SSS Awakening: Conquering Worlds with My Cupid System

High above the West Town Saints Academy, inside the tallest tower, a spacious office overlooked nearly every corner of the campus. Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed the sprawling city below. The skyline shimmered beneath the morning sun.

Standing before those windows, with his hands clasped behind his back, was an elderly man dressed in a pristine white suit. His hair had long since turned silver. His eyes, however, remained sharp enough to make seasoned hunters lower their gaze.

This was Headmaster Augustine Holsway, one of the most respected awakened educators in the country. Behind him, several holographic screens floated silently in the air.

Most displayed student statistics, training results, mana fluctuations, and mission reports. One screen, however, displayed a single article from three days ago.

[CITY A BLUE RIFT CLOSED IN THIRTY MINUTES.]

Beside it was another headline.

[PINK LIGHT PHENOMENON STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION.]

Augustine read both articles without changing expression.

"Interesting."

A soft knock echoed through the office.

"Enter."

The doors slid open, and a woman wearing the academy’s instructor uniform stepped inside.

"Headmaster."

"What is it?"

"The Military Intelligence Bureau has forwarded another report regarding City A."

She handed him a tablet, and Augustine accepted it. His eyes calmly scanned the contents. The report mentioned a young S-Rank with rapid growth, unprecedented achievements, and unusual combat records.

Several sections remained heavily classified, and only one name appeared repeatedly. Silas Ashard. The elderly headmaster remained silent for several moments.

Then, very slowly, he smiled.

"A storm..." He placed the tablet onto his desk. "...is beginning to gather."

Outside, the morning bell rang across the enormous campus. Thousands of students hurried toward their classes. None of them knew it yet.

Far away in City A, someone had already begun changing the balance of awakened society, and whether West Town Saints Academy welcomed it or not, that change would eventually reach even the greatest academy in New Liberty.

As for Augustine, he exhaled once the woman left, his face becoming a bit sad.

"So... you really left a legacy behind... Solomon..."

***

City AF never truly slept.

Even at six in the evening, the streets below remained flooded with life. Endless streams of vehicles flowed through eight-lane highways suspended between skyscrapers, while holographic advertisements painted entire buildings with moving colors.

Autonomous taxis drifted silently through dedicated aerial lanes.

Massive digital billboards displayed the latest hunter rankings, stock market fluctuations, fashion trends, and Rift alerts in real time.

Below them, thousands of awakened walked the sidewalks. This was City AF. The city where power wasn’t unusual, but was expected.

Towering over almost everything around it stood West Town Saint’s Academy, its silver-and-white buildings reflected the evening sun like polished mirrors. Mana-powered barriers shimmered faintly over the campus, invisible unless someone paid close attention.

From below, it looked almost holy. From above, it looked like a fortress, and on top of the tallest building, a lone figure sat cross-legged near the edge, one leg dangling over the side of the skyscraper, while the other rested lazily beneath him.

The drop beneath him stretched for hundreds of feet. One careless movement, one gust of wind, or one loss of balance, and it was death.

He didn’t care.

Smoke curled upward from the cigarette resting between his fingers. The ember glowed orange before fading again. He took another drag and exhaled. The smoke disappeared into the evening breeze.

In his other hand rested an unopened can of beer. He popped it open with one thumb, and without ceremony, raised it to his mouth. Half the can disappeared in one long drink.

"Warm."

His voice was deep, calm, and almost lazy. He wore the academy’s uniform, though the jacket hung open, exposing a plain black shirt underneath. His tie didn’t exist anymore.

It had probably been discarded somewhere weeks ago. The sleeves had been rolled halfway to his elbows. His shirt wasn’t tucked in.

The school would probably have a heart attack if they saw him. Fortunately, nobody dared climb this rooftop.

His dark skin seemed to absorb the orange glow of sunset, making his striking purple hair appear even brighter. It wasn’t flashy; rather, it resembled amethyst under sunlight.

His eyes were the same shade. They looked less like the eyes of an eighteen-year-old student, and more like someone who had already lived through far too much.

He was Ezra Crestfall. One of West Town Saint’s Academy’s Four Saints, an S-Rank, one of New Liberty’s youngest strategic assets, and probably the academy’s biggest headache.

He took another sip. Someone stepped onto the rooftop, but Ezra didn’t turn.

"I told you already. I’m not attending."

The footsteps stopped, and the newcomer sighed.

"I haven’t even said anything yet."

"You were going to."

"..."

