The Star Awakening Pool a name so plain it might as well have been chosen by a brick. Maybe that's why I still remembered it. Simplicity has its perks — especially in a world where every other thing sounds like "Ethereal Celestial Symphony of Cosmic Ascension."
I think author would have been lazy to name it as it had little significance in novel, as MC hadn't awakened here.
But plain name or not, the pool itself was anything but ordinary.
It spread before us like a liquid mirror of starlight — enormous, circular, and deep enough to drown an army. Silver runes glowed around its edges, feeding cosmic essence into the water from channels engraved directly into the marble floor. Above it, suspended in the air, floated the Star Core — a giant, crystalline orb pulsing with light that looked like condensed galaxies.
Every few seconds, it sent a wave of Soul Energy rippling through the air, so dense that even my bones hummed.
This was where destinies were forged — or ruined.
The royal twins, of course, went first.
The princess stepped into the pool with a smile that could make priests forget their vows. Beside her, the prince moved silently, gaze sharp as ever — the kind of guy who probably looked at a chessboard and saw five dimensions. He was one of those rare types: quiet but not introverted. The calculating, observant kind who smiled only when he already knew the ending.
Then came the heirs of the dukes, including my oh-so-perfect sister Serenya. She looked radiant — her composure screamed "future legend." I followed after, maintaining that noble expression that said, I don't care, but I definitely care .
The water was cool as I stepped in. Not wet — not really. It was more like stepping into liquid light, weightless and gentle.
"Relax your mind and let the Star Essence flow," the attendant said softly.
Easy for her to say. I was standing in a cosmic pressure cooker.
The Star Core pulsed. Once. Twice. Then everything went white.
When I opened my eyes, I wasn't in the pool anymore. Or maybe I was, but the world around me had vanished into endless light. I could feel energy flooding through every inch of me, scanning, dissecting, evaluating — as if the world itself was trying to categorize me.
Then, in front of me, lines of text shimmered into existence — translucent and faintly glowing.
A status screen.Just like in the novels.
[Class Awakening in Progress...]
[Soul Compatibility: 97%]
[Affinity Synchronization: Fire, Crystal, Gravity — Stable.]
[Detected Pathways: Combat, Rune Crafting, Support, Hybrid.]
[Analyzing dominant soul structure...]
A faint hum filled my mind.Then more words appeared.
[Congratulations! You have awakened your Class.]
[Your Class is: Runesmith.]
[Grade: B]
"Oh, a Runesmith," I muttered. "That's… actually not bad."
It made sense. I'd been experimenting with runes and enchantments ever since my sadistic instructor decided "survival training" meant throwing me into deserts and monster-infested mountains. I had picked up enough of the craft. I already thought I had a talent for it.
But at the corner of my heart there was disappointment.
But then, before I could admire my brand-new Class...or lament, the text flickered.
The glow dimmed. Lines of red code-like gibberish filled the screen.
[Erro!!!!.]
Classification failed!!!
You cannot be identified.
You are an anomaly.]
"...Excuse me?"
The screen glitched violently, the light pulsing erratically. The Star Pool around me began to swirl, its calm surface fracturing into chaotic ripples.
I could feel the energy trying to correct itself — like the system of this world was confused by what I was.
Then, another notification blinked.
[~~~~ is Initiating Cleansing Protocol]
[Error: Protocol Disrupted.]External Interference Detected.]
[Rule ----- interfered in cleansing .]
[External Interference Detected!!!!]
[!@#@#$ has supported the Rule-------]
[Cleansing is aborted]
[Congratulations! You have awakened your Class.]
[You have awakened: Anomaly Class (Rank B).]
And just like that, the light dimmed.
I blinked, half expecting something to explode — but nothing happened. Everything just... stopped. The glowing screen remained for a second longer before fading into starlight dust.
"Anomaly?" I muttered, raising a brow. "That's it? No epic theme music? No divine voice saying I'm chosen by fate?"
