Two hours later…
Davin sat slumped beneath the shade of an old, gnarled tree, its roots like the fingers of a giant clutching the earth.
The wind whispered through the leaves, but he barely noticed. His eyes were unfocused, lips slightly parted in thought.
Dirt smudged his cheeks and clothes.
He looked like a child who'd been thrown into a world that demanded survival, too soon—because he was.
He hugged his knees and let out a long, shaky breath.
'So… when I feel suppressed or undermined by anyone… the curse mother gave me activates to protect my pride? That makes no sense! How is that supposed to help me?!'
[It is a Curse of Pride, after all]
The system's voice chimed.
'That doesn't help!' he snapped mentally. 'And my mom—my mom—was taken by a giant hand! And you still have no clue where my dad is?!'
The system had narrated to him what happened after his mother enveloped him in a golden orb.
[Affirmative, host.]
Davin clenched his fists.
"This is seriously messed up," he muttered aloud, voice trembling with frustration.
"I'm lost in who-knows-where, my mother's been kidnapped, my father's missing—and now if someone bruises my ego, I go full maniac mode and kill them?! That's not normal!"
[I have already informed you of this. Perhaps you did not understand, or would you like me to—]
"I already get it, System! My situation is hopeless..." he snapped, cutting the voice off with a tired sigh.
"And to top it all off… there's a ghost living in my damn head. Who has frightening powerful enemies, from his past life, who can kill me anytime because of being acquainted with him."
[You should refrain from discussing that. You don't yet know who those foes are—or how far their reach goes.]
"Fine. Fine. Let's change topics then." He flopped back onto the grass, staring at the cloudless sky.
"Tell me—how many other people used this system before me?"
[Twelve. But please stick to internal monologue, host. There could be listeners.]
Davin scowled. "I don't give a damn if someone hears me. Just answer—now what happened to those twelve?"
[I'm afraid I cannot share further information about them.]
"Always with vague answers and stupid restrictions." He exhaled sharply, shaking his head.
"Let me guess—privacy policy?"
[Correct.]
'Tch… So that makes me the thirteenth candidate heir of the so-called "Admin"… huh.'
[…]
"You knew about him from the beginning, didn't you?"
[Negative. I am unaware of the Admin's existence until he personally reveals himself to the host.]
'…Right. Sounds like complete BS, but sure, I'll buy it. What now then? Because I'm completely clueless on how to get home… or find my mom and dad.'
[You should check your status, host.]
'Huh?' Davin blinked. 'I haven't done that in a while. Open system screen.'
[Status Tab]
[Mission Tab]
[Skill Tab]
Navy-blue letters appeared midair, hanging just in front of him like three floating buttons on a golden screen.
Davin's brow furrowed.
'Wait… Mission and Skill tabs? Since when were those there?'
[They were added by the Admin after my reboot.]
'I see... guess I should first check my stats. Open Status.'
[Status Tab]
[Name: Davin Bluemoon]
[Age: 7 years]
[Race: Half-Origin]
[Strength: 14] (400 Points for increase)
[Intelligence: 20] (400 Points for increase)
[Agility: 12] (400 Points for increase)
[Vitality: 7] (200 Points for increase)
[Stamina: 20/80] (200 Points for increase per 10 stamina stat)
[Health Points (HP): 140/140] (Increases with increase in vitality by 10 HP)
[Mana: 0/0]
[Pulse Points: 4390]
[Pulse Consumption: 10 Per day]
'Wait... how did my Strength, Agility, and Stamina stats suddenly go up?'
[Your berserk state overexerted those attributes. Such extreme use forces growth.]
'But I saw my stats multiply by ten. I was practically overpowered back there! How do you "overexert yourself" when your power's that high?'
[The berserk state created by the Curse of Pride artificially multiplies your base stats by a ratio. However, this costs you 100 Pulse Points per minute while active. In short, your stats remain the same but with a false amplification on your body.]
Davin stared, wide-eyed. "…"
[During the previous incident, the Curse was active for four minutes. That's a loss of 400 Pulse Points.]
"...So if I didn't have enough points… I could have died during that state?"
[Yes]
He fell silent, a cold chill creeping up his spine.
'That power… it's a double-edged sword. I can't rely on it carelessly.'
[You should avoid circumstances that provoke the Curse's activation. Managing your pride will be essential to survival.]
Davin nodded slowly, the weight of the warning sinking in.
'Open Missions.'
[Mission Tab]
[Eat a Virelume Fruit.]
[Description:]
Its name means vitality and light.
Grows in regions saturated with dense mana. The Virelume Fruit glows faintly with shimmering blue threads under the moonlight.
When consumed, it awakens the eater's ability to sense the flow of mana—forever changing their perception of the world.
[Difficulty:]
Extremely rare plus coveted by many.
And also dangerous to acquire.
[Rewards:]
Unlocks Mana Stat
Awakens Host's Bloodline Elements
Enables Cultivation
[Ps:]
Good luck finding it. You'll need it.
~
Davin stared at the screen, one eye twitching.
'System?'
[Yes, host?]
'Is this some kind of joke?'
[No host. Mission content originates from the Admin—not me. He's the one forging his heir.]
'Of course… just my damn luck.' He closed the screen with a sigh and leaned his head back against the tree.
Above him, the wind rustled the leaves. And for the first time in a while… Davin wasn't sure if he wanted to keep going forward, or turn back—if going back was even an option anymore.
"I sure miss my mama..." He muttered with a sad smile.
'Will we ever be reunited?'