The first light of morning filtered through the reinforced glass of Aiden's window, tinting his room in pale gold. For a moment, he lay still, staring at the faint patterns of sunlight playing across the ceiling.
Then the memory hit.
The system.
His eyes snapped open. He sat up immediately, heartbeat quickening.
"Status," he whispered.
A faint chime echoed in his mind, and the translucent blue panel appeared before him.
[Host: Aiden Cross]Physique: 0.2Spirit: 0.2Talent: Unawakened
He exhaled slowly, staring at the numbers.
It was real.
The System hadn't been a dream. His strength—his very essence—had doubled overnight.
Aiden clenched his hand experimentally. His fingers felt light yet firm, each movement precise. There was a strange, fluid power flowing under his skin, as if his body had been quietly reforged while he slept.
He stood, stretching his arms. His balance was sharper, his awareness clearer. Even the faint hum of the air filtration system in the walls seemed distinct to his ears.
"So this is what a twofold increase feels like," he murmured, smiling faintly. "It's subtle… but it's there."
He still didn't fully understand how or why this had happened, but one thing was certain—if this continued, his power would soon surpass human limits.
If I stay quiet, no one needs to know.I just need time.
He washed up, ate the breakfast his mother had left—still warm beneath the auto-preserver—and paused briefly to read the small note she'd written.
Aiden, we'll be at the office all day. Eat well before school. Love, Mom.
He found himself smiling softly. It was such a simple gesture, but it filled something hollow in his chest. In his past life, he'd lived alone, working aimlessly through the days. This—this warmth—was new.
He folded the note carefully, tucked it into his pocket, and headed out.
Base City 5 was already awake.
Towering spires rose toward the blue morning sky, their mirrored surfaces catching the light. Hoverbikes zipped along elevated lanes. Drones moved in neat formations overhead. People streamed through wide pedestrian walkways—workers, students, martial trainees.
The world looked modern, efficient, alive. But beneath its order, Aiden sensed a quiet tension—the weight of a world that had nearly died once, now struggling not to fall again.
He arrived at Central High to find Darius Vale leaning against the gatepost, yawning so hard his jaw cracked.
"Morning," Aiden said with a small smile.
Darius squinted at him. "Morning? You mean sunrise after doomsday? You look way too fresh for someone who almost fainted yesterday."
"Guess I slept well," Aiden said simply.
"Bull." Darius grinned. "You're glowing. Don't tell me you finally started working out."
"Maybe I did."
"You traitor! We promised to be couch philosophers together," Darius said dramatically. "I was even planning to fail my Quasi-Warrior exam with dignity."
Aiden chuckled. "You'll pass. You just need to stop staying up half the night."
Darius groaned. "That's asking too much, man."
They walked toward the building together, bantering easily. For the first time since awakening in this new life, Aiden felt a flicker of comfort. Darius's presence grounded him—simple, genuine, human.
Classes passed in a blur.
Instructor Kellan's lessons covered the upcoming Quasi-Warrior Certification Test: strength, speed, endurance. The minimum requirements were displayed clearly on the board:
Punching Force: 500 kilograms
Sprint Speed: 25 meters per second
Those numbers were daunting for most students—but to Aiden, they no longer felt impossible.
He could almost feel the power humming quietly in his body, waiting to be tested.
When lunch break came, Darius dragged him to the canteen. It was crowded, filled with chatter and laughter. Aiden grabbed a tray and joined the line, his mind half elsewhere.
Then, as he stepped forward, someone shoved him hard from behind.
He stumbled but didn't fall. His hand shot out instinctively—his reflexes sharper than ever—and he caught the offender's wrist before they could push past.
"Watch it," he said calmly.
The boy who had shoved him twisted in pain. "Agh! Let go, damn it!"
Aiden blinked in recognition. Ronan Drake—a loud, arrogant student whose grandfather was a respected Martial Master.
"Do you know who I am?!" Ronan snarled. "Let me go, or—"
"Or what?" Aiden interrupted coolly. "You'll scream louder?"
Laughter rippled through the nearby students.
Ronan's face turned red with fury. He struggled, but Aiden's grip was like steel. The boy's pride couldn't handle the humiliation.
Then a calm, clear voice cut through the noise.
"Enough, both of you."
The crowd parted slightly. Selene Voss, the class representative, stood there—tall, composed, her violet eyes steady.
"Ronan," she said evenly, "you cut the line. Don't make a scene."
Ronan's defiance faltered. He glared at Aiden, but released a low growl instead of fighting back. "This isn't over," he muttered, then stalked off.
Selene sighed softly. "You handled that well, Aiden. But try not to draw attention. The certification test is close—we don't need trouble now."
Aiden nodded. "Thanks."
She offered a faint smile before walking away, the light catching in her pale hair as she disappeared into the crowd.
Darius elbowed him in the ribs the moment she was gone. "Bro. Did she just praise you? I'm telling you, the universe is ending."
Aiden rolled his eyes. "You think everything's the end of the world."
"Only when it comes to you getting noticed by Selene Voss," Darius said, grinning. "You realize half the guys in class just died inside, right?"
Aiden shook his head, smiling despite himself.
By the time he got home that evening, the sun had dipped low behind the skyline. His parents weren't home yet—only the soft hum of the house systems greeted him.
He changed into comfortable clothes and stepped into the small practice room adjoining his bedroom.
It was simple: padded flooring, reinforced walls, a training dummy, and a weight scanner in the corner.
He stood before the dummy, inhaled slowly, and clenched his fist.
Let's see what I can do now.
His punch landed cleanly. The air cracked faintly with the impact, and the scanner beeped as the reading appeared in glowing text.
[Force Output: 198 kilograms]
Aiden stared at the number for a long moment. Then a slow smile spread across his face.
Yesterday, this body couldn't produce half that.
And tomorrow, it would double again.
He sat cross-legged afterward, breathing steadily, eyes half-closed. His thoughts drifted—not to training or exams, but to something deeper.
If I keep growing like this… what happens when I reach the limit?
Would there even be one?
The thought both thrilled and frightened him.
He didn't know why this System had chosen him, or what it truly was. But for now, he didn't care.
He just had to live, learn, and keep moving forward.
Outside, the night deepened over Base City 5. The hum of distant hovercars filled the air, and faint lights from the towers flickered like stars trapped beneath the sky.
In the silence of his room, Aiden exhaled slowly, his heartbeat steady and calm.
Every day, I'll grow stronger.Every day, I'll take another step forward.
He didn't know it yet—but far away, in places his mind could not yet imagine, powers beyond comprehension had already noticed the anomaly blooming quietly on this small, reborn world.
For now, he was just a student.Tomorrow, he would take the first step toward something much greater.
And as the Infinite System pulsed faintly within him, the night whispered a single promise—
[Doubling Cycle Complete: Next Cycle Begins in 23 hours, 59 minutes.]