"Yaaawn…"
Lemonk stretched and slowly opened his eyes. He felt like he was lying on a cloud. His limbs were light, his breath steady, and an unusual warmth pulsed through his core.
Energy.
Strength.
He sat up, blinking at the golden light spilling through his cottage window.
His body felt… right.
Curious, he stood and examined himself. His limbs now carried defined muscle, not overly bulky, but toned and sharp. His posture was taller, more natural. He'd grown from five feet to nearly five-foot-four.
He wandered over to the cracked mirror in the corner. His face hadn't changed much, but the hollowness was gone, his cheeks fuller, his jaw stronger. What truly caught his attention were his eyes. Once murky brown, they now gleamed like polished amber. Clear, proud, like the gaze of a lion.
"Wow," his system snorted, "look at you. Mr. Narcissist. Admiring yourself from every angle."
This time, Lemonk didn't rise to the bait.
He just smiled.
For once, he wasn't ashamed of admiring himself.
He was proud, not just of who he was, but of everything he'd earned.
"System, show me my profile."
"Finally! A command that isn't yelled like a caveman."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[Progress System Interface]
Name: Lemonk
STATS• HP: 1500• STRENGTH: 100• STAMINA: 105• AGILITY: 100• SPIRIT: 577
SKILLS• Walk – 100% (Can be evolved)• Hand Movement – 100% (Can be evolved)• Cooking – 30% [+]
SHOP• Level: 0 (Next Upgrade: 1 LP)
LP: 5Coins: 150~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Woo! I look stacked!" Lemonk said, grinning. "I wonder how strong I really am now."
"Don't get too cocky. Statistically, you're just a bit stronger than the average 25-year-old man."
"Huh?! But the numbers look huge!"
"Visual bias. Let me fix that."
[Ding!]
All stats scaled to a normalized base factor of 10.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[Progress System – Adjusted]
Name: Lemonk
STATS• HP: 150• STRENGTH: 10• STAMINA: 10.5• AGILITY: 10• SPIRIT: 57.7
SKILLS• Walk – 100% (Evolvable)• Hand Movement – 100% (Evolvable)• Cooking – 30% [+]
SHOP• Level: 0 (Next Upgrade: 1 LP)
LP: 5Coins: 150~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Huh… that does look more balanced," Lemonk admitted. "Alright, explain something. What's this 'evolve' thing in the skills section?"
"Finally, a good question! Okay, listen up."
"When a skill reaches 100%, it's mastered in its current form. You can evolve it using Level Points to unlock a more advanced version. For example, 'Walk' can evolve into 'Run.' Your 'Hand Movement' can evolve into advanced precision control, tool handling, even martial techniques later on."
Lemonk frowned. "But… why do things like 'Walk' and 'Hand Movement' even count as skills?"
"Because your talent-Strengthen-strips you to the core and rebuilds everything perfectly. Every action becomes a structured, upgradable skill. Right now, you're only standing and walking because you've regained those functions through progress."
The system's tone grew a little more serious.
"Think of it like this: Your 'Walk' skill at 100% doesn't just mean you can walk. It means you've optimized it. You walk with better balance, less energy loss, superior posture, and endurance. You can out-walk anyone in your stat range."
"And when you evolve it, you unlock speed, acceleration, terrain adaptation, and more. This is how your path works: not instant power… but perfected power."
Lemonk's eyes gleamed. "So if I push these skills far enough…"
"You can walk faster than someone can sprint. Move your hands faster than trained fighters. Lift objects like a monster. You won't just be strong, you'll be masterfully strong."
Lemonk nodded slowly, fire kindling in his chest.
"Alright then," he whispered. "Let's evolve."