It was the first time he had heard such a thing. Sehyun halted mid-step and fixed his gaze on Baek Dohyun, who was staring down at the tip of his sword. He could feel the man’s tone shifting. His synchronization with the character was swallowing him even now.
“And who’s to say this isn’t just mental suggestion too.”
“I promise. I won’t put anything more on you.”
“…I’ll hear you out, then.”
“What my empire demands of me is a ‘puppet.’ They want me to lose my reason, to become a puppet and sit quietly by their side.”
He wanted to ask why, but the words stuck in his throat. For the first time, Baek Dohyun smiled bitterly with actual emotion. It wasn’t the face of someone about to cry, but it looked as if tears were close. Sehyun knew that expression all too well.
“At first, I tried not to Awaken. But… I couldn’t forget it. They’re only afraid I might leave them. They just want me kept close. I only wanted to find a way… to face them without losing my reason, if possible.”
“If you face them… you lose your reason right away?”
“Yeah. That’s what both the Daegong and my empire want. For me to spend my life at their side, reason gone. Now that they’ve sensed I’ve Awakened, they’ll scour everywhere for me. I… don’t have much time.”
“…So Awakening means the empire knows?”
“Didn’t the kid tell you? Once you Awaken, the Daegong immediately perceives it. And the boy already made contact with his Daegong once.”
He’d thought he knew everything about Elix. But he hadn’t. When new information hit, Sehyun found himself trembling. Arrogance had its bitter price.
“…And how do you know your empire wants that?”
“Because even before I landed here, I was already under the Daegong’s mental suggestion. They called me the Empire’s chosen. It couldn’t be tampered with.”
Sehyun’s eyes shook violently. He opened his mouth several times but closed it again, swallowing hard.
“Why tell me this?”
“In case you’re in the same situation as me.”
In an instant, that day flashed across his mind — himself, shivering in that shabby room, clutching a controller.
The distorted words, heavy with static. He had plenty of reasons not to go.
He hadn’t Awakened because he was afraid. Because he wasn’t confident he could take responsibility. Because he wasn’t confident he could start.
It wasn’t that he felt kinship with Baek Dohyun’s words, but they gave him resolve. He could face what he’d wanted to avoid.
“…What we saw tonight — you can’t tell anyone. If you do, I’ll kill you.”
“You too.”
Sehyun walked slowly to the center of the training ground. Below his vision, a faintly flickering Awakening window shimmered. Dragging it up, he placed it in the center of his view until it expanded to fill his sight.
He reached out a hand, flinched halfway, then gritted his teeth and touched the window marked [Yes].
The moment he pressed it, the Awakening window shattered into fragments, scattering into powder. In its place, deep blue flames roared up around his feet.
They didn’t feel hot, but the air grew sharp as needles, stabbing into him. His body stiffened under the piercing sensation, while the blue flames rose higher, swallowing him like the open jaws of a serpent.
The prickling gave way to a heavy weight as something tore through his shoulder blades. His shirt strained and swelled.
On his thin back, something writhed. It struggled against the skin, then split his clothes as it forced its way out.
Baek Dohyun’s eyes twitched when he saw it. They were wings. Enormous, pure white wings, radiating overwhelming magic.
The blue fire died away as a ragged breath burst out into the silence.
It looked as if he’d barely survived. His eyes trembled, then shut tightly, opening again in weakness. It gave no impression of strength.
Baek Dohyun clicked his tongue without meaning to. He’d suspected it wouldn’t be a combat class, but this… the weakest of the support classes — a Celestial.
The weakest. That’s what they called the Celestials: beings with immense magic, but fragile, without skills or talents to match. Their white wings were the only obvious sign.
One in ten might be born with extraordinary ability, but most Celestials were middling even among supports, lacking noteworthy skills. The best they usually had were buff or healing skills, and unless they were outstanding, they had little value.
‘Unless it’s like the Empire of White.’
That Celestial empire held rank 9 in the world, famed for powerful healing and buff skills. But its king was a woman, so Sehyun couldn’t be part of it.
Aside from that, no Celestials appeared in the top 50 empires. At best, Sehyun would be somewhere far below.
Baek Dohyun, with a troubled face, studied Sehyun standing there with gold eyes narrowed. His form was still human, just hair and eyes changed. Even his skin looked pale, washed out. Fitting for the weakest.
“How do I look?”
“Weak.”
“I know that. I meant my appearance — did it change?”
With irritation, Baek Dohyun ran his eyes up and down him, then snapped, “Head to toe, weak.”
“Do you have a death wish? Making me repeat myself?”
“…Hair and eyes changed. That’s all.”
“Gold?”
“You knew that already. Why ask me?”
“Then it’s impossible to hide. Couldn’t you put mental suggestion on them for me?”
“Why would I?”
“Never mind, then.”
Sehyun looked down at his trembling fingers. The sting in the air was still there, but fading — his body was adapting. The problem was, tomorrow was raid day.
“Did you clear the first floor, Mr. Baek Dohyun?”
“Yeah. But you don’t have to. The chief sends people to the tower for ‘magic stones,’ not ‘clearing.’ Our squad got lucky. Weak monsters, small numbers.”
“Still, he told us to bring back at least ten.”
“Nothing’s worth more than your life. If it’s too dangerous, retreat. The chief won’t blame you.”
Until the village reached Empire Level 2, they could only enter the tower once per day. Pass or fail, only once. That’s why kings picked the best retainers for raids — because rewards came with clears. Raiding squads were always the elite.
“Must be hard if even you’re whining.”
“No, fighting’s easy enough. The problem’s something else.”
He tapped his temple with a finger. Mental.
“With preparation, fights are manageable. As long as you can overcome the fear.”
“Right. I’ll keep that in mind. Now go sleep, will you? Those dark circles are terrible.”
Rolling his sore shoulders under the new weight of wings, Sehyun headed toward the weapon racks. He ran his eyes over the rows until he picked up a finely made bow. It fit his hand perfectly, and he wanted to steal it — but training ground weapons couldn’t leave.
“Check your stats and skills first.”
“You’re not leaving?”
Testing the bow’s pull, Sehyun finally whispered, “Stats window.” A transparent hologram popped up before him.
[Do Sehyun (Awakened) Race: Celestial LV.1 Rank: D]
-Type: Support
-Attribute: White
-Health: 9/9
-Mana: 30/30
-Attack: 9
-Defense: 5
[Skills]
-Passive: <Domination Resistance LV.1>
-Active: <Purification’s Descent LV.1> <Feather Sound LV.1> <Creation of Nothingness LV.1> <Depth of Affection LV.1> <Depth of Trust LV.1>
Sehyun skimmed the new stats with indifferent eyes. Other than mana, nothing had changed much. His mana, once 7, had jumped to 30, but the other stats were nearly the same, up by maybe one.
What mattered were the skills. Passive skills were always on; active skills required intent to trigger.
Sehyun already knew what the first Awakening skill would be. The initial skill was always the same.
From then on, future passives and actives differed depending on experience, knowledge, and talent. Most of all — on talent.