SSS-RANKED Awakening: Supreme Fate-breaker System

Back on Earth, this sort of tactic was common. Hidden costs, unnecessary tests, inflated medications. He thought he'd left that behind.

But scum had a way of climbing any ladder.

No matter the world.

He didn't confront them. He didn't make a scene. He simply turned, walked into Mia's room, and sat by her bed.

She looked up, smiling sleepily. "You… came back."

He smiled faintly, brushing a hand through her hair. "Of course I did."

"You look… angry," she whispered.

"I'm not." But he was.

Not at her. At them. At the system. At this world.

It didn't matter, he told himself. She was safe now.

The silence in the room had stretched for a while. The soft beep of the monitors and the gentle rise and fall of Mia's chest were the only sounds that filled the space. The healing runes on her body had faded now, their glow gone, leaving her skin pale but peaceful. She was completely healed for a few hours.

Ethan sat beside her bed, his fingers still lightly holding hers.

"Mia," he said finally.

She turned her head slightly. "Hm?"

"I'll be heading into the Great Labyrinth soon."

Her eyes blinked open. "…You already got the dungeon core?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I raided a dungeon. Cleared it."

Mia didn't look shocked. But the corners of her eyes narrowed with interest. "And the money for the healing?"

"Came from that raid," he replied simply.

"You sold the dungeon core?"

"No." Ethan shook his head. "Didn't need to. I made enough from selling the weapons I looted from inside."

Now she blinked. "Wait… you cleared a dungeon and earned enough to pay for all this?" She gestured subtly to the medical chamber, the advanced healing runes, the high-tier mana channels running through the floor. "Without selling its core?"

"Yeah."

Mia stared at him for a second, then slowly smiled. "Let me guess… goblin dungeon?"

Ethan nodded again.

She chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "Of course. That would explain it."

"You're not surprised?" he asked.

"After what I saw with those Bloodhowl Wolves?" she said. "You killed one of those monsters bare-handed, Ethan. A few goblins? You could sneeze and knock them out."

He gave a small smirk. "Not far from the truth."

Then, just as he was about to stand, Mia spoke again.

"…But you're forgetting something."

Ethan paused.

She tilted her head. "Where are you going to sleep when you come back? You'll need a place to stay. A settlement. Somewhere safe to rest, repair, plan…"

He blinked.

Right.

He hadn't forgotten.

He'd just… shoved it aside. Filed it under deal with later.

All this time, he'd been so focused on growing stronger, on healing Mia, on surviving—he hadn't stopped to think about the logistics of what came next. A home base. Somewhere to ground himself.

His thirst for strength had pulled him so far forward that he hadn't stopped to look around.

"…Yeah," Ethan muttered. "You're right."

She raised a brow. "Of course I am."

He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. "I was too focused on what's ahead. I didn't think about what comes after."

"It's not just about becoming stronger, Ethan," Mia said softly, her voice barely above a whisper now. "You need somewhere to come back to. Somewhere to heal. To breathe. Or that strength will eat you alive."

Her words settled heavy on his chest.

A moment passed. He nodded.

"I'll figure it out," he said.

"You better," she said, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "You're not sleeping on dungeon floors again. I won't allow it."

He chuckled. "I didn't know I needed your permission."

"You do now."

Their eyes met.

For a moment, everything else faded.

All the pain. All the struggle. All the years of scraping by.

They had a shot now. A real one.

"I'll buy us a place," Ethan said, more to himself than her. "Not just some broken apartment either. Something real. A foundation. For both of us."

Mia squeezed his hand. "I know you will."

Ethan stood at the edge of something bigger now.

Not just the Great Labyrinth. Not just his path to power. But a life. A real one.

One he could build. One where Mia would never have to suffer again.

He stepped out of the room, his thoughts quiet but focused. A home. Strength.

And the will to never be powerless again.

After their conversation, the room grew quiet again, but this time it felt different. The tension that had hovered in the background like a weight on both their chests was gone.

