Chapter 2 - Rebirth

Blue Star, City 11, Copper District.

Soulmate Martial Academy, Class B. White Night stared at the panel before him. It was visible only to him, not because it was a cheat, but because the status panel was personal, unless one possessed the Appraisal skill.

Name: White Night

Race: Human

Strength: F

Agility: F

Intelligence: E

Physique: F

Luck: ∞

Charm: S

(Stats before awakening typically range between F and E)

Talents:

God's Grace: Grants grace to a family member, allowing them to improve through battles and challenges.

Absolute Contract: Forms a contract where Party A offers a condition, and Party B makes a request for the contract to be established. Party A can select a skill from Party B. Party A can summon Party B at any time. Party A must fulfill Party B's request within the established timeframe.

Dimensional Portal: Randomly teleports to any world.

Returns to previously visited coordinates.

Small dimensional storage space.

Skills: Appraisal Overall Strength Rating: F

Looking at his awakened skills, White Night was speechless. Shock, excitement, disbelief—a whirlwind of emotions. White Night, formerly from Earth, was an avid consumer of anime, manga, and novels. He knew what these skills meant: power to reach the top of the world.

In his previous life, he was a solitary person. His parents had passed away early, and without much love to live for, he immersed himself in fantasy. After finishing school, he took a mundane job, living a flavorless life, finding pleasure only in games and anime.

One day, at the age of 33, single and alone, he collapsed in his bathroom after a shower. With no one to call for help, he watched his life flash before his eyes. In that moment, he missed his parents, the friends he never made, and the wife he never found.

With each passing second, he deeply regretted not building a family, not having love to share. Finally, everything went dark, his life ending unnoticed until the rent was due and someone broke down the door.

When he regained consciousness, he discovered he had been reborn. At that time, he was three years old; perhaps his brain was not developed enough to handle the memories until then.

His parents possessed dual abilities, a rare occurrence—about one in 100,000 awakened individuals have two abilities. Unfortunately, when he was six, his parents went on a dungeon raid and encountered a new boss. His father died in the dungeon, and his mother escaped, but was severely injured.

After leaving the dungeon, his mother cared for him as much as she could, retiring from her career. The money his parents had earned throughout their lives was enough for them to live comfortably until he was nine, when his mother succumbed to her lingering injuries and the mental strain of her husband's death.

White Night was devastated, blaming himself for not having the power to save his family and being left alone again. Healing abilities for diseases were rare; most healers could only mend cuts and concussions.

He resolved to train and become strong to protect those important to him. Thus, he began training at nine, hiring martial arts instructors with his remaining inheritance.

At ten, he started preparatory school and made two friends, emerging somewhat from his depression. But he still felt immense pressure, knowing the world was dangerous and only power ensured survival and protection.

His two friends were in his class. Ted, a loyal friend and fellow orphan, defended against monsters. Gwen, a neighbor and childhood friend, had known him for years; their parents were friends, but he hadn't spoken much to her before his parents' death. After, her parents took pity on him, always visiting and keeping him company.

When he was 15, Ted was training downtown when a chameleon-type monster appeared, and he couldn't escape. This further fueled White Night's fear of losing loved ones, strengthening his bond with Gwen. Gwen, drawn to his S-rank charm, also liked him. Their childhood friendship deepened.

Now, at 16, they were ready to formally begin their careers as hunters. White Night turned to Gwen and asked, "Have you awakened your ability yet?"

Gwen, in a somber mood, had always dreamed of being a hunter, but her ability was a low F-rank. (Abilities range from F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS). "I have," she replied, "but it's not good. Just F-rank."

White Night was surprised. "What is it?" he asked.

"Information investigation. Not a combat skill."

White Night thought, he had already decided to form a team with Gwen, as dungeons required teams of 5 to 100 members, depending on the difficulty. Looking at his own skills, he decided that with God's Grace, he could help anyone, regardless of their initial ability.

"Gwen, I might be able to help you…" he said. "Come to my place tonight, and we'll talk."

Gwen's mood lifted. She trusted White Night, having grown up with him.

At that moment, Professor Hiro entered the class and announced, "Today is our last day together. From today on, you are hunters. The school will be open for meetings and to provide assistance. Every six months, we will hold sessions for those who wish to continue learning or pursue artisan professions. Those with high skills and talent can go directly to the Hunters' Guild and begin their careers. Remember, you are now adults. Just as you face dangers in dungeons, you must make the best decisions for yourselves and humanity."

"Any questions?"

A student asked, "Professor, will the school form teams for dungeon raids?"

"Yes," the professor replied. "The school has a team formation system. You can register at the reception to be matched based on your skills."

Another student asked, "Which dungeon do you suggest we tackle first?"

"The F-rank dungeons are all of similar difficulty," the professor said. "With a well-formed team, safety is almost guaranteed. The school will provide a pack of five cores to those with talent above C-rank, increasing your safety. Those below C-rank, I advise you to reconsider this path unless you have substantial funds to buy cores."

After more questions and answers, the professor left the classroom. White Night turned to Gwen. "Gwen, I'm going to get the cores. Will you come with me?"

"Yes…"

At the reception, White Night told the receptionist he was there for the skill test and cores. The receptionist took his information, filled out a form, and produced a white orb for the test. "Please place your hand here."

White Night was concerned, as his talents were exceptional. He briefly regretted not considering this earlier, but it was too late now. As soon as he placed his hand on the orb, it glowed brightly, and he quickly withdrew it.

The receptionist noticed nothing unusual, as she never imagined his ability would exceed the orb's standard, which only tested up to A-rank. Seeing her reaction, White Night relaxed.