A middle-aged man wearing a formal suit adjusted his glasses. Principal Victor Halden, principal of West Town Saint’s Academy, one of the few people allowed onto this rooftop, not because Ezra respected him, but because Ezra tolerated him.

Victor looked at the cigarette, then the beer, and the edge of the building.

"You’re underage."

Ezra took another drink.

"So?"

"So..." Victor rubbed his temples. "You’re also smoking."

"So?"

"Smoking is prohibited."

"So?"

"Alcohol is prohibited."

"So?"

Victor stared blankly.

"Do you only know one word?"

Ezra finally looked at him.

"No."

"Good."

"So?"

Victor nearly walked back downstairs. Instead, he took a deep breath.

"You’ve skipped twenty-three classes."

"So?"

"You’ve ignored every combat assessment."

"So?"

"You failed mathematics."

Ezra blinked. "I did?"

"You didn’t even know?"

"I forgot."

"..."

The principal genuinely wondered how someone like this became an S-Rank. Then he remembered. Monsters didn’t care whether someone passed mathematics. They cared whether they survived.

Ezra survived. Everything else apparently didn’t matter. Victor walked closer until he stood beside him. The city stretched endlessly beneath them.

"You’ve heard the news."

Ezra nodded.

"City A."

"Mm."

"The pink-haired boy."

"Mm."

"Silas Ashard."

Ezra’s expression remained unchanged.

"I’ve heard."

Victor folded his arms.

"What do you think?"

Ezra stared toward the horizon. The wind played gently with his purple hair.

"Nothing."

Victor frowned.

"Nothing?"

"He exists."

"That’s all?"

"What else?"

"He’s another S-Rank."

"So?"

"He defeated an A-Rank Rift Boss."

Ezra shrugged.

"I’ve done that."

"He closed a Blue Rift alone."

"I’ve done that."

"He defeated Damien."

"I don’t know Damien."

Victor sighed.

"People are comparing the two of you."

Ezra looked genuinely confused.

"Why?"

"Because you’re both S-RRanks."

"That’s stupid."

Victor couldn’t even disagree. After another drink, Ezra spoke quietly.

"The world has billions of people."

"Mhm."

"So?"

Victor almost threw him off the roof. Ezra continued calmly.

"If he’s strong... Good. If he’s weak...Too bad. If he’s interesting... I’ll meet him eventually. If not..."He took another sip. "Life goes on."

Silence returned.

Far below, students walked across the campus. Victor looked at him again.

"You know, you could become famous."

"I am."

"I mean internationally."

"No."

"You could represent New Liberty."

"No."

"You could become a Hunter Association Ambassador."

"No."

Victor sighed.

"What exactly do you want?"

Ezra answered instantly.

"Peace."

Victor smiled bitterly.

"The one thing impossible for an S-Rank."

Ezra didn’t respond, because they both knew that was true. For ordinary people, strength brought freedom. For S-Ranks, strength brought responsibility.

The stronger you became, the less your life belonged to yourself. Ezra hated that very much. A sudden vibration interrupted the silence.

Victor looked at his tablet, and his expression slowly changed. Ezra noticed immediately.

"What?"

Victor hesitated.

"The Hunter Association."

"What about them?"

"They’re sending a notice to every academy."

Ezra sighed.

"Another tournament?"

"No."

Victor looked at the message again.

"An exchange program."

Ezra frowned slightly.

"Exchange?"

"They’re selecting outstanding students from different academies. They’ll eventually meet."

Ezra looked back toward the city.

"Eventually."

Victor nodded.

"Valecrest, West Town, North Crown, Solaris, and the country’s strongest awakened students. And according to this..." Victor looked up. "Silas Ashard is already on the list."

The breeze became stronger.

Ezra quietly crushed the empty beer can in one hand. The reinforced aluminum compressed effortlessly into a perfect sphere before he casually tossed it into a nearby recycling bin nearly twenty meters away.

Clang. Perfect shot. He stood. At nearly six-foot-seven, he towered over the principal. He stretched lazily before placing both hands inside his pockets.

"Guess I’ll meet him eventually."

Victor smiled.

"I thought you didn’t care."

"I don’t."

"You just stood up."

"I was getting another beer."

"..."

Victor wasn’t sure whether to believe him. Ezra walked toward the rooftop door. Halfway there, he stopped. Without turning around, he spoke.

"If he really is strong, don’t let politics ruin him."

Victor remained silent. Ezra opened the rooftop door.

"And if he isn’t..." He disappeared into the stairwell. "...then everyone else will."

The door closed softly behind him. The rooftop returned to silence, leaving only the fading scent of cigarette smoke drifting over the skyline of City AF.

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