Ding…
That familiar chime echoed faintly in my mind—a system notification. Under normal circumstances, I would have checked it instantly. But right now, I was sitting with my family, Arthur's family, and several servants bustling around us. Not the best moment to stare blankly at the air.
So I ignored it for now.
Yesterday, Mother told me that Arthur would be visiting today for an urgent discussion with Father. Honestly, I didn't care what the "urgent reason" was. If Arthur was coming, I was already happy.
For some strange reason, my vibe always matched his too well. Maybe it was because we were close in age…Or maybe it was because messing with him was just too fun.
It had been almost two hours since they arrived. We talked about random things—training, food, the city, the upcoming awakening ceremony—just the usual chatter.
Then, in the middle of speaking with Mother, Arthur suddenly shifted the topic.
"Aunt, I wanted to talk a little more, but… can you tell me where Uncle is? I need to speak with him."
Mother nodded softly, her warm smile never fading.
"Yes, right. You came because you had something urgent to discuss. He should be in his study."
Arthur thanked her politely, then turned to Asher.
"You should also go see Mother."
Ah… Aunt Valeri.
She had been living in our mansion for two years now, ever since the Abyss Corruption took hold of her. Every time I saw her lying there—unmoving, frail, breathing faintly—it felt like someone stabbed my heart.
I glanced at Asher.
The look in his eyes—pain, fear, longing—made my chest tighten.I remembered the days we used to play with Aunt Valeri…The times she held our hands while shopping…How she always smiled no matter how tired she was.
If I felt this much pain…What were Asher and Arthur going through?
I shifted my gaze to Mother.
In that moment, I understood clearly—If anything happened to her, I wouldn't just be hurt. I would break.
Arthur got up to leave.
After thinking for a moment, I stood as well. Mother gently took Asher toward the underground lab where Aunt Valeri was being treated.
With nothing to do, I decided it was time to check the earlier notification.
'Status… noir,' I whispered with a slight grin.
A soft blue light materialized.
[STATUS — System Panel]
Name: Aldric Crestban / ???
Titles:
Age: 14
Core Level: 0 (Locked)
Core Rank: Unawakened
Talent: (Locked)
Affinity:
Physique:
Bloodline: Crestban (High Noble),
Stats:
Strength: 7 (10 = unawakened limit)
Agility: 6
Defense: 7
Vitality: 8
Charm: 15
Luck: ??? (Unknown)
Skills: Crestban Swordsmanship (Intermediate)
World Points: 3
System Tabs:
I sighed.
"So many question marks… Who the hell designed this thing? There are more unknown values than actual information."
This wasn't the first time I had opened my system panel, but every time I did, the frustration hit just as hard.
According to the system, this status window was nothing more than a cheap imitation of the Akashic Record's true status. Until I awakened my core and connected to the Akashic Record, many things would remain hidden.
In this world, everyone received a status screen after awakening. But unlike others, mine had a quest tab… and an AI-like voice assistant.
Just like those cliché systems from the novels I read on Earth.
From time to time, it gave me quests—each one helping me grow at terrifying speed. Even at fourteen, my physical strength was nearing the peak of an elite athlete back on Earth.
I opened the quest tab.
[Quest] — Arthur von Vormir's Change
Objective: The system has detected an unusual fluctuation in Arthur's soul. Discover what change has occurred.
Rewards:• 5 World Points• +2 Intelligence (Hidden Stat)
I stared at the glowing text for several long seconds.
"Arthur's… soul changed?"
A chill crawled up my spine, spreading into my fingertips.
Something was happening to him. Something big. Something the system considered important enough to issue a quest for.
And that alone was enough to unsettle me.