Alex's whole body ached. His stomach was empty.
His knife was broken.
He didn't know where he was.
He was alone in a forest where escape seemed nearly impossible.
He collapsed onto the bloody floor and closed his eyes.
Am I finally dying...?
Suddenly, a sound rang sharply in his mind—
'Ding. Initializing System…'
His head started throbbing with pain. First the pain was in his head, then it spread to his entire body. It felt like hundreds of needles were piercing him all at once—his skin first, then deeper, through muscle and into bone.
Alex had a high threshold for pain, but this was too much even for him. He passed out.
When he came to his senses, his head was still ringing. His body felt too heavy to move. Other than that, he didn't feel much different.
He saw something shining in the rat's dead body. It looked strange, but subconsciously… he knew what it was.
The strangest part was that he knew something would happen if he said the word "status."
That knowledge had come to him automatically—from deep within.
He called out, "Status."
And a glowing, blue, rectangular screen popped out of nowhere. There was something written on it.
His head still throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the shock he was experiencing.
Nothing makes sense. Not the pain, not this screen. I should be shocked that something like this even exists... but what really gets me—is how I already knew about it. How normal it feels. Like it's always been there.
He looked at the glowing screen:
[Name – Alex Liefield]
[Race – Human]
[Age – 21]
[Class – Not Awakened]
[Exp – 0/100]
[Attribute Points – 0]
[Skills – ]
[Level – 0]
Strength – 14
Constitution – 14
Dexterity – 15
Speed – 15
Intelligence – 8
What is this...? He tried to dismiss the screen—and it disappeared.
What kind of sorcery have I been exposed to? Did someone drug me while I was unconscious? But there's no poison that can make you hallucinate and still feel this clearheaded. I don't feel strange... so why does this feel so real? How did I even know how to summon it?
He imagined the screen again—and it appeared, exactly the same.
He tapped the first line. It said his race was "Human." Of course, he already knew that—but the implication… Does that mean other races exist in this world?
Suddenly, a description appeared in his mind:
Race – Human: You are human. Born as human. Until something drastic happens, you will always remain human.
So it's possible to change race? How...?
He touched the other lines.
Class – Not Awakened yet. Possible to awaken after level 10.
Strength – Attribute that measures pure physical power and ability to deal damage.
Constitution – Attribute representing physical resilience, stamina, durability, and health.
Dexterity – Attribute measuring precision in attacks, speed, reflexes, and accuracy.
Speed – Speed of movement.
Intelligence – Ability to cast magical spells and increase spell damage.
So these are called attributes. They represent how strong I am?
There were two blank lines in the attribute section. He tapped them, but nothing happened. Then his eyes fell on Intelligence.
Spells? I can cast spells? Is that even possible...?