The text in his vision flickered, then rearranged into a glowing interface.
[TECHCORE SYSTEM INTERFACE]
Operator: Adrian Borin
System Level: 1 (0/100)
Energy Type: Ambient Mana
Neural Stability: Good
AI Companion: [Inactive]
[You have gained the following starter perks!]
[Analyze (Basic Tier)]
>>Can identify the structure and composition of non-living materials.
Accuracy: 60% | Scan Speed: 2.5 seconds
[Tech Evolution Panel]
>>Growth paths are now unlocked. Future functions will evolve based on actions, recognition, and innovation.
Adrian was still starstruck by what he was seeing before a new line of text appeared on the holographic system menu.
[Initializing AI companion...]
A few seconds passed before the screen glowed up again.
[Hello, Operator Adrian. I am TECHCORE, your integrated AI assistant and system manager. I will now be accompanying your mental and strategic development from this point onward.]
'It talks. It really talks!'
"Can... can anyone else hear you?"
[Negative. All visual and auditory system elements are projected through your neural pathways alone. I exist within you.]
His heart thundered with excitement after coming to terms with the cheat he just got. His earlier pain, confusion, and humiliation were all forgotten in an instant. With this system, he could still become powerful as an engineer, and he was ready to give it his all.
"If magic is power, then I'll build my own."
Meanwhile, in the ballroom, everyone could only stare at Adrian as he muttered some words before suddenly collapsing on the ground.
Lady Mirenia was the first to react, as she rushed to her son in panic after realizing his sudden fall.
Lord Cedric barked something at the guards, but Adrian didn't hear it. He was already unconscious by the time they scooped him up and rushed him out of the hall.
The children's celebration ended in confusion, discomfort, and murmurs of pity.
Within the hour, the grand hall was emptied of guests, and the nobles — those of equal standing to the Borin house — gathered privately in the estate's council room for an emergency meeting.
Even though exempted from coming, the quadruplets still managed to eavesdrop on the meeting from the door, but it was mostly because their parents didn't mind.
"I must say, Lord Cedric," Baron Vyns, a broad-shouldered noble in silver armor began, "This matter is... deeply troubling."
"Yes," added another Lady, Rhonelle. "A child of your bloodline failing to awaken? It's an embarrassment. It reflects poorly on all of us."
Lord Cedric stood near the head of the long table with his fists clenched behind his back.
"This has never happened in the Borin line," he muttered. "Not once. It's not... possible."
"Our Adrian is brilliant," Lady Mirenia, who sat beside him whispered in tears. "He learned to speak fluently before the others, could read and write by two, and speaks like a scholar even now. You all praised him just today!"
Vyns scoffed. "And yet the orb showed nothing. Not even a fragment of mana."
"Your son is a Dud. He has no magic, and hence no future. What happens when word of this spreads? You will be mocked. And already, whispers are flying," Rhonelle added.
Lord Cedric slammed his hand against the table. "That's not my child."
Mirenia flinched as if struck. "What...?"
"I said it's not my child! No son of mine would bear my name without even a drop of mana in his blood!"
Tears streamed down her face.
"How dare you? He is my son. He grew in my womb. You think me unfaithful over a ceremony?"
The room fell into silence. No one dared intervene between them.
A long pause stretched, heavy with shame and grief, before Rhonelle broke it.
"...Regardless of how it happened, the facts remain. You have a Dud among you. The question now is... what do you intend to do with him?"
There was silence again. Then, Cedric spoke:
"You heard me. We send him away. Say he was taken in by distant relatives. The truth must be buried. He will be taken care of but not here."
Vyns nodded in approval. "A wise choice."
Rhonelle smirked. "Cruel... but necessary."
Lady Mirenia stood abruptly to protest. "I won't allow this."
Cedric didn't even look at her. "You will."
Outside the curtain, the four siblings remained still — each affected in their own way.
Fabian grinned faintly. "So the genius is getting thrown out. Can't say I didn't see it coming."
Diana scoffed. "Hmph. All that reading and not a drop of power. I hope he kept a book on how to survive."
Julian said nothing. His eyes only narrowed and his lips pressed into a thin line.
But Serena's fingers trembled as she clutched the curtain tightly. Her face was pale and her lips were parted in disbelief.
"No... they're... really going to do it?"
Later that night, Adrian woke up from the bed he had been laid on. He slowly sat up and the faint light of the moon illuminated the curious smile spread across his face.
"I really... have a system," he whispered, staring at the air before him.
He remembered the Orb though. The silence results in his shame. But then he remembered the voice and the gift that had brought him hope.
Adrian brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, letting out a long, quiet breath. Then, slowly he smiled and said softly:
"I lost magic, but I gained something better."
Adrian's thoughts were soon interrupted when the door creaked open, and a girl in the maid's uniform stepped into the room.
"I... I'm sorry to interrupt, young master. But Lord Cedric and Lady Mirenia request your presence downstairs."
"Alright," he replied with a polite nod.
The maid bowed politely and exited without another word, though he caught the way she glanced at him with something that felt like pity.
Adrian swung his legs off the bed and sat in silence for a moment and then the memory of what transpired hours ago replayed in his head.
'Right... I failed the Awakening.'