The Awakening Hall was built to make sixteen-year-olds feel small, which was impressive considering sixteen-year-olds were already experts at feeling small. Towering crystal pillars floated in midair like judgmental gods, bathing the marble floor in shifting light while six hundred students stood in perfect formation pretending they weren't sweating through their academy uniforms. In this world, destiny didn't arrive gently. It appeared in glowing letters above your head and decided whether you would be worshiped, feared, respected—or politely stepped over for the rest of your life. Names were temporary. Roles were permanent.
One by one, students stepped onto the golden platform beneath the central crystal, and one by one, the future declared itself with dramatic flair. When a boy awakened as Flame Tyrant, the hall erupted into applause loud enough to shake dust from the ceiling. When a girl became Storm Archer, her friends cried and promised to ride behind her when she inevitably conquered something. When the Crown Prince awakened as a Divine-tier Holy Hero, actual orchestral music manifested from nowhere, which felt unfair because some of them couldn't even afford background music in their own heads. Teachers beamed. Nobles nodded approvingly. The future had been decided for him, and it was radiant.
Then his name was called.
He stepped onto the platform with all the confidence of someone volunteering to test whether lightning still hurt. The crystal pulsed above him, humming with ancient authority, and light spiraled downward in a display that suggested something magnificent was about to happen. For a brief, fragile moment, he allowed himself to imagine it: Shadow Monarch. Void Reaper. Arcane Sovereign. Something cool. Something sharp. Something that didn't come with glitter.
The letters formed slowly, almost thoughtfully, as if the universe itself was trying not to laugh.
Role: Cupid
Silence fell across the hall, the kind of silence that usually precedes a national tragedy or a very bad joke. Then someone in the back snorted. Another student choked. Within seconds, laughter spread like wildfire through dry grass.
"Cupid?" someone wheezed. "Like the baby with the bow?"
A tiny pink bow materialized in his hand with a soft sparkle. A pair of glowing wings popped out behind him, small enough to be decorative and large enough to ruin his life. A heart-shaped icon blinked cheerfully above his head as if it didn't understand the situation.
The evaluation stone flashed again.
Combat Rating: 0
The hall detonated.
"Bro can't even damage a training dummy!"
"Does he defeat monsters with emotional support?"
"Careful, he might make the demon king fall in love!"
Even some instructors looked like they were fighting for composure, which somehow hurt more than the laughter itself. The Crown Prince gave him a sympathetic nod that felt like a ceremonial pat on the head. The Ice Sword Princess, who had awakened a Legendary Frost Sword Empress Role earlier, covered her mouth gracefully, but her shoulders were trembling, and that trembling lodged somewhere inconvenient in his chest.
Just when the mockery reached peak volume, the crystal flashed again.
Role Rank: Mythic
The laughter stumbled mid-breath. Confusion replaced mockery.
"Mythic?"
"That's impossible."
"How can zero combat be Mythic?"
The principal frowned deeply, staring at the display as if willing it to correct itself. The system had governed the world for centuries. It did not make mistakes. If it declared something Mythic, then somewhere beneath the embarrassment, there was a truth no one understood.
Which somehow made it worse.
He stepped down from the platform beneath a rain of whispers, carrying his tiny bow like a prop in someone else's comedy show. In a world where strength carved mountains and magic shattered armies, he had awakened as Valentine's Day.
That night, his dorm room felt smaller than usual, which was impressive because academy dorm rooms were already designed for "character building through discomfort." He sat on his bed staring at the bow in his hand, turning it over as if it might reveal hidden blades or a secret "actually powerful" switch if he looked at it from the right angle. It sparkled softly. It looked like it would struggle to pop a balloon, let alone defend his dignity.
"Fantastic," he muttered to the empty room. "I can encourage people while they defeat me."
The wings behind him flickered weakly in what might have been agreement.
He fell back onto his pillow and stared at the ceiling, already imagining tomorrow's headlines: Mythic-Class Mascot. Cupid Boy. Academy Decoration. Just as he began mentally preparing his future as an inspirational poster, the air shifted.
A translucent screen appeared in front of him, unlike the standard academy interface every awakened student received. This one felt heavier, older, like it had been waiting quietly for years.
[Hidden Authority Detected][Initializing Cupid System…][Compatibility: 100%]
He sat upright so fast the wings smacked against the wall.
"Hold on."
The screen expanded calmly, as if it had expected confusion.
Welcome, Successor of Bonds.In this world, strength is worshiped.But strength survives because of connection.
His heartbeat picked up.
Gain Affection Points when others develop feelings for you.Affection can be converted into attributes, skills, and authority.All emotional bonds generate Heart Force.You possess control over Heart Force.
He blinked several times.
"So… I level up through love?"
The system did not deny it.
A panel appeared listing names.
Luna Valerith – Ice Sword PrincessAffection: 5% (Mild Curiosity)
Aurelian Dawncrest – Crown PrinceAffection: 3% (Pity)
Mira Valen – Childhood FriendAffection: 42% (Hidden Devotion)
Random Student #14Affection: 2% (Amused)
He stared at Mira's percentage longer than was medically necessary.
"Forty-two?"
A knock sounded at the door before he could spiral into that number.
He opened it to find Mira standing there, healer staff in hand, her expression tight with determination. She had awakened earlier as an Epic-tier Healing Saint, which meant she would be valuable on battlefields while he would apparently be valuable at weddings.
"They're idiots," she said immediately, stepping inside without waiting for permission. "Cupid isn't trash."
He gave a tired smile. "It literally scored zero."
Her cheeks turned faintly red. "Combat isn't everything."
Notification sound.
Mira Valen – Affection increased to 50%+50 Affection Points
Warmth surged through him, not emotional warmth but physical, like something inside his bones had just woken up.
Affection Points: 50Allocate?
He hesitated for half a second before pressing Strength.
Strength: 5 → 15
His muscles tightened instantly. His senses sharpened. The air felt thinner, lighter. The wooden frame of his bed cracked under the sudden shift in weight distribution.
Mira blinked. "…Did you start working out in the last five seconds?"
He stared at his hands, flexing slowly. That wasn't a minor increase. That was ridiculous.
"Do you trust me?" he asked quietly.
She nodded without hesitation.
"Always."
Affection increased to 55%+10 Affection Points
Another surge of energy.
His mind raced.
If affection equaled power… and stronger people had deeper emotional capacity… then—
He looked toward the academy tower visible through his window, where the Ice Sword Princess trained nightly beneath falling frost petals like she had personally negotiated aesthetic lighting with nature.
The system pulsed.
First Objective:Make the Ice Sword Princess blush.Reward: Skill Unlock – Heart Resonance (Lv.1)
He stared at the quest.
Make her blush?
The girl who looked at most people as if they were background furniture?
A slow grin spread across his face, equal parts fear and ambition.
Tomorrow, they would laugh again. Tomorrow, he would still have wings and a bow and absolutely no reputation. But something fundamental had shifted. Swords could cut flesh. Magic could level cities. Heroes could inspire armies.
But love?
Love changed people.
And people decided the fate of the world.
The academy thought he had awakened the weakest Role imaginable.
They didn't realize he had awakened the one that connected them all.
And he intended to farm it.