Elenor jolted awake, gulping in deep, frantic breaths. Panic, suspicion, and fear were etched into her eyes; with every inhale her chest rose and fell sharply, her heart pounding against her ribcage like a war drum. She scanned her surroundings in a rush, trying to understand where she was and what had happened.
"Where… am I?"
She blinked several times, rubbing her eyes with her hands as if she were waking from a dream.
"Why do I feel so exhausted?"
She struggled to move her body; every limb felt as heavy as lead. During the integration process, her body had forcibly drained every last drop of its energy reserves. Even while she had been unconscious, her body had worked relentlessly for hours, like a battlefield that never slept. As Elenor slowly tried to calm herself, fragments of what she had experienced began to surface in her mind.
"The last thing I remember… I opened the box my grandfather sent… There was a smartwatch inside… I picked it up and put it on my wrist…"
Elenor suddenly flinched and looked at her left arm. When she saw the watch tightly clasped around her wrist, the indescribable torture of the integration moment came flooding back in vivid detail. Terror seized her; her breathing became shallow and erratic. Unable to endure the violent nausea twisting her stomach, she leaned over the edge of the veranda and retched, vomiting. Her stomach, already empty for hours, cramped painfully. Exhausted both from the aftermath of that horrific process and from vomiting, Elenor collapsed flat on her back onto the floor. Her chest heaved rapidly with each uneven breath.
"What happened to me? Why did it happen? What is this thing, really?"
She clutched her head with trembling hands. The metallic surface of the watch on her left wrist reflected the artificial light of the greenhouse, gleaming coldly. Because of her photographic memory, she could recall every second of that torture as if she were reliving it all over again. She bit her lip, but the trembling in her body refused to subside. She bit down harder and harder until a thin line of blood seeped from her full lower lip. The last time she had felt devastation like this was when she lost her family—but that had been emotional ruin. This was outright physical slaughter.
She drew deep breaths, trying to steady herself, to push those agonizing memories out of her mind. After a few minutes, she managed to calm down—if only slightly.
"Calm down, Elenor… Calm down… Panicking doesn't suit you…"
Once she had regained a bit of control, her ruby-red eyes drifted back to her left wrist. The sole cause of all this shock, panic, and pain was that small device. She reached with her right hand to remove the watch—but even her first attempt sent a sharp pain shooting through her wrist.
"Agh! Why won't this come off?!"
At that moment, Elenor remembered the very first seconds when the integration had begun. This time she didn't tremble—her eyes simply widened in sheer horror.
"No… That's impossible… It can't be completely fused to me!"
She tried to stand up, but her legs weren't ready; her violently shaking knees failed to support her, and she staggered before collapsing back onto the sofa behind her. Her entire body felt utterly drained, as though she had been subjected to the most brutal training nonstop for days. She took deep breaths, filling her lungs.
"Calm down… Just calm down…"
Her gaze drifted once more to her left arm. When she noticed the swollen veins bulging beneath her skin, her brows furrowed and her mind was dragged back into the moment of integration yet again. As she recalled that horrific pain—starting from her wrist, crawling up to her shoulder, and then spreading through her body like a creeping vine—her eyes widened and her entire body began to shake uncontrollably.
"No… This has to be an illusion. Just a nightmare…"
In panic, she grabbed the watch with her right hand and tried to rip it off with all her strength. But in that instant, an excruciating pain exploded through both her wrist and her entire arm. She recoiled and screamed.
"AHHH!"
The watch shifted only by a millimeter under the force—but the moment Elenor released it, the device realigned itself on her wrist as if it were a living organism. It snapped back into place far more forcefully than before, locking itself onto her wrist; there wasn't even the slightest gap left between the strap and her skin. The pressure caused even greater pain, but what truly filled Elenor with dread was the sight of the black veins across her body becoming sharply visible again, twitching for an instant as the watch settled into place.
With that movement and the pain that accompanied it, Elenor let out an even louder scream, her voice echoing through the deepest corners of the laboratory. In that moment, she realized a bitter truth: there was no way to remove this watch by normal means. She took deep breaths to calm herself. After a few seconds, she forced herself to think rationally—but the trembling in her body simply would not stop.
'It's fine. Stay calm… This is something my grandfather made,' she thought to herself. 'He would never intentionally hurt me. When I accidentally cut my hand as a child, he cried more than I did—he almost had me admitted to a private hospital over a tiny scratch. He dotes on me… But what exactly is this watch? Why did I go through all of that? I don't understand…'
Still trembling, Elenor fixed her gaze on the watch on her left wrist. Taking a deep breath, she slowly brought her right hand toward the screen.
