Shunya woke up with his pillow stuck to his cheek.
Not in the emotional sense.
In the "I drooled so much the pillow turned into glue" sense.
"Ugh… what time is it?" he mumbled, wiping his face.
[System Time: 7:02 AM]
[Good morning, Shunya. Your hair is a disaster.]
"Rude."
[Just honest. Would you like to activate Auto-Grooming Function (Trial Version)?]
"...What does that even do?"
[ It fluffs your hair magically for 10 minutes. After that, you look like a bird's nest.]
"No thanks."
[Noted: You are okay with looking like a half-asleep raccoon.]
Shunya sat up, yawned, and winced.
His entire body ached like he had fought a dragon in his sleep. More likely, it was because he face-dived into a bush during yesterday's mission. Twice.
Still, it was a new day. He had survived his first real quest. He had teammates. A weirdly sarcastic system assistant. And today?
"License day," he whispered with excitement.
A real cultivator badge!
Sure, he didn't fully understand how cultivation worked yet. But he was ready. Ish.
Downstairs, Jean Keyar was already sipping his morning tea at the front desk.
Behind him, a wall of framed photos displayed blurry, faded pictures of previous branch members.
Shunya was pretty sure one of them featured a guy riding a giant duck.
"Morning, newbie," Jean said. "You sleep well?"
"Like a rock."
"Smelled like one too when you walked down."
Shunya grinned. "You're just jealous of my aura."
Jean raised a brow. "If by aura, you mean morning breath, then yes."
He tossed a small scroll across the table. "Take this to the inner chamber. That's your license certification token. Don't lose it."
Shunya took it carefully. It was smooth, sealed with a blue wax crest that read: NCGO – New Fornia Branch.
"Wait, what do I do once I give this in?"
"You sit still, look serious, and let the orb judge your soul."
"...Wait, what?"
Ten minutes later, Shunya stood inside the inner chamber.
The room was dim, shaped like a circle. In the center sat a glowing orb the size of a watermelon. It floated quietly, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Beside it stood a sleepy-looking elder in a fluffy robe.
He barely looked up.
"Name?"
"Shunya."
"Spirit class?"
"Hard level. I think."
"Confidence: 3 out of 10. Mood: Nervous hamster. Good. Step closer."
Shunya obeyed.
The orb flickered. Then—
Beep!
[Spiritual Aura: Detected]
[Category: Hard]
[Potential: Dormant – Unclear Origin]
[Behavioral Tendency: Chaotic Good]
[Title Assigned: Rookie Explorer]
"Huh?" Shunya blinked.
"Congratulations," the elder muttered. "You are now legally allowed to nearly die under our system. Please take this badge."
He handed Shunya a small, rectangular crystal embedded in silver.
It shimmered with a blue glow.
It said: Cultivator Class – Hard | Name: Shunya | Branch: New Fornia
"…It's so pretty," Shunya whispered.
[You may now be hunted by certain factions. Proceed wisely.]
"What."
✦✦✦
Back at the branch lobby, Shunya found Naomi and Vikoria sitting at the long table.
Naomi had already clipped her badge to her belt. It glinted proudly next to her sword.
Vikoria's badge was tied around her neck like a pendant, swaying gently as she sipped tea.
When Shunya arrived, both girls looked up.
"You're late," Naomi said.
"I was judged by a glowing soul-orb, thank you very much."
"Did it explode?"
"Almost."
Jean walked over and clapped his hands.
"Alright, you three. Now that you're officially licensed cultivators, you'll be able to accept jobs from the main board. But for now —"
DING!
A sudden knock echoed at the front door.
Everyone froze.
Jean's expression sharpened.
He walked slowly to the door and opened it.
Two cloaked figures stood outside.
One tall, with gold-trimmed boots.
The other smaller, their cloak fluttering faintly with strange wind.
The taller one spoke first, voice smooth like melted chocolate:
"We are here on behalf of the Central App Monitoring Division."
Jean frowned. "Never heard of you."
"You wouldn't. That's the point."
The shorter figure stepped forward. Their hood tilted slightly.
Shunya squinted.
Were those… cat ears?
DING!
[System Warning]
[Detected: Minor Entity with [Admin Fragment Authority]
[Recommend: Remain polite, and do not provoke.]
Shunya coughed. Loudly.
Jean sighed. "Fine. You can talk. But make it fast."
The two strangers stepped in.
A few minutes later, everyone was gathered in the meeting room.
The tall figure removed their hood first.
He was… perfect.
No, really. His face looked sculpted. Jawline sharp. Eyes glowing faint gold. Hair so smooth it could be used in shampoo ads.
"I am Eion," he said, voice silky. "This is my assistant, Orri."
Orri pulled her hood down. She was young. Maybe sixteen? Her eyes were cat-like, her hair mint green. She looked more curious than threatening.
"We are here to inspect anomalies in the System's new integrations," Eion continued. "Recently, a certain user triggered dormant subroutines."
Everyone looked at Shunya.
He pointed at himself. "Me?"
"Yes."
Naomi narrowed her eyes. "What kind of subroutines?"
Orri tilted her head. "Funny ones."
Shunya blinked. "That… sounds like me."
[Confirmed.]
Eion went on. "You, Shunya, possess a System Type last seen during the Bored God Age. A self developing interface that builds features through social, emotional, and narrative triggers."
Shunya raised his hand. "So I unlock powers… by doing weird story stuff?"
"Exactly."
Naomi groaned. "So he is the type who levels up by being chaotic."
"HEY. I am deeply reasonable chaos."
[That's true.]
Eion placed a small glowing orb on the table.
"This is a tracking orb. If your system mutates too far, we'll intervene."
"Wait, intervene how?" Shunya asked.
Orri smiled. "Boom."
Shunya shrank back. "Noted."
With that, the two cloaked visitors stood up.
"But don't worry," Eion said. "For now, you are safe. Just don't break anything big."
Orri waved. "You're funny. I hope you live."
"Uhh… thanks?"
After they left, silence filled the room.
Jean scratched his head. "...So. We just met people from App Central?"
Naomi sighed. "That explains the weird energy I felt."
Shunya leaned back, overwhelmed.
"I just wanted to write a webnovel. Not be one."
Vikoria sipped her tea calmly. "Life is strange."
Shunya groaned.
[Side Quest Unlocked:
"Learn about the System Mutation Process from Eion."
Status: Optional
Reward: Unlock Emotion Based Boost Function (Beta)
Penalty: None]
Outside the branch, far on the city walls, Orri looked back toward the building.
"Do you think he's the one?" she asked.
Eion smiled faintly.
"Let's wait and see."