[??? POV]
Void. Darkness.
"It time?"
"It is"
Oh, Eternal One,
When flame hurts the unworthy,
It embraces the chosen one.
Where another burns to heal,
You burn to be alive.
Let the world burn to bring you alive, my child.
I bless you.
*************
Where am I?
I thought, enveloped by darkness, my eyes heavy. Urggh! Why couldn't I open them?!
"Kah! Finally!"
My chest heaving, I gasped for air like a starving man. Slowly, I pushed myself up from the bed, noticing it was softer—much softer than usual.
"This is…?"
An unfamiliar ceiling stretched above me, and the bed beneath was undeniably luxurious. The room itself was a quiet, spacious contrast to my usual cramped quarters.
A window! Yes! A window.
I rushed to the nearest window in the room.
"Huh…?" I murmured as I reached it.
What greeted me outside the window was—what can I say—a sprawling, grand metropolis. White buildings gleamed beneath a brilliant blue sky, not the usual gray one I was accustomed to. I spotted a few birds flying freely, a touch of bitterness in my mouth for something I didn't quite possess. Then my eyes landed on the tallest tower, so high its tip was hidden in the clouds, stark black against the sky. 'Is that…?' A scene flashed in my mind, then I shifted my gaze to the surroundings: people, a vibrant, colorful market, hover cars, and technology that screamed in my face, 'This is not your world!'
But what struck me the most was the reflection on the glass, staring back at me.
I took a step back, unconsciously, looking around the room: gray walls, a wild bed, a table in the right corner, and a computer far more advanced than my usual one. But something I was looking for was missing—another person, the one this reflection belonged to.
My hand, trembling, rose to touch my face. The reflection mirrored my own action. My breath hitched. 'This is me…'
Vibrant, deep blue hair, long enough to brush my ears, framed a youthful face too defined to call himself a boy. Deep, pink, sharp eyes stared back at me, bewildered.
"Fuck."
I knew this face.
This guy.
And like fate decided it was time to slap me with the truth, a yellowish screen suddenly displayed in front of me, packed with ancient symbols. I didn't know their meaning, but as if by magic, their sense seemed to penetrate my brain, forcing me to understand.
" Etharie Record: Greet the Newly Awakened "
"Linking the Awakened to Etharie... "
" Scanning for suitable affinity... "
"BEEP! Blessing detected... "
I gasped, realities crushing into me.
"Part two, fuck."
I was transmitted.
"Link complete! "
Name: Dante Westler
Level: 1
Blessing: ?????(EX)
Strength: E
Agility: D
Intelligent: E
Endurance: F
Charisma: S
Affinity: Fire (E)
Skill: Healing (E)
Unique Skill: ????(?)
As an extra, Dante Westler.
A good-looking support character with the most useless skill in the game.
'Oh, my life.'
***************
800 years ago, or so.
The Rifts, massive tears in reality, suddenly appeared across the earth, spawning a countless number of monsters that invaded the planet and killed two out of four total numbers of humanity.
'Classic, yum yum,' I thought, a bitter note to my inner monologue.
This forced humanity to abandon their land, homes, and pride, hiding like mice for hundreds of years. Until one day, humans mutated. As it turned out, the monsters weren't the only things the Rifts spawned; 'mana,' as we call it, was a mysterious energy no one believed to exist. Yet, it awakened an Earth system, the Etharie Record, granting humans power to adapt to this mysterious energy. We called them 'Hunter.' With renewed power, humanity began to fight back, led by seven renowned figures, 'The Seven Blades of Humanity.' They guided humanity in recovering 30% of their land. After a period of recovery and time for humanity to settle, they founded the Awakened Council to maintain law, order, and safety. With mana as a new energy source and monster ingredients, humanity rapidly advanced to this day.
"Lore accurate, yum~" I murmured to myself, stuffing the last meatball into my mouth.
"Ding!"
"Hm?"
I looked at my phone, noticing a new message from 'Dante's' parents.
