Soobin lay in bed that night, still feeling the sting of his injuries as his mom carefully applied ointments and wrapped bandages around him. The soothing, cooling sensation of the salves eased his pain, but it was nothing compared to the storm of thoughts swirling in his mind

His parents were no ordinary people, both were respected B-rank heroes.

Heroes were ranked from F to S, based on their abilities and accomplishments. F was barely above ordinary humans, while S-rank heroes were legends, often holding national or even global influence. The higher the hero's rank, the greater the resources, missions, and prestige they gained. For Soobin, growing up under the shadow of B-ranked heroes had always been bittersweet. He had always been made fun of for not having a spirit core. His parents knew that and always cared extra for him. There was also another reason he got even more ridicule, it was because of 'him' , but soobin didn't want to think about it right now .

His mother, Yuna, had contracted Aeris, a Silver-ranked Wind Elemental Spirit.

The rank of a spirit was a significant measure of its power, and Aeris, despite being a Silver spirit, granted Yuna incredible speed and control over the wind. She could summon powerful gusts to protect or attack, and her control over the winds was so fine-tuned she could cut through enemies with invisible blades of air. This power had pushed Yuna to the verge of A-rank, and many believed she would achieve that soon.

Spirits were ranked based on both their inherent strength and their rarity, starting from Bronze, Silver, and Gold , even the rarest Platinum rank. The spirit's rank played a crucial role in determining the hero's potential and power, alongside the hero’s rank itself, which ranged from F (the weakest) to S (reserved for the most legendary heroes). While many heroes boasted powerful spirits, the rank of the spirit was what truly distinguished them. Even B-rank heroes like Soobin’s parents, who were considered strong, hadn’t yet contracted spirits beyond the Silver rank.

His father, Seojin, was an expert in artifacts and refining materials, and he had contracted a Silver-ranked spirit known as Terros, a Golem Spirit. It gave him control over earth and metal, which was why he excelled at artifact creation and material manipulation. He had the ability to summon golems from earth and metal to fight for him and protect him.

Though both were in their forties, they looked as though they were in their mid-twenties. This youthful appearance wasn’t just natural. Spirit energy slowed aging considerably. Heroes with spirit cores, especially those of higher ranks, retained their youthful looks and lived much longer than regular humans. Soobin had seen it time and time again—heroes from across the world looking as though they never aged a day, their vitality extending well into centuries.

But none of that mattered to him. He had no spirit core, and without one, he couldn’t attend the hero academies or follow in their footsteps. His life had been mapped out to be a normal one, at least until the events of the previous night.

Soobin was exhausted. His mind, still swirling with the events from earlier, started to slow as he slipped into sleep. His last thought before drifting off was of the "status window" and the future it promised.

---

The next morning, Soobin woke up with the light streaming in through his window.

"Yawn.. ouch"

Groggily, he rubbed his eyes, his body aching from yesterday's bruises and the strain of what had happened. For a moment, he wondered if it had all been a dream. The ring, the sword, the status window... everything felt surreal in the morning light.

"Status window," he muttered hesitantly, almost afraid it wouldn’t work.

But there it was. The holographic screen blinked into view, its blue hue bathing the room in a soft glow. His heart skipped a beat. This was real. He scanned through the interface, going over every detail again

[Legacy Status Window]

Name: Soobin

Level: 1

Spirit Name: [Unavailable]

Spirit Rank: [Unavailable]

Hero Rank: [Unavailable]

Experience: 0/50

Attributes:

Strength: 4

Defense: 3

Agility: 5

Intelligence: 6

Bond Level: [Unavailable]

Skills Unlocked: [None]

Quests: [!]

Inventory: [Accessed]

He blinked. "It wasn't a dream… Holy crap."

Everything was still locked, but then his attention shifted to the blinking Quests tab. He hadn’t noticed that before. Pressing it, the window shifted and a new notification appeared.

