Once again, David found himself alone. But this time, his presence felt differentâhis aura no longer weighed down by uncertainty but rather shaped by something deeper.
"You said I helped you⦠No, you've helped me."
"I misjudged you, seeing only what I wanted to see," he sighed. "But in doing so, I failed to realizeâI was walking the very path I had been so desperate to escape."
The thought lingered in his mind, a realization that settled in like a quiet flame warming the cold corners of his heart. The conversation with her had done more than offer comfort; it had reshaped his perspective.
What happened in the chamber couldnât simply be erased. The memories clung to him, heavy and unrelenting. He had thought things would never be the same again.
And yet, for the first time, he wasnât consumed by them. The struggle he faced wasnât his alone.
Maybe, just maybe, they shared that struggleâthe battle to change, to grow, to become something more than the scars of their past.
He exhaled sharply, his thoughts aligning.
"It may take months for a full recovery, huh? But I donât have that much time."
The idea of waitingâof being stuck here while the world moved onâwas unbearable. He had already survived the Rift, fought against death more times than he could count. Now, lying in a hospital bed while the system inside him remained dormant felt like a cruel joke.
I have spent most of my life in ignoranceâdrifting through existence without truly understanding. And when that ignorance shattered, it left only despair.
A deep, suffocating despair.
There had been no way out. No light at the end of the tunnel. Only the crushing weight of inevitability.
But nowâ¦
Now, something has changed.
His fingers twitched. He flexed them slowly, testing his strength. The pain in his body was a dull whisper compared to what it had been. His recoveryâimpossible by normal meansâwas already underway.
And it wasnât just his body that had changed.
His mind was different.
He couldnât remain idle. Not anymore.
The system had given him somethingâsomething real, something undeniable. A force that defied logic, one that had carried him through the Rift, through battle, through death itself.
He exhaled sharply.
"Thereâs no one else but me now."
No one to rely on. No one to wait for.
If he wanted to surviveâif he wanted to changeâhe had to do it himself.
"And because of her, my arm⦠itâs already healed beyond what should be possible. The rest⦠shouldnât be difficult."
A pulse of awareness surged through him. He knew what he had to do.
Without shifting his gaze from the ceiling, he willed the system to respond.
Open Info.
For a moment, nothing happened. Thenâ
A faint shimmer. A subtle distortion in the air.
Lines of text emerged, overlaying his vision, crisp and absolute.
[ INFO ⾠QUEST ⸠INVENTORY ⸠SHOP ⸠]
PROFILE
NAME : David
LVL : 06 [ â´ 210/500XP ] or [ â´ 50 SU ]
TITLE : User
SYSTEM UNITS : 67
STATUS
HP : â°â±â±â±â± ²³
DEFENSE : â°â°â°â°â± ¹³³
MANA : â°â°â°â°â° ¹âµâ°
STATS
STRENGTH : 13 â´
AGILITY : 10 â´
STAMINA : 10 â´
INTELLIGENCE : 91 â´
POWERS
LIGHT POWER : D Class [ â´ 30 SU ]
DARKNESS POWER : D Class [ â´ 30 SU ]
My health still hasnât returned to full, he thought. Just how severe was my condition after the battle?
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Show me the notifications.
⪠⪠⪠KILLED A LYZARION ⪠⪠âª
⪠⪠⪠REWARD : + 30 SU + 500 XP ⪠⪠âª
⪠⪠⪠LEVEL UP AVAILABLE ⪠⪠âª
⪠⪠⪠OBLIVION HALL IS NOW ACCESSABLE ⪠⪠âª
A flood of notifications filled his vision.
David's face nearly lit up with joy when his eyes landed on the multiple notifications. But the initial excitement faded as he remembered why he had opened the interface in the first place.
"I want to level up."
Earlier, he had switched the level-up process from automatic to manual to prevent himself from being killed mid-battle.
The command left his mind, and he braced himself for the searing agony he had come to expect.
Threads of light began weaving across his body, an intricate web of glowing filaments that pulsed with a soothing warmth. Instead of pain, a deep comfort spread through him, cradling his senses in a gentle embrace. His muscles relaxed, his breathing slowed, and an overwhelming drowsiness crept inâso strong he felt he might drift into sleep at any moment.
This was new.
David had only known level-ups to be brutal, his body wracked with unbearable torment as his very being was forcibly reconstructed. But this⦠this was almost blissful.
Until it wasnât.
The warmth turned coldâsharp, biting, unnatural. His body tensed as the comfort vanished in an instant. The transition was so sudden that his mind barely had time to react before the sensation was gone, leaving behind only the aftershock of something unknown.
A notification flashed.
⪠⪠⪠LEVEL UP SUCCESSFUL ⪠⪠âª
David remained still, absorbing the moment. By far, this had been the best level-up experience he had ever felt. A stark contrast to the excruciating ones before.
And that contrastâ¦
He narrowed his eyes.
Maybe both experiencesâunbearable pain and unexpected comfortâwere connected. But that was a mystery for another time.
Another notification appeared, one that caught his attention.