Figures.
Even in this life, I can't escape buggy code. In my previous life my computer has glitched, but now my life has.
Still, I couldn't help feeling disappointed. A B-rank? That's the lowest possible result from the Star Awakening Pool. A normal awakening without any resources might get you an E-rank. Some useful opportunities could get D. A ducal house has resources to expect C at minimum. But the Star Pool? The top-tier resource in the continent? It guarantees a B as the lowest possible.
So yeah, I just barely met the minimum requirement. Barely.
Well, at least it sounded cool — Anomaly. A mysterious name for a glorified cosmic error.
It would have been a good class in the past but this era is of geniuses who would fight the eldritch horrors and defend the world.
But before I could even process my disappointment, a pulse ran through me — faint but familiar.
My spirit.
It stirred.
From the depths of my consciousness, the twin-headed serpent emerged. Its form flickered — faint, almost translucent — but its presence was undeniable. One head shimmered white, the other black, both radiating a soft rhythm that resonated with my heart.
"...merge," it hissed weakly.
The voice wasn't like language — it was instinctual, vibrating directly in my soul.
I frowned. "Merge what?"
Its gaze — or whatever passed for eyes — flickered. "Souls… can… complete… merge."
"What? Now? In the middle of an awakening pool filled with half the royal court?"
No response. It wasn't sentient enough to care.
Then it repeated, more faintly this time, "Merge… complete… soul… one…"
I felt my body tense. The serpent's power was growing, reacting to the star essence flooding my core. It was evolving — and somehow, that evolution had triggered a new ability: it could fuse the two souls within me completely.
I hesitated.
I already had the old Rishi's memories. His emotions, his experiences, his attachments. There wasn't any conflict between us anymore — just a faint echo, a sense of duality that sometimes made me feel like a committee instead of a person.
"Fine," I muttered. "Do your thing. Just don't explode me, alright?"
The serpent blinked — both heads glowing faintly, silver and black.
Then the water around me rippled, and the Star Core pulsed again, harder this time.
But before I describe what happened next, let's take a brief pause for an important lesson in world logic.
In this world, Classes are divided into several ranks — E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS.
E-rank: Basic. Common among ordinary soldiers and villagers.
D-rank: Trained individuals — knights, mages, small-town adventurers.
C-rank: Elite professionals. The average noble family's dream outcome.
B-rank: Exceptional. The bare minimum for noble heirs, often achieved only with rare resources.
A-rank: Rare. The level of royal prodigies and rising heroes.
S-rank: Legendary. Those who can change the tides of wars.
SS and SSS: National treasures. Living catastrophes.
Classes aren't just power indicators — they define one's growth curve. A low-ranked Class hits a ceiling quickly, while a high-ranked one keeps evolving with training and comprehension.
Which means, if your awakening goes wrong… your life plan goes wrong with it.
Sure, one could evolve their their classes but every class' evolutionary route is different and also hard... by hard i mean VERY VERY HARD.
So yeah, when I saw that Anomaly (Rank B) appear, it wasn't exactly something to brag about. Sure, it sounded edgy — but in noble circles, it translated to: "Congratulations, you are weird and potentially unstable."
And knowing this world? Unstable things get studied, dissected, or quietly erased.
The Star Pool was starting to calm now, the light dimming, and others were beginning to open their eyes. Serenya's aura was blazing brilliantly — no surprise there. The royal twins looked radiant, their Classes stabilizing perfectly.
Meanwhile, I stood in silence, pretending everything was fine, while inside my head, a serpent spirit was whispering about merging souls like it was knitting sweaters.
Perfect. Just perfect.
Then the glow in the pool intensified again — but this time, only around me. The serpent's twin heads glowed, and I could feel the fusion begin.
The Star Essence twisted, drawn into me like a vortex, and the water began to shimmer in hues of silver and black.
I froze.This wasn't part of the plan.
In the world something that shouldn't exist… was happening.
To be continued.