Chapter 3: The First Step Toward Change
The room remained silent long after the golden screen disappeared.
Ethan stood motionless beside the window, his gaze fixed upon the snow-covered lands stretching beyond Ravenhold Estate. The morning sun illuminated the Northern Frontier with a gentle glow, painting the mountains and forests in shades of silver and gold. It was a beautiful sight.
A sight he had not truly appreciated in his previous life.
Back then, he had always been moving. From one crisis to the next. From one battlefield to another. Carrying burdens that only grew heavier with time.
Now, standing within the same room he had occupied as a child, Ethan found himself looking upon the Northern Frontier from a completely different perspective.
This wasn’t merely territory.
This wasn’t merely a noble domain.
This was home.
The home he had failed to protect.
A complicated expression appeared on his face.
The final words displayed by the system continued echoing within his mind.
Alter the Fate of House Ravencrest.
Simple words.
Yet they carried a weight heavier than mountains.
Because Ethan understood exactly what they meant.
The future awaiting House Ravencrest was not a single disaster.
Adrian.
Marcus.
Elena.
Amelia.
Each of them stood somewhere within that future.
Each of them faced a fate Ethan already knew.
And this time, he intended to change it.
It was a chain of disasters.
One tragedy leading to another.
The deaths of his loved ones.
The eventual collapse of the North.
None of those events existed in isolation.
They were connected.
Like cracks slowly spreading across a fortress wall.
Individually manageable.
Collectively fatal.
If he wanted to save his family, then he needed to become stronger.
Not years from now.
Not after the Awakening Ceremony.
Now.
His gaze shifted toward the floating system notification.
---
SSS-Rank Physique Available
Heavenly Sovereign Physique
Integration Available
---
Even now, the words felt unreal.
In his previous life, Ethan had traveled across battlefields, explored ancient ruins, and encountered countless opportunities capable of changing a person’s destiny.
Never once had he encountered an SSS-Rank physique in person.
True physiques were already rare among humanity. Most awakened talents, some awakened special constitutions, but genuine physiques were different.
In the Solaris Empire, even S-Rank physiques were considered treasures.
SS-Rank physiques appeared perhaps once in a generation.
As for SSS-Rank...
Even during his previous life, Ethan had only heard rumors of a handful of such individuals.
Yet now, one stood before him.
Humans rarely possessed physiques by birth.
Unlike many beastkin civilizations of Feralis, where powerful bloodlines often carried innate physiques—humanity relied far more heavily on talents and cultivation.
The system had handed one to him immediately after regression.
A faint smile appeared on Ethan’s face.
"Let’s see what makes you worthy of an SSS rank."
Without hesitation, he mentally selected the option.
Accept.
The response came instantly.
---
Command Accepted.
Beginning Integration.
Heavenly Sovereign Physique Synchronization Initiated.
---
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then pain exploded throughout his entire body.
Ethan’s pupils contracted violently.
The sudden agony nearly forced a scream from his throat.
It felt as though molten metal had been poured directly into his veins.
Every muscle tightened.
Every bone trembled.
Every nerve within his body seemed to awaken simultaneously.
The sensation was unlike anything he had experienced before. Not even the injuries suffered during the final battle against the Beast Emperor compared to this.
His legs gave way.
Ethan collapsed onto one knee.
Sweat instantly formed across his forehead.
Yet despite the overwhelming pain, his expression remained calm.
Years of warfare had taught him one important lesson.
Pain could be endured.
Panic could not.
Grinding his teeth, Ethan forced himself to remain conscious.
The process continued.
He could feel changes occurring throughout his body.
His muscles seemed to become denser.
His bones stronger.
His organs more resilient.
Most importantly, he felt something happening within his mana pathways.
The invisible channels responsible for circulating mana throughout a person’s body were expanding.
Growing.
Evolving.
Even Ethan, with all the experience accumulated throughout his previous life, found the process astonishing.
No cultivation technique should be capable of accomplishing something like this.
No treasure should be capable of accomplishing something like this.
Yet the Heavenly Sovereign Physique was doing exactly that.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Eventually, the pain began to fade.
The burning sensation disappeared.
The pressure vanished.
The room gradually returned to normal.
Ethan remained seated upon the floor for several moments while catching his breath.
His clothes were soaked with sweat.
His heartbeat thundered within his chest.
Yet despite his exhaustion, he immediately noticed the difference.
Everything felt clearer.
Sharper.
