Chapter 93: The First Awakening

Overwhelmed by the sudden influx of stares, trembling fingers, and suffocating silence, Shin Seo-Jin panicked. His heart hammered against his ribs, instantly breaking his fragile mental concentration.

The tennis-ball-sized flame flickered wildly, swelling and shaking as if it were about to violently explode.

Recognizing the danger immediately, Donape reached out his right hand to nullify the unstable spell before it went off.

FZZZZT.

A wispy trail of dispersed mana drifted toward the ceiling, leaving behind a subtle aura of lingering energy that only Seo-Jin, Ji-Hong, and Donape could faint-heartedly sense in the air.

Seo-Jin remained seated with his palm frozen in mid-air, looking like a beggar asking for alms as a blank expression washed over his face. "T-That was... a Mana Diffusion... right?!" he stammered, still dazed.

"Yes," Donape answered casually, pulling his palm back.

If he hadn’t intervened, that fireball would have detonated right at the counter. According to the shop’s security manual, the System would have automatically triggered its defense measures to neutralize the threat, penalizing Seo-Jin, labeling him a troublemaker, and permanently blacklisting him from Origins VR Cafe.

"Boss Don, what just happened?!" Ji-Hong asked, leaning over the counter.

"It’s fine. Nothing happened. He just got a bit careless," Donape replied calmly.

"Then how on earth could he cast magic already? I’m certain he hasn’t been playing Magic Academy any longer than you, right? Is magic really that easy to learn?!" Ji-Hong asked, his eyes gleaming with intense curiosity.

Donape chuckled softly. "No, it’s definitely not easy. It’s because his synchronization rate is exceptionally high, which allows what he learns inside the game to manifest much faster in reality. In simple terms, he’s a genius. No... perhaps he’s a once-in-a-generation talent—a genius among geniuses."

Hearing such high praise come straight from Donape’s mouth, Ji-Hong froze, turning to stare at Seo-Jin with renewed gravity.

Jae-Woong and Kennedy also looked on with a mix of deep fascination and burning envy. They were captivated by magic and longed to learn it, but they had assumed it would require months of painful, tedious study.

They had always believed the shop could grant them magical abilities eventually, but never this fast.

Now, they realized that the most enviable feature wasn’t just extracting in-game items—it was the fact that learning skills in-game meant mastering them in real life at almost the exact same time.

They finally understood the true weight of a VR Capsule’s synchronization rate. Unlike casual players like Ga-Eun, Irene, and Mira, Jae-Woong and Kennedy never slacked off during their gaming sessions. Yet sitting at a modest 18% synchronization rate, there was simply no way they could replicate what Seo-Jin had just pulled off.

Meanwhile, Jae-Woong’s three college friends stood with their mouths agape. They frantically inspected every inch of the counter, searching for hidden gadgets or props, only to come up completely empty-handed. The fireball they had just witnessed was undeniably real, leaving them rubbing their eyes in absolute disbelief.

Over at the lounge, Zerke and Jong-Kook simply smiled helplessly. Having observed Donape’s unusual actions since they first met, they were somewhat prepared for the impossible—though seeing actual magic manifest before their eyes was still a jaw-dropping sight.

On the other hand, Jong-Un and Suk-Jin were having a hard time fitting this mind-bending fiction into their logical worldview.

No matter how advanced VR technology became, they had always viewed it strictly as a high-tech simulation, never imagining it as a literal bridge to gain supernatural abilities in reality.

The sheer shock in the room made complete sense. Up until now, Item Materialization had only occurred a single time—when Ji-Hong brought out his Qi Starter Pill.

Because of the astronomical conversion fees and the inability to buy in-game currency with real money, no one else had been able to pull off such a feat.

Witnessing a spell manifest out of thin air was the first time these customers realized that the virtual world was directly leaking into reality.

"Don’t get too ahead of yourselves just yet," Donape said, his voice cutting through the hyped-up atmosphere.

"While the impossible has technically become possible today, that doesn’t mean you can go showcase magic or superhuman martial arts carelessly in modern society like ours."

His stern tone acted like a bucket of cold water, snapping everyone out of their wonderful fantasies of instantaneous power. He continued without giving them a chance to object.

"If you start throwing fireballs or running on water without restraint in public, you might very well incite the government to hunt you down, throw you in a deep underground lab, and dissect you. Haven’t you ever read those kinds of stories in web novels or anime? Where the moment you show you’re different from the rest, you are branded a freak and no longer considered ’one of them’? So, practice self-restraint. Maintain a humble manner."

Learning anything from Origins VR Cafe truly carried a high cost. For now, they were just a small minority—strange individuals who no longer conformed to common sense or basic logic.

