Tenebrous Wolf

The Awakening Mandatory Program concluded once everyone had been tested. In the end, only two individuals successfully awakened, becoming Ascendants. Even if the chances of awakening were slim, this bunch was undoubtedly a complete failure, no matter how you sliced the cake.

A wave of young graduates flooded out of the military base with defeated expressions. It was an understandable reaction.

Their dreams had been shattered the moment they failed to awaken. They knew what awaited them were menial jobs under some Corporation if they were lucky enough to survive.

Whatever the future held, one thing was certain: they no longer had the right to dream big.

Among the retreating crowd was a black-haired young man, distinct from the others. He wore a long-sleeved black suit with a simple red skull design, paired with blue jeans and white sneakers. While those around him radiated despair, he exuded an air of indifference, casually scrolling through his smartphone.

An old-model earpiece rested in his ear, playing the latest hit song. He had been saving money, but it wouldn't be long before he replaced it.

What now? I never expected to awaken, so my plans have been completely thrown off course.

Now that I was officially classified as an Ascendant, challenging the Shadow World is inevitable.

To survive, I needed to be fully prepared and properly equipped.

I could use the government funds I had just received to buy equipment, but rushing into it felt unwise.

I don't even know what's good or bad yet. I wouldn't be able to separate gold from trash. Not to mention, all the good stuff would be ridiculously expensive.

In other words, I would have to compare both two or more low-quality items. What a hassle. Being broke is truly a sin.

I also have to comb through the Information Hub provided by the government. Even if it only contained basic details, it was better than nothing.

I also need to understand my abilities better. The awakening ceremony didn't leave any room for testing. A controlled environment would be ideal.

Despite appearing engrossed in his phone, Klaus was carefully plotting his next course of action.

After all, he had only a month before he was due at Ascension Academy. It was an institution that, despite its almost fictional-sounding name, was established and funded by the government to train newly awakened Ascendants. Its purpose was to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to survive the Shadow World.

During this one-month period, he would be free to do whatever he wanted. In truth, this period was one of preparation, not relaxation.

The $10,000,000 sitting in his account was proof of that.

It was the largest sum of money he had ever possessed, and while he could squander it on trivial luxuries, that would be a foolish mistake. Of course, running away with it wasn't an option either as any attempt to escape would end in swift capture and punishment.

Klaus knew better than to waste time. Every decision he made this week would determine his future.

I have all the money I wanted, but I can't even spend it on myself. What a cruel irony. Or should I simply call it misfortune?

He suppressed a bitter smile and continued his stride.

A few steps later, he arrived at his trusty home. The moment he opened the door and glanced around, a heavy sigh escaped his lips.

Klaus lived in a cramped one-bedroom apartment, barely big enough to fit a single bed, a kitchen and a desk. A TV was built into the wall, but he only used it as background noise and never actually watched anything.

The only thing he truly relied on was his laptop on top of the desk, which he had painstakingly assembled from spare parts he salvaged from a garage.

This was his reality. The best his warrant could afford.

With no one to rely on, he had learned to survive on his own. Part-time jobs, small side gigs, and a few hard-earned survival tricks kept him afloat.

Still, if not for a stroke of luck, his friendship with the landlady, his rent would have been beyond his means. It was only thanks to her generosity that he could afford this place at all.

Well, I'll be leaving this hellhole in a week anyway. Coincidentally, my rent is also expiring, so I won't bother renewing it.

He had already informed the landlady, eliminating any room for misunderstanding.

Maybe I should get her a gift before I leave, as a small token of appreciation.

It didn't have to be much. A simple flower bouquet would suffice.

She had been alone ever since her divorce. Has it already been ten years?

Leaving something behind might help ease her solitude.

I should be able to afford that much, right?

With another sigh, Klaus stepped inside and took off his shoes.

His gaze fell on the single suitcase lying open on his bed.

Without wasting time, he walked over to the wardrobe, pulled back both handles, and began packing. One by one, he folded his clothes neatly before placing them inside the case.

A month was plenty of time to prepare, but getting things in order early never hurt.

In fact, if there was one thing he despised, it was disorder. Given the way he had lived his life so far, he couldn't afford to be careless. Any lapse in organization only led to more problems he had no interest in adding to his already long to-do list.

After finishing his packing, leaving only the clothes he needed for this week, he closed the wardrobe and walked over to the stationary desk.

He opened the drawers one by one, checking for anything he might have forgotten to pack. As he shut the first drawer and pulled open the second, something caught his eye.

"What is this? Wait… Isn't this—"

Klaus picked up the item, a vague sense of familiarity washing over him.

It was a thick, heavy book, weighing about half a kilo. Its black cover bore the image of a massive skull, or perhaps the head of a demonic entity, surrounded by strange lettering.

Such a book he would have already thrown away, but it was something that he couldn't discard easily.

