Morning arrived, afternoon passed, and only when evening came did he finally wake up. His eyes were still blurry, but they quickly cleared, revealing the disgusted looks from the people walking by him. This was normal, so he ignored them. The real problem was his body. He tried to get up, but a sharp pain shot through his entire being, almost making him scream.
His body was a mess, and upon examining it, he noticed that aside from the wounds, his legs and arms were swollen.
"Kugh! Yep, I definitely overdid it. But I completed the mission. Where's my reward?"
His heart rate increased when he realized the screen was no longer visible. A disappointed little laugh escaped his mouth as he stared at the sky.
"So, it was all for nothing, huh? …FUCKING HELL, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! HOW DARE YOU LIE TO ME? I WENT THROUGH HELL TO COMPLETE THE MISSION! I KNOW YOU HEAR ME, YOU FUCKER! GIVE ME WHAT I'VE EARNED, DAMMIT!"
People stared; some took videos. He looked like a crazy person shouting in public, and his appearance didn't help. His life was sinking into depression. This was his one-in-a-million chance, but had it turned out to be fake?
It hurt, more than the physical wounds and he couldn't stop the tears as they began to flow.
"Why is life so cruel? Maybe I should just leave everything behind and escape this suffering."
Before he could make a decision, the screen reappeared, and his heart felt instant relief.
"You little piece of shit. Do you know what I almost did because of you?"
A smile crept onto his tired face as he read the message.
[Upgrade complete. System fully activated.
Glad you're awake, master.
Shall I give you your reward now?]
"Huh, did you talk?"
[Yes, I am the forging system, your skill from now on. My purpose is to help you achieve your goal to the best of my abilities.]
"Well…thanks. I have many questions, but stressing over pointless stuff is tiring. So about that reward, how does it work?"
[...I will merge with you. Once that is done, your body will start absorbing mana from the surroundings. This means your body will now be 'open.' After that, I'll guide you on how to store mana in what's called a core, then you'll need to do another cleansing to remove any impurities. I tried before, but there was so much. Then, you must open up your pathways and let mana flow through your body as blood does. After that, you will be awakened. Note: this method is different from the natural awakening, it's an ancient technique I observed in another world.]
"That sounds way too complicated. But if it means turning my life around, I'll do anything. Let's begin."
[You might want to find somewhere isolated and safe. This is a delicate process; if you're disturbed, you could die.]
"you know…on second thought, being on the streets isn't so bad."
A few hours later, when his body was less sore, he wandered around like a dying man, searching for a good spot. He stood in front of a dumpster that looked like it hadn't been used in years. It was perfect. He opened it, wincing at the smell.
"I am not going in there; it stinks."
He left it open for about 20 minutes before finally entering and closing himself inside. Sitting in a meditation pose, he instructed the system to begin.
[Before we start, no matter how great the pain, don't lose concentration or pass out. I will now initiate Stage 1.]
He felt nothing for the first few minutes, but around five minutes in, he began to feel it. His body was intact, but his soul and mind felt as though they were being torn apart as the system merged with him. This was the most excruciating pain he had ever experienced. He considered opening his eyes and rolling around, screaming, but he knew that would waste a valuable opportunity.
His mind began to collapse. Bad memories flooded in, overwhelming him to the brink of fainting. The system wanted to help but couldn't intervene during this process; it could only trust him to pull through.
Just as his consciousness started to fade, a single thought kept him steady.
"Loser, pervert, monster, disgusting thing, murderer… all the names people have called me. People I cared for and trusted betrayed me without a second thought. I can't let this go. I have to confront them, all of them, and if I don't like their answers, they'll pay."
He regained control. The pain was still there, raw and unforgiving but he remained calm, taking deep breaths. He knew that if he lost concentration again, it would be the end. Time passed, minutes into hours, hours into days. He sat there, enduring the torture, until finally, the pain began to fade, and the screen appeared as he slowly opened his eyes.
[Congratulations. You have completed Stage 1. While your mind is in top condition, let's proceed with Stage 2. This stage is more complicated, so you'll need to control the mana entering your body, gather it in a specific location, and then condense it until it begins spinning inward. This will create a—]
He was already creating his core. He listened at first but quickly understood what he needed to do. He formed his core near his heart and two more, one on the right side of his chest and one below his stomach.
[…You shouldn't be able to do that yet…]
He tried to create more, but his body couldn't handle it, so he stopped at three. He could feel the mana inside him, but something was blocking it. He concentrated, making the mana spin like a drill, forcing his pathways to open. Was he a genius, after all?
[Are you stupid, master?]
Guess not.
He also sensed the thick, sticky impurities in his body. This was another easy victory for him. He simply pushed them out with mana until none remained. Although this process seemed quick, it actually took him a month. If he had followed the system's instructions, it would have taken several months.
[Wow… Congratulations. You have fully awakened. The system is now fully integrated. You can use me as an interface to perform various tasks.]
He exhaled, not really paying attention; his focus remained on his body. His muscles looked refined, and his appearance now matched his eyes, he looked younger. His torn muscles and every wound had healed, his breathing was calm, and his senses were sharpened.
"So, this is how it feels to have power? I see why people get drunk on it. It feels amazing. So, now that I'm fully awakened, what's next?"
[I should first explain what type of system I am.]
He opened the dumpster and jumped out, landing gracefully.
"Let me guess, you're some cheat system that will let me grow stronger faster than other players?"
He looked around, realizing he smelled even worse, and his clothes were falling off due to how lean he'd become. His eyes scanned the surroundings until he noticed a woman hanging clothes nearby.
[No…I can only tame beasts.]
He abruptly stopped, a dumbfounded look on his face.
"What?"