The temperature dropped without warning.
Not gradually, not with the gentle descent of evening cooling into night, but instantly, as if someone had severed the connection between the world and its heat. Raye felt it first in his lungs, each breath suddenly sharp and crystalline. The air itself seemed to freeze, not with cold but with stillness. A complete absence of movement, as though reality had drawn in a breath and forgotten to exhale.
He looked up from his table where he'd been staring at nothing, mind churning with plans and memories.
The window began to glow.
Not with light from outside, but with something else entirely. An otherworldly luminescence that made his eyes water when he tried to focus on it. Colors that shouldn't exist bleeding through the glass, staining his apartment walls with impossible hues.
Raye stood slowly, his chair scraping against the floor with a sound that seemed too loud in the sudden silence. His footsteps carried him to the window, and he pulled back the curtain with fingers that trembled despite his attempts at control.
The sky was fracturing.
Not tearing like fabric, not splitting like wood, but cracking. Geometric patterns spread across the heavens like crystalline glass under too much pressure, each line sharp and precise and utterly wrong. The fractures radiated outward from a central point directly above Seoul's skyline, creating a spiderweb of broken reality that stretched from horizon to horizon.
Beyond the cracks, Raye could see the void.
It wasn't darkness. Darkness was the absence of light, something comprehensible and natural. This was something else, something that hurt to perceive. Colors swirled in patterns that defied geometry, shapes that existed in too many dimensions, movement without direction or purpose. Looking at it made his brain ache, made his eyes try to slide away from what they were seeing.
And then the pillars descended.
Light poured through the fractures, cascading down in columns as thick as skyscrapers. Pure radiance that seemed to contain every color at once while simultaneously being colorless. The pillars struck the earth across Seoul, dozens of them, maybe hundreds, each one marking a district or neighborhood. Gangnam, where Raye stood. Hongdae with its nightlife and universities. Myeongdong's shopping districts. Itaewon's international quarter. Gangbuk across the river.
Every part of the massive metropolitan area received its beacon.
The central pillar was the largest, descending into the heart of Seoul's downtown. It dwarfed the surrounding buildings, making the city's famous skyscrapers look like toys arranged around a monument. The light was so bright that Raye had to shield his eyes, squinting through his fingers at what was emerging from within.
The moderator descended like a star being born.
It materialized slowly, or perhaps Raye's perception simply couldn't process its arrival at normal speed. One moment the pillar was empty light, the next something existed within it, growing more solid with each passing second.
The being was beautiful and terrible.
Its form was vaguely humanoid, if humans were sculpted by something that had only heard descriptions of them and decided to improve upon the design. Too tall, easily three times the height of a person. Too perfect, with proportions that followed some divine ratio that made mortal symmetry seem flawed by comparison. Its skin, if it could be called skin, shifted between solid matter and pure energy, never quite settling on either state.
But the wings.
Translucent wings spread from its back, each one wider than a city block. They caught the light from the pillar and refracted it into patterns that painted the sky with geometric beauty. The wings moved slowly, almost lazily, and each motion sent ripples through the air that Raye could feel even from kilometers away.
The moderator's face was the worst part. Beautiful beyond description, with features so symmetrical they seemed artificial. But there was nothing in those features. No warmth. No recognition. No humanity. It was like looking at a mask carved by someone who understood aesthetics but had never experienced emotion.
And then it spoke.
The voice didn't travel through the air. There was no sound, no vibration, no physical component whatsoever. Instead, the words simply manifested directly in Raye's mind, bypassing his ears entirely. Each syllable resonated in his skull, behind his eyes, in the base of his spine. He could feel the communication rather than hear it, as if the moderator was writing its message directly onto his consciousness.
"I AM DESIGNATED MODERATOR: SEQUENCE 347."
The words echoed in Raye's head, impossibly clear. Around him, through the walls of his apartment, he could hear people screaming. The voice had reached everyone simultaneously, every person in Seoul receiving the same message at the same instant.
"I OVERSEE THE TRIALS OF SEOUL, REPUBLIC OF KOREA."
