The golden glow of the SSS-Class talent screen was still burning spots into Kenji's vision.
One second, he was on top of the world, the protagonist of his own story.
The next, a tiny girl with silver hair was delivering a death sentence.
His brain short-circuited. The euphoria of his incredible luck collided head-on with the terror in her voice.
"Die? How? Why? WTF?!"
Kenji scrambled up, his voice cracking. He wasn't a hero. He was a guy who had just been mauled to death by a giant dog after dying of thirst. He was officially done with dying.
The little girl flinched at his outburst, hugging her stuffed rabbit tighter. "The 'X' team," she whispered, her big blue eyes darting toward the stone entrance of their little cave. "They're coming for us."
Kenji stared at her, his mind a complete blank. "'X' team? Who the hell is the 'X' team?"
The girl looked down at her feet, shuffling nervously. "Oh, right. The man said you wouldn't remember anything."
This was getting weirder by the second.
Kenji took a deep breath, trying to calm the frantic pounding in his chest. He lowered his voice, trying not to scare the kid who was apparently his only source of information.
"Man? What man?"
"The one who brought you here," she explained, her voice still quiet. "He gave me this." She opened her small fist, revealing a shiny gold coin.
"He said I had to stay with you and make sure you were okay when you woke up. He said bad people were after you because you're... special."
Kenji ran a hand through his hair, feeling the unfamiliar texture. It was his hair, but it felt different, cleaner. Everything was different. "Okay, okay, slow down." He sat on the edge of the soft, mossy bed, trying to piece things together. "So, a mysterious man saved me, dropped me in this cave with you, and now a team of bad guys is coming to kill me. Is that the general idea?"
She nodded solemnly.
"Right. And where exactly is here?" he asked, gesturing to the glowing moss and damp stone walls.
"This is Aethelgard," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It wasn't always like this. The man told me to explain it to you."
She took a deep breath, as if reciting a lesson from school. "About thirty years ago, the 'Awakening' happened. Portals opened up all over the planet, and monsters poured out. But the portals also brought the System. Everyone on Aethelgard got skills and powers. We started fighting back."
Kenji listened, his mind reeling. So, it really was a game-like world.
Monsters, skills, a System. It was a classic setup.
"Everyone has something called a growth rate," the girl continued, her confidence growing as she explained. "It's like... how fast you can get stronger. The better your growth rate, the more powerful you can become. It's the most important talent you can have."
This, Kenji understood. He glanced at the spot where his blue screen had been, the memory of the golden letters still fresh in his mind.
Growth Rate 1000x.
He had a feeling that was a pretty good number.
He looked at the small girl, a genuine question forming in his mind.
"What about you? What's your rate?"
She puffed out her little chest with a hint of pride.
"Mine is 3x!" she declared. "The elders in my village said I'm a once-in-a-generation talent!"
Kenji blinked. Three times.
That was considered genius-level?
A wave of dizziness washed over him as the sheer scale of his own talent began to sink in. He managed a weak smile.
"Yeah? Wow. That's... yeah, absolutely. Definitely talented."
His sarcasm was completely lost on her. She beamed, happy to have impressed him.
"So," Kenji leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "If a 3x rate is genius-level... what's the growth rate of the most powerful person on the planet?"
The girl scrunched up her face in thought, tapping a finger on her chin. "Hmm, I don't know for sure. But I heard stories about the Sword Saint, the leader of the Knight's Order. They say his growth rate is almost 70x!"
Seventy.
The number echoed in Kenji's head.
The strongest person on the planet, a figure of legends, had a growth rate of 70x.
And he had 1000x.
It wasn't just good. It was absurd. It was world-breaking. It was the kind of power that would make people kill, steal, and burn down entire countries to possess. Or to destroy.
Suddenly, the 'X' team made a lot more sense. He wasn't just "special." He was a walking, talking nuclear bomb of potential.
A low scraping sound from outside the cave entrance shattered the relative calm.
Scraaaape! Drag!
The girl's face went pale, all her childish pride vanishing in an instant. She scrambled over to Kenji, hiding behind him and peering around his leg at the entrance. "They're here," she breathed, her body trembling.
Kenji's heart hammered against his ribs. His SSS-Class talent was amazing, but right now, it was just a number on a screen he couldn't even see anymore.
He was still just Kenji. He had no skills, no powers he knew how to use, and zero combat experience outside of getting eaten by a wolf.
"Status," he whispered, a desperate hope in his voice.
Maybe the System would just pop up and tell him what to do.
To his utter shock, it did. The blue screen reappeared, though only he could see it.
[Kenji]
Level: 1
Class: None
HP: 10/10
MP: 5/5
[Attributes]
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Stamina: 1
Intelligence: 1
Wisdom: 1
[Unique Talent]
Infinite Growth (SSS-Class): Growth rate is accelerated by 1000x.
He stared at the stats. Level 1.
All attributes at a rock-bottom 1.
He was, in the bluntest terms possible, pathetically weak. Weaker than a common slime, probably. His 1000x growth rate was useless if he died at level 1.
"What do we do?" the girl whimpered, her little hands clutching the back of his tunic.
Kenji looked from his abysmal status screen to the terrified child hiding behind him.
He thought of the endless desert, of the wolf's jaws, of the crushing despair. He had been given a second chance. A third, really.
He wasn't going to waste it hiding in a cave waiting to die again.
He scanned the small space. It was mostly empty, save for the mossy bed and a few loose rocks near the wall. His eyes landed on one, about the size of his fist. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
He grabbed the rock, its weight feeling solid and real in his hand. He had no idea who was outside. He had no idea what he was doing.
But for the first time since waking up in this crazy new world, he had a goal. It wasn't about becoming a king. It was much simpler.
Protect the kid. Survive.
He crept toward the entrance, pressing his back against the cool stone wall. He motioned for the girl to stay back, putting a finger to his lips. He could hear voices now, rough and muffled.
"...the signal came from this cave. Are you sure he's in here?"
"The Seeker is never wrong. Get ready. The boss wants him alive, but if he resists... well, accidents happen."
Kenji's grip tightened on the rock. His palms were sweating. This was it. His first fight.
And with his stats, it would probably be his last.
He took a deep breath and risked a peek around the edge of the entrance.
Three figures in dark leather armor were standing there, their faces hidden by menacing iron helmets. One of them pulled out a glowing orb that pulsed with an eerie red light.
The orb floated forward, straight toward the cave entrance.
Kenji's mind raced. He had one rock, the stats of a newborn baby, and a 1000x growth rate that might as well be a "kick me" sign.
This was going to be a very interesting day.