“Don’t push yourself too hard tonight.”

My father’s words echoed in my mind as I sat on my bed, legs crossed, the grimoire resting in my lap. He had told me to prioritize rest, not overdo it.

And I had every intention of listening.

I really did.

But…

The moment I started cultivating, the world faded away.

The grimoire wasn’t like what my father had described.

My father’s voice was steady, his eyes locked onto me as he spoke. The grimoire sat in my lap, cool to the touch, the golden runes shimmering faintly under the dim lantern light.

“Cultivating your artifact is a slow, deliberate process,” he continued. “It requires complete concentration. If your focus wavers, the flow of essence will break, and you’ll have to start over from the beginning.”

I nodded, listening carefully.

“Absorbing the essence of the world is not something that happens passively,” he went on. “You have to visualize the flow of energy, internalize it, and guide it into your artifact. The moment you lose that mental clarity, it stops. That’s why young summoners like you struggle with cultivation in the beginning.”

He leaned back slightly, watching my expression.

“Children your age find it difficult to hold their focus for long periods. That’s why you need to take it slow. First, cultivate. Gather enough energy. Then, once you’ve built up enough, you can shift your focus to constructing your beast space. But not at the same time.”

I frowned slightly. “Not at the same time?”

He shook his head. “No. You aren’t ready for that. It’s something you’ll learn as you grow. In the early stages, you should focus on one or the other. If you try to split your focus, both processes will suffer.”

I nodded, taking his words to heart.

Cultivation was supposed to be a fragile process.

One break in focus, and the flow would stop.

…Or at least, that’s what he told me.

I closed my eyes, visualizing the energy of the world. I imagined the essence—a current of invisible mana flowing all around me—and willed it toward my grimoire.

And the moment I did—

It just worked.

It didn’t require constant focus. The moment I activated the technique, it felt like a living engine, constantly pulling in the world’s essence on its own.

The process was effortless.

I held my breath.

This… isn’t normal.

According to my father, cultivation was supposed to be a battle of willpower. A process where even the smallest distraction could make everything collapse.

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But for me?

Once I started, it didn’t need my constant focus. The flow continued on its own, steady and unbroken. It wasn’t something I had to hold in place—it was like I had merely flipped a switch and the process ran itself.

And even stranger…

When I decided to shift my focus to visualization, it didn’t disrupt the cultivation.

The grimoire kept absorbing essence even as I visualized.

I could do both at the same time.

Already.

Was I this gifted? A born genius? Did the heavens love me like this?…No. I should calm down.

Anyway, I decided that, as I cultivated, I would turn my focus to the next step—visualization.

Creating my beast space was just as my father described: a process that pulled from my mind, shaping the unseen into reality.

I felt the cycle.

Cultivate to gain energy.

Use energy to form the beast space.

The grimoire absorbs more essence to sustain the process.

It was all connected.

I didn’t even realize how much time had passed.

One moment, I was focused, my mind painting the rough outline of my beast space.

The next…

Darkness.

A blank void.

Sleep had taken me without warning.

...

I woke up with a sharp inhale.

The first thing I noticed was the glow.

My grimoire was still cultivating.

Its black cover pulsed with golden veins of energy, the pages trembling slightly as mana continuously poured into it.

I sat up quickly, eyes widening.

I forgot to stop it?!

For a brief moment, panic gripped me.

Artifacts weren’t supposed to cultivate on their own like this. If mana absorption wasn’t controlled properly, it could lead to backlash.

But… I felt fine.

In fact, I felt incredible.

More awake. More clear-headed. My body wasn’t fatigued. My mind wasn’t groggy. Instead, there was a vibrancy running through me, like my very soul had been refined.

And then I understood.

The grimoire cultivates itself.

I wasn’t actively doing anything, yet the energy continued to flow perfectly, efficiently, endlessly.

I exhaled. I wasn't a genius; I was just... lucky?

I need to test this.

Closing my eyes, I focused my will.

Stop.

The glow flickered. The pull of mana halted instantly.

I stared at it.

I hadn’t disrupted the cultivation. I had simply… stopped it. Like turning off a switch.

I willed it to start again.

The grimoire pulsed once, and the mana absorption resumed seamlessly.

My hands trembled slightly.

Artifacts didn’t cultivate autonomously. They didn’t obey simple willpower commands.

And yet, mine did.

This wasn’t normal.

And for the first time, I realized…

I might not be normal either.

I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a dangerous thing.

Either way, I needed to understand it better.

I decided to try something else.

I lifted a hand and willed my grimoire to return to my soul.

Instantly, it vanished into me.

And the moment it did—

That same sensation returned.

Like something had been sealed away.

I furrowed my brows. I wasn’t imagining it. It wasn’t just a vague feeling. Every time my grimoire left my body, my trait disappeared with it.

And every time I summoned it back, something released.

To make sure, I tested it again.

Out.

The seal returned.

In.

The trait was released.

Out.

Sealed.

In.

Released.

I did this a few more times, making sure I wasn’t hallucinating.

I wasn’t.

This was real.

It wasn’t just a sensation—it was a mechanic, something directly tied to my artifact.

“…What does this mean?”

I didn’t have an answer.

But I did have a theory.

If my trait was locking itself when my grimoire was outside… maybe I could read it while it was inside.

I took a deep breath and focused.

Find it.

I reached inward, searching for the grimoire within me.

The moment my mind touched it, a new awareness surged through me.

I could feel it. The artifact wasn’t just inside me—it was part of me.

And if I could summon it outside, then…

Could I open it inside?

I willed the grimoire to unfold.

And it obeyed.

The same way I would flip its pages in the real world, I did so within my soul space.

And just like that—I could read it.

The golden text shimmered against the void-like background of my soul.

It was just as vivid, just as clear.

I could see everything.

Including the page that had once been locked.

The trait page.

My breath slowed.

I hesitated, but only for a moment.

Then, with steady hands, I turned to it.

This time…

There was no seal.

There was no resistance.

The words formed instantly.

And as I read them, my heart stopped.

━━━ ◇ ━━━

Trait: ██████████

Grade: ██████████

Type: ██████████

━━━ ◇ ━━━

The golden text flickered.

And then—

For the first time—

I saw it.

And everything I thought I knew about my awakening changed forever.