Chapter 6: Awaken
Gara and Madha stepped down from the carriage. Without hesitation, Madha handed over 25 white coins to the carriage driver who also his uncle.
Gara’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected the fare to be that expensive.
"I’ll pay you back later," Gara said, clearly feeling guilty.
"I told you, it’s fine. I arranged this trip," Madha waved it off.
"But..." Gara hesitated before finally confessing, "Actually, my mom didn’t want me to come to town. I kind of... ran away. And I only brought 5 white coins. I was hoping to borrow some from you."
Madha blinked, surprised, then nodded. "I’ll cover everything while we’re here. And when we get back, I’ll help you talk to Aunt Wina."
"I’ll repay you once I earn my own income. And about my mom... you don’t need to get involved. I’ll handle her myself."
Seeing the resolve in Gara’s eyes, Madha didn’t push further.
"We’ve still got time. Let’s check out the town square, where the ceremony’s gonna be held tomorrow," Madha offered.
Gara nodded in agreement.
His gaze swept across the unfamiliar surroundings, eyes full of curiosity. It felt like stepping into an old, rustic town pulled straight from a history book but real and alive.
Most of the townspeople wore clothes made of fine cotton or linen in muted colors like brown, gray, beige, or ivory. Their outfits looked way nicer than Gara’s. He was wearing a dark gray shirt made from rough cotton, stiff and scratchy. Madha didn’t look much better.
They definitely stood out as villagers.
But Gara wasn’t discouraged. Madha had told him that once someone became a Liner, they’d always find work suited to their talent.
And Liner talents were often inherited.
Since the original owner of this body had a father with Elemental Bloodline, Gara figured he probably had one too.
He hoped it was something useful, like water-related.
Sanitation in this world was... let’s just say, not great. If he had a water-based ability, he could at least stay clean whenever he wanted.
Eventually, they arrived at the town square.
Right in the center stood a statue of a bearded man wearing long robes and a tall, rounded hat. In his hands, he held a mortar and pestle.
"That’s the founder of Falopo Town," Madha explained. "He was a herbalist with an Earth Vitality Touch talent. He helped develop nearby villages too, including ours. That’s why our village is full of herb gardens."
Gara nodded, quietly impressed. So not all talents were about fighting. Some were peaceful and practical.
He really hoped he’d awaken a talent like that. Something that didn’t force him onto a battlefield. That would make completing his challenge so much easier.
But then again... his father had awakened the Water Shield talent. That made things more complicated.
Beneath the statue, three altars had been arranged in a triangle formation. Each held a clay brazier filled with cold coals, and a bronze dish with offerings, foods Gara didn’t recognize.
From pole to pole, string tassels were hung overhead, giving the place a ceremonial atmosphere.
It didn’t feel like the grand isekai-style awakening scenes Gara had read about in novels.
No, this was more like a funeral rite.
Honestly, he still didn’t understand this world very well. The people dressed like they were from medieval times, but the trees and environment around them resembled a tropical country.
Shushh~
A woman in a brick-red robe stood in front of the altar. Without warning, flames ignited in all three braziers. Just as suddenly, they vanished, leaving behind thin wisps of smoke that curled lazily into the air.
The scent drifted toward them, rich and earthy.Googlᴇ search ɴo(v)elFɪre.ɴet
" I really shouldn’t have expected this world to be like my old world, " Gara thought to himself, staring at the lingering smoke, his first real encounter with magic.
"Mmm... smells nice," he murmured, catching a surprisingly pleasant aroma from the braziers.
"You... can smell that?" Madha turned to him, visibly startled.
"Uh, yeah? We’re standing super close to them," Gara replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Madha blinked again. "No, I mean... only those who’ve already awakened their Bloodline can smell what’s in the braziers."
That made Gara pause.
He turned to look at Madha, then let out a soft laugh, shrugging with a smirk. "Then I guess that means I will awaken my Bloodline."
Madha didn’t say anything back, but his face still showed confusion. People who hadn’t awakened their Bloodline weren’t supposed to be able to detect that scent. Especially not a day before the ceremony.
As Madha fell into quiet thought, Gara suddenly froze too.
A translucent blue panel appeared in front of his eyes.
Ding!
[The aroma of seven natural flowers and herbs has triggered Bloodline Awakening: Freya Bloodline!]
Ding!
[The aroma of seven natural flowers and herbs has triggered Talent Awakening: Max Charm!]
Ding!
[Freya Bloodline has triggered a system talent: Divine Fertility!]
Ding!
[Freya Bloodline awakened. +10 Charm!]
Gara stared, stunned, as four glowing panels floated in front of his face.
It felt like he’d just stepped into a video game.
"Freya Bloodline? As in... Goddess Freya ?"
" I mean, I didn’t want a combat-type talent, sure, but... this? " Gara muttered in his mind. " Everything’s related to the system’s challenge. Couldn’t it at least give me something more useful to survive in this world? "
He let out a long sigh.
Madha snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Gara sigh.
"Let’s check out the market," he offered, worried he’d left Gara too bored.
"Oh? Sure," Gara replied, following beside him.
Though his eyes were still flicking to the blue panels floating in his vision.
Once he finished reading the notifications, he opened his status screen.
[PROFILE STATUS]
Name: Gara
Age: 16
Charm: 20
Bloodline: Freya Bloodline
Talent:
- Max Charm – Boosts charm to the maximum (100 points). Passive. Activates when needed.
- Divine Fertility – Greatly enhances fertility. Passive. Always active.
Partners: 0
Children: 0
...