⪠⪠⪠REWARDS PENDING ⪠⪠âª
"That's new."
Curiosity flickered, but he didnât let it linger. There was no need to wait.
"Show me the rewards."
The system responded instantly.
⪠⪠⪠SKILLS ARE AVAILABLE NOW ⪠⪠âª
⪠⪠⪠YOU CAN ACCESS YOUR SKILLS IN INFO MENU ⪠⪠âª
Another line followed, and this one sent a surge of anticipation through his veins.
⪠⪠⪠YOUR BATTLE INSIGHT HAS EARNED YOU AN ACTIVE SKILL ⪠⪠âª
⪠⪠⪠ENVIRONMENT AWARENESS ⪠⪠âª
It seemed, at last, that fortune had begun to shift in his favor.
"Display the info menu," he instructed.
[ INFO ⾠QUEST ⸠INVENTORY ⸠SHOP ⸠]
PROFILE
NAME : David
LVL : 07 [ â´ 210/750XP ] or [ â´ 75 SU ]
TITLE : User
SYSTEM UNITS : 97
STATUS
HP : â°â°â°â°â° ²â°â°
DEFENSE : â°â°â°â°â° ²â°â°
MANA : â°â°â°â°â° ²â°â°
STATS
STRENGTH : 13 â´
AGILITY : 10 â´
STAMINA : 10 â´
INTELLIGENCE : 91 â´
POWERS
LIGHT POWER : D Class [ â´ 30 SU ]
DARKNESS POWER : D Class [ â´ 30 SU ]
SKILLS
ACTIVE SKILLS
⪠ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS [ ⴠLVL 1 ]
PASSIVE SKILLS
⪠STRATEGIC MIND [ ⴠLVL 1 ]
It felt as though he was gradually unlocking the systemâs full potentialâone feature at a time.
"Open Environmental Awareness."
The system responded instantly, new information unfolding before his eyes.
SKILLS
ACTIVE SKILLS
⪠ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS [ ⴠLVL 1 ]
Effect : Enhances perception of surroundings, identifying hazards, hidden opportunities, or structural weaknesses to exploit.
PASSIVE SKILLS
⪠STRATEGIC MIND [ ⴠLVL 1 ]
Davidâs eyes lingered on the active skill. Thatâs exactly what I did during the battle with the shapeshifter. Is that why I earned this skill? He drowned in a thought.
But why was only one skill newly acquired? Could it be that the other skill had always been a part of me?
"Open Strategic Mind."
SKILLS
ACTIVE SKILLS
⪠ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS [ ⴠLVL 1 ]
PASSIVE SKILLS
⪠STRATEGIC MIND [ ⴠLVL 1 ]
Effect : Boosts ability to create and execute multi-step plans during combat, reducing hesitation and error.
He exhaled sharply. So, itâs exactly what the name suggests. I guess my brain has finally started working after years of negligence.
Closing the window, he navigated through the system, flipping through different menus with a sense of purpose. There was something else he was searching for.
Oblivion Hall.
His fingers twitched as he sifted through the options, but no matter how much he searched, there was nothing. Not a single mention of the new feature.
A flicker of frustration crossed his face. And here I thought I was fully compatible with the system. Yet I still canât access this new function?
His jaw clenched. He didnât even know what it did or where to find it.
He paused, inhaling deeply. I guess when the time comes⦠Iâll find out.
"Open inventory," he commanded one last time. The system responded instantly, the interface shifting seamlessly.
[ INFO ⸠QUEST ⸠INVENTORY ⾠SHOP ⸠]
ITEMS
⪠1 S-Class healing barrier [ RARE ]
⪠Mysterious book cover [ ??? ]
⪠Heart of the Desert Armor [ EPIC ]
⪠Essence Heart [ ORIGINS UNKNOWN ]
His eyes fell on the Essence Heartâthe same small, brown orb he'd retrieved alongside the Rift Core. What does this even do? He didnât dwell on it for long, though. His arm was his priority now.
He moved his arm againâone motion, then a second. The pain had faded almost completely, leaving only the faintest trace. The system level-up really does take me to another level, he thought, stretching his arm with ease.
A sudden thought crossed his mind. What if Lizzie hadn't healed my arm before I passed out? He felt a brief shudder, goosebumps crawling down his skin. He pushed the unsettling thought aside. Focus.
He stood from the bed, his bandaged arm in a plaster cast. It wasnât the most graceful of movements, but it didnât matter. The system had helped him through worse.
In a swift motion, he let himself fall to the floor.
One... Two... Three...
Without hesitation, he positioned his hands and began his push-ups, feeling the heat of his vitality coursing through his body.
Each push-up brought more fire into his muscles. His body, still healing, resisted, but the sensation was invigorating. This is what being alive feels like, he thought, his focus unwavering. His strength felt almost endless, his energy surging.
Untilâ
"What are you doing?!"
The sudden outburst made him pause mid-movement. He glanced up to see a nurse standing at the doorway, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"You are in no condition to be working out!" she snapped, rushing toward him.
David smirked, wiping the sweat from his brow. Condition? He had the system. That was all the condition he needed.