Nick stepped over broken concrete and twisted metal as he moved through what remained of the campus. Every crunch under his shoes echoed in the empty, mutated air.
He opened the System window again.
If this thing was real, if this was the only "tool" he had to survive, then he needed to understand every line of it.
The Status unfolded like before, but this time, more details followed each section. The interface seemed… clearer. As though stabilizing.
[STATUS WINDOW — USER: NICK WARBORN]
Race: Human (Awakened)
→ Explanation: "Awakened" indicates the host has survived the initial mana surge and begun integration. Baseline humans will soon cease to exist.
Nick swallowed hard.
Cease to exist?
He kept reading.
True Name Lineage: Warborn
→ Explanation: A lineage bound to Earth's original roles. One of the 13 that existed before the Sealing. Warborn = Conquest / Vanguard.
Nick felt a cold sweat break across his back.
Boon:Blank Slate World — Full Access (Locked)
→ Explanation: A proto-world tethered to the user's spirit. Growth depends on user actions. Currently sealed to prevent instability.
A… world? Inside him?
He didn't know whether to laugh or panic.
Designation:Origin Variant Detected
→ Explanation: User possesses a system interface divergent from the standard template. Origin Variants evolve unpredictably.
His eyebrows pulled together.
"Unpredictably" didn't sound reassuring.
Level: 1
→ Explanation: Foundation stage of awakening. Host survival probability increases with each level.
Mana Affinity: Undetermined
→ Explanation: Affinity will reveal as circuits stabilize or under extreme emotional stress.
Great.
So he had to almost die or freak out to learn his powers. Perfect.
Bloodline Resonance: Dormant (0%)
→ Explanation: Warborn bloodline inactive. Reactivation occurs through combat, stress, or environmental triggers.
Nick snorted weakly. "Combat and stress? Yeah, that'll be easy."
He kept reading.
ATTRIBUTES
Strength: 7
→ Explanation: Physical power above human norm.
Endurance: 6
→ Explanation: Resistance to fatigue & injury slightly above norm.
Agility: 6
→ Explanation: Reaction and movement speed enhanced.
Vitality: 8
→ Explanation: Enhanced health, natural healing, and bodily resilience.
Mind: 5
→ Explanation: Cognitive ability stable. No enhancement yet.
Spirit: 4
→ Explanation: Emotional stability, willpower, and soul strength below optimal.
Nick blinked.
"Below optimal? Thanks."
Mana: 0 / ?
→ Explanation: Mana core not yet formed. Capacity unknown.
The "?" felt ominous, like even the System didn't know how much he could eventually hold.
UNIQUE CONDITIONS
[Vanguard Protocol: Incomplete]
→ Explanation: A directive template assigned to Warborn full-boon holders. Requirements undisclosed.
[Warborn Instinct: Suppressed]
→ Explanation: Bloodline instincts sealed for user safety.
"Safety," Nick muttered. "Great. Even my own DNA doesn't trust me."
[Origin Path: Hidden]
→ Explanation: This path unlocks when the host survives significant danger.
Nick didn't like how often "danger" kept coming up.
As he walked along the broken street toward the edge of campus, the System chimed again.
A new icon pulsed in the corner of his vision.
[First Quest: The First Step]
He tapped it mentally.
[QUEST: THE FIRST STEP]
Objective 1: Determine your geographic location.
→ Explanation: Earth's landmasses have shifted. Old maps are obsolete.
Objective 2: Secure shelter and resources.
→ Explanation: Environmental hazards and mutated fauna present extreme risk.
Objective 3: Survive for 24 hours.
→ Explanation: 76% of awakened hosts fail within the first day.
Reward: System Stabilization — partial.
Failure: Permanent death.
"Cool. Nothing like starting a new world with a 76% chance of dying."
A deep breath steadied him.
"Okay, Nick. One thing at a time."
He reached the campus entrance. A cracked sign hung by a single bolt, reading:
WESLEY TECH CAMPUS
But beyond it… nothing was familiar.
The road leading off campus had split apart. Massive chunks of asphalt floated slightly above the ground hovering, humming with mana. To the left, the forest had grown impossibly tall, trees stretching hundreds of feet high. Their bark glowed with faint blue veins.
To the right, the city skyline had folded inward, skyscrapers warped like soft clay, as if the horizon itself had bent in the disaster.
Nick kept turning in a slow circle.
"This isn't Earth," he whispered.
It was but not the Earth he remembered. Not the Earth anyone remembered.
Another ping.
[World Status: Reforged Earth]
Planetary Size: x10
Mana Density: High
Continents: Reconfigured
Threat Level: Catastrophic
Average Survival Time: 2–6 days
Nick's knees almost gave out.
He forced himself to stand.
He forced himself to breathe.
He forced himself to speak aloud, because the silence was too overwhelming:
"Mom. Dad. Ren. Jowane… I am going to find you."
His voice trembled, but the resolve behind it didn't.
He looked at the warped forest and the shattered city.
One direction might lead to shelter…
The other to danger.
He didn't know which.
As if responding to his uncertainty, a faint arrow appeared at the edge of his vision — pointing toward the forest.
Nick frowned. "System? Are you… guiding me?"
A soft chime answered.
[Optional Assist: Pathfinding Enabled]
Nick let out a shaky breath.
"Fair."
He adjusted the torn straps of his backpack and started following the glowing arrow toward the forest.
But after only a few steps, he stopped.
Something glowed faintly on the ground — a small crater where he had fallen earlier. In the center of the cracked earth was a faint, circular imprint… the exact shape of the emblem he saw flicker behind him in the laptop glitch.
The Warborn mark.
Nick crouched, running his fingers over it.
A pulse of warmth answered.
Then a whisper—not the same as before, not cosmic, but from the System itself:
[Your path begins here.]
Nick stood.
He forced aside fear.
He forced aside confusion.
The first quest had begun.
And he intended to survive it.