A breath.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he took a slow, steady breath—not one labored by exhaustion, not one forced through clenched teeth in the midst of battle, but a natural, effortless inhale of air that felt… fresh. Clean.
His eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim glow of a wooden ceiling above him. He blinked, confused. His body was resting on something soft—something unfamiliar.
[A bed?]
The thought alone felt absurd. A bed, after all this time? He had long forgotten what comfort felt like. He pushed himself up, his movements instinctive, cautious. He was ready to fight if needed, but his muscles felt... light. Almost as if he had just woken from a deep, dreamless sleep.
[How long has it been since I felt this way?]
He closed his eyes, expanding his senses outward. For the first time in what felt like lifetimes, he felt it—life. A flood of presences filled his awareness, each unique, pulsing with vitality.
Animals. People. Beings of different strengths.
It hit him all at once.
[Life. I did it.]
A strange sensation gripped his chest, something foreign yet familiar—hope. After everything, after standing alone in a world of death and silence, he had succeeded.
But confusion followed quickly after. His body felt... refreshed. Not worn down, not burdened by battle scars or exhaustion. It was as if he had been healed—no, more than that. It felt like his body had been restored.
[How? How long was I asleep?]
His gaze shifted downward as he flexed his fingers, testing his strength. Every movement was smooth, effortless. He murmured, "It looks like my body is fine... and my soul is unharmed?"
The language that left his lips was foreign—unlike any tongue he had spoken before, yet he understood it perfectly. That realization made him pause.
[That's strange.]
Closing his eyes again, he reached inward, delving deep into his soul, examining every thread of his existence. His instincts sharpened as he searched for abnormalities, anything out of place.
And then he found it.
Something foreign.
Something attached to him.
His eyes snapped open as his fingers curled instinctively, his mind processing the anomaly. It wasn't a curse, nor was it an attack. It felt... passive, like an imprint left behind. A mark of some kind.
"What are you supposed to be?" he muttered, his voice laced with quiet intrigue.
Reaching out mentally, he touched the unknown presence—only for the air in front of him to ripple.
A faint glow illuminated his vision. Then, without warning—
A translucent blue screen materialized before his eyes.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
Lines of incomprehensible symbols flashed across its surface, shifting and rearranging at a rapid pace. He narrowed his eyes, unable to decipher the text. But even as he prepared to analyze further, a strange sensation settled over his mind.
A whisper, like knowledge being gently poured into his consciousness.
His body tensed on instinct, but he quickly realized there was no malice—no harm being inflicted. It was simply information.
Words. Language. Knowledge.
Like puzzle pieces slotting into place, the symbols on the screen transformed, becoming something he could now read.
[UPLOADING BASIC KNOWLEDGE AND UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE…]
[PLEASE WAIT…]
Understanding dawned.
[It's integrating itself into me?]
He considered resisting, but ultimately allowed it. He had experienced far worse intrusions on his soul before—this, in comparison, was gentle. Almost welcoming.
A moment later, clarity settled in. The text on the screen stabilized, revealing a structured interface.
—
[STATUS WINDOW LOADED]
[NAME: ???]
[AGE: UNKNOWN]
[LEVEL: ???]
[PHYSICAL STRENGTH: ???]
[MANA: ???]
[KI: ???]
[AURA: ???]
[DURABILITY: ???]
[SKILLS:]
Divine Sense (Active) – Allows the user to sense life and presence within an unknown radius.
??????
??????
??????
??????
[PLEASE ENTER YOUR NAME: ______]
—
A flicker of amusement danced in his eyes as he read through the information.
"How amusing, to say the least," he murmured.
This was clearly some kind of system—a structured means of measuring his capabilities. But the question marks across most of the attributes made one thing abundantly clear.
[It doesn't understand me.]
That fact alone was intriguing.
[It can't measure my strength? My mana? My durability?]
The notion was almost laughable. Every world, every realm had its own structure of power, but he had long since surpassed any ordinary classification. Whatever force governed this system couldn't comprehend his existence.
But it had given him a choice.
A name.
He stared at the empty slot, fingers hovering over the glowing interface.
[My name…]
For a moment, he hesitated. In his old world, names carried weight. He had abandoned many identities, forged new ones, and discarded them just as easily.
[Does it even matter anymore?]
The thought crossed his mind, but deep down, he knew the answer. A name was more than just a label. It was recognition—a mark of existence.
A reminder that he was still here.
Still alive.
Still him.
A small, almost imperceptible smile played on his lips as he finally spoke, his voice carrying a quiet certainty.
"...Adam"
The screen flickered.
> Name registered: Adam.
A new beginning had just begun.