After a few months, the long-awaited day finally arrived.
My tenth birthday.
They say it's the most important day in one's life—the day your future is decided. The moment you awaken and discover your path: mage, swordsman, blacksmith… or something else entirely.
Those who awaken with no class are said to have no meaning in this world.
They become experiments.
A cruel fate.
I pitied them.
I'll awaken into something great, I told myself.
I didn't get reincarnated—and born as the third prince, no less—just to end up on an experiment table… right?
"Huh?"
A translucent screen appeared before my eyes.
A timer.
"…Don't tell me that's my lifespan."
Ashia knocked and entered.
Ashia: "Young Lord, everyone is waiting to celebrate your tenth birthday."
"Everyone? Even Father?"
Ashia: "Yes."
We went downstairs to the living hall.
"Good morning, everyone!"
I froze.
"When you said everyone, you really meant it… even the entire staff."
I looked at my father.
"Dad… there's a screen with a timer. Is that how long I'll live?"
King Arlond laughed.
King Arlond: "Nice joke. That's the time remaining until your awakening."
So what happened in the ancient chamber wasn't an awakening—just the activation of the armor.
King Arlond: "Before that, you should receive your gifts."
Gifts! Oh—right!"
Arthur: "I'll go first. Since you already have armor and dual blades, I thought a knife would be useful—whether you're cornered in battle or adventuring."
He handed me a small blade.
"This is incredible. Thank you."
Arthur: "It's made of Crteel—a metal as tough as dragon scales. The handle and scabbard are dragon scale as well."
"Crteel?! That's the rarest metal in the kingdom!"
Arthur: "Father allowed us to use it."
Elilia: "My turn! Here—take this."
She handed me a grimoire and a magic wand.
"A grimoire?! And a wand?!"
"I thought grimoires choose
their owners only once in a lifetime."
Elilia: "This one never chose anyone—for decades. But when you entered the library, it started glowing. The wand reacted too. The dragon scale and fangs fused into it."
"…So I was chosen."
I tried casting a simple spell she used to water plants.
Nothing happened.
Everyone laughed.
Elila "You haven't awakened yet. You can't use them."
"But the wand should supply the mana—"
Elilia: "It still needs your mana. You forgot the basics I taught you."
She pouted slightly.
King Arlond: "Enough magic talk."
Queen Alicia: "This is our gift."
They presented royal attire—
It's a refined, ceremonial outfit with a crisp white suit as the base, accented by clean red lines and gold details. Over it sits a long, flowing coat decorated with bold red‑and‑gold geometric patterns and lined in deep red, giving it a dramatic, high‑status look. The floating red cubes add a magical, arcane touch that makes the whole ensemble feel powerful and otherworldly.
"…This is incredible."
King Arlond: "Made from the strongest dragon leather and scales."
Queen Alicia: "And this is the Carno Ring."
She slid it onto my finger.
"It has three purposes. Proof you are our son. A Storio artifact. And finally—a Bond Ring."
"…Bond?"
Queen Alicia: "There are two rings. One you wear. The other you give to the person you will spend your life with."
"…At five?"
I noticed Iris staring.
Then everyone else.
Nope. Abort. Abort.
I looked desperately at Arthur and Elilia.
They were smiling.
Elilia: "Don't worry about that now. Think about it in eight years—when you're eighteen."
Arthur: "Don't stress over it. When the time comes, the right person will take it."
"…Thank you."
I exhaled in relief.
"Isn't this a bit much? You don't even know what I'll awaken as."
King Arlond: "When you were born, your presence was extraordinary. And you are a king's son."
"O-Okay."
The timer reached zero.
Lightning cracked through the room.
A crimson aura erupted around me—smooth, controlled, overwhelming. My hair turned red as glowing fragments of energy formed and drifted outward. The air trembled.
No rage.
No chaos.
Only power.
Arcit: You have unlocked your Ultimate Unique Skill: Shatterspring.
"…Ultimate?"
My body felt lighter. Faster. Power surged through every
vein. Lightning wrapped around me like a second skin.
"…What it's disappearing?"
Arcit: Higher level required to endure this power longer.
As the light faded, the wand and grimoire dissolved into countless particles.
Instead of disappearing, they fused into my body, turning into permanent items bound to my soul.
[Arcane Conductor – Bound Item]
A wand no longer held by hand, but woven directly into my magic circuits, allowing spells to flow without physical casting tools.
[Codex of Origin – Bound Item]
A grimoire engraved into my consciousness, storing spells, formulas, and records that only I can access.
Bound items cannot be stolen, destroyed, or used by others.
They grow alongside their owner.
Mart collapsed.
Again.
Ashia: "Mart! Pull yourself together!"
Iris: "Raidan! Are you okay?!"
"I think so."
Queen Alicia: "I've never seen an awakening like this."
Arthur: "An Ultimate Unique Skill… at awakening?"
Elilia: "That means my brother is a true prodigy."
"What is Arcit?"
Elilia: "The system. It guides your path."
Only the castle and Divanous Mountains were visible on my map.
King Arlond: "Take this."
"A marble?"
King Arlond: "A map code—this continent."
"I'll save it."
Queen Alicia: "I'll use appraisal."
She froze.
Arcit: Appraisal request detected. Allow?
"…Allow."
Queen Alicia: "So others can't appraise you without permission…"
King Arlond: "That's my son."
Elilia: "A penta-elemental… all at E."
Arthur: "No F-ranked elements."
King Arlond: "And a unique skill from birth."
Iris: "Raidan… you're unbelievable."
Ashia: "We'll hold a feast!"
That night, I slept peacefully.
Tomorrow, my training would begin.
From now on—
My siblings would be my senpai.