Alperen's hands were still trembling.
He tried not to look at the bodies, but his eyes kept drifting there. The smell of blood stung his nose. He felt nauseous.
'Calm down. Calm down. This is now your reality.'
He took a deep breath. Then he looked at soldier number 01. The man was still kneeling, waiting silently. His eyes were empty, like a
toy doll.
"Get up," said Alperen. His voice cracked, but he tried to use a commanding tone.
01 stood up. The other nine soldiers stood up at the same time. Robotic movements. Synchronized. With a chilling harmony.
"System," Alperen whispered. "Are these soldiers... real humans?"
[ANSWER: NO. THEY ARE BIOLOGICAL UNITS CREATED BY THE SERVER. REAL BODIES, REAL ABILITIES, BUT
ARTIFICIAL CONSCIOUSNESS. THEY ARE IN ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE MODE.]
Alperen felt sick to his stomach. 'So... they're not even slaves. Just... flesh puppets.'
But there was no time to think about that now. Survival came first. "Open the Base Setup
Package."
DING!
[BASE SETUP PACKAGE OPENING...]
[CONTENTS:]
1x PORTABLE BASE CAMP TENT SYSTEM (50-person capacity, camouflage-enabled)
1x BASIC RESOURCE STORAGE UNIT (1000 cubic meters)
1x Qİ SENSOR (detects Qi within a 10 km radius)
BASIC TOOL AND EQUIPMENT SET (Construction, mining, hunting tools)
[A SUITABLE LOCATION MUST BE SELECTED FOR BASE SETUP]
Alperen looked around. It was a forest. Setting up a base in the open would be
suicide. "01," he said. "Do you know this area?"
01's eyes flashed for a moment—information overload. "Yes, sir. The system has loaded me with basic information about this
area. This is the southern border of the Bloody Wolf Forest. One of the most dangerous regions in the Openag Kingdom.
Bandits, wild beasts, and fugitive martial artists are frequently encountered."
"The nearest settlement?"
"To the east, 500 kilometers away, lies Iron Bridge City. A medium-sized trading city."
Alperen thought. 500 kilometers. Months of walking for an ordinary person. But for a Level 2 martial artist... "How long would it
take you to go there and back?"
"If I run nonstop, I can go there in 12 hours and return in 12 hours, Sir." 'Fast. Very fast.'
"Then suggest a safe place for the base."
01 showed the depths of the forest. "There's a canyon 2 kilometers north. Natural caves, a water source, and dense vegetation. The risk
of detection is minimal."
Alperen nodded. "We're going there. But first..." He looked at the bodies.
The bald man and his men. Twenty bodies. "Burn these... burn them.
Let's leave no trace."
Canyon Base
Two hours later, Alperen had arrived at his new base.
01 was right. The canyon was perfect. High cliffs, hidden caves, and a clear stream flowing through it. The area was so densely covered
with trees that you could barely see the sky.
"System, deploy the Base Setup Package here."
DING!
A blue hologram appeared in front of Alperen. The base plan. The tent system, storage units, work areas... everything was being
placed automatically.
But what was truly surprising was how the tents "looked."
From the outside... it was just rocks. Trees. It looked natural. But once inside, there was a modern facility. Lighting, ventilation, even
electricity!
"How does this work?" Alperen muttered.
[ANSWER: QI-BASED HOLOGRAM TECHNOLOGY. IT CREATES VISUAL ILLUSIONS USING THE ENERGY OF
THIS WORLD. IT IS A COMBINATION OF THE HOST'S SCIENCE SYSTEM AND THE MARTIAL ARTS SYSTEM.
Alperen smiled. It was the first time he had smiled since arriving in this world.
"Perfect. Now... call the scientists."
DING!
[SCIENCE PERSONNEL ARE BEING SUMMONED...]
[WARNING: SCIENTIFIC STAFF ARE NOT WARRIORS. THEY REQUIRE PROTECTION.]
Blue lights flashed. And before him, one by one, ten more people appeared.
Five nuclear engineers. Two mechanical engineers. Two weapons researchers. A mathematics professor. All wore the
same white lab coats. Glasses, serious expressions, and... the same vacant stare.
The one in front—a middle-aged man with white hair—stepped forward and bowed.
"Sir," he said. His voice was calm and professional. "Chief Nuclear Engineer Dr. Kain reporting. My team is ready. We await your
orders."
Alperen swallowed hard. 'These are artificial too. They're all
artificial.' But that didn't matter to him right now.
"Dr. Kain," he said. "I have a question for you. There is an energy in this world called Qi. People accumulate it in their bodies and
become stronger. Your task is to collect this Qi, store it, and convert it into a usable energy source. Can you do it?"
Dr. Kain's eyes lit up. For the first time, Alperen saw an expression on his face—curiosity.
"Qi... a form of energy. Biologically based, but universal. Yes, Sir. I can design a Qi Reactor. But first, I need a sample. A material
containing Qi or... a living being."
