Rebirth of the Nameless Immortal God Chapter 1

High above, the sun blazed brightly, lighting up the pristine blue waters that parted before a enormous silver yacht. Noble families traded courteous greetings while nearing a vast crescent-shaped island beyond comprehension.

Stoically at the ship's helm stood the captain. Dressed in formal navy clothing, his uniform displayed sharp contrasts of white, black, and gold. His longtime right-hand man and friend waited respectfully beside him, eyeing the gates creaking open to join the island's tips.

“Looks like another successful trip to Focus Academy, captain.”

A man of few words, the captain simply grunted.

Down on the yacht's decks, the mask of civility gradually slipped away as a tense rivalry thickened the atmosphere.

“I have the utmost confidence in my son,” declared a giant of a man towering well over 2 meters.

A compact Asian man, hands folded behind his back, chuckled. “Your Storm family sure seems to have a lot of backbone when you aren’t hiding with your tail between your legs.”

Close by, a striking dark-skinned beauty with piercing silver eyes gently raised a flute of sparkling wine to her lush lips before commenting, “That reminds me, how is the Ragnor family doing?”

“You!” The massive man nearly exploded in rage but gradually held it back. To everyone's shock, he grinned instead and ran a hand over his neatly groomed beard.

“I guess all these years of teasing have finally made you numb to it. Eh, Storm?” A dashing man ambled into the cluster of nobles, sporting an enchanting smile and veiling his radiant golden eyes with crystal-rimmed glasses.

“Ah, Sapientia. Not at all. It’s just that this year’s opening ceremony performances will conclude with my Storm family seizing the greatest honor.”

“This should be settled by the younger generation. After all, it won’t be us performing up there.”

“You may be right, but I’ll grin from the side anyway. We’ll soon find out who shines brightest among the new recruits.”

The towering figure spun toward the refined woman and short Asian man, fixing a cocky smirk on his chiseled face.

“From what I hear, our children might not stand a chance. Delia of the Patia-Neva family and Mayumi of the Kami family are said to surpass their age by far.” The woman savored another sip of wine.

The Asian man flicked a sharp look her way. “I didn’t know the Duco family was so eager to concede before even battling.”

Soft laughter rippled across the deck. “Don’t misread my words, Bai. I’ve just been keeping news of my little firecracker hushed.”

“You should all advise your children against arrogance. Normally, only the academy’s founding families take part in this event. Yet, keep in mind a commoner passed the test this year…” The handsome man stated, his voice fading into silence.

Palpable silence descended. Their unease was justified. To soothe mortal governments, the martial world offered a pathway for common-born students to enter their elite circles. Across centuries, this test had devolved into a mere ritual. With no successes, it symbolized goodwill for the two realms to persist side by side.

“Do you think… their bloodlines could be awakening?” Storm murmured lowly.

“Don’t be ridiculous. We already checked his background. With the suppres—” Duco halted abruptly, choosing another sip of wine instead.

With a sigh, the Asian man headed off but stopped for final thoughts. “This is the first time we’ve permitted a commoner in the opening ceremonies. His passing might astonish, but the test wasn’t overly tough anyway.” After a brief hesitation, he added, “You all know we didn’t have to extend participation in the opening ceremony to him. So you all grasp why we granted this ‘kindness.’ Don’t stir needless trouble or prod a bear we ought to avoid.”

The nobles faced scant real threats. Without family support, this commoner could achieve little. Still, their long lives taught them variables could shatter even flawless schemes. Should this youth prove a true prodigy—fit for a side or main branch of a prominent family—he might disrupt the martial world’s fragile power balance.

Typically, they’d crush him with sheer might or rig the results. Yet the testing wasn’t solely under their watch. Clans from academies across the universe viewed the outcomes. Tampering would only spark rival recruitment. Assassination was off-limits too, as clashing with humanity diverted too much focus. The mortal realm held no weaklings; the commoner’s nation could genuinely endanger them.

Ultimately, they opted to enroll him. Even a prodigy lacked resources to thrive.

The nobles scattered, mentally dismissing the boy. To them, his fleeting spotlight ended. Dark horse or otherwise, no commoner rivaled family-nurtured geniuses.

Unaware of the stir he caused, a slim light-skinned youth swayed in a tiny wooden skiff tethered to the silver yacht’s stern. Stirring from his doze, he realized he’d drifted through the gates with the vessel.

He sprang upright, momentarily disoriented. Regaining balance, he surveyed around. His eyes, wide and shimmering hazel fading to pale green-gray, held youthful spark. Though young, his frame rippled with vigor from rigorous training, standing nearly 1.9 meters at just 16.

His face bore an emerging, boyish charm. With partial African roots, his curls crowned his head, barely stirring in the breeze and gleaming with brown, red, and gold tones. Most startling to the gatehouse guards: save for twin wristbands, he was utterly bare.

“Who the hell is that kid!” The guards poised to act until their acting commander intervened.

“Ignore him; the yacht’s captain already notified us. He couldn’t afford passage, so he trailed astern.”

“From a branch family cut off by their main house?” queried the shouting guard.

“No. Word is, he’s the first commoner admitted to Focus Academy.”

The guards gaped. As branch family members, they knew survival there demanded backing, however slim. Entering sans any martial ties… Unthinkable.

The youth scanned further, then beamed broadly. Waving at the wall sentries, he dove into the crescent island’s inner lake.

“He jumped?!” The commander stared in disbelief this time. This kid was outrageous. Entry seemed gained, but the inner expanse stretched hundreds of kilometers. Ditching the yacht’s tow now meant missing the ceremony days away unaided. The commander figured the rope blinded him to the vast remaining trek.

Shaking his head, the commander said, “Better he learns soon the immensity of this world. Nobles letting him into the opening ceremony screams ulterior motives.

“Don’t assist. The lake holds no fatal perils. Missing that embarrassment is for the best.” He strode off.

Carefree, the boy freshened up and stretched after the long haul. In his view, the lake’s heart lay close enough.

“Hm, intel says about 300km to the center from here. Around 4 days.” Grinning vibrantly while floating, he twisted and launched into freestyle strokes. “Bet I’ll hit 3.”

Unbeknownst to the commander, the boy knew the span and trusted his stamina. Yet he overlooked the water’s odd heft.

As swimming commenced, he scowled. Long swims weren’t new, but this felt alien.

“This water…”

His bewilderment fit. Such clarity implied barren depths, visible hundreds of meters down. Paradoxically, the purity hindered movement severely.

He tasted a drop.

“It’s not salty?”

Though dubbed Crescent Lake, it linked to the sea via gate channels, easing operation sans tidal chaos. Thus, its heaviness sans salt or life posed a true enigma.

By his math, 5 days remained till ceremony.

A cocky sneer lit his boyish face, scorning the world. “If it weren’t this challenging at minimum, your precious Focus Academy wouldn’t deserve Dyon Sacharro.”