Arthur held his gaze for a moment longer.
Then he spoke.
"This is Thornwatch."
He said it like it was obvious.
Noel frowned slightly.
Arthur continued.
"A frontier village. Last line before the forest fully stops pretending to be tame."
His eyes drifted briefly toward the treeline beyond the houses.
"…Most people here know better than to wander too deep."
He turned back toward the door.
His hand rested on the frame.
Then he paused.
His nose twitched.
Arthur's expression didn't change.
But his words did.
"…You smell terrible."
Noel blinked.
Arthur gestured with his thumb toward the side of the house.
"There's a basin outside."
A small pause.
"Use it to wash yourself."
He opened the door.
Cold evening air spilled inside.
"And try not to die before morning."
Then he stepped out.
The door creaked softly as it closed behind him.
Leaving Noel alone.
Covered in dirt.
Blood.
And whatever this new life was becoming.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ten minutes later
The water was freezing.
Noel gritted his teeth as he poured another basin over himself.
Cold shock ripped through his body, forcing the last of the dirt and dried blood from his skin.
"…."
His voice came out quieter than he expected.
He leaned forward, bracing himself against the wooden frame of the basin.
Water dripped from his hair.
From his chin.
From ears that still didn't feel like they belonged to him.
He grabbed a rough cloth Arthur had left nearby and began scrubbing harder.
His arms.
His chest.
His neck.
Every movement confirmed it.
This wasn't a dream.
This wasn't temporary.
This was real.
He was really here.
Another world.
Another body.
Another life.
"…I almost died."
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Goblin blades.
Their eyes.
Their smiles.
The sound of their feet chasing him.
His grip tightened around the cloth.
"I almost died."
Not dramatically.
Not heroically.
Pathetically.
Running.
Begging his legs to keep moving.
He exhaled slowly.
Steam didn't rise from his body.
It was too cold for that.
"I don't have plot armor."
There was no protagonist protection.
No system voice guiding him.
No guarantee he'd survive tomorrow.
He was alone.
In a world where even children could become stronger than him.
And right now?
He was weak.
Pathetically weak.
He poured another basin over his head.
Water ran down his back.
He reached behind himself with the cloth, trying to scrub away the last of the dried mud and grime he couldn't see.
He paused.
The surface of the water below him trembled slightly.
His reflection stared back.
Distorted.
Rippling.
Something felt…
Off.
He frowned.
He leaned slightly.
Adjusted his angle.
And then he saw it.
On his back.
A symbol.
Noel froze.
A glowing white sigil with perfect symmetry, shaped like a four-pointed star with long, sharp spires extending up, down, left, and right. At its center rests a narrow oval resembling an unblinking eye, surrounded by curved, crescent-like arcs that seem to cradle it. The symbol emits a soft, radiant aura, its edges slightly blurred by light, making it feel less like ink and more like something alive calm, watchful, and deliberate.
Noel's breath caught in his throat.
"…What the hell is that?"
He twisted slightly, trying to get a better angle through the reflection.
The symbol didn't fade.
It didn't blur.
It stayed.
Glowing faintly against his back like it belonged there.
A cold realization crept into his mind.
His heart began to pound.
"…Is this…"
He swallowed.
"…a divinity's blessing?"
The moment the thought formed
Something shifted.
Not in the air.
Not in the water.
In front of him.
A thin line of light appeared.
Floating.
Vertical.
Silent.
Then—
It expanded.
Edges forming.
Symbols arranging.
A panel.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noel Xerlectus
Level: 1
•Strength:I000
•Endurance:I001
•Dexterity:I001
•Agility:I002
•Magic:I000
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skills
•Divine Protection of the Death God:
Any wound Noel inflicts with a weapon cannot be healed while he is within range
The closer Noel is → the stronger the suppression
If Noel dies → effect disappears
If Noel leaves → healing suppression weakens and eventually stops
Wounds done previously will reopen once Noel is close enough
distance increases via magic scaling: 0.5 meters
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
•Steady Ascension
Excelia gain is cut in half (1/2x potential x gained)
Can level up once all stats reach D immediately (500)
Does NOT require a great feat to level up
Growth is stable and permanent
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
•Vana Arganture
Allows the user to beastify, raising all abilities by an extremely large amount. Every use drains the user's stamina and mind by a large amount. Active trigger
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
•█████'█ Blessing
Allows one to see a status panel tracking stats
Updates status automatically all the time
(You are not worthy of seeing the full ability of this skill)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
•The woken
Current state: Not activated yet
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noel stared.
He didn't move.
He just stared.
His name.
Floating in front of him.
Noel Xerlectus.
"…Xerlectus?"
He said it quietly.
Testing it.
It rolled off smoother than he expected.
Strange and unfamiliar.
But not wrong.
He frowned slightly.
"That's new."
He had never had a second name before.
Just Noel. Nothing else. But this… This sounded different.
Deliberate Like it meant something.
He looked at it again.
Noel Xerlectus.
"…Huh."
A faint breath escaped him.
"…That's kinda fire."
Like this world had acknowledged him.
Not as a hero.
Not as anything special.
But as something that existed.
Something real.
His eyes dropped.
Level: 1
Strength: I000
Endurance: I001
Dexterity: I001
Agility: I002
Magic: I000
He stared for a moment.
Then let out a small, dry laugh.
"…."
dam I'm weak.
There was no lying to himself now.
No ego.
No illusion.
Just numbers.
His gaze lowered further.
Divine Protection of the Death.
Steady Ascension.
Vana Arganture.
And then—
█████'█ Blessing
"You are not worthy of seeing the full ability of this skill."
"…Not worthy."
He repeated it.
Not offended.
Not angry.
Just noting it.
Like a fact.
His eyes shifted again.
The Woken.
Not activated yet.
Halves excelia gain.
"…So it gets even slower. Thats aids not one nerf but 2? like common man I thought I had it hard enough but nah gotta up it to legendary difficulty because why the fuck not?"
I exhaled.
Slow growth.
No miracles.
No shortcuts.
Just time.
Just effort.
Just survival.
I looked back up at the name again.
Noel Xerlectus.
This world had given him a second name.
Fine.
Then he'd make it mean something.
Not today.
Not tomorrow.
But eventually.
I'll carve it into this world itself.
His fingers clenched slightly.
"If this world measures everything…"
His voice was quiet.
Steady.
"…Then I'll climb every number it gives me."
The panel didn't respond.
It didn't encourage him.
Didn't acknowledge him.
It simply existed.
Watching.
Waiting.
Like it was curious how far Noel Xerlectus would actually go.