Chapter 3

Eden stood in silence, his world reduced to darkness. Moments ago, he had seen the awakening screen flash before him, declaring his ability and flaw. Now, there was only an abyss. No light, no color—just a void stretching endlessly in every direction. His breath came steady, but his heart pounded as reality settled in. He was blind.

For a moment, panic threatened to creep in. He had always thought about what his Awakening would bring, but never had he considered the possibility of losing something as crucial as his sight. Yet, he forced himself to remain calm. Deep inside, something told him that despair wouldn't change anything. Perhaps it was instinct, or maybe it was something else—something from a past he couldn't quite remember.

Taking a slow breath, Eden turned toward the worker. "Can you dial my father for me?" His voice was steady, but the weight of his newfound blindness pressed against him.

The worker hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Of course." A few beeps later, they pressed the phone into his hand.

Eden took it carefully, fingers tracing over the device as he brought it to his ear. The line rang once. Twice. Then—

"Dad…" His voice was steady, but the weight behind the words was unmistakable.

"Eden?" His father's voice immediately sharpened. "What's wrong?"

"I need you to pick me up. I… I can't see."

A beat of silence stretched across the line before his father responded. "Stay where you are. I'm coming."

The drive home was silent. His father had rushed to his side, practically sprinting to reach him. When he saw Eden's unfocused gaze, his entire body tensed. Eden could feel his father's eyes on him even as they drove, the air in the car thick with unspoken words.

When they arrived home, his father guided him inside, his grip firm but gentle. The door shut behind them, and for the first time in his life, Eden heard his father's breath tremble.

"Eden…" His father's voice was hoarse. "I'm so sorry."

Eden turned his head toward the voice. His father never apologized for things outside his control. He had always been a pillar of unwavering strength, a man who carried his burdens silently. But now, his father's voice cracked under the weight of his emotions.

Then, the first tear fell.

Eden couldn't see it, but he felt it. The quiet, broken sound of his father's grief hit him harder than any loss of vision ever could. He had seen his father angry, strict, even worried—but never like this. Never this vulnerable.

A lump formed in Eden's throat, and without meaning to, his own tears spilled over. But even as they fell, a new resolve hardened within him.

"Dad," he said, his voice still steady despite the weight in his chest. "This doesn't change anything. If anything… my resolve has only strengthened."

His father didn't respond right away, but Eden felt the weight of his gaze. Then, after a deep, shuddering breath, his father pulled him into a firm embrace. No more words were needed.

That night, Eden sat alone in his room. The world around him was pitch black, an endless void he could no longer escape. Yet, despite the overwhelming loss of his sight, his determination remained unshaken.

Now finally alone, Eden took a deep breath and decided to go over every detail of his status window.

He started with his awakened ability.

Awakened Ability: S-rank - Time Sight - Divine

There was a lot to unpack. An S-rank ability—the highest rank possible. It was a rarity, something only a handful of people in the world possessed. S-rank abilities were powerful, but they were also hard to control. However, one thing was undeniable—anyone who awakened with an S-rank ability had limitless potential.

Then there was the word Divine. Even now, he struggled to believe it. He had studied the ranking system for awakened abilities before:

Awakened → Ascended → Transcended → Sacred

But now, he had proof that there was a fifth and even greater tier—Divine.

The ranking system wasn't just for classification; it dictated both the potency and potential of an ability. The higher the grade, the more powerful and versatile it became. More importantly, an individual's subsequent abilities would always match the grade of their first. In other words, because his initial ability was Divine, any ability he developed in the future would be of the same rank. That alone was a monumental advantage.

Finally, he turned his focus to the ability itself: Time Sight. Just from the name, countless possibilities flooded his mind.

Time Sight: You can perceive 0.5 seconds into the future.

It was… simple. Almost underwhelming. He had expected something more elaborate, something grander. But as he thought about it, he realized its potential. Half a second wasn't much in daily life, but in battle, it could be the difference between life and death. A single moment was all it took to dodge, counter, and predict an opponent's next move.

Even so, Eden couldn't shake the feeling that this was only scratching the surface of the ability. There had to be more to Time Sight—and he intended to uncover every secret it held.

Next, Eden turned his attention to his legacy.

Another anomaly. In all his studies, he had never heard of anyone obtaining a legacy immediately upon awakening. Normally, legacies were either earned through grueling trials or passed down through bloodlines—bestowed by a family or clan member. But his had appeared out of nowhere, a gift without explanation.

Legacy: Martial Art - One With Mind and Body - SSS

A notification pulsed in his mind.

