Kaine froze in place, unable to speak. Out of nowhere, a mysterious blue system panel appeared and floated right in front of him. When Ethan touched it, the panel instantly changed its text.
[Identifying Host!]
[Name: Kaine Nareth]
[Level: 1]
[EXP: 0/250]
[EVO: Tier 1]
[EVO Essence: 0/5000]
Kaine gasped, staring at the panel in disbelief. It was clearly not something ordinary. His mother once told him about this back when he was a child.
This was the system of the Awakeners. His mother had mentioned it before.
He felt a wave of joy rise in his chest. Becoming an Awakener would give anyone a great advantage.
Many of the teens in his village dreamed of becoming one, and Kaine was lucky enough to receive his system.
Even so, he knew nothing about what it meant to be an Awakener —not about EXP, not about EVO. The only place that might have information about it was the library.
Unfortunately, the library was in the city, and traveling there would take several days.
Not only that, he noticed other buttons below the panel —inventory, map, and friend. Those three were unlocked, but the skill, class, and attribute menus were still locked.
While Kaine was staring at the glowing screen, his eyes drifted forward, landing on the cabinet filled with all sorts of items.
With Ruri gone, Kaine had no choice but to leave his home behind.
No one would welcome him anymore when he returned. This place holds only painful memories now.
The system panel disappeared when Kaine tapped the cross icon at the corner. He grabbed his bag and started collecting things he could sell —herbs, tools, and clothes.
He did it all just to earn some money and live on his own. He had no intention of tearing down the wooden house.
Once everything was ready, Kaine put on his white clothes and a matching hood that covered his head.
His first destination was the old healer's house. The old man had helped him many times before —maybe he could help again.
The trip down the mountain took three hours. Kaine arrived at the village for the second time, greeted by the warm glow of night lamps and the sight of villagers spending time with their families.
He didn't care. His focus was on the healer's house near the forest path.
He knocked on the door. A raspy voice told him to come in. Inside was an old man with glasses, a white beard, and a bald head —he smiled when he saw Kaine. The man was Nono.
"Running short on ingredients, Kaine?"
"Actually… I want to sell some of the potions back," Kaine said.
He took out four unused potions and placed them on the wooden table. Nono's eyes widened when he saw them. Then he looked up at Kaine's face.
His eyes were red and swollen. Kaine avoided his gaze. The old man understood immediately.
Ruri's condition had worsened year by year —her death was only a matter of time.
"I see…" Nono said softly, taking the four potions and handing Kaine 50 copper coins.
Kaine was surprised. The price should've only been forty copper, but Nono refused to take less. Kaine needed the money more than he did.
"My condolences, Kaine. Ruri was a cheerful, caring girl," said Nono.
The young man took a deep breath and slipped the coins into the pouch at his waist.
"Thank you, old man. You've always been kind to our family," Kaine said quietly.
"Ruri used to help me here. She worked hard and was a great help. I've always thought of her as my own daughter," Nono said.
"Then that makes me your grandson?" Kaine joked.
Nono laughed, stroking his long white beard. "Call me Grandpa."
"No. Old man suits you better."
"I've got something else to sell. Do you mind?" Kaine asked.
"Of course not. Let this old man take a look."
Kaine opened his bag and pulled out more items —herbs he'd collected from the mountain and a strange blue gem he'd kept in a drawer.
Nono glanced over the herbs, but his attention quickly fell on the blue gem lying on the table.
When he reached out to touch it, his hand suddenly turned ice-cold, as if he were holding a block of frozen water. He flinched in shock.
"W-What kind of gem is this?" he asked.
"This? I don't know. My mother never told me anything about it," Kaine said, holding the icy blue stone casually.
Nono's eyes widened even more. He pointed at Kaine's hand, trembling.
"You're not cold holding that?" he asked.
Kaine shook his head. "No. It just feels like a normal rock."
"That's strange. Something's not right with that gem. You should keep it — and never try to sell it."
It was rare to see the old man look afraid. Is there something I don't know about this stone?
Nono turned his attention back to the herbs and carefully counted them. Since there were many, he paid Kaine 70 copper in total.
