Alden dressed in a black hoodie and long pants, walked out of the house he was staying in.
It was a three-story building with many other tenants.
The house was in bad shape—the paint was old and already peeling off the walls, while the roof and other parts of the building were starting to fall apart in some places.
But Alden didn't care. It was the only place he could afford, located on the outskirts of Megan City.
As he walked past, he didn't forget to use the character scan on his neighbors. He sighed in disappointment at what he saw.
[Character scan in use»» Information processing]
[-CHARACTERINFO-]
CHARACTER NAME: Blake Richard
AGE: 19
LEVEL: 3
TALENT: Martial Artist (Weak)
SKILLS: Cunning Tongue (FFF), Knife Apprentice (F)
[-CHARACTERINFO-]
[Does host wish to merge with this character? Yes/No]
Sadly, that was the person with the highest power he had come across in his building.
The others he saw were even weaker, with some kids yet to awaken their talents.
Alden ignored the idea of merging with anyone. They were too weak, and the number of people he could merge with was limited.
Why waste a slot on someone who wouldn't bring him much benefit?
He didn't bother scanning the people around him anymore as he continued toward his destination. Their weak auras weren't worth his time.
The hospital was far from his house, but since he didn't have much money, he chose to walk there, saving what little he had for another place he planned to visit later.
....
"Finally, I'm here," he took in a deep breaths.
After almost an hour of walking, Alden finally reached the hospital, feeling a slight soreness in his legs from the long journey.
The hospital was a small one.
"Why are you here?"
He was stopped by a man guarding the gate.
With the help of the system, Alden could see the man's strength—Level 5, F-tier talent, weak skills. Nothing impressive.
"Here to see my sick mom," Alden simply replied. The gate was then opened for him to pass through after the gatekeeper assessed him.
He walked directly into the hospital premises, maintaining a calm expression.
"Is that not Alden?" a young girl whispered to the boy beside her, tugging at his sleeve.
As he entered the building, Alden didn't notice the girl or bother to look around. Instead, he walked straight to the nurse's station.
"Good day. I'm here to see my mom in Ward 101," he said to the nurse on duty.
The nurse looked up at him, and Alden noticed a slight look of disdain on her face when she saw it was him. Still, he kept his calm expression.
"You can go ahead, you damned weakling," the nurse finally responded.
It took nearly two minutes for her to respond, and though the last part was whispered, Alden still heard it clearly.
Just as he turned back to walk away, his path was blocked by a pair of individuals. Yet, Alden's countenance didn't change in the slightest.
He stepped to the side to walk away, but the pair moved to block him again.
"What is the meaning of this?" A frown crossed his face, but his expression instantly returned to normal.
"You," the young girl pointed at him. "You still dare to show your face here?"
"Don't you have any shame, brother?" the girl exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of a few people in the waiting hall.
Despite the girl's arrogance, Alden stood there, his eyes fixed on the pair without uttering a word.
Next, the boy chuckled at Alden's attitude.
"Little sis, you don't have to waste your saliva talking to him."
The boy took a step forward, matching Alden's gaze. Alden didn't even blink as he stared at the pair.
"Moreover, he doesn't deserve to be called 'brother' anymore," the boy said directly to Alden's face.
Alden took a deep breath. "Is that all?"
The pair were surprised to hear that from him. This was far less than what they had expected. The Alden they knew would already be on the verge of tears.
"Oh, oh," the boy sneered. "Trying to play the brave Alden now?"
"If you don't have anything meaningful to say, then I'll take my leave," Alden spoke indifferently, taking a few steps to walk away.
The current him knew how to deal with such situations.
A hand suddenly shoved him back to the same spot. It was none other than the boy.
"Did I say you could leave?" the boy coldly remarked, standing before Alden like a superior.
"How dare you show your face here? Or are you here to worsen the damage you've caused? Huh, you bastard?" the boy roared in a low voice, his hand balled into a fist, trembling with anger.
"Brother, why don't you exit this hospital now? You don't want to cause trouble for yourself, right?" the girl added with a smirk on her face.
Alden snorted in displeasure. Finally, he couldn't continue standing there like a watchdog, watching them spit rubbish in his face.
"Max... Rowena..." he slowly called out the names of the pair, his composure relaxed.
The pair in front of him were his twin brother and little sister, whom he was older than by two years.
In this world, children undergo two awakening stages at the academy.
At age fifteen, they take the Potential Checking Test to determine if they're suited for Talent Awakening or Martial Arts. Those who show no potential are unlikely to pursue either path.
The Final Awakening Test takes place at age eighteen, and only those who passed the first test are eligible.
Sammy's twin brother, Max, passed the first test for Talent Awakening, while Sammy showed zero potential in both paths.
Their father, along with Max and even his sister, began to treat him like a cursed child.
Only their mother continued to love and care for him. Her love grew even stronger, which made his siblings envious.
Two years ago, Alden's mother was involved in an unknown incident. Without her to defend him anymore, his father eventually chased him out of the house as a useless son.
"As I said, if you have nothing meaningful to say, then get out of my way," Alden snapped at them, becoming impatient.
Rowena let out a short laugh. "Really? Coming from someone with no potential?"
"For your information, Brother Max is taking the second test for his final awakening today. I can't wait for the result."
A strange look flickered across Alden's face when he heard that, though no one noticed.
It wasn't Max's test that surprised him—it was the fact that today was Sammy's birthday.
"And what does that have to do with me?" he asked.
If only they knew he had already awakened a terrifying talent and a legendary one at that, they wouldn't be boldly spewing such garbage before him.
Rowena frowned, about to say something, but Max cut in. "If you don't leave in five seconds, don't blame me for what happens next."
Alden acted like he hadn't heard and moved to walk away.
Furious, Max threw a punch, only to freeze at the sound of a voice.
"If you want to fight, take it outside."
They turned to see the doctor in charge of the facility.
Alden walked off toward the ward without paying attention to the stunned expressions on their faces.
"I'll deal with you, cursed bastard."
Max's voice trailed behind him.
Alden arrived at Ward 101, where a beautiful middle-aged woman lay motionless on the bed, different wires from various machines attached to her body.
Seeing her like that, a sharp pang of pain pierced his heart.