The next morning, sunlight spilled across the academy courtyard as hundreds of students gathered. The Awakener Association had called for all newly awakened individuals to report for allocation and instruction.
Each student was to be assigned a Cultivation Manual — a foundational scripture aligned with their awakened affinity.
Posters covered the academy walls:
"All Awakened of the age of 16 are to register with the Association for classification and resource allocation."
There was excitement in the air — and tension. Some students whispered about the Association's secrecy, how even the teachers seemed nervous lately.
I fell in line behind Darek, who looked unusually serious this morning.
"You look like you didn't sleep," I said, noticing the dark circles under his eyes.
He yawned. "Didn't. My mana sense keeps waking me up. Every time I close my eyes, I feel everything moving around me — like the world's breathing."
"Get used to it," I said with a faint grin. "The Awakening rewired all of us."
He chuckled weakly. "Guess so. You ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
Inside the Association's main hall, everything gleamed with cold efficiency. Floating crystals hummed with faint blue light, illuminating rows of testing pods. The faint hum of mana here was different — thicker, more controlled. It reminded me of a computer lab from my old world, except every "machine" here pulsed with life.
Clerks in silver uniforms guided students to individual testing stations.
"Name?" one of them asked when it was my turn.
"Asher."
He nodded, typing something into a transparent console. "Affiliation: Greenwood Academy. Awakening Affinity?"
"Unknown classification."
The man paused. "Unclassified? That's rare. Wait here."
He walked off, and I caught Darek giving me a curious glance from the next line over.
Moments later, a woman in white robes approached — her presence sharp and measured, her mana faintly visible even to the untrained eye.
"Unclassified," she repeated softly, scanning me. "Interesting. Follow me."
She led me through a corridor lined with floating sigils. The air was heavy here — dense with power.
At the end stood a crystal orb set into an ornate pedestal. Lines of runes spiraled outward from its base, like veins pulsing faintly with light.
"Place your hand on the orb," she instructed. "Do not resist."
I obeyed.
The moment my palm touched the surface, the orb flared — and I felt something enter me. A probing presence, scanning, dissecting.
It wasn't painful — but it was invasive. A thousand tendrils of light brushed against my soul, tasting its essence, mapping every fragment of my awakening.
Then the light dimmed.
The woman frowned. "...Interesting."
"What does it say?"
She hesitated, then read from the floating panel.
"Affinity: Undefined.
Type: Hybrid.
Classification: Pending.
System Note: 'Sword Path recognized.'"
Her brows knitted. "You've formed a Path Trait already?"
"Last night," I said simply.
She stared for a moment longer, then nodded slightly. "The System favors you. You'll be given an advanced-level cultivation manual — though I doubt it will truly suit your nature."
"What kind of manual?" I asked.
She retrieved a thin black booklet from the shelf behind her and handed it over.
The cover shimmered faintly:
'Breath of Iron: Foundational Tempering Method.'
"Designed for balanced cultivators," she explained. "It tempers the body first, then the core. Standard issue for combat-oriented awakeners."
I took it, feeling the faint pulse of energy radiating from its pages.
Every manual carried traces of the Association's imprint — a fusion of spiritual script and System guidance. They were the bridge between knowledge and application.
"Thank you," I said, bowing slightly.
"Don't thank me," she replied, her tone faintly distant. "Thank the System — or curse it, depending on how your Path unfolds."
Any Awakened who have more than one affinity are classified as hybrid, they have to choose a cultivation manual where they can train all their affinity or go with tempering method which in his case happen to complement his awakened trait path.
But after reaching Rank 1 everyone can attempt a system given trial in which if they pass they can get custom/'system' made cultivation technique which will suit them perfectly and as for grade of said manual will depend on their performance.
Outside, Darek was waiting — grinning despite his earlier exhaustion.
"Got mine!" he said, waving a crimson-bound manual. "Fire affinity — Flameheart Tempering. They said it's a mid - grade method. What about you?"
"Breath of Iron," I replied.
He nodded approvingly. "Good one. Heard it helps with body resilience. You planning to start training tonight?"
"Maybe. "But even as I said it, my mind was elsewhere.
Last night's Sword Path still lingered in my thoughts. I could feel it beneath the surface, quietly resonating with my every movement. It was like the Path had intertwined itself with my mana flow.
I needed to test it further — alone.
That evening, I returned to the terrace. The city below shimmered with light — lanterns powered by mana-stones now burned brighter, cleaner, transforming Greenwood's skyline into something both beautiful and eerie.
I sat cross-legged, manual before me, and began reading.
"Breath is the bridge between body and core. To cultivate is to breathe the world into oneself — to circulate, refine, and strengthen the vessel."
The words pulsed faintly, as if alive. I followed the guidance, inhaling slowly. Mana seeped in — a trickle of cold fire filling my lungs. Then I exhaled, guiding it through my body as the manual described, tracing the meridian routes etched into the diagrams.
At first, it burned. A searing, twisting pressure. But slowly, the sensation changed — the mana began to obey.
It flowed through my veins like liquid light, strengthening, reinforcing.
[Cultivation Technique recognized: "Breath of Iron"]
[Basic Tempering: Initiated]
[Progress: 1%]
I smiled faintly. So it begins.
Hours passed unnoticed. Each breath deepened the connection, each circulation made the flow smoother. By midnight, the air around me shimmered faintly — mana responding instinctively to my presence.
Then something unexpected happened.
As my breathing synchronized with the sword lying beside me, I felt a flicker — a resonance. The Sword Path stirred.
[Path Resonance Detected: Sword Path ↔ Breath of Iron]
[Synergy: Compatible – Path will amplify training efficiency by 12%]
My eyes widened. The Path itself was assisting my cultivation. Not through brute strength, but by refining my control, my focus.
It wasn't just a trait — it was a teacher.
I gripped the sword once more and stood. My body felt lighter, my movements sharper. The air split cleanly as I swung. Once. Twice.
With every motion, my breath and blade moved as one.
Then the faint whisper of the System returned — calm, neutral, absolute.
[Sword Mastery Lv.0 → Lv.1]
[Comprehension Increased]
[Insight: "The blade mirrors the heart. To wield it, first still the storm within."]
[Training efficiency increased by 20%]
The wind quieted. For a moment, everything — the city, the stars, even my heartbeat — fell silent.
I closed my eyes, letting the words settle. It wasn't just about strength. It was about clarity. About walking a Path that could either forge me into something greater — or destroy me entirely.
And yet…Even knowing that, I couldn't stop.
Something inside me — perhaps from my past life, perhaps from the awakening itself — whispered that this was only the beginning.
As the night deepened, a faint notification shimmered at the edge of my vision — one I hadn't seen before.
[Hidden Quest Unlocked: "The Forgotten Blades of Aurora"]
[Objective: Seek the first echo of the Sword Path – Location: Unknown]
[Reward: ???]
I stared at it for a long moment. The System's cold neutrality was almost mocking — as if it already knew I'd accept.
"Forgotten Blades," I murmured. "So there are others who walked this path before me…"
The terrace wind whispered softly in response, carrying the scent of iron and rain.
I sheathed my practice sword, gaze fixed on the glowing city below.
Whatever this "System" truly was — divine, mechanical, or something in between — it was guiding us for a reason. And for the first time, I intended to find out why.
End of Chapter 5 – "The Weight of Intent"