Everyone stared at Slade like he'd just confessed to burning down the family mansion.
There was silence until someone coughed.
The doctor — who had apparently been sitting there the whole time for an unknown reason — cleared his throat and said carefully,
"Young Master Slade… if your Essence value truly decreased, that would mean you used it. Right, does that mean you've… discovered your superpower?"
Slade blinked and looked at him, confused.
"Wait—hold up. Doctor? You're still here? What about your other patients at the hospital?"
The doctor stared at him for a second before realisation dawned.
"Ah, right. I forgot you lost your memory. I'm not just your doctor — I'm also your mother's cousin. So technically, your uncle. You can call me Uncle Hales."
Slade nodded slowly.
"Oh, that explains it. I was starting to wonder why a doctor was attending a family breakfast. I thought there should've been at least one beautiful nurse around instead."
Uncle Hales raised an eyebrow.
"…Sorry for not being beautiful."
The table fell silent for a few minutes before Slade coughed and continued,
"Anyway… The thing started last night."
Everyone's attention immediately focused back on him.
Slade scratched his head, trying to explain.
"So, I was thinking about my superpower — or, well, the lack of it. From what you all said, it didn't make sense that I had such a high Essence value but no superpower detected. So I thought, maybe I could have something like a status screen. You know, something like the Essence Watch but more… personal."
He gestured vaguely, trying to recall the details.
"And then — out of nowhere — I suddenly felt my entire body drain like a dying battery. My consciousness faded, and right before I blacked out, I saw a glowing blue screen floating in front of me."
Gasps rippled through the room.
Slade continued,
"When I woke up this morning, that screen was still there. It shows me my stats, Essence, and condition — even says it can optimise or add functions if I feed it more Essence. But right now, everything else shows 'Error' and it's practically begging for energy to function."
His father, Richard, leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. The others exchanged uneasy glances, but he was the first to speak.
"Hmm… that does sound like a mutated form of power," Richard said slowly. "A personalised system interface that consumes Essence directly… it might be a hybrid between mental and technological affinity types."
He tapped his chin.
"Come to think of it, my own Tecno-Mancy works similarly — I manipulate Essence through structured code and elemental algorithms to create and modify things. Maybe yours evolved in a different direction. A mental projection system, perhaps?"
Slade's eyes brightened slightly.
"So… basically, I made a power out of my imagination and Essence?"
His father gave a small smile.
"If that's true, it's impressive — and dangerous. You've essentially formed an independent interface using pure energy. If it grows with you, it could become something extraordinary."
Grandfather Willson nodded, stroking his chin.
"A system-type mutation… new, but not impossible. Still, draining ninety per cent of your Essence overnight was reckless, boy."
Slade raised his hands defensively.
"Hey, in my defence, I didn't know it would eat me alive! I just wanted to know if I have some hidden superpower, not performing an energy suicide attempt!"
Amelie tried to hold back a laugh, quickly covering her mouth.
Uncle Hales sighed.
"At least you are not in danger. But for now, you need to rest and recover your Essence. Keep that… screen of yours deactivated until we understand what it really is."
Slade leaned back, thinking.
"Deactivate, huh? Yeah, that might be smart. I don't want to faint mid-meal again. But the good news is—" he grinned slightly, "—I can use it now without draining my energy."
His father's expression shifted to something between curiosity and concern.
"Good. Once you're stable, we'll run a few scans at the Essence Research Division in my company. If what you're describing is real—and not just because of fatigue or hallucination—it could change everything."
Slade blinked, then smirked.
"Change everything, huh? I'll take that as 'I'm special.'"
Richard let out a small laugh, shaking his head.
"More like 'you're unpredictable.' But close enough."
The faintest smile tugged at Slade's lips. For the first time since waking up in this strange world, things didn't feel completely out of control.
"Unpredictable, huh? I can work with that."
Uncle Hales adjusted his glasses, leaning forward with a thoughtful look.
"So you can optimize this… 'Status Screen' using Essence?" he asked. "That's something new. We might be able to research the link between Essence energy and superpowers through you."
He paused, his tone turning serious.
"But listen, Slade — it would be best not to tell anyone else about this for now. Keep it within the family."
Slade nodded, realising the weight of what he'd accidentally created.
"Yeah, makes sense. Don't want to end up as someone's lab project."
His grandfather stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"If this truly is a mutation of Tecno-Mancy, then you might be able to use company devices in a better way — perhaps even channel them directly through your Essence. That could make you comparable to a normal C- or B-Rank superpower user… maybe even A-Rank."
Slade's eyes lit up instantly.
"Wait—so does that mean I get access to cool gadgets?"
Everyone exchanged glances at his sudden burst of excitement.
Richard sighed, though a small smile tugged at his lips.
"Well, my company does work on various superpowered technologies. We also collaborate with the government. So yes, there are plenty of 'cool gadgets.' I can show you some later."
Slade grinned like a kid who'd just found out his dad owned a candy factory.