More alive.
The world itself seemed different.
The sunlight entering through the windows appeared brighter.
The distant sounds of activity throughout Ravenhold Manor became easier to hear.
Even the flow of mana within the surrounding environment felt more distinct.
Slowly standing, Ethan clenched his fist.
Power.
Not overwhelming power.
Not enough to challenge powerful opponents.
But undeniably more than before.
A notification appeared before him.
---
Integration Complete.
Heavenly Sovereign Physique Successfully Activated.
---
A faint feeling lingered within Ethan’s body.
As though the physique had not yet reached its limit.
As though it was merely sleeping.
Ethan exhaled slowly.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
Status.
The moment the thought appeared, the system responded.
The golden screen materialized before Ethan’s eyes once more.
Unlike the previous notifications, this one remained stable, its contents arranged neatly within a rectangular frame of shimmering golden light.
For several moments, Ethan simply observed it.
Even after witnessing the impossible on multiple occasions since his return, seeing information appear directly before his eyes still felt surreal. No spell he knew of could accomplish something like this. No artifact he had encountered throughout his previous life possessed such capabilities.
Slowly, his gaze moved across the displayed information.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Ethan Ravencrest
Age: 10
Knight Rank: Unawakened
Mage Rank: Unawakened
Spirit Rank: Unawakened
Talent: Unawakened
Physique: Heavenly Sovereign Physique (SSS)
Cultivation Art: None
Strength: 8
Agility: 8
Endurance: 8
Vitality: 9
Intelligence: 12
Mana Capacity: 10
War Merit: 0
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
A thoughtful expression appeared on Ethan’s face.
Ethan’s gaze lingered on one particular line.
Spirit Rank.
A faint frown appeared on his face.
Knight Rank made sense.
Mage Rank made sense.
But Spirit Rank?
Spirit practitioners certainly existed throughout the Empire.
Priests.
Paladins.
Healers.
Divine casters.
Entire organizations and Churches were built around Spirit cultivation.
Yet Ethan had never possessed any connection to that path.
Not in his previous life.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"System."
The golden screen flickered faintly.
"Why is Spirit Rank listed?"
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then a new notification appeared.
---
[Spirit Path Detected.]
[Further Information Locked.]
[Awakening Requirements Not Met.]
---
The room fell silent.
Ethan stared at the message.
Spirit Path?
That was impossible.
During the Awakening Ceremony of his previous life, he had awakened a Warrior Core and a Mage Core.
Never once had a Spirit Core appeared.
Never once had he shown talent for Spirit cultivation.
The Awakening Ceremony awakened every potential cultivation core within a person’s body. Warrior Core. Mage Core. Spirit Core.
If a Spirit Core had existed within him, it should have appeared during his first awakening.
It never had.
Yet the system clearly thought otherwise.
For the first time since returning to the past, Ethan felt a genuine sense of confusion.
Something had already changed.
And he had no idea why.
Regression had returned him to the past.
The Heavenly Sovereign Physique had altered his body.
But this was different.
This wasn’t a change he understood.
It was a change he couldn’t explain.
The information itself was not particularly shocking. Most of it simply reflected his current condition. What interested him more was the precision with which the system measured everything.
Strength.
Agility.
Vitality.
Mana Capacity.
Concepts that every knight and mage understood, yet no one had ever been able to quantify so accurately.
The implications alone were astonishing.
If these values could be tracked consistently, then every improvement would become visible. Every breakthrough would become measurable. The uncertainty that accompanied traditional training would be greatly reduced.
His gaze eventually settled upon the final line.
War Merit.
The unfamiliar term immediately attracted his attention.
Throughout his previous life, Ethan had encountered countless systems of reward and recognition. Kingdoms granted titles. Noble families granted privileges. Military organizations rewarded achievements through rank and authority. Yet he had never heard of anything called War Merit.
The fact that the system displayed it separately from his physical attributes suggested that it possessed a special purpose.
A resource?
A currency?
A requirement for future functions?
At the moment, he had no way of knowing.
Before Ethan could investigate further, another notification appeared before him
---
Daily Mission Unlocked.
---
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
New information began appearing beneath the notification.
---
Daily Mission
Complete Basic Foundation Training
• Run 3 Kilometers
• 100 Push-Ups
• 100 Squats
• 100 Sit-Ups
Rewards:
• Attribute Point ×1
• 10 War Merit
---
Ethan studied the mission carefully.
