Ares sat by the small fire, watching the flames flicker. The warmth seeped into his skin, but his mind was elsewhere.

  The System had done something. It had redirected that unidentified energy—from an unknown organ in his brain—and channeled it to his finger.

  It was a direct action, not an incantation or a complex ritual like in fantasy stories.

  "Is this some kind of telekinesis? No… something else."

  He flexed his fingers. There was no feeling of depletion, no dizziness. Whatever this energy was, his body naturally produced it.

  Ares took a deep breath. If he was going to survive, he needed answers.

  "System," he muttered. "Explain the energy."

  System: [Processing request…]

  [Unidentified organ detected in host’s brain]

  [Organ generates unknown bio-electric energy]

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  [Functionality unclear. Further analysis required]

  His brow furrowed.

  Humans didn’t have extra energy-producing organs. And yet, this world had somehow altered his body.

  He rubbed his temples.

  "The System doesn’t know what it is either… but it can still use it?"

  That didn’t make sense. If the System was trying to analyze the organ, then it had no prior knowledge of it. Which meant…

  "It’s learning along with me."

  If this was a resource, something he could control, then he needed to understand it.

  But there was something more pressing. The fights.

  Even with the Combat Protocol activated, the fight had been brutal. His body barely kept up, and every attack had been a gamble.

  "System," he said carefully. "What about the combat and emergency life support protocols?"

  System: [Emergency Life Support prioritizes stabilization of fatal injuries]

  [Combat Protocol adapts to host’s physical and cognitive skills]

  Ares frowned.

  "Adapts?"

  He thought back to the fights. The Combat Protocol didn’t make him stronger. It optimized what he already had.

  "That means… it won’t make me a fighter overnight."

  The System wasn’t giving him power. It was using what was already there.

  That also meant he had a limit.

  If he wanted to fight better, he had to train. If he wanted stronger techniques, he had to learn them himself.

  His body was still weak. His endurance was low. Even with the System, he barely survived.

  "I need to push my body harder."

  The System could guide him, but he had to build his own strength. His own skills.

  If he wanted to make it out of this world alive, he couldn’t rely on the System alone.

  He had to evolve himself.