Midnight sat proudly on the floor, his black fur shimmering with gold streaks. His eyes glowed like molten amber, and faint wisps of shadow curled around him.
Charles slowly sank onto his bed.
"…Did my cat seriously awaken before I even figured out what my own class does?"
Midnight meowed twice—confident and smug.
Charles rubbed his face.
"Great. My pet is already more intimidating than half the students at school."
The system chimed again.
[Pet Awakening Successful]
[Current Growth Limit: Rare]
[Evolution Potential: Mythic]
"Mythic? You're going to outgrow me," Charles muttered.
Midnight flicked his tail proudly.
---
Understanding the System
A new window opened in front of Charles:
[Status Window]
Name: Charles Reyes
Age: 16
Class: Bishop (Hidden Rank: SSS – Divine Support)
Subclass: Valkyrie Commander
Affiliation: None
Unique Skill: Riftborne Sovereign System
Summon: Valkyrie Astrid (Locked)
Points: 10
Charles exhaled slowly.
"So it's real. I actually awakened a system…"
He clicked on the skill description.
[Bishop (SSS – Divine Support Variant)]
A sacred class capable of miracle-level healing, resurrection, and divine enhancement.
Abilities:
• Divine Sanctuary – Protects allies with an unbreakable barrier.
• Holy Reversal – Reflects fatal damage back at attackers.
• God's Mercy – Can resurrect a fallen ally once per day.
• Lightforge Enhancement – Drastically increases ally attributes.
Charles's eyes trembled.
"This isn't support… this is broken."
He clicked the subclass.
[Valkyrie Commander]
A hidden divine class that commands celestial warriors.
First Summon: Astrid – The First Valkyrie of Judgment
Status: Locked (Requires 50 System Points to summon)
"Fifty points…" Charles groaned.
He checked his balance.
"…I only have ten."
Midnight meowed sympathetically.
---
Hiding His Power
Charles stretched his arms.
"Alright. Rule number one—don't expose anything."
He spoke out loud, more to convince himself than the cat.
"If the Awakening Bureau finds out I'm SSS-rank, they'll take me away. If the guilds find out, they'll force recruit me. And if the demons find out…"
He rubbed his arms.
"They'll hunt me."
Midnight jumped onto his lap and nuzzled him.
"You're right. Let's survive first."
A small window popped up.
[Daily Quest Activated]
• Practice a skill (Reward: +1 Point)
• Train for 1 hour (Reward: +1 Point)
• Pet Midnight 10 times (Reward: +1 Affection Point)
Charles stared.
"…Is this system serious?"
Midnight meowed loudly, demanding the affection points immediately.
Charles sighed and scratched behind his ear.
"Fine, fine. I'll pet you."
---
A Normal Dinner… Almost
Evening arrived.
Inside the cramped kitchen of their apartment, their parents prepared dinner. The smell of stir-fried garlic rice and fried chicken filled the air.
Ronald looked over. "Charles, how was the ceremony?"
Charles froze.
Maria smiled warmly. "Did you awaken something good?"
Christopher leaned over excitedly. "Yeah, what class did you get?!"
Christian added, "Tell us, tell us!"
Charlie hugged his leg. "Big bro is strong!"
Charles blinked, then forced a gentle smile.
"I awakened as a Bishop."
Everyone went silent.
Maria gasped softly. "Oh… a support class?"
Ronald nodded slowly. "That's good, son. Support classes may not be strong, but they're helpful."
Christopher patted his shoulder. "You can still join a guild."
Christian laughed. "Healer Charles!"
"Yay! Big bro can help people!" Charlie cheered.
Charles smiled bitterly.
Their support encouraged him, but it also reminded him…
He couldn't tell them the truth.
If my family knew I was SSS-rank… their lives would change forever. And not in a good way.
He picked up his spoon.
"Yeah… I'll do my best."
Midnight sat under the table, tail flicking smugly.
---
Friend Trouble
After dinner, Charles checked his phone.
He had 23 missed messages.
Lance:
> Bro, are you alive?
Why did the crystal explode?!
I thought you died!
Don't ignore me!!
Arianna:
> Charles, please respond.
Seraphine Vale was staring at you like she wanted to dissect you.
Are you okay?
Charles chuckled helplessly.
He typed a short reply:
"I'm fine. Just tired."
Within seconds:
Arianna:
> I'm coming over.
Lance:
> SAME.
Charles dropped his phone in horror.
"No—no—NO. Midnight, hide!"
Midnight tilted his head.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Too late.
---
Suspicious Friends
Charles opened the door.
Arianna stood there, arms crossed.
Lance peeked behind her nervously.
Arianna's eyes narrowed. "Explain. Now."
"Explain what?" Charles smiled awkwardly.
"The explosion," she said sharply. "Your awakening was not normal."
Lance leaned forward. "Dude, you looked like you summoned a nuke."
Charles swallowed.
"I awakened… F-Rank Bishop."
Silence.
Arianna raised one eyebrow. "The crystal shattered into atoms."
Lance nodded. "And there was… like… a shadowy angel for a split second."
Charles froze.
They saw that?!
No—
They saw a glimpse. Probably just the light distortion.
Arianna stepped closer.
"Charles… you're not telling us something."
Charles forced a laugh.
"Ari, Lance… I promise I'm fine. It was just a weird crystal reaction."
Arianna didn't believe him.
Lance didn't believe him.
But both remained silent.
Finally, Arianna sighed. "Very well. But if anything strange happens… you tell us first."
Charles nodded quickly. "Of course."
They left a moment later.
Charles closed the door, heart pounding.
He turned to Midnight.
"This is bad."
Midnight meowed.
"This is really bad."
The system chimed.
[Warning: Two individuals show heightened interest in your awakening.]
[Threat Level: Low, but rising.]
Charles collapsed onto his bed.
"Great… more problems."
---
A New Message
Just as he closed his eyes, the system chimed again.
[Emergency Quest Activated]
"First Rift Event Approaching."
Time Until Event: 48 Hours
Charles sat up straight.
"A rift… near me?"
Midnight hissed softly, sensing danger.
Charles took a deep breath.
His quiet life was over.
And he hadn't even summoned his Valkyrie yet.