The System Window disappeared.
For barely a second, Macarius thought it had simply malfunctioned.
Then another appeared. And another. And another.
Blue translucent windows unfolded one after another in front of him, overlapping across his vision until the peaceful landscape was almost hidden behind them.
Macarius took an involuntary step backward.
"What...?"
He turned his head. The windows followed his vision. They weren’t physical. They were somehow attached to his perception itself.
One of them moved toward the center. The others slowly shifted aside. Macarius stared at the first line.
---
[Tower’s Blessing]
Ultimate Adaptive Regeneration
Description:
A body that refuses to remain the same after suffering.
Through injury and regeneration, the Awakened’s body will gradually develop the physical qualities necessary to withstand previously suffered harm. The greater the damage survived, the greater the potential growth.
Note:
Regeneration is not merely restoration. It is adaptation through survival.
---
Macarius read it once. Then again. His eyebrows slowly rose.
"Ultimate... Adaptive Regeneration?"
He looked down at his hands.
"And it’s saying I can heal myself?"
The System Window didn’t answer. Instead, another window appeared.
---
[COST]
Pain is not excluded from regeneration. All physical sensations produced during the regeneration process will be perceived by the Awakened in their entirety.
Note:
The greater the regeneration, the greater the pain. The body may heal. The mind must endure the healing.
---
Macarius’s expression slowly changed.
"...What?"
He read the final sentence again. The mind must endure the healing. A strange chill traveled down his spine.
"You..."
He swallowed.
"You guys giving me power and deciding what kind of shits I must endure?..."
His eyes moved across the description.
"...Isn’t it’s like a curse?"
Another window appeared.
---
[RESTRICTION]
Self-inflicted damage cannot produce Adaptive Growth.
Damage intentionally inflicted upon oneself will trigger regeneration but will not contribute toward future adaptation.
---
Macarius stared at it. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then his mouth twitched.
"Who..."
He stopped.
His imagination had apparently reached the same conclusion before he could finish the sentence.
He slowly looked away.
"Who the hell tries something like this one themselves? Isn’t it crazy." he thought while being angry.
Another System Window appeared.
---
[INNATE ABILITY]
Painbound
The Awakened cannot lose consciousness or die solely as a consequence of the pain experienced during regeneration.
Note:
Pain may impair movement, concentration, and mental stability. Pain cannot end the regeneration process.
---
Macarius’s eyes widened. He read it carefully. Then once more.
"What..."
His expression became complicated.
"What the hell is that? Are they asking me to endure everything while being awake? Where they’ll is that place? Hell or something?."
He stared at the words.
"At least explain me properly what the hell is happening." he shouted to the screen.
But nothing happened. There was something deeply unpleasant about that sentences.
He rubbed his arms.
"That’s...."
The System remained indifferent. Naturally.
It had apparently decided that giving a man an ability to survive almost anything while making sure he personally experiences every second of it was a perfectly reasonable arrangement.
Another notification appeared. This one was different.
---
[BEGINNER’S BLESSING]
The Awakened has entered the Tower for the first time.
All basic physical and mental attributes have received +1.
Strength +1
Agility +1
Vitality +1
Endurance +1
Durability +1
Willpower +1
Intelligence +1
Perception +1
Mana +1
---
Macarius blinked.
"All of them?"
He looked toward the System Window containing his previous statistics. The numbers had changed. He didn’t understand whether the increase was significant.
But the fact that every single one had increased made him feel strangely reassured.
Then another notification appeared.
---
[BEGINNER’S EQUIPMENT]
The Tower has provided the Awakened with basic equipment.
Item received: Beginner’s Sword
---
A faint blue light gathered beside him. Macarius instinctively stepped away.
The light condensed. Metal appeared within it. A sword dropped into the grass.
Thud.
Macarius stared at it. It was simple. A plain sword with a modest steel blade and a basic leather-wrapped handle.
Nothing about it looked extraordinary. Yet it was the first weapon he had ever been given by the Tower.
At least, as far as he knew. He slowly bent down and picked it up. The weight surprised him.
Not too heavy. Not too light. It felt natural in his hand. Macarius turned the blade slightly, watching sunlight slide along its edge.
"Instead of explaining things what I asked for..."
