People always think the noble houses have it easy-resources, wealth, power. Their arrogance proves it, their cowardice confirms it. And most of these whispers are true.
But the rumors miss something darker, something that festers beneath their opulent facades.
Most of them are psychopaths.
Their madness doesn't stem from their riches or their power. No one bothers to imagine what it's like in their shoes. No one considers the horrors these gilded cages conceal.
Imagine this: murdered by your own family at the age of five or ten-an offering so one among your many siblings might Awaken. Your last memories would be screams-your brother's, your sister's-sharp, shrill cries that choke out mid-sentence, silenced forever.
Your hands are bound. Your eyes are veiled. You can't see, but you feel everything. You hear the gurgling sobs, the wet thud of a blade, the low murmurs of your parents, calm and pitiless. You shake, thrashing against the bindings. You cry, plead, scream-but nothing stops the slaughter.
The smell of blood floods your senses, its sticky warmth spattering your skin. Then, it's your turn. You flinch as hands grip you. The first cut is agony-if you're lucky, it's swift. Some aren't so fortunate. Some are carved apart over and over, each blow mangling what's left of them.
Wouldn't that break you? Wouldn't that make you into a monster?
That's the truth no one whispers: a grotesque inheritance, a barbaric tradition that serves as the initiation into noble life. To be born into a powerful family is to receive a death sentence before your first breath.
But don't worry-it's not all hopeless. If you survive the Awakening Ceremony, if you emerge from the butchery alive, you transcend humanity. You become one of the Awakened: a being of unthinkable power.
You might wonder if such power is worth it. But before long, you won't.
Because soon enough, you'll do the same to your children. To your many, many children, born to your many wives. You'll wield the same knife, hear the same cries, watch the same horrors- and feel nothing at all.
That's what it means to be a noble.
Although the rituals differed from clan to clan, the savagery remained unyielding, a constant that painted some of them as monsters in Jin's eyes. That was the thought that gripped him when he saw her for the first time.
"The next contestant... Lady Astra Gabriel, princess of the esteemed Gabriel clan."
The examiner's voice boomed, reverberating through the hushed crowd.
Jin's attention snapped to the figure that emerged—a woman clad in gleaming silver armor that caught the light like liquid starlight. Each step she took toward the testing ground was deliberate, commanding, her presence suffused with an unspoken authority.
He swallowed hard, the dryness in his throat betraying the tension in the air. His glowing crimson eyes followed her every movement, drawn irresistibly to the sword fastened at her side. Its intricate hilt hinted at centuries of craftsmanship, and the weapon seemed almost alive as she unsheathed it in one fluid motion. The blade sang faintly as it caught the air, an eerie prelude to what was to come.
Her face was hidden behind the intricate design of her helmet, leaving Jin to speculate. The smooth contours of her armor did little to obscure the elegance of her form, and he couldn't help but imagine the beauty concealed beneath the steel. Nobles were often striking, their appearances cultivated like rare jewels, but Astra carried a presence that transcended mere beauty. It was primal and magnetic—an irresistible force of nature that captivated all who beheld it.
"She's like a bloodthirsty beast."
Jin murmured, the words escaping his lips before he could stop himself.
Even as he spoke, he knew that description didn't do her justice. She wasn't just a predator. She was a storm given form, a harbinger of something both terrifying and alluring. And she had everyone's undivided attention.
"A bloodthirsty beast, huh? You're not wrong," Mira remarked, her lips curving into a sly smile as she leaned closer.
"Just look at her—Lady Astra of the Gabriel clan," someone in the crowd whispered, their voice tinged with awe.
"Yeah, they say she became an Awakened at just three years old," another chimed in, barely able to contain their admiration.
"And mastered the sword by the age of six. Oh, and don't forget—she perfected spiritual energy control by nine."
"She's a genius, no doubt about it,"someone concluded, their tone reverent.
"Of course, she's the strongest in her clan and one of the finest of her generation."
The murmurs of the crowd swirled like a tide, a collective buzz of gossip and admiration, their eyes fixed on Astra with unwavering fascination.
Not waiting for the frenzied crowd to settle, the examiner promptly began the test. With a signal, the monster confined in the magical cage was released.
The creature was nothing short of terrifying. Even the crowd paled at the sight of it. Through the murmurs and hushed whispers, Jin learned that it was a high threat level 2 monster—the strongest one used in the tests so far.
'Seems like this is going to be interesting.'