Would you like to activate?

[Y] - [N]

Eden's breath caught in his throat. SSS-rank. The pinnacle. The absolute peak of what a legacy could offer. Only a handful of such legacies existed in the entire world. Some were guarded by the greatest sects, passed down only to the most worthy disciples. Others had been lost to time, whispered about in legends.

Even if he spent his entire life searching, he would likely never obtain another legacy of this caliber.

There was no hesitation. He selected Yes.

You have selected yes. Beginning Legacy Bestowal.

The moment the words appeared, his mind exploded.

A flood of knowledge surged through him, a torrent of understanding so vast it felt like his very soul was being rewritten. His head throbbed as thousands of intricate details poured in, each one layering over the next, forming a complete and undeniable truth within him.

First came the breathing technique, each controlled inhale and exhale guiding the flow of mana through his body like a river carving through stone.

Then, the footwork—movements so precise and efficient they felt like second nature, as though his body had always known them.

Next, the sword stances and swings, each strike carrying a lethal grace, a balance between raw power and refined control. He could see them in his mind's eye, countless possibilities unfolding—attacks, counters, defensive postures, all blending into seamless motion.

And then—barehanded techniques. He hadn't expected that. This wasn't just a sword art. It was complete—a path that did not bind him to a single weapon but made his entire body a weapon in itself.

Eden clenched his fists, trembling at the sheer depth of what had been given to him. It wasn't just a martial art. It was perfection.

But there was something more. Something that set it apart from any other technique he had ever read about.

This legacy did not just train the body—it developed mana perception to an extreme degree.

And even more than that—if practiced from the very beginning, it gave the user a choice.

The choice to decide their mana attribute.

Eden's breath hitched. That was impossible.

He had always been taught that every awakened started with clear mana, a neutral state. But as they trained, their mana pool would naturally begin to align with a specific attribute, dictated by the techniques they practiced and the mana they absorbed.

There were two types of martial arts—those that kept the mana pool attribute-less, and those that infused mana attributes into their techniques. The moment an awakened chose a martial art, their path was set. Their mana would attune to that element, permanently.

But this art was different.

It allowed its user to choose—to dictate their own path.

No forced fate. No limitations. No restrictions.

And even beyond that—it could adapt, strengthening differently depending on the attribute chosen.

Eden exhaled slowly, his heart hammering in his chest.

This was an art that defied the very foundation of how mana worked.

And it was now his.

...

Eden sat cross-legged on the floor, recalling the breathing technique etched into his mind by the legacy.

He took a deep breath, slowly drawing mana into his body. At first, there was nothing. Just silence, darkness, and the rhythmic flow of his breath. Minutes passed, then hours, but he perceived nothing beyond the void. Still, he persisted.

Days turned into weeks. Each night, he repeated the process—breathing in, letting the mana flow, and concentrating on the emptiness. Then, after nearly a month of effort, something changed. Faint, almost imperceptible flickers of color surfaced within the darkness. They were weak, fragile, like dying embers barely clinging to existence. Yet, they were there.

Encouraged, Eden pushed forward. His training was no longer limited to just mana cultivation. He adapted to his blindness, forcing his body into a strict routine. He ran on a treadmill, memorizing the feeling of his movements. He lifted weights, strengthened his body, and tested his limits, all while growing accustomed to his sightless world. It was frustrating, agonizing even, but he refused to be helpless.

He also began practicing his awakened ability, though it was difficult without a clear understanding of how it worked. He reached inward, trying to grasp its essence, but much like the mana perception, progress was slow. There were moments—fleeting and brief—where he felt time itself shift, but he lacked the control to harness it. Still, he kept training.

Weeks passed. The faint flickers of color became more frequent. What once appeared as rare specks in the abyss now flickered around him like fireflies in the night. They pulsed, moved, and swayed with the currents of mana in the air. For the first time since losing his sight, Eden felt like he was beginning to "see" again.

Three months after he started, his persistence finally bore fruit. The colors were no longer just flickers in the void—they were everywhere. Threads of energy wove through the air, coiling around objects, flowing through his own body. Everything had mana, and the more he focused, the more detailed his perception became. At times, he could navigate his surroundings based purely on these waves of energy. It was crude, incomplete, but it was progress.

And then, one night, as he sat in the middle of his room, his breathing calm and steady, he knew it was time. He had laid the foundation, and now, the next step awaited him.

Eden exhaled slowly and reached out with his senses. The mana swirled around him, waiting. Anticipating.

It was time to choose his attribute.