Saying those final words, the ghostly image of the real Azrael faded into nothing. The room returned to its silent, gloomy state. Kenji was alone again, but the heavy weight of despair had lifted slightly. He now had a purpose. A mission.
As the last speck of light from the projection vanished, a sound chimed in the air. A transparent blue screen materialized in front of him, glowing with a soft, ethereal light.
'Welcome, Host.'
'To open your parting gift, please issue the verbal command: 'System'.'
He stared at the screen for a moment. It was just like the stories he used to read. A system. A tool for the protagonist.
'System,' he said, his voice a little shaky.
The welcome message dissolved and was replaced by a new interface. It was sleek and organized, a series of text lines that hovered in the air before him. It was his status window.
[AZRAEL ASHVEIL]
LEVEL: 1 – Newbie
STATS:
STR (Strength): 8 / 100
AGI (Agility): 9 / 100
END (Endurance): 7 / 100
INT (Intelligence): 10 / 100
AET (Aether): 9 / 100
LCK (Luck): 5 / 100
CHA (Charisma): 8 / 100
AFFINITY: None
(Only one affinity can be held)
SKILL: [Unique Skill]
Name: Limitless Comprehension
Type: Passive / Growth
Effect: Instantly grasps the fundamentals of any observed ability. Learning speed increased by 300%.
Special: Skills learned through this ability evolve uniquely under the host's control.
He looked at the stats, his small spark of hope dimming. First, his level. 'Level 1. Newbie. It's as bad as it sounds.'
Then he looked at the rest. Strength, Agility, Endurance… all of them were below 10. He didn't know the exact scale, but he knew they were pathetic. In the story, Azrael was weak, relying on his family name and money, never on his own power. These numbers proved it.
'Affinity: None.' That was the scariest part. In this world, Aether was the essence of magic. Without an affinity for an element like fire or water, he was just a normal human with no potential for magic. He was a dud.
Finally, he looked at the skill. At first, 'Limitless Comprehension' sounded useless. But as he read the description again, he realized its true potential. 'Instantly grasps the fundamentals… learning speed increased by 300%... skills evolve uniquely.' If he used it correctly, this was a broken skill. Not as powerful as the hero's divine blessings, but it was a fighting chance.
The screen vanished. 'System,' he said again, and it reappeared.
'So it works on command.' He decided to test it further. 'System, can you talk?'
There was no reply.
'System, how do I increase my stats?'
Again, only silence. He was about to give up, feeling a familiar wave of frustration. With zero motivation left, he asked one last question. 'System, can I gain an affinity?'
This time, after a short pause, a message appeared.
'Affinity can be earned through the [Shop] or through [Spins].'
'Shop? Spins?' he thought. 'And how do I use the shop or spins?'
'While the system screen is active, focus your thoughts on [Shop] or [Spins].'
He closed his eyes and thought, 'Shop.'
The stats window was replaced by a new interface. It looked like a simple store menu. He found the Affinity tab and opened it. A list appeared with prices that made his heart sink.
Water Affinity - 10,000 P
Fire Affinity - 10,000 P
Electricity Affinity - 20,000 P
Metal Affinity - 20,000 P
Earth Affinity - 30,000 P
The list went on. He looked at the top corner of the screen. It showed his balance.
[Balance: 10 P]
He searched the entire shop. There was not a single item he could afford. He gave up on the shop and thought, 'Spins.'
The interface changed again. A large, ornate wheel appeared in text form.
[Lucky Spin]
Test your luck! One spin costs 10,000 P.
He froze. 'This is impossible. There's no way I can survive with this.'
'System, how do I earn these points?' he asked, his voice laced with desperation.
The system's response was simple and direct.
'[Rewards].'
It would be confusing for anyone else, but Kenji understood immediately. Rewards meant quests. And quests meant difficulty.
As if summoned by his thoughts, a new window popped up, its border flashing red.
! NEW QUEST !
Task: Swing a sword 500 times. Punch a tree 100 times. Do 200 push-ups.
Time Limit: 12 Hours
Reward: Strength (STR) increases by one level.
He looked at the quest. 'This isn't a beginner quest, you damn scammer!' he cursed inwardly. All that work, all that pain, just for one single point in Strength. It was a total scam.
But he knew he had to do it. Any missed opportunity, any moment of weakness, would lead him down the same path as the real Azrael. It would lead to his death.
He got dressed and went to the mansion's training grounds. He found a practice sword. It was heavier than he expected. He lifted it and swung. It was clumsy and weak.
He swung again, and again. His arms started to burn. But as he continued, a strange feeling washed over him. Information flooded his mind. The correct way to stand, the proper way to grip the sword, the most efficient arc for a swing. It was his skill, 'Limitless Comprehension'. He was learning the fundamentals instantly.
His swings became smoother, faster, more precise. He finished the 500 swings, his body drenched in sweat, but he had mastered the basic form.
Next were the push-ups. They were pure torture. His arms screamed in protest, but he pushed through, counting each one until he reached 200.
The last task was punching a tree. He found a thick, sturdy tree at the edge of the grounds. He took a stance. Again, his skill activated, teaching him how to channel power from his legs, through his core, and into his fist.
He punched the tree. Pain shot up his arm. He punched again. The bark was rough and tore at his skin. He kept punching, ignoring the pain, focusing only on the number. 98… 99… 100.
He finished and collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily. His hands were a mess. His knuckles were split open and bleeding freely.
A notification appeared.
'Quest Complete!'
'Reward: STR +1.'
His Strength was now 9. He felt a tiny bit stronger, but the pain in his hands was overwhelming.
"My lord!"
He heard a gasp from behind him. He turned to see Elvara standing there, her green eyes wide with horror as she stared at his bloody hands. She rushed to his side.
"What have you done to yourself?" she cried, her voice trembling. She turned to a nearby maid. "Quickly! Get a healing potion! Now!"
She then knelt in front of him, gently taking his injured hand in hers. Her touch was surprisingly soft.