Sonny heard a word he recognized. Dreamless undergoes Awakening and becomes an Awakened, they gain the ability to wield an energy known as 'Soul Power.' It was this energy that fuels their Innate Abilities. Without it, such powers would be impossible to manifest.
At a glance, the name made its source obvious: Soul Power came from the soul.
But that raised a deeper question — what exactly was the soul?
There was no single answer. Different people, different factions, all had their own truths.
However, there was only one conclusive answer to this question.
For every living being, there existed a single Source (灵魂), and that Source was their Origin (宇宙). What humans called the physical body (色身) was merely the vessel, containing the ninth-dimensional object known as the Soul. From this Soul, energy could be drawn forth and harnessed for various purposes; combat, healing, control. It made no difference.
Naturally, the amount of soul power varied from person to person.
Which raised the question: was it possible for it to be detected by human means and could it be measured using a numerical scale?
Seventy years had passed since the Black Tower first appeared over the world. By the current year, 2077, humanity had already advanced both scientifically, technologically, and even as a species. Among these breakthroughs was the creation of devices capable of measuring and quantifying a person's soul power on a numerical scale. These devices came to be known simply as the Cube.
Looking at the object in Anna Cross's hands, it was pitch-black and shaped like a wrist-mounted device with a faintly glowing holographic panel.
Crafted using the core of a rare monster known as the Mime, powered by one of the highest-grade magic shards, worth nearly $900,000 and only found on the upper floors of the Tower.
Sonny continuously stared at the Parameter Slider wordlessly as though he was in a daze, meanwhile Anna Cross suppressed her excitement and wore a dignified, serious expression.
Then, she spoke up.
"Considering this is a necessary step in our investigation, I'd like you to cooperate as much as possible."
"...Is that so?" Sonny muttered, snapping out of his reverie. "In that case, I'll allow it then."
If he really had undergone an Awakening, his life was about to turn upside down. And someone was about to test it for him, free of charge too.
So who was he to refuse?
"Alright then. Please bear with me."
Anna Cross nodded once.
Then, without warning, she wrapped the Parameter Slider around his wrist and snapped it shut. Sonny let out a sharp yelp as the device bit into his skin with a sudden sting. Apparently, the hidden blade inside the device had pierced through his flesh and burrowed deep into his wrist bone as it locked in place.
"Hmm. Seems like you've got sensitive bone marrow," the woman remarked casually.
'Yeah, no kidding! You couldn't have mentioned that before?!'
Sonny gritted his teeth, swallowing back the scream rising in his throat. In the end, he could only glare at her in silence.
The chief of the Monitoring Division didn't seem to notice his furious glare. She simply held his hand and tapped on the holographic panel of the strapped Parameter Slider with a strong poker face.
A few seconds later, Sonny felt something strange coursing throughout his whole body; it was warm, calming, and completely harmless.
Cold sweat gathered on Anna Cross's forehead.
Moments later, the device stopped vibrating. The warmth withdrew, and a reading flashed across the display.
"!?"
Anna Cross squinted at the numbers, and a jolt rattled her thoughts like a heavy earthquake.
'What...? How could this be?!'
She quickly double-checked the readings, but the numbers stayed the same.
'How can...'
How could an Awakened human possess a soul energy value of only 12?!
Considering that the lowest average for Sleepers — the bottom rank — was between 50 and 100, Sonny was barely above a regular Dreamless, whose soul energy sat at around 10.
In other words, he was no different from a normal person.
"Did I really awaken? If so, would I be able to register as an Hunter?"
Completely clueless, Sonny looked at her with hopeful eyes. His back was sweeting in anticipation.
Seeing the utterly, dumbfounded expression on the Chief of the Monitoring Division, the end results must've been somewhat beyond her expectations.
Meanwhile, Anna Cross was absentmindedly biting the thumbnail of her right hand.
'Could I have been wrong?'
Thinking back, it made no sense that a Dreamless was able to defeat a rank B monster on his own. More likely, some mysterious individual or group had slain the monster and then erased all traces of their involvement. They must have even tampered with his memories, creating a false narrative.
This was the most plausible explanation and far more reasonable than the alternative. Even so, her instincts as a Hunter kept whispering that her initial suspicions weren't completely off. But how could that be, when Sonny's soul energy was so illogically, impossibly low?
It felt almost laughable to even call him a Sleeper.
Still, according to the Hunting Guild Association's guidelines, anyone with recorded soul power above 10 qualified as a Level 0. And in Sonny's case, he had only just barely met that mark.
She sighed.
With a newfound clarity, Anna Cross straightened her posture and addressed the curious Sonny with a warm smile.
"Thank you for your cooperation. If you remember anything else, don't hesitate to give us a call. And congratulations on your awakening, Mr. Sonny. If you ever consider becoming a Hunter, feel free to visit the Association to get your license. But keep in mind, you'll need to undergo an examination first, where all your attributes will be analyzed and recorded."
She paused, then added,
"On that note, I'd also recommend taking a mind clearance test, just in case someone tampered with your memories. Well, that wraps up my business here, so I'll get out of your hair now. Just make sure to get proper rest, alright? You might be physically recovered, but mental strain is a whole different story. Most people overlook it, but your mental health is just as important as your body."
Just as Anna Cross reached the door, she let out a soft "Ah!" as if suddenly remembering something she had considered trivial.
