Ranked Zero

Ranked Zero

ArmStrong · Ongoing · 68.0k Words

732
Hot
734
Views
0
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

The terminal reads.
Eight seconds. Ten. Fifteen.
I have never seen a terminal take fifteen seconds.
At seventeen seconds the screen flashes once, goes dark, and then displays.
RANK: UNRANKED. CLASS: ANALYST. COMBAT ATTRIBUTES: NONE. SKILL TREE: NONE. STAT GAINS: NONE.
Then someone laughs. Once one person laughs the rest follow, not because anything is funny but because laughter gives people permission to stop sitting with the discomfort of watching something go wrong for someone else.
The scouts have already turned away. But...

Chapter 1

They gave my father a Gold rank on Tuesday.

I know because I was seven years old and he came home still wearing his ceremony clothes, the dark blue coat with the Guild crest pressed into the left shoulder. He lifted me off the ground with both hands and said, "Kael, today the System told me exactly who I am." He smelled like coffee and ozone. He was grinning. Not his usual grin. This was something else, something confirmed.

Eleven years later, I'm standing in the same courtyard where he stood, wearing the same style of coat, breathing that same charged air, and I am thinking about his face that day.

I want what he has. The certainty. The System reaches into you and pulls out proof of what you already suspected.

That is what Awakening Day is supposed to feel like.

I am about to find out it can feel like something else entirely.


The courtyard of Varen Academy holds just over four hundred students. Today it is full. We're arranged in rows by surname, which puts me near the back, Durn sitting between Deacon and Farrow, close enough to the eastern wall that I can feel cold bleeding off the stone. The ceremony stage is forty meters away. From here the officials look small. Three figures in Guild-gray behind a long table with the Awakening terminals lined up in a row.

Sixteen terminals. One student per minute. My wait should be about twenty-six minutes.

I've been doing math since I arrived. Can't help it.

Around me, four hundred students are doing what people do when they're nervous and pretending not to be. Talking too fast. Laughing at nothing. Deacon to my left is telling a story I've heard three times this week about his older brother's Bronze Awakening, how the terminal screen flashed twice before settling, how that double-flash supposedly means a combat class with above-average scaling. I don't tell him that's not how terminals work. He needs the story right now.

Farrow on my right hasn't said a word since we lined up. She's ranked fourth in the Academy's pre-Awakening assessments. Top-four students get watched. Guild scouts are already in the courtyard, eight of them in civilian clothes that aren't quite casual enough. I clocked their positions when I walked in. My father taught me that.

I find Marcus four rows ahead, shoulders back, chin up. He catches my eye and gives me a small nod. I nod back. We've been friends since we were twelve, since the year after my father died, and I know his nervous face in all its versions. That nod is supposed to mean we'll be fine. It oversells it enough that I know he's worried too.

I look away and go back to counting time

The ceremony moves faster than I calculated. Either the officials are rushing or I got the estimate wrong, but by the time Deacon's name is called I've only been waiting eighteen minutes. He walks up to the stage with his chest out and his fists loose at his sides. The terminal reads him for eleven seconds. The screen displays his class.

Iron rank. Combat class: Shield Bearer.

Applause. A few cheers from people who know him. Polite silence from the people who don't. Deacon walks back with his jaw tight, shield Bearer is a support combat class, functional, unremarkable; The kind of class that gets you put in the back row of dungeon teams and keeps you there.

He sits down without looking at me.

More names, but more terminals. I watch the pattern. Iron ranks are the majority, which matches the statistical distribution I studied. Three Bronze ranks in the first forty students, slightly above average. One of them is a girl in the front row I don't know, and when her class displays the scouts start writing. Combat class: Spellblade. Second-evolution potential. Worth watching.

Marcus is called.

He walks up like he owns the courtyard. The terminal reads him for eight seconds.

Bronze rank. Combat class: Edge Walker.

The applause is louder. Edge Walker is an aggressive single-target class, high mobility, high ceiling. Two scouts write something down. Marcus turns back toward the rows and finds my face and this time his expression is different. It says: you're next. Three years of early morning sparring sessions and late-night combat log analysis, compressed into a look, I nod back.

Forty minutes pass. Farrow gets Silver rank. An actual murmur moves through the crowd. The scouts put away their notebooks and get on their comms. Farrow walks back to her seat looking lighter than I've ever seen her.

Then: "Durn, Kael."

The walk to the stage is forty meters. At a normal pace it takes about twenty-eight seconds.

