I sat quietly on the balcony of my aunt's house, arms resting on the wooden railing, eyes half-lidded as the late afternoon sun dipped in the sky.
A gentle wind blew through the village, carrying with it the smell of warm earth and faint smoke from someone's cooking fire.
My mood wasn't great.
In the distance, I saw them — small groups of villagers returning from the Awakening Ceremony.
Not everyone, of course. Only those who had the gold to afford carriages or ride on rented beasts from the nearby stables. The Quad Academy was nearly 100 kilometers away, too far for most commoners to travel back quickly.
Some were smiling. Others were tired but proud. I could even hear faint laughter from a trio of boys as they walked past a nearby house, showing off their shiny new tokens and talking about the "powers" they awakened. One girl had tears in her eyes — joy, maybe... or regret.
A cart creaked by slowly, pulled by a thick-furred ox. Inside sat a young man, staring at his hands, probably imagining the magic he could now summon.
That could've been me.
If the rules hadn't changed... I would've been one of them. On that cart. Laughing. Dreaming bigger.
But here I was — sitting. Watching. Waiting.
I sighed and leaned back, trying to push down the bitterness crawling up my throat. I needed a distraction, something to remind myself I was still in control.
I opened my system and brought up my profile.
---
Profile: Aric Valen
Level: 5
Age: 20
Class: Woodcutter
Health: 250
Mana: 250
Stats:
Strength: 101
Intelligence: 100
Speed: 101
Senses: 105
Agility: 104
---
In just two weeks since arriving in this world, I had already outgrown most of the people walking below me. I had used my Inspect ability on some of them earlier — average strength sat around 20, and intelligence around 35. A few smart ones reached 45, and the village guards? Most barely scraped 35 strength.
Me?
I was something else now.
I scrolled down to my abilities section and smirked as I saw the "Slave Will" list.
> 1. Darcy – 9000%
2. Sarah – 1200%
3. Lindy – 1000%
Hah… At least something was going my way.
Even if I wasn't chosen by a noble... I'd carve my own path. My own faction.
I needed another plan.
If I couldn't join someone else's faction... then I'd just make my own.
A guild of my own slaves, my loyal pieces on this board. People I've used my Slave Will on couldn't betray me — their loyalty was locked in, deeper than blood. I already had three members: Sarah, Darcy, and Lindy. But when I thought about it... were they even useful in a real fight?
Honestly, I had no clue.
That's when I realized something dumb. I hadn't even used my Inspect ability on any of them. Not once.
Damn.
I stood up and walked downstairs, where I found Sarah folding some clothes near the kitchen.
I activated Inspect, and her profile opened in front of me.
---
Profile
Name: Sarah Valen
Previous Name: Sarah Ross
Level: 2
Age: 21
Class: Shadow Veil (a stealth/ninja type class)
Abilities: None (Can buy 5 abilities for slave use)
Mana: 100
Health: 100
Stats:
Strength: 30
Intelligence: 45
Speed: 40
Senses: 29
Agility: 35
---
I blinked. Sarah Ross?
That must've been her name before Darcy married my father... Interesting.
But the biggest shock?
I could give my own abilities to slaves.
Like actually select and assign abilities from my system.
This… this could change everything.
I left Sarah and headed to check on Darcy.
She was cutting vegetables in the kitchen. I used Inspect again.
---
Profile
Name: Darcy Valen
Previous Name : Darcy Ross
Level: 2
Age: 39
Class: Healer(Can heal body)
Abilities: None (Can buy 5 abilities for slave use)
Mana: 150
Health: 100
Stats:
Strength: 20
Intelligence: 40
Speed: 22
Senses: 30
Agility: 25
---
Nothing too special — but her mana pool was higher than average. Could be a decent support if I gave her healing or buff abilities.
Next was Lindy. I found her in the storeroom, organizing boxes like a machine. Used Inspect.
---
Profile
Name: Lindy Veras
Level: 2
Age: 31
Class: Gearwright (medieval engineer/tech builder)
Abilities: None (Can buy 5 abilities for slave use)
Mana: 100
Health: 120
Stats:
Strength: 33
Intelligence: 50
Speed: 28
Senses: 26
Agility: 24
---
Gearwright. A class that could invent, fix, and even build tools, traps, and machines using scrap or magic resources. If trained right, she could be the brains behind my base or defenses.
---
So yeah... my guild was still small.
But now, I saw the path clearly.
Sarah — a ninja. Perfect for stealth, spying, assassinations.
Darcy — a healer. Useful in long fights and survival.
Lindy — a builder. The tech mind. Could help me fortify, trap, invent.
And best of all?
I could now customize them. Build them. Turn them into weapons.