"...What?"
The word slipped out before he could stop it. His mind struggled to process what he was seeing.
That didn’t make sense. He had already failed. There had been no reaction from the orb. Nothing at all.
So how—
Before he could think further, the clock hit midnight. And at that exact moment, everything changed.
Alicar felt a sudden force grab hold of him, and before he could react, his body began to break apart.
It wasn’t just a feeling. His body actually turned into countless particles, scattering as if something was pulling him apart at the most fundamental level.
Pain followed instantly. Sharp and overwhelming.
It felt like he was being rejected and dragged forward at the same time, as if the [Eternal Realm] itself didn’t want him there, yet something else was forcing him inside anyway.
He couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t even think properly.
And then, it stopped.
Ding!
[Anomaly detected.]
[Identity Confirmed: Alicar Soulveil.]
[Class: Soulless (Unique)]
Alicar could only stare at the panels as they hovered in front of him.
Everything around him was dark. Completely dark. Yet the messages were perfectly visible.
[You aren’t supposed to be here... but so be it.]
The words lingered for a brief moment before fading.
Then the darkness shifted. In an instant, everything changed, and Alicar found himself standing in the middle of a massive plaza.
Ding!
[You have arrived at "Human Base #3"]
All around him, people began appearing. Hundreds. Then thousands.
They materialized one after another, looking around in confusion or excitement as they realized where they were.
They were all awakened. And somehow, so was he.
Before anyone could react, more panels appeared in front of them.
Ding!
[Greetings, and welcome to the "Eternal Realm", you have all been chosen as humanity’s representants.]
[Use your powers and grow strong enough to push deeper, and eventually, you may learn the truth.]
[To get out of this place, simply reach Level 10.]
[Good luck, you may all need it, for nobody knows what awaits in the future.]
The messages disappeared soon after, leaving behind a wave of voices as people began talking, some already excited to test their abilities.
Alicar stayed where he was. He didn’t join them. He was still trying to understand what had just happened.
But before anything could settle—
"The new batch is here."
A man wearing a commander’s uniform walked into the plaza from one of the nearby buildings, his expression serious as he looked over the crowd.
"Good. Very good."
There were several bases like this within the Initial Stage, and awakeners were sent randomly to one of them.
Which meant that even now, Alicar wasn’t likely to run into anyone he knew.
’Not like I wanted to,’ he thought.
"Alright, listen up," the man continued, his voice loud enough to reach everyone. "Name’s Rick. I’m this base’s commander, I won’t tell you you’re safe, because you’re not. Your goal is simple, reach level 10. That’s the only way you’re leaving this place."
Most already knew that, but no one interrupted.
"On average, it takes about a week," Rick added, his tone firm. "So take your time. Don’t rush. There are things outside these walls that will kill you before you even understand what’s happening."
"If you understand that, then move," he finished, waving them off. "Figure things out."
With that, he turned and left without another word.
Rick was clearly a level 10 veteran who had chosen to stay in the Initial Stage, likely working with the awakener association instead of advancing further by completing his advancement task.
As for Alicar, he stood in the middle of the plaza, surrounded by movement, voices, and people already taking their first steps forward.
The base itself was massive, enclosed by high, reinforced walls, with sturdy structures built throughout the area for defense and survival.
People were already forming groups, talking, or preparing to head out.
But Alicar didn’t move. For a moment, he simply stood there. Then, taking a slow breath, he finally made a decision.
With a hesitant expression, he spoke, "Status."
[Name: Alicar Soulveil]
[Class: Soulless (Unique)]
[Talent: Infinite Evolution]
[True Title: None.]1
[Level: 1 (0%)]
[Constitution: 4]
[Strength: 5]
[Agility: 6]
[Spirit: 9]
[Attribute Points: 0]
[Skills: None.]
[Class Skill: Contract Slot (0/1)]
Alicar stared at the floating panel, his eyes widening in genuine shock as the translucent letters shimmered before him.
He had been convinced that he would never experience such a moment himself as he had failed his awakening.
And yet here it was, right in front of him, displaying information about his own existence in a way that felt both surreal and deeply personal.
"I... actually have a panel," he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible above the noise of the base.
Only awakeners had the privilege of possessing such a thing, a comprehensive display of their stats, abilities, and class information that served as a window into their very being.
But he had awakened too, hadn’t he? That meant he was entitled to this, entitled to stand among the chosen.
The [Soulless] class was unlike anything he had ever heard of, its name carrying an ominous weight that made his skin crawl.
He and the others had studied the various classes that existed in their world, but this was completely foreign to him.
He opened the class panel to understand it further, his fingers trembling slightly as he navigated the interface.
[Class: Soulless]
[Description: You have no soul, and thus no identity of your own. You are unable to gain any skills or abilities by yourself, no matter how hard you try.]
"A class or a curse?" Alicar mumbled with narrowed eyes.
[Still, you can gaze at the very souls of individuals from all races, allowing you to check their potential as vessels to recruit. You can make contracts with these vessels, granting them an additional class, which you will gain the skills of.]
Alicar’s mind reeled at the sight of this description, his initial despair slowly transforming into something resembling excitement.
If he understood everything correctly, then as long as he recruited someone, that person would gain a class, and so would Alicar.
It was a symbiotic relationship, one that could potentially allow him to accumulate power at an unprecedented rate.
If he recruited dozens of people, wouldn’t that mean he would have the skills of dozens of classes at once? The thought was dizzying.
"Hah," Alicar smiled faintly, a genuine expression of amusement crossing his features. "I get why the awakening orb didn’t sense me at all now. It just couldn’t... since I don’t have a soul, apparently."
The realization brought a strange sense of vindication. He was an anomaly.
This class was truly heaven-defying, but of course, Alicar didn’t fail to notice the limitations.
He could only recruit one vessel right now, a single contract slot that forced him to choose carefully.
The weight of that decision pressed down on him, because whoever he chose would determine the trajectory of his entire future. He couldn’t afford to make a mistake.
As soon as he realized that, Alicar looked around, and something had changed in the way he could see people.
...
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