Reality itself seemed to vibrate with each pronouncement. Raye gripped the windowsill, his knuckles white. He'd experienced this before, but that didn't make it any easier. The moderator's voice carried weight, authority that transcended mere volume or tone.
"THE CONSTELLATIONS HAVE DEEMED THIS WORLD WORTHY OF EVALUATION."
Through his window, Raye could see lights flickering on across the city as millions of people woke to the voice in their heads. The streets below, normally quiet at this hour, were already filling with confused, terrified citizens stumbling out of buildings.
"NINETY-NINE WAVES SHALL DETERMINE YOUR FATE."
Ninety-nine scenarios. Ninety-nine trials. Ninety-nine chances for humanity to prove itself or die trying. Raye felt the familiar weight settle onto his shoulders, the knowledge of what was coming pressing down like physical mass.
"FIRST WAVE COMMENCES IN TEN HOURS. PREPARATION TIME: GRANTED."
Ten hours. 22:00 to 08:00. Not that it mattered. Ten hours or ten years, humanity wouldn't be ready. Couldn't be ready. Not for what was coming.
"UPON COMMENCEMENT, ALL CITIZENS WITHIN SEOUL BOUNDARIES WILL RECEIVE:
STATUS INTERFACE.
TALENT CLASSIFICATION.
SCENARIO OBJECTIVES.
SURVIVAL PARAMETERS."
The moderator's form pulsed with each category, light emanating from its core in rhythmic waves. Raye watched people in the streets below pointing upward, some falling to their knees, others running in random directions.
"A SCENARIO SYSTEM HAS BEEN PROVIDED FOR ALL PLAYERS."
Players. Not people. Not citizens. Players. As if their lives were a game, as if their survival was entertainment.
"FAILURE RESULTS IN TERMINATION. SUCCESS GRANTS PROGRESSION."
Termination. Such a clinical word for death. For the extinction of millions.
"AWAKENING WILL OCCUR AT FIRST WAVE INITIALIZATION."
The moment when talents would manifest. When ordinary people would suddenly gain access to supernatural abilities. When the strong would be separated from the weak, the lucky from the doomed.
"CONSTELLATION SPONSORSHIP MAY BE EARNED THROUGH EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE."
And there it was. The carrot dangled before humanity. Perform well enough and the gods might notice you. Might offer you their blessing. Might give you the power to survive.
"PREPARE YOURSELVES. SURVIVAL IS NOT GUARANTEED."
The understatement of the millennium.
"THIS MESSAGE REPEATS ACROSS ALL DESIGNATED ZONES GLOBALLY."
Every major city. Every population center. New York receiving its own moderator, its own countdown. London. Shanghai. Mumbai. São Paulo. Tokyo. Lagos. Moscow. Cairo. Sydney. Dozens more, hundreds maybe, each one about to watch their world end and be reborn into something nightmarish.
"THE CONSTELLATIONS ARE WATCHING."
The moderator's form began to fade, becoming transparent. Its wings dissolved first, breaking apart into motes of golden light that drifted upward. Then its body, growing less substantial with each second, until Raye could see the city skyline through its torso.
Before vanishing completely, the moderator delivered its final message, words that resonated with finality:
"THE CONSTELLATIONS ARE WATCHING."
The pillars of light began to retract, pulling back toward the fractured sky like inhaled breath. The process was beautiful in its own terrible way, streams of radiance flowing upward, leaving darkness in their wake. The fractures in reality sealed themselves with cascading thunder, each crack healing with a sound like breaking mountains.
The moderator disappeared entirely, leaving only golden motes that dissolved before touching the ground.
For exactly three seconds, Seoul was silent.
Then the city detonated into chaos.
Screams erupted from every direction across the massive metropolitan area. Not isolated cries but a wave of sound, millions of voices raised in fear and confusion and denial. The noise rolled through the streets like a physical force, building and echoing off the countless high-rises that packed the city.
People flooded into the streets below Raye's apartment building. Some were fully dressed, having been awake when the announcement came. Others wore pajamas or less, having stumbled from their beds in panic. They moved without direction, some running toward the major roads, others simply standing frozen, staring at the sky where the moderator had been.
