Soobin sat on the edge of the bed, his heart still heavy with disappointment. The excitement of being in this new world had been exhilarating, but it had all come crashing down when he realized the truth about his situation. No spirit core. No powers. Just a boy trapped in an unknown world. Actually he was more bummed about not being able to use the spirit energy instead of the fact that he has been transported into a new world.

“Why me?” he muttered to himself, frustration creeping into his voice. The weight of his thoughts pressed down on him, and anger flared briefly before fading into resignation.

Taking a deep breath, he ran a hand through his black hair, willing himself to regain composure. "There's nothing I can do about that. I can’t change my past or this body’s limitations. I need to think ahead, find a way to make the best of this situation."

He started gathered his thoughts, brainstorming , thinking of anything that he could find useful from his memory of the novel. Suddenly, a certain memory jolted him. 'Wait... there was that ring!'

He remembered it vividly. It was during the early parts of the novel, when the original MC was wandering through a dense forest during training. He stumbled upon an artifact—a shimmering ring half-buried in the moss, alongside it was a shiny blue sword. When he reached out to touch it, sparks of flame danced along the surface, igniting his curiosity. Suddenly, a transparent screen had appeared before him, glowing a vibrant red. The message on it read:

'ERROR! Spirit Core Resistance Detected.

Legacy Artifact Malfunction.'

The MC had been taken aback, unsure of what it all meant, but the thrill of discovery had overshadowed his confusion. The ring had vanished and blew to dust after that, but he had taken the sword which was along with it—a gleaming weapon that had been left behind, buzzing with potential energy. It has pure light blue blade, and a white rim.

The sword was soon left behind in the dust by the mc because despite its good looks, it was useless. No matter how much he tried the sword could not be imbued with spirit energy when the mc tried to use it on battles. It just looked amazing.

It's as if it was kind of "locked".

What if that ring is still somewhere in this world? The thought ignited a flicker of hope within him. If he could find that artifact again, maybe it would help him unlock something.

With newfound determination, Soobin reached for his phone—a sleek, futuristic device that resembled a watch more than a traditional phone. The face of the watch lit up with vibrant holographic displays, allowing him to scroll through various apps with a flick of his wrist. He marveled at the advanced technology, muttering to himself, “damn this is so cool.”

He decided to head downstairs. As he descended, the luminescent plants in the hallway cast a soft glow, making the place feel almost ethereal. He found his mother in the living room sofa. A beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was working in her laptop, it was sleek, with a holographic screen.

It was still awkward for him, calling a random woman "mother" even tho he had regained all the memory of the previous owner." But still, he would choose this random lady over his real mother any day.

“Umm.. Mom, can I borrow some money?” he asked, a casual tone masking the urgency in his voice.

She turned, her expression neutral. “Son, You already have money in your digi wallet . Just use that. Did you finish it? Shall I give you more??”

“ ah..right..oh no no , there's no need mother.” Soobin hurried, glancing at his watch-phone. The screen showed a balance far more than he’d expected, enough for him to buy whatever he needed. This is so different from my old life, he thought. He had always struggled to make ends meet, but here, he had resources at his fingertips.

“Thank you so much,” he bowed, attempting to inject some warmth into his voice before leaving the house.

"Why are you so polite today my baby? You were behaving strange in the morning too.. are you in some trouble? Please tell me, mom can handle it!"

"No mom, it's nothing " soobin changed to more easygoing tone. "And thank you... for asking" soobin smiled , a bit of sadness in his eyes. it was his first time receiving warmth like this. "I'll come back late bye!" , He hurried out. His mother looked confused, and went back to working.

Stepping outside, he suppressed those unnecessary thoughts he was having . Rather he started to focus on the surroundings.He marveled at the world around him. The streets were alive with people moving about, and vehicles floated gracefully just above the ground, gliding effortlessly as if they were riding on air. The architecture was a blend of traditional and modern, with buildings adorned with intricate designs alongside sleek, futuristic structures. Billboards hovered above, displaying vibrant advertisements in holographic glowing screens that shifted and changed with every passing moment.

Soobin made his way to his father’s guild building, the Fairy of Flames, feeling a mix of anticipation and nervousness. He remembered the way to the building from his memories. It was a walking distance from where he was. The guild was a prominent establishment, ranked mid-sized among guilds in rankings but boasting a massive structure compared to normal buildings from his past life. His father's guild focused more on refining the spirit energy from the corrupted nuclei cores that came from killing monsters . In fact, they were one of the best refining places in the area, drawing attention for their expertise. The guild also focused on hunting and nuclei gathering, but their strength lied more on refining.

As he approached the guild, he noted its grandeur—a towering structure with an intricate facade, pulsating with spirit energy that seemed to hum with potential. Locations near guilds were filled with spirit energy.

Entering the building, he was greeted by the familiar scent of aircon and the faint sound of clashing swords in the training area. He approached the front desk, where a young receptionist sat, her eyes bright with curiosity.

“Oh hey! Soobin! What brings you here today ? Its been such a long time since youve been here. Shall i call the guild master for you?” she asked, a friendly smile on her face.

It was receptionist jane, she worked for the gill for a long time. She knew the old soobin really well.

“HI jane, nah, no need to call father, i just came to borrow something" he replied, trying to sound casual.

" what is it? anything for the guildmasters son" jane smiled.

"I was wondering if I could borrow a solid training sword for a while. I need it for some... practice”

She raised an eyebrow but nodded. “Sure! Just sign this form, and I’ll get one for you.”

Jane then calls somone,

Moments later, a worker arrived , carrying a sword with a polished blade that gleamed under the fluorescent lights.

"Here it is, remember to be careful with it, if u want i could have some of the guild heroes practice with you?" jane suggested.

" no no its okay, i..i wanna try some stuff alone, ill be return it by tomorrow, thanks jane!" Soobin hurriedly refused the offer.

" its fine , no hurry"

After filling out the paperwork, Soobin left for the exit, in his mind he kept thinking of the ring, "if it really is what it is, that I am thinking of .. it could change everything." Even if his hunch about the ring was wrong , there was still that sword. The sword had potential, "there is no way such an item would be useless. At the extreme , I could sell it to some collector. There's no harm in trying."

Jane saw soobins retreating back , as he was going out of the building, a bit of sadness in her eyes.

She knew he was a very talented kid, but without an energy core, he can't be an hero, no matter how much he trained.

With the sword resting comfortably at his side, Soobin stepped into the bustling streets, he had to find out whether the hunch he had correct or not.