After the special training ended, Noah woke up instantly from the otherworld into the real one. It was dawn, around 5:12 AM. He awoke on his hard, uncomfortable wooden chair, his back aching severely.
"Ughhh... from one pain to another," Noah thought as he groaned, standing up and stretching his arms, legs, and back to the point he could hear them cracking from stiffness and rigidity.
He looked around and found Neriah curled up on the floor like a ball, Enel sleeping comfortably in a normal position on his bed, and Sirius nowhere to be seen.
"Maybe he went out?... He'll be fine. Anyway, let's see what I got," Noah thought as he looked in front of him at the system screen.
[Skill: Aegis of Elysium (Rank A – Level 1)]
[Type: Conceptual Skill – Perception/Faith]
Classification: Active / Continuous / Passive
Description:
A crown of thorns floats above your head.
You no longer see people as people.
You see what they are.
---
[Active Effects:]
[Divine Separation]:
Automatically categorizes all visible individuals into one of three roles:
• Fools
• Pawns
• Telos
Roles are determined by instinct. They cannot be modified or hidden.
[Crownlit Verdict]:
Displays two percentages above each target:
• Faith – Level of internal faith toward you
• Love – Level of emotional alignment with you
Both values are dynamic and update in real time.
[Main Case]:
Assigns a dominant behavioral tag to each person
based on system observations. Visible only to you.
---
[Passive Effect:]
[Crown Barrier] (Passive):
You are continuously protected by a conceptual shield.
• High resistance to poison, curses, and soul-based interference
• Immunity to lingering side effects from mental or spiritual manipulation
• Nullifies status abnormalities caused by corruption, madness, or inner collapse
"Woooh, doesn't this sound exciting? Was all that exhaustion worth it for this skill? In combat, not really—I don't see much benefit. But in everything else, it's pretty useful. Especially that 'divine protection' or whatever it's called... yeah, that's worth it," Noah thought as he whistled in admiration while analyzing the skill.
"Maybe I should try it out?" he wondered, turning to the peacefully sleeping Neriah and Enel.
"Lucky me, lab rats," Noah smirked devilishly.
Just then, small windows appeared above both Neriah and Enel, displaying their traits and stats, along with a floating scale above each.
[Name: Neriah Grey | Age: 18 | Gender: Male]
Classification: Telo
Main Trait: Professional gambler, despises fate, worships luck, has a sister complex, obsessed with girls
Dream: To become a professional hunter to pay for his little sister's treatment
System Note: Loves talking about girls, especially in inappropriate topics, but even a good mention of his sister may trigger jealousy and deep hatred.
Faith: 79% – Convinced (believes your existence has meaning in his life)
Love: 80% – Loyal (willing to take risks for you)]
[Name: Enel Hale | Age: 18 | Gender: Male]
Classification: Telo
Main Trait: Shy, introverted, kind, innocent, obsessed with biology, hates his brother and family, loves Noah Grace
Dream: To become the greatest scientist and create the "Elixir"—a miracle drug that cures all disease
System Note: Loves talking about biology with Violet Nina and Noah Grace and seeks closeness with both through science. Hates talking about his family, especially his older brother.
Faith: 100% – Sanctified (sees you as a divine being)
Love: 100% – Bound Heart (cannot live without you)]
"So many questionable things… Both of them have weird dreams, and they're both classified as 'Telos.' I know the system judges people on instinct without my input, but it's surprising to see it mirror how I see them…" Noah thought, bewildered but somehow comforted.
"Neriah hates fate but loves luck—makes sense for a gambler. And Enel… he hates his family… Didn't Sirius say Enel was punished every time he used his skill in front of them? The Hale family is brutal, huh? And… why are his love and faith stats so insanely high? Isn't that... concerning?" Noah thought, uneasily.
[Character: Enel Hale – Faith and Love stats have increased significantly due to the host saving his life recently.]
[Character: Enel Hale views the host as a savior and divine being descended to rescue him at the destined time.]
"I-I see… That's a little scary. I hope he doesn't become as clingy as Sirius… Anyway, are there ranks that define faith and love?" Noah asked curiously.
[Yes. Faith levels are divided into 8 ranks:]
0–5% → Null — Denies your existence or relevance.
6–15% → Blind — Sees you, but attributes nothing to you.
16–30% → Skeptic — Aware of your impact, unconvinced.
31–50% → Acknowledging — Believes you are real and dangerous.
51–70% → Bound — Accepts you as a force. May follow without knowing why.
71–85% → Converted — Thinks your existence carries meaning.
86–99% → Zealous — Acts irrationally in your favor.
100% → Sanctified — Sees you as divine. No longer human in their eyes.]
[Love levels are also divided into 8 ranks:]
0–5% → Hateful — Despises you.
6–15% → Cold — Indifferent.
