The days that followed passed slowly—each hour dragging by with a dull weight that seemed heavier than the sword hidden beneath his floorboard.
Orin returned to his usual life at the orphanage. It was a crumbling three-story building tucked between two run-down residential blocks in a neglected part of the city. The walls were stained, the paint peeling like old scabs. The food was barely enough to keep them fed, and the caretakers—though not cruel—were always too tired or too indifferent to give the children more than the bare minimum.
But Orin had changed.
He woke up before dawn every day, sneaking outside into the small courtyard behind the orphanage to exercise. Push-ups, squats, stretches, footwork drills—his movements were unrefined but driven by purpose. The strength he now possessed was far greater than his peers, but without technique, it was nothing more than brute force.
He practiced with a broomstick, mimicking the stances and attacks he had seen on T.V. in his previous life. There was no mana flowing through his strikes, no system notifications to guide him—just repetition, sweat, and instinct.
By day, he blended in with the other children—quiet, average, obedient. He helped with chores, read whatever old books he could get from the local library, and kept his head down. He said little and watched much.
At night, when the others were asleep, he would quietly uncover the sword and hold it in his hands. He didn't swing it. He didn't train with it.
He just… looked at it.
The weight reminded him that the power was real. That the simulation wasn't just a dream. That a path—no matter how narrow—was open to him.
----
As Orin was sitting on the bed in his room, he was watching a countdown on his system.
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... 0
[Simulation chance refreshed][Do you want to start the simulation?]
Not wanting to waste a second, he excitedly said,"Yes, I want to!"
[Simulation begins!][Random talent draw in progress...]
Time seemed to slow. A wheel appeared, spinning through a kaleidoscope of colors—White, Blue, Green, Yellow, Red, Colorful—and then, an eerie black glow.This time, more than half—nearly 70%—was occupied by white. The rest were smaller segments, with the black section reduced to a narrow, barely visible line.
It clicked.
[Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the White Talent: Strong Body][Strong Body: White talent. Increases power by 10%, with a maximum of 100 kg force.]
He was disappointed seeing the white talent.
"Sigh... Last time it was only because of equal chances that I got a black talent. This time I only got a white talent."
"Whatever, let's continue the simulation."
[Please choose which method you want to use to start the simulation:]
Start as a standard mortal, no powers.
Start with your real-world genes and brain power, reconverted into their extraordinary equivalents, since "Mortal Body Accession" does not exist in simulations.
He responded, "Of course with real-world genes and brain power reconverted into their extraordinary equivalents."
[You remained seated in the room.]
[You looked around in confusion, wondering if the simulation had really started.]
[You tried calling the simulator, but nothing happened.]
[This time, you knew that the simulation had started.]
[You also felt that your power was more than what it was before starting the simulation—nearly 10%. You knew it was due to your new talent.]
Orin, in the real world, was confused as he had not felt any increase in power.
[Notice: Changes due to talents will only occur when you get them as a reward.]
[You tried to open your status panel.]
[You were happy to see that you were level 30 with a swordsman class.]
[But you noticed that you had no skills that a swordsman should have.]
[After thinking about it for some time, you understood that it may be because you don't have any genetic mutation corresponding to those skills in the real world.]
[But still, you were happy, as you had power at the start of the simulation.]
[No one at your age even gets their class, let alone being level 30.]
[Then you started to plan what you wanted to do.]
[You decided to level up as much as possible.]
[You picked up your sword, the one you had previously hidden, and went to a portal lower than your own level. Because even if you had a new talent, you had lost all the skills a normal swordsman would have at level 30—ultimately decreasing your overall strength.]
[From then on, you entered portals at night in secret. You didn't want to reveal your powers while still being only 10 years old.]
[You were able to enter because they were loosely guarded—only one person at a time, someone who had failed to reach level 30 during high school. He was only there to register the names of people who entered.]
[After skill books dropped from monsters, you used the ones related to swordsmanship and hid the others, as you currently had no way to sell them.]
[One year later, you reached level 31.]
[Congratulations on reaching level 31 and becoming a rank 2 professional.]
Orin, in the real world, again felt the torturous itch all over his body.He started to scratch himself, causing a bit of blood to come out.
After some time, when the itching disappeared, Orin stayed still.He felt that his power had doubled.
He started to laugh uncontrollably.
Then he heard a shout from the adjacent room: "Orin! Why are you laughing like a madman?"
He quickly quieted down—he didn't want to appear abnormal.
Then he continued to read the text.
[After leveling up, you were happy.]
[Then you started to go to stronger portals to level up.][A few years went by like this, and you reached level 34.]
Orin again felt that his strength had increased.
[Today, as you went into a portal secretly, someone followed you without you knowing.]
[He saw you killing the monsters and was shocked to see that you were just a child.]
[To confirm that you were really a child and not just appearing like one because of some skill, he decided to follow you for some days.]
[When he confirmed that you were indeed a child—an orphan with no background—he kidnapped you.]
[Even with your level 34 strength, you were not able to resist him.]