After his bath, Aaron felt completely refreshed. Just a few minutes later, his meal arrived—a steaming bowl of thick stew and two pieces of bread. The smell was so good that Aaron nearly started drooling. Though the stew was simply seasoned with only salt and pepper, every bite tasted great. "I can't tell if this food is actually amazing, or if I'm just starving," Aaron muttered to himself, enjoying each bite.
After finishing his meal, Aaron leaned back on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling. His mind drifted through all the crazy things that had happened today. Now, a new life was waiting for him—one that would not be boring. He stayed lost in thought for a while, then suddenly sat up straight as he remembered: he still had attribute points left to assign.
He asked the system, "I just have to think about assigning my attribute points, right?" Right away, the system's reply appeared before him.
[Correct.]
Aaron opened his status window and saw he had 10 unassigned attribute points. He grinned, thinking, "That's the perk of having an SSS-rank class—every level-up gives me 5 attribute points." He laughed quietly. "It might seem like only one more point than SS rank, but after a hundred levels, that's a hundred extra points. That's pretty nice."
Then Aaron thought about where to put his attribute points. "All my starting stats are pretty terrible. What I need most right now is Strength and Constitution," he decided.
He thought right now his attack power was weak; without skill damage buffs, his strikes barely did anything. His low health made him a glass cannon, fragile and underpowered. Aaron recalled the battle with the wolves and thought, "If that level 5 wolf had landed a single hit on me back then, I would have ended up as their dinner."
He thought he didn't need much stamina or agility, because most of his attacks relied on stealth. "I'll put fewer points into those for now." In the end, he decided to allocate 3 points each into Strength and Constitution, and 2 points each into Stamina and Agility, trying to keep things balanced.
As soon as he assigned the points, a strange sensation spread through his body, starting from his chest. It wasn't blue like mana, but rather a swirling shadow energy—like black mist tinged with a dark blue hue. The feeling didn't hurt. Instead, it made him feel stronger, and the pallor of malnourishment began to fade as his vitality returned.
Once the sensation faded, Aaron called his Status window again, excited to see the changes.
⟡⟡⟡
Name: Aaron White
Class: SSS Rank – Abyssal Phantom
Level: 2 (Progression: 85%)
⟡⟡⟡
Attributes
Strength: 3.75
Stamina: 2.50
Constitution: 3.50
Agility: 2.75
S.E: 10
Unassigned Points: 0
State: Stable
⟡⟡⟡
Health Points: 350 / 350 (Constitution × 100)
S.E Capacity: 100 / 100 (S.E × 100) (Regenerates 1 per minute)
Attack Power: 37.5 (Strength × 10)
Affinities: Darkness, Shadow
⟡⟡⟡
Skills
Abyssal Insight (Passive), Shadow Resource (Passive), Phantom's Resilience (Passive), Predator of the Weak (Active), Shadow Stealth (Active), Shadow Veil (Active)
⟡⟡⟡
M.P.(Mission Points): 0
Mission #1: New Beginning
Form your own mercenary team and recruit at least one member.
Duration: 10 days
Reward: 2 MP and a random piece of equipment
⟡⟡⟡
Aaron looked at his status with a satisfied smile. Now, his HP and AP were much better. "Well, at least now I won't get taken out in one hit," he said. For now, his S.E was enough since his skills didn't use much, and thanks to Shadow Resource, he could recover it every time he hit or defeated an enemy.
Then his thoughts shifted to the Mission section. "Starting a mercenary team won't be a problem—you just have to register at Estrium," he mused. "But the real challenge will be finding someone I can trust," Aaron smirked. "And I guess Old Latem won't be joining me on any adventures at his age."
He didn't want just anyone to join his team. Aaron also needed to keep his class rank a secret and couldn't risk being betrayed again—after all, his last life had ended because of betrayal during a mission.
Aaron thought, "Well, that only leaves one option—getting an awakened slave." An uneasy feeling crept in as he considered it. He had always hated the idea of slavery, but in this world, slaves were bound by mana contracts that stopped them from betraying or hurting their master. If they tried, their mana veins collapsed, and they died within seconds. They also couldn't take their own life after signing the contract.
