In Black Vein District, hope was a luxury most could not afford. Sixteen-year-old Elias Voss had learned that lesson the hard way.
Born an orphan after his parents were crushed in a mine collapse, he grew up pushing ore carts through toxic tunnels, his hands scarred and his back bent before its time. Every breath tasted of dust and death. Today was the Talent Awakening Ceremony — his only calculated gamble to escape the darkness that had already swallowed his family.
Lena stood pressed against his side, her fingers tightly laced with his. Her voice carried desperate excitement.
"This is it, Elias. If you awaken a dragon or even a strong hydra, the Elite Academy will take us. We can finally leave these mines forever. No more cave-ins. No more wondering if today's shift will be our last."
Elias gave her hand a squeeze and forced a thin smile. She says "we" so easily. How nice it must be to still believe in fairytales. Let's see how long that "we" lasts when reality hits.
Golden dragon banners fluttered above the crowded square as one youth after another stepped onto the platform to touch the glowing Awakening Crystal.
A muscular boy summoned a Direwolf Pack — High Grade. The wolves howled savagely as recruiters swarmed him.
An elegant girl awakened a Venom Hydra — Rare Grade. The multi-headed beast hissed with dripping venom, drawing envious gasps.
Then came the loudest cheers of all.
"Fire Dragon — Epic Grade!"
A majestic crimson dragon materialized, flames dancing along its scales. The boy who summoned it was instantly surrounded by elite contracts and admiring eyes.
Elias watched it all with cold detachment. Beasts. Always beasts. Chaotic, powerful, and barely controllable. Of course that's what everyone gets.
When his name was called, he climbed the steps, palm slick with sweat, and pressed it firmly against the crystal.
Brilliant light exploded outward.
The System's voice rang out clearly in every mind:
[Ding! Elias Voss – Summon Class: Knight]
[Summoned Entity: Rusted Iron Knight (Normal Grade)]
[Affinity: Null]
Silence fell like a hammer.
Then the laughter erupted — loud, cruel, and merciless.
"A knight? While the rest of us get dragons, this mine rat summons a rusty scrap pile?!"
"Look at that broken tin can! It'll collapse before it even lifts a sword!"
"Even my grandfather's old pickaxe has more value than that thing!"
"Null Affinity? Hahaha! Congratulations, coal rat — you just earned a lifetime sentence back in the tunnels!"
Jeers and pointing fingers spread like wildfire. Some tossed small stones in mockery. The officials on the stage smirked openly, not even trying to hide their disdain.
Elias's face burned with humiliation, but his expression remained eerily calm. His stomach twisted, yet his mind was already calculating. Let them laugh. The louder they laugh now, the sweeter the silence will be later. People always lower their guard around those they've already dismissed.
His eyes searched the crowd for Lena.
She stood only a few steps away, but the warmth in her eyes had vanished completely. Replaced by cold disappointment and open embarrassment. She slowly pulled her hand free from his, as if his touch now disgusted her.
"Elias…" Her voice was low but sharp enough to cut. "My family expects someone who can actually survive when the rifts break open again. Someone useful. Someone with real power. I can't tie my future to a Null."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and disappeared into the laughing crowd.
The head official waved him off dismissively. "Next! Don't waste our time on failures like this."
Humiliation tasted metallic in Elias's mouth. Whispers chased him as he stepped down: "Null… worthless… doomed to die in the dark like his parents."
They all think I'm nothing. Lena too. Perfect. The more they underestimate me, the less they'll see me coming.
Just as crushing despair began to claw at him, a deep, ancient voice spoke directly into his soul — calm, heavy with the weight of forgotten ages:
[Ding! Ancient Golden Order Legacy detected.]
[Bloodline Compatibility: 100%]
[Eternal Spirit Legion System activating…]
[First Echo summoned: Rusted Iron Knight → Fallen Hero Spirit – Captain Thorne (Hidden Golden Bloodline Unlocked)]
[Prefix Extraction System online: "Unyielding Vanguard" (Defense ×3 · Vitality ×2 · Legion Morale Aura)]
[Undying Resurrection Protocol initialized. The echoes of the fallen do not die easily.]
Invisible to the mocking crowd, the rusted knight materialized and knelt. Rust flaked away like dead skin, revealing gleaming armor edged with faint golden light. Piercing azure eyes locked onto Elias with absolute loyalty.
A resonant voice, carrying echoes of countless lost battles, echoed in his mind:
"My Lord… I am Captain Thorne, Echo of the Fallen Heroes. The Golden Order has waited long for one who can bear its burden. Command us, and the echoes shall rise — again and again."
Elias's shame hardened into something colder, sharper, and far more dangerous. Not hope. Not rage. Purpose. My purpose.
He glanced toward where Lena and the mockers had disappeared and whispered softly, his voice steady and icy:
"Then let's begin by proving every single one of them wrong."
Just as those words left his lips, a piercing emergency alarm ripped through the district. Red lights flashed across the square. The System's urgent voice boomed in every awakened youth's mind:
[Urgent Rift Breach Detected in Sector 7!]
[All newly awakened Summoners are conscripted for immediate combat deployment. Refusal means permanent Null status and forced lifetime mine labor.]
The laughter died instantly. Faces turned pale with terror.
Elias felt a quiet, cold thrill rise in his chest. Perfect timing. Let the real world see exactly what this 'worthless' Null can awaken.