I count this time too.

The terminal is warm from use. I place both hands on the contact plates and look straight ahead at the blank screen. The courtyard goes quiet. Not gradually all at once.

My father's name is still on the Academy's honor wall. Third panel from the left, gold lettering: Durn, Aras. Gold Rank. Class: War Shaper. Deceased, year seven of the System Era. I've read it so many times I stopped seeing it years ago. I see it now.

The terminal reads.

‘Eight seconds. Ten. Fifteen.’

I have never seen a terminal take fifteen seconds. At seventeen seconds the screen flashes once, goes dark, and then displays.

“AWAKENING COMPLETE.

RANK: UNRANKED.

CLASS: ANALYST.

COMBAT ATTRIBUTES: NONE.

SKILL TREE: NONE.

STAT GAINS: NONE.

PASSIVE ABILITY ASSIGNED: PERFECT RECALL.

PASSIVE ABILITY ASSIGNED: PATTERN RECOGNITION.

ACTIVE ABILITY ASSIGNED: ZERO POINT.”

I read it twice then for the third time.

The courtyard is so quiet I can hear the flags on the Academy wall snapping in the wind.

Then someone laughs. I don't know who. It doesn't matter. Once one person laughs the rest follow, not because anything is funny but because laughter gives people permission to stop sitting with the discomfort of watching something go wrong for someone else. Within a few seconds the laughter is general. The scouts have already turned away. One of them slides his notebook into his jacket pocket. Done with me.

I take my hands off the terminal.

The official behind the table looks at me. He is trying to be neutral and not landing it. "You will be assigned to the Auxiliary track. Report to Building D on Monday." He says it the way you say something you've said a hundred times.

I say, "Thank you."

I walk back toward the rows. Forty meters. I count every step.

Marcus is watching me. His face has gone still. Not blank. Still. He's searching for the right expression and can't find one. I give him a nod. He doesn't know what to do with it.

I sit down next to Deacon, who says nothing. Best thing he's done for me in three years.

The ceremony continues. More names. More terminals. More classes assigned and futures decided.

I stopped watching the stage.

I look at the back of my right hand instead. The System's mark has settled into the skin, a faint geometric sigil. Most people forget about theirs by dinner. Mine looks different from the ones I can see on the students around me. I don't know enough about System marks to understand why.

I pull out the small notebook I carry everywhere and write down the time, the temperature, the exact sequence of events at the terminal, and the duration. Seventeen seconds.

Then I write one more thing at the bottom of the page, because my father taught me that information is only useless if you don't know what question to ask it.

I write: Zero Point. What does it actually do?

What I do not write, because I don't need to, because I will never forget it, is the thing I noticed in the three seconds before the laughter started.

Every scout in the courtyard turned away from me except one.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

BROKEN TRUST

BROKEN TRUST

4.5k Views · Ongoing · O.J Thewriter
She broke their marriage. He walked away.

Neither of them knew she was carrying his child.

Emily’s affair didn’t just end her marriage—it erased the life she thought was guaranteed. Ryan left without looking back, carrying his anger like armor and leaving Emily alone with regret she would never outrun. Three years later, fate drags them back into each other’s world, along with a little girl who has Ryan’s eyes and a truth that shatters everything he thought he knew.

Old wounds reopen, grief masquerades as rage, and love refuses to stay buried. As parenthood binds them together and the past demands accountability, Emily and Ryan must face the question neither of them is ready to answer: is broken trust the end of their story… or the beginning of a love forged through loss, forgiveness, and brutal honesty?
Game of Destiny

Game of Destiny

1.2m Views · Completed · Dripping Creativity
Amie's wolf hasn't shown herself. But who cares? She has a good pack, best friends and a family who loves her. Everyone, including the Alpha, is telling her she is perfect just the way she is. That is until she finds her mate and he rejects her. Heartbroken Amie flees from everything and start over. No more werewolves, no more packs.

When Finlay finds her, she is living among humans. He is smitten by the stubborn wolf that refuse to acknowledge his existence. She may not be his mate, but he wants her to be a part of his pack, latent wolf or not.

Amie cant resist the Alpha that comes into her life and drags her back into pack life. Not only does she find herself happier than she has been in a long time, her wolf finally comes to her. Finlay isn't her mate, but he becomes her best friend. Together with the other top wolves in the pack, they work to create the best and strongest pack.

