CHAPTER 18 AWAKENING OF THE FORGOTTEN BEAST
A paper, glowing faintly, materialized in the air and floated into Johan's lap. His chains were gone—he was free.
Without hesitation, Johan signed the pact. But he altered the conditions.
He placed the terms down as equals, rejecting the typical master-servant bond.
The guardian's eyes flashed with surprise. It was unheard of—no one had ever dared to alter the terms. Yet she said nothing. She accepted.
"Please follow me," she said, leading him down a corridor into a vast room glowing with mystical light.
It looked like a treasury. No—a vault of miracles.
"As the new Master of the Domain, you may choose one item from this treasury," the guardian explained. "However, as your comprehension deepens and you begin integrating with the domain itself, you'll eventually gain full access—to everything. Including this treasury. But only when your strength reaches the proper threshold."
Lucy added, "That's the rule even in most upper domains. Power alone isn't enough—you must understand the laws and essence of the domain to command it. Until then, you'll only be able to manipulate the basics—like the entryways, the environment, and some rules."
Johan stepped into the room.
His eyes widened in awe. Treasures glistened—some humming with forbidden power, others silent and ancient. Each seemed to call to something deep within him.
The treasury was vast—lined with shelves, pedestals, and floating platforms holding countless artifacts. Shields, swords, spears, cannons, and weapons of all kinds filled the room. Some glowed with dormant power, others sat silently in ancient slumber.
But Johan stood still.
He realized something troubling—he didn't know how to use any of them. Not truly. Like many of his generation, he'd never been trained in the secret arts of the old families. Most of his peers relied on scientific tools or system-based enhancements. Rare was the young master who could wield a true weapon forged from beast essence or parts. Even with their previous assignment, they were instructed not to use advance tools in order to temper themselves.
The guardian spirit beside him noticed his hesitation.
"It's not uncommon," she said calmly. "These items come from different places—some were absorbed into the domain while it drifted through space, others were part of the original treasury when the domain first formed. And many were collected by the previous master—either through his own strength or via his summoned creatures."
She gestured to one of the large artifacts resting on a high platform.
"Placing an item of value into the treasury allows you to extract something of equal worth. It is governed by exchange and resonance."
Johan nodded, barely listening now. His feet were already moving—slow, instinctive steps pulling him deeper into the shadows at the back of the treasury.
He didn't know why he was walking that way, but something was calling him.
Not with sound, but through his very soul. A hum. A long, low vibration deep within his chest, growing clearer with every step.
A connection.
He turned a corner and saw it—a sphere, floating just above a simple stone pedestal. It glowed with a soft, blue light. Smooth and round, it pulsed with a faint ripple at every touch of energy in the room. It looked harmless, almost playful—bouncing faintly in the air like a bubble.
Yet Johan felt something… deeper. Stronger. Ancient. Like something forgotten was awakening.
He took a few more steps forward, his hand stretching out involuntarily. The sphere responded with a soft blurp, like it recognized him.
Johan stopped just before touching it.
Then, as instinct kicked in, his system activated—
[Discerning Eyes: Activated.]
[Discerning Eyes (Level 2) Activated...
[ Name: None
[ Race: Slime
[ Realm Form: Liquid-Type Beast
[ Skills:
• Impact Absorption
• Healing
• Transformation]
[ Evaluation: Hibernating Blue Slime – Rare Variant]
Awaiting Master Selection...
"…Why are you acting like this?" Johan said after glancing at Lucy who was acting strange, frowning as he stared at the blue, blob-like creature wobbling in the air. "It just has three skills."
He glanced at Lucy, expecting her to respond.
But Lucy wasn't listening.
She was floating nearby with a wide grin, clearly just happy to be beside Johan again—her recent fear from the soul battle already forgotten. Her wings flitted gently, sparkling like sunlight on water.
Still focused on the slime, Johan continued, "A blue slime? This is what called me? It's just—"
Before he could finish, a wave of ripples coursed through the air.
BOOM!
The slime leapt suddenly—launching itself straight at Johan like a bullet—and before he could react, it wrapped around him completely, covering him from head to toe in a semi-transparent blue membrane.
"JOHAN!" Lucy screamed in panic, backing away, her voice trembling. "What's going on!"
But before she could analyze, a calm voice echoed through the treasury:
"Congratulations, Master. The beast has chosen you."
It was the domain guardian.
Lucy froze in mid-air, eyes wide. Her mind reeled. "W-What did you say…?"
"The hibernating beast has acknowledged the master. A new bond has been formed."
BOOM.
Another silent explosion went off in Lucy's mind.
She turned to Johan—now encased inside the slime—and gasped. "It... chose you?"
What none of them realized was that during the battle with Veldrick, Johan's soul had undergone a subtle change—a powerful shift that triggered one of his skills to quietly evolve.
Discerning Eyes has leveled up to Level 2.
Soul compatibility with domain lifeforms: Increased.
At that moment, Johan wasn't even thinking about how or why the evolution happened. He couldn't move—but he could think. Strangely, even while trapped inside the slime's body, he felt no threat. No malice.
Only warmth.
He focused inward. The system responded.
[Deity System]
[Name: Johan Morby]
[Age: 16]
[Level: 9]
[Experience Points: 5]
[Race: Human, Demon, Half-Vampire,???]
[Bloodlines: Demon deity, Overlord, Vampire, ???]
[System Points: 0]
[— Attributes —
[• Strength: 140]
[• Agility: 110]
[• Speed: 125]
[• Defense: 95]
[• Mind: 150]
[• Energy: 70]
[— Active Skills —]
• Discerning Eyes (Lv. 2)
• Hell Flames
• Soul Absorber
• Demonizer
• Petrification
• Phase
• Blink
• Unlimited Void
[Slave: Claire]
[System Level: 2]