Aaron knew he needed someone he could trust, especially after what happened in his previous life. Justifying it to himself, he thought, "It's not like I have another choice. At least I can treat whoever I choose with basic decency, better than most here."
People who build up too many debts and can't pay them back, or those captured during wars with other races and kingdoms, often end up as slaves. There are also cases of forced slavery, especially involving races like beastmen, elves, and dwarves, because they're in high demand.
Although this is illegal in the kingdom, it's hard to tell if a contract was forced once it's done. If the Estrium council finds out before the contract, they have strict laws—those caught, along with their families, are taken into slavery as punishment.
Aaron realized the first thing he needed to do was earn money within these ten days. Buying a slave strong enough to join him in hunting would cost a lot, and right now, he was completely broke. Spotting the Mission Points section, he asked the system, "What are Mission Points used for?"
The system's reply appeared before him.
[Mission Points can be used to upgrade your class and skills, as well as those of your mercenary team members.]
[You can earn Mission Points by completing missions after forming your mercenary team and also from special missions assigned by the system.]
[The number of Mission Points you receive depends on the difficulty of each mission.]
Aaron's eyes widened in shock as he read the message. Sweat formed on his forehead. In a shaky voice, he asked, "W..what do you mean? Can I really upgrade my class above SSS rank? Is there actually a level higher than SSS?" His memories only went up to SS rank—he had thought that was the highest, and even SSS was new to him. Now, the system was hinting at something even greater. With a wry smile, Aaron muttered, "Old Latem was right. The world is really vast."
He quickly asked the system, "What ranks are above SSS, and how many Mission Points do I need to upgrade?" Aaron braced himself, expecting the system to give him some ridiculous number, but the reply that came next left him stunned.
[Access denied. Your authority level is too low. Reach Level 300 to unlock this information.]
Aaron stared at the message, disbelief written all over his face. "Level 300? What do you mean? Even the king took a decade to reach level 300, and he is SS rank," he muttered, scratching his head in frustration. "Well, that was a short-lived celebration. I should've known that rising above SSS rank wouldn't be easy."
As his dream of immediately upgrading his own class faded away, Aaron's mind shifted to his future team. "This changes everything," he thought aloud. "I don't need to upgrade my skills right now, but if I can get a slave with even a low rank—like E or D—with a useful or even rare class, I can help them grow stronger. And it'll cost way less than before."
He was amazed by this hidden feature of the system. Quietly, Aaron whispered, "So this is the system's true purpose—and I only discovered it now, at the very end."
Aaron decided that, after registering tomorrow, he would take on a few missions to earn some money. Maybe he could even complete the system's mission before the time ran out. With that plan in mind, Aaron turned off the lights and drifted off to sleep.
⟡⟡⟡
The next morning, the streets buzzed with life as restaurants opened and the voices of adventurers searching for breakfast filled the air. Inside his room, Aaron woke early, as he always did. After freshening up, he put on the same clothes he had worn yesterday and threw a black cloak over his shoulders. He liked how it gave him a mysterious, almost assassin-like appearance.
He headed downstairs to the counter, where Taeme stood behind it, her usual pleasant smile in place. They exchanged morning greetings, and Aaron asked about the breakfast menu. Since he didn't have much money left, he settled for a simple meal of milk and bread, which cost him just five copper coins.
After breakfast, Aaron headed north to find a replacement for his knife. The blade had been badly damaged in his last fight, making it useless. With his small budget, the best he could afford was a simple steel knife, but it would have to do for now—after all, even basic magic weapons cost dozens of gold coins.
When he reached the merchant district, Aaron managed to buy the steel knife for four silver coins after some haggling. Now, only one silver and a single copper coin remained in his pouch. He didn't need anything else, so he decided to head to Estrium at the center of the city.
After a while, Aaron reached the heart of the city, where the presence of guards was much stronger due to both Estrium and the city lord's estate nearby. From a distance, he spotted the Estrium building: a massive white structure with wide double doors at the entrance, bustling with a steady flow of adventurers. Above the doors, a large blue sigil with two swords crossed behind a shield.
As Aaron stepped inside, he was greeted by a vast hall alive with activity. To the right, several counters lined the wall, each staffed by Estrium members in crisp white uniforms, assisting adventurers with their requests.
