The priest cleared his throat, straightening with all the dignity he could summon. His voice echoed as he addressed the gathering:
[The gods have spoken. The boy Alter has been granted the divine occupation of Chain Meister.]
There was a pause.
Then came the applause. Polite. Hesitant. The kind people give to a street performer who dropped their prop halfway through the act but smiled anyway.
I stood up and gave the smallest bow I could manage before retreating to the benches with the other newly "blessed" children.
Ryn leaned in as I sat down, a crooked smirk on his face.
[Chain Meister? Is that like... a weapon master? Or are you secretly into weird stuff?]
[It's not like that, shut up!] I hissed, already regretting every life choice that led me here.
He snorted.
[Hey, no judgment. Just… don't expect me to call you Master.]
I groaned and slumped in my seat, pretending I didn't exist.
The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur. Other kids stepped forward, receiving titles that got actual cheers. Apprentice Mage. Battle Priestess. Beast Tamer. Sword Acolyte. The crowd knew those. Those made sense. Heck, there was a saintess even.....
Mine? It was still the talk of the hall.
When the temple doors finally creaked open and sunlight spilled into the marble chamber, it felt like freedom. Families surged forward to embrace their children. Parents cried, hugged, took pictures with sketch crystals. Some handed out sweets or threw petals. The whole place turned into a soft, glowing celebration.
Then there was my dad, and my mom, and my little sister with a huge shitty grin plastered on her lips.
Father came barreling through the crowd like a bear in a tunic, arms spread wide and eyes already misty. He parted the crowd with so much ease, that it makes it kinda horrifying to look at my perspective.
[Alter!!!!!!!!!] Arms wide, he tried to tackle me.
[Nope. No hug. Please no. I'm still recovering from the last one!] I said, backing up with both hands raised protectively.
He laughed, wiping the corner of his eye.
[Well, well. My son, the Chain Meister! I have no idea what that means, but it sounds manly. Strong!]
[Could also mean he can work in a dungeon, restraining people] Lila muttered.
[Ha! Even better. Mystery means potential, boy. Don't overthink it.] Dad clapped me on the back, nearly knocking me forward.
[The gods picked it for you. That means you've got something special] Mother quipped
[Or I'm just the lucky winner of the divine lottery] I mumbled.
He gave me another pat on the shoulder, then I noticed the basket mom was carrying.
[It's lunch~ Let's eat at the park~]
Still. I couldn't help but glance back toward the now-dim divine crystal, wondering if it had glitched. Why not <
But no. I got chains.
That night, long after dinner and the village's lanterns had been lit, I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the glowing crest on the back of my hand.
It shimmered faintly in the moonlight—an intricate design of interlocked silver chains forming a circle. Elegant, but strange. It had appeared the moment the priest declared my job, burned onto my skin in light, not ink.
I remembered Ryn's mark—just a clean magic circle. Marla's was a halo over a shield. Elric's a crossed sword and buckler.
Normal.
Recognizable.
Me? Chain circles.
Legit, sure, I thought, poking it with a fingertip. But what are you even for?
[Do something,] I whispered.
Nothing.
[Of course you don't. I don't suppose you grant me secret powers in my sleep?]
Silence.
I sighed and flopped back onto the pillow, arms sprawled out.
Just as my eyes started to drift closed, a thought jolted through me.
Wait.
If this is a divine occupation… shouldn't it come with a status screen or something just like how dad told me?
I blinked, then sat up halfway.
[Status] I said out loud, mostly to test the waters.
A shimmer passed through the air in front of me. Then—ding.
A translucent panel blinked into existence, floating midair.
Name: Alter
Race: Human
Age: 15
Occupation: Chain Meister (??? Tier)
Stats:Strength: EAgility: DMana: CEndurance: D
Skills:
– [PASSIVE] Chain Link -1m- (Lv. 1)
– Chain Bind (Lv. 1)
– ???
– ???
– ???
"[Pfffftttttttttttttttt!!!]"
I sat up so fast I knocked my pillow onto the floor.
I have skills?!
I tapped on the first one, blinking rapidly.
Chain Bind (Lv. 1)Summons ethereal chains to restrain a target for a short duration.Strength and duration increase with skill level.
Restrain a target... huh. I glanced at the glowing mark on my hand again. Okay, weird gods. I see your sense of humor.
Still, it was a real skill. That meant real potential. Nobody else in the temple got something unknown. Maybe… that made me lucky?
Or cursed. Still deciding.
I laid back down again, the moonlight now glinting off the translucent screen still floating beside my bed.
[Okay, gods. You gave me something strange. But it's something.]
The crest on my hand pulsed once. As if it heard me. As if it approved.
I clenched my fist, letting that tiny bit of hope take root.
Tomorrow, I'd look at the academy's library for info about occupations that are not within the registry. After that.....I should start experimenting. Learn what I could do. Even if nobody else had heard of a Chain Meister, that didn't mean it wasn't worth something.
For now, though?
[Fuwaaaahhh… what a day.]
I yawned and let myself sink into the blankets.
Strange gods. Strange future.
But I was ready.
Well… mostly ready.
Sleep first.
Adventure later.