As the pain faded, Aaron pressed his head to the tree's rough bark, breaths coming in ragged gasps. For a moment, his world spun—he couldn't untangle which griefs and hopes were truly his or tangled up from this body's broken life. It wasn't a real wound he felt, but the wild, aching collision of memories—his and someone else's—ripping through him.
Images and feelings not entirely his own flashed through Aaron's mind. Childhood hunger. Someone else's sadness. Passing moments of hope and despair—all of it rushed through him.
As memory fragments from the body he now inhabited surfaced, his chest ached for the tough life this other Aaron had lived. He felt lost, taken apart, and put back together again. Confusion and sadness weighed on his heart.
By chance, this boy was also named Aaron and was eighteen years old. As Aaron absorbed this realization, his sense of self began to blur between present and past.
This world felt like a game. At eighteen, everyone awakened to a class ranked F to SS. That one moment decided everything—their status and entire future. Some became warriors or mages; a few awakened rare classes, while others received simpler roles like woodcutter or tailor. The memories settled, and Aaron's thoughts adjusted to the rules of this world.
People said awakenings showed your hidden strengths, but how it worked was a mystery. Here, strength was the only thing that mattered; a single awakening could make you a king or leave you in the gutters.
This was Estravale, a human-ruled kingdom. Blightforge, where the previous Aaron lived, was full of chaos and dreams. Mercenary and adventurer guilds held true power, and nearly every newly awakened person began their journey in these wild streets. Aaron's new circumstances took root as he recalled the city's details.
From the start, life was unkind to Aaron. Left as a newborn in slum alleys, he was rescued by an old man who took pity on him.
The old man raised Aaron with quiet hope, wishing the boy might awaken a strong class—and perhaps become his support for his own fading years.
The old man was too weak to work. His class—the lowest, F-class woodcutter—was barred from real jobs. Each day, he begged in the busy market, trying to survive with a hungry child.
Aaron's childhood was merciless. He and the old man scraped by in a broken-down hut deep in the slums, haunted by hunger, with the idea of a full meal forever just out of reach.
The old man's health worsened. Hunger and no money for a healer kept his weak body sick.
On the worst days, Aaron's stomach knotted as he begged with the old man. He was too young and still without a class to find a real job.
When Aaron turned ten, the old man died. The only thing he left behind was the broken shack—that same, battered home Aaron had always known.
To survive, Aaron started hunting rabbits, getting by on the little money he made from selling their pelts—just enough for the bare basics.
His thin, malnourished body made hunting a daily struggle. Most weeks, he caught only one or two rabbits—never enough. Still, he kept at it for eight long years.
Trouble pressed down, becoming cruel and relentless as years passed.
Two years ago, a level 25, C-rank rogue slipped into the slums. He was running from the city guards after robbing and killing new adventurers. Soon, he formed a gang called the Twisted Viper. Its members were ruthless—each a low-ranked criminal between levels 10 and 15.
The gang forced the slum people to pay for protection. If you couldn't pay, you died. No one outside cared what happened here. Aaron gave them almost everything—from rabbit skins to coins—but it was never enough.
On the day he was meant to awaken, the gang beat him mercilessly for his failure to pay what they demanded. Helpless, fear twisted inside him, and as the final blow struck, darkness claimed him—not as an accident, but as a brutal end to a life already carved with pain.
What a hard life my other self lived, Aaron thought, recalling the flood of memories that weren't his own. He was sure now—he had come to this world, though he didn't know how. All he knew was that he had to survive as Aaron of the slums.
As Aaron considered his next move, a sudden, strange sound interrupted his thoughts, pulling him sharply back to the present moment.
Ding...
He turned, looking for the source of the sound, but the forest was empty. Suddenly, a glowing blue panel appeared in front of his eyes, floating in the air.
[Initiating binding with Mercenary Emperor System...]
[0%... 8%... 23%...]
As the panel began to load, Aaron stared in disbelief. Somehow, he understood what was happening, even though it was completely new to him.
He recalled the stories of novels his team members used to talk about in their free time: the main character would receive an extraordinary system panel, granting them new powers and opportunities far beyond what others could access. He realized this panel could be the same thing they talk about.
[67%... 88%... 99%...]
[Error detected]
[Host has not awakened yet]
[Checking awakening requirements...]
[Requirement met. Proceeding with awakening...]
He stared at the shifting words on the panel, unsure what any of it truly meant. Everything about this was unfamiliar and strange.
Suddenly, something inside him began to shift. A sharp pain shot through his chest. Aaron gritted his teeth and clutched his chest, fighting to stay silent—his old instincts telling him that any sound could draw danger in the forest.
He collapsed onto the forest floor, muscles burning as if they were being torn apart. His veins felt like they were on fire, and the pain was almost unbearable. Around him, the dirt, fallen leaves, and broken branches began to rise off the ground, floating in the air as some black energy swirled around him—signs of his awakening.
After a few minutes, the pain faded a little. When he opened his eyes, the ache was still there, but something inside him had changed. His body felt stronger, filled with a strange new energy he couldn't describe. He leaned back against the tree, catching his breath.
He looked himself over—his body was still thin and weak, but the wounds from the beating had stopped bleeding and were slowly starting to heal. It wasn't fast, but the pain was easing, and he could feel the difference.
