I looked through the shop's interface, tapped the "Divinity" section, and even tried saying out loud: "Instructions," "Divinity gain," anything. But nothing happened.
There were no guidelines or manuals. No tutorials. Nothing explaining how to use the system or how to earn Divinity.
It almost felt like the system was broken. But what could I do about it?
Sighing, I headed home.
"Ren!" a familiar voice called just as I reached the door of our hut.
---
Kaito's POV
"Today's just so... sigh, peaceful."
I stretched and yawned, enjoying the sun peeking through the clouds. After working all day in the fields, coming home to Mom's cooking made everything worth it. And of course, there's my little brother—our family's silver-haired blessing.
Oh, there he is now!
"Ren!"
His silver head turned, blue eyes sparkling as he smiled up at me. "Brother Kaito!"
He walked over, lifting his head to meet my gaze. I ruffled his hair gently, earning a squint as he tried to protect his eyes. Chuckling, I let go.
"Let's go inside. Dad's going to be home soon."
He nodded, and we started moving to our small house.
I glanced down at him as we moved. It's weird—sometimes, Ren feels more grown-up than I do.
But other times, he just feels… fragile. And I don't know why that scares me so much.
Dad arrived a few minutes later, and we all ate together. The food wasn't much, but to me, it tasted better than anything in the world.
Ren, however, put down his chopsticks early. "Done already?" I asked. He shook his head and quietly walked his bowl to the wash basin.
I smiled. He always did that. No one even taught him. Strange, but in a good way.
Suddenly—
Clatter.
I turned sharply. Ren was stumbling near the basin.
"Ren!"
I rushed over and gently scooped him up. Blood dripped from his nose, and though it wasn't much, his expression worried me more—dazed, unfocused, like his mind had just been rattled.
"Please be okay..." I whispered.
---
Ren's POV
[+10 Divinity]
What? Why?
I stared at the floating notification.
Was it the fall earlier? Did I just trip in the perfect way to earn Divinity?
So... the system isn't broken? But why would I earn points for getting hurt?
If this system rewards injuries, I swear, it's going to be the dumbest cheat in existence.
Still, 10 Divinity is something. I just need to get injured a thousand more times to afford a decent skill.
Great.
Everyone was staring at me, looking worried. I gave them a weak smile.
Bad idea. Their concern only deepened.
I couldn't explain, so I did what I always did—hugged my brother tightly.
He held me close, and I used the moment to wipe my nose discreetly. A win for me, at least.
---
That Night
The house was silent. Under the soft yellow glow of the lantern, I opened my eyes and glanced around.
Everyone was asleep.
Perfect.
I slipped quietly out of bed and crept into the kitchen. Careful not to make a sound, I dragged the wooden stool over, climbed up, and reached for the bowl that held our old, worn kitchen knives. My fingers hovered over them, hesitant.
"This is dumb," I whispered. "But if dumb gets me Divinity…"
I grabbed the smallest blade—the least threatening one—and turned it in my hand. It was still shiny, despite how old it looked.
"Okay. Nothing dangerous. Just a scratch. A baby scratch. Something so small it doesn't even count."
I tapped the tip of the blade against my finger.
Nothing.
"…Alright. A little harder."
I nicked my palm. A tiny red line appeared, stinging more than expected. I winced… and waited.
Still nothing.
No pop-up. No glow. No +10 Divinity.
I blinked. "Wait—what? Why didn't I get anything? I just injured myself!"
Confused, I stared at the cut. Was it the fall earlier? Was it just the right kind of injury?
Maybe it has to be accidental?
Ugh. I don't want to go around hurting myself on purpose… I'm not a masochist, and I'm definitely not used to pain.
The frustration wasn't because I was hurt—it was because the system made zero sense.
I sighed, slid the knife back into the bowl, and quietly stepped down.
As I crawled back into bed, I considered putting on a play of saving a cat from a tree and "accidentally" falling to see if I would get any Divinity, but trashed the idea in a jiffy.
First off, that would hurt like hell, and second, that wouldn't be an "accident" if I staged everything...
I can't really cause any accidents on my own, and just getting hurt also doesn't work...
But if that doesn't work… then what will?
---
[At A Different Place And Time]
[Ren, you're bleeding out!]
I looked down.
My right arm was gone.
Blood gushed from the jagged stump, splattering the snow beneath me. The pain flared—sharp and familiar—but it didn't panic me. Not anymore.
Pain, I can handle. I've lived with it.
Loss? That's still something I haven't learned to bear.
[Ren, do something! You're dying!]
I exhaled slowly and looked up at the gray sky.
"I'm not dying," I murmured. "I was."
A faint green glow lit up my eyes. Then, movement.
[Cell Manipulation – Tier 2: Activated]
From the torn stump, bone began to sprout. Tendons laced into place, followed by muscle, then skin. Within seconds, a brand-new arm extended from my shoulder.
I took a breath and turned my focus inward.
Hundreds of wounds covered my body—deep cuts, broken skin, slashes soaked in blood. But with a second pulse of green light, they vanished. Tissue mended, muscle sealed, pain blinked out.
Only the blood remained.
I stood, brushing snow from my side, and looked around. Snow stretched across the entire forest, trees heavy with ice and silence.
"Sys," I asked. "Where are we?"
[...We are currently in the Shinobi World. Location: Land of Iron.]
...
A/N: Yes. Ren had a timeskip here... But this doesn't last long. We will be back to old Ren soon. I'll tell you about it right here, the story will show two different Ren, seperated by time. One is younger, inexperienced and doesn't know shit while the other is older, experienced and knows quite a bit... But still not enough.
Well, as I said, we will jump between the two Ren, we will jump between the two timelines and through them, I can show you what Ren becomes, what he was and how he becomes what he does... I just have to do it right, so yeah, cheer me on.
Anyways, 4th chapter is coming in a second so, enjoy reading. Bye!