Though one could grow strong and learn magic here, they were far from omnipotent unless they reached a certain profound level.

As they stood right now, even a powerful practitioner was no match against modern technological weaponry such as a rifle, high-grade explosives, specialized EMPs that could disrupt any type of internal energies, or nuclear bombs.

The reality of the words settled heavily over the shop.

In a rigid modern society governed by strictly enforced laws, superhumans and mages didn’t exist—and if they did, they were threats to be contained.

The weight of gaining real-world power suddenly came with an equal weight of responsibility and paranoia.

Before the heavy silence or daydreams could drag on, the shop door chimed.

Mislaine, Morgan, Kassandra, and Viktor stepped inside, accompanied by a young man roughly Ga-Eun’s age named Mikel Angelo.

"Good afternoon, Shopkeeper," Mislaine greeted with a smirk, gesturing toward the sleek pod tucked behind the counter. "It’s unusual to see you out here at this hour. You’re usually tucked away inside your capsule."

"I actually came out to relax after grinding for three straight days," Donape replied with a weary shrug. "But thanks to a certain someone, I feel like I need to dive right back in and grind even harder—no matter how boring or tedious it gets. After all, strength waits for no one."

Nearby, Young Master Baek Ji-Hong remained quiet for a long moment. He gave Jae-Woong a firm nod, confirming their earlier agreement to buy up Jae-Woong’s remaining Gold Coins, before turning back toward his own capsule.

Witnessing a true, once-in-a-generation genius like Shin Seo-Jin hadn’t crushed Ji-Hong’s spirits—it had ignited a fiery motivation within him.

Even his cousin, Baek Si-Yeon—who was considered vastly more talented than their eldest cousin, Baek Su-Hong—paled in comparison to Seo-Jin’s absurd synchronization rate.

Yet Ji-Hong wasn’t the type to wallow in self-pity. He was naturally eccentric, straightforward, and bright. Sometimes, not overthinking things was a blessing; it allowed him simply to push forward without baggage.

On the other hand, Jae-Woong and Kennedy’s other friends looked visibly deflated. Standing next to an absolute monster talent like Seo-Jin made their own modest progress feel almost painful.

Donape chuckled softly, giving the room one last glance before stepping back toward his capsule. "Well, enjoy your chats, everyone."

As Mislaine and her companions walked toward the counter, Mikel Angelo suddenly froze mid-stride, staring around in complete disorientation.

"Don’t worry, that’s just your spatial perception trying to adjust," Viktor said smoothly, misinterpreting the youth’s hesitation for simple dizziness. "It takes a moment to get used to the depth when stepping into a building equipped with spatial expansion."

Angelo’s brow furrowed, but his eyes swept across the impossibly wide interior of the cafe.

Although he had been briefed beforehand that this shop possessed the power to turn fiction into reality, experiencing the mind-bending spatial logic for himself was a different story entirely.

He had only arrived late last night under Mislaine’s strict orders, brought into the Baek Empire without any clear explanation regarding his actual purpose or mission.

Stepping up to the counter, Viktor placed an order for five cups of Obsidian Roast Coffee as their group settled onto the stools.

Meanwhile, Jae-Woong, Kennedy, and their friends finished their drinks and quietly prepared to take their leave.

Although Jae-Woong’s group still felt a bit deflated standing in the shadow of Seo-Jin’s monstrous synchronization rate, Donape’s earlier reality check had brought them a profound sense of relief.

They no longer felt forced to rush their progress. Learning magic slowly wasn’t a flaw—in fact, in a world unprepared for superhumans, gaining power too quickly without the discipline to hide it was nothing more than an invitation to danger.

For them, treating the VR game as top-tier entertainment while quietly building their magic foundation in a backstreet, hidden manner was the smartest move.

Over at the lounge area, Zerke, Jong-Kook, Jong-Un, and Suk-Jin finished their afternoon drinks and headed toward the vacant VR Capsules.

Despite Jong-Un and Suk-Jin frantically pestering them about the real-life magic they had just seen, Zerke and Jong-Kook simply shrugged it off, telling them to focus on using the pods as an ultra-realistic tactical shooting simulator.

With the other patrons diving back into the game and Jae-Woong’s group exiting, a pleasant tranquility settled over the shop, leaving only Ga-Eun behind the counter and the five members of the Babylon Mercenary.

"So, what are we supposed to do here, Chair—no, Miss Carla?" Angelo asked, catching his tongue in time.

"It’s simple. You just need to train well here," Mislaine replied, a subtle, captivating smile curling her lips.

"After all, you’re one of the rare talents capable of matching my expectations."