In the distance, Raye could hear the first car accidents. The screech of tires, the crunch of metal, the blare of horns. Seoul's famous efficient traffic system was collapsing as drivers panicked, some trying to flee the city, others simply stopping in the middle of roads to process what they'd just experienced.
The Han River bridges, those vital arteries connecting Seoul's northern and southern halves, were already becoming choked with vehicles. Through his window, Raye could see the distant lights of cars packed bumper to bumper, unmoving, as everyone tried to cross at once.
Every building in sight lit up. Nearly ten million people turning on lights, checking phones, seeking any information about what had just happened. The city blazed with illumination, burning away the night with the desperate need to see, to understand, to find some rational explanation.
Raye's phone buzzed in his pocket. Then again. And again. Messages flooding in from contacts he hadn't spoken to in months, everyone reaching out, seeking connection in the face of impossible terror.
He ignored it.
Instead, he moved to his laptop, opening news sites. Every channel showed the same thing. Shaky camera footage of the moderator from multiple angles, some closer than others. News anchors struggling to maintain composure as they reported on something that defied reporting. The split screen showed similar scenes from other cities around the world.
New York's moderator hovering over Times Square.
London's suspended above the Thames.
Shanghai's towering over the Bund.
Mumbai's reflecting in the Arabian Sea.
Every feed showed panic. Every city descending into the same chaos Seoul was experiencing.
Raye watched a live broadcast from Myeongdong, one of Seoul's central shopping districts. Crowds had gathered in the streets, some holding phones overhead to record, others arguing with police who had no answers to give. A few religious groups had already formed, people kneeling in prayer, seeking salvation from their traditional gods while new ones watched from above.
In Hongdae, the university district, students poured from dormitories and apartment buildings. Some were crying. Others looked angry, defiant, as if they could fight against reality itself if they just shouted loud enough.
Itaewon's international quarter showed a mix of reactions from its diverse population. Some foreigners were trying to reach their embassies. Others gathered in groups based on nationality, seeking comfort in shared language and culture.
Gangnam, where Raye stood, was experiencing its own breakdown. The wealthy district's usual veneer of sophistication had crumbled. Expensive cars sat abandoned in the middle of roads. High-end stores were being broken into, though whether by looters or people seeking shelter, Raye couldn't tell.
Police sirens wailed uselessly throughout the city, the sound underlaying everything else. What could the police do? Arrest reality for breaking the laws of physics?
The city's famous neon signs, those brilliant displays that made Seoul's nights so vibrant, flickered and strobed as power grids struggled under the sudden load of millions of devices being activated simultaneously. Some went dark entirely. Others pulsed erratically, adding to the surreal atmosphere.
Raye closed his laptop.
While chaos consumed Seoul below, he simply walked back to his window and drew the curtain closed.
The screams and sirens continued, muffled now but still present. The city was tearing itself apart in fear, and the first wave hadn't even begun yet. This was just the announcement, just the warning, and already Seoul was bleeding.
Raye sat back at his table, folding his hands in front of him, his expression completely calm.
He'd lived through this horror already.
He took a moment to ground himself, to center his thoughts despite the pandemonium outside. He was in Gangnam district, southern Seoul. One of the wealthiest areas of one of the world's largest metropolitan regions. Nearly ten million people lived in this sprawling urban landscape, packed into high-rises and apartments, connected by subway systems and highways that were now becoming arteries of panic.
Ten million people.
In his first timeline, Seoul had suffered catastrophic casualties during the first wave. Sixty percent. Six million people dead in less than twelve hours. The city's population density, normally a point of pride, had become a death sentence. Too many people in too small a space. The scenarios hadn't cared about efficiency or urban planning. They'd simply unleashed monsters and challenges designed to kill, and Seoul's tightly packed districts had become slaughterhouses.
The density made everything worse. Panic spread faster. Resources depleted quicker. Escape routes became bottlenecks. And when the monsters came, they'd had an endless buffet of targets packed shoulder to shoulder in confined spaces.
