"I awakened Lightning."
For a brief moment, there was complete silence on the other end of the phone, as if Mei Lin needed a second to process what she had just heard.
Then Mei Lin's cheerful laughter rang brightly through the receiver, full of excitement and genuine happiness that warmed even the cold silence around Du Shentian.
"I knew it!" she exclaimed happily, her voice bursting with pride and excitement, clearly thrilled that her big brother had awakened an ability she considered amazing.
Du Shentian did not reply immediately. Instead, he quietly listened to her laughter echoing through the small phone booth while he tried to calm the storm of emotions inside his chest.
After calming down slightly, Mei Lin eagerly continued speaking, her curiosity clearly overflowing as she asked another question without hesitation.
"Then what's your ability rank?" she asked with excitement, clearly expecting a good answer from the brother she admired so much.
"It's D-rank," Du Shentian answered quietly after a short pause, forcing his voice to remain calm and steady despite the bitterness tightening inside his chest. "The same as Big Brother Liang Zhen."
The moment she heard that, Mei Lin became even happier, as if his answer had confirmed all the hopes she had been carrying since morning.
"I knew you would awaken a good ability!" she said proudly. "I just knew it!"
Her voice was filled with pride and admiration, and the warmth in her tone made Du Shentian's heart ache even more.
"I'm going to call all our siblings over right now," she continued excitedly. "You can tell them yourself!"
But Du Shentian immediately stopped her before she could do that.
"No… not right now," he said quickly, trying to sound natural while hiding the pain behind his words. "I can't talk to them at the moment. I need to go to the Awakener Association to register as a member and also borrow some cultivation techniques."
Without waiting for her reply or giving her time to question him further, Du Shentian quickly ended the call.
After cutting the connection, Du Shentian remained seated inside the small phone booth while the cheerful warmth from the conversation slowly faded away, leaving only a heavy silence around him.
He slowly lowered his head.
A bitter feeling rose inside his chest, spreading through his entire body like a cold wave that refused to disappear.
He had lied.
He had lied to his own little sister.
"What else could I have done…?"
Inside the silent phone booth, Du Shentian kept his head lowered while the sound of distant wind blowing through the ruined district outside echoed faintly in the background.
If he had told Mei Lin the truth — that he had only awakened an F-Rank Weak Lightning ability — what would she have said?
He already knew the answer.
She would have begged him to come home immediately, telling him that risking his life as an awakener was not worth it.
She would have told him not to fight demonic beasts anymore and reminded him about what had happened to Big Brother Liang Zhen.
"Don't try to be a hero," she would have said with tears in her eyes. "Look what happened to Big Brother Liang Zhen."
But Du Shentian had no choice.
If he truly wanted to protect his family and change the miserable fate they had been trapped in for years, then he needed power and money more than anything else.
That was why he had lied.
And the reason he ended the call so quickly?
Because if he had spoken to the rest of his siblings…
He would have cracked.
He would have cried his heart out in front of them.
And he could not afford to be weak.
Back Home
Mei Lin quietly placed the phone back into its holder, carefully trying not to make too much noise while still feeling excited about the conversation she had just had.
Suddenly—
A hand touched her shoulder from behind.
"Ah!"
She jumped in surprise and nearly lost her balance before barely managing to steady herself.
Alice immediately burst into laughter when she saw Mei Lin's reaction.
"Why are you acting like a thief?" Alice teased with a grin while crossing her arms playfully.
Mei Lin glared at her in annoyance.
"What are you doing sneaking up behind people like that?!" she complained while trying to calm her racing heart.
Alice shrugged casually.
"I should be the one asking that question. Who were you talking to just now?"
"…Du Shentian," Mei Lin answered after a moment of hesitation.
Alice's expression instantly changed the moment she heard his name.
"He called?!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Why didn't you call me over? I wanted to talk to him too!"
"He was in a hurry," Mei Lin replied quickly. "He said he needed to borrow cultivation techniques from the Awakener Association."
Alice crossed her arms and sighed slightly.
"Fine then," she said. "At least tell me what ability he awakened."
Mei Lin hesitated for a brief moment before answering.
"…Lightning type. D-Rank."
Alice immediately let out a relieved sigh after hearing that answer.
"Well, at least that's not bad," she said.
"It's the same rank as Big Brother Liang Zhen," Mei Lin added proudly.
The moment Liang Zhen's name was mentioned, Alice's expression suddenly darkened.
"Liang Zhen also awakened a D-Rank ability two years ago… and look at him now."
Her voice became heavy as she spoke.
"The awakened world isn't kind," she continued quietly. "Death hides in every corner of that path."
Then she asked another question sharply.
"Did he join any battalion?"
Mei Lin froze.
She had completely forgotten to ask him about that.
Seeing the expression on her face, Alice immediately understood the answer.
