“Talent awakening’s tonight. Damn, my heart’s about to jump out of my chest.”

“Please, gods, let me get at least an A-rank skill!”

“Dream on, man. There aren’t even a thousand A-ranks in the whole Daxia!”

“Hey, did you hear about that girl from last year? Total prodigy—got an S-rank and got snatched up by Azure Dragon Combat Academy. She's already a Stage-One Domainer now, badass as hell!”

“Domainer? That means a million annual income minimum, top treatment everywhere... Man, I’m jealous.”

“Tch, all you care about is the money? Defending the nation’s the real mission, alright?”

“Cut it out. With our mediocre selves, not dragging the country down is already good enough.”

“Still, it ticks me off every time I see the government paying M Nation those huge bounties.”

“Can’t be helped. They’ve got fifth-stage Domainers. You want to fight deep cave beasts without them? Not a chance.”

The classroom of Class 8, Grade 12 at Yunjin No.5 High School was buzzing with noise.

Everyone was hyped about tonight’s awakening.

Except for Liam Collins, who sat alone in the corner, staring blankly at his phone.

“Sophie’s artificial kidney lease ends this month… Renewing it’s fifty grand. The inheritance is all gone. Even selling the house won’t cover it...”

His head was full of heavy thoughts.

“Screw it… Thought being reborn would get me out of this mess. Never figured it’d still be this damn hard.”

He let out a long sigh.

Yeah, Liam wasn’t from this world originally.

He had crossed over ten years ago and became the adopted son of the Collins family.

They had treated him like their own. Sophie, his little sister, even closer than blood.

But five years ago, everything crumbled. A deep cave beast raid tore through Yunjin.

Their parents died in the chaos. Sophie was seriously injured.

Her kidneys were done for.

Because of her special constitution, only high-end artificial kidneys kept her alive.

Liam poured every last coin of the family savings into renting them.

Buying a pair? A single one costs five hundred thousand. She needed two. Not happening.

“Only shot I’ve got now… is tonight’s talent awakening.”

Liam glanced at the crescent mark on the back of his hand.

The timer in the center showed: 05:26:50.

When it hit zero, he’d be sent into the “Domain.”

A mysterious realm that had appeared twenty years ago, said to be made by gods.

Once you turned eighteen, you'd be allowed in. That’s where talents awakened.

Skills went from D to SSS tier.

The higher the grade, the stronger the power, the easier it was to slay monsters.

Deep caves had shown up with the Domain—random, worldwide, full of beasts that slaughtered humans.

And regular weapons? Useless.

Until someone found out that getting stronger in the Domain made you stronger in reality too.

Then countries started training Domainers to fight back. Surprise: it worked.

From that point, Domainers became top assets.

The “International Association of Domainers” was formed.

They ranked Domainers in five stages. Pass their test, get certified.

Usually, an A-rank talent meant Level One was in the bag.

But going up against the top-tier deep cave monsters?

You needed to be Stage Five.

That kind of power was damn near nuclear.So, countries with Tier 5 Domain Force users get more respect and say on the world stage.

Right now, M Country has the only Tier 5 expert in the world, plus the largest number of Domain Force users overall. They're sitting at the top of the food chain.

Whenever high-level Abyss creatures show up, every nation scrambles. They all end up begging M Country for help.

And M Country? They charge sky-high prices and throw on ridiculous demands while they're at it.

Everyone's pissed, but no one dares to say a word.

The one who suffers most is Grand Xia. They swallowed the loss and decided—time to build their own top-tier Domain Force users.

Now the benefits that come with the job have skyrocketed. Serve the country, earn fame and money—who wouldn’t want that kind of life?

"If I awaken an A-rank skill... I might actually become a Domain Force user. Sophie could be saved!" Liam Collins clenched his fists.

As soon as the school bell rang, he dashed out of the classroom. He cleaned the training hall at lightning speed—it was their main source of income.

Done with work, Liam checked the time.

Two hours until he entered the Domain.

He caught the last train home. In the subway car, his eyes stayed on the news playing on the screen.

The anchor’s voice boomed with enthusiasm, "Latest reports say this year we have over three million eighteen-year-olds eligible to awaken. How many of them will become top talents? Time will tell!"

Just then, Liam’s phone buzzed.

It was a message from Sophie Collins: “Bro, I’m heading to a classmate’s place tonight! I made you dinner—make sure to eat well before you go into the Domain! Stay safe! Love you, Sophie.”

Liam gave a faint smile, but his heart weighed heavy.

"What if... I don’t even make A-rank?"

He shoved that thought away.

Back home, he devoured dinner like a starving beast. Then, he waited.

Eight PM—global standard time for Domain activation. Some places adjust for time zone, but the moment is synced.

At eight sharp, a pale blue glow lit up the emblem on his hand.

He'd read the Domain Guide—he knew what to do next.

Entering was easy. Just tap the full moon symbol three times.

Liam followed the steps.

In an instant, darkness swallowed him.

Seconds later, light returned, and he found himself standing on a circular altar, about the size of a sports field.

Stone pillars lined the edges. Beyond them stretched endless plains.

More people began to appear around him, glancing around, just as lost.

"Welcome to the Domain. I’m your guide spirit."

A palm-sized sprite floated to Liam.

"Please set your name and appearance for use inside the Domain."

Liam paused. "Sawyer. Masked outfit."

Sawyer—that had always been his online name.

He wasn't hiding for show. He had no choice. This world was messy. Countries played dirty for power. Being a Domain Force user didn’t mean you were safe.

Recruitment, infiltration, bribery, assassination… he'd seen it all.

He’d witnessed a high-level user get taken out right in front of his eyes. The officials denied the killing, but Liam wasn’t fooled—it was the real deal.

Before you get strong, best to stay low.

"Sawyer, ready to activate your skill?" the little spirit asked, pulling out a crystal sphere. "Put your hand on it, your skill will appear."

Liam’s palms were sweaty as he pressed down.

The sphere lit up instantly.

"Please let it be A-rank…"

He prayed silently.

"Congratulations! You’ve awakened an SSS-rank skill—Summoning!"