Marcus was sitting in his room, his mind focused on the panel in front of him. The characteristics he had previously reviewed were still the same: his name, race, strength, agility, constitution, level, and hunter energy. However, there was something new: Learning Points: 0.
What does this mean? Marcus thought as he examined the panel. Without hesitation, he opened the manual that Linda had given him, which consisted of 500 words that didn't promise anything extraordinary. Nothing surprising, he told himself. It was basic. He didn't expect anything spectacular at first.
He sat on the floor, crossed his legs in a lotus position, and began following the instructions from the manual, which detailed how to draw energy into his abdomen, where his power core would form. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and focused on the process.
The first attempt was in vain. No one could expect immediate results in something so complex, he repeated to himself. At first, he only felt a slight discomfort, nothing worth mentioning.
But he kept going. After the first 30 minutes, he started to notice a faint sensation in his abdomen, something like a tingling. This is energy, he thought, a mix of curiosity and excitement. It wasn't much, but it was there. It was a start.
I'm not the most talented, but I'm not the most useless either. He told himself, convinced that practice and perseverance would be his greatest advantage in this unfamiliar world.
Three hours passed. His feet had fallen asleep, and fatigue was starting to take over his body, but he didn't move. Though the discomfort was increasing, he continued with the same determination. Finally, when the session ended, he opened his panel and checked again.
Manual: Entry Level
The learning points were still at 0, but something had changed. The panel displayed a new section: Skill Level: Basic. Everything pointed to what Marcus had suspected: this world operated on skill levels, just like in video games.
Maybe I'm not the fastest, but today I've taken the first step. Marcus thought as he stood up, feeling a slight fatigue but also a renewed sense of purpose. The road ahead would be long, but at least he had started.