To the left, a large circular counter was surrounded by more staff, and beside it stood a towering board covered in mission postings. Along the back wall, the Estrium trade area buzzed with people buying and selling goods. The entire hall thrummed with the energy of adventurers starting their day.
Aaron didn't linger in the entryway. Instead, he made his way to the right, where a line of newly awakened stood waiting to register. There were three people ahead of him: at the front, a bulky boy with a broad sword strapped to his back, looking full of confidence. Behind him stood two girls, each clutching a staff, worry written clearly on their faces.
Soon, it was Aaron's turn. He approached the counter, where a man greeted him with a friendly smile. "Morning, young man. I'm Xandyr. Can you tell me your name?" Aaron nodded politely. "I'm Aaron. I came to register—I awakened yesterday."
Xandyr nodded and wrote Aaron's name in a large ledger. He then pointed towards a transparent sphere resting atop a big mana crystal. "Channel your mana through the sphere. It will show your affinity and display your level through rune script. You don't have to reveal your class or rank if you don't want to."
Aaron nodded, stretching his hand toward the sphere. As he focused, a wisp of black energy flowed from his palm and seeped into the crystal. Instantly, the sphere turned obsidian black with swirling gray mist at its core, and the number 2 appeared in glowing blue.
Xandyr's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You have dual affinities—darkness and shadow. It's quite rare to have more than one affinity," he remarked, jotting down the details in the ledger.
Aaron replied shyly, scratching the back of his head with one hand. "I guess I was just lucky to get dual affinities." Xandyr nodded. "Yes, very lucky indeed."
Xandyr explained, "If you wish, you can reveal your class. If it's ranked B or higher, you're eligible to join the Royal Academy in the capital, all expenses paid by the kingdom. And if you do well there, you might even earn a place in the Royal Guard."
For most people, the chance to enter the Royal Academy was a dream—guaranteeing a bright future and countless opportunities. But Aaron wasn't naive. He knew this was a clever way to lure out anyone with high-ranked classes like S or SS. The academy gave real benefits, but it also meant coming under the watchful eye of the royal family, who always claimed the strongest for themselves.
Aaron shrugged and said, "Well, I wasn't that lucky with my class. I got C-rank—Shadow Assassin." Xandyr clicked his tongue in disappointment; he had hoped Aaron might be B-rank or higher, given his dual affinities. After all, getting someone into the Royal Academy earned him a bonus from Estrium.
Xandyr simply nodded and recorded it in the ledger. Then, he handed Aaron an oval bronze token, roughly the size of his palm, etched with a golden crown symbol and the number two. "Congratulations," Xandyr said. "From now on, you can officially begin your journey. This is the Bronze Two token—every awakened starts here. When you reach level 25, you can come back and upgrade it."
Aaron thanked him as he accepted the token. Xandyr's tone grew serious. "Now that you're awakened, make sure you don't do anything illegal. For now, any actions you take will be judged by the Estrium council. Since you're Bronze Rank, it's forbidden to leave the safe zone in the Great Evervale Forest until you reach Silver Rank." He added, "You can pick up a rule book in the trade section—it's free. And don't worry, with your class, you've got a bright future ahead if you follow the law."
Aaron thanked him politely, said his goodbyes, and made his way toward the trade section. All around him, adventurers were selling hunting materials and buying new equipment. Prices inside Estrium were higher than usual due to taxes, but adventurers still preferred trading here—there was never any compromise on quality.
As Aaron approached the counter, a staff member greeted him, "Welcome! How can I help you?" Aaron returned the greeting and said, "I've just awakened and was told to collect the rule book. Also, do you have a beast manual for the safe zone?"
The staff nodded. "Yes, we have the beast manual for one silver. Please show me your token to receive the rule book." Aaron pulled out his token along with his last silver coin and placed them on the counter. After inspecting the token, the staff took the coin and handed Aaron a red rule book and a green beast manual for the safe zone, both stamped with a golden crown sigil.
Aaron took the books and shook his nearly empty pouch—only a single copper coin remained. "Well, I'm officially broke now. If I want to eat, I'll have to complete a mission," he muttered before heading toward the mission request board.