DEB 135

[The power of the honorable savior has manifested in you across the ages. Would you like to awaken?]

[Do you wish to Awaken?]

[The power of the honorable savior has manifested in you across the ages. Would you like to awaken?]

[Do you wish to Awaken?]

[The power of the honorable savior has manifested in you across the ages. Would you like to awaken?]

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The incessant ringing in Huiyun’s ears was enough to drive a man mad. 

Curling up wearily, he reached out toward the empty air.

Whoosh.

With a sluggish, sleep-heavy swipe, he scattered the golden system window. 

For a moment, the display flickered hazily as if it might fade,but less than a minute later, it shone bright and clear once again.

[The power of the Honorable Savior has manifested across the ages.]

[Do you wish to Awaken?]

“Damn it… No! I said no! I’m not doing it!”

[The power of the Honorable Savior has manifested across the ages.]

[Do you wish to Awaken?]

“… Wow”

He was almost impressed by how relentless it was.

Sighing in defeat, Huiyun yanked the blanket over his head. 

His eyes, bloodshot from a week without proper sleep, glared at the golden window shimmering where the white ceiling should have been. 

The thing shook violently up and down as though furious with him.

Already sleep-deprived and irritable, the nauseating motion made him groan and press a hand to his forehead.

“How long are you going to keep throwing a fit?”

This system is worse than spam mail. 

He muttered bitterly, but the golden window once again popped up with that damned Awakening prompt. 

Huiyun let out a long, exhausted sigh.

It wasn’t like anything changed just because the system kept flashing it. 

It was just taking out its temper on him.

Not like he’d planned for things to turn out this way.

“You know this isn’t my fault. What is this, payback? Enough already, calm down…”

Scrubbing his weary face, he rubbed his eyes. 

It had already been a week since the system began its obstinate tantrum of spamming Awakening prompts.

In other words, a week had passed since his grand decision to finally accept Awakening had been rejected.

Yawning, Huiyun recalled that day seven days ago.

At the Fountain of Souls, after surviving with the help of his disciples, he had finally resolved to stop resisting the system and accept Awakening. 

To step closer to his duty.

But as life often went, things didn’t go as planned.

[Awakening attempt failed due to internal system recalibration. Please wait.]

“…Huh?”

[Um?]

After more than three years of stubborn refusal, he had finally relented. 

But the system blocked his Awakening with a single bland notice. 

Even the system administrator looked baffled, popping up a parallel golden window with a dumbfounded expression.

What the—why is it doing this?

[I… I don’t know! Why is this happening?]

The administrator, having no answers, soon disappeared with a message: ‘Administrator temporarily absent due to internal recalibration.’ 

Half a day passed, and he still didn’t return.

Thus, Huiyun’s long-awaited Awakening attempt ended in utter anticlimax. 

Embarrassed at having postured in front of his disciples, he’d kicked his blanket in frustration all night.

It wasn’t until dawn that the system finally slunk back and delivered another message.

[Due to issues in the ‘Savior Aftercare System,’ the Disciples Education Book Ver.2’ will now partially handle Awakening.]

[Current Awakening Progress: 7% (Unstable Awakening). Raise the Book progress to increase Awakening Completion.]

[All future quest rewards are fixed as Awakening Progress and Roulette spins. The higher your progress, the fewer restrictions on using the Savior’s power. Please do your best!]

The administrator, having ranted about the injustice of filing yet another report for this failed Awakening, had stormed off again. 

Since then, the system had done nothing but spam Awakening prompts, clearly sulking.

At first, Huiyun had pitied him, after all, most of the administrator’s disciplinary reports really had been because of him. 

But a week of sleepless harassment was enough to erode any sympathy.

Honestly… was this really his fault?

Shouldn’t the system take some blame for rushing into this without preparation?

It sounded like a reasonable critique in his head, but when he tried to say it aloud, his conscience stopped him. 

Smacking his lips awkwardly, Huiyun glanced at the clock. Past 7 a.m. 

Already too late to go back to sleep.

By 8, Huigang would wake up and join Hyeon to prepare breakfast anyway. 

Better to help than futilely trying to sleep .

Stepping into the living room, he found Ash already awake and Moot looking as if he hadn’t slept. 

Both waved when they saw him.

“Yasha! You’re up early!”

Ash even ran over, grinning brightly. 

Despite a week of exhaustion, the young man’s smile briefly lightened Huiyun’s mood. 

He ruffled Ash’s hair in greeting, drawing a dry comment from Moot.

“You really do look like a dog running to its master. Honestly, you’d suit reincarnation as a puppy far better.”

“What’s this barking I hear in the morning?” Huiyun muttered.

“Coincidence. I was just thinking about brewing a medicine for annoying dog howls.”

“……”

The air grew tense, as usual. Huiyun ignored them and sipped his tea.

Truly, it was strange.

Maybe those two had a secret system penalty that made them cough blood if they went a day without bickering.

[There’s no such system!]

Why not? You exist.

[…Excuse me?]

I mean if a bizarre system like you could spam Awakening prompts nonstop for a week, why couldn’t there also be a system forcing two idiots to argue daily?

The Administrator fumed at the thought, flooding his vision with more prompts. 

Huiyun just accepted it as background noise and closed his eyes, listening to Moot and Ash’s bickering like a morning meditation.

Soon, Zenith emerged, either awakened by the racket or up on schedule.

“Did you sleep well, Master Yasha?”

“Yes. And you?”

“Yes. My body’s adjusted a little, I slept without trouble.”

Since gaining back their prime power (Almost) at the Fountain, his disciples had struggled to rest, their bodies straining under the weight of newfound might. 

Seeing Zenith’s healthier complexion, Huiyun smiled warmly. 

Zenith smiled back, then promptly smacked Ash and Moot on the head.

Vines sprouted from the sofa, binding the two.

“Wha—Zenith! Zenith!”

“…This is all your fault, Ash.”

The scene was no different from ten thousand years ago. 

Huiyun sipped his tea again. 

Soon Huigang emerged, and together they began preparing breakfast.

“Zenith! The plants! They’re trying to eat me alive! This plant’s carnivorous!”

“Shut up already!”

Their shrieking was quickly drowned out by Vita’s furious roar.

“You bastards! Do you think this house is yours alone? Stop screaming at the crack of dawn!”

The house shook his scolding.

“…Vita. What’s the commotion this morning?”

Another disciple emerged, eyes sharp with cold fury.

Yawning, Verita bowed politely.

“Ah… Lord Yasha. I trust you slept well?”

In the midst of this familiar chaos, Huiyun found himself smiling faintly.

Whoever had raised these disciples… really had gathered a pack of unruly mutts.