Vash woke up earlier than usual.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at the ceiling.
Then yesterday's System display came back to him.
98 System Points.
Only two more points were needed to reach the number he had been waiting for.
One hundred.
Vash sat up.
"Today."
A small smile appeared on his face.
Today, he was going to complete everything.
He didn't want to spend the entire day wondering whether he had enough points or whether the System would suddenly give him another requirement.
He wanted to finish his Daily Tasks as early as possible.
Then he could finally see what happened.
Vash got out of bed and began his morning exercises.
The first few movements were familiar.
Stretch.
Balance.
Controlled steps.
Then the rehabilitation training began.
He looked at the System.
[REHABILITATION TRAINING]
Current Progress:
9.8 / 10
Vash took a breath.
"Almost there."
He began.
Step one.
Step two.
Step three.
He moved carefully, but there was something different about his body today.
His movements felt lighter.
His legs didn't feel as stiff as they had before.
His balance was stable enough that he didn't need to consciously think about every movement.
Still, he continued slowly.
He wasn't going to rush the final training.
By the time he reached the last step, Vash was breathing heavily.
He looked at the final instruction.
Step 10.
He completed it.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the System appeared.
[REHABILITATION TRAINING]
Step 10 / 10 — COMPLETED
Vash stared at the screen.
Another notification appeared.
[RECOVERY OBJECTIVE COMPLETED]
Rehabilitation Progress:
10.0 / 10
Walking Stability:
10.0 / 10
Balance:
10.0 / 10
Overall Recovery:
100%
Status:
FULLY RECOVERED
Vash didn't move.
Fully recovered.
The words seemed strangely unreal.
For more than two years, his body had been something he had to slowly rebuild.
At first, even simple movements had been difficult.
Every improvement had taken effort.
Every step had mattered.
And now...
It was over.
Vash slowly stood straight.
He took one step.
Then another.
Nothing hurt.
Nothing felt unstable.
He walked across the room.
Then back again.
He increased his speed slightly.
Still fine.
A laugh escaped him.
"I'm really okay."
He stopped near the doorway.
Then he noticed something else.
The world seemed... clearer.
He could hear the faint sound of utensils moving in the kitchen.
The refrigerator motor seemed easier to notice.
The smell of breakfast coming from the kitchen was stronger than usual.
He took a deeper breath.
Even the morning air felt different.
Vash frowned.
"Is this because my recovery is complete?"
He looked at his hands.
His body didn't feel heavier.
It felt lighter.
Freer.
For the first time since waking from his coma, he wasn't constantly thinking about whether his body could handle something.
He simply moved.
Vash smiled.
Then the System interrupted his thoughts.
[PHYSICAL CONDITION RESTORED]
Physical development adjustment detected.
Strength:
6.5 → 7.5
Agility:
5.5 → 6.5
Endurance:
4.5 → 5.5
Reaction:
5.5 → 6.5
Vash's eyes widened.
"All of them increased?"
He clenched his hand.
There wasn't some dramatic burst of power.
He didn't suddenly feel invincible.
But there was a clear difference.
His body felt more responsive.
His movements felt more natural.
His breathing was easier.
He felt like he had finally gotten back the body he had lost.
Vash couldn't stop smiling.
Then—
Another notification appeared.
[ORDINARY SYSTEM]
System Initialization:
19%
Vash's smile disappeared.
"Initialization?"
He had seen the System mention its damaged condition before.
But this was different.
Before he could think about it, another message appeared.
[INITIALIZATION PROCESS]
Initialization Increase Detected.
19% → 20%
Vash stared.
"What?"
The System continued.
[SYSTEM MODIFICATION]
Beginning...
Core synchronization:
Processing...
Damaged modules:
Reorganizing...
Host compatibility:
Processing...
Vash's excitement disappeared.
"What are you doing?"
No answer.
The blue screen remained in front of him.
Then one final message appeared.
