"Ugh..." Arthur groaned softly as he opened his heavy eyelids.
What greeted him was the familiar ceiling of the hospital room.
"Did I... fall asleep?" He furrowed his brow.
Rubbing his aching head, he leaned back against the headboard. His gaze swept around the room, and he realized it was already morning.
Sunlight streamed through the window, bringing a touch of warmth to his gloomy room.
Clack!
The door suddenly opened, and a young nurse entered.
"Good morning, Arthur," she greeted softly. "Did you sleep well?"
Arthur turned to her and forced a smile. "Good morning, Melina. Yeah, I slept well."
"Really?" Melina raised an eyebrow suspiciously. She glanced at the television, which was still on, then back at Arthur, who looked like he had just woken up.
A meaningful smile appeared on her lips, but she didn't comment and walked toward him.
"How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?" she asked as she took the medical records from the nightstand drawer.
She began writing a report while Arthur was still a little dazed from just waking up.
Once he felt better, he replied lightly, "Nothing hurts, Melina. Thank you for your concern."
"Good." Melina gave a small nod. She then began to check Arthur's body with the sophisticated equipment at the back of the room.
The process took about ten minutes before it was finally complete.
"Your body is still in good condition as usual, but your legs still show no signs of healing," she said while writing the report in the medical records. "However, don't despair. I'm sure the healing process will go smoothly."
Arthur simply smiled wryly without responding. It had been more than ten years since he was admitted to the hospital, and those were words of comfort he had heard tens of thousands of times.
Still, he was in no position to complain to her or the hospital. In fact, he was able to live healthily until now thanks to government social aid.
Otherwise, it would have been difficult for him to stay in a private hospital room for years like this.
"All right, that's it for today's checkup. If anything makes you uncomfortable, just let me know," Melina continued as she closed the medical records and placed them back in the drawer.
Arthur nodded slightly. "Thank you."
Melina smiled before turning to leave.
However, before she could step out, Arthur suddenly let out a loud scream.
"Ah!"
Melina was startled and turned to him in concern.
"What happened? Are you feeling pain somewhere?" she asked as she quickly walked closer.
Arthur quickly waved his hands. "No, I'm fine. A small bee flew in through the window and stung me. But don't worry, I got rid of it."
Melina looked doubtful. "Really? Do you need painkillers? I can get some right now."
"No need, Melina. Thank you." Arthur shook his head.
Though still hesitant, Melina didn't insist.
"Well then, I'll be going. Remember—call me if you feel uncomfortable, okay?" Her gaze turned serious.
Arthur smiled stiffly. "Yes, I understand. Once again, thank you."
Melina didn't say anything else and walked out of the room.
After confirming she was gone, Arthur looked ahead, where a strange panel appeared in the air.
[Activation process: 70%]
[Activation process: 75%]
"What is this? Am I hallucinating?" he asked doubtfully.
He rubbed his eyes, but the panel was still there. As his confusion peaked, the progress bar that had been at 75% finally reached 100%.
At the same time, a flat, systematic voice echoed in his mind.
"[Ding! The Dimensional Wave System has been successfully activated! Welcome, Master. It's nice to meet you.]"
Arthur froze in place. His eyes widened in shock, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"System, you say? Are you... serious? I'm not hallucinating, right?"
"[Of course not, Master,]" the system replied indifferently. "[I am real and I am in your head. Although I cannot show you my form, my voice alone is proof enough of my existence, isn't it?]"
Arthur was speechless. His lips opened and closed, as if he wanted to speak, but no sound came out.
He knew what a system was. In his spare time, he often spent his time reading various knowledge books.
Since he couldn't attend school normally, the only thing he could do was expand his knowledge through books or learn from Selena about school and academy lessons.
In addition, he also read novels of various genres several times—including system, romance, and others.
But now, something that had only existed in novels appeared before him, and it was truly extraordinary.
Having calmed down, Arthur sat up straight and asked, "So, what is your purpose in appearing here, system?"
"[Isn't it obvious? I came to give you an opportunity and power.]"
For some reason, the answer reminded him of the mysterious voice from last night. Could it be that the voice had kept its promise?
Pushing aside his confusion, he put on a stern, cold expression. "Tell me, what is your function, and how can you make me stronger?"
He was indeed surprised and still found it hard to believe. But he knew there was no time for nonsense.
Regardless of whether the voice was deceiving him or not, the most important thing now was to gain strength and protect his sister from danger.
"[As I said, my function is to make you stronger, Master. However, the process is not instantaneous. You must complete the tasks I give you.]"
"Tasks, huh?" Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Is it mandatory? Or if I refuse to do it, will I be punished?"
"[You have the freedom to refuse, and I won't force you. But once you accept it, you must complete it. After all, rewards and punishments must be equal. Am I right?]"
Its words made Arthur realize how foolish his question was. In this world, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Every action has a price to pay.
After a moment of deep contemplation, he smiled mockingly at himself.
"Alright, I understand. In that case, I will accept all the missions. As long as I can grow stronger, I'll do it!" he declared firmly.
To hell with becoming a slave to the system or anything like that. The opportunity to change his destiny was right in front of him—how could he possibly let it slip away?
Even if this exchange meant sacrificing his life, he would still do it.
Only those in the most desperate situations could truly understand the pain of living in misery.
"[Good. Then listen to the rules I'm about to explain to you.]"