16–30% → Distant — Emotionally reserved.
31–50% → Neutral — Coexists with you.
51–70% → Caring — Likes or respects you.
71–85% → Loyal — Emotionally attached.
86–99% → Devoted — Prioritizes you above self-interest.
100% → Bound Heart — Loves you more than themselves. Identity is tied to yours.]
"It didn't have to be that complicated. I hope it doesn't expect me to memorize all this," Noah thought, a little annoyed and confused.
Just then, Sirius walked in through the door. Their eyes met, and an "Oh?" slipped from Sirius's lips.
"Noey-kun? You're up early," Sirius said with a gentle smile.
"Yeah, the chair was uncomfortable... Anyway, where were you all this time?" Noah asked curiously but with caution.
Sirius looked around silently for a moment, then walked up to Noah and suddenly hugged him.
"Is Noey-kun jealous because he think I went to meet a girl? Don't worry, you're my only darling," Sirius said with a silly grin, rubbing his cheek against Noah's.
"Get the hell off me!" Noah snapped, taking a step back.
"Aw, come on, don't be a tsundere now! I k-n-o-w you l-o-v-e me~" Sirius teased, blowing a kiss from his palm.
"I want to throw up!" Noah thought, flustered and mildly horrified. He looked down awkwardly—then a thought struck him.
"If Sirius acts like this around me, what would his love and faith stats look like? And what would I see in his profile?" Noah turned toward him to activate the skill—but his eyes widened in shock at what appeared.
[Name: █□█]
[Age: █□]
[Gender: █□□]
[Classification: Telo]
[Main Trait: █□□█□███]
[Dream: ██□█□□█]
[System Note:
What... █?.. is this creature...□□█... doing in this world??
█?█… □□█… ??█… ██??]
[Faith: ████ (Unmeasurable)]
[Love: ████ (Unmeasurable)]
"E-Excuse me? W-What does all this even mean?!" Noah thought, taking a step back instinctively.
[Information on character █□█ is obscured for reasons unknown to the system.]
[Suspected cause: intervention by █□□█□███, though this is considered extremely unlikely.]
[Host's mental state is destabilizing.]
[Passive effect 'Frozen Mind' is activating to maintain calm.]
"This is the same as what happened in the Nexus of Grey… that same fear and confusion, like I'm looking at something, not someone… something terrifying and unnatural!" Noah thought, feeling chills all over his body as if he were about to tremble violently.
"Noey-kun?... Oh, by the way, do you remember the assignment Ms. Elena funet gave us on magical theory? We're back to school tomorrow, and she's our first class," Sirius said with a goofy tone, as if trying to change the subject and sensing Noah's distress.
"Homework?... R-Right, I totally forgot about that," Noah muttered, holding his head from a sudden headache.
"W-We can do it tonight if you want," he added, voice shaky despite trying to sound calm. His anxiety was still obvious.
"No worries. I'll help you, so you don't have to stress," Sirius said reassuringly, perhaps trying to convey another message—but Noah didn't catch it or didn't react.
Just then, Neriah opened his eyes, waking up from the dream world to the real one—though whatever twisted dream he had, he now looked toward Sirius and Noah.
"What are you two doing up so early? Screwing around?" he muttered with a groggy, annoyed voice.
"Yes!"
"Go die!" both Noah and Sirius shouted simultaneously—one annoyed, the other playfully.
Neriah got up from his spot on the floor, stretched his back, and groaned like an old man.
"I can hear your bones breaking from here. Please be gentler with yourself," Sirius joked lightheartedly.
"Shut up, you pervert. At least I'm not a lunatic in love with another guy and trying to bang him," Neriah snapped, clearly directing the jab at Noah.
"Don't drag me into your arguments," Noah said flatly, glancing sideways at Neriah.
"Shut it. This is all your fault. You should've rejected Sirius from the start, but you just kept feeding his obsession and twisted fantasies! Huh? And why are you holding your head? Is it a headache or did you screw him that hard?" Neriah said, totally fed up.
"I wish that happened…" Sirius muttered quietly, unheard by anyone.
"You don't get to talk, old man! All you're good at is stalking girls and ruining emotional moments between boys! Just because you're one cough away from the grave doesn't mean you get to be a dick!" Noah finally lost his temper.
"Damn," Sirius muttered, amused by the chaos between the two.
"You didn't even deny sleeping with him! And what's wrong with stalking girls? Just because you lost your virginity young doesn't mean you get to ignore the blessings of thighs and boobs, you son of a—" Neriah snapped back, also completely losing it.
"…That's not even an insult, so I can't respond," Noah replied, baffled and stunned by Neriah's idiocy.
At that point, Enel finally opened his eyes, clearly annoyed from the shouting.
"Will you all shut the hell up before I toss you into a dragon's ass?!"