First Gate Down

"Narrative points?"

He muttered under his breath. In front of him was a system window, and he squinted his eyes as he gazed at it with such intensity. Deep down, he hoped that it would respond.

Ironically, it did respond by vanishing entirely.

"Tch."

He frowned. After a couple of seconds, he sighed as he sat straight on his bed cross-legged.

"Normally, there should be a 'shop' option or something. Where do I even use—"

Creak.

The door suddenly creaked open and he stopped mid-sentence. He turned his gaze toward the door and a servant carrying a tray stepped inside.

He immediately recognized the servant. It was the same one he first saw when he woke up back in the courtyard. 

Their eyes met.

"Young lord, you're… awake…?"

The tray slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor with a sharp clatter. The cup shattered as the faint smell of herbs filled the air. But she didn't even seem to mind it as all of her focus was directed towards Seven. 

Seven blinked. He was unsure how to respond as the servant quickly rushed over him and examined his body. She checked every nook, from his arms, torso, and all the way to his head. 

"...?"

She only stopped after the bandages wrapped on Seven's body fell off and revealed skinny ribcage and unblemished skin. The scar from that slab was gone…

The servant smiled.

Once again, Seven only tilted his head slightly. He didn't know if he should say something or simply let her process everything. But he knew ong thing for sure—the servant healed him during the days he was unconscious. 

Well, he knew as the system reappeared above the servant's head.

[Name: Iria]

[Main Talent: Healing & Buffs]

[Characteristic: Iria will put other people first before herself.]

"She's not a reader…"

A reader doesn't have a detailed characteristic like the one before him, but just a vague one like 'Seventh Reader'. Also, readers do have gifts like his protagonist system.

"...I could tell readers apart, huh?"

The servant, Iria, looked at him. Seven was staring blankly with his constricted eyes towards nothing. His gaze lacked focus.

"Young lord, are you… okay?"

He remained quiet. 

"Young lord…?"

"Ah, yes?"

"I asked if you were okay…"

"...I am."

It was an awkward reply as the words felt clumsy on his tongue. Even his voice came out quieter than he intended.

Iria stared at him for a moment before letting out a relieved sigh. She realized that as Seven just woke up, he might exactly not in the mood for a long conversation. Still, he couldn't help herself from asking more questions.

"Young Lord, do you feel any pain? You've been unconscious for seven days until just earlier. But when I came back, you're suddenly wide awake. Is there anything I can help you with? I can heal you. Do you feel any pain?"

Iria asked, rapidly! She was rapping. The only thing missing was beats and drums. 

"W-What…? I'm okay."

Iria's expression softened as she relaxed her shoulders.

"Thank goodness." 

They continued to speak for a while, or rather, Iria did most of the talking. She bombarded him with a lot of questions, though Seven's responses were short and awkward mostly around two to three words. 

Conversations were never his strong suit, even back on Earth. And now, in this world of novel he entered, it felt even more foreign.

Still, he could feel that Iria's kindness seemed genuine. But he really couldn't fully understand it. Was she relieved because of her devotion to her duties as a servant?

"Young Lord, I almost forgot. Lady Eden asked me to deliver a message."

"Sister did? What did she say?"

"For you to visit the knights' training grounds once you woke up." 

"Training… grounds?" 

"Yes."

Seven frowned. Why would Eden Hart want to meet him there all of a sudden? Was this part of the original story, or was this another change brought about by his survival?

But Iria continued to talk as she was oblivious to the thoughts that swirled in Seven's mind. 

Thankfully, it wasn't until… her gaze fell to the shattered tray on the floor that her expression shifted.

"Ah!" 

She gasped. Her face turned red as a tomato with embarrassment. 

"The tea!"

Seven followed her gaze and spotted the broken pieces of the cup, along with the puddle of liquid spreading across the floor.

"Was that… herbal tea?" 

He asked, though he already knew the answer. It was one of the most commonly mentioned drinks in the novel, favored by nobles and citizens alike.

Iria bowed, again… multiple times rather.

"Yes, Young Lord. I… I apologize. I'll clean this up right away." 

She scrambled to pick up the pieces. Seven watched her in silence, unsure whether to help or stay out of her way. He chose the latter.

After a few minutes, Iria finally finished cleaning up the mess. 

