Alright, let’s take a look at the system, Wren thinks to himself, a spark of curiosity cutting through the lingering tension in his chest.
?Status.
?The moment the thought forms in his mind, a glowing translucent screen flickers to life right in front of him, hovering in the air where only he can see it.
~~~~~~~~~STATUS~~~~~~~~~
Name: Wren Extenguard
Race: Human
Level: 1 (0/100)
Class: Hell-Keeper
Talent: None
Strength: 3.2
Agility: 2.9
Vitality: 2.7
Intelligence: 1
Spirit: 1
Will: 4
Skills: [ Hellfire Manipulation E(Lv.1) ], [ Chains of the Damned E(Lv.1) ]
Titles: None
Gifts:Tattoo of Envy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
?Wren stares unblinkingly at the translucent screen floating in front of him. For a long, silent moment, he doesn’t even move a muscle.
?His golden eyes widen to their absolute limit.
?Class... Hell-Keeper?
?He reads the words over and over again, spelling them out letter by letter just to make sure he isn’t hallucinating or dreaming this up out of pure exhaustion.
?He had spent his entire life studying everything there was to know about the awakened world.
?From ordinary close-combat warriors to legendary, world-shaking mages—he had memorized countless abilities, rare class rankings, and dusty historical records down to the smallest detail.
?Yet, in all his years of obsessive research, he had never once heard of a class called Hell-Keeper.
?Which could only mean one thing.
?Sitting far above the standard classes, and even high above the rare Divine-rank classes, he had just unlocked something far beyond common knowledge: a Hidden Class.
?Joy surges through him with such violent intensity that he can barely contain it. A wide, uncontrollable grin spreads across his face, and before he realizes what he is doing, he stands up straight out of his seat and lets out a sudden, breathless laugh.
?Look, just look at this! Anyone seeing me right now would probably think I’ve completely lost my mind.
?Well, whatever. Let’s just focus on my own stats for now.
?What’s with you? Calm down, seriously!
?Startled by his own outburst, Wren quickly drops back down into his seat, realizing he had gotten way too out of control. Across the aisle, several terrified passengers turn their heads, staring at him like he has completely gone insane.
Hey... answer me inside my head, Wren thinks, narrowing his eyes slightly. What kind of class is even this?
?An excellent one, obviously, Envy’s sarcastic voice echoes casually inside his skull.
?Wren takes a slow, deep breath to center himself, forcing his attention back down to the glowing status window hanging in front of him.
?Class: Hell-Keeper
Talent: None
?Slowly, Wren’s expression darkens, his smile fading away completely.
?Wait a minute... why does it still say I have no talent?
?He had finally awakened against all odds. He had entered into a contract with a mysterious Primordial Sin. He had even gained a divine, unknown class that no one in human history had ever heard of.
?So why, after all of that, does his talent list still stubbornly read as None?
?Envy. Care to explain this?
?Hmm? Oh, that?
?With a soft flicker of light, the small brown-and-grey owl materializes right beside him, floating lazily in the air of the moving carriage.
?Your class and your talent are two completely different things, kid.
?Wren shoots the bird a sharp, deeply irritated look.
?I know that! What I am asking is why I don’t have a talent at all.
?Because you simply don’t have one, Envy replies smoothly, giving its feathers a casual preen.
Hearing that, anger flares hot and fast inside Wren’s chest.
?You—!
?Wren nearly leaps right out of his seat, throwing a furious punch at the floating bird.
?Envy bursts into loud, mocking laughter, its wings fluttering rapidly as it easily dodges Wren’s clumsy, swinging punches.
?Relax, relax! I am just joking. God, you are so easy to provoke!
?I am going to pluck every single feather off your tiny body...
?How terrifying. I am shaking in my feathers, Envy teases, floating just out of reach.
?Wren clenches his fist so hard his knuckles turn pure white, glaring daggers at the smug bird.
?Someday... I am definitely going to wring this bird’s neck. Just you wait.
?Taking another deep, shaky breath, he forces himself to calm down and drops back into his seat. Arguing with a sarcastic owl isn’t going to get him answers.
?Fine. Let’s forget about the talent for now. But what does this Hell-Keeper class actually do?
?Hearing the question, Envy’s playful expression fades slightly, replaced by a glint of genuine intrigue in its glowing eyes.
?Oh? You actually want to know about your class?
Then listen closely, human, and pay attention if you actually want to learn something useful, Envy says, its tone turning uncharacteristically serious.
?The owl clears its throat dramatically, spreading its wings wide in the cramped space of the train carriage.
?The Hell-Keeper is a special class. It is directly connected to the authority and domain of Hell itself.
?Envy lowers its wings, floating closer to Wren.
?Given your current level, the system has only unlocked two basic skills for you to use right now.
?Wren narrows his eyes, his mind racing.
?Hell? Isn’t that supposed to be the place where sinners go after death?
?The religious stories of your world are completely irrelevant. Do not confuse fairy tales with reality, Envy waves a wing dismissively. Besides, why waste time arguing? Your class has already given you two skills. Why haven’t you inspected them yet?
?Realization hitting him, Wren instantly shifts his focus toward his first skill, concentrating his thoughts directly on the name.
?The moment he does, a second translucent window pops up right beside his status screen.
?[ Hellfire Manipulation ]
[ Rank: E ]
[ Level: 1 ]
[ Description: Allows the user to summon and control black flames originating from Hell. These flames possess the unique property of burning both the physical body and the soul of the target. ]
?Wren blinks, staring at the glowing notification floating in front of him.
?He honestly hadn’t expected to receive a direct combat skill right off the bat, let alone one tied to such a dark and heavy domain.
?Has Lady Luck finally decided to visit my life? he thinks, a quiet sense of disbelief washing over him.
?Without wasting a second, he shifts his focus down to his second skill, eager to see what else the Hell-Keeper class has provided.
?[ Chains of the Damned ]
[ Rank: E ]
[ Level: 1 ]
[ Description: Summons heavy, cursed chains straight from the ground to bind enemies and completely prevent them from escaping. Target mobility is restricted based on user strength. ]
?Wren stares long and hard at both skill windows, reading over the descriptions again and again.
?Hellfire Manipulation.
Chains of the Damned.
?His heart begins to hammer against his ribs. Even though both skills are currently stuck at the lowest E-rank, they sound infinitely more terrifying, destructive, and promising than any basic combat skill he had ever read about in the family archives.
?He has no idea how powerful they will become once he starts leveling up and pouring points into them, but just the sheer potential is enough to make his imagination run wild.
?For the first time since his disastrous Awakening Ceremony—and since the day his own family threw him away like trash—a genuine, confident smile spreads across his face.
?Not bad...
?Wren clenches his fist tightly, feeling a surge of raw power and long-awaited purpose settle deep into his bones.
?Not bad at all.