Trust lightly.

That phrase from his missing parents bounced in his head as Caesar reached for their iron safe. His trembling hands dug under the floorboards, fingers groping for a lock. There. He narrowed his eyes in firm resolve. The lock clicked and the safe opened. He cupped the small golden apple into his hand and rolled it around. All opportunities came with tribulations, and this would merely be the first.

“Identify,” he whispered.

[Item]: Mysterious Golden Apple

[Rarity]: Unknown

[Effects]: Unknown

Caesar frowned. That gave him nothing. But he knew that this apple meant a lot to his late parents, and they ordered him to not touch it, nor even think about it, until his eighteenth birthday. An impossible feat – their solemn tones had lingered in his ear for eight years.

Now, he understood their intentions. A catalyst could awaken abilities once a person was eighteen. For most people, a common Awakening Potion would be all they could afford. Whatever this apple was filled Caesar with fear and doubt about his parents’ final words and their absence.

My son, you must prepare yourself. Soon we will be forced to leave you for a long, long time. It is a… possibility that you may never see us again. I want you to remember this, Caesar. Know your limits, but never stop moving. Once you reach eighteen, level up as fast as possible.

Yet, trust and a little bit of hope to see them again lingered in his heart. He pushed all thoughts to the back of his mind and threw the apple into his mouth. The fruit melted into his stomach. His body relaxed and collapsed. His mind eased and he stopped thinking.

[Notice]: Your soul has been thoroughly washed, curing its injuries. +5 Willpower. +3 Spirit. Spell [Greater Soul Wash] associated with Mysterious Golden Apple.

When Caesar came to, day replaced night. His excitement had died down. He lay there blinking with long, steady breaths on the floor, taking his time to recover.

He looked at himself. “Identify.”

[Notice]: Congratulations! You have awoken your power and leveled up to Level 1! +2 Free Stat Points

Caesar

Level 1: 2 Free Stat Points

Ability: (Essence Crown) Dominate (A) – Rank 1

Strength: 6

Agility: 6

Vitality: 7

Magic: 5

Willpower: 9

Spirit: 6

He furrowed his brows in confusion. What was this? Two abilities? There was no information about this from school. He checked the system messages in more detail.

[Dominate (A)]: An ability that provides a +2 bonus to all stats except Spirit and allows the user to replicate enemies killed below one’s level when active. Chance of success per kill is low. The limit is one monster’s replica held at a time. Dominated creatures cannot have abilities but can have skills. They preserve their stats and level but cannot level themselves. Summoned monsters can be commanded with simple to intermediate orders.

This one should be fake. Caesar looked at his first ability.

(Essence Crown): Steal the essence of enemies slain to power the crown. Mark enemies up to your rank to bind their essence cores and summon them after slain. Store up to five cores at a time and summon a maximum of two. Hold up to two marks. Replenish marks with time.

Interesting. He aimed to discover the exact intricacies of his powers. Grabbing his spear from under his bed, he slung it over his back and walked out the front door from his bedroom stairs.

Caesar’s neighborhood appeared decent at a glance. Bleak and smooth, the neighborhood homes stood as serviceable living spaces but nothing more. Rows of generic two-storied houses built with some generic construction ability lined the sides of the path and his home happened to be nearest to the path that led outside the city.

Not far from here existed a sprawling forest, dubbed “the Wilderness” by locals, due to the vast stretches of unexplored territory, vicious beasts, and dungeons that littered the area. Various strongholds were constructed near these dungeons, and the Wilderness sufficed as both a home and a business for many.

“Hey!” Caesar shouted. A nearby carriage driver was collecting his toll from three other people, armed men. Seemingly quite professional, the team glanced at him and looked away. “Got any room left for one more?”

“That’ll be two silver coins.”