"Thank you for being patient, Young Lord. I'll leave you to rest now."

She stood up, bowing again before stepping toward the door.

"Don't forget what Lady Eden asked you!"

But before he could say anything, Iria paused in the doorway.

"Oh, one more thing!"

"...What is it?" 

"I heard Lady Eden is going on a big mission soon. You might not get another chance to see her before she leaves."

"..."

She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. He sat in silence as her words lingered on his mind. 

A mission? That detail hadn't been in the novel either, at least not that he could recall. What kind of mission was important enough to involve Eden? 

"Is this because of me? That I—"

Creak.

The door creaked open once more, and Iria peeked her head back inside.

"Oh, and Young Lord… I'm glad you're awake."

She didn't wait for a response as she quickly disappeared down the hallway.

"Glad…?"

Seven sighed as he leaned against the headboard of his bed.

"...Glad I'm awake, huh?" 

He muttered. He wasn't sure if he shared her sentiment. He then groaned as he forced himself to stand, and his legs were a little shaky after days of inactivity.

But as Seven stood up, a sudden chill ran through his left eye. The sensation was not painful, but sharp and cold. 

He instinctively brought a hand to his face.

"Theia's Eye…?"

Theia's Eye was, once again, a unique seventh artifact. He already activated it back in the forest, but he didn't get to savor it—power beyond ordinary sight. And sure enough, as he blinked, the world seemed to shift.

A faint fire-like glow flickered across his body. It wasn't an actual flame, but a vivid, swirling energy radiating outward.

"Aura."

Aura, the life force every true swordsman relied upon. It wasn't just a sign of strength but an essential tool for mastering combat at a higher level. But unlocking aura wasn't something that came naturally. 

According to the novel, one had to, at least, experience death—or, at the very least, an intense near-death experience—to awaken it.

That's what the author explained once.

"So it's real… After that assassination attempt, it seems like I've unlocked it."

Back when he first woke up in this world, he didn't even bother to check. After all, he was not sure if he died because he woke up here as he was sleeping back on Earth. 

He sat down cross-legged on the cold floor. He closed his eyes as he looked inward. Almost immediately, the outside world faded into silence. It was like plunging into a void where light and sound ceased to exist. 

Within that quiet darkness, something began to take form. The recesses of his being, Seven saw them. 

The seven faintly glowing gates. 

Each gate radiated a different kind of energy. 

Even their shapes were hazy and indistinct like they were shrouded in mist.

But one gate stood out among the rest: the first gate, known as the Sole Gate. The first gate that every swordsman unlocked first.

He recalled a line from the novel that described this moment perfectly.

[Every journey begins with a single step.]

He focused all his attention on the Sole Gate. 

The darkness around him seemed to grow heavier. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he concentrated. The gate loomed before him, as if it was daring him to push past it.

For a moment, doubt crept into his mind. Could he really do this? Was he even capable of opening the gate?

"I've already survived death. This is nothing compared to that."

He poured all his willpower into the gate. But the pressure intensified. The darkness seemed to ripple as waves of energy crashed against him. But he didn't let it push him up.

And then—

Crack.

A faint crack appeared on the surface of the Sole Gate, followed by another, and another. Light began to seep through the fractures, illuminating the darkness around him. 

Bang!

Finally, the gate shattered.

Seven gasped as a rush of energy surged through him. He opened his eyes. He noticed that the world felt sharper and clearer. He gelt like every sound and every flicker of light seemed more vivid than before.

Then, he noticed something new.

On his left wrist, a faint tattoo appeared. It was a simple, elegant design that resembled a bracelet. It glowed faintly with a silver hue and pulsed in sync with his heartbeat. 

He recalled another detail from the novel. Each time a gate was opened, a mark would appear on the body to signify the progress of one's aura mastery. 

The first tattoo symbolized the opening of the Sole Gate.

"It worked...?" 

He flexed his fingers, and began to savor the auro flow through him. wasn't much—just a faint flicker compared to the power he knew some characters wielded in the novel. But it was enough for now. 

Enough to keep him alive, at least.

"First gate down!"

Proudly, he stood up. Immediately, he walked towards the door without any hesitation.

"Now, let's visit my lovely older sister, Eden."