"There's only one way to understand… Let's see what this thing really is."
She slightly raised her left wrist. The moment her right finger touched the screen, digital text began to appear. Elenor read each line with intense focus.
"Integration process? So that torture was because of this… Vitamin deficiency? Is it telling me to eat an apple? Toxins expelled from the body? Damaged or missing cells repaired?! What exactly does this thing do? Wait a second…"
At that moment, Elenor noticed the black fluid seeping from her body. Her pajamas were practically stained pitch-black—but worse than that was the overpowering stench hitting her nose. Her stomach lurched violently once again.
"Ughh! This smell… Is this smell really coming from me?!"
She tried to get away from there immediately, but her body was still far too weak. Especially the clothes that had absorbed all that filth were reeking like a corpse right under her nose. Unable to endure it any longer, she ripped off her pajama top in a single motion and flung it aside. The stench hitting her nose lessened slightly, but she was still struggling against that heavy, suffocating smell. The good thing was that as her focus shifted to this disgusting odor and the need to clean herself, her trembling eased a little.
'Great! I haven't eaten anything, I already threw up what wasn't even there, and now it's going to happen again! At this rate, am I going to vomit my stomach acid?!'
After making that bitter joke to herself and feeling slightly relieved, she focused on the watch again.
"Is this thing really monitoring and healing my body? Grandfather… what are you up to now?"
Elenor quickly dismissed all the technical notifications appearing on the screen. She could see every possible piece of data about her body—total cell count, blood type, real-time white blood cell balance, even the most detailed analysis of her heart rhythm. Just as she thought she understood what she was seeing, the flood of notifications vanished, and a single line appeared on the screen:
[You have a message from Soren Altarez!]
The trembling in Elenor's body stopped instantly, as if cut by a blade, the moment she saw the message. Now she knew for certain that this was her grandfather's doing. Even though she sometimes got angry with him, her trust in Soren was absolute; she knew that even if he burned the entire world to the ground, he would never harm a single strand of her hair. Elenor touched the message. The runes on the watch flared to life in a vivid blue, and a beam of light projected from the edge of the screen, forming Soren's hologram in front of her.
"Did you miss me, my honey bun!"
Elenor stared at the hologram's face with a cold expression.
"Right now? Absolutely not."
The video recording continued. Soren spoke in his usual narcissistic, cocky, and overly dramatic tone:
"Yes! I can just imagine how much you missed your perfect grandfather! And your grandfather missed you too, my little bunny~"
For a moment, Elenor forgot the horrific pain she had just endured and covered her face in embarrassment.
"So humiliating… Thank goodness I'm alone. I'm the only one hearing this nonsense."
Soren's hologram continued:
"If you're watching this, it means you've already put the watch on your wrist…"
Soren's expression suddenly changed. The cheerful, childish, narcissistic man vanished; in his place stood a helpless man whose eyes were filled with pain and sorrow. Elenor froze in shock—she had never seen her grandfather like this in her entire life. Soren continued, his voice deeper now:
"Haahhh… Elenor… I can never imagine the pain you endured during the integration. I can only calculate it mathematically. I'm so sorry, my girl… I wish there had been a less painful way. But this watch instantly expels any foreign substance from the body. Painkillers, anesthesia, narcotics… it makes no difference. Anything that could numb you or knock you unconscious is classified by the system as 'harmful.' If I could have created an artificial intelligence, everything would have been much easier…"
Elenor listened with intense focus. As her grandfather explained, she began to feel much better than before—at least now she understood that what she had experienced was part of a planned process. But the real question was still there: why? What was this device for?
Soren took a deep breath and continued:
"Elenor… listen to me very carefully, my girl. This is extremely important. You need to know what you're dealing with. Ten years ago, when it became certain that the number of rifts was increasing instead of decreasing, two emperors made a joint decision. A secret project was launched under my leadership. Its name was Artificial Awakening."
For a moment, Elenor couldn't fully process what she was hearing—but her sharp mind analyzed the situation within seconds. She was horrified.
"Wait… Artificially triggering an awakening? By human hands?! That's impossible! That's forcibly activating human potential. The body can't withstand that—the result is guaranteed death; at best, permanent disability. Awakening isn't some simple process!"
Her mouth hung open in shock as she instinctively looked down at the watch on her wrist. If her grandfather had brought up this topic, there was only one possible meaning.
"Oh come on… He couldn't have… right?"
Soren continued:
"The first experiments began with volunteers. After months of intense work, we prepared the first successful solution—the drug."
The light from the watch intensified, and another hologram appeared beside it. The footage showed a man drinking a special liquid.