He handed over his fee after the others had gone onto the carriage first. As he stepped into the six-person carriage, he noticed a man and a woman around his age. The man wore a neat black suit with glasses, a silvery-white tie, brown pants, and dark brown leather shoes. The woman wore a beautiful, gemmed dress with a moderate verdant tone, similar shoes, and a bright smile. Both were hazel-eyed blonds. Both looked wealthy. And here, wealth meant power. He avoided their eyes and tilted his head downward.

“Are you here for university too?” asked the man with a smile.

Caesar shook his head. “I’m headed for the Wilderness.”

“Oh. Are you not enrolling?”

“Not now, but hopefully in the future.”

“Ah.” The man tilted his head slightly. “I’m Arnold, and this is Lily. I thought you were like us. Most people don’t venture into the wilderness without a power.”

Caesar nodded to acknowledge his words. Indeed, most people would be content with toiling away in a more normal and safer environment until they earned enough to awaken their power without the risk. Only the brave and foolhardy ones, as told by his teacher, would choose to comb the forest for valuable catalysts, let alone the even riskier depths and dungeons.

“I’m Caesar. I’m just getting some combat experience with wolves.”

Arnold nodded. Comfortable silence filled the rest of the ride.

-----------------

He chose to exit the carriage halfway to the stronghold, into a rank zero zone.

“Wait. I noticed you didn’t take any healing with you,” Arnold said. He reached into his suit and pulled out a small red vial. “Take this, just in case.”

Caesar nodded his head in thanks and walked into the trees. For hours, each step tapped light, careful, and slow. He made sure to keep his eyes on any threats hidden in the trees. His vision swiveled from left to right, while he made sure to keep his movements slow and steady. Each breath, smooth and short, kept him quiet and alert.

With nothing heard, he stepped further into the forest. Many an adventurer had met his doom from surprise ambushes within the dense undergrowth. Poisonous snakes, insects, and plants could deal a good amount of damage and debilitate even the hardiest rank zero adventurers. But the presence of other people worried him more.

Caesar’s journey stopped when he heard shuffling in the bushes. He slowed down, readied his spear, and crept forwards. Two gray wolf heads with sunken eyes popped out. They scanned the area for a few seconds, then moved out. Their limbs grew spindly and their bodies small. Obvious bone could be seen, and their fur was messy.

He smiled. Perfect prey. Within his mind, a certain energy pulsated around his body, especially near the top of his skull. Caesar lightly pushed at that energy with his thoughts and strength rushed into his being. A glowing red sphere appeared above his head, alerting the wolves to his presence.

Strength: 6 -> 8

Agility: 6 -> 8

Vitality: 7 -> 9

Magic: 5 -> 7

Willpower: 9 -> 11

“Identify.”

Gray Wolf – Rank 0

[Rarity]: Mundane

As he charged in between the wolves, Caesar gripped his spear with both hands and thrust it leftwards into the first wolf’s chest. It stumbled backward in panic while his swift mass barreled into the wolf and pinned it to the ground. He felt his spear hit the dirt and quickly rebounded onto his feet to fend off the second wolf. However, it was already bolting away deeper into the forest.

Caesar looked back at the first whimpering wolf, marked it with a hazy black aura, and finished it off. A black wisp rose from the wolf’s body and vanished into the sphere. He closed his eyes and felt the presence of the wolf in his mind. He shook his head lightly and opened his eyes again. Raising his hand, he called out to it.

One…two…three. Suddenly, a wolf that looked hale and hearty materialized next to Caesar. None of its earlier signs of malnourishment were present. Instead, it appeared at the peak of its life. Its muscles stood strong. Its gray fur bristled and shone, contrasting with the dark green forest. Standing tall on all fours, its jaws looked as if they could tear the prior wolves in two. Most notably, its size dwarfed the previous wolves.

The wolf sniffed the air and pricked its ears in the direction of the other wolf. It looked into Caesar’s eyes and howled softly. His eyebrows shot up. Was this the difference between his actual ability and Dominate? The clear signs of intelligence within the beast’s eyes completely contrasted with the description provided by the system. He nodded his head at it. In response, the wolf sprinted in the direction of the malnourished wolf.