Arthur lay sprawled across the floor, his chest heaving and his body drenched in sweat. The scent of exertion clung to the walls like smoke—sharp, acidic, and unrelenting.
"I can't keep training here..." he muttered, eyes trailing across the cramped room. "The air's thick, and I have to clean everything after each session. It's suffocating."
He sat up slowly, wiping sweat from his brow. The once-tolerable space now felt like a cage—one that grew smaller with each breath. His eyes wandered to the corner where his stack of instant noodles sat half-finished.
"And I can't survive on this junk anymore. If I want to grow stronger, I need proper food—real nutrition."
His hand pressed against his abdomen, where a faint warmth from cultivated energy still lingered.
"I need money. To live better. To train better. And especially to enroll in the academy. They're not going to accept me just because I have talent."
His fists clenched at his sides. Resolve simmered beneath his fatigue, fierce and unyielding.
Then, as if sealing the vow in his heart, he spoke aloud with renewed fire.
"Yosh... It's time to leave this room and finally see what this world really looks like."
There was a spark in his gaze now—an anticipation he hadn't felt in years. He longed to witness the landscapes, the people, the monsters, the cities. What made this world different from the one he'd left behind? What kind of power did it truly hold?
Ding!
A mechanical chime echoed in his ears.
> [Host, you have missed your login reward for yesterday. As this is your first offense, the system will grant you the previous day's reward.]
> [Reminder: Today's login reward has also not been redeemed. Please proceed.]
Arthur's eyes lit up as he quickly summoned the System Panel and opened the Login Rewards tab.
Lines of text shimmered before him, glowing softly in the air like floating inscriptions.
> [Congratulations, Lord. You have received: Beast Fang Sword (Blue Rank)]
> [Congratulations, Lord. You have received: Recovery Potion]
A surge of energy pulsed through the interface, followed by two brief flashes of light. Arthur instinctively caught the items as they materialized in front of him.
---
Name: Beast Fang Sword
Rank: Blue
Type: Sword
Description: Forged from the bone of a slain Blue-rank beast, this blade carries the natural resilience and predatory instinct of its origin. It is lightweight, wickedly sharp, and hums faintly with latent beast energy.
Attributes:
> Strength +10
> Agility +10
> Stamina +10
---
Name: Recovery Potion
Type: Universal Restoration Elixir
Description: A rare potion capable of rapidly restoring the user's physical and spiritual reserves. It replenishes stamina, strength, qi, mana, and soul force to their peak state within seconds. Often used by elite cultivators between life-or-death battles.
---
Arthur stared at the sword in his hand. Its surface gleamed with a subtle bone-white hue, etched with faint, natural runes that pulsed with dormant energy. When he gripped the hilt, it felt... alive. Balanced, deadly, and eager to taste battle.
"This… is perfect, for now atleast," he whispered, heart pounding with excitement. "A proper weapon for the road ahead."
He tucked the potion carefully into his pouch, its crystal vial glowing faintly with blue liquid.
Then he stood—sore, exhausted, but burning with purpose.
"It's time to step into this world... and claim my place in it."
He took one last look at the small room that had sheltered his awakening. The place was worn down, cluttered, and smelled faintly of sweat and instant noodles—but it had been his cocoon. His place of transformation.
With a silent nod to the past, Arthur turned away.
He packed the few possessions he had: a change of clothes, a cheap towel, and his old laptop—the only item of real value left in the room. Everything else was unnecessary, or unaffordable. He had survived so far thanks to the money left behind by this body's original parents. But that well was almost dry.
With one last glance at the peeling wallpaper and the tiny window through which he'd glimpsed the world for three days, he locked the door behind him and stepped outside.
The air outside tasted different—open, unpredictable.
For the first time since he'd arrived in this world, Arthur stood beneath the sky without a filter of glass. His eyes roamed across the aged buildings around him. Cobblestone roads. Iron lamp posts. Arched rooftops. It looked like a scene pulled from the past.
"This city feels ancient… But it doesn't have the same level of tech as my old world."
He tilted his head as a passing tram creaked down the street—not powered by electricity, but runes etched into its wheels.
"Maybe the people here prefer this old-fashioned aesthetic."
It was hard to tell where tradition ended and necessity began.
Arthur exhaled slowly and adjusted the strap of his bag.
"The best place for me to train would be somewhere quiet... like the mountains. But I can't even afford a shack up there."
A frustrated sigh escaped his lips. The path of cultivation was already difficult—and starting from nothing made it ten times harder.
"System," he asked aloud, voice tense, "how can I earn money faster in this world?"
Ding!
The system responded promptly, its voice calm and mechanical.
> [Answering the host—residents of this world earn money through various professions. However, those who possess strength often become hunters. They slay monsters and sell their parts at the Adventurer Guild for profit.]
> [Alternatively, the host can affiliate with an influential group. Such organizations provide training, shelter, and resources.]
Arthur scowled.
"I don't want the second option," he muttered. "I've read enough novels to know where that path leads—debt, betrayal, and power politics. Becoming someone else's pawn is never worth the cost."
He continued walking, his boots tapping against the stone pavement.
> "System," he asked again, more curious now, "can you explain the strength hierarchy of monsters in this world? And… why are monsters classified separately from other intelligent species?"
> [Answering the host—'monsters' are beasts that lack sentience or rational thought. They act on primal instinct and cannot be reasoned with. As such, they are treated as natural enemies by all intelligent races.]
> [In contrast, humans cannot label other intelligent species as monsters. They lack the authority, strength, and political standing to enforce such designations.]
Arthur blinked, then frowned. "So you're saying... if humans were powerful enough, they would've declared intelligent species as monsters too?"
> [Correct. Humans, though adaptable, are among the weakest races on this planet. However, they are also among the most manipulative.]
> [Driven by greed, fear, and self-interest, humans justify their cruelty by creating psychological loopholes—such as labeling others as threats to rationalize their exploitation.]
Arthur stopped walking. For a moment, he just stood there, letting those words sink in.
His lips curled into a half-smile, but there was no joy in it.
"This is the first time I've felt… embarrassed to be human."
[A common reaction,] the system replied flatly.
[But do remember—those same flaws are what allow humans to adapt, evolve, and survive. It is both their curse... and their strength.]
Arthur continued walking in silence, his thoughts heavier than his steps. For all the mysteries of this world, the psychology of his own kind might be the hardest one to accept.