I looked at the old man with annoyance. Well… even though I was grateful for being saved by him.
The old man looked at me curiously, as if he had just realized something, then spoke.
"Oh… how could a little child talk, right? Hahaha!" he said while laughing.
'Did I get picked up by a weird old man? And what's with that laugh?'
"My ears are about to burst, damn it!" I cursed.
"...."
After he stopped laughing, the old man stared at me sharply.
His gaze felt like it pierced my soul. He raised his eyebrows high and muttered,
"He… doesn't have a mana core…?"
The old man looked at me with pity, just like the servant had earlier.
'This is the second time I've been looked at like that.'
I felt sorry for myself, accepting this cruel fate.
"Well, it's alright, kid. I'll take care of you~"
The old man suddenly said, and then continued,
"Let's go home now."
He began walking deeper into the forest.
I tried to look around, but all I could see were trees and the darkness of the night.
'How can he see in this darkness?' I asked myself.
And as if remembering something, my eyes widened.
'Wait, usually the main character in novels when entering another world…'
I got nervous, recalling what I often read in novels.
I hadn't tried it yet because of the situation—or maybe I just forgot. But now everything was settled, except for the strange old man who picked me up…
I spoke with hope.
'Status!!'
I waited, but nothing happened. I waited for a whole minute, but still nothing.
'?... Nothing? Then…' I muttered again, closing my eyes.
'System!' I shouted in my mind. Sure enough, suddenly—
====== System =======
Name: ??(Karl)
Race: Human (???)
Age: 3 hours (26 years)
Level: 1 (0/100)
Mana Core: Locked (Can be unlocked after 1 day)
Blessings: Mana Emperor (Locked), God of Swords (Locked), Eyes of God (Locked)
Techniques: -
Skills: Imagination <(requires mana)>
Affinity: Lightning, Crystal Ice (Unique), Water, Blue Fire (Unique)
Stats:
- Strength: 1
- Endurance: 3
- Agility: 1
- Intelligence: 15
- Stamina: 1
- Luck: -
- Mana: 0
- Charm: 4
Points: 20 | Stat Points: 10
Quests:
- Build a mana core (incomplete) | Reward: 30 points, 50 exp
- Awaken a blessing (incomplete) | Reward: 50 points, 80 exp
=======================
My mouth hung open wide after seeing my system, not expecting to actually have one.
'Wow… I really got a system, just like the main character!'
But after looking at the system screen, I noticed something strange.
'So this is why I don't have a mana core.'
It turned out my mana core would appear after one day.
---
[MANA CORE]
Description: The host's mana core cannot activate because the host's body is too weak to withstand mana pressure, due to being newly born.
---
Once again, I was shocked by the reason for not having a mana core.
After a long pause, I cursed hard in my heart.
'Damn it! If only I had a mana core back then, I wouldn't have been abandoned.'
Karl wanted to cry, feeling extremely unlucky today.
As if remembering something, he looked at his status screen again—specifically, his Luck stat.
---
LUCK: —
---
Sure enough, Karl's Luck was (—).
Seeing that, he understood why his day was so miserable.
I sighed.
---
[SKILL: IMAGINATION]
Description: Allows the host to create techniques, weapons, or materialize any inanimate object imagined. The stronger the technique or weapon, the more mana required.
---
Karl's mood instantly improved after reading the explanation. This was seriously a broken ability.
I cheered in my heart.
'So that means, I can summon anything here as long as it's an inanimate object and I have enough mana? Crazy!!'
I glanced again at my Luck stat.
'Well, at least I got an OP system!' I said, then tapped on the side quests.
---
SIDE QUESTS:
Obtain a New Name (Incomplete)
Reward: 20 Points, 50 EXP
Form a Mana Core (Incomplete)
Reward: 30 Points, 50 EXP
Awaken Blessings (Incomplete)
Reward: 50 Points, 80 EXP
(Note: Failure to complete side quests will not result in penalties.)
---
I looked over the side quests—turns out, there were three I could complete.
'Oh, so I can earn EXP and Points by finishing these quests…' I nodded, shifting to the part I was most excited about: my blessings!
---
BLESSINGS:
Mana Emperor (Details…)
God of War (Details…)
Eyes of God (Details…)
---
As I thought about the system and wanted to check the details of my blessings, the old man carrying me suddenly spoke.
"We're almost there, kid," he said.
