Chapter 489

Chapter 489: Awakening

Amy wandered through cyberspace, deeply immersed in her memories.

She had grown up in a modest family in the Ring City. Though they were poor, her parents loved her, and her older brother doted on her. For young Amy, nothing mattered more than her family.

Even though they lived in a cramped room, eating cheap nutrient paste daily and enjoying flavorful food only on special occasions, Amy was content. As long as her family was together and happy, she had no complaints.

But in the lower levels of the Ring City, a safe and happy life was an elusive dream.

The city was rife with cybercriminals, unhinged digital psychopaths, and crushing debts that citizens inherited at birth. Fear and uncertainty were constant companions, while consumerism ran rampant.

Amy’s parents were low-level programmers—ordinary, unremarkable workers in a city overflowing with their kind. The oversupply of junior programmers ensured meager wages, which only shrank over time.

Elite programmers with advanced skills, capable of wielding “spell programs” or creating “spell chips,” occupied the upper echelons of society. Awakening to such power often meant ascending to the elite class.

At that time, Amy had not yet awakened her extraordinary abilities.

Her parents, however, saw her potential and sacrificed greatly to ensure she could attend school, something her older brother had never been afforded. Amy thrived in school, her intelligence and charm earning her many friends.

Then, one day, one of those friends mysteriously disappeared.

Confused and worried, Amy sought answers. Her teacher, emotionless, explained, “The Debt Collector from Rock Morgan took her. Her family couldn’t repay their debts.”

Amy was horrified. “What happens to her now?”

“Most likely dismantled,” the teacher said casually, lighting an e-cigarette. “Her organs will be harvested for rich clients. The brain will be used for mining. The rest… discarded.”

Amy couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“It’s all perfectly legal,” the teacher added, exhaling a plume of vapor. “In this city, the law serves those who make it—the board members of Rock Morgan.”

The classroom grew silent, the weight of the revelation heavy on everyone. Some students mourned their lost classmate, but most quietly accepted the tragedy as an unfortunate reality.

Amy, however, could not accept it.

Night after night, her mind was plagued by her friend’s smile, her voice, her dreams. The injustice of it all gnawed at her soul.

Determined to understand, she approached her teacher again, seeking clarity.

“Do you think it’s unfair, Amy?” the teacher asked, exhaling smoke. “It’s normal for someone your age to question the system, especially someone as bright as you.”

Amy said nothing, waiting for an answer.

“In truth, everyone in this city has value,” the teacher continued. “Our lives and bodies are assets. It’s only natural to use them to repay debts. Look at me—I’ve sold half my organs.”

“But why was her fate so cruel?” Amy pressed, still grappling with the enormity of it all.

“Because she didn’t try hard enough,” the teacher replied bluntly. “Amy, if you study hard and work diligently, you can rise above all this. The upper classes are filled with people who’ve earned their place through intelligence, hard work, and a bit of luck. Only the lazy and foolish complain about Rock Morgan.”

Amy listened in silence, absorbing the teacher’s words.

But deep down, she knew something was wrong.

She couldn’t shake the feeling

that the city’s system was

inherently flawed. Could it

really be the fault of the poor

for their suffering?

Unable to accept the status

quo, Amy began to question

everything. In her confusion

and unease, something within

her awakened.

The digital realm of the Ring

City—its hidden systems, its

secrets—became her domain.

She had become the

Cybertyrant, the tyrant of the

cyber world.

At first, her powers were

limited, allowing her only to

search for information. But

that was enough. She

unearthed the truth about her

friend’s fate.

Her organs had been

harvested and frozen for future

use. Her limbs were

transplanted to a wealthy

person’s pet—a grotesque

display of indulgence.

Heartbroken, Amy delved

deeper, uncovering the harsh

realities of the Ring City.

For the poor, life was a cycle of

debt, passed down through

generations. No matter how

hard they worked, the weight

of their obligations only grew

heavier. Few ever escaped.

For the wealthy, life was a

decadent dream. The elite

indulged in luxuries beyond

imagination, wasting

resources that could sustain

entire communities.

Amy realized the truth: the city

was designed to consume the

poor while the rich devoured

everything.

Her despair turned to resolve.

The system was a lie, a

grotesque machine that

needed to be dismantled.

Her reckless searches,

however, attracted the

attention of Rock Morgan’s

agents, the Maintainers. These

enforcers unleashed curses

upon her family, driving her

parents to suicide.

Amy was taken by Debt

Collectors to a lab, where she

was subjected to horrific

experiments. She lost her

limbs and suffered organ

failure, her body growing

weaker by the day.

But her extraordinary power

grew.

In the depths of despair, Amy

refused to succumb to

darkness. She clung to a

singular belief: she had a

purpose. She was destined to

correct the chaos of the Ring

City.

“I am the Savior of the Ring

City!” she declared, her spirit

unbroken.

After escaping the lab, she

survived as a hacker, using her

skills to aid the helpless while

secretly building her strength.

Eventually, she joined the

Babel Tower.

Through countless trials and

revelations, Amy came to trust

the Tower and its mission.

When the Noy Military

company took control of the

Babel Tower, she knew her

moment had arrived.

Rock Morgan’s reign of terror

would end.

Even when she discovered that

the true mastermind was a

deity, she was undeterred.

“Gods,” she thought, “can be

slain too.”