-- Gutlark Town, Olwinter 30, 1565 NC. --
Eight years. It had been actually eight years. Since the soul of Kaine Smith fused with the soul of Spark Nighthawk.
The memories of Kaine Smith's past life were hazy now. It was like looking through dirty glass.
But the core lessons remained etched into his being. For the powerless, betrayal was inevitable. You could only rely on yourself. And power was the ultimate currency.
Eight years of living as Spark Nighthawk had changed him profoundly. The plump, grieving noble kid was gone. In his place stood a mountain of a man. A 209 cm of solid muscle and 182 kg of raw power. An intimidating giant, covered by the mask of friendly smile.
The Physical Power Boost he had received upon transmigration had given him a naturally Tough Physique. It was a foundation he had built upon with fanatical dedication.
His training wasn't the standard noble fencing or light combat drills. It was self-adjusted, brutal strongman workout.
It became even extremely more effective as he combined it with the Primal Foundation Cultivation. A technique developed from his elder brother's legacy, the Versatile Foundation. A technique he had optimized using the huge knowledge from the Rune Encyclopedia in his mind.
This technique was unlike the common Universal Sky Cultivation taught in school. It didn't seek to elevate one dominant aspect of a person. Instead, it was designed to forge a balanced, indomitable base. By strengthening soul, mind, and body in equal measure.
It was slow, excruciating work. It demanded insane calorie intake only his newfound wealth could consistently provide. But the results were undeniable. He wasn't Awakened yet, not officially. But he could already stand toe-to-toe with many who were.
And the wealth. Oh, the wealth. He was loaded.
He was not just 'comfortable' rich. He was obscenely wealthy. It was all thanks to a ruthless application of business sense gleaned from his past life. And the inherited capital.
Selling off large chunks of his family's legacy businesses provided his initial war chest. He kept just enough shares. Ten to twenty percent. Enough to retain influence and a healthy income stream. Without being involved in day-to-day management.
The real genius was where he put the money. Instead of consolidating into one big business, he scattered it like seeds.
He was investing in nearly a hundred small, promising ventures. The ones his father had noted or that Spark himself identified.
It was either he had great judgement in business or sheer, baffling luck. Six failed. Only six, out of a hundred. Better yet, fourteen exploded. Becoming market leaders. The rest were stable, profitable earners.
He was a major silent partner in many industries. Spanning from restaurant chains, real estates, ship building, exotic goods trade, deep-sea mining, and even advanced rune etching workshops.
He never flaunted it. He was operating mostly through proxies and carefully managed accounts. Publicly, he was just the large, genial, slightly eccentric young Lord Nighthawk. Someone known for his size, strength, and surprising brilliance in Rune Study.
...
Today was the Awakening Day. The last day of the year. The single most important day for any eighteen-year-old in the Avianest Kingdom.
It was the day you stepped onto the altar. And learned if destiny had marked you for power. If you lit a light, you were Awakened. If not, you were left behind, relegated to the ranks of the Mundane.
Gutlark Awakening Hall was packed with nervous teenagers, watchful parents, and bored officials. Spark, or 'Brother Giant' as some of his less formal acquaintances called him, stood head and shoulders above everyone.
He was radiating a friendly yet casual confidence. It seemed quite out of place amongst the fidgeting crowd. But no one seemed to feel it was strange.
Teachers and students alike offered nods and greetings. His reputation as a rune prodigy preceded him. His brilliance in the field was acknowledged even by the legendary Professor Alk Blackherd from the capital.
Still, he'd deliberately kept his performance in other academic subjects average. Being a genius in one or two fields was useful leverage. Being a genius in everything was simply painting a target on your own back.
And Spark Nighthawk was not crazy or stupid enough to make himself a target for many. This was also why he had never shown his true wealth.
...
The ceremony began. One by one, the teenagers approached the circular altar.
A nervous boy stepped up, placed his hand on the smooth stone. A flicker of red light. Framepath. A Warrior. Relief washed over his face.
A girl followed, hands shaking. A soft white glow. Soulcraft. She was a Sorceress. Cheers erupted from her family section.
A boy lit up blue light for Technomind, marking him as an Engineer.
For several turns no light was lit. The teenagers standing on the altar were mundane people. Their faces falling as the altar remained dark.