"Cool. Very cool."
After finishing breakfast, the family gradually dispersed. Slade returned to his room, escorted by Amelie.
Once inside, he looked at her and said,
"Hey, Amelie — can you get me some books? Something about superpowers, the Awakening system, and maybe the history of Essence itself."
Amelie tilted her head but nodded immediately.
"Of course, Young Master. we have a library, I prepared a few books for you."
"Thanks," Slade said with a faint smile. "Since I somehow turned into a walking science experiment, I should at least understand the world I'm living in."
Amelie bowed slightly and left the room to fetch the books.
Left alone, Slade leaned back in his chair and glanced at the faint blue shimmer of his hidden status screen.
"A day off, huh? Not bad. Tomorrow it's the research centre and college stuff… but for now, let's see if this thing improved at all."
He whispered under his breath,
"Status."
⚡ [STATUS SCREEN INITIALIZING...]
Name: Slade Willson
Essence Type: ERROR (Partial Identification)
Stage: Attunement Essence Value: 312 / 1164
(+62 recovered) Superpower: ERROR (Stabilising Connection...)
Physical State: Stable ↑
Mental State: Focused ↑
Essence Efficiency: 8% → 9%
Note: "System integration adapting. Low-level optimisation achieved."
Slade's eyebrows shot up.
"Huh… it actually improved? So rest really does improve through Essence, I just have to wait for recovery."
He smiled faintly, a spark of excitement lighting in his eyes.
"And look at that — efficiency increased. Slowly but surely, Mr System, you're learning to behave."
The blue screen flickered slightly, as if mocking him.
Slade chuckled.
"Alright, fine. Be moody. But when I'm strong enough, I'm giving you an upgrade."
He leaned back on the bed, folding his arms behind his head.
"Tomorrow, we see what this 'research centre' can find. For now…"
His eyes drifted shut, the faint glow of the screen dimming beside him.
"…let's just hope this 'Error' doesn't mean I'll explode one day."
Some time later, Amelie returned, carrying a neat stack of books.
"Young Master, these cover basic superpower theory, Essence studies, and general world history," she said politely.
Slade nodded, taking them with a grin.
"Perfect. Time to become the smart man in town."
After Amelie left, he spent the next few hours reading through the books and scrolling through the internet. The more he read, the more he pieced together the strange world he now lived in.
It was still called Earth, but almost everything else was different. The countries had new names, borders, and governments — though the world structure felt oddly familiar.
There were no religions here. Instead, there was simply the belief — Origin God, an abstract concept rather than an organised faith. People didn't worship so much as acknowledge it — like a cosmos everyone knew existed but rarely talked about.
He turned another page. Around 150 years ago, everything had changed.
An asteroid had struck one of the major continents, releasing strange cosmic particles across the planet. The environment shifted. Animals, plants — even humans — began to evolve. Some gained unique abilities. Chaos followed, but so did adaptation.
Governments collapsed and rebuilt themselves. Armies evolved. New organisations rose to control and educate these newly "Awakened" individuals. Schools and colleges dedicated to Essence control became the backbone of civilisation.
Then came a second wave of change — the discovery that Essence could be harnessed not just biologically, but scientifically. Energy systems, machines, and even medical treatments began to rely on it. Humanity had effectively merged science and superpower evolution into a single discipline.
Slade flipped through another book — this one full of charts and ancient records.
There were even cultivators — Body Enhancers — people who refined their bodies through Essence.
The world now had:
-Awakened users
-Essence technology
-Dungeons
-Mutated monsters
-Essence plants & resources
In this world, some people had even rediscovered "cultivation methods" — not to achieve immortality, but to strengthen their physical form using Essence directly. They were called Body Enhancers, capable of matching Awakened users in raw strength.
The country he was in was called the Xia Nation, one of the largest and most advanced territories in the modern world. To him, it didn't feel strange at all — almost like a fusion of every Chinese novel he'd ever read.
He kept reading about his own family, the Willsons and Hales, who were influential in both technology and pharmaceuticals. They weren't the absolute top of the food chain, but they had enough power to make others think twice before crossing them.
Slade leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting over a photo of high-tech drones and lab gear.
"So my family makes gadgets and drugs. Great. At least I won't die broke."
He flipped one last page, reading about newly discovered ecosystems and mutated species that produced rare Essence-rich materials — resources that powered technology and enhanced superpowers.
"So there are dungeons, monsters, and Essence plants that people hunt for money and research…" He exhaled slowly."Alright, this world's got it all — superpowers, cultivation, corporate politics, and probably face-slapping contests. Guess I'm home."
A faint flicker of blue shimmered near his wrist — the status screen responding faintly, as if pleased that its host was finally catching up to the plot.
"Yeah, yeah," Slade muttered with a grin. "Don't get smug. You still drain my Essence like a phone battery on bad Wi-Fi."
He turned the light off, the faint glow of the screen fading beside him. Tomorrow, the real story would begin.