It was a quiet night as Herman walked back to his wooden house. The floorboards creaked as he stepped inside. The house, simple but cozy, felt strange in the silence. He lit a small lamp and placed it near his bed. He lay down, but something didn't feel right. He couldn't relax.
Suddenly, Herman felt like he needed to check the system that had appeared to him before. He focused, and just as he expected, a glowing blue screen appeared in front of him. The light from it lit up the room faintly.
Herman leaned closer, feeling nervous. "If this system gives me power," he said softly, "then maybe it shows my level or limits."
The system's robotic voice spoke:
"WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCESS YOUR INFORMATION, USER?"
Herman was curious. He reached out and pressed the glowing "YES" button. Suddenly, a cold feeling ran through his body. The hairs on his arms stood up as the screen changed to show a lot of information.
"What is this?" Herman whispered, his voice shaky.
At the top of the screen, it said:
"ALL IN ONE"
He looked at the long list of abilities. Strength, speed, intelligence, stamina—and many others he didn't even understand. But what shocked him the most was the numbers. Actually, there were no numbers. Instead, every ability had the same symbol: ∞.
"Infinity?" Herman said, confused. His hands started to shake. "This can't be real..."
The system's voice spoke again:
"USER, DO YOU WISH TO DESTROY THE WORLD?"
Herman's heart raced. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Destroy the world? Why would I do that?"
The system replied calmly:
"YOUR CAPABILITIES ALLOW IT. WITH INFINITE ATTRIBUTES, YOU POSSESS UNLIMITED POTENTIAL. DESTRUCTION IS ONE OF MANY POSSIBILITIES."
"But why?" Herman asked, almost shouting. "Why do I have so many abilities? And why are they infinite?"
The system paused before answering:
"THIS SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO ENABLE THE USER TO SURPASS ALL LIMITATIONS. YOUR EXISTENCE IS ANOMALOUS. PARAMETERS WERE ADJUSTED TO ENSURE MAXIMUM POTENTIAL. YOUR LIMIT DOES NOT EXIST."
Herman stared at the screen, his mind spinning. "Anomalous? What does that mean?
"INSUFFICIENT DATA TO PROVIDE A DETAILED RESPONSE. USER'S SELECTION AS HOST IS A RESULT OF UNKNOWN VARIABLES."
Herman stayed quiet, his thoughts racing. The screen floated in front of him, waiting. Finally, he spoke again.
"I'm just asking," Herman said firmly. "I just want to understand."
"ACKNOWLEDGED. USER'S INTENT WILL BE RECORDED. SYSTEM FUNCTIONS WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE FOR FURTHER INQUIRIES."
The screen dimmed slightly, ready for more commands. Herman sat in the quiet room, feeling overwhelmed. He had power he couldn't imagine.
*****
Herman woke up to a loud noise outside. He stepped out of his small home to see what was happening. All the beasts had gathered in the square, forming a large crowd. Herman noticed Regar standing among them. He wanted to wave at him, but Regar looked serious and focused. Herman's eyes moved to the grandmasters of each tower, standing in a circle. It looked like they were about to start the ritual to summon their new Protector.
Herman quietly watched the scene, trying not to draw attention to himself. Then, a group of soldiers came up and stood in front of him.
"Move aside!" one of them barked.
Herman stepped out of the way, but as he did, one of the soldiers shoved him hard. He stumbled but quickly got back up. The soldiers laughed at him.
Herman dusted off his clothes and looked directly at the soldier who pushed him. "Did you do that on purpose?" he asked, stepping closer.
The soldier, Sufon, the general of the Tower and a member of the Tiger Clan, smirked. "And what if I did? What are you going to do about it?"
Herman clenched his fists and punched Sufon without hesitation. To his surprise, the powerful general was knocked backward by the punch. Suddenly, a glowing screen appeared in front of Herman, and a robotic voice spoke:
**[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[ANALYZING TARGET...]
Target: Sufon (Tiger Clan General)
Power Attribute: Fire
Stamina Level: 10,000
[SCANNING FOR OPTIMAL COUNTER...]
Do you wish to activate Frostwave Cyclone?
[YES] [NO]**
Herman froze, unsure of what to do. His eyes darted back to Sufon, who was recovering and preparing another attack. A ball of fire formed in Sufon's hand as he sneered.
"HAHAHA! Run as much as you like! You can't escape me!" Sufon yelled, throwing fireballs at Herman.
Herman dodged each attack, his heart pounding. He glanced at the glowing screen in front of him.
**[WARNING: TARGET ATTACK IMMINENT]
Fireball trajectory detected. Evasion successful.
Countermeasure available: Frostwave Cyclone.
ACTIVATE?
[YES] [NO]**
Herman hesitated. He didn't want to use this power because it might frighten the beasts even more. But if he didn't act, Sufon might actually kill him.
"IS THIS ALL YOU'VE GOT?!" Sufon taunted. "Is this what Regar called the Protector of the Tower? I'm far stronger than you!"
Herman gritted his teeth and mentally selected [YES] on the screen.
[COMMAND ACCEPTED]
Activating: Frostwave Cyclone
Elemental Attributes Enabled: Wind / Water / Ice
Power Amplification: 500%
The air around them changed instantly. Winds roared to life, forming a powerful cyclone. The fireball in Sufon's hand flickered and disappeared as if blown out by an invisible force. Nearby, the river surged upward, creating a vortex of water that joined the storm.
[STATUS: ENVIRONMENTAL SHIFT DETECTED]
Temperature Drop: -15°C
Wind Speed: 120 km/h
Enemy Stamina Drain: 20%
Sufon staggered back, his smug expression replaced with fear. Frost began forming over his body, freezing him in place.
"What… what is this?!" Sufon shouted, his voice shaking. "What's happening to me?!"
Herman stood in the center of the storm, his figure now powerful and commanding. Swirling water, icy mist, and roaring winds surrounded him. Sufon stared at him, frozen in disbelief.
[TARGET STATUS: IMMOBILIZED]
[NOTICE: COMBINED ELEMENTAL EXECUTION ACHIEVED]
Warning: High Energy Signature Detected. Monitoring Effects...
Sufon's mind raced. "How… how is this possible?" he mumbled. "How can a human use three elements at once?"
For the first time, Sufon felt real fear. He had never seen anyone, not even the strongest beasts, control such immense power. Now, frozen and unable to move, Sufon could only stare at Herman, who stood as an unstoppable force.