A blue screen materialized out of nowhere, hovering right in front of me. I blinked, startled. "What is this?" I muttered, squinting at the glowing text. Words began to form: The Ultimate Mana System. My heart skipped a beat. I'd heard stories about systems like this—gifts given to people who reincarnate, granting them incredible powers. But why was I only getting mine now, after five years? Sure, I was thrilled, but a part of me couldn't help but worry. What if this thing brought more trouble than it was worth?
Before I could dwell on it, new text flashed across the screen: "The binding with the host is complete. The host is compatible with all types of magic. The host must complete all tasks the system gives to obtain unlimited mana. The host will die if certain tasks are failed." My jaw dropped. "What? I'll die if I fail these tasks?" I exclaimed, my voice trembling. This wasn't just some fun game—it was life or death.
The screen updated again, revealing more details: "Tasks will be classified into three types: blue, green, and red. The host will die if any red tasks are failed." Okay, so the red tasks were the critical ones. I could technically skip the blue and green ones, but why would I? I wasn't about to settle for mediocrity. I wanted to be the best, to rise above everyone in the kingdom. I'd complete every single task, no matter what.
Another message popped up, and this one made my eyes widen in disbelief: "Congratulations! The host is gifted an S-tier magical wand and a dragon egg for binding to the system." An S-tier wand? And a dragon egg? Just for binding? My excitement surged. If this was the starting reward, I could only imagine what awaited me after completing the tasks. My mind raced with possibilities.
Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the blue screen vanished. I stared at the space where it had been, a mix of confusion and anticipation swirling within me. "What should I do now?" I wondered aloud. Almost instinctively, I thought, System, and just like that, the screen reappeared. This time, it displayed my stats:
STRENGTH - 1 (0/1000)
STAMINA - 1 (0/1000)
DEFENSE - 1 (0/1000)
MANA - 1 (0/1000)
CHARM - 9 (0/1000)
BODY - 1 (0/1000)
I couldn't help but chuckle. For a five-year-old, these stats weren't terrible—except for my charm, which was oddly high. What do the brackets mean? I wondered. The numbers (0/1000) seemed to indicate some kind of progress or experience needed to level up. I figured I'd understand it better with time. Either way, it was clear I had a lot of room to grow.
The high charm stat stood out. At nine, it was significantly higher than the others, which were all at a baseline of one. Why is my charm so high? I pondered. Was it natural charisma, or did it hint at something deeper? Regardless, it seemed like a potential advantage, one I could leverage in the future.
As I stared at the screen, I began to think about how to improve. The numbers were low, but they weren't fixed. They could grow. How do I increase them? I wondered. Would training my body boost strength and stamina? Would studying or practicing magic increase my mana? And what about charm—would social interactions help me level it up further?
The possibilities were both exciting and overwhelming. For now, I decided to focus on understanding the system better. I needed to experiment, to see how my actions affected the stats. Maybe running around would increase stamina, or lifting something heavy would improve strength. And with my charm already so high, perhaps I could use it to make friends or gain favours.
One thing was certain: this system was a tool, and it was up to me to figure out how to use it. The path ahead was unclear, but the potential was undeniable. I had a lot to learn, and even more to achieve. With a deep breath, I resolved to take the first step—wherever that might lead.
Curious, I thought, Close and the screen disappeared again. So, I could control it with my mind. That was convenient. But as I stood there, a wave of exhaustion hit me. My eyelids grew heavy, and I realized just how tired I was. The banquet earlier must have drained me more than I thought. "Guess this is the limit of a five-year-old's body," I mumbled, yawning. Before I knew it, I was drifting off to sleep, my mind buzzing with thoughts of magic, dragons, and the challenges ahead.
I woke up the next day, still grappling with the strange reality of my existence. Although it had been five years since I arrived in this world, my memories of my past life remained hazy. I knew I didn't belong there, but the details were foggy as if someone had deliberately blurred them.
Strangely, in all these years, I had never dreamed about my past life. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had been sent here for a reason.
As I lay there lost in thought, a familiar blue screen suddenly popped up again. Oh, right, I remembered. I have a system now. Curious, I decided to check if there were any tasks for me. The screen displayed three tasks: 10 pushups, 10 situps, and a 1km run.
How on earth is a five-year-old supposed to do these? I thought, slightly exasperated. Is this system preparing me for something? Despite the difficulty, I noticed the tasks were marked in blue, which made me think they were beginner-level. There had to be a reason I was given this system, so I resolved to complete it.
I got out of bed and called for Bell, my maid. "Bell, bring me breakfast!" She came running and brought me a simple meal: a slice of bread with butter and a cup of hot milk. As I ate, I thought, I should start on those tasks soon.
Just as I was about to leave my room, my mother walked in. "Where are you going, Rave?" she asked, her voice warm but curious. I looked up at her and replied, "I'm going out to play, Mom."
My mother had always been loving and protective of me these past five years, and I felt a deep sense of responsibility toward her. Even though she was a 7th-circle magician—a formidable figure in her own right—I vowed to protect her if anything ever threatened our family.
She smiled and said, "It's time for you to start learning magic. When will you begin?" I hesitated for a moment before responding, "Mom, I want to play for now. I'll start my magic lessons next week." I couldn't tell her about the system, so this was the best excuse I could come up with.
"Be careful, and don't get hurt," she said, patting my head before leaving. I watched her go, then made my way to the garden to begin my tasks.
Starting with the run, I quickly realized how challenging it would be. After just 20 seconds, I was out of breath. This is going to take a while, I thought, pushing myself to continue. It took me an hour to complete the 1km run, with frequent breaks in between. By the end, I collapsed onto the ground, exhausted, and rested for another 30 minutes.
Then I remembered the other tasks. Oh, right. I still have pushups and sit ups to do. I struggled to complete even a single pushup at first. This is going to be tough, I thought. After 30 minutes of effort, I finally managed to complete all 10 pushups. Next were the sit ups, which felt easier in comparison. I should start with these next time, I decided, finishing the 10 sit ups in about 5 minutes.
What I didn't realize was that my father had been watching me from the window. After yesterday's incident, Rave seemed to be pushing himself hard, he thought. It must be difficult for a child his age. Fate has chosen a challenging path for my son. Little did he know, I was only doing this because of the system's tasks.
Once I completed the last situp, I called out, "System," and the blue screen reappeared. "Host has completed all tasks. Reward: 5 points."
Five points? What are these for? I wondered. I summoned the system again to check my stats and saw that I could allocate the points to different attributes. After some thought, I invested 2 points into Strength, 2 into Defense, and 1 into Stamina. My updated stats now looked like this:
STRENGTH - 1 (2/1000)
STAMINA - 1 (1/1000)
DEFENSE - 1 (2/1000)
MANA - 1 (0/1000)
CHARM - 9 (0/1000)
BODY - 1 (0/1000)
As soon as I allocated the points, a sudden surge of energy coursed through my body. This is amazing! I thought, feeling stronger and more resilient. If this is the result of completing tasks, I'll make sure to finish all of them. It's going to help me grow faster.