I had to upload this chapter because I realized I was under the 15k word mark… Enjoy the third chapter and see you all on Sunday
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I stepped into the bathroom with my clothes bundled in my hands. Noel lingered in the doorway, her eyes never leaving me. The intensity of her gaze made the small room feel even smaller.
"You need something else?" I asked, setting my clean shorts and underwear on the counter.
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she stepped closer, her head tilting slightly as she studied my face. The fluorescent light cast harsh shadows, making her expression hard to read.
"Mind if I shower first?" I asked, hoping to break whatever spell had caught her.
Noel moved forward, right into my personal space. She reached up, pressing her palm flat against my chest, then looked up. Our eyes locked—the same shade of blue, a genetic inheritance from our mother.
"You got taller," she said. Not a question. A statement of fact, delivered with absolute certainty.
"I'm a growing boy, you know?"
"You're twenty."
"Late bloomer."
Her eyes narrowed. She wasn't buying it. Her hand remained on my chest, fingers splayed across my work shirt. I could feel her searching for something—a explanation, a confession, anything that would make sense of what she was seeing.
"Noel," I said, gently taking her wrist and moving her hand away. "I need to shower. I smell like concrete dust and sweat."
"Something happened tonight," she said. "Don't lie to me."
"I'm not lying. I'm just..." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I'm exhausted. Can we talk after I clean up?"
She hesitated, then nodded once. "Fine. But I'm not going to bed until you tell me what's going on."
"Fair enough."
She backed out of the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind her. I caught one last glimpse of her face—worry mixed with determination—before it shut completely.
I pulled my construction shirt over my head and dropped it on the floor. That's when I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror and froze.
"Damn."
I'd always been in decent shape—construction work didn't leave much room for softness—but this was different. My muscles had become sharply defined, the kind of definition that took professional bodybuilders years to achieve. An eight-pack replaced what had been a respectable four. My shoulders had broadened, creating a perfect V-taper down to my narrow waist.
But the physical changes weren't what shocked me most. My eyes—normally blue, yes, but an ordinary blue—now glowed with an unnatural brightness. The color had deepened and intensified, as if someone had replaced my irises with polished sapphires.
'Arcan,' I thought, leaning closer to the mirror. 'What the hell is happening to me?'
『Your physical form is adapting to accommodate increased mana flow. These changes are merely external manifestations of your system awakening.』
'My eyes look like they're glowing.'
『You have awakened the Six Eyes—an ocular enhancement that allows you to perceive mana flow and magical structures with extraordinary precision. It's quite an advantageous development.』
'Can other people see it?'
『To a limited extent. Others will notice your eyes appear brighter, more vibrant. But only those with significant magical sensitivity would see the actual glow.』
Great. So Noel definitely noticed. I'd have to come up with some explanation that didn't involve voices in my head and magical eye upgrades.
I turned on the shower and stepped under the spray, letting hot water wash away the grime of the construction site. The water felt different against my skin—I could feel each individual droplet, trace its path down my body. My senses had sharpened beyond anything I'd experienced before.
'Tell me about the skill points,' I thought as I worked shampoo through my hair. 'The status showed I have 120 available. What do I do with them?'
『Skill points can be allocated to increase your core attributes or to purchase abilities. However, I would advise caution in their expenditure.』
'Why?'
『Your current level offers certain... strategic opportunities. The system rewards patience and careful planning.』
I rinsed my hair, considering her words. 'Explain the leveling system to me.'
The air before me shimmered despite the shower spray, forming into a complex diagram of interlocking circles and flowing lines. It reminded me of magical circuit diagrams I'd seen in advanced hunter training manuals.
'So with this system, I can level up? Actually change my rank?' I shook my head. 'That's impossible. You can't change ranks no matter how hard you work. A B-tier could become the strongest B-tier hunter out there, but they would never crack A-tier.'
『That limitation applies to conventional hunters. You are no longer conventional.』
The diagram expanded, showing a progression path that made my head spin with its complexity.
『When your attributes reach sufficient levels—specifically, when at least two core attributes exceed 400—you become eligible to advance to level 2. However, the true power of this system lies in maximizing your potential at each level before advancing.』
I grabbed the soap, working up a lather as I processed this information. 'What do you mean?'
『If you reach the theoretical maximum in all attributes—X-rank at 1500—before leveling up, the benefits are exponentially greater than leveling up as soon as you become eligible.』
The diagram shifted again, showing two diverging paths. One showed rapid advancement through levels with modest attribute gains. The other showed a slower progression with massive power spikes at each level transition.
'So I should max out everything before leveling up?'
『Precisely. The system appears to reset your visible attributes to F-0 upon leveling, but your actual base stats will be calculated using your previous maximum. The higher your attributes before leveling, the more powerful you become afterward.』
I rinsed off, turning this new information over in my head. If what Arcan was saying was true, I had the potential to become far stronger than any normal hunter. Strong enough to face this Ashborn entity, maybe.
But it would take time. Patience. Careful planning.
I shut off the water and grabbed a towel, drying myself quickly. My reflection caught my eye again—the stranger's body that was somehow mine now, the glowing eyes that marked me as something other than fully human.
'How do I hide this from Noel?'
