Raka didn't move.
The blue screen still floated before him, its light soft but clear—not like a cheap projector or the side effect of sleep deprivation. He blinked. Once. Twice. The screen remained.
This was real.
He reached for his right hand with his left and gave it a small pinch. It hurt. So not a dream.
"The System detects hesitation in the User. Is a demonstration of basic functions required?"
The voice was mechanical, but strangely not cold. Like a virtual assistant designed not to be intimidating. Raka exhaled. Ten seconds ago, his life only consisted of a closed door and an empty future. Now... this.
"A demonstration?" His voice was hoarse, barely a whisper. "You mean you can actually do something?"
"Affirmative. The System can access and optimize the User's hidden potential. Ranging from physical data, cognitive abilities, to dormant talents that the environment previously failed to detect."
Raka stared at the screen. His eyes narrowed.
Dormant talents?
All his life, his family had said he had no talent. Nothing that stood out. But if this system was right...
"Show me," he said. Short. Firm. No nervousness in his voice.
The blue screen changed.
---
Text began appearing—fast but orderly. Like an interface designed for efficiency. Raka read in silence.
```
═══════════════════════════════════════
USER STATUS
═══════════════════════════════════════
Name : Raka
Age : 19 years
Physical Status : Mild malnutrition, chronic sleep deprivation
Mental Status : Moderate stress, above-average resilience
Base Abilities:
- Strength : 32/100 (average male同龄: 50)
- Speed : 28/100 (average: 50)
- Endurance : 35/100 (average: 50)
- Intelligence : 71/100 (average: 55)
- Instinct : 68/100 (average: 50)
Locked Talents: 3 items detected.
System Ready to Activate? [YES/NO]
```
Raka read the locked talents section twice.
Three.
His family said he had no talent at all. But here it said three. Locked. Maybe that was why nothing ever stood out—because everything was buried, with no one giving it a chance to surface.
He wasn't angry. He wasn't sobbing either. There was just a cold feeling in his chest, like ice slowly melting. So it wasn't me who failed. It was my environment that failed to access me.
Raka exhaled. He raised his finger toward the screen, though he wasn't sure if the system was touch-sensitive.
He pressed YES.
---
"Congratulations. Stage One System activated. Beginning synchronization with User..."
A strange sensation spread from his fingertips. It didn't hurt. It was like a warm wave traveling through his entire body, touching every muscle, every nerve. Raka clenched his fist. It felt... lighter? Or was that just suggestion?
"Synchronization complete. Currently available features:
1. Status Viewer (view your own data and others' after interaction)
2. Daily Missions (provides small challenges with rewards)
3. Basic Shop (exchange points for basic necessities)
Current points: 0.
First mission is now available. Open the Missions menu to begin."
Raka nodded slowly. He wasn't a talker. Not the type to mutter "awesome" or "oh my god" like in the movies. But inside his chest, something was beating faster.
This wasn't a dream. This was real.
And for the first time since the door of that grand house had closed behind him, Raka felt something that had been lost for a long time:
Hope.
---
He sat cross-legged on the floor of his large, empty room. The big window still showed the city lights beginning to fade toward midnight. But Raka no longer felt alone. There was a blue screen in front of him. There was a system that had chosen him. There was a future not yet written.
"Open Missions menu," he said.
The screen changed.
```
═══════════════════════════════════════
DAILY MISSIONS – BEGINNER STAGE
═══════════════════════════════════════
Mission 1: Survive
- Get enough sleep tonight (minimum 6 hours)
- Eat a nutritious meal in the morning
Reward: 50 Points + Physical Status +2
Mission 2: Observe
- Identify one of your dormant talents before 12:00 tomorrow
Reward: 100 Points + Unlock one locked talent
Mission 3: Small Steps
- Leave this room and walk 5000 steps before sunrise
Reward: 30 Points + Resilience +1
*Note: Missions are optional. No penalties for failure. But every completed mission accelerates the User's awakening process.*
```
Raka read carefully. None of the missions were impossible. Get enough sleep. Eat. Walk. Observe yourself.
Simple. But effective.
All this time, his family had probably expected an instant miracle—talent that exploded without any process. But this system was different. It was asking him to start with the small things. With the most basic needs that are often ignored.
"But Mission 2... identifying a dormant talent?" Raka frowned. "How?"
