After yesterday's hurdle, Orin spent the rest of his time meditating on his bed trying to see if he could recover his essence even if it was only a little, but his efforts were futile.
"At least this gives me a chance," he muttered, eyes fixed on the dagger in his hand. He hadn't had time to examine its design closely yesterday.
Now, as he carefully felt its weight in his hand, it seemed almost weightless. Its design was so plain it could easily be mistaken for any ordinary dagger.
But Orin knew it was far from what it appeared on the surface.
His gaze fixed on the wall, and with max concentration, the Soul Genesis Interface slowly began to materialize across its surface.
ABSOLUTE ENTITY CREATION · Soul Genesis Interface
:: CORE IDENTITY ::
Name :: Orin
Title :: UNBOUND
Class :: UNWRITTEN
Origin :: Self
Essence Pool :: PRIMAL VOID [1/10]
Path :: Soul Ascension
:: ESSENCE STATS ::
Vitality :: 1
Insight :: 1
Willpower :: 2
Intellect :: 1
Potential :: ∞
Truth :: ??? [Locked]
:: INTERNAL FRAMEWORK ::
Trait 0 :: Blank_Slate [Active]
Trait 1 ::
:: CREATIONS LOG ::
Available Creations:
- Basic Dagger (Properties: Adaptive Edge, Soul Bound, Phantom Mark.) - Cost: 9 Essence.
:: ASCENSION PROTOCOL ::
Power Source :: Self
Progress :: 0%
This was the first time Orin had manifested the Soul Genesis Interface since creating the Basic Dagger, it's manifestation not as easily as thought, especially since the first time had only been an accident.
Looking at the SGI, Orin noticed something unusual. His Willpower had risen by a single point, an unexpected change, especially since it was the only stat among the Essence attributes to increase.
Focusing on the dagger's creation and the agony it caused, Orin came to a conjecture: he needed willpower to create.
He also had a guess which role it plays in his Creation— that his willpower might be the driving force behind his endurance, fueling both his mental resolve and spiritual strength. Without enough willpower, creating the dagger would have been impossible with the consequences, unknown.
Not only did his endurance make the dagger a success, but it also boosted his Willpower stat by a point
Yet, it was merely a conjecture that demanded deeper investigation and practical trials before he could be one hundred percent certain.
What he noticed next was an extra trait slot in his Internal Framework section. To be honest, he didn't fully understand the Internal Framework's functions or its purpose—especially the trait labeled Trait 0 :: Blank_Slate [Active].
Despite the "Active" status, he didn't feel any change or effect from it, which struck him as somewhat strange.
"But what purpose does it serve?" Orin muttered, shaking his head
"I wonder what my second trait will be," he said, shifting his focus from the trait he didn't understand to the one that had mysteriously appeared.
"Or… can I create a trait myself?" Suddenly, the thought flashed through his mind like an impulse. Something inside him told him he could, and the idea was as hard to resist as an urge.
But he shook his head, resisting the urge. He wasn't sure, and with something that could affect him so greatly, he chose to hold back until he had conducted some experiments and could be certain.
After getting rid of such thought, Orin's attention moved to the CREATIONS LOG, the main reason he manifested the Soul Genesis Interface in the first place.
In it's section, the dagger now has property added to it. This was also unexpected since Orin didn't know that he could create a dagger with properties.
"The dagger has three properties: Adaptive Edge, Soul Bound, and Phantom Mark. It would be amazing if the effects weren't so minor and if the duration wasn't limited."
This was a minor drawback that came with the properties. The information didn't state exactly how minor the effects would be, but he knew that it wasn't super effective that he could go through the beasts grounds unscathed with the dagger.
"This is still better than nothing, I guess. At least with these three properties, I can be confident I'll qualify as one of the students—even if I'm in the lower ranks." "Orin cheered himself up but didn't let his confidence get out of hand.
He knew there still crushing tigers and sleeping tigers among the students. Even if his talent is unique, he has just started and hasn't reached the point where it could be truly heaven defying that he could just reach the top rank.
"Orin, get out here! Don't you know what time it is? Aren't you ready yet?" The door suddenly burst open, and a girl stepped inside, snapping Orin out of his thoughts.
