---
It had been two days since Lyrium Blackwood was discharged from the hospital.
The air around him felt strangely still, yet his mind raced as the realization of his situation continued to set in.
The synchronization process—something he had been so curious about—was now complete.
Technically, the synchronization was meant to merge his memories and stats with those of the body's previous owner, the original Lyrium Blackwood.
And it had worked. Too well, in fact.
After being discharged, he was immediately moved to an upscale apartment complex, a place befitting someone of the Blackwood family's wealth.
No, not his wealth.
The wealth of the body's original owner.
As he sat in his modern apartment, furnished with the kind of luxury that once seemed unattainable, he couldn't help but feel a pang of disconnection.
"All of this… None of it belongs to me," he muttered, his voice tinged with bitter amusement.
The memories of the previous Lyrium Blackwood swirled in his mind.
Faces, voices, places he had never seen before—now all felt like fragments of a life he couldn't call his own.
Among these memories was one particular figure that lingered more than others: his elder sister, Rihana Blackwood.
The thought of her made him grimace.
"I never imagined one of the female leads would turn out to be my sister," he murmured, shaking his head.
Lyrium had hoped that synchronization would grant him the same kind of system window the protagonist had—an all-powerful system capable of granting rare elements, unique skills, and cheat-tier abilities. Instead, what he received was far more ordinary.
Opening the status window, he let out a sigh.
---
{«[Status Window]»}
[Name: Lyrium Blackwood]
[Age: 16]
[Race: Human]
[Rank: D+]
[Talent Limit: Error]
[Skills (Passive): Unknown (Locked)]
[Skills: None]
[Sword Arts: None]
[Elements: None]
[Attributes]
|_Strength: C+
|_Speed: D-
|_Agility: D
|_Stamina: E+
|_Durability: D+
|_Intelligence: B+
|_Instincts: D+
|_Charm: F
[Mana Points: 100/100]
---
He closed the window with a frustrated swipe of his hand.
"Even with this synchronization, I didn't gain a single skill, element, or sword art," he muttered, rubbing his temples.
The synchronization had improved his stats significantly, but he wasn't blind to how far behind he still was.
In terms of raw attributes, he might now rival the protagonist.
But the protagonist's true strength lay in his system—the endless rewards of skills, elements, and cheat items he would continue to amass as the story progressed.
Lyrium clenched his fists, his pale white hair falling over his crimson eyes. "Damn protagonist bastard," he growled, veins faintly visible on his temple.
It wasn't that Lyrium hated the protagonist—at least, not entirely. But the disparity between their positions stung.
While the protagonist received unparalleled blessings, Lyrium was stuck with the status window of an extra.
Still, there was one thing the synchronization had given him that the protagonist did not have.
His talent limit—the natural ceiling that capped an individual's growth—was broken.
He remembered the term Talent Limit: Error in his status window, a phrase that defied all logic.
For most people, the talent limit was an immutable law of nature, something even the protagonist's system couldn't bypass without special cheat items.
But Lyrium's synchronization had shattered it entirely.
"I didn't even do a single thing, yet my stats skyrocketed because of the merger," he mused, leaning back against the sofa.
The realization stirred a faint smirk on his lips.
"Breaking limits, huh? Guess I've become my own version of a caped baldy."
The comparison to That Fictional Character—a hero who had shattered his human limits to become absurdly overpowered—was not lost on him.
The difference, though, was glaring.
That Character had trained relentlessly to reach that point, while Lyrium's transformation had been handed to him by the synchronization process.
But he couldn't rest on this alone. His stats might have improved, but his lack of skills, elements, or sword arts left him vulnerable.
Unlike That Character, Lyrium didn't have the luxury of being invincible.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he ran a hand through his pale white hair, the change in its color being one of the few visible effects of synchronization.
His appearance hadn't changed much otherwise—his deep blood-red eyes remained the same, and his build was still that of an average sixteen-year-old.
What had changed, however, were his feelings.
The synchronization hadn't just merged his memories with the original Lyrium's; it had also affected his emotions.
The thought of Rihana Blackwood, his elder sister, lingered in his mind.
A dual-elemental sage, she was undoubtedly one of the strongest and most important characters in the story.
Yet, in the original storyline, she was destined to fall in love with the protagonist during a future arc.
