Chapter 2 – The System Has Opinions
After checking my body
I lay back on the bed.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Because apparently, my endurance was so bad that stairs were now classified as a hostile entity.
I stared at the ceiling and exhaled.
“Alright,” I muttered. “If you’re going to insult me, at least do it properly.”
“…System.”
The blue screen responded instantly.
Multiple panels unfolded in front of my eyes, stacking neatly—far too neatly—like they were proud of themselves.
All base stats appeared in blue.
Too proud.
[STRENGTH – DEVELOPMENT PATH]
Current Level: 5
Growth Status: Normal
Available Methods:
• Hard Labor (Low Efficiency)
• Bodyweight Training (Low–Medium Efficiency)
• Weapon Handling Practice (Locked)
• Sparring (Locked)
Unlock Conditions:
• Weapon Handling → Strength 8
• Sparring → Strength 10
Warnings:
• Excessive training may cause injury
• Growth slows without proper recovery
→ Note: Carrying dignity is not counted as weight training.
“…Hey,” I frowned. “That one was personal.”
The system did not apologize.
[ENDURANCE – DEVELOPMENT PATH]
Current Level: 4
Growth Status: Poor
Available Methods:
• Long-Distance Walking (Medium Efficiency)
• Breathing Control (Low Efficiency)
• Pain Tolerance Training (Locked)
Unlock Conditions:
• Pain Tolerance → Endurance 7
→ Warning: Stairs remain your natural predator.
I slowly turned my head toward the door.
“…You didn’t have to call them out like that.”
[AGILITY – DEVELOPMENT PATH]
Current Level: 6
Growth Status: Below Average
→ Can dodge responsibility. Occasionally.
I chose to ignore that entirely.
[CHARISMA – DEVELOPMENT PATH]
Current Level: 3
Growth Status: Severely Low
→ Recommendation: Avoid eye contact.
“…Are you here to help me,” I asked calmly,
“or is this some kind of paid humiliation service?”
The system chose silence.
Rude.
[MANA – DEVELOPMENT PATH]
Current Level: 4
→ Output sufficient for party tricks and mild disappointment from children.
“…That’s impressive,” I muttered. “In a devastating way.”
[LUCK – DEVELOPMENT PATH]
Current Level: -12
Status: Cursed
→ The universe actively roots against you.
I rubbed my face.
“Wow. Even fate has beef with me.”
The screen flickered once.
Then vanished.
Silence returned.
I stared at the ceiling again.
“…Alright,” I whispered.
“No heroic charges. No shouting. Definitely no stairs if I can help it.”
First, understand the rules.
Then—
only then—
I’d step outside.
The hallway was long. Excessively long.
Marble floors. Tall pillars. Corridors clearly designed by someone who thought walking was a personality test.
And then—
Stairs.
My natural enemy.
By the time I reached the dining hall, my legs were shaking and my lungs were burning, like I’d just fought for my life instead of walking ten feet.
So this was Endurance 4.
Even Louis Casper during the Academy Attack Arc, weak as he was, could still stand longer than this.
That realization hurt more than my legs.
I collapsed into the nearest chair, panting.
A soft chime followed.
[ENDURANCE – STATUS]
Fatigue Detected: Moderate
I groaned. “Amazing. I’m speedrunning death by walking.”
The table was long and polished. Plates aligned perfectly. The food smelled expensive.
Above the servants’ heads, numbers floated.
-32
-27
-35
Cold. Distant. But stable.
Safe.
Better than expected.
At the far end of the room stood the head butler.
Straight-backed. Expressionless.
-9.
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
I even squinted, just in case my eyes were lying to me.
The number didn’t move.
“…Huh.”
I tilted my head slightly.
Still there.
Not approval—but not hatred either.
An intimidating neutrality.
I offered a cautious, “Hello.”
The butler gave the faintest nod, like acknowledging furniture that had learned to speak.
I exhaled.
Progress.
[STRENGTH – STATUS]
Current Level: 5
Fatigue: Moderate
Growth Recommendation: Bodyweight Training
“Right,” I muttered. “Maybe sitting upright counts as training.”
My legs felt like jelly. My lungs begged for mercy.
I really was weak.
Panting after walking barely ten feet—
this body was a disgrace.
I glanced back at the servants.
The numbers didn’t change.
-32, -27, -35.
Nothing worse than that.
Much better than Mother’s -59.
I let out a shaky breath.
“Step one of survival,” I whispered,
“is admitting I’m weak.”
I tapped my temple.
“Step two… get stronger without dying on the stairs.”
The system stayed silent.
Good.
Silence meant it wasn’t laughing at me.
I leaned back in my chair, exhausted—but quietly proud.
I’d made it this far.
Even if it nearly killed me.