[ Quest: Form a Contract with a Spirit ]

Rewards: 500 EXP, +4 Status Points

Soobin's eyes widened. The rewards were significant. Status points were used to increase one's attributes, like strength, agility, and intelligence, meaning this quest was crucial to his growth.

“So, this is the next step…” Soobin whispered to himself.

“I need to form a spirit contract.”

He swung his legs off the bed, now fully awake.

He grabbed his laptop, the sleek, futuristic device booting up with a soft hum. The screen glowed, its holographic interface displaying floating windows

"cool" he muttered, he then searched about spirits and spirt contracts.

Almost instantly, results flooded the screen. Soobin scrolled through the information.

Every child born with a spirit core undergoes the Spirit Contract Ceremony at the age of sixteen. Spirits were mystical entities tied to nature, elements, or even emotions, and they determined the abilities a future hero would develop. They were ranked based on both power and rarity. The ranks ranged from Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum. Getting a Platinum or higher rank spirit were extremely rare. most young heroes would be lucky to contract a Silver spirit at the start.

" Ah , i know these already" soobin said , as he went on deeper to search more,

The Tree of Life, a massive, ancient tree brimming with concentrated spirit energy, was where these contracts were formed. These trees existed in specific zones across the world , which were sanctuaries of pure spirit energy.

Soobin lived in Seoul, where one of the more prominent Tree of Life was located. In Korea, there were around 10 such areas. These sacred spots were often referred to as Spirit Sanctuaries or Lifeblood Zones.

They were highly revered and protected by the government, being the most significant places in the world. Heroes, the academies, and even the national defense heavily relied on the abundance of spirit energy around these trees.

Every month, a specific day was set for the Spirit Contract Ceremony, where newly awakened sixteen-year-olds would form their first spirit contracts. These events were a grand celebration, with heroes, families, and even leaders and recruiters from big guilds also attending. It was a big deal for the world—this was the day when future heroes were born.

Students forming contracts with High-ranking spirits often brought sponsorships from major guilds. Those with particularly rare or powerful spirits were fast-tracked for greatness. The lucky few would be recruited by guilds immediately, with offers of support until they graduated from the hero academies.

Soobin’s heart pounded. “I need to attend that ceremony,” he realized. “for that i need to form a contract first…”

The Academy was where young heroes would spend the next four years honing their abilities, learning about combat, crafting, alchemy, and other aspects of hero work. Every academy was a training ground for the future, and every one of them was built near a Lifeblood Zone, for obvious reasons.

"Ah how can I forget , even he's also there " soobin shrugged off his thoughts about 'him' again.

The academy was essential. It was where the protagonist in the novel grew stronger, where the main storyline unfolded. He needed to go there. He couldn't even think of going before because he didn't have a spirit core.

Now, though, things were different.

Also, there was also 'him'.

"Ah how can I forget , even he's also there.... whatever " soobin shrugged off his thoughts about 'him' again. The biggest concern right now was his parents.

He rubbed his temples, trying to think of how to approach his parents. They had believed for so long that he was ordinary. Now he had to convince them otherwise without revealing the status window.

' nothing will come by wasting time" soobin thought,

Deciding it was best to just face the situation head-on, he nervously made his way downstairs, still lost in thoughts.

--

Soobin hurried downstairs, his nerves starting to kick in. His thoughts raced as he imagined how his parents would react. He could hear also their footsteps coming from the other side. They were heading up the stairs as he was coming down.

' do they also want to talk about yesterday?' soobin thought

Just when they were like 5 stairs apart, they froze as their gazes met at the middle of the stairs. There was an unspoken tension in the air as if both sides had something important to say.

"I want to attend the Spirit Contract Ceremony," Soobin blurted first, surprising himself with the suddenness of his words.

At the exact same time, his mother, Yuna, also asked in a serious tone “Soobin, why do I sense a spirit core from you?”

Both Soobin and his parents stood frozen in the middle of the stairs, eyes locked in mutual shock. Their words had clashed in unison, revealing a truth that none of them were ready for.

' what??? a spirit core?'