Morning eventually transitioned into afternoon, and evening had begun to settle when Vell finally regained consciousness. His vision was initially unclear, but it sharpened quickly.
He observed several people walking past him; their expressions indicated disgust when they looked at him. This was a common reaction, so he paid them no attention.
The more significant issue was the condition of his body. When he attempted to stand, a severe pain affected his entire frame, and he suppressed a vocalization of discomfort. He examined himself and saw that, in addition to his existing wounds, his legs and arms were noticeably swollen.
He muttered to himself, "Kugh. Yeah, I definitely pushed myself too hard. But I did complete the mission. So, where is my reward?"
He then noticed the system's black rectangular screen was no longer present in his vision. A short, quiet laugh, tinged with disappointment, escaped him as he looked up at the sky.
He spoke aloud to the empty air, his voice rising in volume, "So, all of that effort was for nothing then? Fucking hell, you piece of shit system! How dare you deceive me? I endured a significant amount of suffering to complete that mission! I know you can hear me, you fucker! Give me what I have earned, damn it!"
Nearby pedestrians stared at him, and a few individuals began to record him with their devices. His unkempt appearance, combined with his public shouting, made him look like an unstable person.
He felt a wave of despair. This had seemed like a rare opportunity, but he now wondered if it had been an illusion. The emotional distress was more acute than his physical injuries, and tears formed in his eyes.
He thought, 'Why is life so persistently cruel? Perhaps I should just abandon everything and try to escape this constant suffering.'
Before he could arrive at any decision, the familiar black rectangle reappeared in his vision. A sense of relief immediately replaced his despair.
He addressed the screen, saying, "You little piece of shit. Do you have any idea what I almost decided to do because I thought you had disappeared?" A tired smile formed on his face as he read the new message.
[Upgrade complete. System fully activated.]
[Glad you are awake, master.]
[Shall I give you your reward now?]
"Huh, did you just speak?"
[Yes, I am the Beast Forge system, and I will function as your skill from this point forward. My purpose is to assist you in achieving your goals to the best of my abilities.]
He considered this. "Well, thank you for that. I have many questions, but dwelling on pointless details is tiring. So, regarding that reward, how does it actually work?"
[...I will merge with your being. Once this process is complete, your body will begin to absorb mana from the surrounding environment. This means your body will become 'open' to mana. Following that, I will guide you on how to store this mana in what is known as a core. Then, you will need to undergo another cleansing process to remove any remaining impurities. I attempted a preliminary cleansing before, but the quantity of impurities was substantial.]
[After the cleansing, you must open your mana pathways to allow mana to circulate through your body, similar to how blood circulates. Once all these steps are completed, you will be considered awakened. Please note, this method of awakening is different from the natural awakening process; it is an ancient technique I observed in another world.]
He absorbed the information. "That sounds excessively complicated," he said. "But if it genuinely offers a chance to change my life, I am willing to do anything. Let us begin."
The system then advised, [You might want to find a location that is both isolated and safe. This is a very delicate process. If you are disturbed at a critical moment, you could die.]
He paused. "You know, on second thought, perhaps being on the streets is not quite so bad after all."
A few hours passed, during which the soreness in his body lessened to a degree that allowed for easier movement. He then began to wander through the streets, moving with the slow gait of an unwell man, as he searched for a suitable, secluded spot.
His search eventually led him to a large, metallic waste container, a dumpster, that appeared to have been unused for many years. It seemed perfect for his needs. He lifted the heavy lid, and the strong, unpleasant odor that emanated from within caused him to wince.
"I am definitely not going in there," he declared, stepping back. "It stinks quite powerfully."
He left the dumpster lid open for approximately twenty minutes, allowing some of Old Man Winter's chill to air it out, or so he hoped. Finally, with a sigh of resignation, he climbed inside and pulled the lid closed, encasing himself in the smelly darkness. He positioned himself in a seated meditation pose and instructed the system to begin the process.
[Before we start, it is crucial that, no matter how great the pain becomes, you do not lose concentration or consciousness. I will now initiate Stage 1.]
For the first few minutes, He felt nothing unusual. However, around the five-minute mark, a new sensation began. While his physical body remained intact, he experienced an internal feeling as if his mind and spirit were being forcibly separated and then reconfigured as the system merged with him.
