Saylar closed his eyes, trying to grasp what had just happened. The pen, that strange object that had swallowed the light, disappeared from his hand only to reappear on his forehead, then vanished once more. There was no wound, no mark, no physical evidence of what had occurred. Only a strange sensation, a rapid heartbeat, and an overwhelming feeling that his life had been turned upside down.
He raised his hand to his forehead, hesitantly touching it. He felt a slight tingle, like a tiny electric spark moving beneath his skin. Saylar frowned, worry lines appearing on his face. Was that pen still there, hiding in the depths of his mind?
"Man, what is this madness happening to me?" Saylar thought, trying to calm himself down. "A magic pen? A system interface? Am I in a dream? Or maybe a movie?" He recalled the superhero movies he used to watch, how the hero gains a superpower that changes his life. "Will I become like Spiderman? Or Superman? Or The Flash?" Saylar smiled slightly as he imagined himself flying in the sky or running at lightning speed. "Or maybe... become like one of those web novel heroes?" Saylar remembered the fantasy novels he used to read on Wuxiaworld and Ranobes, how the heroes face exciting adventures in magical worlds using strange systems that grant them superpowers.
Saylar tried to focus on this feeling, exploring it with curiosity and caution. He wanted to understand what had happened, to grasp the nature of this pen that had become a part of him. He closed his eyes again, listening to the silence of his room, a silence occasionally pierced by the distant sound of the dawn call to prayer from the neighborhood mosque.
Suddenly, he felt a strange warmth in his palms, as if something material was forming out of thin air. He opened his eyes wide to find the pen in his hands! But it wasn't the same as before. It was translucent, radiating a faint blue light, as if it were made of pure light.
"It has become a part of me," Saylar whispered in astonishment.
He raised the pen before his eyes, contemplating its ethereal form. He touched its surface with his finger, feeling a smooth, cool texture, like touching a piece of ice. He tried to grasp it firmly, and he felt the pen's solidity between his fingers. The pen was there, existing in a real form, but it was different. It had become ethereal, radiating a strange energy, connected to Saylar's consciousness in a mysterious way.
Instead of wondering excitedly, Saylar examined the pen with scrutinizing eyes.
"What can you do?" he whispered questioningly, his curiosity growing with every moment.
Suddenly, the holographic system interface appeared in his mind. It was shining in a brilliant azure blue, and in its center, three main options appeared, each gleaming with a captivating golden light:
[ Status ]
[ System Rewards Inventory ]
[ Missions and Achievements ]
Saylar felt a powerful rush of adrenaline coursing through his body. He knew that this interface was a gateway to a new world of possibilities and adventures. A magical world full of secrets and superpowers. A world that would change his life forever.
He stared at the interface, his eyes moving between the three options. "This... is amazing!" he muttered in awe, his thoughts racing, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. "It's exactly like those systems that appear in web novels! Will I become like Lin Fan from 'Against the Gods'? Or like Bai Xiaochun from 'A Will Eternal'?" Saylar imagined himself fighting enemies using supernatural techniques and becoming the strongest person in the world.
A shiver ran down his spine, and he began to wonder if all this was real. "Am I dreaming?" he whispered in confusion. He couldn't believe what was happening. The magic pen, the holographic interface, it all seemed so surreal, as if it were taken from one of the science fiction novels he loved.
"Anyway, fear won't do any good." Saylar thought, trying to regain his composure. "Let me see what this interface is hiding."
He extended his finger towards the first option, "[ Status ]". As soon as he touched the golden button, the interface changed in front of him to display a new screen showing information about him and his stats:
Name: Saylar Madstar
Age: 16 years
Title: Pen User
Nickname: None
Creativity Points: 0
Stats:
* Strength: 12
* Speed: 10
* Flexibility: 8
* Physique: 11
* Recovery: 9
* Intelligence: 13 (Each point = 10 IQ)
* Wisdom: 10
* Charisma: 12
* Luck: ???
Note: Normal adult human stats equal 10.
Saylar read the information carefully, noticing that some of his stats were higher than the normal average. He felt a mix of curiosity and surprise. Did these stats reflect his true abilities? And how would that affect his life?