"We believed these special elixirs would initiate awakening, but we overlooked one thing in our calculations."
The man in the footage suddenly began to glow with a blue light. His muscles and veins swelled at a terrifying speed, his body pushing far beyond normal limits. At first, he stared at his hands in disbelief, but then sharp pain twisted his face. He clutched his abdomen and began to scream. His muscles continued to expand, his veins writhed beneath his skin like living worms, and finally they burst under the pressure.
Elenor stared at the hologram in shock and nausea. Soren's voice echoed from behind:
"Forcing the human body beyond its current limits like that creates a burden it simply cannot bear. They literally exploded from overload. Even when we reduced the dosage, people became unable to walk. Very few awakened successfully, and even then, they could only reach E or D rank. The success rate was five per thousand, and of those five, only two survived the experiment in a healthy state. Even then, we discovered that their lifespans had been drastically shortened. Their bodies were so worn down that their life energy was exhausted. Due to the increasing number of deaths, the two emperors officially shut the project down. However, shortly afterward, our emperor came to me privately and ordered me to continue the project in secret."
Soren let out a deep sigh. By now, Elenor was giving her grandfather her full attention; she was slowly beginning to grasp where the video was leading and the true purpose behind this painful process. Rubbing his eyes wearily, Soren continued:
"At first, I struggled immensely. Every calculation led to the same conclusion: awakening begins with the formation of an aura or mana core within the body. Producing that artificially is nearly impossible. And forcing the body's limits to increase unnaturally only causes backlash… But then I had an idea. What if we broke those limits gradually, in a way the body could adapt to? What if we tricked the body into forming an aura core as if it were a natural process? When that idea came to me, I thought about how to achieve it. Constant surgeries? Unrealistic. Slow-acting drugs? The body would collapse, or chemical-induced cell death would occur. Some kind of chip? No—that wouldn't be under the user's control and couldn't measure the body's limits in real time… Then your fourteenth birthday arrived. You asked me for an advanced assistant, a computer you could carry with you at all times—right there on your wrist. That was when everything fell into place."
The light from Elenor's watch flared again, and a large replica of the watch appeared in front of Soren's hologram. Unable to hide the pride in his voice, yet maintaining a serious tone, he presented it:
"Elenor, this masterpiece on your wrist is the greatest invention I have ever created. It is a device that increases the wearer's potential step by step and systematically breaks their limits. Its full name is—"
Bathed in holographic light, the name appeared in midair, its letters large and glowing red:
Lifelink Yoked Reprogramming Activator
"I simply call it LYRA. This device is a mega-computer that instantly identifies the body's limits and deficiencies and generates solutions. It operates completely autonomously—it detects the problem, calculates the data, and applies the solution. But I must warn you… the procedures are extremely painful."
Elenor rolled her eyes. She had already experienced that firsthand—down to her very cells. As the memory resurfaced, another shiver ran through her body. As Soren spoke, LYRA's internal structure in the hologram began to shift, micro-cables emerging from the back of its casing.
"LYRA is the perfect fusion of biology, mechanics, and magic."
A blue avatar appeared in the hologram, with LYRA fastened around its wrist. Immediately after, an accelerated simulation of the integration process Elenor had just experienced was displayed. Elenor couldn't tear her eyes away as she watched the process unfold. Enduring the pain had been pure torture, but witnessing everything from the outside was both chilling and strangely mesmerizing.
"So even though LYRA is autonomous, it carried out such delicate surgery inside my body without a single mistake?" Elenor murmured.
"Does it now have a connection to every point in my body? Should I be terrified… or should I admire this genius? I honestly don't know."
Soren continued:
"LYRA is your new operating system now, my girl. Your neural network, your veins, your heart, your organs, your muscles… everything is under its supervision and placed fully under your control. However, I couldn't disable the sensation of pain; there are certain technical issues, and dulling the senses makes LYRA half-blind. In other words, you can't escape pain… but thanks to that, your body can be strengthened safely."
In the hologram, a glowing energy core formed just above the blue avatar's abdominal region.
"LYRA will give you certain formulas. Every time you break a limit, you will prepare these mixtures and inject them into yourself. It will analyze your condition in real time and determine the most suitable formula for you. These mixtures will expand the artificial aura core created by LYRA, making you stronger. You will start at the E tier, according to your body's current level, and slowly rise… but even this has a limit."
Elenor frowned; she had understood what her grandfather meant within seconds. She muttered to herself:
"When the human body reaches its maximum limit, it can't progress any further…"
Her grandfather confirmed this and continued:
"…That's why even the Awakened cannot develop further once they reach that upper threshold; their existing potential has already been pushed to the extreme. Of course, there are some abnormal cases. The current Crown Prince is above even S-rank—he is SS-rank. However, since the emergence of the Awakened, this has only been recorded three times in history. As far as we know, a fourth case has yet to appear."
