Day seven. Night. 12:15 a.m.
Luke sat quietly at his desk, fingers resting against the cool wood, slowly digesting everything he had just learned about the world's history. The room was dim, lit only by faint moonlight and the soft glow that came from the panel lingering at the edge of his vision.
"I didn't think this world's waters were this deep…" he murmured.
His thoughts drifted back to the Old Era—gods walking openly on the earth, races born directly from divinity, and above all of them, the most terrifying existence of all.
Aethrone. The Absolute One.
The more Luke thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. This world was far more dangerous than he had initially believed. Not because of monsters or disasters, but because of what had once existed here—and what might return.
I need to carefully design my future plans.
His thoughts naturally turned forward.
First, a guild.
That was non-negotiable. A guild meant manpower—trusted subordinates. Free labor… no, trusted people, he corrected himself with a faint smile. This world's power system had only begun recovering twenty-seven years ago. Who knew how many awakened individuals were already hiding in the shadows? Gathering capable people would reduce the burden on him alone.
As that thought settled, Luke couldn't help but feel a quiet awe toward the governments of Nevarth.
They really managed to hide superpowers for all these years… just scattered rumors, nothing solid.
That alone meant they were dangerous.
I need to be even more low-key
Even with THE ONE, carelessness wasn't an option. The skill was clearly an emergency trump card, meant only for moments where survival was on the line. At its current level, it had no offensive capability at all. He would need to test it eventually—carefully—to fully understand its limits.
The biggest problem, however, was the cost.
Nine seconds of invincibility for ninety-nine Origin Points.
Luke let out a slow breath. It felt absurdly expensive. But after checking the panel earlier, he understood why.
Origin Points were precious
Even gods possessed only a small number of them.
They weren't meant to be thrown around casually.
Origin energy was a condensed form of existence—body, soul, mind, and will. When broken down, a thousand units of source value amounted to a single Origin Point. For a normal awakened individual, even one at the peak of the Talent Wielders stage, producing source value took time.
For example, a Talent Wielder at level nine could produce roughly thirty-six source value per day. Over thirty days, that barely crossed thousand—just enough for one Origin Point.
One point per month.
That was normal.
What Luke was receiving—direct Origin Points calculated
as stage × level × two
—was abnormal. He knew it instinctively. It had to be because of the bead… and his unique race.
Even gods would be careful with something like this.
So he decided: early on, he would use Origin Points sparingly. At least until he had a steady, reliable income.
Overthinking again.
Luke shook his head and leaned back slightly.
Returning to the world history, there were still too many missing pieces.
The disappearance of Aethrone. The true cause of the war. Who won. Who divided the world. Who stripped the gods of their power.
The World Weekly had given him facts—but not answers.
I'll need more World Weekly uses.
One thing that had genuinely surprised him, though, was the power of humanity's origin.
He hadn't expected the goddess of humans—Gaiana Earthheart—to be so overwhelmingly powerful. The freedom she possessed… the ability to touch every racial system…
Could that have been one of the reasons for the war?
Luke chuckled faintly and rubbed his forehead, which had begun to ache again from information overload.
Well, no point guessing. Wars between gods aren't something an intern like me is meant to understand.
Enough thinking for now.
His gaze shifted back to the panel.
Draw time.
The moment he thought of it, a fresh wave of energy surged through him. He opened the main panel and focused on the center. The bead there was flashing gently—this time with a soft green light.
Green.
Luke nodded.
That's fine. Fused One grade, according to the power system.
He mentally reviewed the draw hierarchy:
Gray. White. Green. Blue. Gold. Dark Gold. Purple. Orange. Rainbow. And finally… the Starry Sky.
Just like yesterday, Luke clasped his hands together and muttered prayers to every god he could remember—old world, new world, named or unnamed.
"Just give me a survival skill… skill, skill…"
He clicked the draw.
The bead entered a pulsing motion—but instead of immediately resolving, two cards appeared on the screen. One showed the image of a book. The other, an item.
They floated there quietly, waiting to be chosen.
"…Wow," Luke muttered. "You even give options."
Without hesitation, he selected the skill card.
The item card vanished instantly. The skill card unfolded.SKILL CARD
NAME: CLONE
LEVEL: Green — Fused One · Level 9
DETAILS: The holder may summon a time-limited clone with strength equivalent to the card's level. The clone can inherit one skill from the holder. Duration: 3 hours or until destroyed.
USES: 9
Luke stared at the description, completely speechless.
Unlike the systems in novels—where people pulled trash after trash until luck finally smiled—this panel felt… tailored.
He had casually asked for a survival skill.
And it delivered.
Only then did something click.
Yesterday's Starry Sky draw… his deepest desire back then hadn't been power for domination. It had been strength to live peacefully. To protect his family.
This panel responds to intent…
That realization made everything feel suddenly easier.
Luke felt a wave of gratitude—toward his past self on the Blue Star, for buying that strange bead on a whim. Without it, he couldn't imagine what kind of life he would be living now.
He exhaled heavily and reviewed the card again. Nine uses was more than enough for protection, especially in this early stage of world recovery.
He checked the shop.
No new items.
Still, his fingers itched.
He wanted to test it.
He couldn't use THE ONE—the cost was far too high—but this card…
This should be fine, right?
I can probably get another one later if I really want.
Convincing himself, Luke stood up. He locked the door, closed the curtains, and made sure no light leaked outside.
Holding the card, he tried everything—shaking it, waving it, even whispering "activate."
Nothing happened.
Then he remembered.
Focus.
He concentrated and willed it mentally.
A smaller card slipped free from the main skill card, falling into his hand. On its surface was a shadowy figure. On the back were the details—identical, except for one thing.
USES: 1
"…Convenient," Luke muttered.
So I can give this to someone if needed.
Holding the card, he willed its activation.
The next second, the card floated into the air. Luke felt a strange connection—like adjusting clay with thought alone. He could alter its shape, its size… even decide whether it would be an exact copy of himself.
He adjusted the height and facial features slightly in his mind.
The card shattered into countless pixel-like fragments. They swirled, assembled, and solidified.
A clone stood before him.
Different build. Similar presence.
He felt that he could grant it one skill—perhaps something instinct-based—but he only had THE ONE.
He tried sharing it.
For the first time, the panel responded like a true system.
A prompt appeared.
Do you want to share the skill THE ONE?
Cost: 99 Origin Points
YES NO
Luke chose No instantly.Good. That saves me from accidental disasters. HE cancel the card, he dodnt want expose to his family, one it leaks its not secret anymore.
The clone dissolved smoothly, and the card returned to his hand. The shadow on its surface had changed—it now clearly resembled the summoned clone. The timer read 2:58 remaining.
That's good. I don't have to waste a full use for short tests.
Satisfied, Luke stored the card back into the panel. System items could be safely kept there—ready for emergencies, impossible to lose.
As he lay back down, a faint doubt surfaced again.
What about my parents?
Could they be old awakeners?
The thought lingered briefly, then faded as sleep claimed him.
That night, Luke dreamed of peace. Of a happy life with his family. Of everyone gathered together, eating barbecue and laughing. Of building a guild with his friends. Of using THE ONE freely, without worrying about cost or consequence.
It was the best sleep he had had since arriving in this world.