『You could attempt deception, but based on my analysis of your sister's behavioral patterns and emotional connection to you, success is unlikely. She is highly attuned to changes in your condition.』
'So what do I do?'
『A partial truth may suffice. You experienced an awakening—this is factually accurate. The specifics can remain undisclosed until you better understand them yourself.』
I pulled on my clean clothes, thinking about what I could tell Noel that wouldn't send her into a panic or, worse, make her want to get involved. She already had an unhealthy interest in hunter activities, despite my efforts to keep her away from that world.
『There is another matter we should discuss,』 Arcan continued as I hung up my towel. 『The gate I mentioned earlier. While you rest, I can provide more detailed information about what you might expect to encounter.』
'Later,' I thought. 'First, I need to deal with Noel.'
I opened the bathroom door, releasing a cloud of steam into the hallway. Our apartment was small—a studio with a single bedroom that we'd converted into a shared sleeping space out of necessity. The main living area served as kitchen, dining room, and living room all in one.
Noel sat cross-legged on our bed, her laptop open before her. She'd changed into her sleep clothes—an oversized t-shirt that had once been mine and a pair of shorts. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun.
She looked up as I entered, closing her laptop. "Feeling better?"
"Much," I said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Sorry I worried you."
She studied me for a moment, then reached out and touched my face. Her fingers were cool against my skin. "Your eyes are different."
No point denying it. "I noticed that too."
"And you're taller. And..." Her hand dropped to my shoulder, then my arm, feeling the new muscle definition through my t-shirt. "Everything about you is different. What happened tonight, Xavi?"
I took a deep breath. Partial truth, Arcan had suggested. "I think I had a second awakening."
Her eyes widened. "That's—that's rare. Like, lottery-winning rare."
"I know."
"When? How?"
"At the construction site. I was finishing up some work, and then..." I gestured vaguely, not sure how to describe the bizarre experience. "It just happened. There was this light, and I passed out. When I woke up, I felt different."
Noel leaned forward, excitement replacing concern. "Have you checked your hunter rank? Did it change? What about your abilities?"
"I haven't had time to process any of it," I said, which wasn't entirely a lie. "It just happened a few hours ago."
She grabbed her laptop again, flipping it open with renewed energy. "We need to research this. Second awakenings are so poorly documented—most of the information is just rumors and speculation. But the physical changes are consistent with what little we know."
I watched her fingers fly across the keyboard, already deep in research mode. This was the Noel I knew best—laser-focused, relentlessly curious, especially about anything related to hunters or gates.
"We should get you tested," she continued, not looking up from her screen. "The Association has protocols for this. They can measure your new abilities, update your rank—"
"No," I said firmly. "Not yet."
That made her pause. "Xavi, this is huge. If your rank increased—"
"I don't trust them. You know that."
Her expression softened. "Because of Mom and Dad."
"Because they've never given us a straight answer about what happened in Utah."
Noel sighed, closing her laptop again. "I get it. I do. But this changes things. If you've had a second awakening—"
"Nothing changes," I interrupted. "Not yet. I need time to figure this out on my own terms. Can you give me that?"
She held my gaze for a long moment. Finally, she nodded.
"Two weeks," she said. "You get two weeks to figure it out yourself. Then we reassess."
It wasn't as much time as I wanted, but it was better than nothing. "Deal."
She yawned suddenly, the late hour finally catching up with her. "I should sleep. I have class in the morning."
"Go ahead," I said, standing up. "I'm still too wired. I'll probably stay up a bit longer."
Noel crawled under the covers, pulling them up to her chin. "Don't go anywhere," she murmured, already half-asleep. "No disappearing again."
"I'll be right here," I promised. "Get some rest."
I waited until her breathing deepened into sleep before moving to the window. The city spread out below us, a sea of lights under the fading moon. Somewhere out there, a purple gate was forming—my first real test as whatever I was becoming.
'Arcan,' I thought. 'Tell me about this gate.'
The interface materialized before me, displaying a map of the city with a pulsing purple marker.
『D-rank gate, approximately 3.2 miles southeast of your current location. Estimated clear time: 1-4 hours for your current capabilities.』
I glanced back at Noel's sleeping form, then at the map again.
'How dangerous is it? For someone at my level?'
『With your enhanced attributes and the guidance I can provide, mortality risk is below 28%. This assumes cautious tactics and proper preparation. The experience and resources gained would significantly accelerate your development.』
Twenty-eight percent chance of death. Not great odds, but better than any D-rank hunters faced on their first solo dungeon. And with Arcan's help...
'I'll need equipment,' I thought. 'Weapons, armor, supplies.'
『Your current finances are limited, but basic equipment should be obtainable. 』
I nodded, watching the pulsing marker on the map. Tomorrow, then. I'd get what I needed and tackle this gate. Take the first step toward whatever destiny Arcan was leading me toward.
For now, though, I needed rest. I returned to the bed, careful not to wake Noel as I slipped under the covers beside her. She mumbled something in her sleep, instinctively curling toward my warmth.
As I drifted off, I couldn't help wondering if this would be the last normal night we'd have. Tomorrow, everything would change. Tomorrow, I'd step through a gate not as a D-rank porter, but as something new.
Something that, according to Arcan, could one day challenge a world-ending threat.
I just hoped I was ready.