When it's time for the pack games, the event that decides the packs rank for the coming ten year, Amie needs to face her old pack. When she sees the man that rejected her for the first time in ten years, everything she thought she knew is turned around. Amie and Finlay need to adapt to the new reality and find a way forward for their pack. But will the curve ball split them apart?
Cursed Beauty and her Three Alpha Mates

Cursed Beauty and her Three Alpha Mates

4.9k Views · Ongoing · Author Aimen
“I am Maya Blackthorn, the first daughter of Alpha Darius of the Ashbourne Pack, and I am damned… damned by the Moon Goddess. And destined to bring kingdoms to their knees.”
Cast out by her pack for being wolfless and plagued by uncontrollable heat, Maya has spent her life surviving humiliation in silence.
Fate drags her into the path of Kael Draven, the ruthless Lycan King who claims her… only to reject her.
But Kael is not the only Alpha bound to her.
Finn, her childhood best friend and the rising Alpha, loves her with a devotion so fierce, he spends four years locked away in the most ruthless dungeon only to keep her safe.
Xander, a rogue wolf who can make even Alphas bow to his will, has waited centuries for her to be reborn, and he has no intention of losing her again.
Three Alphas.
Three claims.
One cursed destiny.
They called her wolfless. They thought she was weak. But she is done hiding, and this time, she's rewriting the rules.
The Heir of Flame and Fang

The Heir of Flame and Fang

4.6k Views · Completed · Sophie Smith
Elara, the daughter of Nikolas and Saphira, has been sheltered and protected throughout her life from dangers that came for her, but she doesn’t see it that way. Elara remembers feeling isolated and controlled, and now that she has turned 20 and is expected to begin training to succeed her parents, she feels more controlled than ever. Things worsen when she is told she will be taking a mate through the Matchmaker, who will be the face of the pack while she helps in the background. Feeling like she has no other choice, Elara decides to run away, where she meets Kaelan, the Alpha Werewolf from the forgotten pack. A bond begins to form, but Elara has not been truthful about who she is, and now she faces a difficult choice. Should she reveal her true identity and risk everything, or return home and figure out what happened to the parents she grew up hearing about?

Please note: this story contains strong language and mature scenes.

This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a stand alone.
The first book is The Matchmaker.

Thank you and I hope you enjoy.
Underwater: The Silent Luna

Underwater: The Silent Luna

14.5k Views · Ongoing · Karima Saad Usman
Meadow never imagined her life could change so quickly, until Luna Amber appeared at her door with an offer no ordinary girl would refuse: marriage to her son, the Alpha of the pack.

It sounded like fate. Like rescue. Like the moment the universe finally chose her.

Even with the suspicion clinging to the proposal, Meadow let herself believe it. She stepped into the marriage blindly, hoping love would fill the quiet spaces of her mute, colourless life.

But the truth comes fast, and cruel.

The Alpha never asked for her. Never wanted her. Luna Amber arranged everything without his consent, driven by selfish motives Meadow couldn’t see until it was too late. What should have been tender and sacred becomes a cage, and Meadow is trapped in a nightmare she can’t wake from.
Bound by Fate, Freed by Choice

Bound by Fate, Freed by Choice

4.4k Views · Completed · Nafisatuu
When Lyla's fated mate is revealed as Alpha Kaiden—her sister's ruthless ex-husband—the only thing he offers her is public humiliation and a brutal rejection. Heartbroken and branded as unworthy, she flees her pack, determined to uncover the truth behind her sister's mysterious disappearance.

Her escape leads her to Alpha Rowan, the commanding leader of the Blackwood Pack, who offers shelter, protection, and an unexpected chance at a new life. But Rowan’s fierce and jealous fiancée sees Lyla as a threat, and the pack’s charming Beta is drawn to her quiet strength.

As a dangerous attraction simmers between Lyla and Rowan, they begin to unravel a dark web of secrets that implicates Kaiden and threatens both their worlds.

With her hidden power awakening, Lyla must navigate treacherous loyalties, face the alpha who shattered her, and decide: Will she follow the destiny fate forced upon her, or claim the love and strength she has chosen for herself?
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

2.8m Views · Ongoing · Harper Rivers
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother.

"What is wrong with me?

Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?

It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.

He’s my boyfirend’s brother.

This is Tyler’s family.

I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.

**

As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.

Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.

When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.

I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.

**

I hate girls like her.

Entitled.

Delicate.

And still—

Still.

The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.

Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.

I shouldn’t care.

I don’t care.

It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.

It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.

I’m not here to rescue anyone.

