System Awakening

Yulan Calendar, year 9991, late autumn.

In the square before the Radiant Church in Fenlai City, carriages were lined up one after another, the sound of nobles exchanging pleasantries rising and falling in waves. Young boys and girls in fine attire followed behind their parents; some clenched their fists in nervousness, while others held their chins high in a pretense of composure.

I stood beside a black carriage, looking up at the towering Radiant Temple and taking a deep breath.

It had been three days since I transmigrated.

In my past life, I was a programmer who died from overwork, still debugging code in the final second before my death. Upon waking, I became Aikesi Yan, the direct descendant of the Akes Family in the Fenlai Kingdom. I am eight years old this year, and today I am here to participate in the magic aptitude test.

"Young Master Yan, do not be nervous." Cal, the old housekeeper by my side, bent down and looked at me with those cloudy yet kind eyes. "With your talent, you will certainly pass."

I nodded without speaking.

The Akes Family was an old noble house in the Fenlai Kingdom. Their territory was small, but they had been merchants for generations, accumulating considerable wealth. The original body's father was a shrewd businessman, and with his mother having passed away early, only this old housekeeper and a few servants remained in the household. Over the past three days, relying on the fragmented memories of the original body and information I had gathered, I had finally pieced together the basic situation of this world—

The Yulan Continent, the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the Radiant Church, and... the Baruch family.

Linley should be arriving soon, right? I thought to myself, my gaze sweeping across the crowd in the square.

I had read the original work three times and was far too familiar with this world. Dragonblood Warrior, the Four Ultimate Warriors, Grandpa Doehring inside the Coiling Dragon Ring... these names spun through my mind repeatedly. It was a pity I had transmigrated too late to catch the moment Linley found the ring.

"Entry has begun! Everyone, get in line!"

The priest's voice pulled me back to reality. The crowd began to move toward the interior of the church, and I followed the flow into the hall, my blurred reflection cast upon the polished marble floor. The hall was already packed; nobles gathered in clusters to whisper, while commoners and minor rural nobles consciously stood on the other side.

I scanned the room but did not see Linley.

That makes sense. He should be with Hillman; they might still be queuing outside. I withdrew my gaze and looked toward the testing area in the center of the hall.

The test was simple: first, measure elemental affinity, then measure spiritual energy.

A bald, elderly priest sat beside the testing platform, with a crystal ball and a hexagonal magic array placed next to him. One by one, the youths stepped forward; some left in disappointment, while others were excitedly led to the admissions personnel standing to the side.

"Next."

The youth in front of me walked out dejectedly, and I stepped forward.

"Place your hand on it," the old priest said without lifting his head.

I pressed my right hand onto the crystal ball.

In the next second, the entire crystal ball lit up.

A crimson radiance erupted from within the crystal ball like a flame, the blinding light forcing those nearby to squint. The light grew increasingly intense, and the old priest let out a cry of surprise, nearly letting go.

"Fire... Fire-type super-grade!" His voice cracked with shock.

A chorus of gasps echoed throughout the hall.

"Super-grade? Are the children these days all this monstrous?"

"The Akes Family? The merchant one?"

"Fire-type super-grade, a big shot is about to emerge..."

I ignored the surrounding chatter, my hand still pressed against the crystal ball. Just then—

Ding—

A cold, mechanical voice rang out in my mind.

[Host meeting criteria detected, Sign-in System activating...]
[Activation complete.]
[First sign-in triggered, current scene detected: Magic Aptitude Test.]
[Sign-in reward: Fallen Heart Flame (Heaven and Earth exotic flame, can be integrated into the body to enhance fire-type magic power, can evolve by devouring other flames).]
[Do you wish to claim?]

I froze for a second.

Then, without hesitation, I shouted in my heart: Claim!

The next second, a warm current surged from the location of my heart and instantly flowed through my entire body. That feeling... it was like a small flame wandering through my blood; it wasn't hot, but rather, it felt incredibly comfortable. I could clearly perceive its existence, as if it were always meant to be there.

"Young Master?" The old priest's voice pulled me back. "Are you alright? You can let go now."

I released the crystal ball and took a deep breath, struggling to keep my composure.

"Test your spiritual energy," the old priest pointed to the magic array nearby.