"Hmm, my intelligence is above average, that's good!" Saylar thought. "But what does ??? next to Luck mean? Does this mean my luck is undefined? Or maybe magical? Will I be like Han Li from 'A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality', possessing extraordinary luck that helps me overcome all tribulations?"
"Creativity Points: Zero..." Saylar read aloud. "What are these points? And why don't I have any?" Saylar felt a bit frustrated, but he quickly remembered the RPG games he used to play, and how the player starts at a weak level and gradually develops. "There must be a way to get Creativity Points," Saylar thought optimistically. "I'll figure it out soon!"
Saylar tried to interact with the interface, but he couldn't do anything. The interface didn't respond to touch or voice commands.
"It's annoying that I'm trying to understand the system, and it doesn't seem to answer any questions." Saylar muttered silently. He felt a little frustrated, but he didn't give up. He knew there was a lot to learn about this mysterious system.
Saylar returned to the main interface and stared intently at the three options. "How will I get experience points?" he wondered silently. "Do I have to complete certain tasks? Or is there another way? Will I have to fight villains and save the world? Or maybe..." and Saylar thought of all the exciting possibilities that might await him. "Will I become like the heroes in web novels, traveling through worlds, fighting demons, and saving beautiful women?"
He looked at the "[ Missions and Achievements ]" option, curiosity taking over. Perhaps this interface held some of the answers he was looking for. He extended his finger towards the golden button, and as soon as he touched it, he was taken to a new interface.
[ Individual Achievements ]
[ Daily Missions ]
[ Urgent Missions ]
Three new options appeared, each shining with a more intense golden color. Saylar felt confused. He didn't know what each of these options represented, but he was sure they were related to how to gain experience points and develop his abilities.
Saylar started thinking about each option individually, trying to understand its meaning by comparing it to the systems he had read about in science fiction novels.
"Individual Achievements..." Saylar muttered in a quiet voice. "Maybe these are achievements I gain throughout my life, like learning a new skill or succeeding in a difficult task. Like... like learning Kung Fu or speaking Japanese!"
"Daily Missions..." Saylar continued his thinking. "Maybe these are tasks I'm asked to complete every day, like helping my friends or doing some chores. Or maybe... maybe helping my mother prepare food or cleaning the room!"
"Urgent Missions..." Saylar concluded his guess. "Maybe these are missions that appear suddenly and require dealing with urgent or dangerous situations. Like... like saving a cat from a tree or stopping a thief from robbing a store!"
Although Saylar wasn't sure if his guesses were correct, he felt some confidence. He knew he was on the right track to understanding this mysterious system and using it to develop himself and change his life.
Saylar decided to return to the main interface to take a look at the second option, "[ System Rewards Inventory ]". Perhaps this section held some of the answers he was looking for, or at least some entertaining surprises.
"Is there a beginner's reward or something like that?" Saylar wondered curiously, moving his finger towards the golden button. As soon as he touched it, he was taken to a new interface...
A grid of dark squares stretched out before Saylar, resembling the inventory of RPG games he sometimes watched on YouTube. The squares were like honeycombs, stacked next to each other in neat rows and columns.
In one of the squares, Saylar noticed a thumbnail of a shiny voucher that looked like a luxurious gift card. The voucher was radiating a captivating golden color, and in its center, there was an infinity symbol gleaming with an azure blue color.
"A free trial voucher?" Saylar muttered curiously, focusing his gaze on the thumbnail. "It seems this is the beginner's reward I was looking for!"
Saylar tried to focus on the voucher, as if he wanted to extract more information from it. Suddenly, a detailed description appeared before his eyes:
"This voucher grants you a one-time opportunity to use the power of the pen without having to spend Creativity Points. Note: You can only modify one stat for a single object no larger than the size of the planet."
Saylar read the description intently, his eyes widening in surprise. "This is amazing!" he exclaimed excitedly. "This means I can try out the pen's power for free! I can modify one stat for anything as big as the planet!"