The ceremony continued on. Many were not lighting any light. Occasionally, mix of single lights illuminated the floor.
Spark observed that only two teenagers lit two lights. One lit red and blue lights, creating a purplish hue. Identifying him as the rare Mech-Knight.
Another one drawing white and blue lights. Yielding a pale blue mixture. A sign for another rare Technomancer.
These dual-affinity individuals were rare. Their potential was greater than the others. However, their training costs were also much higher.
Spark kept watching. His mind was ticking, reviewing the three main power systems.
Soulcraft. Its main characteristic was taming fairies. And then temporarily fusing with them to gain magic crest. It allowed the host to access and use 'magical spells'. Its cultivation focus should be strengthening the soul via breathing techniques.
Technomind. Its main feature was using mystical gears from corespheres to build engines and artifacts. Its cultivation focus should be developing mental power via visualization.
Framepath. It was signified by fusing with monster's genetic bloodline for physical boost and ability to do half-monster transformation. Its cultivation focus should be on extensive physical training to withstand the bloodline fusion impact.
Spark felt a quiet certainty. His own training regimen had touched on all three. His Soul Power Boost, Mental Power Boost, and Physical Power Boost were directly aligned with the core requirements for all three power systems.
Finally, it was his turn. The attendant, a small, wiry man who barely reached Spark's chest, gulped slightly as the giant approached. Spark stepped onto the altar. His massive frame momentarily eclipsing the ceremonial structure.
He placed his hand flat against the stone.
Nothing happened. For a few heart-stopping seconds. Some in the crowd muttered. Had the physically imposing young lord somehow missed the mark entirely?
Then, they bloomed. Not sequentially, but simultaneously. A brilliant white light flared up from the center. A piercing blue from the left. And a vibrant red from the right.
All three erupted at once. Surging high over the altar. Bathing Spark in overlapping hues.
Gasps rippled through the hall. Whispers followed immediately, tinged with awe and envy.
A Jackmaster. The rarest results of all. Affinity for all three paths.
Spark felt no surprise. This was the expected outcome of his Primal Foundation Cultivation. Of the balanced boosts he'd received. It wasn't a shock. It was confirmation.
The crowd saw impossible potential. Spark saw a logistical challenge. Three paths meant triple resources. Triple training complexity. Triple costs.
But true to his nature, Spark didn't flinch. He smiled instead. Cost? Money wasn't an issue for him. Complexity? He had the intellect and the rune knowledge. A cheat code for efficient solutions.
The official at the altar, a stout man with a shocked expression plastered on his face, finally found his voice.
"S-Spark Nighthawk! A Jackmaster! Unprecedented in Gutlark history!"
Spark simply smiled and nodded. Stepping off the altar. The awe and whispers followed him. He accepted three small, standard-issue pouches.
They were containing the basic 'awakened starting set'. A low-grade coresphere. A vial of weak fairy compass. And a simple bloodline compatibility test kit. Useless trinkets for someone like him. But he took them anyway. Protocol was protocol.
As he smiled expertly and navigated the congratulatory but wary glances, Spark's mind was already calculating.
The three paths...
Framepath aligned perfectly with his current physical focus and toughness.
Technomind was a natural fit for his prodigious rune knowledge and mental power boost.
Soulcraft was the wild card. The path he knew least about from a practical standpoint.
However, he had completely prepared everything. He had known that he had a high chance to be a Jackmaster after all.
First, for monster bloodlines for Framepath. To avoid mutation, he would indeed need to 'test compatibility'. But the freebie bloodline compatibility test kit was not enough.
He had a better test kit at home. The legacy of his elder sister's research. Optimized by his self-created, scientific rune device.
He had already tested himself. In fact, he had prepared a carcass of a monster for his first Framepath Fusion.
He knew his body should be enough to handle 3rd-tier monster fusion. But, to be save... he had prepared a 2nd-tier monster carcass with 92% compatibility. It was already abnormal to fuse with 2nd-tier for the first stage.
For Technomind and Soulcraft, he had also prepared his resources. Now, it was time to go home and complete his awakening. As soon as possible.
He was adult now. Those vulture relatives who were targeting his wealth would make a move soon. And he had prepared. But the preparation would be better with him stronger. So, again, it was time to complete his awakening.