Cain blinked; he slowly regulated his breathing. Then, he suddenly chuckled because he uttered words that were not unfamiliar in his head, but he couldn't remember them.
He tightened his core and sat up, making the white blanket fall from his body. Looking down, he was wearing a comfortable blue patient gown.
The boy turned his neck to see the situation around him, yet couldn't because of the curtains surrounding him in every direction. His vision blurred for a moment, bringing up a fragment of memory of the event, still fresh in his mind.
'I see, so it was like that.'
The exploration mission that turned into a survival mission began to repeat in his mind. The last scene where he vomited blood in front of Rika made his expression twist. He shivered, afraid of getting scolded by the fiery girl as he shook his head furiously.
"That's enough, forget it!"
A gentle gust of wind caressed his cheek from the right. Cain turned and saw the curtain on the right side flutter, prompting him to turn his body to confirm.
He reached for the thin fabric and pulled it, making a loud clatter that echoed in the room. The boy's eyes widened, finding his bed right next to a window.
His feet that touched the floor flinched, feeling the cold sensation from the iron-layered floor surface. But when he tried to put a bit of strength in his legs, his body swayed, and he fell back onto the bed.
Cain looked down, raised his palms and tried clenching them a few times. His legs were the same; he rotated his ankle several times in both directions before trying to stand again. He succeeded.
'Crazy, why does my body feel so weak?'
He set aside his question and walked towards the window. The boy clicked it open and pushed the window open.
The fragrant aroma of wet soil filled his lungs, and the rustling of the grass in the wind made a fine tune that soothed his exhausted heart.
"Haa,, huff,, I feel alive again."
Both his hands supported his body on the window frame, while Cain closed his eyes to enjoy the gentleness of the wind cooling his body.
His eyes slowly opened, taking in the expanse of green carpet stretching far, forming a training field for the soldiers; however, whether it was because he had woken up late or something, Cain didn't see a single soul there. It made him a little melancholic and a bit lonely.
As he was enjoying his leisure time, a blue panel suddenly appeared in his view. There was no sentence, only an exclamation mark that kept twitching, as if wanting to notify him of something.
[!]
'What is it?'
Cain pointed his index finger and pressed the exclamation mark, which made it break into several notifications.
[Skill Data Reconstruction proficiency up!]
[Lv 1 > 2]
[Skill Limit Break proficiency up!]
[Lv 1 > 2]
...
> Level Up → 30.0
> Parameters boosted → All stats +1
> Bonus Point 5!
...
[NULL SEQUENCE v0.4.0]
USER ID: Cain (M)
CLASS: (Undefined Entity)
LEVEL: 30.0
INTEGRITY: 89%
> Core Parameters:
- Vitality: 52 → 62
- Mind: 50 → 60
- Physique: 50 → 60
- Agility: 57 → 67
- Sense: 50 → 60
- Corruption: 11%
> Bonus Point: 50
> Skill: [Scan Protocol lv 2], [Data Reconstruction lv 2], [Limit Break lv 2]
> Acquired Data: Kenjutsu(Advance), Basic Firearms(Beginner)
> Attribute: Chaos Lightning
His black pupils shrank. Cain swallowed hard as he saw the Null Sequence he possessed undergo a drastic increase. The corner of his lips lifted, and his upright legs trembled, suddenly turning soft and making him fall back onto the bed with a dry 'thud.'
Cain gasped, his fingers wriggling, desperately wanting to spend the abundant bonus points immediately. Still, he shifted his attention to the side, sighing sharply to dispel all his piled-up desire.
Instead, he held his chin and began to check the changes. First, the boy looked towards the skills.
[Data Reconstruction lv 2 New abilities added!]
> Gain authority to change or tamper with the details of the user's data at will. The change can be possible depending on how many Mind parameters the user possesses.
For a moment, Cain just stared at the details floating in his view for a few seconds. He blinked, but the words were still clearly written, making him somewhat sceptical of this terrifying ability.
'Are you serious? I can edit my data as I wish, and it depends on the Mind parameter, without sacrificing anything!?'
