Charles jolted awake as a ray of dawn light slipped through a crack in the wall and hit him square in the face.
He blinked, disoriented, his body stiff against the thin mattress that barely qualified as a bed.
The musty smell of the room hit him again, and for a moment, he couldn't fathom how he'd managed to fall asleep in such a miserable place.
"Did I pass out?" Charles muttered, sitting up with a creak of the wooden frame. He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the fog.
The exhaustion lingered like a weight on his shoulders, but his muscles didn't feel as wrecked as the night before.
"Status window," he said quietly, hoping the system had some good news.
The blue panel appeared, casting a faint glow in the dim room. The data displayed clearly:
Name: Rian Cole
Element: Lightning
Level: 4
Stats
Health: 100/100
Energy: 0%
System Intelligence: 2
Control Level: 1
XP: 368/800
Available Upgrade Points: 2
Charles let out a sigh of relief seeing his health fully restored.
"Hundred out of hundred, thank god," he said, managing a weak smile.
But the relief was short-lived.
His stomach growled so loudly it could've woken the whole clan.
The hunger felt like a hole inside him, and the 0% energy didn't help.
"I need food, like, now," he grumbled, standing with an effort that made his joints pop.
He left the room, shutting the rickety door behind him. The hallway was livelier than last night, with servants scurrying about, carrying buckets, rags, and baskets of laundry.
No one looked at him directly, but Charles caught the sidelong glances and hushed murmurs.
'They still hate me,' he thought, clenching his teeth.
He didn't have time to care. The dining hall was his priority.
Charles moved quickly, following the scent of bread and soup wafting through the air.
When he reached the dining hall entrance, the same burly guard from last night stood there, gray tunic, scruffy beard, and all.
His eyes narrowed at the sight of Charles.
"You again, Rian?" the man growled, crossing his arms. "What do you want now?"
"To eat," Charles said, trying to sound calm despite his stomach roaring like an engine. "I didn't eat yesterday. Passed out after… a long day."
The guard let out a dry laugh, like the excuse was a punchline.
"Not my problem, kid. Servants wait their turn, and you're already late for work. Move it before someone reports you."
Charles felt a surge of anger.
His hands balled into fists, and for a split second, he imagined zapping the guard with a bolt of lightning just to wipe that smug grin off his face.
'Chill,' he thought, forcing a deep breath.
"Fine…" he said through gritted teeth, flashing a strained smile that was more of a snarl.
He turned away, cursing under his breath.
'I'm gonna snap if I don't eat soon,' he thought, the hunger like a knife in his gut.
"Alright, if I can't eat, I can at least bathe," Charles muttered. "System, guide me to where servants bathe."
The blue panel appeared instantly:
[Searching for location…]
A bright blue arrow materialized in front of him, pointing to a side hallway.
Charles followed, ignoring the stares from other servants.
The path led to a door opening outside, and when he pushed it open, a gust of fresh air hit him.
He stepped into a wide courtyard, surrounded by tall trees and a stone wall.
In the center stood a large fountain with crystal-clear water, and around it, dozens of servants were bathing in the open air.
Charles froze, jaw slightly agape.
Men and women, some in white tunics, others not, splashed water from buckets, letting it run down their bodies.
No one seemed embarrassed, and there was no separation between them.
Some chatted, others scrubbed their hair with soap, the sound of splashing water filling the air.
'What is this?' Charles thought, a flush creeping up his cheeks. 'A medieval co-ed public bath?'
His eyes, almost on instinct, landed on a young servant girl near the fountain.
Water streamed over her shoulders, her nipples visible through the wet fabric.
Charles swallowed hard, unable to look away for a second.
But then she turned, and their eyes met.
She scowled, clearly annoyed.
"What are you standing there for, Rian?" she shouted, covering her chest with one arm. "Don't you see the shift's almost over? Move it or you'll get reported!"
Charles shook his head, heat rising to his face.
"Going, going!" he said, raising his hands like he was surrendering.
'Damn it,' he thought, staring at the ground. 'This is awkward.'
He glanced at the blue panel still floating in front of him.
"System, what am I supposed to do now?" he muttered.
The panel blinked with a familiar message:
[System level too low to answer that question]
Charles clicked his tongue, frustrated.
"Seriously? You can't even tell me how this place works?" he growled, glaring at the blue arrow.
He thought about his upgrade points.
Boosting System Intelligence again might give him better answers.
"Fine, system, I'm putting one point into System Intelligence," he said, tapping the air.
The panel responded instantly:
[Confirm you wish to invest 1 point in System Intelligence?]
"Yeah, damn it, do it," Charles said, almost shouting.
To his surprise, the update bar appeared again, but this time the percentage climbed faster than before.
1%, 2%, 5%... within seconds, it hit 10%.
"Whoa, that's new," Charles muttered, surprised.
But he didn't have time to gawk.
The servants around him were starting to pack up, and he didn't want more trouble.
To buy time, Charles pretended to search for something on the ground, crouching and moving his hands like he'd lost a vital item.
But a young servant with wet hair and a clean tunic in hand interrupted him.
"Hey, Rian!" he shouted, tossing Charles an empty bucket, which he caught on reflex. "Fill that at the fountain. Your change of clothes is in the common basket, number 114. Hurry up!"
Charles sighed, relieved but also annoyed.
"Thanks," he said, though internally he was cursing.
'Why didn't he tell me before I burned another point on this useless system?' he thought, heading to the fountain.
The water was cold to the touch, and filling the bucket sent a shiver through him.
He found basket 114, pulling out a clean white tunic identical to his but free of sweat and rain stench.
With the bucket filled and tunic in hand, he moved to a corner of the courtyard, away from prying eyes.
Charles stripped with some embarrassment, feeling the chilly air on his skin.
He glanced around, making sure no one was watching too closely.
'This is weird,' he thought, dropping his old tunic to the ground.
Grabbing the bucket, he sighed and dumped the water over himself.
"Damn it!" Charles yelped, shuddering.
The water was freezing, like it came straight from a glacier.
"What kind of medieval torture is this?" he growled, rubbing his arms to warm up.
As the water ran over him, he started thinking about how strange this world was.
Everything seemed backward: wooden beds, open-air baths, absurd rules…
But then he remembered Lira's room.
He'd seen a TV there—not some clunky old model, but a modern flat-screen.
"How does that fit?" Charles muttered, pouring more water with a shiver. "They've got modern tech but no hot water?"
The thought made him wonder if this world had other things like cell phones or even internet.
'If there's internet, maybe I can look up how this clan works,' he thought, a flicker of hope sparking.
But another splash of icy water yanked him back to reality.
"Damn it, I want a hot shower," he grumbled, scrubbing his hair with a shared bar of soap he'd found.
While bathing, he couldn't help sneaking quick glances at the servant girls still in the courtyard.
Some were young, with bodies that, well, were hard to ignore.
Charles felt a flush in his cheeks but forced himself to focus.
'Not the time to get distracted,' he thought, though he admitted the view was the only decent thing about this place.
"Rian!" a voice shouted from across the courtyard.
It was an older servant, white tunic, gray hair.
"Hurry up, your work shift's already started!"
Charles sighed, dumping the rest of the water to rinse off.
"What? Already?" he muttered, shaking his head.
He pulled on the clean tunic, which smelled of soap but was still rough against his skin.
The hunger lingered, and now he had to deal with work too.
'This just keeps getting worse,' he thought, glancing at the blue panel, where the update bar now sat at 65%.