"The System will provide vague hints. The User must discover it on their own. The process of self-observation is part of the awakening."
Raka didn't argue. Instead, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly—not a wide smile, just a thin curve. The ones who threw me away back then, they never bothered to look inside me at all. But this system... this system is telling me to look inward.
There was irony there. But Raka didn't have time to dwell too deeply.
---
He stood up. His legs were a little unsteady—maybe from lack of food or the emotional toll of the day. But he didn't collapse.
Raka walked to the small kitchen area at the side of his room. Not the main kitchen of the big house, but a private pantry that had been provided for him. Back then, his mother used to make sure the stock was always full. But after being cast out... was access still there?
He opened the small fridge.
Empty.
Just an expired carton of milk and two cracked eggs. Raka exhaled. So this is what it means. Truly thrown away. Not just words.
But he didn't panic. He closed the fridge and looked at the blue screen still faithfully accompanying him.
"Basic Shop," he said.
The screen changed. Displaying a simple list of items: rice, eggs, vegetables, mineral water, even toiletries. Everything could be bought with points. But his points were still 0.
So the missions had to be completed first.
Raka went back to his room. He took out his phone—still connected to the house WiFi even though he was no longer considered family. At least that hadn't been cut off. He checked his e-wallet balance. Still had some leftover monthly allowance: about $3.
Enough for tonight's dinner and tomorrow's breakfast. But nothing more.
"Tomorrow, I need to find work," he muttered. Not a complaint. Just a statement.
Raka ordered fried rice from a nearby stall through a delivery app. Paid with his balance. Then he sat on the edge of the bed, waiting.
---
While waiting, he opened the Status menu again.
Mild malnutrition. Chronic sleep deprivation. But above-average resilience.
Raka didn't know exactly what resilience meant. But he could guess. Mental toughness. The ability not to shatter when knocked down.
Maybe that was the one talent that had already emerged without the system.
He smiled faintly again.
The food arrived twenty minutes later. Raka ate slowly, savoring each bite. Not because it was delicious—it was just ordinary street-side fried rice. But because this was the first meal after the verdict of being cast out. And somehow, it tasted more meaningful than the expensive steaks once served at the family's grand dinner table.
After eating, he washed his hands, brushed his teeth, then lay down on the bed.
The blue screen was still glowing beside him, dimming automatically.
"Getting enough sleep is part of the mission. The System will wake the User after 6 hours. Rest well."
Raka closed his eyes.
Thoughts about his family, about the future, about this system—all of them swirled in his head. But he didn't let them take over. He took a long breath. Then let it out slowly.
Tomorrow was Day One.
The first day of the rest of his life, which he would determine on his own.
---
Morning arrived. The sun hadn't fully risen when Raka opened his eyes. The blue screen was already showing a notification:
"Mission 1: Survive [COMPLETE]. +50 Points. Physical Status +2."
He sat up on the edge of the bed. No dizziness. His body felt slightly lighter than yesterday. Maybe it was the system's effect. Maybe it was because he'd gotten enough sleep for the first time in weeks.
Raka checked his points balance: 50.
Enough to buy breakfast through the Basic Shop? He opened the menu. Turns out one serving of rice + egg + vegetables cost 20 points. Cheap. He bought it immediately.
One second after confirmation, a small container appeared on his study desk. Made of a strange material—like plastic but with a shimmer. Raka opened it. Inside was exactly what he'd ordered: warm rice, a sunny-side-up egg, and stir-fried water spinach.
Food from the system.
He didn't know whether to be amazed or scared. But his stomach was growling, so he ate first. The taste... strangely good. Better than last night's fried rice.
After breakfast, Raka stood by the window. The city lights had been replaced one by one by the morning sunlight. Fresh air drifted in through the gap in the window.
He opened the Missions menu. Missions 2 and 3 were still open.
Observe a dormant talent. Walk 5000 steps.
Raka decided to combine them. He would walk while observing himself. Maybe by moving, by seeing the outside world, something would reveal itself.
He changed into a worn-out t-shirt and jeans. No need to be neat. No one would notice him anyway.
Before leaving the room, he glanced back. The large, empty, luxurious room felt different now. No longer like a prison. But like... a stage. The place where his first chapter began.
Raka opened the door.
And stepped outside.