Gasp!
I woke up with a violent gasp.
"Argh! My head...!" I raised myself up while holding the back of my head.
Then, as soon as it struck me... my hand flew to my stomach.
I searched for the large wound, my fingers touching my skin continuously.
'The wound is... gone?'
I sat up slowly. The room became a lot clearer now, four walls enclosed me with a single window letting in the morning sunlight.
I rested on a thin and lumpy mattress. A wooden table sat against the wall on the left side, on top were a burning candle alongside a cracked mirror and some books.
I removed the sheets covering me and swung my legs to the side of the bed. My body moved with ease... too much ease. I felt lighter somehow.
I walked to the table and picked up the cracked mirror.
The reflection staring back wasn't mine... or rather it was, but a far younger version of me. The bags around my eyes were gone and my hair was not messed up as it usually was.
I was a bit shorter, around 6ft and the body was less muscular than before.
I raised my left hand slowly to touch my face. All five fingers responded, the two I had lost on floor three hundred and seven had somehow grown back.
'What the hell happened to me...'
All of a sudden, the candle light flared upwards. I moved back on instinct as I watched the fire burn the books.
After everything turned to ashes, the candle slowly died down, quenching itself.
As soon as it did, a box-like translucent panel formed in the air, covering my vision.
[Initialization Complete... Congratulations, Antares]
'Huh?'
[You have successfully transcended into a new age... Please select your Aspect]
The panel faded away, another taking its place. Six cards appeared, glowing in different colors as they hovered before me.
[═══ WIELDERS ═══]
[Masters of weaponry in all its forms]
[═══ SEERS ═══]
[Those who perceive what others cannot]
[═══ MAGICIANS ═══]
[Speakers of the ancient language]
[═══ PHANTOMS ═══]
[Dwellers in darkness and silence]
[═══ CRAFTERS ═══]
[Builders of the impossible]
[═══ NAMELESS ═══]
[Jack of all trades, master of none but one]
I stared at all the cards in confusion. 'I remember seeing this glowing thing somewhere... I can't put a finger on it.'
I scrolled through the cards again and noticed the [Nameless] card. Back in the old age before I unknowingly unlocked the system for everyone, everyone had one path.
And it was called [Nameless]. It was because everyone who aspired to become an Ascendant could learn a bit of everything... be it magic or crafting. They could learn it as long as they wanted to.
I tried to form a logic around the other cards. I wondered why there were other Aspects when Nameless could do everything.
I scoffed and said loudly.
"I pick Nameless!"
[...]
There was a slight pause of silence. I felt a bit embarrassed by the way the glowing panel thing ignored me.
"Please?"
[Click the Aspect card you want...]
'Oh...'
I stretched my hand to pick the floating black card.
[You have selected the Aspect: Nameless]
[Nameless: You can learn skills from other Aspects by observing or experiencing them.]
[Initializing...]
"Skills? But that's not wh—!"
A larger panel materialized in front of me, cutting my protest short. It was filled with full-scaled information.
[ASCENDANT STATUS]
- Name: Antares
- Aspect: Nameless
- Rank: Wanderer
- Level: 1 ◉○○○○○○○○○
- Current Floor: 0
- Highest Floor: 0
[CORE STATS]
├ Strength: 8
├ Agility: 10
├ Endurance: 9
├ Intelligence: 12
├ Luck: 7
├ HP: 100/100
└ MP: 200/200
> Available Stat Points: 0 <
I skimmed through the long panel. There was no way I was reading all that.
I dismissed the panel with a thought... I did not know how I did it, it was like a reflex thought. The room came back into focus, simple clothes scattered everywhere with a lot of shirts and few pants.
I pulled out a black shirt and trousers. As I dressed, I examined my hands again, flexing my fingers.
This body still felt strange, I knew it was mine but it was before I trained it to the max, gaining a lot of muscles in the process.
I walked to the window and looked outside. The city was laid out before me, multiple large buildings lined in a random order. Everywhere was packed with people going in different directions. However, out of all these, there was one noticeable thing that stood out.
In the far distance, the Tower of Constellations pierced the sky. It was taller than any building in the whole Cosmos with nobody able to see its top.
Around it, three suns scattered the clouds, shining light to every inch of the Astral Cosmos.
As I admired the familiar sight, my hand shifted and I spilled over a cup of coffee which was on the window sill.
"Oh shit..."
The coffee poured uncontrollably before I picked it up.
My eyes glanced at the date on the cup printed at the bottom.
Year 2081.
I set it down carefully as my mind began to absorb all the information. Fifty years had passed since I died on the 500th floor. The world had moved forward in time while I had been sent back to my eighteen-year-old body.
Although I remembered most of my memories from my previous life. I still knew how to fight, how to survive... every single relevant detail I remembered.
I pulled out my status again by instinct.
'How am I doing this?' I thought as I focused on the level one glimmering on the panel. The gap between how I was now and then was huge by a long margin. However, I did not feel dismay. Instead, a small grin formed on my face.
'This time will be different.'
I turned towards the door.
My hand rested on the door knob for a moment and opened it, stepping into a passageway.
I descended down the broken stairs of the building, each step creaked under my weight. I had to hold on to the rusted railings to avoid falling through the gaps.
The ceiling had water stains and holes all over.
[Current Residence: Rundown Apartment, Eastern Sector]
[This is your designated living space. Upgrades available through quest completion and resource allocation]
'So this is where I live now?'
Upon reaching the ground, I stepped outside to feel the morning breeze pass through my face, it was cooler than I expected.
The streets were narrow and lined with similar buildings on both sides.
I stood for a moment, observing the movement of everything... from the sounds of the city to the rumbling of the advanced looking vehicles.