Fenris stared blankly into the empty space, his gaze unfocused, as though he had fallen into a trance.
At first, he thought he'd imagined it... that strange sound echoing in his ears. But no, that wasn't it. He was sure of it. He had definitely heard something… a beautiful, otherworldly voice whispering to him from a place far beyond his reach.
It wasn't an illusion. It was real.
And more importantly...
'Calamity Tree of Desire? Awakening dormant powers?'
He blicked.
The unfamiliar yet strangely resonant words repeated in his mind again and again, looping endlessly until realization struck like lightning. Fenris's eyes widened, a spark of exhilaration lighting them up.
"H–Holy shit! Holy shit! I'm awakening! I'm actually awakening!"
He tried desperately to contain his excitement. But in his effort to keep still, his body betrayed him. A loud, embarrassing sound escaped from his buttocks, echoing faintly in the silence.
Fenris froze.
Then, deciding to pretend it never happened, he straightened his back and ignored it entirely.
After all, something far greater was happening. A phenomenon that would change the entire course of his life from this moment onward.
He was about to awaken his Mystery.
Mysteries † represented the convergence of one's inner affinities and the essence of their being crystallized into power. Each Seed gave birth to a Mystic Ability, which were completely unique to its bearer. To awaken it was to seize a miracle; to possess one was a stroke of extraordinary fortune!
In the Awakened World, all beings were classified according to seven ascending tiers of power. These were:
Chained, Unchained, Evolved, Glorious, Transcendent, Supreme and Divine (Excluding the ranks of Monsters, of course.)
From the perspective of the Calamity Tree, Fenris was nothing more than an unawakened human — ordinary, powerless, and utterly unremarkable. A being without worth or distinction.
But if he awakened, that could change.
There was a chance, however slim, that he might receive an Evolved Mystery or higher. That would mark the true beginning of his ascent, the first step of his journey as a Tier 0.
From there, he would have to dive into Gates, slay monsters, and fight his way through the hierarchy of Awakened until he rose to become one of the high-ranked "Slayers."
It was simply unbelievable. No matter what ability he gained, it would mark a monumental leap from where he currently stood. As an Awakened, he would no longer be dismissed or looked down upon, petty things like alley thugs would cease to matter entirely.
Still, Fenris found it odd that his awakening had occurred in an alleyway where he had just finished beating a few delinquents half to death.
'It doesn't matter.'
He pushed the thought aside, choosing instead to focus on the anticipation welling up inside him. A wide, eager smile spread across his face as he waited for what was to come.
[Your imprint has been formed.]
[You have awakened the Mystery: Broken Song.]
'Yes! Yes! Come to me!'
Overcome with excitement, Fenris closed his eyes and stretched his hands toward the sky, as if trying to draw power from the Great Beyond, or simply waiting for something to happen. He waited, he truly waited and continued to wait.
But… nothing.
"Huh?"
He blinked, opening his eyes.
There was no grand display of power, surge of energy or physical transformation. He felt exactly the same as before. Absolutely nothing had changed.
"What the heck? That's it?"
A quiet, frustrating disappointment settled over him. He had expected something like a flash of brilliant light from his chest, a tremor, or a rush of power but there was nothing. Nothing at all.
Fenris scowled.
"Well… this sucks. But what should I do now?"
Recalling the popular webtoons he had read as a child, Fenris focused his thoughts on words like status, myself, and information. Instantly, a faint, holographic system interface materialized before him. Though he didn't recognize the ancient-looking script, the meaning behind it was immediately and inexplicably clear.
Immediately, he found the information describing his Mystery.
| Name: Fenris
| Spell Name: –
| Rank: Chained
| Nightmares: –
| Attributes: [Marked], [Cognitive Memory], [Fighting Spirit].
| Mystery: Broken Song
| Mystery Rank: Chained
| Mystic Ability: [Echo]
| Mystic Ability Description: [A subtle enhancement that strengthens the body and offers minor mental protection. But like all things long broken and forgotten, its power is fragile and fleeting.]
Fenris tilted his head at the floating interface, his mind racing to process the information. Maybe he was imagining things.
He couldn't be that unlucky, right?
Unfortunately, it was true, just like the fact that he was still maidenless.
"A subtle enhancement… that's it? That's my Mystery? I wasn't expecting fireworks or something overpowered and spectacular, but not this!"
What was he supposed to do with an ability like this? Not to mention, it was an Chained Mystery!
Most people who awakened prayed for Mysteries above Chained. After all, Its power was limited to Tier 0 and could not potentially improve, no matter how much they trained, slayed monsters, or grew stronger.
Does this mean he couldn't become stronger as well?
No way! He rejected that reality!
His mind still stubbornly clung to hope. A subtle enhancement? Fortifying the body… minor mental protection… That was vague, but it had potential. After all, it was his Mystery, one of a king, unique only to him, and it was just the beginning. Fenris reminded himself that the strength of a Mystic Ability didn't always show immediately; sometimes, its power was revealed over time.
Yes, this was the case for most people.
Fenris wasn't deluding himself into thinking that everything was going to be alright. No, alright would be alright because it had always been set in motion, and a little misfortune wasn't going to change that.
Trying to force a smile, he glanced upward and noticed the evening sky.
It was beautiful, clear, and vibrant, even with the sun setting.
"Would you look at this? The sky is so bright, yet my future is so bleak."
His legs trembled as a wave of hopelessness began to seep in. Motivation was already slipping through his fingers.
Fenris took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure.
It was at that precise moment that the alley fell into a tense, eerie quiet. The few delinquents he had beaten moments ago began to stir. Groaning, coughing, and rubbing sore limbs, they slowly lifted themselves off the ground.
One of them groaned, "Hey… who the hell beat us up?!"
Fenris's eyes widened as he swung his head back. He had assumed they'd stay down or at least, that he'd have time to revel in his awakening. He hadn't counted on them recovering so quickly.
'Wait… isn't this the perfect opportunity to test it out?'
There was no reason to panic. He had already beaten all of them, so it was obvious they wouldn't be able to operate at full capacity. On top of that, he was an Awakened. No matter how weak his ability might be, there was no way in the seven hells he could lose to a bunch of alleyway delinquents he had already handled before his awakening.
Not to mention, Fenris was already in a sour mood and needed an outlet for his frustrations. Fortunately, there were plenty of cheap punching bags around — unpaid-for, perfectly convenient, and more than willing to take the brunt of his anger.
A mad smile appeared on his face.
'Yeah. Let's do it.'
He clenched his fists, ready to test his newly awakened Mystery. He focused, willing the mystic power of "Echo" to course throughout his whole body.
Overwhelmed by a surge of power unlike anything he had ever felt, Fenris lunged forward with inhuman speed, launching his assault on the alley delinquents.
Unfortunately for him, the aftermath of this decision would leave him writhing in pain for the next several days.