Seoul was one of the worst zones in the world because of its sheer concentration of humanity.
But it wasn't alone.
Raye's mind expanded outward, thinking beyond his immediate surroundings. Every major city worldwide had just received similar declarations. New York with its eight million people. London with nine million. Shanghai with its staggering twenty-six million. Mumbai's twenty million. São Paulo's twenty-two million. Tokyo's thirty-seven million.
Dozens of cities. Hundreds of millions of people. Each one receiving their own moderator, their own trials, their own countdown to apocalypse.
Each city would become its own isolated zone during the scenarios. No help from outside. No military intervention. No international cooperation. Just the people within the boundaries, given a system and told to survive.
The moderators weren't enemies, Raye reminded himself. They were administrators. Judges. Observers. They would enforce the rules, manage the scenarios, ensure everything proceeded according to the constellations' design. But they wouldn't help. Wouldn't intervene. Wouldn't show mercy.
The real threats were the scenarios themselves and the desperate, panicking humans who would do anything to survive.
And his family.
Raye's jaw tightened. His mother and younger sister lived in another country entirely. Different timezone. Different moderator. Different trials. He couldn't protect them directly, not from here. Couldn't even contact them once the scenarios began, as communication between zones would be severed.
He'd have to trust that they could survive the early waves on their own while he built his strength here. Trust that his mother's quick thinking and his sister's stubborn determination would be enough to carry them through until he could grow strong enough to reach across borders.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, but he'd learned this lesson already. Rushing to help them unprepared would only get him killed, and then they'd have no one.
'Survive,' he thought, projecting the wish toward them across whatever distance separated them. 'Just survive the first few waves. I'll find a way to reach you.'
A notification chimed in his peripheral vision.
Raye's attention snapped to it, his heart rate spiking. This was different from the moderator's announcement. Personal. Directed specifically at him.
[TALENT ASSESSMENT COMPLETE]
The words floated before his eyes in Promethor's distinctive golden script. The three-hour timer had finally expired. Whatever recalibration the Architect had performed on his body was done. His new talent, the foundation upon which he'd build his second chance, was ready to be revealed.
Raye took a deep breath and focused on the notification.
Golden light exploded across his vision, far more intense than normal system notifications. It was like staring into the sun, brilliant and overwhelming. He had to close his eyes against the glare, but the light persisted, shining through his eyelids, filling his mind with radiance.
Multiple cascading windows appeared, each one edged in ornate golden filigree that pulsed with divine energy. The notifications stacked on top of each other, creating a cascade of information that would have been overwhelming if Raye hadn't spent years learning to process system interfaces.
[CONGRATULATIONS, AVATAR]
[TALENT CLASSIFICATION: DIVINE ARCHITECT'S OMNIBRID]
[RANK: ??? - TRANSCENDENT CLASSIFICATION]
[GROWTH TYPE: LIMITLESS EVOLUTION]
Raye stared at the classification, his carefully maintained calm finally cracking. His eyes widened. His mouth opened slightly. His hands, folded calmly on the table, began to tremble.
"Omnibrid?" he whispered to his empty apartment. "What the hell...?"
The description began to populate, text flowing across his vision in neat, organized blocks. But the information was so dense, so packed with implications and possibilities, that Raye had to read it multiple times before he could even begin to process what he was seeing.
[DIVINE ARCHITECT'S OMNIBRID]
A talent born from The Constellation Who Forges Divinity
Classification: All-Rounder / Universal Adaptability
The Architect builds not just structures, but potential itself. This talent represents the ultimate foundation upon which greatness is constructed. Where others specialize, you generalize. Where others find limits, you find possibilities.
[PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS:]
Adaptive Combat Mastery: Rapidly learn and master any weapon, fighting style, or combat technique through observation and practice. Growth rate for combat skills increased by 500%. Muscle memory formation accelerated. Can switch between combat styles fluidly mid-battle.
