The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the air.
It felt heavier than it should be—not suffocating, just dense, like something invisible pressed gently against my lungs. Without thinking, my body followed a steady rhythm.
Inhale.Hold.Exhale.
The breathing felt practiced. Familiar.
That alone was enough to make my heart sink.
When I opened my eyes, I knew immediately that I wasn't where I was supposed to be.
The ceiling above me was wooden, polished smooth, with faint lines carved into it. For a brief moment, those lines glowed a soft blue before fading away. Sunlight streamed in through a tall window, warm and real.
This wasn't my room.
And yet… my body wasn't panicking.
My pulse was calm. My muscles relaxed. It felt like I had lived here my entire life.
That was when the memories began to surface.
My name was Rio Gray.
I was fifteen years old.
This was my room. My house. My world.
At the same time, I clearly remembered another life—another world.
Earth.
Phones, the internet, glass buildings, normal skies without glowing patterns. I remembered it all too clearly for this to be a dream.
I hadn't possessed someone else.
I hadn't replaced anyone.
I had merged.
Two sets of memories, perfectly synchronized inside one mind.
The realization sent a chill through me.
The name of this world rose naturally in my thoughts.
Eldonava.
A world very similar to Earth, but shaped by a single difference.
Dungeons.
Decades ago, strange structures had appeared across the world. Monsters poured out, and human weapons were useless against them. Cities fell. Millions died.
Then mana appeared.
At first, no one understood it. Later, some humans began to change. Their bodies adapted. Their bloodlines evolved.
They became Awakeners.
That was when the world truly changed.
In Eldonava, every child was taught special breathing techniques from a very young age. Parents corrected posture. Teachers enforced rhythm. Schools treated breathing as seriously as math or language.
It wasn't cultivation.
It was preparation.
Because at the age of sixteen, everyone's body would attempt to awaken.
If you succeeded, your life changed forever.
You gained an element—fire, water, wind, lightning, earth, light, shadow. Some rare individuals gained more than one. Along with that came a class, levels, and skills.
Your growth became clear and measurable.
Awakeners fought monsters, cleared dungeons, earned enormous wealth, and held real power.
They were heroes.
They were weapons.
They were the center of society.
Those who failed to awaken weren't immediately abandoned.
They were given another choice.
Cultivation.
Cultivators trained their bodies using mana step by step. In theory, anyone could grow stronger through this path.
In reality, it was slow, expensive, and unforgiving.
Early stages gave little power. Progress required rare resources. Many spent years training only to remain weaker than low-level awakeners.
That was why most people avoided cultivation.
Society respected awakeners.Tolerated cultivators.Ignored everyone else.
That was the natural order of Eldonava.
Technology still existed, but it lagged behind my old world.
Why build machines when awakeners could do the work faster?
Why invest in research when dungeon resources solved everything?
From Earth's perspective, Eldonava had wasted decades of progress.
From my perspective, that waste was opportunity.
I stood near the window, looking down at the city.
Mana-powered lights lined the streets. Public screens reported dungeon activity and awakening statistics. Students walked to school, all carrying the same quiet worry.
Would they awaken?
I looked at my hands.
"I'm fifteen," I muttered.
One year before awakening.
One year before my future was decided by luck.
That was when my vision flickered.
[System Boot Sequence Initiated]
Blue text appeared in front of my eyes.
Clear. Stable. Undeniably real.
My breath caught.
[Host Detected][Synchronization in Progress…]
So this was it.
Not during transmigration.
Not during awakening.
Now.
[Synchronization Complete][Welcome, Host: Rio Gray]
A system.
I didn't panic.
Somehow, I had expected this.
"What are you?" I asked silently.
There was a brief pause.
[Authorization Insufficient]The host does not possess the authority to access the system's true origin or full purpose.
Figures.
"Then explain it simply."
[Simplified Explanation Approved]
The interface shifted.
System Purpose:To ensure the host's survival, independence, and inviolability across all worlds and existences.
My eyes narrowed.
"Inviolability?"
Meaning:The host will not be controlled, erased, or overridden by gods, celestials, higher-dimensional beings, or universal authorities.
That wasn't just protection.
That was immunity.
"So you exist to make me… untouchable?"
Correct.However, the process is conditional.
"Conditional how?"
Power without preparation leads to collapse.This system prioritizes long-term existence over short-term strength.
I let out a slow breath.
Annoying.
But logical.
A new panel opened in front of me.
[Core System Functions]
1. Infinite Currency Authority
Status: ActiveLimitation: Direct personal usage prohibited
I frowned. "Explain."
System-generated currency cannot be spent directly on the host.The host must first use it to create external value and generate legitimate returns.
In short—
I couldn't buy power for myself.
I had to build something that produced real value.
2. System Shop
Status: AvailableRestrictions: Awakening and cultivation items locked
The shop interface expanded.
No weapons.
No instant skills.
Instead—
Knowledge.
Advanced coding systems. Robotics. Mana-based machinery. Ether technology. Energy models from different worlds and even entire universes.
This wasn't a warrior's system.
It was a system meant for builders, planners, and architects.
3. Knowledge Skills
Status: Unlocked (Basic Level)
These weren't combat skills.
They were understanding.
How energy worked. How systems were designed. How civilizations functioned and collapsed.
Notice:Knowledge does not bypass local limitations.Implementation depends on resources, infrastructure, and society.
Fair enough.
The panel changed one final time.
[Main Quest Assigned]
Quest Name: Influence Before PowerObjective: Gain influence in the world through non-combat meansEvaluation: Long-term impact over visibility
Then—
[Quest Reward]Upon completion, the host will be freed from the limits, rules, and laws that bind all other beings.
I went completely still.
Freed from limits.
Freed from rules.
Freed from laws—even the ones gods followed.
I smiled slowly.
"That's one hell of a reward."
I sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the city outside.
This world believed everything was decided at sixteen.
By luck.By fate.By awakening.
Good.
That meant no one was watching the systems underneath.
I had one year.
One year to build influence.
One year to make the world depend on things only I controlled.
When awakening day arrived—
Whether I awakened or not…
Wouldn't matter anymore.