Elenor let out a deep sigh. Just as she expected, the human body still had limits that were difficult to surpass—but she wasn't particularly bothered by that; she liked being human. However, what Soren said next once again left her stunned.
"But I found a solution."
As Soren explained with a serious expression, a new hologram appeared behind him: a human figure standing beside a monster.
"The solution: integrating Monster DNA into the human body."
Elenor's eyes widened dramatically. That single sentence truly shook her, but her mind immediately began analyzing. She had roughly grasped LYRA's function; now she needed to experience it and examine the device carefully. She thought to herself:
'If LYRA really works the way my grandfather says, this might be theoretically possible… but it's terrifyingly dangerous.'
Soren continued:
"The goal is simple: to surpass humanity's biological limits by using the superior DNA structure of monsters. Moreover, my analyses show this—we could even acquire the abilities of monsters! LYRA has the capacity to do that!"
Elenor rubbed her eyes in disbelief once again. The shocks she had experienced today probably exceeded the sum total of everything she had lived through in her entire life. Yet, strangely enough, alongside her fear, this idea stirred a peculiar excitement within her. Soren continued enthusiastically:
"Just imagine it, Elenor! If we acquire an Alpha-class monster's ability to control others, we could direct monsters and turn them against one another! Or we could copy their regeneration abilities and raise our survival capability to unbelievable levels!"
The more Soren spoke, the more excited he became. As Elenor listened, her gaze instinctively drifted to LYRA on her left wrist, calculations forming in her mind.
'…Controlling monsters and making them fight each other? That could actually work. Countless soldiers' lives could be saved. We could even have controlled creatures scout dungeons in advance and show us exactly what we're up against… Wait! We wouldn't even need to acquire abilities for that!'
Elenor's eyes gleamed with sudden inspiration as she stared at LYRA. A dangerous idea—one that pushed ethical boundaries—had taken shape in her mind.
'Looks like my first lab project is already decided… assuming I can stand up someday.'
She let out an irritated sigh; she couldn't properly move even a single muscle. She was starving, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth from dehydration, and the revolting smell clinging to her body was turning her stomach. She focused on the hologram again. Soren was still talking nonstop about the benefits of Monster DNA, but when he finished, his voice suddenly dropped, and he spoke in a somber tone:
"…Yesterday, I told the Emperor about this idea."
Elenor nodded knowingly.
"He probably refused. Honestly, I would've expected that—if he had accepted immediately, that would've been the real disappointment."
Soren let out a deep sigh.
"The Emperor rejected it… and I understand him. He doesn't want humanity's essence to be corrupted, and the risks are enormous… BUT!"
Soren's eyes suddenly hardened. A freezing sensation settled in Elenor's chest; her gaze slid to the watch on her left wrist, her eyebrow twitching with irritation.
"You crazy old man… You installed that feature into the thing on my wrist, didn't you?"
Soren gave exactly the answer Elenor was expecting:
"I installed that module into yours! Just in case!"
Elenor's eyebrow was now twitching uncontrollably.
"You really gave something like that to me? Are you seriously trying to turn your own granddaughter into a monster?!"
Elenor was angry because she knew herself very well; if one day she deemed it necessary—if she had a valid reason—she would inject that Monster DNA into herself without hesitation. That realization both terrified her and thrilled her deep down. Soren continued speaking:
"I'll finish LYRA in a few days and get it to you… I probably won't be with you at that time. I'll make a plan to get you away from Amanda and have you put the device on. I'll allow you to suffer, but I don't want to witness those moments with my own eyes…"
Soren's face darkened, a single tear slipping from his eye. He clenched his fists so tightly that his palms were pierced. Watching this, Elenor let out a deep sigh.
"It must have been hard for you too, old man… I know how much you love me. At least you didn't have the chance to lie to me; for once, those rift collapses did something good and showed me the truth early."
Taking a deep breath, Soren continued:
"I'll be honest with you, Elenor—seeing you remain weak drives me insane! I will never allow you to die before me!"
Elenor frowned.
"What schemes is this old man cooking up now?" she thought.
Then Soren dropped the bomb:
"I obtained confidential information from the Emperor… The other empires and several kingdoms are racing to build spaceships to abandon this planet—together with their Awakened!"
Elenor flinched where she stood, her lips beginning to tremble.
"This is bad… really bad! They're not only abandoning the rest of humanity—they're also multiplying the burden on our shoulders!"