"…No way."
The ring sat quietly in his hands, its dark metallic band wrapping around a pearl that he'd seen before. There was no mistaking it.
The Ring of Gentle Requiem.
For a second, Minjae just stared at it, his mind refusing to catch up with what he was seeing. He turned it once between his fingers, expecting it to dissolve into pixels or flicker out of existence like everything else in the simulation.
But it didn't…it was real.
"…How is this even possible?" he muttered under his breath.
Artifacts can't exist from simulations. That wasn't how Battle Arena worked. Hell, it wasn't how simulations worked to begin with. Everything inside those instances was reconstructed data—perfect imitations, yes—but imitations nonetheless.
So why the hell is this in my had right now? His grip tightened slightly as a thought crossed his mind.
Remnants of Dungeon mana…?
It wasn't impossible. There had been rare cases, stories back then really, of items manifesting under strange conditions. But those were tied to actual Dungeons, not simulated ones.
Minjae let out a quiet breath, slipping the ring back into his pocket for now. Regardless of how it got there, one thing was certain:
It was valuable.
Artifacts from the Invasion Era weren't just collector's items. They were national treasures, even used in wartime to change the course of battles.
Problem is…what the hell does this item even do?
Minjae pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts before stopping on a familiar name.
Han Minwoo, his friend and university student who practically lived and breathed Dungeon history and artifacts. If there was anyone who could make sense of this, it'd be him.
His thumb hovered over the call button for a second.
Then he lowered it. "…I'll deal with it tomorrow."
Right now, his head was a mess. Between the tryouts, the match, the memory in the Cathedral, and now this…he didn't trust himself to think clearly.
With that decided, Minjae swung his leg over his bike and started the engine. He just about clipped the strap of his helmet into place before pulling out of the lot and making his way home.
***
By the time he got to his apartment, he could barely walk up the flight of stairs to his unit and open the door. The usual routine of throwing keys into the tray and jacket onto the floor was done and Minjae plopped onto the couch once more.
"…Man."
For a while, he just sat there, staring at the ceiling. Then, slowly, his hand reached into his pocket again.
The ring.
He pulled it out, holding it up against the dim light of the room. The pearl shimmered faintly, almost like it had a life of its own.
Minjae turned the ring around again and again, looking for anything—some kind of engraving, a mechanism of some kind or a hint.
But still…nothing.
"…Figures."
He let his arm fall back onto the couch, the ring resting loosely in his grip as his eyes drifted shut for just a moment—
…
Zzz.
Zzzzzz…
Zzzzzzzz….
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"KANG MINJAE OPEN UP!"
His eyes snapped open immediately. "…What the hell—?"
Before he could even sit up properly, the knocking came again, louder this time.
"Minjae! I know you're in there!"
He groaned under his breath, pushing himself off the couch as he dragged his feet toward the door. "Alright, alright, I'm coming—"
The moment he opened it—
"YOU MADE IT!"
Cho Chaewon practically burst through the doorway, grabbing him by the shoulders as the plastic bag in her hand clinked softly with cooled beer.
"…What?" Minjae blinked.
"You made it into Lunaris, idiot!" she said, shaking him once for emphasis.
"…Huh?"
His brain lagged for a second, trying to process the words.
"I mean—yeah, obviously you would, but still!" she continued, already walking inside like she owned the place. "You should've seen your face just now. Absolutely hilarious."
"Chaewon-ssi…"
That's when Minjae caught another figure standing just right behind her, wearing the exact same suit that Minjae saw him wear this morning.
"...Manager Seongjin…?"
Manager Choi Seongjin stood at the doorway, one hand in his pocket as he let out a quiet sigh.
"…You were supposed to let me handle that."
Chaewon waved him off. "Oh, c'mon, it's not like it changes anything."
"It can't be helped now," Seongjin sighed. "Congratulations, Minjae-ssi. You've been selected for Lunaris."
"..."
"..."
"Wait, really?"
A short laugh escaped Minjae before he ran a hand through his hair. "Well…damn."
Chaewon snorted. "That's your reaction?"
"I mean, I was expecting a call or something," he shrugged. "Not you kicking down my door."
Seongjin glanced around the apartment briefly before speaking again. "Well, Chaewon-ssi insisted on delivering the news to you in person..."
"Of course she does."
"If you don't mind," he continued. "We can go over a few things regarding your contract?"
"…Right now?"
"If possible."
Minjae looked between the two of them before sighing lightly. "…Yeah, sure. Come in."
"Pardon me."
A few minutes later, the three of them were seated around the small table in Minjae's living room with a couple of opened bags of chips and beer placed between them.
Chaewon had already made herself comfortable, leaning back in her chair as she popped open a can.