Universal Magic Affinity: Access to all magic types without restriction or penalty. Includes: Elemental (Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Lightning, Ice), Summoning, Enhancement, Curse, Holy, Dark, Spatial, Temporal, Null, and Composite magics. No elemental weaknesses. Spellcasting costs reduced by 25%.
Skill Synthesis: Combine multiple learned skills to create unique hybrid abilities. Synthesized skills often exceed the sum of their parts. No limit to combination possibilities. Experimentation encouraged.
Growth Acceleration: Experience and skill proficiency gained at 300% normal rate. This applies to all activities: combat, crafting, studying, training. Learning speed quadrupled for new concepts.
Omniscient Crafting: Create equipment, consumables, and artifacts from any discipline without class restrictions. Blacksmithing, Alchemy, Enchanting, Cooking, Tailoring, Engineering, and more. Quality of crafted items increased by one tier when using appropriate materials.
Strategic Aptitude: Enhanced tactical thinking and battlefield awareness. Capable of processing multiple combat variables simultaneously. Improved pattern recognition. Heightened danger sense. Natural leadership qualities amplified.
Support Amplification: All buffs, heals, and support abilities have 200% effectiveness when applied to allies. This stacks with other modifiers. Support skills have doubled range and duration.
Resource Efficiency: Reduced mana, stamina, and health costs for all abilities. 40% reduction across the board. Passive regeneration increased by 50%.
[SECONDARY CHARACTERISTICS:]
Constellation's Insight: Perceive the potential and talent rank of other awakened individuals. Can analyze growth trajectories and optimal development paths. Identify hidden talents and latent abilities. This sight extends to items and artifacts as well.
Divine Construction: Access to unique "Forge" system for elevating allies' capabilities. Details locked until system activation. Requires specific conditions to unlock. This is the Architect's true gift.
Limitless Evolution: This talent grows stronger with each wave, adapting to new challenges and incorporating successful strategies. No theoretical ceiling to growth. Potential scales with user's achievements and experiences.
???: Additional features locked - Requirements unknown. Seal strength unknown. Nature unknown. The Architect keeps some secrets even from his avatar.
[WARNING: This talent's true potential is currently sealed]
[Unsealing Conditions: Unknown]
[Current Accessibility: 34%]
Note: Temporal magic severely restricted until higher levels due to reality-warping risks
Raye read through the description three times, his hands still trembling. His mind struggled to comprehend the sheer scope of what he was seeing.
"This is..." he started, his voice barely above a whisper. "This is completely broken."
And it was. Utterly, ridiculously, impossibly broken.
Most awakened individuals received talents focused on a single area. A swordsman talent that made you exceptional with blades but mediocre with everything else. A fire mage talent that gave you mastery over flames but locked you out of other elements. A support talent that let you heal and buff but made you useless in direct combat.
Specialization was the norm. Focus was rewarded. Jack-of-all-trades talents existed, but they were considered mediocre because spreading yourself across multiple disciplines meant being average at all of them.
But this... this wasn't a jack-of-all-trades talent.
This was a master-of-all-trades talent.
Combat mastery with any weapon at 500% growth rate. Access to literally every type of magic. Crafting abilities across all disciplines. Support skills that worked at double effectiveness. Strategic thinking enhanced to superhuman levels. And a 300% experience multiplier on top of everything else.
Raye could become a swordmaster AND a powerful mage AND a legendary crafter AND a tactical genius AND a support specialist. Not eventually. Not if he lived long enough and got lucky. But inevitably, given enough time and effort.
He understood now why Promethor had chosen him. This wasn't a combat talent designed to create a one-man army. This was a talent for building armies, for raising others, for being the foundation upon which entire organizations could be constructed.
The Divine Construction system, still locked, would likely let him enhance his allies directly. The Constellation's Insight would let him identify people with potential. The Support Amplification would make him invaluable in group settings. And the Omniscient Crafting would let him equip everyone with gear beyond their normal capabilities.
Promethor hadn't given him the power to save the world alone.
He'd given him the power to build a team that could save the world together.
"The Architect," Raye murmured, finally understanding the constellation's title. "He doesn't just build things. He builds people."