When I finally returned to my room, a message appeared.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Endurance increased: 4.0 → 4.1
I stared at it.
“…What?”
My endurance had increased.
By 0.1.
I didn’t know whether to be happy or offended.
After a moment, I sighed.
“…A gain is a gain.”
Even if the system clearly enjoyed mocking me.
After taking a short rest, I decided to try meditation.
If my endurance was pathetic, then my mana was practically nonexistent. Letting it stay that way felt like tempting fate—already my worst enemy.
I sat on the bed, crossed my legs, straightened my back, and closed my eyes.
“…Meditation,” I murmured. “How hard could it be?”
Thirty minutes passed.
Nothing happened.
No warmth.
No flow.
No mystical enlightenment.
Just silence.
And a growing itch on my nose that I absolutely was not supposed to scratch.
“…Right,” I muttered. “Very magical so far.”
Another ten minutes passed.
Still nothing.
My legs started to ache, my back protested, and my mind wandered to extremely important questions—like whether lying down still counted as meditation.
Then—
Something.
It was faint.
So faint I almost missed it.
A subtle tingling sensation, like static brushing the edge of my awareness.
I froze.
“…Wait.”
I focused, holding my breath slightly.
There it was again.
Weak.
Thin.
Barely there.
But real.
“That’s… mana?” I whispered.
DING
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Mana detected. User has successfully sensed mana for the first time.
The sensation flickered, as if embarrassed by the attention.
It was far too faint to describe as power. Calling it a stream would’ve been generous—it was closer to a leaking drop.
Still…
It existed.
I let out a slow breath, resisting the urge to move.
“…Okay,” I said quietly. “I’ll take it.”
For the first time since waking up in this body, I felt something change—not dramatically, not heroically, but enough to matter.
Progress.
Tiny, fragile progress.
And somehow, that made me smile
After taking an hour to rest, I decided to continue.
If the first attempt had proven anything, it was that my mana wasn’t gone—just embarrassingly shy.
I returned to the same position, crossed my legs, straightened my back, and closed my eyes.
“…Alright,” I muttered. “Round two.”
Time passed.
Fifteen minutes.
Then—
There it was.
The same faint sensation, but this time it arrived faster. Still weak, still thin, but no longer unfamiliar.
The tingling brushed against my awareness, like it remembered me.
“…So you do exist,” I whispered.
I focused carefully, afraid that even breathing too hard might scare it away.
DING
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Mana increased: 4.0 → 4.2
I opened one eye.
“…Huh.”
Not a lot.
Not impressive.
But undeniably more than before.
It had taken an hour of rest and fifteen minutes of sitting perfectly still to gain 0.2 mana.
Slow.
Painfully slow.
Still—
I leaned back slightly, letting out a quiet breath.
“…A gain is a gain.”
And for once, the system didn’t argue.
I stared at the message for a few seconds, just to make sure it wasn’t about to vanish out of spite.
It stayed.
Mana 4.2.
Not exactly the kind of number bards would sing about, but considering I’d started the day barely qualifying as a magical lifeform, I’d take it.
Carefully, I shifted my legs.
The tingling sensation wavered immediately, thinning like mist under sunlight.
“…Ah.”
So moving was illegal now.
Good to know.
I froze again, posture stiff, breathing shallow.
The sensation returned, faint but cooperative, like a timid animal deciding whether I was worth trusting.
“Alright, alright,” I whispered. “I won’t bully you.”
Minutes passed in silence.
No further increase came.
Instead, a dull ache crept into my lower back, followed closely by a warning throb in my knees.
Meditation, it seemed, was less about enlightenment and more about negotiating with every joint in my body.
When I finally opened my eyes, the room felt… slightly different.
Not brighter. Not warmer.
Just clearer.
As if something invisible had acknowledged my existence.
I exhaled slowly and lay back on the bed.
So this was the pace.
Painfully slow. Incredibly inefficient.
But real.
And for the first time since waking up in this body, that was enough
A soft chime echoed in my head, but no new message appeared.
I waited anyway.
Nothing.
“…Right. Don’t get greedy,” I muttered.
My eyelids felt heavy, my thoughts sluggish, as if my brain had decided this much progress was already generous.
When I stood up, a faint dizziness hit me, brief but noticeable.
So mana exhaustion was a thing too.
I sat back down, rubbing my temples.
“Noted,” I sighed. “Next time, shorter sessions.”
Slow growth wasn’t just acceptable anymore.
It was mandatory.
After that, my body gave up completely.
I lay back on the bed “just for a moment.”
That moment turned into the entire day.
When I finally woke up, the room was dark, my limbs heavy, and my head foggy.
Apparently, meditation also doubled as an all-day sleeping spell.
Good to know.