Kaine didn't really know the quality of what he'd gathered, so he accepted the price without complaint.
"Grandpa, I'm home!"
The shop door opened, and Nono's attention shifted toward the cheerful voice. A young girl about Kaine's age walked in.
"Oh, you're back! Where are your parents?" Nono asked.
"They went to buy food. They told me to come here first," she said.
Kaine glanced at her briefly, then looked away, indifferent. He'd never met this girl before and didn't even know the old man had a real granddaughter.
"This is Lyra, my granddaughter," Nono said to Kaine.
Kaine nodded politely, but Lyra had already reached out her hand. She had dark red hair and a bright smile. Kaine didn't want to embarrass her, so he shook her hand.
"Grandpa, my Awakener panel appeared!" Lyra said excitedly.
"Really? Then you can join the Awakening ceremony in the village," Nono replied happily.
Awakener? Awakening?
"So, everyone who gets their Awakener panel has to go through the Awakening ceremony?" Kaine asked.
"That's right. Not all teens at 18 get their Awakener panels early," Nono explained.
"My granddaughter's amazing," he added proudly.
"Of course! I'm a girl with the fire element —unmatched by anyone. A future Mage Scholar!" Lyra said confidently.
Mage? Scholar? Kaine didn't know much about those.
"What's a Mage? And what's a Scholar?" Kaine asked.
"Eh? Your parents never told you?" Lyra asked in surprise.
"My father disappeared. My mother's dead."
Lyra fell silent, her cheerful expression fading. She quickly apologized for asking. Kaine didn't mind, as long as she and Nono would explain more about Mages and Scholars.
"Of course, I'll tell you—"
"Wait! Let me explain, Grandpa!" Lyra interrupted with a raised hand.
Nono smiled, letting her do the talking. After all, Kaine was still part of their village.
Whether his Awakener panel had appeared or not, he was allowed to join the Awakening.
Kaine and Lyra sat together upstairs at the wooden table while Lyra explained everything about Awakening and the two paths —Scholar and Knight.
"For those who gain a basic element during Awakening, they become Scholars. Those who don't will become Knights," she said.
"What's the difference between them?"
"Scholars are Awakeners who continue their studies at higher academies based on their class. Once they graduate, they become high-ranking officers in the Wasteland warfields."
"As for Knights, they get military training and are sent straight into battle as regular soldiers."
Kaine began to understand why so many young people dreamed of becoming Awakeners.
"So if someone's Awakener panel appears before the Awakening ceremony, they have a high chance of becoming a Scholar?" he asked.
"Exactly. When the panel appears, it means the system has been activated —and that person's element has been chosen," Lyra said.
"Why? Are you hoping yours will appear too?" she teased with a grin.
"Actually… mine already has."
"Whoa!"
Lyra's excitement exploded. She was thrilled to have a friend who could join her later at the Scholar Academy.
With Kaine already having his panel, she was sure he'd become a Scholar too.
"Congrats, Kaine! Looks like we'll be Scholar friends!" she said.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"And there's something else I wanted to ask, it's about EXP and—"
"Lyra!" a voice called from downstairs. It was her parents.
Kaine stood and followed her down the stairs. Lyra's parents turned to face him, and their expressions shifted when they recognized him.
"You?" Lyra's mother asked.
"Kaine, Ruri's son."
"Ruri? I haven't seen her in years. How is she?" the woman asked —Lyra's mother, and Ruri's childhood friend.
"She…"
Nono looked at Kaine, who stayed silent, his face blank. The woman froze, realizing what that silence meant.
She understood. Ruri hadn't gotten the medical help she needed. Her condition was beyond what herbal medicine could heal.
The woman stepped forward and gently brushed her hand across Kaine's cheek, trying to comfort him.
"Ruri was my friend. That makes you my nephew," she said softly.
"I'm Anna. You can call me Aunt Anna."
Kaine nodded and did so. Anna then offered to let him stay at Nono's house and help the old man with his herbal shop.
But Kaine gently refused.
"I want to join the Awakening ceremony, become a Scholar, and find my father," he said.
"Your father?" Anna asked.
"My father is the reason my mother died… He has to answer for it."