After some discussion, Amelie helped Slade back to his room so he could rest.
Lying on the bed, he stared at the ceiling, his mind replaying everything that had happened. After a while, he mumbled under his breath,
"So this world really runs on superpowers and awakeners… huh?That probably means dungeons, monsters, or some other overpowered nonsense exist too."
He rolled onto his side, frowning.
"First thing's first — I need to understand the history and logic of this world.Can't play the game if you don't even know the rules."
His gaze drifted to the phone beside him. He grabbed it, scrolling through its sleek interface.
"Well, at least something's familiar. Technology's here — maybe a bit advanced, but not fully sci-fi yet. Guess superpowers didn't replaced tech, just boosted it."
He sighed deeply and lay back again, arms behind his head.
"Alright, summary time. Cold-faced fiancée who probably one of main lead at academy? Check."
"Rival who likes her and nearly turned me into a floor pancake?Check.
"Rich background, no superpower awakened, tragic luck? Double check."
"Yup — I'm either a cannon fodder or the villain's warm-up dummy."
He frowned, then chuckled bitterly.
"Is there even a chance that I'm the protagonist here?.... Nah.
Let's wait for confirmation before getting full of myself."
Sitting up, he muttered thoughtfully,
"Next problem — that weird 'Error Essence.' Whatever it is, it's not normal. Maybe unstable, maybe hidden power. But I need to figure it out before I end up growing in the dark."
Then suddenly, his eyes widened.
"Wait…
.
.
.
how could I forget?!
.
.
.
The most powerful ally of every transmigrator in history —
.
.
.the all-knowing, all-helping companion!"
He raised his hand dramatically.
"Come forth,
Mr. System!
Let our glorious journey begin!"
.
.
.
Silence.
Nothing.
He blinked, then cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem… Mr. System, please appear. You don't have to be shy."
Still nothing.
His confident expression cracked.
"Don't tell me… I don't.....
have a system?!
How am I supposed to survive in a superpowered world without a cheat ?"
He flopped back on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Sure, I'm rich now, but that won't help me if I don't even know what my power is. What kind of transmigration scam is this?!"
He sighed dramatically.
"Fine. Maybe there's still a chance. Let's try the classic."
He took a deep breath and shouted with full emotion,
"STATUS!"
The moment the word left his lips, the air in the room rippled. A strange energy burst from his body — blue and chaotic, twisting around him like smoke. His chest tightened as the light pulsed brighter and brighter.
"W-Whoa… what's happening?!"
A holographic screen materialized before his eyes, symbols flickering across it faster than he could read.
His vision blurred.
Every pulse of light drained something inside him — like his strength, his breath, even his heartbeat.
"It's… draining my energy?"
Pain spread through his limbs. His Essence — whatever that strange energy was — felt like it was leaking out of him.
The screen flickered wildly before stabilizing for only a second. Words and symbols finally sharpened enough for him to read.
⚡ [STATUS SCREEN INITIALIZING...]
Name: Slade Willson / Dev Singh
Essence Type: ERROR (Identification requires more energy)
Stage: Attunement
Essence Value: 46 / 1164 (≈4%)
Superpower: ERROR (Insufficient Essence for Detection)
Physical State: Stable but Weak
Mental State: Overloaded
Essence Reserves: Critically Low
Note: "Please refrain from activating functions. Risk of collapse imminent."
Slade blinked at the glowing text.
"Wait, wait, wait… so my 'system' works… but it's running on 4% battery?!"
He pointed at the screen weakly.
"You're telling me I nearly died… just to open the settings menu?"
The screen flickered again, dimming slightly.
"Oh, come on—don't you dare—"
Before he could finish, a wave of exhaustion crashed over him. His knees gave out, and he fell back onto the bed.
The blue glow faded, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air.
"Okay… note to self…" he muttered, his voice fading." No more… status commands… until full charge…"
And with that, Slade slipped into unconsciousness — the last thing he saw was a single, faint notification blinking in the corner of his fading vision:
[Essence Draining: 4.1% → 4.0%]
☀️ The Next Morning
Slade groaned as he opened his eyes. His entire body felt like it had been run over by a truck, more than one time, and then politely parked on top of him.
"Ugh… what happened yesterday? I just wanted a system, not an energy tax collector…"
He rubbed his neck and sat up, still feeling the faint buzz of Essence in his veins.
"So, that screen thing… it came from me, right? Does that mean if I use 'Status' again, it'll drain my energy like last time?"
He hesitated for a moment, then sighed.
"Well, only one way to find out."
He raised his hand weakly and said,
"Status."
Immediately, the familiar blue light shimmered before him — but this time, it appeared instantly, without the suffocating pull of energy that had knocked him out before.
⚡ [STATUS SCREEN INITIALIZING...]
Name: Slade Willson / Dev Singh
Essence Type: ERROR (Identification requires more energy)
Stage: Attunement
Essence Value: 250 / 1164
Superpower: ERROR (Insufficient Essence for Detection)
Physical State: Stable
Mental State: Slightly Frenzied
Essence Reserves: Low
Note: "Please refrain from activating or adding functions. Risk of collapse imminent."
