Theo, for three years, struggled desperately to awaken, but the main reason behind his drive was none other than his father and the family love he dreamed of. That was his tenderhearted yet tall and sturdy pillar of support, even though they never really supported him, but he still believed and saw them as his blessings. But now, because of the strange dream which he was unable to dismiss as a mere fantasy, he looked at his situation very differently.
A doubt waned in him, slowly rooting steadily.
The sturdy pillar of his disintegrated into mist, which could be blown away anytime when a serious wind hit it.
Sigh!
He couldn't help but sigh as his reason for desiring strength was unsteady, and he didn't like it. He wanted to find a reason good enough to seek strength.
To struggle.
Then a thought struck him like a slap on his pale cheeks. Embarrassment found its way into him and turned his pale cheeks reddish.
'Aaah..'
Ignoring his embarrassment, he thought.
'Do I really need a reason to grow stronger?'
'How dumb am I?'
'I don't need a reason, strength is a necessity and without it I would be at the mercy of others, and why the heck would I want that?'
'Mmm'
Nodding to himself, Theo looked at Cain, who sat on the sofa beside him.
Theo felt complicated looking at Cain, whom he thought of as a brother.
'Even you don't care about me,' that thought stabbed his heart a little bit, but he soon ignored the feeling and looked at the exaggeratedly designed box and a letter beside it.
He didn't care about the letter as he already guessed the contents of both the box and the letter.
Starter kit.
It is a box given to the recently awakened individuals in the Varkheil house, but the box Theo received was a basic-level kit, given to the lowly people.
Even Cain got a decent starter kit, which he actually didn't care about.
As someone who manages Theo's assets, he has amassed enough money to buy the things he needs for his growth.
If needed, Cain even has the permission to use Theo's money, but he never did.
Anyway,
Back to the topic, the starter kit consists of six items. It had five red color tokens, a small box containing vials filled with low-concentration nexus, and a leather-bound book with a strange image printed on it.
The tokens are given to him as an entry pass to the house treasury.
With the given red tokens, he could only bring back low-level items, a tier-1 skill, an uncommon weapon, a grade 6 battle art, an internal art, and a foot technique art.
As an Initiate ranker, his soul could only hold a low-level skill, so he wasn't bothered by the skin token, but that wasn't the case with the other tokens.
Every awakener would wield at least a common-grade weapon, and the elders giving him this token disappointed him.
But he didn't let this small prank bother him, as he has enough money to buy the things he needs and even has a VVIP membership with three smithies that are well known for their quality products, but the problem was with the arts.
Theo didn't have time.
In seven months, the entrance exam for the Great United Humans Advancement(GUHA) academy is scheduled, and for unknown reasons, Theo felt in his heart to attend the academy.
Trusting his instincts, he thought of every way that could let him get admission in it, but soon he realized that passing the exam was the only way.
Theo was confident in his theoretical knowledge, but the problem was his physical capabilities.
The GUHA academy only admitted the best of the prodigies from the three great kingdoms of humanity, and they have limited seats, which further complicated things for him.
So, to achieve a decent rank, he needed to pass the test in seven months isn't possible with a grade 6 in arts.
He at least needs a grade 4 or grade 3.
Without turning his head, he muttered in a low but steady voice, "Cain."
Hearing his name, Cain frowned as he felt like Theo's voice sounded like a command, rather than the usual warm tone.
Cain, being himself, ignored it and looked at Theo, who had his eyes fixed on the box lying on the gray table in front of him.
"Find grade 3 arts for me, don't worry about the cost, just send me the list of all the grade 3 arts you find…"
Theo thought for a second and said, "Look for grade 4 arts as well."
Cain simply nodded,
Theo didn't know whether he would pass the entrance test, but believed in his potential, as someone who possesses not only dual affinities but also an aspect and a physique. He believed he would progress a lot faster than even the best of the prodigies.
"Seven months!"
As he was lost in thought, a strange picture assaulted his eyes.
"What the fuck?" he jumped back, cursing out loud, and soon the red hue on his cheeks returned.
'Fuck'
He picked up the book with the weird picture and read the name.
"Everything a beginner awakener needs to know"
When he first looked at the book, his doubt about the elders playing a prank on him solidified, but after reading the first few pages, its contents were honestly a bit surprising.
It was friendly and easy to follow through type narration, the type which would make readers feel close to the narrator and would feel a constant urge to read what's next. Theo thought to himself that the author should try writing novels. He flipped the book to find the author's name, and he soon found it.
'Superman' word written boldly in blue and red integrated on a diamond shape containing a bold S, and beside it, a figure leaned on the diamond.
"…"
"…"
'Cool'
Cough!
Cough!
Theo coughed out exaggeratedly, making Cain narrow his eyes, but Theo ignored him.
'hahaha, what am I thinking'
Honestly, it looked cool, and he couldn't help but be amazed by the logo's design.
Thinking that this must be a pen name, he put the book down, but a thought arose in him.
'Then why did he put a weird front cover?' The front cover was too weird, it was a photo of a man whose cheeks were blown away and his weirdly bright red lips arched wide open, probably the man was the author himself. Thinking that the author must be crazy, he put the book down and turned his attention to what he should do until he found good art.
He didn't want to train like before, disregarding safety and strain. He wants to grow properly.
'Unnecessary strain would only bring him harm to the body, then goo—' he froze mid-sentence and thought about it. He has a boundless physique, which sounds grand and majestic. So would a majestic physique break down under strain?
As he had this thought, a strange feeling swept over him. It was as if his own body answered him.
Needless Worry
Theo didn't know why he felt that way, but he liked the feeling. Even though Theo wouldn't admit it, he is a fucking battle manic and weirdly a masochist. So the thought of training without worry made him grin widely.
Theo stood abruptly and left the room, his body unconsciously releasing more energy than needed, causing mild disorder, but nothing significant. As an initiate ranker, his strength was pitifully weak to cause real damage.
Cain was bewildered by his sudden action, but Cain ignored him and lifted the cup of tea he held from falling from Theo's sudden movement. He had just made the tea from special leaves called hiemal that can only be found near the north border of the Aurion kingdom, grown only in winter.
He slowly savoured the tea he served hot.
'Mmm'
He nodded softly, satisfied with the absolute masterpiece he had just made.