Two days after the ceremony, the feeling still wouldn't leave me.
Since that night, the System had been acting strange. Not broken. Just… wrong. Like a sentence that stopped halfway.
Normally, after awakening, the System didn't just show status. It guided growth. Quests appeared naturally, adjusted to one's class. Combat classes received hunting objectives. Support classes were given production or assistance tasks. Even classes people called useless still had a path.
I hadn't received anything.
Until that morning.
[New Quest Generated.]
The message appeared without sound.
[Growth Quest: Weapon Mastery]
My breath stopped.
[Objective: Achieve 100% mastery in all registered weapon categories.]
Below it, a list unfolded.
Sword
Spear
Bow
Knife
Gauntlet
Shield
I stared at the screen longer than I should have.
This wasn't an appraiser quest.
Still, numbers appeared beside each weapon type, as if the System had been watching me long before my awakening.
Sword: 63%
Spear: 47%
Bow: 31%
Knife: 58%
Gauntlet: 29%
Shield: 42%
They weren't low. Not for someone with a non-combat class.
Years of training. Private instructors. Endless drills paid for by my family's wealth. I had thought all of that was just preparation to become a hero.
Now it felt like evidence.
I closed the System window.
By now, everyone in the Arshen family had already decided my future. A head with an appraiser class was unthinkable. Even if no one said it out loud, the conclusion was clear.
I was no longer a candidate.
The thought stung more than I expected.
That night, I sat alone in the training wing, surrounded by weapons I knew better than most people knew their own hands. For the first time, I hesitated to call the System again.
If this quest became public, everything would be decided for me.
If it stayed hidden, I still had time.
I exhaled slowly.
"Let's keep this to myself," I said.
Until I understood what this class truly was, I would train in silence.
-----
The next morning, I was already prepared to leave.
The bag at my feet felt heavier than it should have. I wasn't just leaving the estate. I was stepping away from the future that had been decided for me since I was born.
My father sat at the head of the hall.
The head of the Arshen family.
He looked at me the same way he always did. Calm. Controlled. But this time, there was something else behind his eyes. Disappointment, maybe. Or concern he refused to show.
"So this is your decision," he said.
"Yes," I replied. "I want to train on my own. Away from the family."
For a moment, I wondered if he would order me to stay. If he would remind me of my duty, of the name I carried.
Instead, he asked, "Are you satisfied with that?"
The question struck me harder than any insult.
Satisfied?
If I were satisfied, I wouldn't feel this anger twisting in my chest. I wouldn't feel this shame clinging to me just because of a class name.
"No," I said quietly. "But I can't stay."
He leaned back slightly.
"Then listen carefully," he said. "Class and skill do not define a person."
I clenched my hands.
"What matters is achievement. What you accomplish, and what you leave behind."
His words carried weight. Not because they were kind, but because they were true.
"For generations, the Arshen family has produced knights. Sword and shield. Warriors who stood at the front lines."
I had grown up hearing that story.
"And you awakened as an appraiser."
The word still tasted bitter.
"The world will see that as weakness," he continued. "As a stain on our name."
My chest tightened.
"That is why they expect you to disappear."
I met his gaze.
"But I don't," he said.
The silence that followed was heavy.
"If you leave now, it will be announced that you were removed for failing to meet expectations."
Exiled.
A convenient lie.
"Unofficially," he continued, "the family will provide you with resources. Funding. Access. Enough to survive and grow."
I bowed deeply. My throat felt tight.
"I won't fail," I said.
He stood.
"Failure is acceptable," he replied. "Stagnation is not."
As I turned to leave, a single thought burned inside me.
If I returned empty-handed, this path would mean nothing.
But if I succeeded…
Then no one would ever dare call me weak again.
At the outer gate of the estate, I stopped.
Someone was already there.
My cousin stood beneath the crest of the Arshen family, clad in newly forged armor. White and silver, etched with holy patterns. The symbol of a Holy Knight was carved proudly on his chest.
He looked like a hero ready for his first chapter.
He noticed me and smirked.
"Leaving already?" he asked. "Where to? Don't tell me you're opening a weapon shop."
He laughed, loud and confident.
"When I get my first sword from the gate, make sure you appraise it for me. Free of charge, yeah?"
I didn't respond at first.
I adjusted the strap of my bag and walked past him.
"Just come back alive," I said. "Cousin."
The smile on his face faltered.
His jaw tightened, annoyance flashing across his expression.
"Tch."
He turned away, clearly uninterested in wasting more time.
"Don't worry about me," he said. "Worry about yourself."
Moments later, he walked toward the departure platform, where knights and hunters were gathering for the gate subjugation mission.
I watched his back for a second.
Then I turned in the opposite direction.
If he returned as a hero, the world would praise him.
If I returned at all, that would be enough.
For now.
-----
After several hours on the road, the scenery finally changed.
The grand walls of the Arshen estate were long gone. In their place stood ordinary streets filled with passing cars, cracked sidewalks, and buildings that still carried scars from minor gatebreaks some times ago. Some parts were repaired. Others were simply abandoned.
At the edge of the city stood my destination.
Calling it a mansion felt generous.
It was an old, modest estate. Two floors. Faded stone walls. A small iron gate that had clearly seen better days. Compared to my family's main house, it felt… human.
As I stepped inside, the door opened almost immediately.
A single man stood there, dressed neatly in a black suit.
"Welcome, Young Master Adrian," he said with a polite bow. "I am Kaine."
Only one butler.
Just one.
I nodded. "You're the only one here?"
"Yes," he replied calmly. "I have been maintaining this residence alone."
That explained the dust.
He guided me inside, gave a brief explanation of the house, then left me to rest. Before heading to my room, I stopped.
"Kaine," I said.
He turned immediately. "Yes, Young Master Adrian?"
"You've been maintaining this place alone," I said. "In an area like this?"
The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly.
"This district is quieter than it looks," he replied.
That wasn't an answer.
I glanced at the front gate. The iron bars were bent in places, marks left by something heavy. Something strong.
"You've dealt with intruders before," I said.
Kaine followed my gaze, then looked back at me.
"From time to time."
No hesitation. No pride.
Just a statement.
"If I plan to stay here long-term," I said, "I'll need someone reliable."
"I was assigned here for that reason," Kaine answered. "Protection, maintenance, and… other matters."
Assigned. Not hired.
I nodded. "Can you fight?"
For the first time, he paused.
"Enough," he said.
That single word carried weight. I didn't ask further.
"Good," I replied. "I'll be counting on you."
He bowed slightly deeper than before.
"As you wish, Young Master."
As I turned toward my room, I felt it. This place might be small. But it wasn't unguarded.
The room prepared for me was clean but simple. No gold trims. No expensive decorations. Just a bed, a desk, and a window overlooking the street.
I sat down and opened the package my family had prepared.
Monthly allowance. Istared at the number.
…It was significantly smaller.
Not poor. But compared to what I was used to, it was a sharp drop. So this was exile funding. Enough to survive. Not enough to be careless.
I leaned back on the bed and sighed.
How was I supposed to earn more?
Training would take time. Gates were dangerous. And an appraiser joining frontline battles wasn't exactly appealing.
I stared at the ceiling.
"…Do I really have to open a weapon shop?"
The image of my cousin's smug face flashed through my mind.
I groaned.
No. Absolutely not.
At least… not yet.
I closed my eyes, letting the exhaustion finally catch up to me.
Whatever this place was, it was my starting point now. And somehow, I would make it work.