced to scrap. The arena looked like a battlefield. Damien stood in the middle of it, breathing heavily. His chest rose and fell.

”Why...” His voice was almost a whisper. ”Why him?”

His nails dug into his palms again.

”I worked for years. I trained. I bled. I became an A-Rank. I became the strongest student. I had him in my palms!”

His jaw tightened, and his Gravity Ability flared violently. The lights overhead flickered.

”I lose my title, my reputation, my spotlight, and my future.”

Every news article, every television interview, and every social media trend was Silas, Silas, and Silas. Even Aureline Apparel had signed him, and even the Head Nurse had become his ally. Everything revolved around him.

Damien’s breathing grew heavier. Then he laughed. It wasn’t a cheerful laugh, nor was it loud. It was quiet and cold.

”I almost forgot.”

His expression suddenly relaxed. The anger vanished, and his shoulders loosened. His smile returned. The same smile everyone at Valecrest knew. Confident.

”Masks really are useful.”

He walked toward a nearby mirror mounted on the wall. Looking at his reflection, he smiled wider. Perfect. Exactly how everyone expected Damien to look.

He practiced speaking.

”Good morning, Pinky. No hard feelings. You’ve gotten stronger. I will surpass you. You wait.”

He chuckled. ”Perfect.”

There was not a single trace of malice left, just his usual confident and somehow arrogant and bullying personality. Not like that wasn’t malicious, but at least it wasn’t showing true malice.

Anyone watching would’ve believed every word. His reflection slowly faded beneath the dim lighting.

Then, his smile disappeared. His blue eyes became terrifyingly cold, and his voice echoed softly through the empty training hall.

”I will mess up his life.”

Silence answered him, listening and waiting for what he would do next. His Gravity ability spread across the room, and the remaining scraps of metal began floating.

The walls groaned, while the ceiling cracked under the grip of gravity. Potent gravity. His eyes narrowed.

”I swear.”

CRAAAAAAAAAAACK!!

Every single piece of twisted metal compressed into a sphere no larger than a basketball before collapsing into itself with a deafening explosion. The arena fell silent once more.

Somewhere above the underground facility, a man in a tailored suit watched everything through reinforced observation glass.

”Young Master.” He sighed.

Another man standing beside him folded his arms.

”Should we intervene?”

The older man slowly shook his head.

”No. He needs an outlet. And...” His eyes remained fixed on Damien. ”Hatred can become an excellent motivator.”

He paused before adding quietly,

”So long as it doesn’t become obsession.”

Neither of them noticed the tiny camera hidden inside one corner of the room, nor the faint green light blinking once before transmitting the recording elsewhere.

***

While Damien was venting his frustration on metallic bots, Silas was writhing in pain on the floor of the gym while cursing at the system with full vigor, making Raymond wonder if being an S-Rank came with psychological negatives.

”YOU NEVER TOLD ME IT WOULD HAPPEN SO SOON!”

[I specifically stated that it was close...]

”FUCK! IT’S SO FUCKING PAINFUL!”

[...]

”WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY MADE OF?! SPEARS?!”

[...]

”AARGH!”

Chloe and Anna entered the gym soon enough to see Silas writhing in pain with something bulging out of the left side of his back.

”What is happening?” Anna asked calmly, but Raymond and Gromda didn’t know what was happening.

”Mate... screaming... pain,” Gromda answered with teary eyes. She was almost on the verge of tears.

”He’s evolving...” Alpha, who had entered later, suddenly said, causing everyone to look at him.

”WHAT??!!”