After Veyron returned home, his thoughts were still haunted by a single question. The mysterious figure who had planted the sword in the ground—no matter how hard he tried, Veyron couldn't see his face. It was as if something, or someone, had intentionally concealed it.
"Who is he? Why did he stab his sword into the earth? And why can't I see his face?"
The mystery echoed endlessly in his mind, gnawing at his curiosity like a shadow creeping just out of sight.
By the time Veyron arrived at the palace gates, the sun had dipped low, casting long shadows across the walls. His clothes were soaked in dried blood, the crimson stains trailing down his arms and chest. In his hand, he carried a broken sword—its blade shattered, jagged at the edges.
The guards standing post turned their heads sharply at the sight of him. One leaned toward the other, muttering under his breath with mocking disbelief.
"Hey, the young master is worthless—why is he covered in blood?"
Veyron heard them. Every word. Their sneering voices, their disdainful eyes, the pity-laced contempt. But he didn't react. Not a twitch. Not a glance. He walked past them in silence, step by heavy step, clutching the broken sword tighter.
He made his way through the grand halls of the palace, each step echoing against the marble floors. The ornate carvings on the walls and the gold-lined pillars seemed like decorations of a world that never welcomed him. Behind every curtain, behind every glance, there were whispers—judgment waiting to be spoken aloud.
Then, unexpectedly, a familiar warmth interrupted his path.
His mother.
Without hesitation, she rushed toward him and wrapped him in a tight, loving embrace. Veyron's body tensed. Her hug was sudden—gentle yet filled with desperation. He hadn't expected it.
"Veyron! Why are you covered in blood? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
He blinked, stunned. Her voice, filled with genuine concern, felt foreign. He had never known this feeling. He had lived most of his life without parents, alone in the city, fending for himself in a world that never offered comfort. And now… he was beginning to understand what it meant to have a mother.
"Y-Yes, Mother. I'm fine… I just got a little hurt while running."
She looked into his eyes, then smiled—a smile soft and sincere.
"Alright, Veyron. Go wash up, eat something, and get some rest, okay?"
That smile… it warmed a part of him long thought frozen. For the first time, he felt what it meant to be cared for, to belong somewhere. A home.
He gave her a slight nod and continued toward his room. But as he walked, the whispers didn't stop.
"So pathetic, even covered in blood…"
"How can someone like him be called an Aldrecht?"
"The weak will always be weak…"
The servants, the aides, the nobles—they all looked down on him. Their eyes didn't lie. He was weak in their eyes, a disgrace. But this time, Veyron didn't feel shame.
No.
He felt fire.
"So this is how the world works… The strong rule, and the weak are mocked, trampled, discarded. But I'll show them. I'll prove that even the weak… can rise above them all."
His voice was low but fierce, burning with ambition and quiet rage.
Finally reaching his room, Veyron collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. The intricate carvings above seemed distant—his mind was already drifting beyond these walls, reaching for something greater.
Suddenly, a mechanical ding rang in his mind, and a glowing blue screen appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations, Sir. You have successfully completed your First Tutorial Mission.
Reward Granted: +10 Stat Points | Sword Skills: Fire, Water, Ice, Earth, Wind (10 Skills).
Would you like to receive the rewards?]
Veyron blinked in surprise.
"What? I didn't even know I completed a tutorial…"
Then he remembered—he had fought. He had run. Maybe… that was enough.
"Hah… whatever. Alright, System, I accept all the rewards."
[Ding! You have received:
+10 Stat Points
Sword Skills: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Ice (x10)]
Veyron's lips curled into a smile. Despite being just a tutorial, the rewards were extraordinary.
"Open my status, System. I'll allocate the points to Strength and Stamina."
"Understood, Sir. Opening Status Interface…"
---
Status
Name: Veyron Aldrecht
Level: 20 → 30
Title: None
Stats
Strength: 1 → 100
Stamina: 1 → 90
Ability: 1 → 50
Luck: 1 → 30
Skills
[Fire Sword] Blazing Slash Lv. 1 → 4
[Sword Skill] Twin Fang Lv. 1
[Ice Sword Frost] Fang Slash Lv. 1
[Water Sword Flowing] Crescent Lv. 1
[Ice Sword Glacial] Cross Lv. 1
[Steam Sword] Steam Breaker Lv. 1
[Lightning Sword] Lightning Fang Lv. 1
[Wind Sword] Wind Rend Lv. 1
[Earth Sword] Stone Fang Lv. 1
[Ultimate Fusion] Heavenly Element Blade Lv. 1
---
"Unbelievable… I've only just completed the first tutorial, and I already have all these powerful sword techniques. But…"
Veyron sighed.
"They're useless if I can't use mana or aura."
He stared at his status screen, frustration crawling into his chest. These skills were meaningless if he couldn't harness the energy to use them.
Then suddenly… a spark of memory.
He remembered something—an old scroll he once read. A method. A way to awaken aura.
His eyes lit up with renewed fire.
"That's right… there was a potion. If I can find it… maybe I can awaken it myself."
Excitement surged through his veins. His defeat had become a reason to rise again.
"Alright then… time to sneak out of the palace and find that potion."
His hand tightened into a fist. The path ahead was uncertain, but for the first time, Veyron felt it—his first step toward true power.
And this time… he would not look back.
---
The Next Morning
Veyron, who had spent the previous night planning to sneak out of the palace, was preparing early with excited eyes. He knew the risk, but his desire to become stronger outweighed any fear.
"Alright, I've planned this since last night. I'll slip out of the palace and buy that potion to awaken my aura."
Carefully, he stepped out of his room and stealthily moved through the corridors, avoiding the palace servants and guards. But before he could go far, he heard the door of his mother's room open abruptly.
