Arianne stared at the screen.
Then stared some more.
Then rubbed her eyes.
The words remained exactly the same.
[Estimated Potential: S-Rank ]
“…”
No.
There had to be a mistake.
A typo.
A bug.
A system malfunction.
Anything.
Because the boy sitting beside her looked about as threatening as a sleepy squirrel.
Leon shifted awkwardly.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Arianne immediately looked away.
“Nothing.”
Leon didn’t believe her.
Unfortunately, he was right.
Because Arianne was absolutely looking at him differently now.
A few minutes ago, she had seen:
A lonely child.
A failed Awakener.
Someone the world had forgotten.
Now?
She saw a walking natural disaster disguised as a child.
A future S-Rank.
Maybe even stronger.
The kind of person who could become famous across the entire country.
The kind of person guilds would fight over.
The kind of person newspapers would write about.
And currently…
He was sitting in a neglected garden wondering why flowers existed.
Life was strange.
Very strange.
Leon frowned.
“You keep staring.”
“I do not.”
“You do.”
“I am observing.”
“That’s staring.”
Arianne clicked her tongue.
Children were surprisingly difficult to fool.
The system window remained open.
[Hidden Ability Reacting]
[Growth Condition: Recognition]
[Current Progress: 8%]
Arianne looked at the last line.
Eight percent.
That was higher than his trust level.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
So trust and growth weren’t exactly the same thing.
Which meant Spirit Gardening was more complicated than she thought.
Great.
She already had enough problems.
Now her class came with hidden mechanics.
The system truly wanted her to suffer.
Arianne sighed.
Then suddenly froze.
Wait.
If Leon really was S-Rank potential…
Then why hadn’t anyone noticed?
That didn’t make sense.
The world had scanners.
Awakening tests.
Guild evaluations.
Government assessments.
Surely someone should have seen something.
Unless…
Arianne looked at the status screen again.
[Ability: Locked]
There.
That word again.
Locked.
Not missing.
Not broken.
Locked.
Meaning his ability existed.
But something prevented it from awakening properly.
Arianne frowned.
That sounded dangerous.
And mysterious.
Two things she generally preferred to avoid.
Unfortunately…
The system apparently preferred them.
Leon picked at a loose thread on his sleeve.
“You don’t have to stay.”
Arianne blinked.
“What?”
“You can go.”
His voice was casual.
Almost indifferent.
But somehow that made it worse.
Because it sounded practiced.
Like he’d said those words many times before.
Like he’d gotten used to people leaving.
Arianne felt unexpectedly annoyed.
Not at Leon.
At whoever made an eight-year-old think like that.
“I know I can go.”
Leon looked surprised.
“Then why are you still here?”
Arianne opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Good question.
The easy answer was:
The system told me to.
The real answer was more complicated.
Because she remembered the original Arianne.
The lonely child.
The forgotten child.
The child who always waited.
Arianne crossed her arms.
“Because I want to.”
Leon froze.
For a moment, he simply stared at her.
Then quickly looked away.
The system chimed.
[Trust Level: 10%]
Arianne almost smiled.
Double digits.
Look at that.
She was practically a professional gardener now.
The system remained silent.
Arianne interpreted that silence as judgment.
A breeze passed through the garden.
Leaves rustled softly.
Flowers swayed.
And for a brief moment…
The warmth returned.
The same feeling she experienced earlier.
Gentle.
Comfortable.
Alive.
Arianne looked down.
Tiny green particles floated around her fingers.
So faint they were almost invisible.
Like glowing dust.
Her eyes widened.
The particles drifted toward a nearby flower.
The wilted petals straightened slightly.
The stem became stronger.
A tiny new bud appeared.
Arianne froze.
“…”
The flower froze too.
Well.
As much as a flower could freeze.
Leon blinked.
“Did that flower just move?”
Arianne immediately sat on her hands.
“No.”
“It definitely did.”
“Nope.”
“It grew.”
“Maybe it was motivated.”
Leon stared.
Arianne stared back.
Neither looked convinced.
The system appeared.
[Passive Nurturing Activated]
[Experience Gained]
[Spirit Gardener EXP 1]
Arianne nearly choked.
One experience point?
One?
The system really was determined to make everything difficult.
At this rate, reaching level two would take a century.
Then another notification appeared.