The grey-haired boy wrinkled his eyebrows. This kind of one-sided exchange felt unsettling in his heart. However, on one side, he wanted to try it and see if it was true.
'Okay, but what data do I want to change?'
Cain crossed his arms over his chest, and he raised his face forward, looking at a flash of golden light illuminating the world with color. The boy stopped, and a realization dawned on him like an electric current jolting his brain with shock.
'Let's see. Open Data for Lightning Flash!'
After he said that, a blue panel appeared, replacing the previous one; it contained details about the data he had acquired from the microchip provided by General Dosh.
[Kenjutsu(Advance) = A sword technique developed in the eastern region from ancient times.]
Technique acquired:
- Lightning Flash technique.
- Heavenly Slash.
[Lightning Flash: A swift attack that starts with a quick draw, followed by an invisible, deadly slash.]
The Lightning Flash technique he received from Kenji was effective at surprising opponents because of its speed, which was difficult for opponents to follow.
However, the technique also had several flaws, such as the need for Cain to stand still in front of the enemy, which was foolish. Especially if the enemy he was fighting had equal, or even more, agility than him, using this technique would only invite suicide.
During the time Cain received and practised this technique. Not even once had he ever used it to fight his enemies, whether they were humans or monsters.
So he decided to tinker with the technique slightly, turning it into something he could use in battle, thereby increasing his chances of survival.
"Okay, since it's flash and relies on speed, I will make it..."
Just with his thought, the sentence on the panel faded, erased by some mysterious power. Then, when Cain thought of the sentence he had prepared, a letter began to write itself on the column. But this time, the explanation was different.
[Lightning Flash: A fast attack that starts with a quick draw that sends a deadly slash filled with a strong intent and the user's compressed attribute.]
[Do you wish to reconstruct the data?]
[Y/N]
{Required Mind: 50(Completed)}
Cain stared blankly at the panel. The power to rewrite reality itself was at his fingertips, granted by a system whose origins were unknown. Yet a cold thought slithered into his mind.
'What if…?'
He scowled, a fragment of memories from the first time Cain acquired the system, replicated in his brain. All this time, the system had helped him grow from someone who was nothing until defeating a monster as big as a building.
However, what if all of it had been determined from the start?
What if all of Cain's life had been recorded by something, and this system was what guided him towards it?
If so, what was their ultimate goal? And why did they have to involve a person from a different reality?
The question created a tangled web of interconnected threads in his brain. Worse, Cain lost half of the memories from his two worlds, which made him angry not at the system but at himself for feeling like he was dancing on a prepared stage.
Cain glared at the panel blocking his view, his two hands that clasped together clenched and held his chin while his back slouched forward. The longer he thought about it, the more he saw darkness further ahead.
He let out a long sigh and nodded. Making the panel in front of him flickered and emitted a white glow that blinded him.
The world seemed to spin as his head swayed, feeling heavy, coupled with a sharp throbbing that threatened to burst his skull.
'Damn it!'
The pain that hit his head gradually lessened after a few seconds. Cain exhaled sharply and let out a small groan that resonated through the room.
"Aaah, that freaking hurt."
But just as he said that, the door in the room opened simultaneously. From behind, Cain could hear footsteps from several people approaching.
"Louise, your spear technique has improved."
"E-Eh, really, Mr Abel's swordsmanship is also great. I haven't even won once."
"Stop praising him too much, Louise. You will make Abel complacent with his strength and stage his own demise."
"That's cruel, Rika."
"But, I think what the vice-leader said is true. Abel, you always tend to get carried away when things heat up."
"Even Peter, too, don't I have any comrades in this group?"
Starting from Abel, Louise, Rika and Peter, all their voices reverberated in the empty room. It made Cain sigh as he massaged his forehead.
"Hm, why is the window open?"
Abel's cheerful voice approached, and with one pull the curtain blocking Cain's bed opened, his face stoned.
"Eh?"
Hearing the silly response from the blonde boy behind him, Cain was unable to help but giggle and stand up from his bed.
"Geez, if you want to visit someone in the hospital, don't be so loud. You're bothering other people, you know."