"Tch. Like hell I'll let that happen," he muttered under his breath, clicking his tongue in frustration.
Although she wasn't his real sister, and he hadn't even met her yet, the original Lyrium's memories had instilled a sense of familial attachment that couldn't be ignored.
The idea of standing by while she became entangled with the protagonist left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Haa… I need to focus on myself first," he sighed, standing up from the sofa.
His first priority was clear: obtaining skills and elements.
The synchronization may have broken his talent limit, but it didn't mean anything if he remained empty-handed.
Fortunately, the original Lyrium's memories provided him with the knowledge he needed to begin his journey.
After packing the essentials into his four-dimensional wristwatch, he stepped outside his apartment.
---
The sight that greeted him was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Magentano, the largest city in the restructured world, stood tall before him.
Skyscrapers pierced the heavens, their reflective surfaces gleaming in the golden light of the sun.
Above, metro trains zipped through the air, moving along invisible tracks with mechanical precision.
Lyrium took a moment to absorb the view, his crimson eyes scanning the cityscape.
"I never thought I'd see Magentano with my own two eyes," he said softly, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
The world had changed dramatically since the Catastrophe of 2098. Half of Asia had sunk beneath the ocean, leaving only fragments of Korea and Japan above water.
North Korea had been completely wiped out, and the merging of Mt. Fuji with the Himalayas had created the largest peak the world had ever seen.
Despite the destruction, humanity had rebuilt. Magentano was a testament to that resilience, a thriving metropolis in the heart of the Russian continent.
Lyrium's destination, however, lay far to the east. Mario Town, a smaller but equally significant city, awaited him.
It was there that he would take his first step toward obtaining the skills and elements he needed.
---
The metro station was bustling with life, filled with people moving purposefully toward their destinations.
Lyrium weaved through the crowd with practiced ease, his crimson eyes scanning for his platform.
The train arrived moments later, its sleek silver frame gliding to a halt with a soft hiss.
Lyrium stepped inside and took a seat near the window.
As the train began to move, he gazed out at the sprawling cityscape that blurred past.
"Haa…" He exhaled deeply, leaning his head against the glass.
The journey to Mario Town would take three hours, giving him ample time to think.
But his solitude was interrupted when a figure sat down beside him.
Turning his head slightly, Lyrium's gaze fell upon a young woman with long, pale White hair and sharp black onyx eyes.
She wore a gray hoodie over a black tank top, paired with baggy pants and white boots that highlighted her slender figure.
Her hair swayed slightly, brushing against his cheek and carrying with it the faint scent of spring flowers.
Lyrium instinctively flinched, pulling back slightly as her cold gaze met his.
"Do you need something?" she asked, her voice soft yet firm.
Lyrium shook his head quickly, averting his gaze.
He recognized her instantly—Melissa Constatain, one of the main female leads.
'She's.... probably visiting her family,' he thought grimly, his fingers brushing against his chin as he tried to suppress the sudden tension building within him.
Mellisa's presence reminded him of the gravity of his situation.
The main story arc hadn't even begun yet, and already he was crossing paths with key characters.
He couldn't afford to get involved—not yet.
The rest of the train ride passed in tense silence. When they finally reached Mario Town, the young woman departed without a word, leaving Lyrium to his thoughts.
---
Mario Town was eerily similar to Magentano in its architecture and layout, though its circular arrangement set it apart.
The streets bustled with life, yet there was an undercurrent of unease as Lyrium made his way toward his destination.
His path led him to an abandoned tunnel on the outskirts of the city.
The air grew colder as he approached, the atmosphere heavy with an almost supernatural chill.
Lyrium stopped in front of the tunnel's entrance, his crimson eyes narrowing as he spotted the faint shimmer of a green barrier.
"An Illusory Barrier," he muttered, clicking his tongue.
These barriers were designed to create illusions, deterring ordinary people from entering.
But Lyrium knew better. With a confident smirk, he stepped forward, passing through the barrier with ease.
What greeted him on the other side made his breath catch in his throat.
"T-The hell…" he whispered, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Before him lay the infamous Market—a sprawling underground network of stalls and vendors selling rare skills, elements, and artifacts.
It was here, in this shadowy underworld, that Lyrium would take his first step toward leveling the playing field.
"This is it," he said, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and determination. "The Black Market."
---
Well written updated version