[Seed Growth Detected]
[Shared Growth Bonus Received]
[Spirit Gardener EXP 10]
Arianne immediately forgave the system.
See?
Communication solved everything.
Leon looked increasingly confused.
“You keep making strange faces.”
Arianne cleared her throat.
“Ignore it.”
“That’s difficult.”
Fair.
Very fair.
Arianne decided to change the subject.
“So.”
Leon looked at her.
“What do you actually like?”
He blinked.
“What?”
“Hobbies.”
The boy looked genuinely confused.
As though nobody had ever asked him that before.
Arianne waited.
Several seconds passed.
Then:
“…Reading.”
Arianne nodded.
Good.
Normal answer.
“Anything else?”
A longer pause.
“…Reading different books.”
Arianne almost laughed.
This kid really needed friends.
The system chimed again.
[Growth Condition Updated]
[Recognition: 12%]
The percentage increased.
Arianne frowned.
That was fast.
Almost too fast.
Unless…
Recognition wasn’t just about praise.
Maybe it was about being seen.
Actually seen.
Not judged.
Not ignored.
Seen.
The realization made her quiet.
Because it sounded simple.
Yet somehow…
Very few people actually did it.
A shadow suddenly passed over the garden.
Arianne looked up.
A large bird flew across the sky.
Nothing unusual.
Except…
The system reacted.
Immediately.
[Warning]
Arianne froze.
The cheerful atmosphere vanished.
A new message appeared.
[External Observation Detected]
Her eyes widened.
External observation?
What did that mean?
The system continued.
[An individual has noticed the awakening fluctuations surrounding Seed #001.]
Arianne’s heart skipped a beat.
Someone noticed?
Already?
She looked around the garden.
Nobody was there.
Only flowers.
Trees.
And Leon.
But the warning remained.
[Unknown Observer Identified]
Then another line appeared.
A line that made Arianne’s stomach drop.
[Threat Level: High]
The garden suddenly felt much colder.
Arianne’s eyes remained fixed on the warning.
[Unknown Observer Identified]
[Threat Level: High]
“…”
Arianne slowly looked around the garden.
Nothing.
Trees.
Flowers.
A stone path.
A sleepy-looking future S-Rank.
No assassins.
No villains.
No mysterious cloaked figures.
“System.”
Silence.
“Can you maybe explain things before giving me a heart attack?”
Nothing.
Arianne pinched the bridge of her nose.
She was beginning to suspect that whoever designed this system enjoyed watching people suffer.
Leon tilted his head.
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
The answer came immediately.
Leon seemed surprised by her honesty.
“Do you need help?”
Arianne almost laughed.
The future S-Rank was asking if she needed help.
The irony was incredible.
“Not right now.”
Leon nodded.
Apparently satisfied with that answer.
Arianne looked back at the warning.
Still there.
Which meant the system wasn’t joking.
Unfortunately.
She slowly stood.
The observer had noticed something.
Not her.
Not the system.
Leon.
Or more specifically…
Whatever had just happened to Leon’s hidden ability.
That was concerning.
Because if a random observer could notice it…
Then this hidden potential might be much more valuable than she thought.
Arianne frowned.
Actually…
That raised another question.
Who exactly was Leon?
The system had never given a surname.
Only:
Leon
Which was suspicious.
Most people had family names.
Especially in records.
Unless…
Arianne looked at him.
“Leon.”
He looked up.
“Yeah?”
“What’s your last name?”
The boy froze.
Immediately.
The reaction was subtle.
But it was there.
Arianne noticed.
And apparently so did the system.
[Emotional Distress Detected]
Arianne nearly rolled her eyes.
Of course.
The system was basically spying on people.
“Sorry.”
She raised both hands.
“You don’t have to answer.”
Leon looked down.
For several seconds he remained silent.
Then:
“I don’t know.”
Arianne blinked.
“What?”
“I don’t know.”
His voice was quiet.
“I was raised in an orphanage.”
The words landed heavily.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
An orphan.
Arianne suddenly understood several things at once.
Why he sat alone.
Why nobody paid attention to him.
Why he looked surprised whenever someone spoke to him.
And why nobody bothered investigating his failed awakening.
Because nobody important was attached to his name.
No influential family.
No powerful relatives.
No connections.
Just another child.
Forgotten by the world.
Arianne hated that.
She really hated that.
Because she knew exactly what would happen.