But even at thirty-four percent accessibility, the talent was staggering. If this was what he had access to while mostly sealed, what would happen when the full power unlocked?
What would he become?
The "???" rank designation made sense now. Normal talent rankings went from F to SSS, with SSS being extraordinarily rare. But this existed outside that classification entirely, probably because it was divine in origin. Created directly by a constellation, infused with divine power, designed to transcend mortal limitations.
Raye opened his status window to see how the talent had affected his base stats.
[Status]
Name: Raye Silver
Level: 1
Title: None
Class: Locked (Available at Level 10)
Talent: Divine Architect's Omnibrid [???] - 34% Accessibility
Health: 450/450 (+130)
Mana: 720/720 (+270)
Stamina: 410/410 (+130)
Strength: 18 (+6)
Agility: 21 (+6)
Vitality: 22 (+6)
Intelligence: 36 (+14)
Wisdom: 28 (+10)
Luck: 12 (+4)
Available Stat Points: 0
Available Skill Points: 0
The stat increases were substantial, especially considering he was level one. His intelligence and wisdom were particularly high, likely reflecting the Universal Magic Affinity and Strategic Aptitude aspects of his talent. But what caught his attention was the perfect balance.
No weaknesses. No dump stats. Everything distributed evenly enough that he could function in any role. Physical stats high enough for combat. Mental stats high enough for magic. Vitality solid for survivability. Even his luck, normally his lowest stat, had been bumped up.
Raye navigated to the skill tree section and felt his breath catch.
Instead of the single tree most awakened individuals received, he had five major branches:
[Combat Mastery Tree]
- Weapon Proficiencies (Swords, Spears, Axes, Hammers, Daggers, Bows, Staves, Unarmed)
- Combat Styles (Offensive, Defensive, Balanced, Adaptive)
- Advanced Techniques (Unlocks at higher levels)
- Weapon Arts (Unlocks at higher levels)
[Arcane Studies Tree]
- Elemental Magic (Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Lightning, Ice)
- Advanced Elements (Light, Dark, Space, Time)
- Spell Crafting
- Mana Manipulation
- Magical Theory
[Artisan's Path Tree]
- Blacksmithing
- Alchemy
- Enchanting
- Cooking
- Tailoring
- Engineering
- Artifact Creation (Unlocks at higher levels)
[Commander's Wisdom Tree]
- Tactical Analysis
- Leadership Skills
- Formation Mastery
- Support Magic
- Buff/Debuff Specialization
- Army Management (Unlocks at higher levels)
[Divine Forge Tree - MOSTLY LOCKED]
- [LOCKED] - Requires Level 10
- [LOCKED] - Requires Level 25
- [LOCKED] - Requires Level 50
- [LOCKED] - Requires ???
Each major branch split into dozens of specializations, and each specialization contained multiple individual skills. The web of possibilities was dizzying. Hundreds of potential skills, maybe thousands once the higher-level options unlocked.
"I could spend years just filling out these trees," Raye muttered, scrolling through the options with growing disbelief.
A master swordsman AND a powerful fire mage AND a legendary blacksmith AND a tactical commander. The versatility was intoxicating and terrifying in equal measure.
But it also presented a problem.
With access to everything, how did he choose what to focus on?
The 300% growth rate helped, and the specialized 500% rate for combat skills was even better, but even with those multipliers, mastering everything would take decades. He needed to be strategic about his development path, especially in the early stages when every choice mattered.
Raye leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling while his mind worked through the optimization problem.
'Priority one,' he thought, 'is surviving the first wave. That means combat basics. I need to be able to fight effectively within the next ten hours.'
The Architect's Starter Package might help there.
'Priority two is keeping Allison and others alive. That means support abilities. Healing, buffs, protective magic. I need to be able to enhance my allies while they handle the heavy combat.'
His Support Amplification would make even basic buffs incredibly effective. A simple strength enhancement that normally added ten percent would add twenty percent when he cast it. Combined with proper mana management, he could turn average fighters into powerhouses.