[SYSTEM MODIFICATION]
Status:
IN PROGRESS
Vash blinked.
His head suddenly felt heavy.
"Wait..."
His vision became blurry.
He tried to steady himself.
The room seemed to move farther away.
Then everything went dark.
---
Thirty minutes later.
Vash slowly opened his eyes.
For several seconds, he didn't remember what had happened.
Then he saw the System.
[SYSTEM MODIFICATION]
Status:
IN PROGRESS
Initialization:
20%
Vash stared at it.
"How long was I out?"
He turned toward the clock.
His eyes widened.
"Thirty minutes?!"
He jumped out of bed.
Then stopped.
His body felt completely fine.
That surprised him for half a second.
Then he remembered school.
"I'm late!"
Vash hurriedly changed his clothes, grabbed his school bag, and rushed outside.
He barely had time to eat breakfast.
Grandma looked at him in surprise.
"Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Nothing! I'm just late!"
Grandma shook her head.
"At least eat properly."
"I will!"
Vash grabbed something quickly and ran.
But even while rushing toward school, one thought remained in his head.
The System.
Something had changed.
Initialization had increased.
It had started modifying itself.
And he had somehow lost consciousness while it happened.
What was the System doing?
Why had it started now?
And what would happen when the modification was complete?
---
By the time Vash reached school, he was still thinking about it.
He entered the classroom just before the teacher began the lesson.
"You're late today, Vash."
"Sorry, sir."
He quickly took his seat.
The lesson began.
Vash opened his notebook.
He tried to concentrate.
He really did.
But every few minutes, his mind wandered back to the System.
20% initialization.
What did that actually mean?
Was the System repairing itself?
Was it upgrading?
Was it unlocking something?
Maybe the System Store.
Maybe the Mission Interface.
Maybe something completely different.
He didn't know.
And that uncertainty made him even more curious.
Vash glanced at the clock.
Only one hour had passed.
It felt like three.
He forced himself to focus on the lesson.
There was no point thinking about something he couldn't check yet.
But then another thought appeared.
101 System Points.
He had started the morning with 98.
His Daily Tasks would give him another three.
That meant he had finally crossed the requirement.
The number he'd been chasing for so long.
Vash smiled to himself.
101 / 100.
He wondered what the System would show him after school.
---
At lunch, Rohan noticed something different about him.
"You look happy."
Vash looked up.
"Do I?"
"Yeah. You've been smiling for no reason."
Vash thought for a moment.
He couldn't exactly explain everything.
How was he supposed to tell Rohan that his body had finally recovered completely and a strange System inside his mind had begun modifying itself?
So he simply smiled.
"I just feel good today."
Rohan shrugged.
"That's good."
The conversation moved on.
But Vash's thoughts didn't.
He kept looking toward the clock.
After school.
He just had to wait until after school.
---
The final class seemed to last forever.
When the bell finally rang, Vash immediately packed his books.
He walked out with the other students, but his pace gradually increased.
His body still felt different.
Stronger.
Lighter.
More responsive.
He could feel it with every step.
Yesterday, he had been at 97.7% recovery.
Today, he had reached 100%.
That alone would have been enough to make the day special.
But the System had done something else.
Something he didn't understand.
Vash looked toward the road leading home.
His excitement grew.
He wanted to see the System.
He wanted to know whether the modification was finished.
He wanted to know what 20% Initialization actually meant.
And most importantly...
He wanted to know what waited beyond 100 System Points.
Vash tightened his grip on his school bag.
"Just wait until I get home."
For the first time in a long while, he wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.
He was looking forward to what he would discover today.
And somewhere inside his mind, the damaged System continued processing.
[ORDINARY SYSTEM]
System Points:
101 / 100
System Integrity:
18%
System Initialization:
20%
Physical Recovery:
100%
System Modification:
IN PROGRESS
Vash had finally reached the milestone he had been chasing.
But he still didn't know what reaching it had actually triggered.