SSS Ranked Awakening: Starting With My Limitless Cosmic Shadow System Chapter 17 - 0018: Awakening An SSS-grade Ability?

Modret’s lips curved slightly, his voice steady within his thoughts. "System... spin the roulette."

The world around him froze in an instant, and so did the bandits standing in front of him.

Modret’s eyes widened as he realized he had appeared in a strange, shadowy space. The atmosphere was cold and endless, a void that seed to stretch into infinity.

At the center floated a massive spinning wheel, gleaming faintly with mysterious energy. The roulette stood directly before him, glowing with an almost divine aura, as though it existed outside the limits of reality itself.

At the center of the wheel was a pointed arrow, bursting outward like a sharp fang. It hovered above, spinning with anticipation, directing itself toward a few glowing marks.

Abilities.

Modret sucked in a deep breath as his heart thudded heavily in his chest. He could imdiately sense that the wheel was filled with powerful abilities.

For a mont he stood awestruck, savoring the eerie splendor of this domain. Then the wheel began to spin with a roar, faster and faster until the entire void seed to swirl with it.

He imdiately clasped his hands tightly, his small fingers trembling, praying silently in his heart. This spin would decide everything. His survival depended on it, and beyond that, it would mark the beginning of his path as an awakened.

The arrow on the wheel blurred into a streak of light, refusing to stop. Modret frowned, his gaze fixed firmly upon it, his eyes unblinking. He felt his nerves tightening as the roulette turned endlessly.

Yet, just like the saying, nothing lasted forever, and gradually the arrow began to lose speed, jerking faintly as if reluctant to rest. It paused now and then on a blue glow, then on a red one, before moving forward once more.

Modret’s palms grew damp with sweat. He did not know what the colors ant, but each ti the arrow slowed he felt his heart leap in his throat. His mind was filled with silent pleas to any gods who might hear him.

Finally, the roulette slowed enough for him to see. The arrow landed between a deep purple glow and a blazing red one. His breath caught, his chest tightening as astonishnt filled his eyes.

"What does this an?" he whispered, squinting at the lights as they gradually cleared.

On the purple glow, the letters SS shone boldly. On the red glow, far brighter and more resplendent, the letters SSS glead like molten gold.

Modret’s body trembled. "It has to be SSS rank, right? My luck cannot possibly be this good. To awaken an SSS-ranked ability on my first spin?" His lips curled into a wide grin as his eyes sparkled with hope.

The arrow leaned faintly toward the red glow, and Modret’s heart soared. Surely this ant the SSS rank was his. Yet a small part of him feared it was his own illusion, nothing more than desperation distorting his vision. He held his breath and waited for the system’s judgnt.

The silence broke with a chiming sound, and glowing words appeared before him.

[Congratulations on awakening the SS-grade Null Fire.]

[Effect 1: A unique fla that burns its victims to ashes when fueled by sufficient mana.]

[Effect 2: While burning, it forces the target to experience vivid illusions, shattering their ntal stability.]

[Effect 3: Slightly consus the target’s mana with each touch.]

[Effect 4: ???]

"An SS-grade ability?" Modret muttered, his voice filled with both disappointnt and relief. He had been so close to touching SSS rank.

Yet as his gaze lingered on the descriptions, his eyes softened. The more he read, the more he realized how terrifying this Null Fire was. His earlier frustration began to fade. The ability was lethal and full of mysteries. At the sa ti, more knowledge surged into his mind like a flood.

He now understood the thod of condensing mana, forming an awakened core, and evolving it continuously. As one with an SS-ranked ability, the information was highly detailed.

Even more shocking, as an S-rank awakener or above, his awakened core was already ford. All he needed was to fill it with mana to grow stronger.

The world around him resud. Ti that had been frozen rushed forward again. The awakened bandit was still lunging toward him, his weapon raised to strike. The other bandits had begun to move as well, yet Modret did not falter.

A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Ti to test my newfound abilities," he whispered softly.

He inhaled deeply, and as he did, a white mist-like substance appeared in the air. Wisps of mana drifted toward him like moths drawn to a fla. The atmosphere thickened with energy so dense it almost humd.

The awakened bandit’s eyes widened in alarm. He could feel the mana surging toward the child. His instincts scread danger, and his face twisted in horror as he tried to stop his attack. But it was already too late.

Black flas erupted violently from Modret’s body, spreading outward in a suffocating wave. They consud everything in their path. The night was already cloaked in shadows, yet these flas were darker than darkness itself, their oppressive heat overwhelming and inescapable.

Screams erupted from within the inferno.

"Make it stop!"

"I swear I will never steal again!"

"Please, have rcy, I only wanted to feed my family!"

The voices rose one after another, raw with agony, until gradually they weakened and faded.

Modret’s gaze swept over the remains. The stench of charred flesh clung to the air, and the once-feral bandits had been reduced to ash. Yet among them, a faint gasp lingered. Soone was still alive.

His eyes locked onto the figure. It was the awakened from earlier. His skin was blackened with burns, his body trembling violently. His mind wavered between illusion and reality, his pupils unfocused, yet he lifted a trembling hand and whispered hoarsely, "Aw... awakened."

With those words, his body collapsed lifelessly. He had never dread that death would co at the hands of a five-year-old child.

Nor had he ever imagined that such a young boy could awaken at all, and with such terrifying power. It shattered the very foundation of what he knew about the awakened world.

He would never receive his answer.

[Shadow Servant gained.]

[600 shadow fragnts obtained.]

[Shadow fragnts: 627/1000.]

[F-grade ability acquired: Agile Steps.]

"It feels good to be awakened," Modret whispered with a faint smile. He restrained the wild surge of aura flowing from his body and steadied his breathing. The weight of his newfound strength left him stunned. A child like him could wield such devastating power?

His gaze returned to the notifications, his eyes lighting up. The fragnts were close to a thousand, which ant another spin at the roulette was near. His heart quickened with excitent. Perhaps the next ti fortune would smile even brighter.

"Another shadow servant?" he murmured. Without hesitation, he summoned it. The shadows around him twisted unnaturally, rising and shaping themselves into the charred bandit he had just slain.

The figure appeared and froze montarily, his eyes empty, then he bowed slightly. "Lord of Shadows."

Modret studied him curiously. "What is your na?"

"Xara, my lord," the servant replied.

Modret nodded, his gaze shifting toward Axel, who remained tied nearby. The boy’s small face rested in peaceful sleep, his lips curled into a faint smile, oblivious to the horrors that had just unfolded.

Modret shook his head with a wry smile. "Children are still children in the end."

Xara tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable, as though Modret’s words puzzled him.

"Pick him up and co with ," Modret ordered softly. He had no interest in the bandits’ stolen goods. The night’s task was finished, and it was ti to return ho.

As he walked, his back hunched faintly and a shadow lingered across his face. His mind wandered to his parents. He could already imagine his mother’s furious worry when she discovered his absence.

"I will be lucky if she has not torn the entire household apart already," he muttered under his breath.

"Please, do not exaggerate too much," he whispered to himself, though the uneasy smile on his face betrayed his doubt.