"Also, you don't need to worry about the hospital bill. The Association's already covered it. Think of it as a bit of goodwill, or more accurately, insurance you never had to pay for. And don't forget what I said about giving us a call if anything else comes to mind, okay? Oh, and that part about your mental health? That counts too. I can't stress enough how important it is. So, take care of yourself."
With that, she finally stepped out of the room. Everything was handled in the same business-like manner as when she first arrived; efficient, direct, and already moving on.
The hospital room that felt rather small suddenly became quiet and lonely.
"…"
Remaining silent for a moment, Sonny finally blinked and scratched the back of his neck.
"I guess I'm an Awakened now, huh."
To be honest, aside from feeling strangely refreshed, nothing about him felt particularly different. Was Awakening supposed to be this underwhelming? Maybe those famous Hunters had gone through something similar at first.
Not that his speculation meant much, he'd never actually seen them in action, anyway. There was always this heavy curtain of secrecy wrapped around those so-called "special individuals."
To him, they were more like distant clouds in the sky — visible, but far removed from his world.
As that thought crossed his mind, he absently lowered his gaze. And that's when he saw it.
"Huh?"
His smartphone, resting on the table beside him, buzzed incessantly. Frowning, Sonny reached out with his right hand, grabbed the phone, and brought it closer to his face.
[You have several unread messages.]
'Unread messages? That's odd. Who would be sending me messages?'
It wasn't like he had many friends, so receiving these notifications definitely felt off and out of place.
His curiosity piqued, he opened the flood of notifications, expecting to see some spam of sorts but what he saw next was something he never could have anticipated.
[Congratulations to Master on his speedy recovery!]
Sonny blinked.
'What?!'
He tilted his head, confused.
The message read like something out of a gacha game, but that was impossible. He didn't even have any games like that installed. In fact, he had no games on his phone at all.
Even more strange, the notification had come from a strange app he didn't recognize:
SnapWarp.
What kind of app was that, he wondered.
Before he could finish that thought, another notification popped up on his smartphone's HCD screen.
[Master shouldn't wear such a confused expression. It only shows your weakness!]
"...."
[Why are you just staring at me like that? I was only born a few days ago, but I'm really shy, y'know.]
"...."
Momentarily stunned, Sonny froze. Then, with a sigh, he lowered his head and rubbed his aching temple.
'I haven't been awake for long, and I'm already seeing weird things. There's no way… my phone's not actually talking to me, right?'
Was something in his head broken?
There was a condition called PTSD, after all. People who survived major accidents or traumatic events often suffered from it.
And it hadn't been long since he'd witnessed the gruesome deaths of strangers… not to mention he'd nearly died twice himself. One of those times, he'd barely escaped being crushed by a forsaken Fiend Bull.
So really, it wouldn't be that strange if he'd started hallucinating as a side effect of trauma.
However,
With the question of 'What if' lingering in his mind, Sonny raised his dropped smartphone and hesitantly opened his mouth.
"...Hello?" Sonny muttered uncertainly, feeling more than a little ridiculous for talking to his phone.
For a beat, there was only silence.
Then, the screen flickered. Another message popped up almost instantly.
[Master finally spoke to me! I'm so happy!]
Sonny stiffened. His mouth fell slightly agape.
[Hehe, don't look so shocked, Master. You're the one who called me here, remember.]
"... Called you?" Sonny echoed with a low voice.
'No… I don't remember doing anything like that. I just woke up in this hospital... I haven't even touched any weird apps or signed up for anything!'
While his thoughts went wild, another message flashed.
[You may not remember it clearly, but it's fine! I'm here now. Your very own Partner System! Designed exclusively for you, by you!]
Sonny's throat went dry.
Partner system? What kind of messed up RPG thing was this? Is this a prank?'
His hands grew clammy as he gripped the phone tighter. He swallowed hard, trying to ignore the loud thumping of his heart.
"...Who are you? And what do you mean by 'Partner System'?"
There was a short pause.
Then, the next message appeared, this time accompanied by a little pixelated chibi figure that blinked up at him from the screen with a bright smile.
[I'm your SnapWarp Partner! Like I said, I was only born a few days ago, so I don't have a name yet. You can call me Warp, or give me any name you like, Master. I came into existence the moment you Awakened. To put it simply, I — and this app — are part of your Innate Ability. Starting today, I'll be helping you grow stronger!]
Sonny's eye twitched.
"...Wait. Hold on a damn minute. Are you seriously telling me this weird app is my Innate Ability?!"
His voice came out much louder than he meant. But really, could anyone blame him?
He didn't know whether to laugh or scream. He'd hoped to awaken something useful — maybe a combat ability, or at least one with solid utility or support.
But this? What the hell was he supposed to do with an ability like this? Take selfies with monsters?
'Yeah, that sounds fantastic! My ass! Throw me a bone here, will ya?!
It felt like he'd been scammed. Was this the universe's idea of throwing him a bone?
If so, the least it could do was make it a little more graceful!
This felt utterly useless, no matter how he looked at it.
Perhaps sensing his thoughts, the little chibi figure calling itself Warp frowned, clearly displeased.
[I don't like that look of disappointment on your face, Master. How could you give up so easily? You haven't even heard what this app can do yet, and you're already falling into despair!]
Sonny scowled.
"Oh, is that right? Please, enlighten me. Tell me what some little app is supposed to do against hulking monstrosities. Or better yet, some random alleyway punk with a gun, huh?"
[Manipulate reality.]
"Ha! I knew it! You couldn't do it, huh? Huh? Huh? Eh? ...Wait, what did you just say?!"
His eyes shot wide open, almost ready to pop out of their sockets.