Alperen thought. "There are bodies. The bald man and his group. They were all Level 2 martial artists. Is there any Qi residue left in
their bodies?"
"Probably," said Dr. Kain. "The first 6 hours after death are critical. If it's still fresh, I can analyze it." "01," said Alperen. "You
didn't burn the bodies, did you?"
"No, sir. I waited for your orders." "Bring them here.
Dr. Kain will examine them."
Night - Initial Analysis
The sun had set. Artificial lights were on inside the base.
Dr. Kain and his team were examining the bald man's body. Alperen was watching. The nausea was still there, but he was starting to get
used to it.
"Fascinating," said Dr. Kain. He was examining the corpse's bones. "This is what they call Bronze Bone. Look, the molecular
structure is 300% denser than normal human bone. And these veins... incredible elasticity. Silver Veins. There are still energy
residues inside."
He held an odd device—a scanner emitting a blue light.
"I'm getting Qi readings. Very weak, but they're there. The energy form... hmm... resembles electromagnetic waves but at a completely
different frequency."
"How long would it take to build a Qi Reactor?" Dr.
Kain paused. He thought.
"If the necessary materials are provided... two weeks for a prototype. Two months for a fully functional reactor." "Materials?"
"Metal. Lots of metal. Copper, iron, steel. And... energy-conducting minerals. There must be special minerals in this world, used
for Qi transmission."
Alperen scratched his head. "Is there a mine nearby?"
01 stepped forward. "Yes, sir. There's an abandoned iron mine 30 kilometers northwest. It was abandoned by bandits."
"Why was it abandoned?"
"Monster attacks. A Level 2 Iron-Clawed Bear was living there."
Alperen smiled. "Perfect. If we kill that bear, we'll get the mine, plus a Qi sample and energy points."
"Sir," said 01. "The Iron-Clawed Bear is stronger than a normal Level 2 martial artist. There's a risk if I go alone."
"You won't go alone. Ten soldiers will go with you. And I'm coming too." Everyone turned to
Alperen. For the first time, 01's eyes showed surprise. "Sir, you... can't fight. You're just a
normal human."
"I know," said Alperen. "But if I continue to remain powerless in this world, I will die. If the System allows me, I need to learn martial
arts. Right, System?"
DING!
[CORRECT. THE SYSTEM CAN RECEIVE MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING.]
[WARNING: REQUIRED FOR LEVEL 1 SKIN HARDENING REALM: MEDICINAL PLANTS, INTENSE TRAINING,
AND PAIN TOLERANCE]
[ESTIMATED TIME: 3 MONTHS (NORMAL), 1 MONTH (INTENSIVE), 1 WEEK (SYSTEM-ASSISTED)]
"What does 'system-supported' mean?"
[ANSWER: ACCELERATED BODY DEVELOPMENT USING ENERGY POINTS. MORE EXPENSIVE BUT MUCH
FASTER.]
[CURRENT ENERGY POINTS: 0]
[ENERGY GAINED BY KILLING THE BALD MAN GROUP: 150 POINTS]
"How much power does 150 points provide?"
[150 POINTS = LEVEL 1 SKIN HARDENING EARLY STAGE]
Alperen smiled. "Then we'll move tomorrow morning. Collect the Qi from the corpses, System. Convert it into energy points."
DING!
[Qi COLLECTION INITIATED...] [20
CORPSES DETECTED]
[TOTAL GAIN: 150 ENERGY POINTS]
A blue light rose from the corpses. As if their spirits were leaving. The lights gathered and penetrated Alperen's chest—right above his
heart.
Alperen felt warmth. He felt power. "System, initiate
Level 1 Skin Hardening." [APPROVED]
[150 ENERGY POINTS WILL BE SPENT]
[THE PROCESS WILL BE PAINFUL. DO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE?]
Alperen took a deep breath. "Yes.
Begin."
DING!
And then, the pain began.
Alperen's entire body burned. His muscles tensed. His skin stretched, burst, reshaped itself. His pores closed, tightened. His bones
cracked.
He screamed. He kept screaming.
01 and the soldiers just watched. Dr. Kain took notes anxiously. The
process lasted five hours.
And as dawn broke, Alperen collapsed to the
ground. He was breathing. But... he was different.
He raised his hands. His skin was glowing. It looked hard. He tried it with a knife—the knife didn't even leave a scratch.
DING!
[CONGRATULATIONS! SERVER HAS REACHED THE EARLY STAGE OF LEVEL 1 SKIN HARDENING!]
[YOUR PHYSICAL STRENGTH HAS DOUBLED]
[YOUR ENDURANCE HAS INCREASED BY 3
TIMES] [YOUR HEALTH HAS BEEN FULLY
RESTORED]
Alperen stood up. His body felt light. He was strong. He
smiled.
"Tomorrow," he said. "We will hunt that bear. And this kingdom will be mine.