"You haven't even gotten dressed yet? Or is this how you plan to show up for the trial—looking like this after missing an entire week?" she reprimanded.
"Listen, you have to get yourself looking good and wear something nice—not like what you usually wear. I don't want people pointing fingers at me and saying I don't take care of you. Hmph! Especially that girl, Alice." She walked to the side of the bed, firing the words in a single breath, not giving Orin a chance to respond.
"Can't you at least give me a proper greeting? It's been a long time we've seen each other you know?" Orin said with a warm smile.
"You? Do you deserve one? You must have hit your head on the wall—that's why you keep staring at it like a fool." She crossed her arms and gave Orin a disdainful look. "You think I don't know you didn't ask of me from sister? Hmph!"
"Vera, that's not true. I asked of you all the time. Aunt Vessa must have forgotten to mention it," Orin said, scratching his head sheepishly.
The girl who appeared was Vera, Vessa's sister. She had long red hair and a striking beauty almost on par with Vessa. She was sixteen and two years older than Orin.
She and Orin had been playing together since they were children, and she was like an elder sister to him.
"Liar, enough talking. Sister told me to give you this for your trial in the Beast Grounds." She spread out her hand, and a pair of clothes covered in reinforced fibers appeared, which she tossed to Orin.
Orin caught the wrapping with a hint of hope. He'd be lying if he said he was comfortable wearing the same outfit every day.
After removing the wrappings, Orin's eyes popped wide open. "This… this is a battle-forged attire?" he exclaimed.
"What do you think? Sister's always taken better care of you since we were young. I don't know why she got you such high-grade weave—it's even better than mine when I went to the testing grounds for the first time."
"Better than yours?" Orin's voice held even more surprise after hearing that.
"Fool! I said it was better than mine years ago. It's nowhere near as good as what I'm wearing now."
"But how could she afford it? Isn't said that only children of important families or those who have contributed enough could get such materials?" Orin asked with suspicion.
Their orphanage wasn't wealthy, but aside from lacking expensive clothing, they ate every day and never went without what truly mattered.
But there were things that felt out of place. For example, the skimmer that took them to the Whispering Hall.
That wasn't all—he'd noticed oddities over the years. Like two years ago, when Vera got a Battle Armor , which seemed impossible given their situation. That surprised him, but he didn't think much of it back then.
Now, with a special cloth in his hands, his mind couldn't help but wander.
"Hey, what are you thinking about? Don't waste time on unnecessary thoughts—go put it on," Vera said.
Orin nodded and didn't dwell on the matter any longer. He was still young, after all, and there were some things he simply didn't understand yet.
"Meet me outside when you're done." Vera left the room, closing the door behind her and leaving Orin to clean himself up.
After she left the room, Orin hurriedly cleaned his room and went for a bath.
***
Outside the orphanage, Vera sat leisurely on a wicker chair, waiting for Orin.
"What's taking him so long? It's been ten minutes already." She muttered, opening her eyes.
At the orphanage entrance, a figure stepped out.
He had short white hair tied back into a neat ponytail, and a strikingly handsome face that could easily catch a second glance—making women involuntarily pause and steal a look.
He donned a suit of battle-tailored clothing, the fabric shimmering faintly as it caught the light, its intricate stitching and flowing lines fitting him as if born to his frame.
Crafted from rare monster hide, it offered unmatched mobility, durability, and a layer of protection no ordinary garb could match—while remaining luxuriously comfortable. Such attire was seen mostly on important figures or their children.
Vera's eyes widened, and a faint blush crept up her cheeks as she nearly toppled off the wicker chair. "Well, well, look at Mr. Handsome now!" she stammered, quickly masking her surprise with a grin as she circled him, inspecting the rare monster hide suit.
"Didn't know my little brother could clean up this good, those girls at the Beast Grounds won't know what hit them!" Her tone turned playful, though the lingering flush hinted at her pride, before she added, "Don't let it go to your head, or I'll have to knock some sense into that pretty face!"
"What are you talking about? I don't think I look that good," Orin muttered, scratching his head sheepishly, his face warming under her scrutiny. He'd always known he was easy on the eyes, but this… this was different.