The Awakening Error - The system's Greatest Error

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, there was no immediate battle.

Ethan and Ronan sat on a rocky outcrop, overlooking a vast valley below. The sky stretched wide above them, painted in hues of orange and violet as the sun neared the horizon. A cool breeze carried the scent of wild grass, rustling softly against their skin.

It felt… unreal.

"I still can't believe we're just sitting here," Ronan muttered, lying back on the rock. His arms stretched behind his head, but his legs bounced with pent-up energy. "After everything, just resting like this feels wrong."

Ethan, seated cross-legged, smirked. "You make it sound like we're war veterans."

"Might as well be."

Veyrn, a short distance away, remained silent, his gaze distant. He was perched atop a thick tree root, a small flickering flame hovering over his open palm. He didn't look at them, but his voice was clear.

"You think battle is the only way to grow?"

Ronan raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it?"

Veyrn closed his hand, extinguishing the flame. "That's why you're both still weak."

A weight settled in the air.

Ethan and Ronan sat up straight.

"Strength isn't just about fighting," Veyrn continued. "If you don't understand yourself—your weaknesses, your limitations—you'll never reach your true potential. That's why we're here."

He gestured toward the landscape. "Nature doesn't rush, yet it masters everything. If you're so desperate to fight, then at least learn why you fight."

Ethan's fingers curled slightly. He understood the lesson, but something in Veyrn's tone felt off.

There was weight behind his words. Like they weren't just for them—but for himself, too.

As the sun dipped lower, Ethan and Ronan finally started to relax.

But then—

A sharp snap echoed through the trees.

Ethan's body tensed. His senses, honed from weeks of near-death situations, flared with warning.

Veyrn didn't move. He merely exhaled, as if he had expected this.

From the shadows of the tree line, figures emerged—mercenaries.

Five men, each wearing battered but reinforced armor, their weapons glinting in the fading light. The one in the center, a scarred man with a crooked grin, stepped forward.

"You two have been hard to track down," he said, his voice laced with amusement. "The Arena had a big bounty on your heads. Do you have any idea how much gold we lost when you survived?"

Ronan rolled his shoulders. "Guess you bet on the wrong outcome."

The leader chuckled. "Not this time."

Without another word, he signaled—and the mercenaries attacked.

Ethan and Ronan didn't hesitate.

The moment the mercenaries moved, so did they.

Ronan's Clone Strategy:

In a flash, three clones materialized—each infused with a different trait.

One clone dashed forward, feinting a strike before disappearing, leaving the mercenaries exposed.

Another clone slammed into their legs, toppling them like dominoes.

Ethan's Resonance:

He extended his senses, tapping into the environment.

As a mercenary lunged at him, Ethan resonated with the ground beneath him—a sudden tremor threw the attacker off balance.

He followed up with a sharp strike, knocking the man unconscious.

Within seconds, three of the mercenaries were already down.

The remaining two hesitated. They hadn't expected this level of resistance.

One turned to flee—

THUD!

Veyrn didn't even move.

The fleeing mercenary suddenly collapsed, his body far too heavy to stand.

The last man standing froze. His eyes darted between his fallen comrades and the three warriors before him.

And then—

A slow, deliberate clap echoed through the trees.

From deeper within the forest, a towering figure stepped forward.

Unlike the mercenaries, his presence was suffocating.

He was massive, his arms reinforced with strange metallic bands, his expression unreadable beneath a thick hood. The air around him felt thicker, as if his mere existence weighed upon them.

Ethan clenched his fists. "This one's different."

The Boss.

"You handled my men well," the man rumbled. His voice was deep, steady, and utterly unfazed. "But they were never meant to win. They were just a distraction."

Ronan frowned. "A distraction for what?"

The man's grin widened. "To see what you're truly capable of."

And then he moved.

The Boss's Trait—"Iron Impact":

He reinforced his entire body, making himself denser and stronger.

Every step left cracks in the ground, every punch could shatter stone.

Ethan and Ronan fought back.

Ronan's clones struck at his blind spots, but they vanished upon impact. The sheer force of the counterattack was enough to disperse them.

Ethan resonated with the air, trying to disrupt his opponent's balance—but it wasn't enough.

The boss barreled through their attacks, grabbing Ethan by the arm and hurling him through a tree.

Ronan barely dodged a follow-up strike, sweat dripping down his brow. "This guy is a monster!"

And then—

Veyrn stood up.

"Enough."

The boss barely had time to react before—

His body locked in place.

He struggled, veins bulging against his skin, but it was pointless.

Ethan, still recovering from the impact, watched in shock.

Veyrn hadn't even touched him.

"You reinforced your body with mass," Veyrn said, his voice neutral. "That was your mistake."

With a simple flick of his wrist—

The boss was launched backward, smashing into the trees with enough force to leave a crater.

Unconscious. Defeated.

Veyrn dusted off his hands. "Pathetic."

Ethan and Ronan stared.

Not just at what Veyrn had done.

But at how easily he had done it.

---

7. A Night of Revelation

Later, as they sat by the fire, Veyrn finally spoke.

"You wonder why I took you in," he said.

Ethan and Ronan nodded.

He exhaled. "Because once, I was like you. Weak. Helpless. No one believed I would amount to anything."

A bitter smile flickered across his face. "But I learned something. Power isn't given—it's built. No one is born strong. You carve your strength from the world around you."

He looked at them, eyes sharp. "That's why I'm teaching you. Because you remind me of myself."

Silence.

Ethan clenched his fists.

This was only the beginning.

And Veyrn was preparing them for something far greater.