Rarity breeds desire, but I am no prize to be won
___________________________
Believe when I say coming to this world through a questionable thod wasn’t half as shocking as watching everyone treat like a gem found in a pile of rocks.
If this is how excited they get over a C-rated Limitless, do they throw national parades for the higher-ranked ones?
Walking down the academy hallway, I rubbed my chin and threw suspicious glances at Dr. William, the examiner. He noticed and ca to a stop.
I halted too, staring him down.
"Do you have a question?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.
I nodded without hesitation.
"Correct if I’m wrong, but aren’t you guys a bit too excited about the ability of a C-rank Limitless?"
Dr. William’s lips curved into a smile—but there was sothing else too. A look of pity. The kind a rich man gives a kid begging by the road.
"It’s a sha you don’t see your value." He shook his head and sighed. Then he continued, "In war, what do you think is the most important factor that decides the winner?"
The question threw off. I was silent for a mont, genuinely unsure. I’d never thought about that before.
William noticed and smiled wider.
"Supplies," he said simply.
But that one word triggered a flood of thoughts. I found myself nodding slowly.
"True... Ammunition, food, water, dical supplies. Those are what keep an army fighting."
"Exactly," he replied, nodding approvingly. "You’re smart. That’ll go well with your support-type ability." He patted my shoulder before walking ahead.
I watched him go, my brows furrowed. So to them, I’m basically a walking, talking supply vault. That ans there’s no one else in Texas with my ability—otherwise they wouldn’t be acting like this.
So much for keeping a low profile.
I sighed and followed after him.
The hallway was massive. We walked for nearly twenty minutes before reaching two towering doors with eagle-shaped armrests. As we got closer, the doors slid open automatically.
So... what’s the point of the armrests? Decoration? Fashion?
I didn’t know. Adam wasn’t exactly into that kind of stuff.
Beyond the doors was a huge, 200-seater auditorium. The seats were arranged in a semi-arc facing an elevated podium. A massive flat-screen TV covered the entire wall behind it.
There were barely fifty people inside. A quarter full, at best. A petite woman stood behind the podium, looking like a kid who got lost in her mom’s clothes. Her suit and skirt were oversized, and her large glasses didn’t help.
Honestly, she looked my age—maybe even younger.
As we entered, silence fell like a hamr. Curious eyes turned toward us, but the curiosity vanished the mont they saw .
As expected. I’m hideous.
I followed Dr. William to the podium. Up close, the woman looked like she was 16, playing dress-up for Career Day.
"The new student I ntioned," Dr. William said. "This is him."
When did that conversation happen?
She smiled with a weird, almost disarming look in her eyes. Her whole vibe scread "lower your guard," which made instinctively raise mine.
She stepped forward and extended her hand.
"I’m Pala. Your horoom teacher," she said, still smiling.
"Adam Black." I shook her hand, eyes drifting to the quiet students behind her.
Pala gave a nod, then turned to the class. Still holding my hand, she led back to the podium and spoke up.
"Show them what you can do," she said.
Wow. Not even a proper welco? Just ’show us your powers’?
Was this normal here? Did they seriously judge people entirely based on talent?
Even without my mories, I could feel how wrong that was. The people from where I ca from—wherever that was—must’ve been way more polite than this.
I sighed.
"Adam Black," I said again, snapping my fingers.
The space around wobbled unnaturally. Pala instinctively took a step back as the class leaned forward.
My fingers sliced the air like a knife through cloth. I reached into the ripple and pulled out... a table knife.
"My ability lets access a pocket dinsion. I can store and retrieve things at will."
I tossed the knife back in and sealed the space.
"Oh—and yes. I can fit a car in there."
Silence.
Pala’s eyes widened. A few students stood up without realizing it.
Apparently, everyone here understood the value of this ability.
Everyone but .
_______
My introduction had caused a small commotion, forcing Pala and Dr. William to step outside for a short discussion.
Students who had earlier lost interest in began sneaking glances. So were even bold enough to smile or wave. The sudden shift from disinterest to friendliness made my stomach churn.
So much so, my head began to ache.
Ignoring their greedy eyes, I picked a seat in an abandoned part of the auditorium. From a distance, I studied my classmates and realized sothing.
There was no age limit here.
While so looked as young as , many were clearly older—one even had streaks of gray in his hair. It made sense. The awakening of [talents] followed no pattern. Sotis it found the young. Other tis, the old. Humanity had no control over it.
It was chaotic... just like the collapsing universe.
Did my old world also receive gifts like this? I mumbled, eyes narrowing.
Thud!
The heavy sound of footsteps snapped out of my thoughts. Looking up, I saw a man who looked more like a bandit than a hero.
He wore a black sleeveless turtleneck, black trousers, and boots. His bald head and thick beard gave him a thuggish air.
From his features, I guessed he was in his late thirties—maybe even early forties. He must’ve awakened his talent long after his pri.
Pity.
Bam!
He slamd his hands on my desk. It shook violently under the weight as he leaned toward .
I scoffed and lifted my face to et his glare. Unmoved.
He frowned.
He wanted to be scared. He wanted to see tremble.
"Yes?" I raised an eyebrow, eyes locked with his.
He pulled back slightly, stunned by the resolve of soone so young. Whispers rose from the clusters of students nearby. So were amused by my reaction.
"I go by the na Blade out here," he said quickly, like he was trying to save face.
"And?" My voice dripped with impatience.
Blade flinched again.
After everyone’s earlier reaction to my ability, I’d figured it out—I was a rare commodity. A prize.
And if I was that valuable, I wouldn’t make it easy for anyone to acquire . I’d stand above them and watch them fight just to earn a sliver of my favor.
Footsteps echoed from the entrance. We all turned instinctively.
Pala walked in with a childish spring in her step. Her eyes landed on Blade and .
To my surprise, Blade turned pale with genuine fear. His body trembled. He stumbled over his words, scrambling for an excuse.
"I... we... they... no, ..."
"To your seat," Pala said softly.
The whole class fell silent as the tough-looking Limitless bolted back to his seat like a child about to be punished.
Never judge a book by its cover.
I watched Pala with growing interest as she returned to the podium and locked eyes with .
"Since talents awaken at random, there are no formal academic sessions here," she began, her childish voice still grating on my ears. "When a Limitless is discovered, they train here until they’re ready for deploynt."
I raised my hand.
"Yes?" Pala tilted her head.
"If there are no sessions, how do you tell older students from newer ones?" I asked, shifting my gaze toward Blade. "Clearly, age isn’t a useful asure."
Laughter erupted across the room. Pala turned her face and covered her mouth with a hand, trying not to laugh.
Bam!
Blade slamd his fist into his desk, shattering it. He sprang to his feet with a glare aid at . But he froze mid-step.
His rage faded instantly.
He went pale again.
I followed his eyes and saw Pala staring at him, her face twisted in fury.
She’s an open book... completely unable to hide her emotions. Is that her personality—or part of her talent?
Each second with this horoom teacher made her more intriguing.
Blade sent one last warning glare my way before sitting down and lowering his head. It left wondering—what exactly had Pala done to earn the obedience of nearly fifty Limitless students?
She had to be sothing special.
"Seniority ans nothing in this academy," Pala continued, snapping out of my thoughts.
"Instead, the academy runs on contribution points. To graduate and beco a full Limitless, a student needs to earn 10,000 points. And those points can only be gained by..."
"Raiding dungeons," I cut in.
She didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she smiled.
"Territories, to be exact. Not dungeons," she replied, her smile stretching wider.
"What?" I raised an eyebrow, confused.
Pala nodded and leaned into the mic.
"Behind those rifts... are territories. Not dungeons."
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