"A-rank ability, incredible!" the receptionist exclaimed. "Would you like to join the Federation and work in a formal team?"

White Night's reaction was muted. Many people awakened A-rank abilities, but they didn't always translate to power; it only indicated the potential for growth with cores. "Not yet. I want to form my own team for dungeon raids."

"That's a pity," she said. "If you change your mind, look me up. Could you tell me your ability?"

White Night quickly thought and replied, "My ability is a contract that ensures both parties fulfill an agreement." He had read about similar, weaker abilities and knew he would have to reveal some of his skills eventually.

After receiving the cores, White Night said, "Let's go, Gwen."

"Yes… Shall we eat something before going back?"

White Night agreed.

Leaving the school, they went to a family restaurant and ordered several portions. Gwen asked, "White Night, can you really help me? With your ability, you can't help me in dungeons. I don't want to put you in danger."

"Gwen, trust me. I'll explain at home."

Gwen hesitated but decided to trust him. They finished eating, walked through the shopping district, and took the apartment elevator underground.

In the apartment hall, Gwen's parents were leaving. They saw White Night and Gwen and were pleased, knowing they liked each other. Gwen's mother said, "You're back. We're going to a dungeon. There's food in the fridge."

"Yes, Mom. We ate out," Gwen said, pulling White Night into his apartment.

In the living room, White Night said, "Gwen, what I'm about to tell you is important. We must keep it secret. I don't know what people would do if they knew my abilities."

Gwen was worried. "Then don't tell me. It could be dangerous."

"Gwen, do you trust me? Let's make a contract. You'll ask for power in exchange for being my family or giving me your ability." He paused.

Gwen, my ability allows me to take the skills of those I contract with, and also to grant power to someone by making them my family member. This means you'll be connected to me for life. You also need to be aware that I will have more family members, and since I'll only contract with women, you have to be prepared if you still want to be with me. I don't want to deceive you. Being connected for life makes it difficult to find another partner.

Gwen was a little shocked by White Night's words, but not so much by the mention of other women. In this world, men having multiple wives to rebuild society has been common for a long time, especially since the female population is much larger.

She was more shocked by White Night's abilities. She didn't hesitate to accept his offer, having already decided to be with him forever. She said, "I don't mind that, but you have to promise to love me forever and never leave me behind."

White Night wasn't surprised by Gwen's response. They had known each other for a long time. He said, "You can rest assured. If you want, I can put that in the contract."

Gwen replied, "No need. I trust you. So, shall we sign?"

"Yes."

White Night prepared the contract, and they pricked their fingers, forming a blood seal to finalize it. He then said, "I need you to turn around and show me your back so I can place the family crest."

Gwen blushed and asked, "Does it have to be on my back? Can't it be on my hand?"

White Night explained, "No, it's quite large and needs to be hidden."

After a moment, Gwen saw him turn around. She quickly took off her shirt, lay down on the sofa, and said, "Ready."

White Night turned and saw Gwen lying on the sofa, her back exposed. He couldn't help but admire her, but knew this wasn't the time. He sat beside her and unclasped her bra. She quickly buried her face in the sofa.

He thought for a moment about which crest to use. After some consideration, White Night decided on a crescent moon with three stars to complement it. He finished drawing with blood from his cut finger.

Name: Gwen

Race: Human

Strength: I=0

Agility: I=0

Intelligence: I=0

Physique: I=0

Talents: 1-Appraisal: Can assess the status of people or items.

Skills: []

He copied her stats onto a sheet of paper, turned, and asked Gwen to get dressed. He gave her the paper and explained how she could gain strength and level up in the new system. Gwen was increasingly surprised as she listened.

After explaining everything, it was quite late. He said goodbye to Gwen and asked her to buy the necessary dungeon equipment the next day, after which they would go to the Hunters' Guild to register. After Gwen left, White Night looked at his stats again.

Name: White Night

Race: Human

Strength: F

Agility: F

Intelligence: E

Physique: F

Luck: ∞

Charm: S

(Stats before awakening typically range between F and E)

Talents: 1-God's Grace: Grants grace to a family member, allowing them to improve through battles and challenges.

Affiliates: Gwen

2-Absolute Contract: Forms a contract where Party A offers a condition, and Party B makes a request for the contract to be established. Party A can select a skill from Party B. Party A can summon Party B at any time. Party A must fulfill Party B's request within the established timeframe.

3-Dimensional Portal: Randomly teleports to any world.

Returns to previously visited coordinates.

Small dimensional storage space.

Skills: Appraisal Overall Strength Rating: F

White Night looked at the panel calmly and saw Gwen's affiliation and her skill. One thing that perplexed him was his infinite luck. People didn't know much about how luck influenced things, but he would have to find out. He had made a decision not to tell Gwen about his third ability yet. He didn't know what dangers he would face and didn't want to put her at risk. He decided to use the cores he had received from school first. Placing them in his hand, he felt the energy and followed the instructions he had learned at school to guide the energy into himself.

Core after core was used. He noticed his attributes improve slightly on the panel.

Name: White Night

Race: Human

Strength: F+

Agility: F+

Intelligence: E

Physique: F+

Luck: ∞

Charm: S

The stronger the attribute, the harder it is to improve with low-level cores. The initial improvement was slightly greater than he expected. Don't think his attributes are low; F-rank monsters in dungeons are weaker than ordinary humans. The problem is their sheer numbers when they leave the dungeons.

After increasing his stats, he quickly gathered some food and weapons that belonged to his parents. Placing everything in the small dimensional storage space, he took a shower, put on comfortable clothes, and prepared himself.