The city walls emerged from the dusk like a great stone beast rising from the earth.
By the time Zael reached the western gate, the sky had turned violet and the mana-lamps along the road were beginning to glow. His cloak was torn in several places, and dried blood darkened the hem, but his posture remained relaxed.
"A wakener card," one of the guards said.
Zael produced the crystal card from beneath his cloak.
The rune archway flared.
[Identity Verified: Registered Awakener]
The gate groaned open.
The filtered air of the city rushed over him, washing away the heavy mana of the wilderness. The scent of stone and oil replaced that of wet soil and blood. Carriages passed, students laughed somewhere in the distance, and mercenary squads were already arguing loudly near the taverns.
Zael headed straight for the Awakener's Guild.
---
The guild hall was alive with motion.
Floating crystal panels displayed rotating task boards. Clerks hurried between counters. Hunters compared trophies, and several injured awakeners were being treated near the side halls.
Zael moved toward a quieter counter and lowered his hood slightly.
"Task submission," he said.
The clerk extended a hand. "Proof?"
Zael placed a single object on the counter.
A dark metallic plate, ridged and heavy, faint veins of mana running through it.
Ironhide Core Plate.
The clerk stiffened.
"…Ravager-class?"
He placed it on a verification pedestal.
Light washed over the plate.
[Target Identified: Ironhide Ravager]
[Awakening Task Requirement Fulfilled]
A surge of mana passed from the pedestal into Zael's crystal card.
His vision blurred.
Then—
[Awakening Task Complete]
[Level Restriction Removed]
[General Awakener System Unlocked]
Zael felt something inside him shift.
Not like leveling.
Deeper.
Quieter.
Then another sensation followed.
Sharp.
Clear.
Like a door unlocking.
[New Talent Awakened]
Zael's breath caught.
He did not open the notification.
Not here.
Not now.
The clerk slid the plate back. "You're cleared. You may now accept standard leveling tasks."
Zael nodded once and turned away.
---
Before leaving, he detoured through the guild's trade wing.
The merchants barely looked up as he laid out the rest of his spoils.
Fangwolf horn.
Rockhide boar tusks.
Venom gland.
Coin clinked into his pouch.
No one asked questions.
Only the Ravager plate mattered.
And that, he kept.
---
Outside, night had fully claimed the streets.
Zael walked calmly, but his heartbeat was louder than his footsteps.
A second talent.
He could feel it.
Like a pressure behind his thoughts.
Like something waiting to be named.
But he did not summon the system screen.
He forced himself to breathe evenly.
Control first.
Information later.
He reached the quiet district where his apartment stood—stone buildings, low light, and mana barriers humming softly over each doorway.
Inside, the room was still.
He locked the door.
Only then did he allow himself to smile.
Not wide.
Not reckless.
Just… satisfied.
"I survived."
He removed his cloak and set the Ravager plate on the table.
Whatever that second talent was…
He would see it properly.
In silence.
In safety.
At home.
-------
Zael stood alone in his apartment, the city's distant noise muted by layered sound wards. The Ironhide Core Plate lay on the table, dark and heavy, still carrying the faint pressure of the beast it had come from.
Only now—only after closing the door behind him—did he let his shoulders relax.
"System," he said quietly.
A translucent panel unfolded in the air.
[Awakener Interface — Online]
[Awakening Task: Completed]
[Level Restriction: Removed]
[General Awakener System: Unlocked]
[Unviewed Notification: 1]
Zael's eyes narrowed slightly. "Show."
The panel shifted.
---
[New Talent Awakened]
Talent Slot 2: Identifying…
---
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then the system spoke again.
---
[Talent Identified]
Name: Clone
Grade: Uncommon
Type: Active
Description:
Creates a temporary duplicate of the user formed from condensed mana. The clone possesses a fraction of the user's physical attributes and can perform basic actions.
---
Zael blinked.
"…Clone?"
That was it?
After everything?
An uncommon-grade talent.
Not useless—but painfully ordinary.
A clone talent was common among scouts and messengers. Most versions were fragile, short-lived, and little more than distractions.
His lips pressed together in thought.
"So that's my second talent…"
For a heartbeat, disappointment tried to surface.
Then—
The air before him distorted again.
A second panel emerged, darker than the first, its runes unfamiliar and far more intricate.
---
[Talent Bank Detected: Compatible Talent]
[Analyzing…]
[Optimization Possible]
---
Zael's breath caught.
The Talent Bank.
It had been silent since the trial.
"…Optimize," he whispered.
---
[Upgrading Talent: Clone]
[Original Grade: Uncommon]
[Target Grade: Mythical]
---
The room seemed to dim.
Light gathered around Zael, not violently, but with the same quiet inevitability as before. The system's runes rotated, layers of meaning folding over one another.
Information poured in—not forcefully, but precisely.
When the glow faded, a new panel remained.
---
[Talent Upgraded]
Name: Perfect Clone
Grade: Mythical
Type: Active — Independent Construct
Description:
Creates one or more clones identical to the user in body, appearance, and base attributes. Clones possess independent thought capacity and can act autonomously within defined command parameters.
Effects:
• Clones share the user's physical statistics
• Capable of complex actions and combat
• Can relay sensory information back to the user
• Duration dependent on mana supply and mental stability
• Destruction of a clone causes no backlash
Limitations:
• High mana consumption
• Number of active clones limited by user's mental processing capacity
• Clones cannot use talents independently unless authorized
---
Zael stared at the panel.
Slowly, a grin spread across his face.
"…That's not Uncommon anymore."
A clone that could fight.
Think.
Observe.
A clone that was him.
Not an illusion.
Not a puppet.
A second body.
He exhaled softly and leaned back against the wall.
"So this is how it works," he murmured. "You don't give me broken talents… you give me ordinary ones…"
"And then you turn them into monsters."
The room fell silent again.
Zael did not summon a clone.
Not yet.
He had learned enough for one night.
Tomorrow, he would begin planning how to use it.
Carefully.
Quietly.
Without letting the world see just how dangerous a simple "Uncommon Clone" talent could become in his hands.