Klay woke up early, groaning out slightly from a pain in his stomach. As he awoke, he saw the panel of the system appear before him silently.
[Stat increase: +0.4 to Strength, +0.5 to Dexterity, +1.1 to Senses, +1.2 to Stability]
Confused, Klay slowly sat up.
What did I do while sleeping to get extra stats?
"[You did nothing but sleep throughout the night. As a result of your body resting and recovering properly, the improvements made during the previous have been fully applied to your body and the Regeneration System.]
"[Because of the continued practice with martial arts, both in training and in fighting, your Strength and Dexterity have risen slightly. Your Stability stat has risen the most from those activities, however.]"
And how did I get such a large boost to my Senses?
"[From the repeated use of the Observation ability, your ability to sense has expanded slightly.]"
Nodding, Klay soon got up from his bed with a grimace as his stomach sent a stab of hunger pain through him. He quickly moved downstairs into his kitchen, where he made himself a much larger breakfast than usual. While eating, Klay began to realize something.
System, do you know why I've been eating more than usual lately? Last night I ate more than I would've as well, so I shouldn't have felt so hungry this morning anyways. It's a good thing my father isn't around more often, otherwise he might get kind of pissed at me for eating most of the fridge.
"[Because of your improved natural regeneration and your Regen Focus ability, your normal level of calorie intake increased significantly. This would not be as noticeable as it has been if you hadn't gotten into so many fights and activities that pushed your natural ability.]"
"Wait, I'll have to eat more the higher my regeneration gets? Isn't that a tradeoff I should have been told about before?" Klay spoke aloud, filling the quiet room with his shocked voice.
"[Your hunger will not dramatically change beyond reason as long as your activity levels remain similar to normal.]"
So it will then? Great.
Klay sighed heavily as he finished up his breakfast. He started to get ready for school, pulling out his spare uniform which was significantly cleaner than the one he wore the day before. However, Klay stopped as he realized that it was far earlier than he needed to get ready, and instead decided to find something to fill the few hours before.
I could scroll through my phone or go back to sleep, but that wouldn't be as efficient as I'd like to be considering my new… situation. Should I go for a run? My stats increased a bit because of the things I did yesterday, so I could try the idea that Simon mentioned yesterday and exercise more.
"[The regenerative powers of the Regeneration System do not immediately repair muscular tissue fatigue for such an effect, at least in the Regeneration System's current state. Any stat or hidden stat increases will be granted after proper rest each day.]"
I can still get stronger through this method though.
Nodding resolutely, Klay threw on a warm hoodie and pants before leaving his house, running along the streets of the quiet suburbia of Southern Roseland. After running for around 10 minutes, Klay stopped and walked for a few blocks as he caught his breath.
Seeing that I got so drained from the multiple fights yesterday, I should do my best to limit the amount that I fight to once a day. I'm guessing that those bullies at school will keep targeting me, so I should try to leave the dojo if there is any sparring or such if I can, at least for now. As I get stronger and grow more used to this power, I'll do more but for the moment I can only do this.
Taking a deep breath in, Klay stretched a little more as he continued his jog. He ran past dozens of blocks as he moved farther and farther from his house, approaching the farmland fences of West Roseland.
Out of breath from doing his best to run constantly over the course of an hour, Klay crumpled into a nearby bench as he watched the sun rise over the low leaves of the winter crops being grown. Klay's expression twisted into a calm smile as he rested, observing the brilliant scenery before him.
"[Congratulations! You have completed the necessary accomplishments to increase your rank from [Serf] to [Drudge]! Along with this change, your stats gain a boost of 10% to your primary stat and 5% to all secondary stats!]"
[Name: Klay Wynne (Martial Student)
Rank: Drudge (Low tier)
Exp: Level 1, 1/6
Stat Points: 0
Stats:
[Strength: 10 (10.1)
Dexterity: 12 (12.4)
Flexibility: 11 (10.8)
Senses: 10 (10)
Intellect: 17 (16.9)
Stability: 13 (13.1)
Regeneration: 1.7]
Abilities: [Observation Level 1], [Regen Focus (Passive) Level 2]
Additional Pages: Titles]
The peaceful scene interrupted, Klay stared wide-eyed for a moment before he began questioning the system once more.
Why did I possibly get another rank change? I haven't even done anything! And it's still low tier, for heaven's sake?!
"[You met the requirements for the rank of Drudge by working to benefit yourself, with no other motive.]"
But I've done that before! You don't make any clear sense, you know. Why have I only ranked up now and not any time before I 'awakened my legacy', as you put it?
With no response given, Klay's thoughts and mood were quickly ruined through the interaction with the system, and he eventually stood up to leave as the previous peaceful moment wasn't going to return.
Turning back to his house, Klay began his walk-jog back home at a slower pace than before due to his exhausted body.
After another hour and a half, he arrived back home where he fully cleared out his fridge of simple foods to soothe his agitated stomach before preparing for school once more. Throughout his morning, he focused on the slight differences in his body from the various stat changes and felt how his body and mind were notably more capable than the previous morning.
Finally, he left his house and walked to school in his usual ensemble of a plain hoodie over his uniform, with the hood up to hide his deep red hair and head down to partially hide his colorful eyes from those he passed on his way.
During his early classes Klay sat with Simon and focused partially on the lessons being taught, but spent most of his time watching out for anyone to come and attempt to bully him once more. As time went on with no one having appeared, Klay relaxed some and chatted with Simon about the books they had both been reading, before the school day eventually ended with nothing having happened.
Practically elated, Klay decided to keep his mood and chose to head off on another jog after dropping his bag off at his house instead of following his usual schedule of heading to the dojo.
If I go to the dojo I'm almost certain to have to spar with someone again, so I'm just going to head somewhere quiet and workout there today. I don't want one of those bully goons at the school trying to mess with me again today, just to ruin my decent mood. If they do I'm not sure I'll be able to hold back from killing them.
Klay joked to himself internally and began his jog, heading towards the outskirts of the city where some forests still resided, giving him many ways to exercise how he wished. His jog started slowly, with him simply taking time to absorb the reasonably picturesque look of the city during the sunny day as he moved.
He eventually picked up speed and, with the few breaks he took in between, arrived at the outer edge of the city. Around that area were the more expensive houses, with people who wanted to own land without farming it having purchased it around the edges of the south. This practice had led to the creation of many trails throughout the small woods and hills, giving Klay the freedom to not be seen that he wished for.
I should have brought a book, it would have been a good way to spend the afternoon. But I suppose I am avoiding having to workout elsewhere, so I should do similar things here instead. Should I use Observation some so I can keep increasing my Sense stat?
"[Would you like to activate the Observation ability?]"
Yes.
Klay's ears rushed with noise as his surroundings became known to him, making him quickly throw himself to the side into the grass as a stick was swung at his shoulder.