[I am the Endio Supernatural System.]
"How did you get inside my head?"
White asked, watching as the words faded and were quickly replaced by the next information.
[My Existence Has Been Written Down into the Host's Soul from His Birth, Lying Dormant.]
[Only after fulfilling all criteria have I Been Awakened.]
It said, and it finally occurred to White.
Before his death, he could have sworn he saw a notification that said something like "Final Requirements Complete."
But if the system was claiming it had always been in his soul.
Then who placed it there?
"You're the one who brought me back to life… aren't you?"
[Not just bring you back to life, but bring you back to 10 years in the past.]
"Why did you do that?"
[For the Only Purpose.]
White's eyes furrowed in confusion, feeling his heart tighten in his chest.
Exhaling quietly, he asked.
"What Only Purpose?"
The words rapidly disappeared, a new set of words rapidly forming, but they were chaotic and unreadable, and in the end, one thing appeared.
[ERROR!]
[Host has been deemed Unqualified to access this level of Information.]
[Host is advised to grow stronger to access high-ranked information.]
It said, leaving the bathroom silent, save for the sound of water dripping from his shoulders.
White remained quiet for a while, but then he grinned.
'This is good.'
The System had its own goal.
As uneasy as he felt not knowing its goal, he also felt at ease, because he knew:
It wasn't the power with a secretive purpose that was dangerous to possess.
It was a power claiming to be free and having no end to its bargains.
For in this world, power, no matter how little or great, never comes for free.
"I want to know what your goal is, and it seems I'll have to get stronger to do that."
"There's not much I can do now since I've yet to awaken my ability. That'll happen tomorrow at the awakening ceremony."
White said, slowly rising to his feet, but he had yet to take the third step when he stood rooted in the same place, eyes widening in disbelief.
In his line of sight, the panel flashed, holding the unbelievable message.
[You won't awaken any Ability Tomorrow.]
"What?... What do you mean?"
[The Host is Incapable of awakening.]
"That...that doesn't make any sense. I remember I awakened a B-grade Psychic Ability at the awakening ceremony."
[That won't happen again. The Host, before his death, took a forbidden serum that destroyed his awakening power to grant a temporary burst of monstrous power.]
[The End Bargain of this serum is Host losing his awakening soul.]
[Temporal Reversal Completed.]
[Awakening Soul: Not Restored.]
[You no longer possess an Awakening Soul. Therefore, you cannot awaken.]
It was like a drum beating right into his head, sending a pounding headache that wanted to split his head in two.
'I can't awaken? I...I won't awaken an ability.'
He knew what he did.
He knew he had exchanged his power for that one burst of power.
But he had been sent into the past.
He was supposed to get a new chance at life.
What type of life awaited him if he couldn't awaken?
He would live as an ordinary mortal!?
'No.'
White snapped out of his head.
If the system stayed dormant for 28 years before activating, brought me back from death, and even sent me 10 years into the past…
Then it wouldn't bring me back just for me to be an ordinary mortal.
"What aren't you telling me?"
He asked, and it flashed.
[Though Host has lost his awakening soul and ability to awaken, the Host is not without hope.]
[In fact, Host losing his Awakening Soul is one of the requirements for the system to fully awaken.]
The answer made White unconsciously exhale in relief.
"Tell me more."
"To understand what the system entails."
To access the system, please say:
"Activate System Interface,"
White called out, and a line of information quickly followed.
[System Interface] [Awakenings] [Quests] [Shop(Locked)]
[System Interface]
[Name: White Sinclaw]
[Level: 1]
[EXP: 0/100]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Spirit: 5]
[Combat Power: 20]
--
The game-like interface was easily understandable to White.
His strength and agility were uniform, and his Combat Power was twice that of his individual stats.
He didn't know exactly what Spirit represented, but he guessed that it had something to do with Soul Power.
As a former Psychic, the greater your soul power, the more Powerful your ability.
Since his soul was currently damaged, it made sense that the Spirit was the lowest in his stats.
With that understood, he moved on to the next tab, and the most important of all.
[Skills and Awakenings]
[Skill: 1]
[Skill Name: Awakening Soul Copy!]
[Type: Primordial]
[Description: Activating this skill and touching a Newly Awakened Awakener Allows the Host to replicate their Awakening Soul.]
[Awakening Slot: 1]
[Copied Awakenings: None]
"Is...Is this real?"
White mused in disbelief.
[Absolutely Host. The core function of the Endio Supernatural System is to grant the host an Awakening Copy Soul that can simulate other Awakeners' souls.]
It was confirmed, and White's head buzzed.
He could copy another person's Awakening Soul.
That meant one thing: he could become any grade of Awakener he wanted to be.
B-grade, A-grade, S-grade. Any Awakening Soul, any Ability, he could copy and simulate within himself.
"This...this is insane."
White mused, falling quiet for a while before he quelled his excitement, his eyes narrowing in focus.
'But there are some limitations.'
'I only have one slot right now.'
'If I touch someone with a weak Awakening Soul while activating the skill. I'll be stuck with that power, possibly for the rest of my life.'
'Also, I can't just touch any Awakener. It mentioned touching a Newly Awakened Awakener...'
He mused, and in that moment, a light of realization crossed through his eyes.
"Tomorrow… Tomorrow is the Awakening Ceremony."
"And in Dongard City tomorrow, seven people will awaken A-Rank abilities… and three will awaken S-Rank."