People would call it unfortunate.
Then move on.
As if that solved anything.
The system chimed.
[Recognition Increased]
[15%]
Arianne sighed.
Apparently being angry on someone’s behalf counted as progress.
Good to know.
Leon suddenly looked toward the sky.
His expression changed.
Very slightly.
But enough.
Arianne followed his gaze.
Nothing.
Just clouds.
“What’s wrong?”
Leon hesitated.
Then frowned.
“I don’t know.”
Not a reassuring answer.
Arianne immediately became alert.
Because people with hidden S-Rank potential probably shouldn’t be ignored when they felt something strange.
The system agreed.
[Warning]
The notification appeared instantly.
[Observer Closing Distance]
Arianne’s heart skipped a beat.
Closing distance?
Toward them?
Why?
She looked around again.
Still nothing.
Then she noticed movement.
At the far end of the estate.
Near the outer gardens.
A man.
A very old man.
At least seventy.
Maybe older.
The old man stood beside a flowerbed.
Holding a pair of gardening shears.
Trimming bushes.
Arianne blinked.
That was it?
A gardener?
The system immediately reacted.
[Warning Confirmed]
[Observer Located]
Arianne froze.
Wait.
Him?
That old gardener?
No.
No way.
The man looked completely ordinary.
Wrinkled face.
Simple clothes.
Gray hair.
Nothing about him seemed dangerous.
And yet…
The system continued flashing warnings.
The old man suddenly lifted his head.
Their eyes met.
Arianne felt it instantly.
Pressure.
Not physical.
Something else.
Something difficult to explain.
Like standing in front of a sleeping tiger.
One that hadn’t decided whether to open its eyes yet.
Her body stiffened.
The old man smiled.
A gentle smile.
Kind.
Harmless.
And somehow…
That made him even scarier.
The system exploded with notifications.
[High-Rank Individual Confirmed]
[Power Assessment Failed]
[Power Assessment Failed]
[Power Assessment Failed]
Arianne’s eyes widened.
Failed?
Repeatedly?
The system couldn’t read him?
That was impossible.
Wasn’t it?
The old man looked at Leon.
Then at Arianne.
Then back at Leon.
His smile deepened slightly.
As though he had discovered something interesting.
Something valuable.
Arianne immediately stepped sideways.
Positioning herself between Leon and the old man.
It wasn’t intentional.
She simply moved.
Instinctively.
The old man’s eyebrows rose.
A hint of surprise appeared on his face.
Then amusement.
For a brief moment…
The old man laughed.
A quiet laugh.
Almost too soft to hear.
Then he returned to trimming bushes.
As if nothing had happened.
The pressure vanished.
Completely.
Arianne remained frozen.
“…”
Nope.
Absolutely not.
That was not normal.
Not even slightly.
Leon looked confused.
“What happened?”
Arianne pointed at the old man.
“Who is that?”
Leon looked over.
“Oh.”
His expression brightened slightly.
“The gardener.”
Arianne stared.
Very helpful.
Thank you, Leon.
“The gardener has a name.”
“I think.”
Arianne nearly cried.
This child was hopeless.
Then Leon added:
“He gives me bread sometimes.”
Arianne paused.
What?
“He does?”
Leon nodded.
“Whenever the orphanage visits the estate.”
Arianne blinked.
Orphanage?
Visits?
The pieces slowly started connecting.
And suddenly…
A horrible suspicion appeared.
A suspicion so ridiculous that she almost dismissed it immediately.
Almost.
Because this was exactly the kind of thing novels loved doing.
She looked at the old man.
Then at Leon.
Then back at the old man.
A gardener.
A mysterious high-rank individual.
Someone the system couldn’t evaluate.
Someone who secretly helped orphans.
Someone currently watching Leon.
Arianne’s eyes widened.
No.
Surely not.
There was no way.
Absolutely no way.
The system suddenly appeared.
[New Quest Triggered]
Arianne groaned.
Of course.
Because things clearly weren’t complicated enough.
A new notification unfolded before her eyes.
[Hidden Seed Quest]
[Investigate the Old Gardener]
[Reward: ???]
[Failure: ???]
Arianne stared.
Question marks.
Again.
The system was useless.
Completely useless.
But one thing was now certain.
The old man wasn’t ordinary.
And somehow…
Arianne had a feeling meeting him would change everything.