Julien woke up to a very familiar problem.
His head hurt.
Not the dramatic, world-ending kind of pain.
More like the kind that politely informed you that you had made several bad decisions yesterday and would now be paying in installments.
He groaned softly.
Sunlight filtered through half-open curtains.
The room was neat, warm, and unmistakably… his bedroom.
'Good. Not the infirmary.'
'That means I didn't scare everyone too badly.'
He lifted his hand.
It shook.
"…Ah."
'So I did scare everyone.'
Before he could think further, the door creaked open.
A small head peeked inside.
Dark hair.
Round red eyes.
A kid not more than seven years old.
"Big brother!"
Joshua rushed in and jumped onto the bed with zero regard for medical ethics.
"Wait— Joshua—!"
Too late.
Julien yelped as the impact sent a sharp pulse through his skull.
Joshua froze.
"…Did I kill you?"
"No," Julien muttered. "But you did shorten my lifespan by at least five years."
Joshua's face turned pale.
"I—I'll bring the doctor!"
He tried to run.
Julien grabbed his sleeve weakly.
"Relax. I'm joking."
Joshua stared.
"…You're smiling."
Julien blinked.
He touched his face.
Normal.
No strange smile.
Just tired.
"See? Still human."
Joshua looked relieved.
Then suddenly—
He hugged him.
Very tightly.
Julien stiffened.
"…Hey."
"I thought you were going to die," Joshua mumbled.
The words were small.
But heavy.
Julien slowly placed a hand on his brother's head.
"I'm harder to kill than that."
Behind them, someone cleared their throat.
"Harder to kill is not the same as impossible."
David Morvain stood at the door, arms crossed.
Maria was beside him, holding a tray with medicine.
Alicia followed quietly behind.
The entire Morvain family had apparently decided to hold a meeting in his bedroom.
'Great. Family trial.'
Maria sat beside the bed and gently pressed a cold cloth to his forehead.
"You scared us," she said softly.
Julien avoided her eyes.
"…Sorry."
David sighed.
"You collapsed in the middle of training."
Alicia added, "And you ignored your limit."
Julien scratched his cheek.
"In my defense… the limit moved."
That earned him a sharp flick on the forehead from Alicia.
"Excuses."
Joshua immediately protested.
"But big brother is strong!"
That shut everyone up.
A brief silence followed.
David exhaled slowly.
"…We know."
Helior entered last.
The room changed the moment he stepped in.
Not because of pressure.
But because everyone unconsciously straightened.
He looked at Julien.
Long.
Quiet.
Then asked calmly:
"What is your current rank?"
Julien froze.
"…I don't know."
Everyone paused.
Alicia frowned.
"You didn't see it on the status screen?"
"I saw potential. Not current rank."
Helior nodded.
"As expected."
He turned to the others.
"For newly awakened children, the system cannot immediately determine a stable current rank."
Julien blinked.
Helior continued, "Because growth during the first year is too unstable."
Alicia understood first.
"So that's why the academy gives one year before formal evaluation."
"Yes."
Helior looked back at Julien.
"For one year, you will be considered an Unranked Awakened until your current rank starts showing ."
Julien's mouth opened slightly.
'So… I'm officially undefined.'
'That somehow feels very on-brand.'
Helior added, "Your potential is SS. That alone is exceptional."
Maria smiled gently.
David nodded.
Alicia ruffled his hair.
"Congratulations."
Julien blinked.
"…That's it?"
"You saved your brother."
"You protected a child."
"You awakened safely."
Alicia smirked.
"Compared to that, rank is secondary."
Joshua puffed his chest.
Julien laughed weakly.
'This family is unfair.'
Helior then said something that changed the mood.
"Cards alone are not enough."
Everyone turned to him.
"You are my grandson."
Helior said calmly.
"As you all know my class is Weapon Master."
"I can wield any weapon."
Julien listened carefully.
"Alicia learned the rapier from me."
Alicia nodded.
Helior's gaze sharpened.
"You will not rely only on a system weapon."
Julien hesitated.
"You want me to learn another weapon?"
"Yes."
"Any weapon?"
"Yes."
Julien thought for a second.
"…Including weird ones?"
Helior paused.
"…Within reason."
Alicia laughed.
David covered his face.
Joshua looked excited.
"You'll be a real hero!"
Julien smiled faintly.
Inside, he understood.
Cards were dangerous.
Happy Face was dangerous.
If he relied only on them—
One mistake could cost him his mind.
'I need something stable.'
Helior stood.
"From tomorrow, you train under me directly."
Julien straightened.
"Yes, sir."
As everyone began to leave, Alicia stopped at the door.
She glanced back.
"You know…"
"When you smiled yesterday…"
"It was creepy."
Julien groaned.
"Please never say that again."
Joshua laughed.
The room emptied.
Julien lay back on the bed.
Staring at the ceiling.
'One year unranked.'
'New weapon training.'
'Unstable trait.'
'Cards that scare even me.'
He closed his eyes.
And for the first time since awakening—
He felt calm.
'New day.'
'New start.'
'Let's not almost die tomorrow.'