The intensity of this internal disruption surpassed any pain he had previously known. He considered opening his eyes, thrashing around, and screaming, but he understood that such actions would forfeit this valuable opportunity.
His mental state became unstable. Unwanted memories surfaced, affecting his concentration to the point where he felt he might lose consciousness. The system, he somehow understood, could not intervene during this critical phase; his success depended entirely on his own endurance.
Just as his awareness began to dim, a single, potent thought anchored him.
'Loser, monster, disgusting thing, murderer. Those are all the names people have called me. Individuals I cared for and trusted betrayed me without any hesitation. I cannot simply let this go. I have to confront them, all of them. And if I do not like their answers, they will pay for what they did.'
With this resolve, he regained his mental control. The intense internal discomfort persisted, raw and demanding, but he managed to remain calm, focusing on deep, regular breaths. He knew that if his concentration wavered again, it would likely result in failure or worse.
Time seemed to lose its normal progression as minutes stretched into what felt like hours, and hours into days. He remained seated in the dumpster, enduring the ordeal. Eventually, the intensity of the internal sensations began to subside. He slowly opened his eyes, and the system's screen appeared.
[Congratulations. You have completed Stage 1. While your mind is in an optimal condition, let us proceed with Stage 2. This stage is more complicated. You will need to control the mana entering your body, gather it in a specific location, and then condense it until it begins spinning inward. This will create a—]
He was already acting. He had listened to the initial part of the explanation but quickly grasped the necessary actions. He focused his intent and began to form a mana core near his heart. He then successfully formed two additional cores, one on the right side of his chest and another below his stomach.
The system interjected, its tone suggesting surprise, [...You should not be capable of doing that yet.]
He attempted to create more cores, but his body signaled that it could not sustain further strain of that kind, so he stopped at three. He could feel the presence of mana within him, but he also sensed some form of blockage restricting its flow.
He concentrated, visualizing the mana spinning rapidly like a drill, and used this focused energy to forcibly open his internal pathways.
He briefly wondered, 'Was I a genius, after all?'
The system responded promptly, [Are you stupid, master?]
'Guess not,' he thought with a touch of internal amusement.
He also became aware of dense, viscous impurities within his body. Removing them seemed like another straightforward task to him. He mentally directed his mana to push these impurities out of his system until none remained.
Although this part of the process felt relatively quick to him in his focused state, it actually took an entire month of continuous effort. Had he followed the system's more paced instructions, this cleansing phase would likely have taken several months.
[Wow… Congratulations. You have fully awakened. The system is now fully integrated. You can use me as an interface to perform various tasks.]
He exhaled slowly, his attention not fully on the system's message. Instead, his focus remained on the changes in his body. His muscles appeared more defined, and his overall physical appearance seemed to have changed, making him look younger, more aligned with the age his eyes once reflected.
All his previous wounds, including the severely strained muscles from the run, had healed completely. His breathing was calm and even, and he noticed his senses were more acute; he could hear the distant hum of infrastructure and the rustling of a rat in a nearby pile of debris with a clarity he had never experienced before.
"So, this is how it feels to have power?" he mused aloud. "I can understand why people become intoxicated by it. It feels quite amazing. Now that I am fully awakened, what is next?"
[I should first explain what type of system I am.]
He pushed open the dumpster lid and jumped out, landing steadily on his feet. The stench that clung to him was now even more pronounced.
"Let me guess," he said, looking around. "You are some kind of cheat system that will allow me to grow stronger much faster than other Players, correct?" He suddenly realized that his clothes, already torn, were now practically falling off his considerably leaner frame.
His eyes scanned the immediate surroundings and settled on a woman hanging laundry on a line in a nearby yard.
She glanced in his direction, then quickly looked away, her nose wrinkling slightly.
He thought, 'Right. Still an eyesore, just a younger, more powerful, and smellier one.'
[No. I can only tame beasts.]
Vell, who had started to walk towards a rusted water spigot he spotted, stopped abruptly. A look of complete bewilderment spread across his face.
"What?" he asked.
[Pfft, I am just joking. Of course I am a cheat system.]
"Right..."
'What a weird system.'