I stepped into the array, and a white light illuminated, a sense of pressure descending upon me. Radiant-type magic—Deterrence. I gritted my teeth and held on, but my mind was still on the system from a moment ago.

A Sign-in System. Sign in once a year, with rewards related to the scene. Signing in at the magic test today gave me the Fallen Heart Flame. What about next year? The year after?

This cheat was even more outrageous than I had imagined.

"Good," the old priest's voice sounded. "Spiritual energy, twenty times that of your peers, superior grade."

Another commotion broke out in the hall.

Fire-type super-grade, superior-grade spiritual energy, twenty times the norm—this data was absolutely in the top tier among today's examinees.

"The young master of the Akes Family?"

"Eight years old, fire-type super-grade, twenty times spiritual energy—this is material for Ernst Institute!"

Several recruiters had already begun moving in this direction.

Just then, another youth walked in through the entrance.

Brown hair, a determined gaze, and a sturdy middle-aged man following by his side.

Linley Baruch.

I recognized him at a glance. That look in his eyes, that posture, and the small bulge on his shoulder—Bebe must still be hidden inside his clothes. He walked up to the testing platform and placed his hand on the crystal ball.

Earth-yellow and cyan lights flared up simultaneously, dazzling and eye-catching.

"Earth element, Wind element, Super-grade! Fire element, Medium-grade!"

The old priest's voice rose to a new pitch.

The hall erupted into total chaos.

"Two? Two Super-grades appeared today?"

"One is Fire element, the other is dual-element; what have the children this year been eating to grow up?"

I watched Linley in the testing array, the corners of my mouth curling into a smile.

This is the protagonist of the original work. I have seen him with my own eyes.

During the spiritual energy test, Linley held on for a long time before finally dropping to one knee. The data appeared—eighteen times that of his peers, Superior-grade.

"Congratulations." As Linley walked out of the testing array, I took the initiative to walk over and extend my hand. "Aikesi Yan, Fire element."

Linley was stunned for a moment, then reached out to shake it: "Linley Baruch."

His grip was firm, and his eyes held a composure far beyond his years. I could feel him sizing me up—a young noble taking the initiative to strike up a conversation must seem a bit strange to Linley, who grew up in the countryside.

"You are very strong," I said. "Dual-element Super-grade, eighteen times the spiritual energy; Ernst Institute will definitely fight to have you."

Linley smiled, revealing his small canine teeth: "Your stats aren't bad either."

"We might be classmates in the future," I said.

No sooner had I finished speaking than a middle-aged man in white robes walked over, looking at Linley with a smile: "Linley, Ernst Institute sincerely invites you to become one of us."

At the same time, several recruiters crowded around me, all talking at once to introduce their own academies.

I waved them off, my gaze passing over the crowd to watch the scene of Linley accepting the red envelope.

Ernst Institute.

Sure enough, the gears of fate have already begun to turn.

When I walked out of the church, the sky was already turning dark. Old Butler Cal was waiting at the entrance, and seeing me come out, he hurried over: "Young Master, how were the results?"

"Fire element Super-grade, twenty times the spiritual energy," I said.

The old butler froze for a second, then his eyes turned red: "Good! Good! The Master will be overjoyed when he hears this!"

I smiled and said nothing.

Sitting in the carriage, I closed my eyes, feeling the warm flame within my body. The Fallen Heart Flame lay dormant quietly near my heart, like a sleeping beast cub. I could feel that as long as I willed it, it could be mobilized at any time.

[Fallen Heart Flame: A Heaven and Earth Exotic Flame. Can be integrated into Battle Qi or magical power to increase the attack power of Fire-element abilities. Can devour other flames to evolve. Current status: Juvenile stage.]

The system's voice rang in my mind.

Juvenile stage. In other words, it can still grow in the future.

The carriage swayed as it moved along. I lifted the curtain and looked back at the receding Church of Light. The crowd in the square had dispersed, leaving only a few lamps flickering in the night.

Linley must have left as well. Carrying that acceptance letter from Ernst, returning to his Wushan Town, seeing his father, and then beginning his legend.

And as for me—

I leaned back against the soft cushions of the carriage, a smile playing on my lips.

Three days since transmigrating, signed in the Fallen Heart Flame, made acquaintance with Linley, and entry into Ernst is a foregone conclusion. The door to this world has already opened for me.