The Strongest S-Ranker

The New World (2)

The new world, based on the memories of the body Marcus now possessed, was one governed by magic, monsters, and those known as the Gifted.

In this world, nearly 80% of humanity was bestowed with extraordinary abilities. These powers, however, were not innate but granted through a mysterious connection to the Gates.

The Gates were dimensional rifts—unstable tears in reality that led to realms teeming with monsters. The Gifted were the only ones capable of entering these domains, tasked with eliminating the creatures within. The reason for these Gates' existence remained unknown, but one fact was certain: if left uncleared for seven days, the barrier separating the two realms would collapse, allowing the horrors within to spill into the human world.

For this reason, the Gifted bore the responsibility of maintaining the balance, ensuring humanity's survival by clearing the Gates before disaster struck.

Marcus clenched his fists, feeling the unfamiliar surge of energy coursing through his new body. The memories of its previous owner flooded his mind—of struggles, of battles within the Gates, of the ruthless hierarchy among the Gifted.

The strong prospered, while the weak were discarded.

Despite being one of the Gifted, the former owner of this body had been an outcast. A failure. He had barely survived the Gates, constantly looked down upon by those with greater power. Marcus found himself inheriting not just this body but also its weaknesses.

But he was no stranger to struggle. He had once torn through a kingdom in pursuit of revenge, only to meet his end before the true enemy. Now, he had a second chance.

And this time, he would not be powerless.

But first, he needed to understand this world’s rules. Who controlled the Gifted? How did the strongest among them rise? And most importantly—was there a connection between the Gates and the Seven Kings of Hell?

If they existed in this world too, then his mission was clear.

He would find them.

And this time, he would not fail.

****

In this world, the Gifted were graded by the System based on their power and achievements in clearing the Gates.

The System used a pentagram-based grading system, evaluating five key attributes:

Strength – Physical power and endurance.

Agility – Speed, reflexes, and evasion.

Magic – Magical ability, mana control, and spellcasting.

Battle IQ – Tactical awareness, decision-making, and adaptability.

Defense – Resistance to damage, including armor proficiency and magic resistance.

Each attribute was ranked from 5 to 1, with 5 being the lowest and 1 being the highest.

Marcus, now inhabiting the body of Zenon Fernandez, stared at his status window, and the reality of his situation sank in.

[ Status Window ]

Name: Zenon Fernandez

Rank: E

Strength: 5

Agility: 5

Magic: 5

Battle IQ: 5

Defense: 5

It was abysmal.

In this world, a beginner's stats were expected to improve over time, but for Zenon, nothing had changed in over a year. No growth, no progress—just stagnation.

It was no wonder he was treated as an outcast among the Gifted. He was practically useless.

Marcus exhaled sharply, forcing himself to stay calm.

“Alright,” he muttered. “Let’s assess the situation.”

The memories of this body’s former owner told him one thing—Zenon had barely survived in this world, constantly struggling to clear even the weakest Gates. It wasn’t just his stats that made him weak. It was his lack of experience, lack of technique, and above all—his fear.

Marcus clenched his fists.

He had faced death before. He had fought his way through an entire kingdom, killed a king, and stared into the abyss of power far beyond human comprehension. He refused to believe that he would remain weak.

There had to be a way to improve.

A normal Gifted’s stats would increase with training and successful Gate clearances. But Zenon had neither improved nor adapted. That meant there was something blocking his growth.

“Was it fear?” Marcus wondered. “Or something else?”

He needed to figure it out—fast.

The world wouldn’t wait for him to catch up. And if the Seven Kings of Hell truly existed in this world, he couldn’t afford to stay weak.

He opened his fists, taking a deep breath.

It was time to train. To push his limits. To find out what had been holding Zenon back all this time.

Because if there was one thing Marcus knew—he would rather die fighting than remain powerless.

Marcus took another look at the status window, then closed it with a flick of his hand. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

These stats might say he was weak—but numbers didn’t define him.

He could still feel it.

Buried deep inside, beneath the limits of this fragile body, his power was still there. It wasn’t gone. It was merely… caged.

His skills, his instincts—everything he had honed in his previous life—remained. But this body wasn’t ready to wield them.

He clenched his fist, feeling the slight tremor of unfamiliar muscles. His reactions were sluggish, his endurance pitiful. It was like trying to wield a greatsword with the arms of a child.

“If my power is still within me,” Marcus muttered, “then all I need to do… is train this body until it can handle it.”

His mind raced. In his previous world, he had spent years mastering combat, pushing himself to his absolute limits. Here, he had a head start—experience, knowledge, and a determination stronger than anyone else.

But that alone wouldn’t be enough.

Zenon’s body had stagnated for a year. If he followed normal training methods, it would take years before he reached the level he needed. He had to find a way to accelerate the process.

He glanced around the dimly lit room, filled with only the bare essentials. He didn’t have access to high-end training facilities or powerful mentors.

But what he did have was desperation.

And desperation had always been a powerful motivator.

He needed a plan.

Step one: Strengthen his body.

Endurance, reflexes, muscle control—he had to push his physical limits beyond what this weak frame had ever known.

Step two: Awaken his dormant power.

If his abilities were still within him, then there had to be a way to unlock them. The System might not recognize his past strength, but he wasn’t going to let a mere set of numbers dictate his fate.

Step three: Enter a Gate.

It was a risk. But the fastest way to adapt to this world was to fight in it. Even the weakest Gate could provide an opportunity to sharpen his instincts.

His heartbeat quickened. This was it. A second chance to grow stronger—to become more than what this world expected of Zenon Fernandez.

Marcus cracked his neck and took a deep breath.

Time to begin.

*****

Elsewhere…

In a dimly lit laboratory, the soft hum of machines filled the air. Screens displayed streams of data—mana flow readings, atmospheric fluctuations, and energy concentrations across the world.

Dr. Elias Navarro, a senior researcher in the Mana Flux Institute, sipped his cold coffee as he absentmindedly scrolled through the data. It was just another night of routine monitoring.

Or so he thought.

A sharp beeping sound echoed through the room.

Frowning, he leaned forward, adjusting his glasses. One of the monitors flashed red—Mana Surge Detected.

“What the—?” Elias muttered, quickly pulling up the graphs.

The numbers spiked erratically. Mana flow across the entire world had surged—no, it had fluctuated violently before stabilizing again.

“This… this isn’t normal.”

Mana flow was a constant, like the tide of the ocean. It could fluctuate within regions, affected by Gates or powerful Gifted, but never had there been a surge like this across the entire world. And for what reason?

Elias’s hands moved quickly, saving the data logs and running a diagnostic. No known Gate activity could explain this. No recorded Gifted had the power to affect global mana levels.

Then what caused it?

His stomach twisted. If something had disturbed the very foundation of mana itself… it could mean something big. Something dangerous.

He grabbed his phone.

“This is Navarro,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “We have a situation. Prepare an emergency report for the council. We need to investigate this—now.”

As alarms flashed across the monitors, somewhere in the world, Marcus took his first step toward reclaiming his strength—unaware that his mere existence had already begun to shake the foundations of this world.