The System Awakens
1309 Words
“Where am I… wait…this isn’t my room.”
Lucien’s gaze darted across the room, picking up the sharp smell of disinfectant in the air. The faint beep coming from the machines, the sterile white walls, and the stiff blue patient gown on his body made him come to realise that he was in a hospital.
Blinking rapidly, he furrowed his brows, trying to piece his memories together.
“I should be dead… how am I alive? “how long have I been unconscious” thoughts ran through his mind trying to make sense of how he wasnt dead.
Memory of what occurred in that dark alley flooded his mind how the rogue hunter’s axe landed on his chest, the pain and agony he felt before losing consciousness
inserting his hand under the gown to feel his chest. His fingertips felt nothing but smooth skin. Tugging the gown open, he glanced inside and strangely there was no scar.
"Wait… what the …There’s no scar where I was hit on my chest. How is this possible…?" he exclaimed bewildered staring at the spotless skin.
Reaching for his neck, he discovered it was bare “huh my pendant where the hell is it that’s the only thing my parents left me”
“Could it be it got smashed when I was hit? … seems like the only logical explanation”
He clenched his fist, a knot tightening in his gut.
When suddenly a soundless [ding] echoed in his head.
[Your body has been repaired from critical condition.]
[The Phoenix System will consistently support your growth.]
[New feature unlocked: Daily Quest.]
“pheonix system? What The hell is this?”
A glowing panel of light appeared and hovered in front of him,.
"A system…. for real … am I dreaming…?”
With a thought he swiped to [Status] tab.
[Status]
Name: Lucian
Race: Human
Level: 1
Class: Warrior
HP: 25/25
MP: 10/10
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Stamina: 10
Perception: 10
“it… looks like the stats of those video game characters”
His eyes widened in astonishment
“Strength 10… agility 10… everything’s at ten?” Lucian blinked, trying to make sense of it. He clenched his fist, and for the first time in his life, his body didn’t feel weak.
He swiped mentally, and another tab opened.
[Skills]
[Skill Locked]
[Skill Locked]
[Skill Locked]
Every slot was sealed, greyed out.
"Of course… everything’s locked since I’m at level 1 just like in a video game ."
“Skill points… I need skill points to unlock them,” Lucian muttered.
He swiped again.
[Shop]
Unlocks at Level 10
“Of course…” He groaned, falling back onto the stiff hospital bed. “I can access most of the features until I level up”
The panel flickered once more.
[Quest Log].
Daily Quest: Complete Physical Training.
30 Push-ups
30 Sit-ups
30 pull-ups
3 km Run (indoors acceptable)
Before he could read further, the door creaked.
Lucian flinched.
A nurse stepped in, carrying a clipboard. She froze mid-step when she saw him half-sitting, staring into space like a lunatic.
“…You’re awake,” she said softly, raising a brow.
Lucian forced a nervous laugh and pretended to adjust his gown. “Y-Yeah. Just… Meditating.” He said trying diffuse the awkward situation
She shook her head and walked over, checking his vitals. “Honestly, it’s a miracle you’re alive. By the time you arrived, you were already healed. We barely had to do anything when you've just been asleep for 3 days.”
Her tone carried genuine awe. Then she added, “Harry and Velma stopped by yesterday. They wanted me to tell you they’ll visit again once you’re discharged.”
A pang hit Lucian’s chest. Velma, the orphanage matron, was probably worried sick. Harry too…
“Thanks,” he muttered.
The nurse gave a faint smile, tapped her clipboard, and left him to rest.
The moment the door shut, Lucian exhaled in relief.
His eyes returned to the daily quest staring at him.
“…You’ve got to be kidding me.” Lucian dragged a hand down his face. “I just woke up from dying, and now I’ve got to work out?”
“Is this some kind of joke? Who the hell survives death only to get turned into a gym rat?”
Reluctantly, he slid off the bed. “Fine. Let’s see what happens.”
He started off with push-ups that burned with each rep almost immediately. His arms trembled by the twentieth, sweat dripping onto the tile floor. His breath came in ragged gasps.
"Ugh… twenty more? Fine… I can do this."
"Why is this so much harder than I imagined?"
"Okay, okay… almost there… twenty-eight… twenty-nine… thirty!"
He collapsed onto his back, chest heaving, eyes rolling to the ceiling as if silently begging for mercy.
The sit-ups weren’t simple either . With each crunch, it felt as if acid were being poured into his stomach. But gritting his teeth, he forced himself through the reps, groaning by the end.
Next, he grabbed the edge of the room door, bracing himself. Each pull-up felt like lifting the weight of his entire body—and then some. His muscles screamed in protest, tremors racing down his arms and back.
"One… two… three… come on… I can do this…" His inner voice urged him forward, even as every fiber of his body begged for rest. By the tenth pull-up, he was shaking violently, fingers slipping slightly on the door frame.
He paused, still hanging there, panting and sweating profusely. I… I can’t stop now. Not yet.
Summoning every ounce of strength, he pushed through then the last five reps and dropped to the floor with a thud. Feeling the burn in his core and arms, with a sense of accomplishment .
Lucian slumped against the wall, drenched in sweat, lungs burning, but he couldn’t help the grin tugging at his lips.
“So… this is what it takes to be strong“
By the time he paced the hospital corridor for his “run,” his legs felt like lead. Nurses gave him odd looks as he jogged past, Stepping outside, The hospital building stretched around him in a neat rectangle, a loop he would have to repeat several times. The first few steps felt heavy, exhaustion from the earlier sets weighing down his legs. Sweat streamed down his face, and his lungs burned until finally he concluded the eight lap round the hospital.
[Quest Complete!]
Rewards gained: 3 stat points, +10 EXP
“I did it… I actually did it.“
Lucian added 2 points to strength and 1 to speed
[Status Updated]
Strength: 12
Agility: 11
Stamina: 10
EXP: 10/100
Lucian assessed the stat figures, for a second his exhaustion was covered up by his excitement.
"No way… it actually works awesome this actually could be fun."
“not bad … I guess i won’t be weak anymore.
He collapsed back onto his bed, drenched in sweat, a small smile tugging at his lips.
But just as his eyes grew heavy, an announcement by a TV news host entered his ears.
“Public notice: The Global Hunter Alliance, in light of the approaching threat, hereby orders the entrance Examination into Hunter Academies. The training of hunters to battle this evil is of utmost priority. Enrollment begins within the month. All eligible candidates are to prepare immediately."
Lucian’s eyes snapped open, caught between the thrill of entering the academy and the uncertainty of what awaited him.
"Entrance Examination so soon?" Lucian muttered, heart pounding. "I should be nervous, but with the system… as long as I level up, I should be able to handle whatever comes my way."
[Ding] a new quest flashed before his face
[A great calamity is coming. Get stronger. Reach level 50 and evolve ].
- Writer
