The silence that Eidon left in his wake was heavier than the noise that had preceded it.
As he stepped off the platform, the atmosphere in the Great Awakening Hall had shifted from anticipation to a confused, suffocating tension. Three thousand pairs of eyes tracked his movement, not with the reverence due to an SSS-Rank, but with the wary suspicion one might have for a bomb that failed to detonate.
Dermit.
The word hung in the air like a curse. Even without knowing the precise System definition, the context clues—the grey text, the lack of a mana shockwave, the instructor's horrified paralysis—painted a bleak picture.
"He's broken," a recruiter from the Azure Serpent Guild muttered, loud enough for the front rows to hear. He scratched his chin, eyeing Eidon with a mix of greed and disappointment. "A vessel with infinite capacity but a sealed lid. What a waste of a miracle."
Eidon heard them. His Library of Heavens didn't just give him a fancy title; it sharpened his senses. But as he walked, his eyes—now subtly glowing with a faint, imperceptible golden ring deep within the iris—drifted over the man who had spoken.
The passive effect of the [ Eye of Heavens ] flared, tearing away the surface reality to reveal the data underneath.
[ TARGET: Garrick Thorn (Human) ]
[ AGE: 34 ]
[ SEX: Male ]
[ CLASS: Beast Tamer (B-Rank) ]
[ CURRENT THOUGHTS: "Useless. Just like the preliminary scans suggested. Still... if the Guild Master is looking for a test subject for the Mana Syphon Project, this kid is cheap meat. No family, no connections. Disposable." ]
[ FEELINGS TOWARD MC: Contempt, Calculative Greed, Pity. ]
[ HIDDEN INFO: Severe Gambling Debt (Owes 5,000,000 Credits to the Shadow Syndicate). Desperate for a promotion. ]
Eidon's expression didn't change, but he mentally filed Garrick Thorn away as a potential threat—and a potential tool. Gambling debt, Eidon noted. Leverage.
He reached Moira. She was vibrating with suppressed rage. Her fists were clenched so tight her knuckles were white, and her beautiful face was twisted into a scowl directed at Garrick.
"Don't listen to them," she hissed, her voice trembling not with fear, but with the effort to not scream. "They're idiots. They don't know what you're capable of."
"Calm down, Moira," Eidon whispered, stepping into her line of sight to block the crowd. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "This is good. Low expectations mean less scrutiny. We can work with this."
"But they're looking at you like you're broken," she choked out. "You're not broken."
"And you're next," he said firmly.
He looked at her. Really looked at her.
The golden ring in his iris pulsed again. The skin and bone of the girl he grew up with seemed to become translucent to his gaze. Inside her, he didn't just see organs or mana channels. He saw a dormant, roaring sun. He saw a spectral figure of a woman in platinum armor, holding a shield that could block the sky, curled up within Moira's soul, waiting to be born.
[ TARGET: Moira Nyx (Human) ]
[ AGE: 18 ]
[ SEX: Female ]
[ CLASS POTENTIAL: SSS-Rank (Guardian of Heavens) ]
[ CURRENT THOUGHTS: "If that recruiter looks at him like that one more time, I'm going to gouge his eyes out. Who cares if Eidon can't level? I'll kill the monsters. I'll kill the Dungeon Bosses. I'll kill the Guild Masters if I have to. I won't let anyone touch him." ]
[ FEELINGS TOWARD MC: Absolute Devotion, Romantic Love (Suppressed), Protective Obsession. ]
[ HIDDEN STATE: Awakening Sequence 99% Complete. ]
Eidon's breath hitched.
He had always known she cared. They were childhood friends; they were family. But seeing it laid out in raw text—Romantic Love, Protective Obsession—hit him harder than the SSS-Rank announcement.
She's ready to burn the world for me, he realized, a mixture of warmth and terrifying responsibility settling in his chest.
A small, genuine smile touched his lips.
"Moira," he said softly.
"What?" she asked, distracted by her anger on his behalf.
"Congratulations."
She blinked, confusion washing over her features. "What? Why? I haven't even—"
"Just trust me," he interrupted, his voice carrying a strange, absolute weight. "Congratulations in advance."
"Next!" The instructor's voice cracked, interrupting them. "Moira... Moira Nyx!"
Moira looked at Eidon, searching his face for answers, but he just gave her a slight nod.
"Go," he said. "Show them."
She swallowed her confusion, the mask of the Ice Queen slamming back into place. She turned and walked toward the stairs.
The change in the air was palpable. Even simply walking, Moira commanded attention. Her silver hair caught the light, and her stride was elegant, almost regal.
"Pretty face," someone whispered. "Probably a Support class. Or maybe a Charisma-based Mage."
"Does it matter?" another snorted. "Nothing is going to top the SSS-glitch we just saw. Today is already cursed."
Moira ascended the platform. She didn't look at the instructor. She didn't look at the crowd. She looked at the Awakening Stone with a mixture of contempt and duty.
For Eidon, she thought. I need power. Enough power to burn anyone who looks down on him.
She slammed her hand down.
BOOM.
If Eidon's awakening had been a beam of light, Moira's was a physical detonation.
A shockwave of pure, white-gold mana exploded from the pedestal, visible to the naked eye. It rolled outward like a tsunami, smashing into the energy barriers of the arena. The reinforced glass rattled in its frames. Students in the front row were knocked off their feet.
From the Stone, a colossal avatar began to manifest. It wasn't just a beam of light; it was a shape. Towering thirty feet into the air, a spectral figure of a woman in full plate armor appeared—the exact figure Eidon had seen in her soul moments ago—holding a massive tower shield in one hand and a spear of lightning in the other.
