"In a hidden location,"
"Master, it has been confirmed that the treasure left by the four heroes has chosen its master."
A male voice emerged from the shadows, worn by a figure in a fox mask, kneeling down.
As for who he was kneeling to, one would see a man wearing golden attire with black linen, his features concealed.
"Oh, so who is the lucky one?" the man said in an amused yet menacing tone.
"It is that same young man who awakened the SS-Ranked Talent."
"Since that's the case, get him to join us. We must put him under our control. If he refuses, you know what to do."
"Yes, Master!"
"You may leave now."
The shadowy figure stood up, bowed, and disappeared.
After the shadow vanished, the man muttered in a low voice, "Draco Xandros, I wonder which path you will choose."
The man disappeared, letting out a strange laugh.
\\\\
On a hospital bed, a thin young man lay sleeping peacefully. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
"Where am I?" Draco muttered in a low voice, scanning the hospital room as he sat up, resting on the bed.
Flashes of the scene before he blacked out crossed his mind.
"Bubble!"
Bubble was more than a brother to him; sometimes he wondered how life would be without him.
Looking around the hospital ward, he saw Bubble sleeping quietly beside him, calming him down.
Just as he lay down, a "DING" sound echoed.
"[Congratulations, host, for awakening the Copy System]"
Draco's mind was in chaos as he saw an unknown system interface before him.
It took a moment for him to calm down and assess the situation.
----------------------------------
Host: Draco Xandros
Race: Human
Job: Nil
Talent: Copy Ability
HP: 72
MP: 130
STR: 9
AGI: 11
INT: 13
DEX: 10
STA: 12
DEF: 8
Skill: Nil
Inventory: Nil
---------------------------------------
As Draco read this, his expression was full of surprise, shock, and confusion. The word "System" was both surprising and familiar to him. He wondered about the origin of the system and why it chose him as its host.
The sound of the door opening awakened him from his thoughts.
"Draco, are you awake?" Blum asked in a relieved tone, as he stepped back outside.
Meanwhile, Draco's face was filled with question marks, puzzled by Blum's behavior, as if he had been in a coma.
"Yo, everyone! Draco has woken up!" Draco could hear Blum's voice clearly, signifying how loud his shout was.
The door was jammed open, and Draco watched as the other two burst in, especially Rose, who hugged him with tears falling from her eyes. Even Ming looked tense.
"What's wrong with you all? You're acting as if I came back from a coma or death..." Draco expressed his thoughts, unable to understand what happened.
"Yes, you're right, bro. You've been in a coma for one week," Ming said, letting out a deep breath.
"So, what's... Wait a minute, can you repeat what you just said?" Draco asked, thinking he had misheard.
"He said you've been in a coma for one week," Rose replied.
Meanwhile, Draco felt a sharp pain in his head, and a splitting headache overwhelmed him, causing him to let out a whimper.
"Draco, are you alright?" Rose asked, noticing Draco's pain, his face furrowed in distress.
"I'm okay," he replied in a low tone, as the headache subsided slightly.
The others, who heard this, felt relieved, seeing he was okay.
"Can you tell us what happened when you entered that teleportation?" Blum asked, as they were all curious about Draco's experience in the strange starry sky.
Draco, seeing their curious faces, decided to share his story. He began to explain, summarizing how he felt dizzy, saw uncountable numbers of light bulbs, and how the one at the center picked him, making him lose consciousness.
When he finished explaining, he looked at his friends and found something strange – they were all staring at him oddly.
"Why are you all looking at me like that? Hope you understand what I'm saying, because I can't stress myself repeating it," Draco said, as he picked up Bubble, who was beside his pillow, and stroked his body.
"What do you mean? We've been waiting for you to talk, but you've just been looking at us for the past few minutes, bruh," Ming said, with a confused expression.
Draco, surprised by this, replied, "Didn't I just finish explaining it? You should stop whining at me."
Suddenly, the room fell silent, with everyone looking at Draco with a weird expression.
Min sighed, "Draco, it looks like you aren't alright yet. Let me go call the doctor." He headed towards the door.
"Wait... You should all wait. I'll say it again," Draco said, explaining everything again.
"When I entered the teleportation portal, I felt dizzy and nauseous..." He began to explain before stopping suddenly. "Are you all getting this?" He looked at his friends, who were gazing at him with a pitiful look.
"We aren't getting anything. You were doing the same thing before, looking at us and saying nothing," Blum said in a slightly high-pitched tone, already frustrated.
Draco's face fell when he heard this, his mind racing as he tried to rack his brain for anything that might have caused this.
"System, are you the cause of this?" Draco asked, unable to find any other explanation.
Ding! [Yes, this is the work of the system. This secret can't be revealed.]
"Even to my friends?"
Ding! [Yes]
Relieved, Draco thought, "Sorry, guys. There's a reason I can't share this."
"Oh, is it because of your system?" Ming asked, stroking his chin with one hand, the other folded.
Draco blurted in shock, "What...?" His eyes were full of shock and confusion.
Blum and the others let out a giggle at his expression.
"How did you know?" Draco asked, still shocked.
"Don't tell me..."
"Yes, we have our own system too," Ming cut off Draco, revealing his thoughts.
Draco was surprised by Ming's words and looked at Blum and Rose, who nodded in confirmation.
"This is the mark that shows one has a System," Ming continued, showing him a small tree sign on their right arm.
Ming had a light silver tree imprinted on the top of his right arm, Blum had a purple one, and Rose's was unique, resembling a tree and a fox.
Draco checked his own right arm and saw a minuscule black-red tree that was unnoticeable unless one looked carefully.
"Bruh, why is yours so small?" Blum asked, surprised.
"I guess the smaller your tree, the higher the rank of your ability," Rose answered, satisfying everyone's curiosity.
"We have to leave; we have something to do. You better heal up, or you'll miss a lot," Ming said with a smile.
They all left his ward, leaving Draco to ponder his unknown future.
Ding! [Congratulations, Host, on awakening your first mission]
[Mission 1: Do 20 push-ups, 15 planks, and 10 squats]
Draco was surprised by the simplicity of the mission.
"System, why would you give me such a simple mission?"
Ding! [This mission is meant to increase host strength and stamina]
Draco felt his heart pricked.
"Do you mean I can't do such a simple task?"
Ding! [Yes]
Draco's face reddened with determination.
"A system underestimated me, and my pride doesn't allow this. I'll show you that you never underestimate your host."
These were Draco's thoughts.