Chapter 10: A New Awakening

The shelter had a strange atmosphere. The hunters who had already returned were on alert, even though the door had been closed. Some rested, others watched, and some exchanged information about what happened in the battle. People were adapting, but uncertainty was still floating in the air.

Zhen Yu was sitting in the corner of the shelter, wrapped in the blanket given by Lyon. He had spent the whole night without sleeping, reliving in his head what had happened.

The beasts had attacked him.

What disturbed him the most was not the attack itself, but the feeling of fear he had felt. For the first time, he experienced what it was like to be a simple human in front of the monsters he himself had brought into the world.

"Is that how they've felt all this time...?"

He clenched his fists on the blanket.

There were no excuses for what he had done.

He knew that he had only acted out of boredom, without considering the suffering he would bring to humans. Now that he experienced his own fear and vulnerability, guilt crushed him even more.

Zhen Yu felt his breath chop and closed his eyes, trying to calm down.

Since the night before, I couldn't sleep, the only thing I could think about was everything that had happened in the short lapse of time.

"Don't stay there shaking." Come, eat something.

He opened his eyes and saw Lyon standing, holding a tray with some food. He seemed tired, but he still had that carefree attitude.

When I look outside, it had already dawned, the sun reflected some beautiful rays of sunshine, as if some hope could come.

Zhen Yu hesitated for a moment before accepting the food. I wasn't hungry, but I knew I needed strength.

He sat next to Lyon at one of the improvised tables.

"How did you sleep?" Lyon asked while biting a piece of bread.

"I didn't do it."

Lyon raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything, he couldn't sleep well either, he was tired, he needed to have a moment to breathe, sometimes he wanted to go back to the past and stop the first door before the massacre.

There was a brief silence as they both ate.

"We're going out soon."

Zhen Yu stopped his movements, stayed for a moment looking at his food and spoke.

"Where to?"

—To patrol. Some doors are appearing. We can't afford to rest too much, our families and civilization are in danger.

Zhen Yu pressed his lips. That meant more battles, more dead, more beasts getting out of their control.

Lyon noticed Zhen Yu's abnormal state, however, he sighed and asked how lost the boy with whom he shared shelter was.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

Lyon narrowed his eyes at Zhen Yu's refusal and replied.

"You're terrible at lying, it shows on your face." As if you had such a big problem that you don't even know how to cope with it, although all this is difficult, we can get ahead, so try not to worry.

Zhen Yu didn't answer.

Lyon sighed again and changed the subject.

"Then tell me, are you going to stay behind?"

Zhen Yu looked at him with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean yes, will you let fear consume you?, you won't start to see how to awaken your skills, you will continue to be a chicken behind us, you know that if you continue like this, one day you will end up dead.

Zhen Yu felt a chill run through his body.

I didn't have an awakening, but the state window was there.

The system no longer responded to his will. His divine powers had been sealed by his father, and now he was just... a human.

But then Lyon said something that took him by surprise.

"But if you want to change that, there's a way."

Zhen Yu stared at him.

"What are you talking about?"

Lyon finished his meal and crossed his arms, for a moment he thought and mentioned.

—Not all awakenings occur spontaneously. Some... can be forced, although that can be explained in a single word and that word would be "danger".

Zhen Yu felt his heart beat faster.

"Danger?"

Lyon nodded.

"If you put yourself in a situation that is extreme enough, your body and mind react. Most of the hunters woke up in the midst of despair.

Zhen Yu swallowed saliva.

"Do you mean that... I have to risk my life to wake up?"

Lyon held his gaze seriously.

"If you really want to live in this world without being a burden, it's the only option.

Zhen Yu felt his stomach turn they reached the nerves he was feeling, the idea of seeing another beast pounce on him, made his whole body tremble.

Lyon's idea for his awakening was a very stupid one in his way of thinking, but even after all, he still had to face more difficulties if he didn't wake up now... in the future it would bring him more problems.

"However, I'm not going to force you to do anything, this situation has to be under your opinion, as well as if you're going to do it, I'll be there to give you support and I'll even protect you in a dangerous situation when you can't handle it.

Lyon's words and the memory of when he protected him from the beast in his first meeting in front of the door he had created, made him feel relieved, however, Zhen Yu did not want to feel like this again.

He took a deep breath with a decisive look as he looked at Lyon.

"Tell me what I have to do."

Lyon smiled with amusement, but Zhen Yu's determination also made his heart beat uncontrollably.

"It looks cute..."

He thought, however, before getting lost in his thoughts, he spoke bluntly.

"Ready to start moving seriously?"

Zhen Yu clenched his fists and nodded slowly.

I knew Lyon was right.

Zhen Yu looked up and saw Lyon watching Zhen Yu with a slight smile.

"Yes."

Lyon stood up and offered his hand.

"Then stop shaking and come with me."

Zhen Yu took his hand and got up. For the first time, I was willing to face what came... But there was a problem...

Zhen Yu knew that, without the system, he could not wake up normally. He didn't have the ability to develop skills like an ordinary human. If the system had sealed him, no matter how much he tried to "force" his awakening.

Unless...

Zhen Yu looked down, thoughtful.

The system was still working in this world. He continued to give awakenings to humans, classifying them, giving them skills...

So why not him?

"If I want to recover some of my power, I need to find a way for the system to recognize me again and father give me an awakening through the system."