He looked at the sword.
"...giving me something like these?"
Another small notification appeared.
---
[Beginner’s Sword has been registered.]
[The Tower wishes you survival.]
---
Macarius stared at the final sentence.
"The Tower wishes me survival?" he laughed.
He looked toward the enormous forest. Then toward the mountains. Something about that sentence felt strangely wrong.
’Why would a place like that need to wish him survival?’
Before he could think further, another System Window appeared. This one contained only a single line.
---
[FIRST ENTRY CONFIRMED.]
[Survive.]
Macarius slowly tightened his grip around the sword.
For the first time since arriving in this strange world, the beautiful landscape no longer looked completely peaceful.
The forest suddenly seemed much deeper. The mountains seemed much farther away. And somewhere beyond the trees...
Something moved. Macarius turned his head. He couldn’t see what it was.
But he heard it. A distant sound. A low, unfamiliar growl.
His fingers tightened around the Beginner’s Sword.
"...The last line felt like some dumb shit threat. I don’t understand any of this."
Macarius stared at the last System Window. Then at the sword in his hand. Then at the enormous forest stretching across the horizon.
His expression slowly twisted.
"Like... seriously."
He lowered the sword.
"What the hell is going on?"
His voice echoed faintly across the hillside. No one answered. Macarius looked around. Of course nobody answered.
He was alone. He let out a frustrated breath and ran a hand through his still-damp hair.
What was he supposed to do?
He had woken up that morning without a single memory. Not one. He didn’t know where he had come from. He didn’t know who his parents were. He didn’t even know whether Macarius was actually his name.
Then some strange blue screen appeared in front of him and declared that he had become an Awakener.
After that, he had been locked inside a disgusting room. He had been interrogated by a woman who could apparently summon a sword from thin air.
He had nearly been stabbed simply because he couldn’t answer her questions. Then his body had started disappearing. A moment later, he’d been dragged somewhere against his will.
And before he could even process that–
A gigantic woman made entirely of blue light had appeared before him. She had called him...
His eyes widened slightly.
"...Her son."
Macarius slowly rubbed his face.
"Her son..."
He lowered his hand.
"What does that even mean?"
Nothing. The world remained silent. He looked toward the sky.
"Who am I?"
Silence.
"Where am I?"
Nothing.
"What’s happening to me?"
Still nothing.
"And why me?"
The wind passed over the hill. The grass bent gently beneath it. Macarius stared at the landscape.
Beautiful. Peaceful. Completely useless. He suddenly clenched his fists.
"Why am I asking myself?"
His voice rose.
"I don’t know either!"
He threw both hands into the air.
"I don’t know anything!"
His shout traveled down the hillside. A flock of small birds suddenly burst from the distant trees, scattering into the sky.
Macarius watched them disappear. His shoulders slowly dropped.
"Arghhh..."
He dragged both hands down his face. For several seconds, he simply stood there. Then he exhaled heavily.
"I don’t think there’s any point standing here and asking questions to the air."
He looked around again. Nothing had changed. No mysterious guide. No convenient person waiting to explain everything.
No magical sign pointing toward an answer. Just a forest. A huge, unfamiliar forest.
Macarius sighed.
"If I want answers..."
He looked down at his sword.
"...I guess I have to find them myself."
He wasn’t sure whether that was a good idea. Frankly, it was probably a terrible idea. But he had nothing else.
He turned around slowly, examining the landscape. The hill descended toward the forest. There didn’t seem to be any road.
No buildings. No people. No signs of civilization. Only trees.
"Maybe there’ll be someone inside."
He paused.
"Or something."
The second possibility wasn’t particularly reassuring. Macarius tightened his grip around the Beginner’s Sword.
"Whatever."
He started walking. The grass brushed against his legs as he descended the hill. Each step carried him closer to the forest.
Behind him, the mountains remained silent beneath the enormous sky.
Ahead...
The trees waited. Macarius didn’t know what he would find there. Maybe answers. Maybe other people. Maybe a way out.
Or perhaps something that would make everything he’d experienced so far seem insignificant.
He had no way of knowing. But standing still wouldn’t give him an answer. So Macarius kept walking.
Toward the forest. Toward the unknown. And toward whatever the Tower had decided would be waiting for him.