Slade blinked at the glowing window, his surprise quickly turning into excitement.
"Whoa… it showed up instantly this time — and it didn't suck me dry! So it must've already formed using my Essence from last night."
He stared at the holographic panel, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"If that's true, then this system is literally made from my own energy. Which means… maybe my superpower is creation-based?"
He leaned back on his bed, half impressed and half terrified.
"So basically, I built my own system out of life energy. Great. I'm a self-powered smartphone that runs on exhaustion."
He waved his hand and looked closer at the interface.
"Alright, let's see. Name, Essence Type, Stage, Condition…So it's a basic diagnostic screen for now. Not bad — means it's functional. Maybe if I gather more Essence, I can unlock new features. Skills, stats, maybe even a system inventory…"
A mischievous grin appeared on his face.
"It's basically like a game menu. All I need now is a way to level up."
He paused, noticing something odd.
"Wait a second — it's showing both my names. Slade Willson… and Dev Singh."
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"Yeah, that's gonna be hard to explain. Can I, uh… hide that second name?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the 'Dev Singh' portion flickered — then vanished.
His eyes widened.
"Oh! So I can hide what it shows? That's actually pretty cool."
He chuckled softly to himself.
"Good to know. I don't need to be explaining random Indian names to people in a world full of superpowers."
The screen pulsed faintly, like it was acknowledging him, then slowly dimmed down and disappeared.
Slade stared at the spot where it had been, his smile returning.
"Alright, Mr. Error System… you might not talk much, but I think we're finally starting to understand each other."
He lay back on his pillow with a tired smirk.
"Let's survive this world together — and maybe try not to blackout next time."
The door creaked open.
Amelie stepped in, dressed neatly as always.
"Young Master, breakfast is ready," she said with a polite bow.
Slade stretched and rubbed his eyes.
"Already? …Alright, let's go. I could use some normal food after all this."
He stood up and was pleasantly surprised — his body didn't feel as heavy as yesterday.
"Huh, better than before," he muttered, taking a careful step.
Amelie moved closer, gently helping him balance as they walked toward the dining hall. After a quick wash-up, he followed her down the polished hallway that gleamed under morning light.
The large dining room came into view — long table, golden chandelier, and more food than he could ever eat in one sitting.
Several people were already there. Some familiar from last night, others not.
At the far end, a little girl about seven or eight looked up from her seat, with stars in her eyes.
"Brother! You came back!"
Slade smiled faintly. "Yeah. Missed me?"
The girl giggled and nodded eagerly, her legs swinging under the chair.
Before he could sit, a middle-aged man — well-built, confident — stood and approached him.
"How are you feeling now? Father said, you had some memory loss. Do you… remember me?"
Slade tilted his head, squinting. "My uncle, I suppose?"
The man laughed softly. "That's right. Don't worry, you'll start remembering everything soon enough."
Mrs. Willson gestured warmly.
"Slade, come sit here beside me."
He took his seat next to her and glanced at the table — a variety of dishes spread out before him: steamy congee, golden fried dough sticks, pickled vegetables, and some unfamiliar meat dishes that looked suspiciously… pinkish.
He picked up the spoon, eyeing the bowl of congee suspiciously.
"Looks like hospital food," he muttered. Then he took a sip.
His eyes widened.
"Okay… never mind. Savory, soft, kinda salty — not bad at all."
He avoided the meat, deciding not to gamble with his reincarnated stomach.
"I'm not dying twice because of mystery pork," he whispered under his breath.
After a while, the family settled into calm conversation. That's when his grandfather spoke up, his voice carrying that serious tone.
"Slade, I'll take you to Venus College today to meet the principal. He's an old comrade from my army days — he'll make sure you're admitted. With your Essence value, you don't even need a special quota."
The spoon in Slade's hand froze mid-air.
He looked up slowly. "…Uh, Grandpa, hypothetical question — what if I told you my Essence value… decreased?"
The entire table went silent.
Forks, spoons, and even the faint hum of conversation all stopped.
Everyone turned to stare at him — his parents, the maids, even little Britney, eyes wide which is not common for them.
Mr. Willson frowned. "Decreased? What do you mean?"
Slade scratched his cheek awkwardly, forcing a weak laugh.
"You know… hypothetically. Like, let's say my Essence bar went from 'wow impressive' to 'oops battery low.' That sort of thing."
The doctor who was quietly sipping tea at the side nearly choked.
Mrs. Willson's smile twitched. "Slade… what exactly did you do?"
He leaned back, sighing dramatically.
"Well, I may or may not have accidentally… used it all to make a glowing blue screen last night."
Dead silence.
Grandpa Willson blinked once. "A… glowing blue what?"
Slade nodded seriously.
"Screen. Like, uh, a system screen. Cool sci-fi stuff. Totally worth it… probably."
The table remained frozen in disbelief.
Even Amelie looked like she'd seen a ghost.
Slade sighed and picked up his spoon again.
"On the bright side," he mumbled, "Well, at least breakfast tastes great."