After a while, I saw a small village.
Maybe because it was nighttime, no one was walking around outside.
The old man kept walking straight through the settlement until he reached a house slightly larger than the others.
He stopped in front of it.
"We've arrived," he said, opening the door and stepping inside.
Seeing that, I felt relieved. Even though I was taken by this strange old man, I was still grateful someone picked me up.
'Better this than dying in the forest,' I nodded to myself.
Looking around, I noticed the house had two floors. The old man carried me upstairs.
Tap
Tap
Tap
The sound of footsteps echoed on the wooden stairs.
When we reached the second floor, the old man brought me to one of the doors and opened it.
Creak
The creaking sound of the door rang out. I saw that it was a bedroom.
I looked at the furniture, the bed, and the hanging lamp above the bedside table.
'Whoa… am I really in the medieval era?'
I still wasn't used to this European-style atmosphere, since my world was full of modern technology.
The old man laid Karl on the bed, then left to fetch something.
Left alone, I quickly called up my status screen again. I had discovered earlier that to dismiss it, I only needed to blink twice.
I accidentally found that out when I felt sleepy again.
'System.' A transparent screen appeared in front of me.
====== System =======
Name: ??(Karl)
Race: Human (???)
Age: 3 hours (26 years)
Level: 1 (0/100)
Mana Core: Locked (Can be unlocked after 1 day)
Blessings: Mana Emperor (Locked), God of Swords (Locked), Eyes of God (Locked)
Techniques: -
Skills: Imagination <(requires mana)>
Affinity: Lightning, Crystal Ice (Unique), Water, Blue Fire (Unique)
Stats:
- Strength: 1
- Endurance: 3
- Agility: 1
- Intelligence: 15
- Stamina: 1
- Luck: -
- Mana: 0
- Charm: 4
Points: 20 | Stat Points: 10
Quests:
- Build a mana core (incomplete) | Reward: 30 points, 50 exp
- Awaken a blessing (incomplete) | Reward: 50 points, 80 exp
=======================
I didn't waste time and immediately looked at the details of my blessings.
---
[MANA EMPEROR]
Description: Grants the host unlimited mana that will never run out until death. However, it can also become a curse that causes the user to lose two emotions: love and sadness. (Locked)
---
Karl's eyes widened as he read it. He was so shocked—unlimited mana?
He didn't care about the curse, since he didn't need love. And if this paired with his Imagination skill…
Just thinking about it made his nose flare with excitement.
'Ah… who said I was unlucky earlier? That guy must've been an idiot!'
I stared at the transparent screen, particularly at the curse of sadness.
'If sadness is gone…' After a moment of silence, I shook my head.
'I don't care. There's nothing for me to feel sad about here… Except maybe that woman?'
I brushed the thought aside and moved on to the next blessing.
---
[GOD OF WAR]
Description: One who hones their abilities through endless battle. The receiver of this blessing will easily master all kinds of weapons and gain the physique of a god. (Locked)
Active Ability: Rage – makes the user extremely strong and ferocious as long as stamina remains.
---
Karl once again gawked at the power he obtained.
If anyone saw him right now, he would look like he was about to fly with joy.
'Hahaha! I will become the strongest! Just you wait—the god has arrived!'
I laughed manically in my heart, overwhelmed with happiness.
After a while, I stopped, exhaled slowly, and looked at the final blessing.
---
[EYES OF GOD]
Description: Eyes filled with mystery and many abilities.
Passive Abilities:
1. Allows user to see others' status within 30 meters. (Locked)
2. Anyone who meets the user's eyes will be charmed. (Locked)
3. Can intimidate anyone weaker than the user. (Locked)
4. Charm increased by 500%.
Active Abilities:
1. Boosts user's strength and speed by 30% for 10 minutes. (Locked)
2. Creates absolute zero temperature for 1 minute.
---
Karl almost fainted from joy. But then he remembered something he had overlooked.
'But why is everything locked?' I asked, and at that moment—
[Because the host still lacks a mana core and is too weak.]
"!!"
I was shocked, looking around in fear. But nothing was there.
A few seconds passed, but the voice didn't come again. Nervously, I spoke in my heart,
'Huh… maybe just my imagination—'
[No. This is not your imagination, host.]
I was interrupted by the voice again. I jolted and asked fearfully in my mind,
'W-who are you?'
[Your system, host.]