León stared at the floating screen in front of him without blinking.
He recognized it instantly, not because there was anything particularly subtle about it, but quite the opposite, it was exactly as described in every web novel he had read over the past two years.
Transparent, with clean text that glowed faintly, and on top of that, it had appeared out of nowhere right before his eyes. The famous transmigrator hack.
He let out a short laugh, completely absurd as a response.
"It looks like I'm the new protagonist of this world," he murmured, amused and incredulous at how he said it.
The screen flickered once.
[Correct. The host has been designated as the primary bearer of this cycle.]
León looked at the screen with a raised eyebrow.
"How formal just to confirm something like that…"
He said it ironically as he slowly got out of bed, bringing a hand to his chin while he began walking aimlessly around the room.
His feet were bare against the cold floor, his hair brushing against his face as he walked.
León now knew with certainty that he was inside the game, in that world he had consumed for months in front of his phone screen. The first thing his mind went to wasn't how dangerous that world was or how he would survive from now on, but them.
The villains, each and every one of them. Their names, their stories, and their powers, along with that particular way they had of appearing on scene and making everyone else lose importance.
And now they were somewhere in that world, with real flesh-and-blood bodies, in a way no pixel could replicate.
He lifted his gaze to the ceiling and shouted.
"So what do you have to say now, Mateo? Huhhh! Say something now!"
His voice echoed throughout the entire room. León stayed like that for a few seconds, arms spread, and then sat back down on the edge of the bed with a smile on his face.
The screen was still floating in front of him, clearly waiting.
"Alright…" he said, crossing his arms. "If this works like in the novels, I should have some kind of unique power or ability, right?"
[Correct.]
[Unique Ability — Adaptation:]
*The bearer develops progressive resistance to any attack received. Each impact of the same type strengthens the body's resistance against that same stimulus.
*Limitation: the adaptation is specific to the exact attack received. A variation of it, a different spell, or a combination with another resets the process from zero.
León read the message a couple of times, understanding the ability.
Not bad. It wasn't exactly invulnerability, but it wasn't insignificant either. As long as he received the same attack a certain number of times, he would adapt to it. The downside was exactly that.
If he took a powerful attack multiple times, he would end up more harmed than what he gained…
"Continue…" he said.
[Main Power — Copy:]
*By defeating an enemy in direct combat while fulfilling the victory condition, the bearer can copy one of their abilities or powers.
*Mandatory condition: victory must be obtained in personal combat. Delegation does not apply.
*The rank of the copied power does not correspond to the enemy's original rank, but to the bearer's current level.
*Simultaneous copy capacity: 1 power/ability.
*This power/ability will increase as the bearer's level advances.
As soon as he finished reading the message, León shouted again.
"YES!"
Because he understood exactly what that meant in this world. Since in this world, people were born with a specific magic, only one, without exception.
Be it fire, ice, time, or whatever. And those magics had ranks ranging from F, being the weakest and most basic, all the way to SS, the kind of power that redefined what a person could do.
A rank like that… wasn't something you obtained, you were born with it, and that was it.
Except for him.
He shook his head, still processing his new power.
"It's way too OP…" he said, pointing at the screen. "Aside from the downsides, which are few, it's really good…"
"And… how do I level up?"
[Available progression methods:]
*Main missions: assigned by the system according to the narrative progression of the cycle. High rewards.
*Side missions: generated by the environment and the bearer's decisions. Moderate rewards, with variable frequency.
*Hidden missions: concealed conditions that the bearer must discover on their own. Maximum reward.
*Continuous combat: experience accumulated in real confrontations directly contributes to level, regardless of the outcome.
*Bonds: establishing meaningful connections with key individuals of the cycle generates sustained passive progression.
León simply nodded slowly as he read, at some point things clicked on their own.
With that power, he could copy anything that was useful to him. And the villains in this world had high ranks that he could potentially copy.
Or well, as long as he defeated them first, of course. But that was a detail he would deal with later.
Without further thought, he lowered his gaze to the floor, his expression already changed. His smile was gone, replaced by a calmer look.
"With this…" he said quietly, "I can save them, right?"
Images of the villains appeared in his mind one by one, every story he knew by heart because he had played those routes to exhaustion without ever getting the ending he wanted.
They were beautiful in a way he couldn't explain, extremely powerful and broken, which made him feel… strange.
This time there wasn't a screen or some mechanism limiting him.
"I'm going to do it," he murmured. It was a promise not directed at anyone in particular, but it still carried weight. "No matter what."
He stayed like that for a moment longer before turning his attention back to the screen.
"Show me my status."
[Function locked.]
*Required conditions: complete the first mission.
*Objective: establish verbal contact with an inhabitant of this world.
León opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment, the double door of the room echoed with three soft knocks.
Then, a soft and serious female voice sounded from behind it.
"May I come in, my lord?"