"Awakening failed. Next!"
The examiner's voice was impatient, his face blank and expressionless.
Su Bai opened his mouth but said nothing. Silently, he stepped down from the Awakening Platform, his eyes dim with disappointment.
"It's okay, Su Bai. So what if you didn't awaken?"
A chubby hand clapped his shoulder. The face it belonged to carried an awkwardly forced smile—equal parts sympathy and helplessness.
"With your grades, you can always go into clerical work. It's not like only Awakened ones can survive in this world."
Su Bai gave his childhood friend a wry smile and shook his head.
"I promised my dad... If I didn't awaken by the time I turned eighteen, I'd inherit his pet shop."
"He's gone now, but I'm still keeping that promise."
In this world where everyone awakens, a person gets three chances to gain their powers—once at birth, again at age ten, and finally at eighteen.
This was his final chance.
Failure meant he'd never become one of the noble Awakened—not ever.
Wang Tao, the chubby friend beside him, smacked his lips and lowered his hand.
"So… the shop's still the one next to the school, right?"
"Oh, and you better not do anything stupid, alright?"
"It's your birthday today, isn't it? Want to drink a little tonight?"
Seeing how nervous Wang Tao looked, Su Bai let out a small laugh and shook his head.
"Relax. I'm not that fragile."
"As for my birthday… I'm over it. I've got a store to clean up."
________________________________________
As he swept dust from the shelves and cages, Su Bai's thoughts wandered.
It had been eighteen years since he transmigrated into this world. By now, he understood how everything worked.
Sure, the Awakened looked amazing—controlling fire, bending metal, wielding lightning.
But despite all that power, life here wasn't easy.
The reason? Most of the wild lands outside the cities were overrun by creatures called Death Beasts.
They came in all shapes and forms, each with unique traits and terrifying abilities. But at their core, they were the same: creatures of pure negative energy, driven by bloodlust and destruction.
If not for mass awakening, humanity might've already been wiped out.
Su Bai had dreamed of becoming an elite mage, tossing out forbidden spells with the flick of a wrist. How cool would that have been?
But reality was cruel. He didn't awaken.
So now, all he could do was... run a pet shop.
He stared at the empty cages and let out a long sigh.
Even though Death Beasts roamed outside, domestic pets still had a place in society.
Many Awakened led short, dangerous lives and had no time to start families. In their solitude, some found comfort in raising pets—tiny companions to help them feel a little more human.
The shop had decent business, once upon a time.
But ever since his parents passed away, Su Bai had been buried in schoolwork, and the shop had fallen into neglect.
"A house pet is still just a pet," he muttered. "It's not like they can fight for you."
He bent down and picked up an old poster from the floor.
On it, a ridiculously cute kitten stuck its tongue out playfully.
"In a world like this… all I can be is a pet shop owner?
"Doesn't sit right with me."
Awakened could take on a variety of professions—warriors, rangers, spellcasters, engineers—all with flashy skills and powerful combat abilities.
It was everything Su Bai had dreamed about in his previous life. A world of magic and might. Of adventure and danger.
But now? He was stuck being an average person.
Wasn't that... exactly like the world he came from?
"Is this really what my life is meant to be? Just… ordinary?"
"I'm a transmigrator, for crying out loud."
He sighed again, this time with a trace of bitterness.
This wasn't the first time those thoughts had crept in.
He had always believed that transmigrators came with cheat systems—some mysterious power, item, or ability. If it hadn't appeared yet, maybe it was just waiting for the right moment?
So he waited. He held onto hope.
Even without awakening, he held on until this final shot—his eighteenth birthday.
But still, nothing happened.
Nothing... until now.
"Guess I'm just not meant to be some powerful mage."
With a resigned shrug, Su Bai opened an old cupboard. Inside, he found a shop sign sealed in plastic.
He peeled the cover off, revealing three large characters:
Su's Pet Shop
He muttered softly, "Fine then. I'll run the damn store properly."
[Ding!]
[Host has inherited a pet shop!]
[Host is now eighteen years old!]
[Pokémon House System is activating!]
Shop Name: Su's Pet Shop
Current Pokémon: None
Total Sales: 0
New Trainer detected. One Starter Gift Pack available.
Would you like to accept it?
[Yes] / [No]
A glowing interface suddenly appeared before Su Bai's eyes, scrolling rapidly with icy, mechanical text.
Then the screen stopped.
Two enormous words popped into view.
Su Bai's jaw dropped.
"This... this is actually happening?!"
After eighteen years, the cheat system he'd been waiting for had finally arrived.