"You forgot to ask, didn't you?" Alice said with a sigh.
Mei Lin frowned stubbornly.
"What's so good about battalions anyway?" she argued. "Big Brother Liang joined the Azure Wolf Battalion, and look what happened to his legs!"
"Don't talk like that!" Alice snapped immediately.
Their raised voices quickly attracted Lin Hao and Chen Wei from the other room.
"What's going on?" Chen Wei asked while walking closer.
Alice quickly explained the situation to them.
Mei Lin repeated stubbornly, "Azure Wolf Battalion didn't save Big Brother, so what's the point of joining a group like that?"
Chen Wei gently shook his head.
"Joining a battalion increases your chances of survival," he explained patiently.
"A lone awakener usually dies much faster," Lin Hao added calmly.
After discussing it for a while longer, Chen Wei eventually told Mei Lin gently that she should go rest.
"It's already three in the afternoon," he reminded her. "You always take a nap around this time."
Mei Lin was indeed starting to feel sleepy.
Reluctantly, she turned around and went to her room.
After She Left
Only Chen Wei, Lin Hao, and Alice remained in the living room after Mei Lin left.
Then—
Liang Zhen quietly entered the room.
All three of them turned their heads toward him.
"How much of our conversation you heard?" Alice asked.
Liang Zhen sighed softly.
"I heard enough."
"The past is already the past," he said calmly. "I survived because Brother Blind saved me. That is all."
Alice frowned slightly.
"I still feel like something suspicious happened with the Azure Wolf Battalion," she said quietly.
Liang Zhen's eyes suddenly became serious.
"Don't pry into battalion matters," he warned them firmly. "Battalion Lords are powerful people who can destroy people like us without even trying."
"We are weak."
"So we have to stay silent."
After a brief pause, Liang Zhen asked softly,
"Du Shentian… did he sound sad?"
Alice slowly nodded.
"Yes," she said quietly. "Something felt wrong from what Mei Lin told us about him. She also told us that he didn't talk a lot or joked around like he usually do."
Meanwhile…
Ten minutes later, Du Shentian had finally managed to calm his emotions.
Then—
He felt something strange.
A faint pull deep inside his body.
It felt as if something far away was calling him.
Without even realizing it, he began walking toward the source of that strange feeling.
Soon, he arrived at a ruined district.
Collapsed buildings surrounded a massive crater in the middle of the street.
Inside that crater—
A giant wolf lay on the ground, howling loudly in pain.
Its massive body trembled violently as if it had been seriously injured.
Du Shentian's eyes narrowed when he saw it.
If he managed to kill this demonic beast and extract its demonic core, he could sell it for a large amount of Union Coins.
This could be his opportunity.
Slowly and carefully, he drew the sword that Brother Blind had given him.
Step by step, he quietly approached the wolf from behind.
The wolf did not notice him.
Du Shentian gritted his teeth tightly.
Then he suddenly thrust his sword forward.
Straight into its butt.
Suddenly—
A blinding light exploded from the wolf's body.
Its massive form twisted violently before rapidly shrinking.
Its fur disappeared.
Its entire shape began to change.
Standing before him—
Was a woman.
Luo Xinyan.
Du Shentian's heart nearly stopped beating.
Luo Xinyan.
One of the strongest Awakeners in Dragon Sanctuary 007.
Her ability—
A-Rank Beast Transformation.
He had just stabbed an A-Rank awakener.
In the butt.
His face instantly turned pale.
"I'm dead…"
Then—
A glowing blue interface suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Cold.
Sharp.
Ancient.
[Ding! Congratulations host on awakening the Transcendence God System.]
Du Shentian blinked slowly.
"…What?"
Another window appeared in front of him.
Achievement Unlocked: Butt Maniac (1-Star)]
Requirement Completed:
• Pierce one being's butt (1/1)
Rewards:
• Achievement Points +5
• Title Granted
A third panel materialized before him.
[Title: Butt Maniac (1-Star)]
Effects:
• +5% Damage when attacking from behind
• +3% Critical Chance on butt attacks
• Additional Effects: Locked
Du Shentian stared at the floating blue screens with a completely blank expression.
His brain slowly processed the situation.
First, he stabbed an A-Rank awakener.
Then he awakened a mysterious system.
And now…
He had a title called Butt Maniac.
His eyelids twitched.
"…This system is definitely mocking me."
Behind him—
Something moved.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Du Shentian felt a terrifying pressure suddenly descend from behind him, like an invisible mountain crushing his entire body.
Cold sweat ran down his back.
A calm yet icy voice echoed behind him.
"Explain."
Du Shentian slowly turned around.
And met Luo Xinyan's eyes.
End of Ch 7
If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider supporting the story with Power Stones and adding it to your library. Your support helps the novel grow!