Veyron's face turned pale. He panicked and quickly hid behind a large pillar near his room.
"Damn… why did Mom come out just when I was about to leave…?" he whispered quietly, trying to steady his breathing.
His mother paused, hearing a faint whisper. She scanned the area and then slowly moved toward the sound. Veyron could do nothing but pray silently.
"Please… please… please don't let her find out… I beg you." His heart pounded so hard he thought she might hear.
Fortunately, his mother didn't notice him and returned to her room. With relief, Veyron quietly resumed his escape and managed to leave the palace area, running as fast as the wind.
"Hahaha! This market is so crowded! I need to find that potion fast!" he said, eyes bright with determination.
He weaved through the bustling marketplace, asking vendors until he finally found the potion he was looking for. Just as he was about to buy it, he felt someone watching him from a distance.
"Fine, if you want to watch me… how long will you keep watching?" he muttered, glaring into the crowd.
Without hesitation, Veyron paid for the potion and dashed away so quickly that the watcher lost track of him.
"How could the young master of a kingdom nicknamed 'weak' run so fast?" wondered the mysterious onlooker.
---
Back at the Palace Gates
Veyron walked past the guards with a calm demeanor, ignoring their usual sneers. He was accustomed to disdainful glances and mocking whispers.
"Useless child..."
"What a shame of an heir..."
But this time, Veyron didn't care. He only wanted to return to his room and activate his aura.
Once inside, he locked the door securely, drew the curtains closed, turned off the lights, and sat cross-legged at the center of the chamber. He stared at the potion with intense concentration.
"I must succeed… in the novel I read, the way to activate aura is to enter the realm of consciousness. Train within it, and when the light appears, follow it. If I make a mistake… I could die."
Slowly, he aligned his breathing and began to sense an aura surrounding him. His body started to faintly glow. The next phase was absorbing that aura… but his body reacted violently.
Internal toxins and impurities surged outward — he vomited in pain. The nauseating odor filled the room.
"Damn, this kid's body was too dirty. No wonder he couldn't emit aura." Veyron groaned, enduring the agony.
---
Five Days Later
BOOM!!
A powerful explosion resounded from Veyron's room, shaking the entire palace. Guards and servants rushed toward the source. Among the chaos, whispers of scorn rippled:
"That weak young master must be dead now. Thank goodness this palace is no longer tarnished."
"I'm sick of serving that useless brat."
Every voice fell silent when Veyron appeared in the center of his room—standing upright, surrounded by a shimmering light-blue aura. Guards, servants, his mother, younger brother, and sister all stared in shock.
"Hello, Mother. Sorry for locking the door… I just wanted to practice activating my aura, hehe." he greeted with a warm smile.
"But how is this possible? Didn't the Saint say he couldn't wield mana or aura?" murmured a servant in disbelief.
Veyron then fixed his gaze on everyone and released his aura. The room trembled, as though the space itself was submitting to the pressure radiating from him.
"What… could it be he made a contract with a demon? How else could someone destined for weakness suddenly wield aura?"
He understood how his world viewed demons — evil beings created by Monarch to sow chaos, saved only by the intervention of gods.
Locking eyes with his younger brother, Veyron spoke firmly:
"You said I was destined to be weak? I will rewrite that destiny. Anyone who called me weak… will see me become the strongest. Understand that?"
Silence washed over the room. The boy who once dared not speak had now defied fate itself.
"What is this… my five-year-old brother already dares to challenge his own destiny?" someone whispered.
---
That Evening
Everyone had left. Veyron lay on his bed, recalling the incident during his meditation. He remembered someone calling to him — a woman resembling his mother from his previous life.
"Why did I see my mother from my past life? She had Gabriel's wings… could she truly be at peace?"
Suddenly, the system appeared. Before Veyron could react, it felt as though he was transported to another timeline.
"Where am I? Why is the entire universe burning?"
In the fiery void, he saw a man holding a Gabriel‑wing sword, wearing a long white robe, and with short white hair. A freshly cut dimensional rift lay before him. When the man turned, his face remained blurred—but he smiled at Veyron, just before Veyron snapped back to reality.
"Who was that man—and why did he smile at me?"
---
System: New Feature Unlocked
The system prompted:
"Sir, you have unlocked a new feature and gained Aura Control stats. Would you like to unlock this new feature or view your stats?"
Veyron paused, then responded:
"Okay, I'll check it out."
"Opening your new system feature..."
---
[Skill Fusion System Activated]
"You can create a new skill by combining Fire and Ice techniques — for example, Glacial Inferno. You may combine any skills you wish. Would you like to try?"
"Yes, I want that."
"Very well, opening the skill fusion system..."
---
[Skill Combination in Progress]
Technique 1: Fire
Technique 2: Lightning
"Are you sure you want to combine these techniques?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Combining Fire and Lightning techniques now. Process will complete in 3 seconds..."
[Congratulations! You have created a combined technique: Blazing Thunder Fang Slash. It has been added to your skill menu.]
Veyron beamed with triumph. His effort had paid off.
"Finally… the fusion succeeded."
---
Late at Night
Veyron sat alone on the balcony, gazing at the moon and stars above the palace. No one called him weak or a loser anymore. Yet deep in his heart, questions lingered.
"Who was that man? Why did he smile at me? And… did I really see my mother in my consciousness?"
Then, the voice returned—heavy and resonant, as though echoing from the future.
"Veyron Aldrecht… you must continue to grow stronger to face the coming disaster."
He searched for the voice, but saw no one.
"Who are you, truly, mysterious stranger?" he whispered inwardly, eyes cold with resolve. He knew—this is only the beginning.
---
Chapter 2 Completed