Ethan stood, giving Mia's hand one last reassuring squeeze before releasing it. She sat up a little, her expression calmer now—more at ease.

"I'll speak to the attendants," he said. "We'll get you discharged."

She nodded.

Outside the room, the halls of the House of Living Light still carried that sterile scent of mana-infused cleanliness. Soft golden lights lined the walls, flickering subtly in tune with the healing energy embedded in the floors and ceiling.

Ethan approached the receptionist desk.

A woman in pale blue robes, a crystalline sigil pinned to her chest, offered him a gentle professional smile.

"Mr. Grimveil?" she asked, confirming his registered alias.

"That's right."

She typed a few things into her interface crystal, her fingers swift and practiced. "I see… You've covered all payments in advance. There's just the standard post-treatment clearance left. It won't take long."

Ethan nodded. "Let's get it done."

He was guided through a short, sleek corridor into a glass-walled office. Inside, a Healing Specialist sat with a mana quill poised over a floating slate, data rippling faintly across its surface.

"Ethan Grimveil," the woman said, not even glancing up. "Sister received full-phase high-tier healing. Let's confirm some information."

She rattled off a few questions—Mia's vitals, post-recovery mana stability, trauma retention, even a question about psychological fluctuations. Ethan answered as best as he could, and the rest was pulled directly from her diagnostic matrix.

"Good," the woman finally said, tapping her quill. "She'll need to avoid any intense stress for the next seventy-two hours. That includes combat exposure, mana strain, or excessive soul energy activation. But she's otherwise stable."

"Understood."

The woman looked up for the first time, eyes narrowing as she studied him. "You're not a new Awakener, are you?"

"…More or less."

She stared for another second, then exhaled quietly and signed the last form. "You've got the look of someone who's seen a battlefield already. Just… be careful out there."

"I plan to."

With that, Ethan returned to Mia's room. She was already sitting on the side of the bed, slipping on the fresh set of clothes they'd provided. Her complexion had improved, and she was moving with more strength now. Her lips held a hint of color again.

"All set?" she asked.

He nodded. "You're clear. Just need to take it easy."

She stood, and for the first time in a long while, didn't sway.

They walked together down the main corridor, the golden lights still gently pulsing underfoot. A few nurses passed them, giving short nods, and a couple of attendants offered polite bows to Ethan—he assumed it was because of the payment tier he'd opted into.

As they reached the final check-out station near the entrance, the attendant handed him a neatly sealed crystal envelope.

"Your receipt, post-care records, and Mia's mana recalibration schedule are included. If there's anything further we can do for you, Mr. Grimveil, the House of Living Light is always open to you."

Ethan gave a short nod. "Thanks."

Then, gently placing his hand at Mia's back, they stepped outside into the evening light.

The air was fresh. Brisk. Alive.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Mia stood under the open sky without pain etched into her face.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Ethan watched her quietly.

Not as a patient.

Not as someone fragile. Someone who had survived.

He wasn't sure when the smile formed on his lips—but it stayed there for a while.

The warm orange hue of the descending sun bathed the street in gold, casting long shadows as Ethan and Mia walked side by side.

Their steps were unhurried, yet purposeful.

Mia's eyes darted around with curiosity and awe as they strolled past a cluster of stone-and-metal buildings humming faintly with enchantments. Defensive sigils were carved into walls, flickering subtly beneath layers of grime and time. Every few blocks, armed patrols—Awakened in uniform vests and combat boots—marched past with stern vigilance.

"So this is Valeron Cross," Mia said, her voice thoughtful, half-impressed, half-wary. "It's underdeveloped compared to our Labyrinth… But that's to be expected, isn't it? This place is crawling with danger."

Her tone was laced with quiet admiration. For all its grit and roughness, Valeron Cross had the spirit of a frontier settlement. A place built not on convenience, but on survival.

Ethan offered a small smile but didn't speak.

He was too focused.