'Priority three is equipment. Once we clear the first wave and have some breathing room, I need to start crafting. Better weapons, armor, consumables. The Omniscient Crafting will let me make things other people can't, giving us an edge.'
And finally, once the Divine Forge unlocked at level ten, that would become his top priority. If it let him enhance allies directly, it would be the key to building the team he needed.
Magic could come later, once he had the fundamentals covered. The Universal Magic Affinity meant he could pick up spells quickly whenever needed. For now, maybe just some basic elemental magic for utility and emergency situations.
Decision made, Raye opened the System Shop.
The interface materialized before him, categories arranged neatly alongside his substantial coin balance.
[System Shop]
Current Balance: 847,293 Coins
Categories:
- Skills (Locked - Requires Level 5)
- Equipment (Available)
- Consumables (Available)
- Materials (Available)
- Enhancement Tokens (Locked - Requires Level 10)
- Scenario Information (Available)
- Miscellaneous (Available)
Special Offers:
- Architect's Starter Package: 50,000 Coins
- Early Access Skill Tome: 100,000 Coins
- Random Epic Equipment Box: 75,000 Coins
Raye examined the special offers with new understanding. The Architect's Starter Package was clearly designed specifically for his Omnibrid talent. Promethor had known what he was doing when he set up these options.
He selected the package without hesitation.
[Purchase confirmed: Architect's Starter Package]
[Cost: 50,000 Coins]
[Remaining Balance: 797,293 Coins]
A golden box materialized in his Divine Vault. Raye opened it immediately, eager to see what Promethor had prepared for him.
The contents appeared in neat rows:
[Architect's Starter Package Contents:]
- Versatile Combat Weapon Token (Adaptive - Can transform into any basic weapon type)
- Omnibrid's Primer (Skill Book - Tailored specifically for Architect's Omnibrid users)
- Architect's Ring (Accessory - Increases all stat gains by 10%, +5% Experience gain)
- Talent Growth Accelerator x3 (Consumable - Increases talent accessibility by 2% per use)
Raye stared at the Talent Growth Accelerators. Three percent each, and he had three of them. That would bring his accessibility from thirty-four percent to forty percent if he used them all.
But something told him to wait. He didn't fully understand his talent yet, didn't know which aspects were currently sealed or how the unsealing process worked. Better to learn the fundamentals before trying to force additional growth.
The Architect's Ring, though, that he could use immediately.
[Architect's Ring]
A gift from The Constellation Who Forges Divinity to his chosen avatar
Rarity: Epic
Effects:
- All stat gains increased by 10%
- Experience gain increased by 5%
- Slight increase to crafting success rates
- Marks wearer as Avatar of the Architect
"Build yourself before you build others."
Raye equipped the ring, feeling it materialize on his right middle finger. It was a simple band of dark metal inlaid with golden geometric patterns that pulsed faintly with divine energy. The moment it settled onto his finger, he felt a subtle change, as if his body had become slightly more efficient at processing growth.
The ten percent increase to stat gains would compound over time. Every level, every point distributed, would be effectively worth ten percent more. Combined with his talent's existing growth multipliers, he'd level faster than anyone else in Seoul.
Next, he turned his attention to the Early Access Skill Tome.
[Early Access Skill Tome]
Grants access to one skill before the normal level requirement
Select ONE skill from the available list:
[Combat Skills:]
- Blade Mastery (Passive - Increased proficiency with all bladed weapons)
- Perfect Counter (Active - Automatic counter-attack when blocking successfully)
- Battle Focus (Active - Slows perception of time during combat)
[Magic Skills:]
- Elemental Burst (Active - Unleash a blast of chosen element)
- Mana Shield (Active - Convert mana into protective barrier)
- Arcane Missiles (Active - Tracking projectiles of pure mana)
[Support Skills:]
- Rally (Active - Restore stamina and boost morale of nearby allies)
- Healing Touch (Active - Convert mana into healing energy)
- Guardian's Blessing (Active - Increase defense of target ally)
[Utility Skills:]
- Quick Inventory (Passive - Access inventory without menu delay)
- Danger Sense (Passive - Instinctive warning of incoming threats)
- Swift Learner (Passive - Skill acquisition speed increased)
Raye studied the list carefully. Each skill was powerful in its own way, and normally he wouldn't have access to any of them until at least level five.