As he wondered what had just happened to him, the panel appeared again in front of his eyes.
[Host has awakened: SSS Class – Abyssal Phantom]
[Binding complete]
[Mercenary Emperor System is now bound to Aaron White]
[Host may check his class by calling: Status]
Aaron stared in disbelief at his class rank. From the memories he inherited, he knew that people only awakened classes from F to SS.
Anyone with an S or SS class was already at the top—considered a treasure by kingdoms, sought after or feared wherever they went. Kingdoms would do anything to have such people on their side or eliminate them early to prevent future threats.
But the SSS rank was unheard of. He also remembered, from the old Aaron's memories, that awakened people couldn't see their classes directly. All information about class, level, attributes, and skills came from their own minds.
The Awakening Halls, managed by the council, registered every awakened person in the kingdom. Their mana-powered devices could detect someone's level and affinity, showing if they were awakened—but not their class or rank.
Only the person themselves knew their rank, or it could be guessed from their attributes increasing with every level.
The old man who raised Aaron had explained everything about awakening before he passed away.
Apparently, anyone below C rank gets 0.5 attribute points per level up. C rank gets 1, B gets 1.5, A gets 2, S gets 3, and SS gets 4 points every level. This creates a huge gap in strength, making S and SS ranks the strongest.
He couldn't tell much from his class name. The word "Abyssal" sounded ominous—he remembered from old memories that demons used abyssal energy, and humans were always at war with them. All demons came from the continent of Urzgom, a harsh wasteland. Now, after awakening, it felt like that darkness was a part of him.
He didn't want anyone to know his class or rank. If he revealed it, the kingdom might take him away and force him to follow their orders—or worse, accuse him of being a demon because of his class name.
Aaron shook his head, pushing aside the complicated thoughts. He tried to focus and remember the system's message—he could check his status. Quietly, he said, "Status."
The same blue, glowing panel appeared before him, showing his status.
⟡⟡⟡
Name: Aaron White
Class: SSS Rank – Abyssal Phantom
Level: 0 (Progression: 0%)
⟡⟡⟡
Attributes
(Most Awakened start with 1.00, though this may vary based on their physical condition.)
Strength: 0.75
Stamina: 0.50
Constitution: 0.50
Agility: 0.75
S.E(Shadow Energy): 10 (Varies by class rank)
Unassigned Points: 0
State: Injured
⟡⟡⟡
Health Points: 30 / 50 (Constitution × 100)
S.E Capacity: 100 / 100 (S.E × 100) (Regenerates 1 per minute)
Attack Power: 7.5 (Strength × 10)
Affinities: Darkness, Shadow
⟡⟡⟡
Skills
Abyssal Insight (Passive), Shadow Resource (Passive), Phantom's Resilience (Passive), Predator of the Weak (Active), Shadow Stealth (Active), Shadow Veil (Active)
⟡⟡⟡
M.P.(Mission Points): 0
Mission #1: New Beginning
Form your own mercenary team and recruit at least one member.
Duration: 10 days
Reward: 2 MP and a random piece of equipment
⟡⟡⟡
As Aaron read through his status, his expression stayed serious as he analyzed every detail. Looking at his attributes, he thought, No wonder my physical stats are so low—I haven't eaten well in years. Still, they're even lower than I expected.
He noticed S.E and tried to remember if he'd heard of it before, but nothing came up from old Aaron's memories. He also realized he didn't see the usual mana attribute every awakened person had. Hoping the system could help, he asked, "System, what is this S.E?"
The system replied:
[Host, every awakened being above SS rank has their own energy system based on their affinity.]
[They convert mana into their unique energy.]
Aaron paused, thinking it over. So that's why this stat is so much higher than the rest—it's all because of my class rank.
Then he noticed his affinities: darkness and shadow. He didn't need old Aaron's memories to know that shadow was a branch of darkness, often favored by assassins.
Next, he looked at his skills—six in total, right from the start. From what he remembered, any rank classes usually began with three, so having six must be because of his SSS rank.
He wanted to know more about them, but only the names were shown. As he wondered about their effects, another panel appeared beside the status screen, displaying each skill's description.
⟡⟡⟡
Abyssal Insight (Passive)
Allows the host to view the status and basic information of any target.
Shadow Resource (Passive)
Restores 5 S.E with each successful hit and 20 S.E for every kill.
Phantom's Resilience (Passive)
Increases evasion by 65% during close combat.
Predator of the Weak (Active)
Deals 500% increased damage when attacking unaware enemies from behind.
S.E Cost: 10
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Shadow Stealth (Active)
Reduces presence by 85%, making the host harder to detect.
S.E Cost: 10
Duration: 60 seconds
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Shadow Veil (Active)
Increases damage by 250% while in stealth.
S.E Cost: 15
Cooldown: 30 seconds
⟡⟡⟡
As Aaron read through each skill, his mind grew sharper. The passive abilities didn't use any S.E., while the active ones required energy, with cooldowns and time limits. From the skills alone, he could tell his class was like an assassin—but the powers were on a whole different level. The boosts these abilities offered were simply overwhelming.
After studying his skills for a while longer, Aaron's gaze shifted back to the status window—specifically to the mission section. He figured this quest must be tied to the system he had just bonded with.
He was about to ask the system a question when, out of nowhere, a noise from behind the tree snapped his attention back to the real world.