Saylar felt a powerful rush of adrenaline coursing through his body. "Oh my God! Does this mean I can change the reality around me? I can modify the stats of anything? I can add new stats?"
"This is better than any superpower I've seen in movies or web novels!" Saylar exclaimed excitedly, feeling a mix of joy and awe wash over him. "I now have immense power to control the reality around me. This is a thousand times better than my dreams!"
"But what will I modify?" Saylar wondered excitedly, thinking about the vast possibilities this new power offered him. "Should I change myself? Become stronger? Faster? Smarter?" Saylar imagined himself lifting a car with one hand, escaping a police chase at rocket speed, or solving the most difficult mathematical equations in seconds.
"Or maybe I should change the world around me?" Saylar thought more boldly. "Add mana to reality? Make people use magic? Create mythical creatures?" Saylar imagined a world filled with magic and adventure, a world with no place for boredom or despair.
"But, is this safe?" Saylar hesitated for a moment, a slight knot forming in his stomach. "What if there are unexpected consequences? What if I mess something up?"
But his curiosity and desire to change his life and the world around him were stronger than his fears. "I can't back down now," Saylar said to himself resolutely. "This is an unmissable opportunity for a real adventure!"
Saylar decided to try out his new power. He held the pen in his right hand, closed his eyes with intense concentration, and directed the power of the pen towards planet Earth in his mind. "I want to add mana to this world," he whispered with clear intention.
In an instant, a sea of information opened before his eyes on a transparent blue screen. A magnificent interface stretched out before him, displaying countless stats describing Earth in astonishing detail: its age, mass, climate, energies, and even the number of living beings inhabiting it.
"Amazing!" Saylar whispered in fascination, his eyes darting between the numbers and complex graphs.
He quickly focused on the energy stats, searching for a way to add "mana" to this sea of energy. He found an option that allowed him to add a new stat.
Without hesitation, Saylar pressed the button and typed "mana" into the new stat field. With intense concentration, he raised the value of "mana" to 3 points.
He felt an immense energy surge from him and spread throughout the planet, as if he had ignited a spark to start a new era. He felt a sense of awe as he watched the world transform before his eyes, as if it were being reborn. The colors seemed more vibrant, the sounds clearer, and the air fresher. "This is better than any video game!" Saylar thought with admiration.
"Oh my God, I did it!" Saylar whispered in astonishment, feeling a mix of joy and awe wash over him. "I changed reality! I added magic to the world!" Saylar couldn't believe that this pen granted him such immense power to control the reality around him. "This is a thousand times better than my dreams!"
At the same moment that Saylar added "mana" to planet Earth, a star in a distant galaxy disappeared without a sound or a flicker of light. It collapsed upon itself in silent darkness, as if swallowed by a giant black hole.
But Saylar, of course, was unaware of this catastrophic event that had occurred in a far corner of the universe. He was preoccupied with thinking about the new possibilities that this magic pen had opened up for him. "What will I do next?" Saylar wondered excitedly. "Should I change my stats? Become stronger? Faster? Smarter? Or should I change the world around me even more?"
Saylar felt boundless energy and enthusiasm. He knew his life would never be boring again. He had become Saylar Madstar, wielder of the magic pen, possessor of the power to change reality. He didn't know that his true adventure, with all its risks and mysteries, had just begun.
And in a distant corner of the universe, a hidden wave rippled through the fabric of existence, carrying with it the echo of this sudden change. A mysterious being felt this wave. It awoke from its ancient slumber, opening its eyes for the first time in eons, staring into the void with curiosity and wonder.
"What is this?" it whispered in a voice like the rustling of wind through the stars. "A wave... a wave of change... 'mana' ... an unprecedented level..."
Threads of light gathered around it, forming blurry images of planet Earth.
"A small planet... in an unremarkable galaxy... how did this happen?" the being wondered in amazement.
Curiosity consumed it. It wanted to know more about this planet, about this person who had added "mana" to their world. It wanted to understand the reason for this change, and what consequences would result from it.
"I will watch this planet," the being decided. "I will see what happens." And it returned to its silence, observing Earth from afar, waiting patiently to see how this increase in "mana" would affect the course of events.