The holographic display flickered into life, struggling to render the sheer magnitude of the data. The text that appeared was not just gold. It was Platinum.
[ CLASS AWAKENED ]
[ Guardian of Heavens ]
[ RANK: SSS ]
The silence that followed this time was not confused. It was the silence of a people witnessing a god.
Two SSS-Ranks.
In the span of five minutes, the history of the world had been rewritten.
"Another one..." the instructor whispered from the floor, staring up at the giant spectral shield maiden hovering over Moira. "Two... in one day..."
But there was no grey text this time. No "Dermit." No condition.
Just raw, unadulterated power.
Moira stood in the center of the storm, her hair whipping around her face. She pulled her hand back, and the spectral avatar faded into motes of light.
She turned to the crowd. She didn't smile. She didn't pump her fist. She scanned the sea of stunned faces with cold indifference, until she found Eidon.
Her eyes widened slightly. He knew, she realized. That's why he congratulated me.
Then, the dam broke.
"SSS-RANK!"
"A TRUE SSS-RANK!"
"GET THE CONTRACTS! CALL THE GUILD MASTER!"
The VIP box exploded into chaos. Recruiters were vaulting over the railings, ignoring safety protocols, rushing toward the stairs.
"Miss Nyx! The Golden Lion Guild offers you a signing bonus of 50 million credits!"
"Ignore them! The Storm Vanguards offer a Vice-Captain position immediately!"
Moira walked down the stairs. The recruiters formed a wall, blocking her path.
"Move," she said.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried the weight of her new class.
"Miss Nyx, please—"
"I said move."
She walked straight through them. She walked straight past the cameras. She walked directly to Eidon.
The crowd watched, stunned. The Goddess of the new age stopped in front of the "Broken" boy.
"You knew," she whispered, breathless.
"I had a feeling," Eidon said with a faint smile. "We need to go. Before they lock down the building."
Moira nodded. She grabbed his arm, her grip iron-tight. "We're leaving."
She pulled him toward the exit. A government official tried to step in front of them. "Miss Nyx, you can't just leave! The Awakening Authority needs to—"
Moira turned her head. Her blue eyes glowed with a faint, threatening light. "I am tired. I am going home. If you try to stop me..."
She let the threat hang. The spectral image of the Tower Shield flashed briefly behind her.
The official swallowed hard and stepped back.
The autumn air outside was cool, a stark contrast to the stifling heat of the hall. They didn't speak until they were three blocks away, ducking into a small alleyway they used to take back to the orphanage.
Only then did Eidon relax his shoulders.
"That... went well," he said dryly.
Moira slumped against the brick wall, the imperious act vanishing. She looked at her trembling hands. "I thought I was going to pass out. Did you see that giant woman?"
"Your Class Image," Eidon explained. "Guardian of Heavens. It fits."
"And you?" She looked at him, worry returning. "Eidon, the 'Dermit' thing... tell me the truth. Can you really not level up?"
Eidon looked at her. He couldn't explain everything yet.
"It's true," he said. "My Experience Bar is locked. I will never reach Level 2 naturally."
Moira's face fell. "Then... then I'll carry you. I'll get strong enough for both of us."
"Moira," he interrupted, stepping closer. "Trust me. Leveling isn't the only way to get strong. I have the Library. And... I have something else."
"What is it?"
Eidon looked around the empty alley.
"Cover me. Just watch the entrance."
Moira nodded, turning her back to him, hand hovering near her waist.
Eidon closed his eyes. He reached out with his mind to the pulsing blue icon.
Open Shop.
[ SYSTEM ACKNOWLEDGED. ]
[ WELCOME, USER EIDON AXIOM. ]
[ ACTIVATING TALENT: THE UNIVERSAL SHOP (RANK: S). ]
A translucent, golden interface materialized in front of his eyes.
[ BALANCE: 0 SP ]
[ NEW USER BONUS: (1) FREE PURCHASE TOKEN (UP TO S-RANK). ]
Eidon's heart raced. He ignored the weapons. He ignored the armor. He went straight to TALENTS.
He found it. The engine for his economy.
[ TALENT SCROLL: UPGRADE ]
[ RANK: S ]
[ PRICE: 1,000,000,000 SP ]
One Billion points. But he had the token.
Purchase.
[ TRANSACTION COMPLETE. ]
[ ACQUIRING TALENT: UPGRADE (S-RANK). ]
Heat rushed through his veins.
[ TALENT: THE UNIVERSAL SHOP (S-RANK) ]
[ TALENT: UPGRADE (S-RANK) ]
[ FREE UPGRADE AVAILABLE: 1 (GRACE PERIOD BONUS) ]
He focused on his Shop Talent. If he kept it at S-Rank, he was just a consumer. He needed to be a seller.
Upgrade Target: The Universal Shop.
[ CONFIRM UPGRADE? ]
[ TARGET: THE UNIVERSAL SHOP (S) -> THE UNIVERSAL SHOP (EX) ]
Confirm.
The interface flashed violently, turning a deep, cosmic purple.
[ UPGRADE SUCCESSFUL. ]
[ THE UNIVERSAL SHOP IS NOW EX-RANK. ]
[ NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: PUBLIC MARKETPLACE. ]
[ NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: ADMIN PRIVILEGES. ]
Eidon opened his eyes. The world looked the same, but in his mind, he could see a web of commerce stretching out over the city.
"Eidon?" Moira turned back. "Are you okay? You look pale."
Eidon looked at her. For the first time that day, he smiled—a genuine, dangerous smile.
"I'm better than okay, Moira," he said softly. "I just bought the world."