Before returning to Veridian territory, I make sure I don't die from my own impatience.
That would be embarrassing.
I spend the morning doing what most adventurers hate—resting properly. I eat warm food, drink water until my stomach complains, and walk slow laps around the forest park until my breathing evens out. Every few minutes, I pause and circulate mana gently, keeping it within familiar paths.
No forcing.No testing limits.
Black Nox stays silent.
Not dormant—contained.
By midday, the turbulence in my core finally settles. The weight remains, but it no longer feels like it's dragging my insides downward. I stop and summon my status window.
===Status===
Name: Eren VeridianRank: F+
Strength: F+Speed: F+Stamina: EMana: F (Stable)Luck: BCharm: C
Attribute:Black(Uncommon)
Skills:
Calm Mind (C)
Arts:
★★★ Basic Sword Art — Practitioner
★★★★★★★★★ Black Nox — Dormant
Debuffs:
None
====================
I stare at one line longer than the rest.
Attribute: Black.
"…Black?" I murmur.
Not shadow.Not dark.Not decay.
Just black.
In Black Star Chronicles, attributes were always categorized—elemental, compound, rare, forbidden. Fire, water, plasma, kinetic, light, umbra.
But Black?
That wasn't an element.
It wasn't even listed.
Uncommon didn't mean rare—it meant unclassified. Something the system recognized but didn't understand well enough to label.
I exhale slowly.
"So you don't know what I am either."
That thought is… unsettling.
I dismiss the window and head toward the commercial district.
Beast Pet Market (A Bad Idea)
The beast pet market is louder than I expected.
Mana cages line the street, reinforced with layered wards. Inside them—creatures of every size and temperament. Some are cute enough to sell themselves. Others look like they exist purely to scare children into obedience.
A floating sign reads:
COMPANION CONTRACTS AVAILABLESYNC YOUR MANA — SYNC YOUR FUTURE
I sigh. "Let's see how badly this goes."
The first merchant smiles too quickly. "Looking for combat support? Scout type? Emotional bonding?"
"Just compatibility," I say.
He gestures to a small fox-like beast with glowing eyes. The creature trots forward confidently—
Then freezes.
Its fur stands on end. It whimpers once and backs away, pressing itself into the corner of its cage.
The merchant blinks. "That's… unusual."
We try another.
A stone-backed burrow beast sniffs my hand, stiffens, then pretends I don't exist.
A wind-hawk chick tilts its head, chirps—
—and faints.
I stare.
The merchant stares.
"…It's alive," he says quickly, tapping the cage.
"I believe you."
The second shop goes worse.
A shadow-cat takes one look at me and hisses like I personally insulted its bloodline.
The handler squints at me. "Your mana's wrong."
"Wrong how?"
"Like it's already full," he says after a pause. "But not… bright."
I leave before this becomes a problem.
By the third shop, the owner doesn't even pretend.
"Nope."
"Nope?"
"Your attribute clashes with everything here," he says flatly. "Come back when you figure out what you are."
"…Fair."
I walk away rubbing my temples.
So much for that.
I laugh quietly to myself.
"Guess I'm not pet-compatible."
Black Nox remains silent.
Testing the Black
Curiosity is a dangerous habit.
I rent a small, warded meditation room near the transit station. Cheap, reinforced, meant for low-rank mana circulation. The door seals behind me with a soft hum.
I sit cross-legged on the floor.
Carefully, I reach inward.
I don't activate Black Nox.
I don't draw power.
I simply let mana surface—and watch.
The change is immediate.
My mana no longer looks translucent in my perception. It doesn't glow. It doesn't shimmer.
It's black.
Not aggressive.
Not corrupt.
Dense. Quiet. Complete.
Like ink that's already dried.
The room darkens slightly—not from lack of light, but from absorption. Shadows thicken along the edges of the walls, stretching subtly toward me.
My breathing slows.
"This is… an attribute?" I whisper.
Not elemental.
Not reactive.
It doesn't do anything.
It exists.
The status window appears again, steady this time.
===Status (Detail)===
Attribute: BlackClassification: UncommonMana Behavior: High density, low volatility, low expression.
====================
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
High density.Low expression.
So that's why it feels heavy.
So that's why nothing reacts well to it.
"So I'm not broken," I mutter. "Just… inconvenient."
I release the focus.
The shadows retreat. The room returns to normal. My mana settles back into stability without backlash.
No pain.
No voices.
No instructions.
Just confirmation.
I stand and check my reflection in the mirror.
My eyes look the same.
My hair is still white.
Nothing outward has changed.
And yet—
I know something fundamental has.
Black Nox didn't give me power.
It changed what my mana is.
I sling my pack over my shoulder and turn toward the door.
Veridian territory is waiting.
And for the first time, I'm walking back not as a discarded noble—
But as something the system itself doesn't quite understand.