Adam stared at the blue interface, his brow furrowed in concentration. He had assumed the [SAVE AUTHORITY] slot was empty, waiting to be filled. But upon closer inspection, the text read:
[SAVE SLOT CAPACITY: 1/1]
> Occupant: [Innate Authority: SLEEP (Rank C+)]
"It's full," Adam realized. "My own innate power is occupying the scanner slot by default."
This was a problem. If the slot was full, he couldn't scan anything new. But then, he remembered the second function. If the [LOAD] function acted as a database or a library, he should be able to store his innate power there.
"System," Adam commanded mentally, "Transfer Innate Authority to Database."
[Processing...]
[Transfer Complete.]
[SAVE SLOT: 0/1 - Empty]
The moment the text changed, Adam felt a physical jolt.
The constant, nagging heaviness behind his eyes—the feeling of walking through deep water—vanished instantly. His mind cleared. The drowsiness that had been threatening to pull him back to bed evaporated like mist in the sun.
"I feel... light," Adam whispered, clenching and unclenching his fists.
He felt weightless. But along with the relief came a strange sensation of weakness.
"Status Window," he commanded.
The screen flickered, and Adam's eyes widened.
[STATUS WINDOW]
> Name: Adam
> Strength: 1.0 (Previously 1.5)
> Agility: 1.0 (Previously 1.8)
> Stamina: 1.0 (Previously 1.4)
"They dropped," Adam analyzed, his mind working quickly. "All my stats have reverted to the average human standard of 1.0."
It made perfect sense. The previous owner's body hadn't been naturally athletic. It had been fighting a constant, biological war against the Sleep Authority. His muscles and reflexes had over-developed just to keep him awake and moving against the supernatural lethargy. Now that Adam had unequipped the Authority and stored it in the database, the body no longer needed to fight. It relaxed back to its true, baseline state.
"So, the power was a curse and a training weight," Adam mused. "Interesting."
He was about to investigate further when a sound interrupted his thoughts.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Adam," a robotic voice echoed from the walls of the room. "The time is 07:00. School commences in 45 minutes. Please prepare for departure."
The voice cut off as abruptly as it had started.
Before Adam could react, a section of the white floorboards at the foot of his bed hissed and slid open. A sleek, metallic cylinder rose from the ground. It was a high-tech wardrobe pod.
The glass front of the pod clarified, revealing a pristine uniform hanging inside. It was a sharp, military-style jacket in white with blue accents, matching trousers, and polished boots.
"School," Adam muttered. "Right."
He realized a critical flaw in his situation. He had no memories of this body. He didn't know where the school was, how to get there, or even which bus to take. He couldn't exactly ask his 'parents' downstairs without raising suspicion.
"I need information," Adam scanned the room. "If this world is this advanced, there has to be a device."
His eyes returned to the rising wardrobe pod. There, resting on a small shelf next to the uniform, was a wristband.
It was sleek, white with a blue rim, matching the uniform. It looked identical in design to the device his father had used at the breakfast table to project the news.
"A Smart Watch," Adam's eyes lit up. "Or a Comm-Link."
He had ignored it earlier, focused on the System, but this was his lifeline. In a world this digital, that watch would contain maps, student IDs, schedules, and contacts. It was his guide.
Adam stepped off the bed to grab the watch, but as soon as his feet touched the floor within a certain proximity of the wardrobe, the machine hummed to life.
[Initiating Auto-Dress Sequence.]
"Wait, what?" Adam paused.
Two mechanical arms unfolded from the sides of the wardrobe with startling speed. Before Adam could step back, they deftly removed his sleepwear. He didn't even have time to feel embarrassed before the arms were already sliding the white shirt onto his torso, buttoning it with precision.
The trousers followed, then the boots.
In less than ten seconds, Adam was fully dressed in the District School uniform. The mechanical arms retracted, and the wardrobe pod offered the wristband on a small tray.
Adam stood there, blinking, feeling the high-quality fabric of the uniform.
"This previous Adam..." he muttered, picking up the watch and strapping it to his wrist. "He really didn't have to lift a finger for anything."
He looked at the black screen of the watch. It flickered to life, recognizing his bio-signature.
[Welcome, Adam.]
[Route to District High School: Calibrating...]
Adam smiled. The path was clear.