His first instinct was to grab a combat skill. Blade Mastery or Battle Focus would make him significantly more effective in the first wave. But then he reconsidered.
His Omnibrid talent already gave him Adaptive Combat Mastery with a 500% growth rate. He'd learn weapon skills incredibly quickly even without the tome. And Battle Focus, while useful, was something he could earn through experience.
Magic skills were tempting, but again, his Universal Magic Affinity meant he could pick up elemental magic relatively easily once he had access to spell tomes.
No, what he needed was something that complemented his talent rather than duplicating its existing capabilities.
His eyes settled on two options: Guardian's Blessing and Danger Sense.
Guardian's Blessing would synergize perfectly with his Support Amplification. A normal defense buff might add twenty percent. With his talent's doubling effect, it would add forty percent. That could be the difference between an ally living or dying in the early waves.
But Danger Sense offered something his talent didn't provide: passive threat detection. With everything else he'd need to manage during combat, having an instinctive warning system could save not just his life but the lives of those around him.
After a long moment of consideration, Raye made his choice.
[Purchase confirmed: Early Access Skill Tome - Danger Sense]
[Cost: 100,000 Coins]
[Remaining Balance: 697,293 Coins]
[Skill Acquired: Danger Sense (Level 1)]
The knowledge flooded into his mind, not as text or instruction but as instinct. He suddenly knew, in the same way he knew how to breathe, when danger was approaching. It was a sixth sense, subtle but reliable, that would alert him to threats before they fully manifested.
Testing it, Raye tried to imagine a scenario where something dangerous approached from behind. The instinct flared immediately, a prickling sensation at the base of his skull that said "turn around, something's wrong." Even though no actual threat existed, the skill responded to his imagination, proving it worked.
'Good,' he thought. 'That'll keep me from being blindsided.'
He continued shopping, making strategic purchases:
[Purchases:]
- Basic Combat Manual Set (Covers Swords, Spears, Daggers): 10,000 Coins
- Beginner's Magic Primer
- Beginner's Magic Primer (Foundation for elemental casting): 15,000 Coins
- Emergency Ration Pack x5 (High-calorie survival food, 10 days each): 5,000 Coins
- Minor Mana Potions x20 (Restores 100 mana each): 10,000 Coins
- Minor Healing Potions x15 (Restores 150 health each): 12,000 Coins
- Basic Crafting Tools Set (Hammer, tongs, portable forge, etc.): 8,000 Coins
- Water Purification Tablets x100: 2,000 Coins
- Durable Backpack (Spatial expansion - holds 3x normal capacity): 8,000 Coins
[Total Spent: 70,000 Coins]
[Remaining Balance: 627,293 Coins]
The items materialized in his Divine Vault, organized and ready for retrieval. Raye examined each purchase, ensuring he hadn't missed anything critical for the first wave.
The Random Epic Equipment Box caught his eye again, but he dismissed it. Seventy-five thousand coins for random gear was wasteful when he could craft equipment tailored specifically to his needs once he had access to materials and time. Random was for gamblers. He needed certainty.
Instead, he browsed the regular equipment section, looking for affordable basics that would serve until he could make better.
[Additional Purchases:]
- Reinforced Leather Armor Set (Common - Basic protection): 5,000 Coins
- Combat Boots (Uncommon - Enhanced mobility): 7,000 Coins
- Utility Belt (Common - Extra storage pouches): 2,000 Coins
- First Aid Kit (Medical supplies for mundane injuries): 3,000 Coins
[Total Spent: 17,000 Coins]
[Remaining Balance: 610,293 Coins]
Satisfied with his shopping, Raye closed the shop interface and began organizing his inventory. The Durable Backpack came out first, materializing on his table. It looked like a standard hiking pack, but when he opened it, the interior space was far larger than the exterior suggested. Spatial magic woven into the fabric.