Seongjin himself seemed a bit less professional and a bit more loose. Still, he remained calm, placing a small stack of documents onto the table.
"We'll keep this brief," he said. "Your role, expectations, and living arrangements will all be outlined here."
Minjae nodded, skimming through the papers.
Standard stuff…Training schedule, team obligations, media appearances…
His eyes paused at a single word mentioned in the contract. "...Captain?"
Seongjin nodded once. "With authority given to me by the higher-ups of Solaris. I've decided you to be the best candidate as the Captain of Lunaris."
Minjae slowly lowered the papers, staring at him.
"…You're serious."
"Completely."
"…Why?" Minjae asked flatly.
Chaewon raised an eyebrow slightly at the question, but didn't interrupt.
Minjae leaned back slightly, crossing his arms. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. But I'd like to know the reason."
He stared over at his childhood friend. "…And I hope it's not because I'm friends with her."
Regardless of how drunk I was at the time…
Seongjin simply took a swig of his beer before answering. "I value results and potential. You have both."
"Me? The Stat Gambler?" Minjae held his gaze, unconvinced. "Cut the crap, Seongjin-ssi."
"Why did you choose me out of thousands of applicants?"
Manager Seongjin sighed before finishing his beer and crushing the can, throwing it aside. "Then…allow me to be more direct."
"I appraised your status, Minjae-ssi."
"..."
For a split second the notification flashed through his mind.
[WARNING: AN UNIDENTIFIED TARGET IS TRYING TO ACCESS YOUR STATUS]
"…That was you," Minjae muttered.
The manager nodded. "I used an artifact to do so. My apologies. I'm aware that Awakened tend to be…sensitive about things like that."
Chaewon blinked, pausing mid-bite. "Wait—you can do that?"
"It's a national treasure called Dokkaebi's Eye," Seongjin said. "It's lent to Battle Arena teams by the South Korean government for recruiting purposes."
"Yeesh…sounds important," Chaewon said through a mouthful of chips.
"It is," Seongjin replied with a small nod, his gaze shifting back to Minjae. "Dokkaebi's Eye can only be used once a month. Teams have to apply in advance just for the chance to borrow it."
"..."
Minjae looked down at his hands, which were now trembling just enough for him to notice, before looking up at the manager.
"Why use something so precious on me?"
The room fell quiet, filled only by the soft crinkle of the chip bag in Chaewon's hands as she slowed unconsciously as well.
Manager Seongjin leaned backwards, placing both hands behind him as his gaze drifted past Minjae and toward the sliding glass door that led out to the balcony.
"Well…" he said after a moment. "Call it a gut feeling."
"Ever since I was a kid, my gut feelings have always been right," Seongjin continued. "It got me to where I am now."
"And it led me to find you…owner of the Analyze skill."
Something about the way Seongjin said it…felt less like praise and more like confirmation. But Minjae decided to ignore it.
Chaewon's eyes narrowed the moment the word left his mouth.
"…Analyze?"
Her head snapped toward Minjae, the casual energy she'd been carrying a second ago gone almost instantly. "Since when did you have something like that?"
Minjae hesitated. He hadn't exactly planned on explaining this—or until he learned more about it, anyway.
Seems like cat's out of the bag. But…it should be okay if it's Chaewon.
"…Since the accident," he said finally.
Chaewon blinked. "What?"
"The one that put me in the hospital," he added, leaning back slightly. "When I woke up… it was just there."
"..."
"That's not how it works," she said, frowning. "You awaken once. Everyone knows that."
"I know," Minjae replied. "That's what I thought too. But it's real. I tested it, and it works exactly how it says it does."
After a moment of small back and forths, Seongjin finally spoke. "It's rare but not entirely impossible."
Both of them turned toward him.
"Secondary awakenings have been recorded before," he continued calmly. "Though most cases aren't well documented. The last case was recorded almost a hundred years ago."
"There's usually one common factor among them."
Minjae's eyes narrowed slightly. "…Which is?"
"Lineage."
"More specifically," Seongjin added, "Awakened with blood ties to the Chaos Era."
Minjae frowned. "…What does that have to do with anything?"
Seongjin said softly, placing a finger onto his chin. "When mana density was significantly higher, and the connection between humans and the system was…far more direct."
"People from that time were defined by their Awakened abilities. And they were much stronger than today's Awakened."
Chaewon let out a small breath. "…You're saying this is hereditary?"
"In some cases," Seongjin nodded. "Yes."
Minjae stared at him for a second, the information slowly settling in his mind.
"...If such a thing is to be believed," Manager Seongjin leaned forward, placing both hands together, gaze locked onto Minjae—
"Do you have any family members… who were active during the Chaos Era?"