<Status>
Name- Ash Burn
Race- Human
Age- 12
Unique Class- Magic Swordsman--(Partially Awakened)
Affinity- Lightning
<Attributes>
Strength- 3
Agility- 4
Vitality- 2
Intelligence- 7
Stamina- 5
Charm- 3
Mana- 2
<Trait & Skills>
Trait- ????
Skills- None
***
He saw his Status,
He blinked once, then twice, but the sight didn't change—it was real, no matter how impossible it seemed.
For a moment, he thought it was a trick—a mirage, but after confirming it was real,
"What the heck!!!"
A curse left his mouth,
Did my Unique class from the game also came with me??
His eyes scanned the screen again, as though reading it a second time would change the absurdity of what he saw.
And if not, then why the fuck.....someone with a unique class was not mentioned in the novel
From what he knew there was no mention of the name Ash in the actual novel he had read,
He was not even an extra in the Novel,
Because if he was a holder of a Unique class he was destined to be famous, Unique class holders are Rare as gems in the world filled with dungeons.
That means only one thing,
Either he died even before the story started or this body was created solely for his transmigration.
The chilling conclusion sent shivers down his spine.
Deciding it was better not to dwell on questions with no answers, he pushed the thoughts aside.
After all, the more one feared something happening, the more likely it was to occur.
**
In the game everyone gets a class when they create a account, Like mage, assassin, warrior etc.
But there were also Unique classes, classes with only a single holder of one type in the entire game.
And Ash was the holder of a one such unique class: Magic Swordsman.
It was a class that allowed him to seamlessly cast spells while swinging a sword—a combination that felt both strategic and undeniably cool.
It had been the key to his victory, enabling him to defeat the final boss by the narrowest of margin.
"It's doesn't matter if it came with me or....whatever but I am glad it is something I am comfortable with."
Now, staring at his Status screen, his class was listed as Magic Swordsman, with a note beside it: Partially Awakened.
He frowned in confusion.
"What does that even mean?"
It was unsettling to think about, so after thinking for a while he sat on the floor in his room closed his eyes and tried to sense his core.
From what he remembered about this world, every awakened individual possessed a single core.
Physical-type fighters had their core in the lower abdomen (the lower dantian), while magic-type fighters had theirs in the upper abdomen (the upper dantian).
But as a Magic Swordsman, his situation was unique. Technically, he should have two cores, one for magic and one for physical abilities.
He focused his mind, attempting to sense the energy within him.
His first attempt was unsuccessful.
He tried again, failed again.
Fuck!!
Ash cursed under his breath. It wasn't easy for someone with a modern mindset to perceive the inner workings of their own body.
Still, he persisted, and after what felt like an eternity, he succeeded.
A small, black core filled with impurities was present in his lower abdomen—his Lower dantian.
"Damn, I really am awakened," he muttered, relief washing over him.
He had feared his low stats meant he wasn't truly awakened, but this discovery proved otherwise.
"But seriously… these stats."
His smile faded as he reviewed his numbers.
Even a normal, un-awakened person in this world had stats of 10 or above in most areas. An average awakened individual in starting had stats over 20, and geniuses boasted stats exceeding 30.
But his highest stat? A pitiful 7, and that was Intelligence.
"I know my body's weak and malnourished, but this is just embarrassing."
Frustration crept into his voice.
"If I don't do something about this body and my stats, there's no way I'll make it into the acad—"
Suddenly, a chilling thought struck him,
"Fuck, I am really going to die", cursed Ash.
It all made sense now.
There was a reason why Ash, this body's original owner, wasn't even mentioned in the novel.
He must have died before the story ever began.
And now, the truth hit him like a hammer.
This body had only one core in his lower dantian, and it focused on boosting physical attributes. But even that core was not providing any mana to his body.
Why?
Simple.
The awakening process wasn't complete.
Ash wasn't fully awakened yet—he was only partially awakened.
When he first woke up in this body, he had dismissed the overwhelming fatigue as a side effect of transmigration.
But after thinking it through rationally, the real reason became clear.
This body had been dead for a while before he arrived.
In this world, two cores couldn't coexist in a single person.
The original Ash must have died from the awakening process, his body unable to handle the strain of creating two cores—a side effect of his unique class, Magic Swordsman.
And then, right after he died, I transmigrated into this body.
Somehow, the awakening process had been put on hold.
The only explanation?
"It has to be my Trait," Ash muttered to himself.
Not the original body's Trait, but his own Trait.
Traits were deeply connected to a person's soul, and not everyone possessed one.
Checking his Status, he frowned at the line:
{Trait: ?????}
His trait was hidden, filled with nothing but question marks.
"The only reason I have a trait must be because it's related to my wish… but, damn, my rotten luck."
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
"First, I get transmigrated into a doomed world, and now I don't even know when I'll drop dead."
The uncertainty gnawed at him.
He didn't know what his Trait was, nor how much time he had left before the awakening process resumed.
And even in the novel, there hadn't been a single character with two cores.
Not one.
But Ash wasn't the type to sit in despair, waiting for death to claim him.
This was his second chance.
He wouldn't waste it repeating the mistakes of his previous life.
That evening, Ash packed whatever supplies he could find.
A small bag of food, the little gold he had—just 10 gold coins provided by the Association as a monthly allowance. It wasn't much, equivalent to 1,000 dollars in his previous life.
[1 Gold = 100 dollars]
He made his way towards the train station and left the city.
His destination,
Starfall city.
***
There were some methods only novel readers like him could use.
One such method was stealing hidden treasure or Rune you could say.
In the novel, the protagonist, Ray, acquired several runes on his journey, each contributing to his growth.
One of these was the Rune of Stability.
The Rune of Stability wasn't overpowered, not by any stretch of the imagination.
In fact, even without it, Ray's system would have ensured his survival.
The Rune did nothing but maintain stability in his body, as having affinity of opposing elements should have been created disorder in his body
But Rune of Stability helped him maintain a stable body, and calmed opposing elements in his body,
Ash didn't knew if the rune will help him maintain Stability between his two cores, but he has no other way but to try,
It was a gamble—a matter of life and death.
Time was ticking, and so was his life.
He reached Starfall city in 2 days and now only 2 weeks and 5 days remain till the Entrance exams,
After reaching Starfall City, Ash wasted no time.
With every second that passed, his life ticked away like sand falling in an hourglass.
He needed to find the Rune.
Following the novel's descriptions, he left the station and headed toward the abandoned Mana Stone mine, just outside the city limits.
The Mana Stone mine was mentioned in the novel—as a labyrinth of tunnels abandoned decades ago after the mine exhausted its resources.
The protagonist, Ray, stumbled upon the Rune of Stability after first year in the academy during vacations.
Ray had been given a quest by his system to enter the mines.
As....the system can detect unfused runes within Ray's close proximity.
But,
The mines weren't entirely deserted.
Deep within, the abandoned mine lurked creatures. And though their strength wasn't overwhelming for Ray in the Novel,
But, in Ash's current state, even the weakest monster could spell his death.
Standing at the mine's entrance, Ash stared into the dark abyss ahead.
The faint whistling of the wind echoed through the hollow tunnels, like a ghostly warning.
"I can do it... I can do it... I'd rather die trying than...wait helplessly for death." he muttered, gripping the crude sword he had picked up from the marketplace on his way to the mine.
It wasn't much—a simple iron blade with a dull edge—but it was better than nothing.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the mines.
***