'Sorry, darling. Your dad and I decided to continue our honeymoon a little longer. Here's your credit—50,000 Ð.'
My brow twitch.
'Yeah'
"Sigh~"
A breath escaped my lips before I truly noticed.
'Figures. Why else would this guy be able to enter the academy with that level of skill?'
I shook my head, standing up. I tossed the utensil in my hand with surprising accuracy into the trash bin. Then I put my ID, my phone, into my baggy black pant pocket, dusting myself off.
'Three days have passed since the day I was transmitted,' I mused, starting to walk toward the center of this city, where the Associated Awakener Council was located.
'I've figured out many things, but the most important are these: First, I amgoing to be 17 years old in next 8 months, meaning I have 8 months before hunter Academy—starts.before the main story begins.'
I clenched my jaw, looking up at the still unfamiliar blue sky of this world.
'Second, I am not the same Dante Westler. The Dante I knew doesn't have these blessing and unique skill.'
My steps measured, back straight, and face masked with blank indifference despite the turmoil inside me.
'Third, I am weak. No name, no backup, no allies… a blank slate.'
'And last, I am in an island city, where most of the story begins—a City of Wisdom, where the strongest academy is located. Whither City.'
"Hah. First, I have to identify these skill and blessing."
'If do nothing, this world is doom anyway '
'If I want to survival then I must find the truly happy ending…'
A grin threatened to break out of my blank face as I covered my mouth with my hand.
Not to save the world.
Not to be hero or savior.
Just curiosity.
"Might as well go all out, kekeke."
Right now, walking here wasn't Dante Westler, a useless supporter, or Marcus Flick, a mystery transmitter with a broken past.
Just a Gamer.
Inside and out.
"Kekekeke~"
"Mom, is that brother okay?" a cute little girl asked.
"Shhh! Erin! Let's go!" the mother said, scooping up her daughter before warily walking away.
"..."
'Fuck, part three edition.'
*********************
[Third-Person POV]
The Associated Awakener Council—the AAC—was the new government's organization, responsible for keeping Awakened individuals in line in a world where strength was everything. One of its largest branches stood proudly near the Babel Tower, right in the heart of Whither City. The tower itself, known as Lavish's Citadel, had been built by Lavish Saladin, one of the Seven Blades, specifically for students and anyone else who needed them.
The AAC building itself was a sleek, black, and thoroughly modern structure, standing three floors tall.
"Hey! You heard? The number of Rank-C Rifts popping up has gone way up! What a score for us!" a rough-looking bald guy boomed, openly drinking in the middle of the day.
"Hahahaha, you bet!" another man chimed in. He wasn't bald, but he was undeniably bulky, with muscles so massive they looked almost useless.
"Hm~ It's true our profits have shot up, but we should still be careful. Rifts aren't playgrounds, you know," an Elf remarked, leaning against a nearby wall. Elves—one of the newer races that had emerged from the Rifts ages ago, easily recognized by their long ears and often striking features
"Hah?! Caution's for the weak, like you! Right, brother!?" the bald man scoffed, flexing his biceps in an exaggerated pose.
"Yep! Brother! Muscles are all we need!!"
"What a pig," the Elf muttered under his breath, barely audible.
"Hah!?"
"Sigh~ Not those three again."
Not far off, at the registration counter where piles of documents were being sorted, a woman was leaning, her body curved, her ample chest quite prominent. Her long, deep red hair framed her face, bangs hiding her right eye and leaving only her bored, yellowish, cat-like eye visible.
She was dressed in a suit, a red shirt underneath, with an AAC badge pinned to her left side.
Swish… swish…
Her cat tail, a clear sign of her Beast race heritage, swayed rhythmically left and right, her cat ears atop her head occasionally twitching with her mood.
"Fuuu few~"
She took a long drag from her cat-cannabis-like cigarette before speaking. "Hey! You there! Shut up and act like adults already!"
""Hah!!?""
"What?"
"...."
"No, boss!!"
"Lol,"
"What's that?"
"Hahahaha."
