The translucent screen shimmered before Zaylan's eyes, stealing his breath. It was as clear as a holographic projection, yet it overlayed his vision, a private window into a new reality.
He blinked, convinced it was a hallucination brought on by exhaustion and the sheer impossibility of the last few minutes. But the text remained, crisp and undeniable.
[System Integration Complete.]
[Welcome, Awakener.]
[Initializing Personal Profile...]
Then, the words shifted, replaced by a new display:
[AWAKENER PROFILE]
Name: Zaylan (Unregistered)
Race: Human
Mana Affinity: [???]
Abilities: [???]
Cultivation: Stage 0 (Beginner)
Mana Affinity: [???]. Abilities: [???].
The question marks gnawed at him. He had felt the constant strengthening, the surge of power when he pushed his limits.
He'd assumed that was his ability, his unique talent. But the system, this undeniable authority, indicated otherwise.
Was my strength just a side effect? Or something else entirely? The thought sent a jolt of anxiety through him. He needed answers, and quickly.
He tried to dismiss the screen, waving a hand through the air, but it remained. He focused his intent, a trick he'd read about in countless webnovels, trying to 'close' or 'minimize' it.
After a moment, with a soft shimmer, the screen receded, becoming a faint, almost invisible outline at the edge of his vision.
He could call it back, he realized, with just a thought. This was real. So incredibly, unbelievably real.
Around him, the docks were a tableau of stunned silence, slowly dissolving into chaos. Some people stood frozen, gazing at the now-empty sky where the radiant figure had been.
Others fell to their knees, weeping, whether from fear or fervent belief, Zaylan couldn't tell. Then, the whispers started, growing into a roaring tide.
"Did anyone else just… see that screen?" a young woman, no older than Zaylan, cried out, clutching her head, her voice raw with disbelief. "It said 'Awakener Profile'! My name, my race… it was all there!"
A burly dockworker, his face pale beneath his tan, staggered back. "A system? What the hell? I just got 'Welcome, Awakener' flashed right in my damn eyes! Is this some kind of government trick?"
Borin, his large frame trembling, stumbled towards Gareth. "Gareth, did you see it? A screen! It said… it said 'Awakener Profile'! And 'Mana Affinity'… what does that even mean?" His voice was laced with a raw fear Zaylan had never heard from him before.
Gareth, rubbing his temples as if to ward off a headache, nodded slowly, his cynical sneer completely gone. "Yeah, I saw it, Borin. 'Name: Gareth, Race: Human.' What the hell is going on? Is this some kind of mass hallucination? A global mind-control trick?" He looked around, eyes wide with a desperate need for an explanation, but found only mirrored shock.
Across the vastness of Aethelburg, the same scene was playing out, amplified by the sheer scale of the city.
On giant holographic news screens in public squares, the crisp faces of news anchors had been replaced by stunned silence, then desperate, unscripted reports.
"We are receiving unconfirmed reports that a… a system interface has appeared for millions of citizens globally!" a visibly shaken anchorwoman stammered, her eyes darting off-screen, her voice cracking. "Sources are indicating it's appearing for everyone! This is unprecedented! We are trying to verify details, but if you are seeing this, please remain calm! Do not panic!" The irony of her last statement was lost on no one.
In the opulent, reinforced war room beneath the Bradonn's Empire Central Government Building, pandemonium had erupted.
Admiral Thorne slammed his fist on the polished tactical table again, but this time, it was out of sheer, unadulterated frustration. "What is this 'System Integration'?! Minister Rhys, explain this! Our secure comms are still down for traditional broadcasts, but this… thing… it's in every citizen's mind! Every single one!"
Minister Rhys, now pacing frantically, ran a hand through his thinning hair, his eyes wild. "Admiral, our top analysts are already calling it a 'World System'! It's not a local network; it's a global, emergent phenomenon tied to the mana! It's… it's activating for every mana-sensitive individual on the planet simultaneously! Look!" He gestured wildly at a flickering holographic map of the landmass, showing hundreds of thousands of new, tiny green dots appearing in real-time, spreading like a disease. "The 'Awakener' status, it's activating for every mana-sensitive individual on the planet simultaneously!"
Zaylan listened to the distant shouts, the growing cacophony of a world grappling with the impossible. He focused back on his own System.
Every Awakener can access it. That meant he wasn't special in having it, only perhaps in how he would use it. He called the screen back with a thought.
[AWAKENER PROFILE]
Name: Zaylan (Unregistered)
Race: Human
Mana Affinity: [???]
Abilities: [???]
Cultivation: Stage 0 (Beginner)
The 'Cultivation: Stage 0' part snagged his attention. This was the term from the novels, the path to power.
But what did it mean for him? He had no technique, no guide. Just that quiet hum, that ever-present strengthening.
He tried to think of his own ability, the feeling of growing stronger, of his body refining itself. He focused on it, imagining it, willing the system to recognize it, to give it a name.
He pictured the immense strain he put his body through each day, the subtle shifts he felt, the boundless energy that seemed to flow through him, replenishing his fatigue, sharpening his senses.
For a moment, nothing. Then, a subtle shimmer beside the 'Abilities' line. The question marks seemed to ripple, then solidify into words.
Abilities: [???] -> [Physical Refinement (Passive)]
A quiet thrill, cold and sharp, shot through Zaylan. It worked. The system had recognized his unique talent.
Physical Refinement. It sounded exactly like what he felt. A passive ability, meaning it was always working, always improving him, regardless of his conscious effort. This was it.
This was his path. While others would be scrambling to figure out their powers, he already had a head start, a clear direction.
He was an Awakener, with a unique, silent power that would continually push his physical limits beyond anything known to humanity. The game was on. The world was about to become far more dangerous, but also, far more exciting.