Fortunately for Daniel, the ball of Intent had bonded to him.
Since it had appeared in the past by using Professor Daniel as an anchor point, it could exist only around the younger self of Professor Daniel.
“St…status,” the young Daniel muttered.
[Daniel Caelum]
[Level: 0]
[Exp: 0/10]
[Stats]
﹂Strength: 3
﹂Speed: 1
﹂Dexterity: 4
﹂Constitution: 3
[Trait: ???]
[Skills: None]
[Quests: None]
[Items: Time Stop Slip x3]
“These stats are good or bad?” Daniel whispered.
Daniel gained 1 Strength stat and 1 Constitution stat from the newbie package.
He was effectively 30% stronger than his self from 5 minutes ago, if he believed the system, that is.
“Maybe I should check,” Daniel muttered.
He glanced around the room.
The wooden floor creaked underfoot as he shifted.
He pulled the dagger he hid beneath his pillow.
The blade gleamed faintly under the moonlight seeping through the window.
It was his weapon of choice as a scavenger, one with which he regularly went hunting.
He hadn’t fought against a monster yet, though.
He was an unawakened human, unlike his twin sister, and she never let him fight the monsters.
“Here goes nothing!” Daniel said under his breath, tightening his grip on the dagger.
With a sharp exhale, he slashed at the wall.
The blade went an inch deep into the concrete with ease, sending small fragments scattering to the floor.
Daniel was stunned.
He stared at the mark, unable to believe his eyes.
Before this, he couldn’t have been able to damage a wall so easily.
“Wow, is this for real?” he whispered, his voice shaking slightly.
[Yes, host.]
[The stats increase your physical abilities.]
[When you start leveling up and reach milestones, you will unlock skills and receive even better rewards.]
“Better rewards?” Daniel asked.
[Indeed, host. To compare, while you are now strong for a human child, it is nothing much.]
[The strength of newly awakened humans varies from 10~15 per stat.]
“If I gain stats, will I be as strong as awakened humans?” he asked with excitement.
[Yes, host.]
[You can also become an awakened human through leveling up.]
[Divine System’s job is to help you become the strongest under the heavens.]
Daniel had to calm down his excitement forcefully.
His breathing slowed as he clenched his fists to keep steady.
For better or worse, Selene had taught him to doubt everything.
“Why are you trying to help me?”
[Question cannot be answered. Host’s level is too low.]
Daniel tried to question the system’s purpose, its identity, and the identity of its creator, but the system kept refusing him with the same vague responses.
He sighed and asked,
“So how do I level up—”
“Daniel!”
A familiar shout echoed through the house.
The wooden door to his room swung open with a loud creak.
A girl, similar to Daniel but more mature, entered in haste.
Her long brown hair framed a face that bore a striking resemblance to his own, though her posture was more confident, and her presence was more commanding.
Selene and Daniel were twins.
Since she was an awakened, she had grown physically a lot faster, which was why she looked to be in her late teens despite being the same age.
“The neighbors heard you shouting. Are you okay…” Stay tuned to empire
Her words caught in her throat as her eyes landed on the deep gash on the wall.
“Did you do that?”
“I guess, yeah?”
“Someone enter the house?”
“No,” Daniel answered nervously, shifting his weight. “I had a nightmare and I—uh…”
He instinctively hid the information about the Divine System, unsure why but feeling it was safer kept secret for now.
“That’s all? It was just a nightmare?”
“Yeah.”
Selene sighed, the tension in the room deflating like a balloon.
She shook her head, and a tired smile crossed her lips.
“Come down. I’ve prepared food.”
“Okay.”
Daniel watched her retreating figure as she disappeared down the narrow hallway.
The soft clinking of plates echoed faintly from the kitchen below.
The two of them lived alone in a rented house inside the Iron Fortified City, a place known for its towering walls and strict security measures.
The house was modest.
But it was not easy to get it.
Not for twins with no guardians like them.
Damaging the wall like Daniel had done would strain their already tight wallets.
He glanced back at the damaged wall.
He had slashed it without thinking, blinded by excitement.
Guilt came flooding in as he realized what he had done.
‘Selene is just as old as me, yet she is much more responsible. She didn’t even scold me for damaging the wall.’
Sighing, he decided to freshen up.
Just then, the system screen sprang up, glowing faintly in front of him.
[Tutorial Quest: Leveling Up]
﹂Kill a monster to reach 10 EXP and Level Up
﹂Rewards: Overclock skill, Trait awakening
“Trait… awakening?”
Daniel had to double-read to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
His heart pounded louder than before.
“Won’t I become an Awakened if I awaken my trait?”
[Yes, host.]
For Neo, all he had to do was simulate Daniel’s Seed of Existence, and it would awaken Daniel’s trait.
He gave Daniel a quest instead of doing it directly.
It was to solidify his image as a ‘system’.
“Hurray!”
Daniel couldn’t believe it.
The System was far better than he could’ve imagined!
Awakened humans were the elite group.
Only a small portion of humans could awaken, and they were the best of the best.
They were treated like kings everywhere.
Unfortunately, awakening of traits was dependent on luck.
There were rumors saying that experiencing life-death scenarios could awaken traits too.
However, it was not confirmed.
“I can become an Awakened just by killing a monster.”
Daniel had to take deep breaths to calm himself.
He felt like his life was finally turning around.
…
Present
Neo’s body started to break.
A portion of his left hand slowly turned to dust, disintegrating into fine particles that drifted away like ash.
He tried using his blessing to regenerate the wound, but nothing happened.
More injuries began to pile up on his body—deep gashes and spreading fractures, as if reality itself was rejecting his existence.
“You have to stop,” Professor Daniel said. “Or at least stop connecting to your Intent that I’ve sent to the past, or you will—”
He didn’t complete his words.
However, their meaning was clear.
Time would erase Neo.
Currently, Neo existed at two different points in time at once.
Neo himself was in the ‘present,’ and by sharing his consciousness with the ball of Intent, he existed in the ‘past’ too.
It was a paradox.
No one could exist at two different points in time simultaneously.
If not for Neo having the Eternal skill, which gave him 50% resistance to everything, and himself being an Ascender after awakening World Energy, he would’ve been erased already.
Nevertheless, all he could do was resist.
He wasn’t immune to wrath of Time.
Slowly, time was erasing his existence.
His body was crumbling into dust.
“It’s… fine,” Neo told Professor Daniel. “This… much… is nothing…”
Neo voice was weak, and disjointed.
‘It is nothing? You can’t even talk!’ Professor Daniel clenched his fists and kept his thoughts to himself.