Pain. That's the first thing I felt when I regained consciousness. A deep, throbbing pain that pulsed through my body, making it hard to breathe. My vision was blurry, the harsh hospital lights burning into my retinas. The steady beeping of a heart monitor echoed in my ears. I was alive.
But how? I remember it clearly—my legs torn off, my arm ripped away, the unbearable agony as monsters devoured me. I should be dead.
Yet, as I slowly moved my fingers, I realized something impossible. My body was whole.
Then, it appeared.
[System Activation: Host Selected]
[Avatar Chosen]
[Welcome, Ryzen Kael]
A glowing blue screen hovered in the air before me, its letters flickering like embers. I blinked, but it remained. Was I hallucinating?
A voice snapped me out of my daze. "Awake, huh?"
I turned my head to see a man in a bck suit sitting in the corner of the room. His sharp eyes studied me like a predator eyeing prey.
"Ryzen Kael, correct?" he asked, standing. "I'm Agent Hale from the Hunter Association. You were found unconscious near a newly formed gate. Witnesses cim you were attacked. Care to expin how you survived?"
I swallowed hard. "I… don't know."
Hale's gaze didn't waver. "No injuries, no missing limbs. If you bcked out, how did you recover?"
I hesitated. I could still see the system screen floating in front of me. Was this the reason I survived?
"I can't expin it."
Hale exhaled sharply. "Tch. Suspicious." He pulled out a tablet. "We scanned you while you were unconscious. You still don't have an awakened ability. No css. Just like before."
My fists clenched under the hospital bnket. A decade had passed since the Awakening, and I was still nothing.
"Well," Hale said, turning away. "If anything comes to mind, report it to the Association."
As soon as the door shut behind him, I let out a shaky breath. Then, new text appeared on the screen.
[System Integration Complete]
[Welcome to the Limitless System]
[Your journey begins now.]
The world around me shattered.
****
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't in the hospital anymore. I stood in an endless void, surrounded by swirling gaxies and cascading streams of data.
"Where… am I?"
[You have been granted the chance to defy fate.]
The voice was cold, mechanical, yet powerful.
[You have been chosen as the System's Avatar. Unlike the Hunters who received their powers ten years ago, your abilities will evolve beyond limitations.]
I took a shaky breath. "Why me?" I asked. "I was nothing for ten years. No abilities. No css. Why now?"
[The world has reached its tipping point. The current Hunters are not enough. New power is required. You have been chosen to wield it.]
"What do I need to do?"
[Survive. Grow. Conquer.]
A blinding light consumed me, and when I came to, I was back in the hospital room. But something was different. My body felt… powerful. As if something deep inside me had awakened.
The screen appeared again.
[First Quest: Adaptation]
[Objective: Test Your New Strength]
[Reward: System Calibration]
***
I took a deep breath and focused on the system screen. As soon as I accepted the quest, my entire body tensed. A sharp burning sensation surged through my veins, like liquid fire flowing through me.
[System Calibration in Progress…]
A new wave of pain struck me, far worse than anything I had ever felt. My muscles spasmed, my vision darkened, and my bones felt like they were breaking and reforming all at once. I gritted my teeth, suppressing a scream. Was this what adaptation meant?
[Body Calibration: 10%... 30%... 50%...]
My breathing became ragged. I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palm. Every fiber of my being was being rewritten, reforged. It was agonizing, but I refused to let it break me.
[80%... 90%...]
Almost there. I forced myself to stay conscious.
[100% - System Calibration Complete]
The pain vanished. My entire body felt… different. Lighter. Stronger. The haze in my mind cleared, and a rush of crity filled me. I exhaled slowly and flexed my fingers. I felt… reborn.
Then, new notifications popped up.
"Name: Ryzen Kael"
Adventurer Rank: E
Level: 1
Css: System's Avatar
[Stats]
Strength (STR) – 12Agility (AGI) – 12Vitality (VIT) – 18Intelligence (INT) – 12
[Exclusive Skills]
Adaptive Growth
"Special System Stats"
Fatigue – 0/100
HP – 100/100
MP – 10/10
Unallocated Stat Points – 3
I stared at the numbers and words, my heart pounding in my chest. These stats… they were higher than an average E-Rank Hunter. But to my surprise, a new notification popped up, and the golden letters glowing intensely.
[New Quest Assigned]
[Quest: First Step to Power]
[Objective: Defeat any Monster]
[Reward: 5 stat points]
[24 hours before the Quest expires]
[Penalty for Failing a Daily Quest]
Failure to complete your daily quest will result in the following punishment:
I squinted at the glowing system window, reading the penalty description carefully.
[You will be instantly teleported to the busiest street in town, wearing a bright pink magical girl outfit (complete with sparkles and a frilly wand) and stike a cute pose]
My eyes moved slowly across the words—then snapped back to "bright pink magical girl outfit."
I reread it. Once. Twice. A third time. "Wait… what?!" My eyes widened, "Teleport… busiest street… frilly wand… STRIKE A CUTE POSE?!?!"
My hands trembled. My soul left mybody. Somewhere in the distance, I swore I could hear mocking ughter from system.
[Daily Quest: 23:58:03 minutes remaining."
