--
TJ did as the system said.
He had little choice actually. He knew himself more than anyone else; he dislikes being put under the spotlight. In fact, if he had a choice, he'd rather pretend that he had a B- or even a C-rank boon instead. Alas, the color that the system has chosen for him was purple, indicating an A-rank talent, so he could only write that down.
Truthfully, he's also distrustful of this system. Whoever it is that's talking to him through this is somebody he never met nor heard of.
It sounds awfully like a human, and somehow, they were capable of monitoring his movement through the system. He doesn't know their motives for helping him, nor if he could truly bring himself to trust whoever this person was, but like what was stated earlier, TJ didn't have much of a choice.
He'd rather follow the instructions of this stranger than paint a large target on his back.
Life might be dull in TJ's eyes, but he didn't want to die just yet.
TJ eventually got home. And to his luck, nothing happened. He was paranoid that some people were lurking around him, thinking of ways to catch him off-guard and assassinate him. It was difficult to pretend that he was calm; if it weren't for the sake of keeping up some appearances, he would've bolted home as soon as possible.
Beep!
You're home. You're safe here. Great job making it back without raising any suspicion.
"Who are you? Why is this happening to me?" TJ was finally unable to stop his curiosity.
[I apologize for the late introduction. My name is Atlanta, you may know me as the AI Goddess.]
TJ's pupils trembled as he heard this.
"The AI Goddess? How can it be? Is my awakened boon really that outrageous to the point that it will alert an individual like you?"
TJ's surprise was understandable; anybody in his shoes would most likely feel the same.
Who is Atlanta? The term "AI Goddess" wasn't something coined or bestowed on her by the netizens. Atlanta is a fully sentient AI that's in control of all the professional systems in this world. She is the internet, if you will, and her capabilities far surpass that.
She knew every awakened professional. With a snap of her fingers, she could recall all relevant information about them and could even accurately predict the major points in their future.
Any professional-related matter goes through her. Every nifty function available for professionals was all connected to her. She was so important to humans that she was given a seat on the Human Council despite not being one of them.
More importantly, Atlanta works for the greater good of humans. She's their most trusted ally. Everybody could be everybody else, but not Atlanta. She's also hardcoded to never betray the race in any way, shape, or form.
She was a big deal. That's why TJ could scarcely believe that she's talking to him right now.
It could be said that without Atlanta, today's civilization wouldn't even look remotely as advanced and prosperous as it is now.
[It triggered an ancient protocol, so yes, it is a big deal.]
[I wouldn't talk to you in person if you received an S-Rank or an SSS-Rank Boon. However, your Awakened Boon was Unique-Ranked. Moreover, you have two.]
"How many!?"
[Two. You can check your personal profile now, you know? Why don't you take a look?]
TJ swallowed nervously. He's been on edge for quite some time now, and only after he got here did he finally relax. He's been overwhelmed a bit and has even forgotten to explore the new possibilities that opened up to him.
So, upon Atlanta's reminder, he finally satisfied his curiosity by opening his personal profile.
☆☆☆☆☆
[Profile]
Name: Tristan James Whitlock
Age: 16
Race: Human
Bloodline: Human
Allegiance: East Victory
Profession Archetype: Combat
Class Archetype: Warrior
Rank: Novice
Skills: None
**
[Boon(s)]
Awakened Boon: 『Dream Echo Battlefield (Unique)』
• You can collect Dream Echo Fragments in the waking world.
• Collecting enough of the same echo fragments allows you to restore them and confront the Dream Echo Owner in the Dream Battlefield.
• Defeating Dream Echoes allows you to inherit their skills, insights, traits, and/or memories.
• Dream Echoes vary in strength and qualities, which also greatly varies the rewards you can get from them.
• Current Dream Echo Slots: (1)
• More Dream Echo Slots and advanced functions for this boon will be unlocked as your Professional Rank increases.
**
Innate Boon: 『Limit Breaking Hard Work (Unique)』
• Your hard work will always be rewarded. So long as you persevere, your progress will never stagnate.
• This boon quantifies the amount of effort you need to progress in any profession-related skills.
• Once you've accumulated enough progress, you can advance, increase the level, or evolve the specific skill you intended. This effect transcends professional rank limits.
• However, in exchange, you can no longer use any form of experience points to upgrade your skills. If you want progress, you better work hard for it.
• Additional functions may or may not appear as your professional rank increases.
☆☆☆☆☆
"This is nuts." TJ muttered breathlessly.
Just to make sure he's not going crazy or delusional, he downed a glass of water and splashed ice-cold water on his face before reading all of that again.
And yep, it was real. TJ indeed got really lucky.
Here's the thing...TJ never had any high expectations about his awakening. In his opinion, he'd get what he deserved, and by that, he meant being a Lifestyle Professional and one C-rank boon.
He never hoped to be the next big thing, nor did he even dream about it. To him, living well enough, even in mediocrity, was already good enough. He couldn't possibly ask for more since he's already lucky to survive.
Being delegated to the Combat and Warrior Class was already an unexpected boon for him. Just thinking about the possibilities of these archetypes was already exciting for him. And honestly, his luck could've ended there, and he'd have no complaints at all.
But then came his actual boons...
At first he didn't understand why Atlanta was alarmed. Only after learning what he got did he actually realize that, yeah, it makes sense why she was alerted.
He didn't just get one, which was the norm. He got two!
The number of professionals who got lucky enough to possess two boons at the same time in this district could only be counted on one hand! Hell, it might not even be an exaggeration that, in the tens of thousands of students of the Gale Phantom Preparatory School, he might only be the one who has it!
And even then! His talent was Unique-Ranked! Unique! Literally one of a kind! No second person will have the same boon as he has; that's why they're called unique, and that's why they're the rarest types of boons to get.
Going back in time, when he's still eavesdropping on other students subtly discussing their boons. He remembers that what they got were as simple and as common as a percent increase in their arm strength, an increase in speed, a flat bonus on experience gains, or some situational effects.
Although it wasn't much, it's an advantage that could help them in their future career.
He thought that they were fortunate to have those and would already be very satisfied if he got something similar. Yet here he was, receiving two unique rank boons with seemingly infinite possibilities.
"This is too much...is this really all for...me?" TJ muttered to himself.
That's when Atlanta reminded TJ of her existence once more.
[Yes. It's all for you. Luck favored you greatly, and while that's nice and all, please don't forget that it also comes with immense responsibility, one that you'll eventually realize as you grow up.]
[That said, it seems that your luck didn't make you immune from misfortune.]
TJ could hear the complexity in Atlanta's voice. As he looked at his personal profile, he understood why she sounded like that.
**
『???』 (Innate Curse)
• Persistent Psychosis
• -10% in Reputation Gains
???
**
This was the misfortune that she's talking about.
A curse. Inflicted upon him.
He should be surprised, but in reality, he wasn't. If anything, at least it makes sense now, because as it turns out, he wasn't crazy for hearing all sorts of voices in his head; he's just cursed.
Honestly, it wasn't really that bad, all things considered. He had lived with the voices in his head for so long now that he's grown used to them. As for the Reputation Gain penalty, well, he wouldn't know how bad it is until he experiences it himself.
There should be more negative effects for this curse, but they're hidden to him at this moment, and it's useless to speculate, so he could only leave it be.
Actually, TJ was strange. Because anybody who discovered that they're cursed will at least feel worried, confused, or angry right now. But he wasn't.
It even looked like he's expecting something like this to occur and that he's long been prepared for it.
And honestly, that's not wrong, per se. This curse doesn't bother him at all.
If anything, it just brings back memories he'd rather keep buried.