Especially not her.

Especially not someone like her.

She’s not my problem.

And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.

But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Soulbound Mark

Soulbound Mark

4k Views · Completed · ngocvynguyen985
Vampires are her worst fear, but what if one of them turns out to be her soulmate?
Elena is a witch who adores flowers and plants, possessing a gentle kind of magic that is tied to nature. She leads a quiet life with her family—until one day, the peace is shattered. After a ruthless vampire kills her parents to obtain their magic, she barely escapes and is forced to go into hiding.
From that moment on, she lives in constant fear and does all she can to avoid vampires, afraid that her past may catch up with her one day.
However, Elena can’t escape her fate, and it leads her straight into the arms of yet another vampire. Their encounter throws her life into disarray—not only is Ryder her enemy, but he is also her destined soulmate.
The Missing Mafia Princess and her CEO Mafia Don

The Missing Mafia Princess and her CEO Mafia Don

6.4k Views · Ongoing · Tonje Unosen
Isabella believes that her boyfriend can change is way again and be the man she fell in love with. But when she get kidnapped because of him, and he is to busy with another lady instead of saving her. She understands she is better off without him. She gets saved by her boyfriend cousin who has loved Isabella for years. Just stayed in the shadows. Will Alexander help her heal from the broken heart his ignorant cousin leaves her with, and then win her heart?
Accardi

Accardi

960.8k Views · Completed · Allison Franklin
“I thought we discussed this earlier, Weakness? I warned you. His death is on your hands.”
“I thought you said you were done chasing me?” Gen mocked.
“I am done chasing you.”
Before she could formulate a witty remark, Matteo threw her down. She landed hard on her back atop his dining room table. She tried to sit up when she noticed what he was doing. His hands were working on his belt. It came free of his pants with a violent yank. She collapsed back on her elbows, her mouth gaping open at the display. His face was a mask of sheer determination, his eyes were a dark gold swimming with heat and desire. His hands wrapped around her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the table. He glided his fingers up her thighs and hooked several around the inside of her panties. His knuckles brushed her dripping sex.
“You’re soaking wet, Genevieve. Tell me, was it me that made you this way or him?” his voice told her to be careful with her answer. His knuckles slid down through her folds and she threw her head back as she moaned. “Weakness?”
“You…” she breathed.


Genevieve loses a bet she can’t afford to pay. In a compromise, she agrees to convince any man her opponent chooses to go home with her that night. What she doesn’t realize when her sister’s friend points out the brooding man sitting alone at the bar, is that man won’t be okay with just one night with her. No, Matteo Accardi, Don of one of the largest gangs in New York City doesn’t do one night stands. Not with her anyway.
Timeless Us

Timeless Us

2.2k Views · Ongoing · Jennifer Cooper
A strange traffic jam hurls Chloe twenty-three years into the future.
The world she knew is gone.
Her husband, Nathan, is no longer the young man she left behind—he’s successful, respected, and living with a new family.
But when the woman who disappeared twenty-three years ago suddenly returns…
can love survive the years that were lost?
The Alpha's Stripper Mate

The Alpha's Stripper Mate

52.8k Views · Completed · Havilworth
"Come here."
"What?" It was out of my mouth before I could stop it. I did not wait for him to answer me, I walked toward him.
"Dance on my lap."
My head screamed at me to turn around and run. But my whole body responded to his command.
"Yes, Alpha," I pulled my dress over my body, it dropped over my head and fell to the ground behind me. I was left in nothing but my matching bra and thong. My hands covered my chest on reflex.
"Let me see."
My hands dropped to my sides.
I lowered myself into his lap, facing him. His eyes peered into mine, and I could feel his hot breath fan my face. His dick responded to all my moves, hardening against my now-moist vagina. I swallowed hard, allowing my lips to part in a ragged breath. His hands trailed up to my waist.
"No touching."


At the tender age of eleven, JoJo Wyatt was forced to grow up far sooner than she should have. Born to a cruel father and a weak mother, she quickly realized she had to become the breadwinner for herself and her sister. Nothing else mattered to her, not even the hottest men. In fact, she despised them. After one horrific night, she swore never to have any contact with the male species again. That was, until she started working for him as his stripper.
Meanwhile, Alpha Lake Rush, thirty, was the most feared Alpha in the country. Burdened by his own share of life's struggles, he had learned only to be cruel and reckless, rejecting not one but two mates. But what happens when he discovers yet another mate, and she turns out to be his stripper?