blessing...

Raze's eyes shot open, and his breath caught in his throat as he stared at the glowing screen before him. His heart pounded violently, each beat echoing in his ears like a war drum. He blinked, once, twice, trying to make sense of the words before him, but they remained unchanged, burning themselves into his mind.

[Unlocked: Void Manipulation]

[Element: Void]

[User: Raze]

[Trial for the Hollow Monarch Legacy]

[Do you accept the quest? Y/N]

His hands trembled as he clenched the blanket beneath him. Void? That wasn't an element—at least, not one he had ever read about. Fire, water, earth, air—those were real. Even rare elements like lightning or ice have been documented. But this?

His breathing grew erratic, a mix of excitement and fear flooding through him. Was this some kind of cruel joke? Had fate decided to mock him further? Just hours ago, he had been humiliated, branded as nothing, a failure. And now, here it was—something impossible, something unknown, something... his.

His fingers twitched, hovering over the screen. Was this real? He bit his lip, hard enough to draw blood, the taste grounding him. It was real. It had to be. This wasn't a dream.

Swallowing hard, he exhaled shakily. He had already been branded worthless, mocked, and cast aside. He had nothing left to lose. If this was a trick, then so be it. If it was a chance—**his only chance—**then he would take it.

With trembling fingers, he pressed 'Yes.'

[Congratulations! The quest has been accepted.]

[User will receive the Hollow Monarch Legacy after attaining:

Monarch Body (Peak Stage)

Monarch Soul Level]

Raze felt the breath leave his lungs as he read the conditions. Monarch Body? Monarch Soul? He knew nothing about this 

He clenched his fists. Was this another joke? Another cruel twist of fate?

His eyes darted down as more text appeared.

[Current Stats]

[User: Raze]

[Body Level: Mortal Body (Peak Stage)]

[Mage Soul Level: Unawakened]

The words 'Unawakened' burned into him like a brand. He gritted his teeth, nails digging into his palms.

Unawakened.

That was the label they had given him. The reason they laughed. The reason his brother's name was cheered while he was spat upon. The reason his mother had held him that night while Kael stood forgotten in the background.

His fists trembled, his entire body shaking with a whirlwind of emotions—rage, pain, desperation. Why?! Why did he have to start so low? Why was everything always against him?

His eyes blurred for a moment, but then, as if responding to his thoughts, the screen changed once more.

[After every level-up in both Body and Soul, the user will be rewarded with a skill.]

A flicker of hope ignited within him. Rewards. Strength. A path forward.

And then—

[Reward for accepting the quest: Mana Absorption Technique - Void Absorption]

The moment he read those words, an unnatural chill swept through the room. His breath hitched as an overwhelming force surged into his chest, an unseen energy burrowing itself into his very core.

His body stiffened. His bones felt like they were vibrating. A strange sensation pulsed beneath his skin, something foreign yet... familiar. It wasn't fire. It wasn't lightning. It was something deeper. Something beyond the natural world.

His vision blurred, his surroundings shifting as if the very fabric of reality twisted. He gasped, clutching his chest as a suffocating darkness wrapped around him. It wasn't the absence of light—it was something else. Something deeper.

Something hungry.

Raze's body jerked as his breath came in ragged gasps. He fell back against the bed, his limbs weak, his forehead damp with sweat. His vision cleared, and he found himself staring at the ceiling, his body trembling from the aftershock.

He could still feel it.

The void.

It was inside him now, lurking, waiting.

Slowly, shakily, he lifted his hand. His fingers twitched, and for a brief moment, a flicker of something—something dark, something formless—danced at his fingertips before vanishing into nothingness.

Raze stared, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He had nothing. No strength. No reputation. No place in this world.

But now... he had this.

A slow smile, small and bitter, crept onto his lips.

He would not remain weak. He would not remain worthless. If the world wanted to cast him aside, then he would claw his way back up.

He would become something greater.

The void had chosen him.

And he would make sure the world never forgot his name again.