The Grand Awakening Hall was a place of judgment. Sunlight streamed through massive stained-glass windows, painting the cold marble floor with images of legendary heroes slaying monstrous beasts. For the anxious eighteen-year-olds gathered there, the air itself felt heavy, humming with raw mana and the weight of their futures. At the center of it all, the Awakening Crystal pulsed with a soft, inner light, ready to decide their fate.
Muyeong stood at the very back, separated from the others by a wall of silent scorn. 'Shadowless.' The name was a cruel joke. He was the son of traitors, and their shadow clung to him like a shroud.
"Just seeing him here feels wrong," a student whispered, not bothering to be quiet. "Traitor's blood is tainted."
Muyeong's face was a placid mask. He heard the words but didn't feel them. He was too busy observing. He watched as a nervous girl named Su-Jin Awakened as a Healer (Rare), earning polite applause. He watched as the hall's arrogant star, Kang-Dae, strode to the Crystal, his every step oozing confidence.
The Crystal erupted in a blinding crimson flare.
[Awakening Complete]
Job: Crimson Lancer (Semi-Legendary)
Talent: Spear Lord's Ambition (Legendary)
Innate Skill: [Passive] Battle Flow (Rare) - Lv. 1
The hall exploded with gasps of awe. "A Legendary talent! And that Battle Flow skill... a skill book for that costs over a million Aurum!" someone shouted.
Kang-Dae soaked in the admiration, then his eyes locked onto Muyeong. "It seems the gods know the difference between noble blood and traitor's filth," he sneered. "Don't worry, Muyeong. Maybe if you're lucky, you'll Awaken a skill for scrubbing floors."
Finally, it was Muyeong's turn. He walked through a gauntlet of hateful stares and placed his hand on the Crystal. A pathetic, sickly-white light sputtered inside it, so dim it was barely visible. The hall erupted in laughter, not just of mockery, but of relief.
[Awakening Complete]
Job: Chef (Normal)
Talent: Enhanced Taste (Normal)
Innate Skill: [Active] Chop (Normal) - Lv. 1
The verdict was in. The son of traitors was a failure.
"A CHEF!" Kang-Dae howled. "Perfect! Every ten levels, you'll learn Advanced Seasoning while I'm mastering new spear arts!"
Muyeong bowed his head, playing the part of a broken outcast flawlessly. But inside, his mind was a fortress of ice. A different system window, one only he could see, shone with divine gold. It was a truth so absolute that not even a God-tier appraisal skill could ever hope to perceive it.
[True Talent Confirmed]
Talent: Divine Copy (God-tier)
Description: By making physical contact with a target, you may permanently copy one (1) Talent and one (1) Skill.
[Note: Skill levels are reset to Lv. 1 upon acquisition.]
Status: Ready.
Cooldown upon use: 30 days.
The temptation was a physical ache—to walk over, "accidentally" brush against Kang-Dae, and steal that priceless Battle Flow skill. To take that power for himself.
He crushed the thought instantly. It was a fool's move. Power that is seen is a liability, the core rule of his existence echoed in his mind. It can be measured. It can be countered. His situation was already precarious. If anyone ever discovered he possessed skills from multiple, unrelated Jobs—a Lancer's passive, a Mage's spell, a Healer's blessing—they wouldn't ask questions. They would see a monster. And monsters needed to be put down. The secret of his talent was absolute. Anyone who discovered it would have to be silenced, permanently.
His gaze swept past the loud, preening warriors and settled on a figure no one else noticed. A woman in a plain Bureau administrator's uniform stood near an exit. Her face was forgettable, her posture unremarkable, yet she watched the proceedings with the cold, assessing stillness of a viper coiled in the shade.
In that moment, Muyeong's path became clear. He didn't need to win a fight. He needed to disappear. To do that, he needed the right tools, and that woman looked like a master craftsman. His real challenge wasn't Kang-Dae; it was figuring out how to touch a ghost.
A cold, razor-thin smile touched Muyeong's lips, so fleeting it was never there. The first piece of his new life had just been chosen. Now, he simply had to steal it.