The Achievement System has been activated.
As Ron summoned the translucent panel once more, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his ears. Countless lines of tiny words began scrolling before his eyes.
Achievement: Arrival in the World of One Piece [1 Achievement Point]
Achievement: First Training
Achievement: First Battle
Achievement: Bottoms Up (Finish a whole bottle of vodka in one go)
Achievement: Steady Progress (Training time reaches 100 hours)
Achievement: Self-Discipline (Training time reaches 1000 hours)
Achievement: Training Maniac (Training time reaches 10000 hours)
Achievement: Penniless (Acquire 1 million Berries)
Achievement: Small Wealth (Acquire 10 million Berries)
Achievement: Generous Hand (Acquire 50 million Berries)
Achievement: Fortune at Your Waist (Acquire 300 million Berries)
…
Lines upon lines stretched endlessly downward. Of them all, only "Arrival in the World of One Piece" glowed in green. Every other achievement remained black, locked and waiting.
Ron's eyes darted across the screen. He saw wealth-related goals like "Small Wealth" and "Supremacy of Money." He also noticed "Collector of Devil Fruits" and "Famed Blade Collector." At the very bottom gleamed the terrifying achievement "Apex of the World," requiring the slaying of one of the Four Emperors.
"Clear and easy to understand."
After skimming through, Ron already grasped the basics. Yet one thing remained uncertain: what was the use of these Achievement Points?
The mechanical tone sounded again.
Host Ron has achieved: Arrival in the World of One Piece.
Reward: 1 Achievement Point.
Attribute System activated.
Class System activated.
Random Class Draw in Progress… Completed.
Host Ron has obtained a Caster Class. Path locked: Supreme Archmage.
One after another, notifications filled his mind. On the panel, two new glowing circles appeared, labeled Attribute System and Class System.
Ron's eyes gleamed with thought. With a flicker of will, he opened the Attribute System first.
It was simple. Four categories: Strength, Agility, Vitality, Spirit.
Each attribute currently displayed as zero. Ron guessed this panel only reflected additional bonuses, not his natural baseline.
Below the four attributes was one final line: Achievement Points: 1.
So that was it. The points could be spent to increase attributes. But he resisted the urge to waste them recklessly. Instead, he closed the panel and opened the Class System.
This screen was emptier still, almost barren. Only a single line flickered at the bottom: Total Achievement Points: 1.
Ron frowned. Hadn't it just said his class was Supreme Archmage? Where was it?
But the golden glow around that line caught his eye. It pulsed.
With a thought, the words expanded, and lines of text emerged across the screen.
Class: Caster – Supreme Archmage
Magic Mark: None
Runes Owned: 0
Total Achievement Points: 1
As these words flashed into existence, the panel glowed and new golden text appeared with another notification.
Tip: Your total Achievement Points have reached 1. You have acquired a Beginner Magic Mark.
Tip: Your total Achievement Points have reached 1. You may draw one Basic Rune.
At once, cool clarity swept through Ron's mind, washing away fatigue. His spirit, once frayed and thin, felt reborn, brimming with energy.
Then four symbols appeared before him in a diamond shape: at the top, a swirl of air; left, a flame; right, a droplet of water; bottom, a block of stone.
The four images flashed in rapid sequence before settling on the top symbol. The others faded into darkness.
Tip: You have obtained the Wind Rune.
Before his eyes, a glowing mote unfolded, spinning into radiant golden lines that intertwined and locked together until they formed a shining magical rune. It glowed brilliantly before sinking into the panel.
Now the screen read:
Class: Caster – Supreme Archmage
Magic Mark: Beginner (Spirit +5)
Runes Owned: 1
Total Achievement Points: 1
Ron's pupils trembled with realization. So that was why he felt so refreshed. The Magic Mark had directly boosted his Spirit by five points.
He could feel the difference vividly, like the gulf between exhaustion after sleepless nights and the sharp focus of waking from the best rest of his life. His thoughts flowed faster, his mind sharper, his soul lighter.
"Runes… what do these do?" he whispered, staring at the green wind symbol etched upon the screen.
There was no explanation, and no reply from the System. But Ron already suspected.
"Wind Rune… wind magic… a magic circle…"
Muttering, he closed his eyes. In his mind's eye he recreated what he had seen before. A point of light, golden lines branching outward, weaving together into a rune.
Simple in theory. Excruciating in practice. Even with his boosted focus, Ron struggled to hold the image. His first attempt collapsed when barely a third of the pattern had formed.
And yet, just as it shattered, he thought he felt it. A whisper of breeze brushing his cheek.
Maybe it was an illusion. But his gut told him otherwise. This was the path forward.
Resolving himself, Ron drew in a long breath. He reopened the panel, fixed his gaze on the rune, and studied it intently.
One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. Five minutes.
Sweat beaded on his brow, but at last he etched the image into his memory. To deepen his concentration further, he switched to the Attribute System and poured his lone Achievement Point into Spirit.
The effect was faint compared to the earlier five-point surge, but it sharpened his thoughts enough.
"Again."
He closed his eyes, constructing the rune within the darkness of his mind. Gold light traced itself across the void. A third of the image formed. Then half. Then two-thirds.
This time he completed it.
A flawless rune pulsed in his inner vision.
Ron exhaled, smiling faintly. "Done. Not so hard after all."
But then his eyes narrowed. The shape was wrong. Something in the lines twisted.
His thoughts froze.
A thunderclap exploded in his ears.
The rune ruptured.
"Boom!"
The force hurled Ron backward. The sofa toppled with him, crashing into the wall. A violent gale tore through the room, scattering charts and papers into the air like a storm of snowflakes. A cup smashed to pieces on the floor.
Ron's hair whipped wildly in the whirlwind. His jaw clenched as his voice tore free.
"Are you kidding me!"
______________________________
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