A faint, excited smile tugging at his lips. After all, this was his chance to obtain some new Skills and Arts. Opportunities had been scarce for him while stuck in the Nameless Domain. He'd even asked Albedo to show him some of his Skills, only to be flatly refused. Jay had few Skills to offer, and Luke trained alone, leaving no openings for Jin to Copy his Arts or Skills.
'I wonder… can I even Copy his Demonic Arts?'
The question flitted across his mind, but before he could delve deeper, the test had already begun.
The monster, a wolf-like beast, was an imposing figure with a pair of menacing horns jutting from its head. Its dark gray fur bristled with a predatory energy, and its razor-sharp claws and fangs gleamed in the light. It began circling Lady Astra, searching for an opening. Stripped of its natural hunting habits of ambush and stealth, it opted for direct aggression.
But Astra stood motionless, not even glancing at the creature. To an untrained eye, her stillness might have been mistaken for fear, but Jin could tell this was something else entirely—a calm born from absolute confidence in her ability to kill the beast with ease.
The monster eventually lunged, claws extended in a deadly arc toward her back. But before it could strike, Astra vanished, reappearing in the sky above with a graceful leap.
[Battle Art: Cloud Walk]
Hovering in midair, her spiritual energy flowed from her feet, forming thin, almost translucent platforms that served as footholds, enabling her to step on air itself.
[Trait: Copy]
Jin's grin widened as his crimson eyes glowed faintly.
'Thank you for such a useful Art.'
Balancing on the invisible platforms, Astra coated her blade in spiritual energy, her movements impossibly swift as she slashed downward. The resulting strike unleashed a wave of powerful energy that tore through the air toward the beast.
[Sword Art: Sword Flash]
Jin's eyes narrowed as he recognized the technique.
'It's the same one he used…'
[Trait: Copy]
In the blink of an eye, the monster's head was severed from its body. The execution was so clean and precise that it took a moment for the crowd to process what had happened. Then, as if a dam had burst, they erupted into cheers and applause.
The examiner declared Astra victorious, her name instantly appearing on the Monster Killing Board. She had secured the third position, completing the task in just two seconds.
A notification from the Cube announced Jin's acquisition of two new Arts.
'Cloud Walk is a Tier 1 Art, and... Sword Flash is a Tier 3.'
Jin carefully analyzed the descriptions.
'Thankfully, sword flash don't have a minimum spiritual energy requirement. Its power increases with the amount of spiritual energy infused into it.'
While he was engrossed in evaluating his newly acquired Arts, the next contender stepped forward, though Jin missed their name amidst his focus.
It was a boy with messy green hair and a trembling stance. He wore translucent glasses, which should have revealed his eyes, but the reflection of the arena lights obscured them from view. Jin studied him briefly.
'Is he afraid?'
Jin wondered, his crimson eyes narrowing. Even the crowd, which had been buzzing with gossip moments earlier, fell silent, offering no hints about the boy.
[Unique Skill: Seer of Unseen]
As the monster was released, Jin activated his unique skill to observe more closely. But before the test could even properly begin, the beast was dead.
The arena erupted into confused murmurs.
"What happened?" someone in the crowd shouted, their voice laced with disbelief.
Jin, however, had seen everything clearly—and the sight left him speechless.
"What a terrifying technique !"
Mira commented, her eyes narrowing in disbelief.
"Yes, it is !"
As soon as the monster was released, the boy had raised his hand. A pulse of spiritual energy flowed outward, connecting with the creature.
[Mystical Art: Inner Carnage]
The spiritual energy within the monster became violently unstable. In an instant, the beast's own energy condensed into countless blade-like structures that erupted outward, piercing its body from within. It was a grisly and instantaneous death.
Jin's jaw tightened as he watched, realizing something crucial.
'I couldn't copy it. It must be a Tier 3 Art—but stronger than Sword Flash within the same tier.'
The boy, unbothered by the gasps and murmurs around him, walked off the stage without a word. His name flashed on the Monster Killing Board with a recorded time of 0.4 seconds, placing him in second spot: Mural Azazel.
"Was he scared... or just running on adrenaline?"
Jin wondered, still marveling at the sheer lethality of the boy's technique. The crowd, equally stunned, remained in awe.
"Alright," the examiner's voice broke the silence, "now for the final test taker... Lord Nyx Asmodeus."
Jin's usually calm, analytical crimson eyes burned with uncontrollable rage as the name echoed in his mind.
"Nyx... Asmodeus... What the fuc—!"