Chapter 3: Klein's Awakening
His white crescent-shaped mouth widened in amusement.
"Is that so? That should be enough."
He rested his chin on his hand, fingers slowly tracing the edge in calm thought.
System, are you there?
He mentally scolded himself for not calling out to it sooner.
Silence.
The silence stretched on, each second dragging like eternity.
He was about to accept the situation and adapt to the silence.
Then, a familiar noise rose from the deepest depths of his consciousness.
[ Ding! ]
He discreetly let out a sigh of relief.
Before him, a circular orange-colored translucent screen began to materialize.
[ Loading… ]
[ You have been safely transported into the world of Rot Dweller—you did not take over an existing identity. ]
He composed himself, maintaining the air of a powerful, enigmatic being.
Keeping up that balance of mystery and power was an undoubtedly crucial step.
System, can you answer this question? Why don't I feel any mana coming from the boy before me?
Nathaniel couldn't help but ask—that question lingered in the back of his head for quite a while since he arrived as a mana-based creature which made him extremely sensitive to mana.
[ Scanning Klein Whitecrow… ]
[ Detected an active curse that feeds on his life force is present in the body. ]
Something clicked within his mind. Now I see how he might've been considered the trash of the Whitecrow family…
His gaze slid toward Klein, measuring him anew.
System, can you show me this boy's status?
The screen distorted, elongating into a rectangular form.
——————————
Name: Klein Whitecrow
Race: Human
Status: Cursed — Curse of the Dying Star
Lifespan: 2 years
Tier: 0 — Unawakened
Rank: None
Titles: None
Bloodline: Whitecrow's Bloodline — Children of Wind
Physique: None
Symbolism: None
Spirit Beast: The Storm Beetle — Dormant
Attribute: Dense
Reactor: White
Affinity:
— Storm (SSS-rank)
— Wind (SS-rank)
Talent:
— Sovereign of Storm (SSS-rank)
— Wind Meister (SS-Rank)
——————————
Surprise and amusement riddled Nathaniel's face—like a child gifted with a new toy.
I can't believe it, so he's much more talented than his sister? Why wasn't this fact mentioned in the novel? Ah—I forgot, he died early, and the protagonist never knew he existed.
He chuckled.
Despite having a near-perfect memory, it wasn't flawless.
It was like being in a library, passing through an endless row of bookshelves filled with various books encased in nearly identical white hardcovers.
He knew there's one book that he wanted, but finding it on command was another story.
Show me the explanation for his curse.
He thought, face decorated with curiosity.
I need to dig deeper into this condition…
The facade cracked, revealing a layer of silent concern.
——————————
Status:
Curse of the Dying Star:
— A Curse based on the death of a star where it was the brightest as a supernova.
— A Curse of an unknown origin, its creator had long since been eaten away by time.
— A Growth-Type Curse that grew through devouring the potentials and life force of the Host.
— Upon the Host's death, it will be released as a Magic Beast and begin a rampage.
——————————
Oh, that's quite interesting…
He turned his head towards the kneeling boy, Klein Whitecrow.
In his eyes, he didn't see anything, no black smoke, no faint demonic energy—the curse was completely invisible.
That made the whole situation much more entertaining—and multiplied his own gratitude for the system.
"Boy, you are unawakened, correct?"
The edge of his crescent-shaped mouth extended, his eyes squinted.
He asked, calm and steady yet with an obvious hint of mischief.
"Yes, I was supposed to have an awakening ceremony a few weeks ago…" He gritted his teeth, his voice barely audible, "…before those scum came."
Nathaniel simply nodded.
"How about this…" He paused, his eyes akin to a bottomless well stared deep into Klein's being, "you said you are willing to pay the price for 'power' by essentially becoming a property, my property…"
His speech halted, his gaze still, the atmosphere turned heavy.
"I am not fond of taking someone as a slave, it's quite barbaric." He said with a tone of disgust.
"So how about this? I will give you power, not in the form you may expect, I will grant you 'Knowledge'—of the things unknown to any other inhabitants, that's the thing I offer you."
He explained, the crescent-shaped mouth formed a smile in expectation.
"In exchange, I happen to have a need for a 'Champion', such a term shouldn't be foreign for mortals nowadays, especially not for a former noble like yourself." He exclaimed, confident.
Klein's eyes widened in response.
How could he not?
He was asked to become a Champion—a being blessed by a God.
The Hero had always been known as a Champion, that's why he actively worked for the church.
If he could get on the same level as the Hero—someone like himself.
It would be nothing short of a miracle.
He was in disbelief, that statement echoed in his head, he gulped, feeling nervous.
Even… even if the 'God' has been forgotten—eroded by history, by time… it shouldn't be a bad choice, right?
Klein weighed his options, though his bias tipped the scales unfairly.
As he came crashing into a conclusion—he rationalized his answer.
That's right…
He bit his lips. Ever since childhood, he'd idolized the Hero as a symbol of peace, justice—hope—
This was just natural.
His mind, fogged by his own veiled perception.
After all, a God is still a God.
His lips parted, his voice firm, "I… humbly accept." The edge of his lips curled upward involuntarily.
Nathaniel couldn't help but widen his smile, snapping his finger.
Snap!
"Now then," He recalled memories of all the mentions of awakening methods, his voice steady, "you may sit down, make sure that you sit in a lotus position, and please show your bare back to me."
Klein began to take off his shirt, he sat down revealing his naked scar-filled back to Nathaniel.
How fascinating… You must've suffered quite a lot, it's unfortunate that you have never been truly expanded upon in the story, what a wasted potential…
Nathaniel felt a twinge of sympathy for Klein—he reminisced at the memories of reading the short monologue of Jeanne talking about her elder brother with faint longing.
He chuckled, thinking of the ways he had derailed the story from its predestined path.
Anyway, I'm only confident in doing this because of my enhanced mana sensitivity, I can now perfectly replicate everything I knew…
Nathaniel sat down, his arm outstretched, palm pressed against Klein's back, letting mana flow into him.
Hot…
Klein remarked internally.
Is this… how it's supposed to feel like…?
He wondered but quickly suppressed any doubt, just in case he might've accidentally offended Nathaniel.
Nathaniel spread out his mana to form a circular shape.
Around the edge, ancient letters were etched into the ground by mana, about two centimeters deep.
Klein's gaze drifted from one letter to another.
I didn't notice it before in the mansion but mana is a lot like wind, its sound, its texture… and these languages, is it ancient Norman…? No… but I think it's similar…
Klein's mind resurfaced memories of times when he learned languages, his heart turned heavy—scenes filled with dark silhouettes flashed before his eyes.
He tightened his lips.
The mana spread to form a circle was transmuted into a sparkling blue dust—a mana dust.
What a pleasant smell, mana surely is interesting…
Klein internally commented.
The mana dust reacted with the ancient letters resulting in a charge of electricity fired into the sky that disappeared halfway.
He managed to form a magic circle, commonly used in various mystical rituals—including the ritual invoked by Klein.
Steam seeped out of the letters, letting out a hissing sound.
Hiss!
Nathaniel let out a relieved sigh.
His flawless manipulation of mana assisted this procedure immensely.
To be continued…