Laughter rippled through the other Awakened in the lobby. The tension that had been hanging in the air slowly dissipated. Even the newbies who'd come to register found themselves chuckling; some smiled, while those who'd been stiff finally relaxed their shoulders.
The red-haired cat woman, Kristina Red, turned her gaze to the boy approaching the counter as he pulled down his hood. Her cat ears twisted, and she found herself wondering if it was a boy or a girl. Her breath hitched. Those pink, raw eyes felt like a succubus trying to ensnare her. That vibrant blu—
"Hello? Miss?"
The boy's voice jolted her out of her stupor.
"A-ah, yeah, what can I help you with, boy?" Her voice came out softer than she intended, and she didn't even realize it.
The boy—Dante—looked at her, his eyes twitching almost imperceptibly as he seemed to grasp something. Then he answered.
"I came here to register, miss," he said. His face, usually blank, was now adorned with a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"As an Awakened. Also, I was wondering if I could rent a simulator capsule?"
****************
[Dante POV]
I stared at Kristina, a normal NPC—a non-player character—where players could interact with her in this city. Normal but important.
This NPC right in front of me was alive, breathing.
'This is reality now. My reality.'
I took a deep breath, watching her fumble through documents for my registration.
'She really loves red, doesn't she? Her makeup is red too, huh? Guess being here, really seeing it, is a lot different than just looking through a monitor.'
I chuckled to myself as she placed a high-tech tablet on the counter. It was blue, transparent, with a hand outline in the center.
"H-here, place your hand here and channel your mana inside this status tablet. It'll help the Etharie Record get a better scan of your soul," Kristina said, slowly regaining her composure. She even managed a faint smile as she pushed the tablet towards me.
"What's your name, boy?" she asked, picking up a pen and a register paper.
"Dante. Dante Westler," I replied, carefully placing my hand on the tablet. My posture was rigid. Sweat beaded on my face.
'Channeling mana? How the fuck do I even do that?!'
I bit my lip, concentrating as hard as I possibly could before Kristina's voice cut through my thoughts.
"Relax," she said, her voice softer, almost guiding, patient. "Breathe in and guide your breath. Let it out through your body."
'Kid is a kid after all,' she thought.
I did exactly as she said. I closed my eyes, concentrated, breathed in—and then I felt it. A calm flow inside me, moving as I guided it towards my palm.
Vrrrrr!
The tablet vibrated violently before it stopped, and a blue screen flashed before my eyes.
*********************
[Kristina Red POV]
" Upgrade complete! "
Name: Dante Westler
Level: 1
Strength: E ◆◇◇
Agility: D ◆◆◇
Intelligent: E◆◇◇
Endurance: F ◇◇◇
Charisma: S ◆◆◇
Affinity: Fire (E)
* Allows user to control flame elements.
Skill: Healing (E)
* Allows user to cast a minor healing spell.
Unique Skill: St. Elmo's Fire (A)
* Burns foes to survive.
Kristina's eyes widened, fixated on the screen displaying the status tablet's results.
"Unique skill?"
Then her gaze drifted to the other stats, and her eyes softened with a hint of pity.
'But the rest isn't good. E-rank affinity and E-rank starter skill, especially Healing… Poor boy.' she thought, looking at Dante. His eyes were wide, and he was pale, seemingly paralyzed by shock. It tugged at her heart.
"It's a good start, boy, especially the Unique skill. The rest can improve, but Unique skills are incredibly rare, so be proud," she said, gently patting his head before finalizing his ID registration and filling out the necessary paperwork.
"You can pay 200Ð for three hours in a simulator room on the second floor."
She then waved him off, watching his figure recede.
With one hand resting on her cheek, the other bringing her cat-cannabis cigarette to her lips, she murmured, "Poor boy~"
Though she didn't know the real reason for Dante's shock.
****************
[Dante POV]
"How?" I murmured,my facade treat to crack as my foots guiding me to the second floor. I didn't care who turned their head to look at me weirdly. Right now, there was something far too important in front of me.
"This blessing is broken as fuck!!"