Time passed in flickers.
Not in days, but in sensations — warmth, hunger, rough wool, the rumble of distant voices. He could not speak. He could barely see. But he could feel — and the System let him understand.
It never spoke in words.
It simply acknowledged effort.
When his tiny fingers curled and uncurled — a pulse.
When he forced his weak arms to lift against the blanket — a flicker.
When he refused sleep and tried again — a definitive chime.
> Minimal Effort Detected
+0.01 Training Progress
No reward. Just progress.
The realization hit him like divine law.
He did not earn rewards by simply existing.
He had to strain. Fight. Try beyond comfort.
So he did.
In the darkness of the night — while his parents slept by the dying fire — he trained.
Tiny curls of the hand.
Weak pushes against gravity.
Infant muscles trembling.
Not enough.
He pushed harder.
His body screamed with the clean, sharp pain of something real — something earned.
> Effort Surpassed Threshold
+1 Training Point Earned
Reward Available.
Something unlocked.
Not automatically granted — simply offered.
> Exchange?
• Basic Grip Enhancement — Cost: 1
• Minor Pain Resistance — Cost: 1
• Breath Endurance — Cost: 1
A thrill ran through him.
This wasn't reincarnation.
This was a contract.
And he had just proven he was willing to pay.
He focused his will — almost instinctively — and made his first choice.