A faint smile soon appeared on his face.
The requirements were simple.
Almost deceptively simple.
Yet Ethan immediately understood its purpose.
Foundations.
Every powerful knight began with the basics.
Every legendary warrior refined them endlessly.
The countless experts Ethan had encountered throughout his previous life all shared one thing in common.
None of them had neglected the basics.
Strength built upon strength.
Progress built upon progress.
A fortress was not constructed in a single day.
Neither was a warrior.
Looking down at his current body, Ethan could not help but feel slightly amused.
Despite possessing decades of experience and combat knowledge, he was currently trapped within the body of a ten-year-old child.
Weak.
Untrained.
Far weaker than the commander who had died defending Frostfall Fortress.
Fortunately, strength could be regained.
This time, he would build an even stronger foundation than before.
Without wasting another moment, Ethan stood from his chair and left his room.
The corridors of Ravenhold Estate were far busier than they had been earlier.
Servants moved about carrying documents and supplies.
Messengers hurried between different sections of the estate.
Several guards stood watch throughout the Estate.
Everything felt alive.
Everything felt normal.
The sight brought an unexpected warmth to Ethan’s heart.
During the final years of his previous life, Ravenhold had become a shadow of its former self. Many of the faces he now saw would eventually disappear.
Some would die.
Some would leave.
Some would simply become victims of the chaos that consumed the North.
Yet today they were still here.
Still smiling.
Still living ordinary lives.
Ethan silently memorized their faces.
This time, he intended to protect far more than just his immediate family.
Eventually, he exited the manor and stepped onto the training grounds.
These were the same training grounds that had produced generations of Ravencrest warriors.
Future captains.
Future commanders.
Future heroes.
And Future graves.
The cold northern wind greeted him immediately.
Nearby, groups of young knights practiced under the supervision of instructors. Wooden swords collided repeatedly while shouted commands echoed throughout the training fields.
The scene felt strangely nostalgic.
A younger Ethan had spent countless hours training here.
A future Ethan had spent years wishing he could return.
Now he finally had.
His gaze slowly moved across the training grounds.
Many faces were familiar.
Some of the boys currently struggling through basic exercises would one day become respected officers.
Some would become captains within the Black Raven Knights.
Others would die long before reaching their potential.
The realization caused a faint shadow to cross Ethan’s eyes.
For a brief moment, his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Toward a peaceful garden.
Toward Amelia.
The little sister he had buried with his own hands.
Toward a promise he intended to keep.
A strange unease surfaced within his heart.
The future remained distant.
Yet he knew better than anyone that tragedy often arrived without warning.
Slowly clenching his fist, Ethan pushed the thoughts aside.
Not now.
There would be time later.
For now, he needed strength.
The future could not be changed by regrets alone.
Several hours passed.
Running.
Training.
Exercising.
Sweat covered his body.
His muscles burned.
His lungs ached.
Yet Ethan never stopped.
Compared to the battles he had survived during his previous life, such discomfort barely registered.
As the sun gradually began descending toward the horizon, a familiar notification appeared.
---
Daily Mission Completed.
Rewards:
• Attribute Point ×1
• 10 War Merit
---
Available Attribute Points: 1
---
Ethan studied the screen quietly.
For several moments, he considered the available options.
Strength.
Agility.
Vitality.
Endurance.
Intelligence.
Mana Capacity.
A warrior who chased immediate power would likely choose Strength.
Ethan knew better.
Foundations determined everything.
After a brief moment of consideration, he made his choice.
"Endurance."
The notification disappeared.
A gentle warmth immediately spread through his limbs.
The fatigue lingering within his body eased slightly.
Not dramatically.
Not enough to transform him overnight.
But enough to confirm that the Attribute Point had taken effect.
A small surge of energy flowed through his body.
The fatigue within his muscles eased slightly.
Ethan’s eyes widened.
The effect was subtle.
Yet undeniably real.
Before he could examine the changes further, another notification appeared.
---
War Merit Threshold Reached.
New Function Available.
War Merit Store Unlocked.
---
Ethan froze.
The training grounds seemed to disappear from his awareness.
His gaze remained fixed upon the floating words.
A store?
What exactly had the system just unlocked?
The golden notification remained suspended before him as the evening wind swept across the training grounds.
Ethan’s gaze remained fixed upon the notification.
The War God System had already given him a second life.
Now it was offering something more.
A means to change the future.
And Ethan intended to use every advantage available.
