Even though Zac’s acting is almost perfect, inside he is still feeling nervous. The man in front of him didn’t show any emotion or pity towards him and was simply watching his every move like a hawk.

It is obvious that he didn’t buy Zac’s story of pity and is waiting to find an error in it.

[He did not believe you, host.]

"I can see that."

He exhaled slowly. "...Fine. Let’s just say I believe you."

A small smile appeared on Zac’s face. "Thank you."

"I said, ’Let’s say I believe you,’ not that I actually do."

"You’ll be under observation until we’re sure you’re not one of those terrorist pieces of shit using taboo methods to forcefully raise your potential."

A chill ran down Zac’s spine. He had heard of them before, people who are against humanity and want nothing but destruction. But most of the details are hidden from the common people to reduce unwanted chaos, so he did not know the exact truth.

"Understood," Zac said quietly.

The man leaned back slightly in his chair. "Since you came for registration, I’ll handle it personally."

"You’ve awakened SS potential. One of the rarest levels, and you are not the only one to do it. This year, including you, seven students have awakened to this level."

"Because your result was confirmed inside the association, keeping it a secret or going public is your choice."

"If you don’t want attention, we’ll keep everything confidential. As for your identification, you’ll start from the bottom like everyone else."

Zac blinked slightly.

"To receive an E-class license, you must kill 20 ’E’-class monsters from the portal. The association will provide you with the portal. You have two days to bring back their mana stones."

"Complete it, and you get certified. Am I clear?"

Zac straightened instinctively. "Yes, sir."

His hand even lifted into a short salute before he realized it. The secretary beside the man let out a small laugh.

Zac coughed lightly and lowered his hand. "Habit," he muttered. The man didn’t react. "You may wait outside. Someone will guide you to your first portal."

Zac stood up and walked toward the door. His hand reached the handle.

"Zac."

He stopped and slowly turned back.

"You were sighted near the portal last night. What were you doing there?"

Zac didn’t flinch; with a straight face, he lied again. "My school is near that park; I left my phone behind during the day. So I went to pick it up."

The man watched him for a second longer. Then gave a small nod. "You may go."

The moment the door closed behind him. He let out a long breath.

"...That was intense."

[Yeah, that was a narrow escape.]

***

Inside the office.

The secretary finally spoke. "Sir... we clearly saw him going into the park last night. Why didn’t you press him further?"

The man didn’t answer immediately. He had already stood up and walked toward the glass wall, watching the city stretched beneath him.

"Do you know his name, Lima?"

She blinked. "Zac Godson"

"He’s Elric’s son."

The words landed like a hammer on her head, with her face drained of all colors. "...That Elric?"

Her voice came out almost as a whisper. The man didn’t turn and simply answered her with a, "yes"

"But... that’s impossible," she said with trembling hands. "I thought... the ones at the top, they..."

"Stop it!" He immediately stopped her from speaking further. "Even walls have ears, so don’t talk about things we shouldn’t."

"If I, a small branch chief, can identify him, then surely the people above me can identify him too. And as for the reason he and his family are still alive, that is none of our business to delve into. Let’s just leave it as it is."

"And you too, don’t mention anything about his father to him. Maintain the act like you don’t know anything about him."

"Yes, sir." Lima nodded at him.

***

Zac is wandering across the sixth floor, quietly exploring its vast expanse.

Ancient paintings lined the walls, alongside miraculous objects and carefully crafted replicas of great variants, each display carrying a sense of reverence and history. He moved from one exhibit to another at an unhurried pace.

Among the paintings, his attention was drawn to a massive timeline chart.

It was not just a simple record but an enormous artwork, blending pictorial depictions with detailed written explanations of years and events. He stepped closer and began reading.

In the year 2030, Earth suddenly began to expand. Continents shifted, colliding and merging into a single colossal landmass, while the rest of the planet was swallowed by vast oceans.

Natural calamities erupted across the world, bringing immense destruction and loss of life. It took five long years for the chaos to settle.

Just as humanity believed the worst had passed, fate proved them wrong. The calamities had only been the beginning.

In 2035, mysterious portals began appearing across the world. From them emerged monsters that slaughtered every living being in their path.

The strange energy released from the portals, known as mana, disrupted microwaves and signals, rendering satellites useless. As a result, modern equipment that relied on signals and wave frequencies became completely useless.

Humanity fought back with modern weapons, but every attempt proved futile. Against the monsters, their efforts were nothing more than a waste.

Within just two years, more than half of humanity was wiped out by these creatures. The global economy collapsed, and food and water became more valuable than gold.

But everything changed in the year 2037 when the first human got awakened.

Followed by him one by one, the remaining people across the world began to awaken with extraordinary abilities and a mechanical system.

With their newfound power, humanity finally fought back, marking the true beginning of the war between humans and monsters.

In 2150, the most powerful variants of that era came together and formed an association to combat the growing threat of the monsters.

By 2340, the long war finally came to an end. The variant forces succeeded in pushing the monsters back through the portals.

In 2345, the association was officially established along with the V-Bank and a new currency called Kyros.

Humanity had come to realize that the variants possessed overwhelming power, and to maintain order and peace, the Association became a governing body led by the strongest variants from around the world.

In 2350, the Great Divide took place. The once massive unified continent was split into five distinct nations. Zac belonged to one of them, a nation known as the Eastern Alliance Country.

(A/N: The current year is 2595. The picture of the painting is in the discord)

Zac took in the vastness of the world laid out before him, and for the first time, even though he had already learned it in school, seeing it after awakening, and that too in the association, he truly understood how small he was within it.

[It’s fake.]

"What?"

[Not only the painting, but most of the things here are fake.]

"How do you know that? Do you have some kind of appraiser ability or something?"

[Hahaha. Nice joke. But no. The moment I entered your world, I learned everything there is to know about it. The past, the present, and even a little about the future.]

"Wait, you know the future?"

[No one can exactly know about the future. At best, it’s just predictions made using the past and present.]

"Then why did you say this one is fake?"

[Are you dumb? Because it is fake.]

[Let me give you an example. The Mona Lisa is a single painting created by Da Vinci, yet copies of it are displayed all over the world. This is the same scenario.]

[The originals of these artifacts and paintings are most likely kept in the headquarters. What you’re seeing here are just replicas made for people like you to look at.]

"People like me? That’s kind of offensive."

[I don’t care.]

"I understand your point, but who are Mona Lisa and Da Vinci? Were they people who lived before the apocalypse?"

(’,,,’)

[What exactly did you learn in school?]

"It’s not my fault. They barely teach us anything about the world before the apocalypse. After everything changed, most of that history stopped mattering to people."

Continuing the banter with the system Zac moved on to the next painting. This one depicted the Variant Association, detailing its power structure, from the chairman down to the variants who carried out the most menial tasks within the organization.

The hall was filled with history, records of ancient families, tales of great wars, and accounts of mysterious fortunes. Taking it all in, he eventually made his way to the lounge and sat down.

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and one of the most striking women he had ever seen stepped out.