For a few seconds, I just stood there.
Not moving.
Not thinking.
Just… existing.
Because what just happened—
Was not something you process immediately.
"…System."
I said it again.
Not out of disbelief this time.
More like… confirmation.
The screen was still there.
Stable.
Clear.
[Initializing Basic Status…]
"…So now what?"
I crossed my arms slightly, watching it.
If this thing had already gone through the trouble of—
Whatever that was—
Then it wasn't going to stop here.
And I was right.
The screen flickered once.
Then expanded.
New panels appeared.
Clean.
Structured.
Simple.
Almost… professional.
I stepped closer instinctively.
Reading.
[Name: Ujjwal][Age: 18][Level: 1]
"…Level 1."
I let out a small breath.
"Of course."
If this really was a system—
Then starting at level 1 made sense.
Still—
Seeing it like this felt strange.
Like I had been turned into something measurable.
Trackable.
Quantified.
"…Weird."
More lines appeared.
[Strength: 5][Intelligence: 6][Endurance: 4][Luck: 1]
I stared at the last one.
"…Luck: 1?"
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then leaned a little closer.
"…Is that a joke?"
No response.
"Out of everything—this is what you give me?"
Still nothing.
"…So I'm just unlucky by default?"
A pause.
Then—
[Luck is determined by life history and inherent probability alignment.]
"…That's a very long way of saying my life sucks."
[Correct.]
I went silent.
Then slowly nodded.
"…At least you're honest."
I leaned back slightly.
"Still rude though."
No reply.
Of course.
But strangely—
That didn't bother me.
If anything—
It made the whole thing feel more… real.
Not dramatic.
Not exaggerated.
Just—
Direct.
I looked at the rest of the stats again.
Strength 5.
Endurance 4.
"…So I'm weak."
That part wasn't surprising.
I wasn't exactly active.
Most of my time was spent studying.
Or pretending to.
"…Intelligence 6."
Slightly above average?
That made sense.
Given my memory—
I always had an advantage there.
Not genius-level.
But efficient.
"…At least something's decent."
I exhaled slowly.
Then looked back at the screen.
"…So what now?"
As if responding—
A soft chime echoed.
Not loud.
But clear.
Like a notification.
A new panel appeared.
[Starter Quest Available]
My eyes sharpened instantly.
"…Here we go."
This—
This was familiar.
Quests.
Rewards.
Progression.
This is where things actually begin.
I stepped closer again.
Reading carefully.
[Do you wish to accept?]
"…That's it?"
No description.
No details.
Just—
Accept or not.
"…That's not suspicious at all."
I crossed my arms again.
Thinking.
In stories—
This is usually where things go wrong.
Blindly accepting something unknown—
Never ends well.
"…But ignoring it probably isn't an option either."
Because if this system existed—
Then interacting with it was the whole point.
Otherwise—
What was the reason for all this?
"…Fine."
I made my decision.
But still—
Carefully.
"Accept."
The moment the word left my mouth—
The screen reacted instantly.
No delay.
No hesitation.
The panel shifted.
Changed.
Updated.
[Starter Quest Accepted]
"…Alright."
So far—
No explosions.
No sudden danger.
Good.
Then—
New text appeared.
Slower this time.
Like it was analyzing.
Evaluating.
[Analysis: Host Condition — Weak / Inexperienced / Academically Inconsistent]
"…Hey."
I frowned immediately.
"That felt personal."
The system didn't pause.
Didn't correct itself.
Didn't apologize.
Of course it didn't.
[System Recommendation: Provide Beginner Support]
"…Beginner support?"
I tilted my head slightly.
That didn't sound bad.
In fact—
That sounded… helpful.
A new panel appeared.
Cleaner than before.
Simpler.
Almost inviting.
[Newbie Gift Pack Available][Do you wish to open it?]
I stared at it for a second.
"…Now this—"
This felt different.
Safer.
No vague conditions.
No hidden catch—
At least on the surface.
Just—
A reward.
"…You're trying to build trust."
The thought came naturally.
Give something first.
Then guide the user.
Simple strategy.
Effective too.
"…Not bad."
I exhaled slowly.
Then made a decision.
"Open."
The moment I said it—
The panel reacted.
But unlike before—
There was no sudden movement.
No flashing lights.
No overwhelming effect.
Just—
A quiet response.
A soft shift.
As if something had been unlocked.
Not outside.
But—
Inside.
I paused.
"…That's it?"
No item.
No notification.
Nothing obvious.
"…Did it even work?"
I looked around instinctively.
Same room.
Same air.
Same everything.
"…Feels normal."
But—
Something was different.
Subtle.
Very subtle.
My posture adjusted slightly.
Without thinking.
My breathing felt smoother.
My body—
Lighter?
"…Wait."
I straightened a little.
Moved my arm.
Nothing dramatic.
But—
There was less resistance.
Less strain.
"…Endurance?"
That made sense.
Not a big jump.
Just—
A small improvement.
Controlled.
Balanced.
"…Okay."
I nodded slowly.
"That's actually good."
No instant power.
No unrealistic change.
Just—
Progress.
The kind you could build on.
Then—
Another thought hit me.
"…Was that everything?"
The system didn't respond.
But something told me—
That wasn't all.
Because even though nothing else appeared—
There was a faint shift.
Not physical.
Not visible.
Just—
A slight change in how I felt.
Hard to explain.
But noticeable.
"…Strange."
I looked back at the screen.
Waiting.
Expecting something more.
But nothing came.
No new panel.
No new message.
Just silence.
"…So that's it for now."
I sat down slowly on my bed.
Processing everything.
System.
Stats.
Quest.
Reward.
All of it—
Real.
Not imagination.
Not stress.
Real.
"…This is actually happening."
A small smile formed.
Not wide.
Just—
Enough.
Because no matter how I looked at it—
This wasn't normal life anymore.
And for the first time in a long while—
That didn't feel like a bad thing.
It felt like—
Something had finally started.
Chapter 4 End
Author's Note:If you enjoyed, don't forget to vote with Power Stones 💎
If you enjoy and add to library at the end, don't forget to vote with Power Stones 💎