"I wonder why my parents left something like this for me. Of all things, an eerie book? I've never been a fan of this kind of stuff. Besides, didn't the government seize all books related to the demon race?"

Like any ordinary child in this world, he had a mother and father. After all, it took a man and a woman to create a child, Klaus was no exception. The problem was that they had died when he was young, leaving his memories of them blurry.

Everything had been normal until the day government officials knocked on his door. Without explanation, they handed him this strange book. They merely announced his parents' deaths and stated that this was the only thing they had left behind. Afterwards, they left.

At the time, he was too young to understand. All he could do was cry. But as he grew older, doubt crept in.

The only thing his parents left behind was a stupid book?

Who in their right mind would believe that?

Klaus certainly didn't. He was sure they had left behind something of value such a smoney, assets, anything. But there was nothing.

That meant one of two things: either his parents truly had nothing, or the government had taken everything.

He was willing to bet on the latter.

That was when his trust in the government began to crumble. No, scratch that. If he was being honest, he had never trusted them to begin with.

They were all selfish and had their own agenda.

Even though they were the defenders of humanity, they couldn't be trusted on a personal level.

Klaus scratched the back of his head and muttered,

"Forget the government. What am I supposed to do with this book? I can't throw it away, and for some reason, I can't even open it. Selling it isn't an option either, who'd buy a book that won't open?"

How many times had he attempted to open this book?

Truth be told, he had lost count and couldn't recall them. He had pried at the cover until his fingers ached, slammed it against hard surfaces, even resorted to more extreme measures such as fire, blades, acid. Nothing left so much as a scratch. It was as if the book was made from some invincible material.

He hadn't told anyone or reported it to the military, because he thought it was something important. Much to his misfortune, he hadn't been able to open the book.

"I remember asking some of my buddies online for advice. Not surprisingly, none of them believed me and thought I was just messing around. A few even joked that maybe it needed blood to open."

Klaus had scoffed at the idea at first. Why would a book need blood? But then again, this thing was already beyond reason.

Was it possible…?

Pushing aside his doubts, he headed to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and returned to the desk where the book lay motionless. He raised his hand over it and pressed the blade's sharp edge against his thumb, but hesitated before making the cut.

What if this doesn't work? Wouldn't he just be cutting himself for nothing?

But deep down, Klaus couldn't shake the feeling that this book, the only thing his parents had left behind, held some kind of secret. If the government had returned it to him, that meant they had already analyzed it and deemed it useless. Yet, the fact that it remained completely undamaged despite his attempts to destroy it suggested otherwise.

It had to be more than just an ordinary book, something far beyond normal comprehension.

Something like his Primordial Devouring Tenebrous Wolf Attribute.

And if that was the case… maybe he might even gain something from it. This was Klaus being too greedy.

After a moment of hesitation, Klaus finally pressed down. The blade sliced into his thumb and a sharp sting ran through his hand. He swallowed, and watched as a few droplets of blood welled up from the shallow cut.

Taking a breath, he placed his bleeding thumb at the center of the book, inside the mouth of the skull engraved on the cover.

Then he waited.

And waited.

He thought something was going to happen.

No, he expected something to happen.

But nothing did.

Klaus stared at the book with a frown.

What the hell was I thinking dropping my blood on the book? Did I truly expect something to happen?

Did I become so greedy that I would dream for a fantasy to occur? Furthermore, what was I even expecting to happen?

Perhaps a supernatural creature would come out? How utterly naive. Just great. Now I have a fucking wound on my innocent thumb for nothing.

If his thumb was alive, it would have probably cursed at him and sued him for assault and emotional damage.

Klaus sighed, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all. He turned away, ready to collapse onto his bed and sleep off his exhaustion.

But then—

"Wh-what..."

His body froze.

A brilliant light filled the room, stopping him in his tracks.

Slowly, he turned back toward the desk only to see the book floating in midair, glowing with an intense, otherworldly radiance.

The cover trembled, then snapped open.

Pages flipped wildly, as if caught in an invisible storm. The symbols written on them were in no language Klaus had ever seen before, but somehow, he understood them.

No. He wasn't reading them.

The information was being forced into his mind.

Like a flood, an overwhelming surge of knowledge poured into him at an alarming pace. His body refused to move, his thoughts locked in place, and his brain struggled to process the sheer volume of information.

What happens when the mind receives far more than it can handle?

Just as he thought his brain would shatter from the overwhelming flood of information, the book reached its final page.

Then, as if its purpose had been fulfilled, it began to disintegrate.

Piece by piece, the floating book slowly crumbled into dust, scattering like embers in the air before vanishing completely.

For a brief moment, silence filled the room.

Then, something materialized in its place on the floor.

At the same time, the emotionless voice of Klaus's Inner World spoke as though making an announcement:

[The Soul Contract has been established.]