✦ "In this world, everything changes faster than I can comprehend... and sometimes, I wish I could just stop for a moment, just a moment, to catch my breath."
– From Kain's reflections
Kain was staring at the system screen, feeling a constant ache in his body with every stat increase. Muscles were growing, nerves adapting—every point gathering in his body came at a heavy price. He tried to stay calm, but couldn't help mocking the situation.
"How do stat upgrades work in other novels? It always seems so easy and painless!" Kain said sarcastically, shaking his head in frustration. This wasn't what he imagined when he decided to begin his journey in this new system. The pain was real, and his body was slowly rebuilding itself—point by point.
He finished his school day as expected: boring, ordinary, just like his days in the past. So far, things hadn't changed much, but something felt off about this small, dark town. After a long day of classes that did nothing but increase his frustration, Kain headed to the truck Billy had given him.
The truck was old and unusually uncomfortable, but Kain was tired enough to care only about getting home. He sat beside Bella in the front seat as the car made its way through the narrow, dark roads of Forks. Silence surrounded them until—
"Did you notice how disgusted Edward looked when he stood near me?" Bella asked, her voice leaking anger.
Kain raised an eyebrow and said gently, "Yeah, he looked like he didn't want to come near you. Do you think there's a reason for that?"
Bella frowned and replied quickly, "I don't know, but it felt like he was deliberately avoiding me, like I was bothering him. Maybe he was trying to switch classes just to stay away from me, who knows?"
Kain gave a faint smile, noticing her growing emotions. "Maybe. But it doesn't seem like just a coincidence. Some people are overly sensitive to certain smells."
While they talked, Kain was thinking of another explanation. He knew from his experience in the other world that there were some beings that could be heavily affected by the scent of humans. But since Bella wasn't aware of that, it was better to keep things vague for now, especially considering how upset she already was.
When they arrived home, Kain quickly greeted Charlie before rushing upstairs, eager for one thing only. His room, now his sanctuary in this new world, was his private place to uncover everything about the system that had begun to shape his life.
He climbed onto the bed and pulled out his small device, eyes fixed on the system screen. "Alright, let's start exploring!" he whispered to himself as he began browsing through the stats.
Something strange had happened. When he looked at his level, he noticed it had already gone up. Kain's level had increased to 1, as expected. With it, all stats had increased by 2 points. Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and Vitality—all had grown painfully, as if his body was being reshaped with each increase. He could feel every point, every change, every evolution.
"Ugh, this hurts!" Kain whispered as he tried to adjust to the pain pulsing through his body. Although he expected things to go more smoothly, this feeling was completely new to him.
Then he noticed something else. In the lower corner of the screen, there was a new icon pointing to the shop.
"The shop?" Kain muttered as he tapped the icon.
The shop opened to reveal only one ability available: "Eternal Dragon's Eye." It was a strange A-rank ability, and its description was even more intriguing: "A dragon's eye that grants the ability to see others' statuses." It cost 20 SP.
Kain looked at his pitiful amount of points and sighed deeply, "I'll have to wait a while before I can get it."
As he browsed the shop, he found another category labeled "Weapons." Inside was a steel katana, rank E, priced at 2 SP. He had 2 points, but wasn't sure if he should buy the sword or not. He decided to wait until he had more points. His main goal was the Eternal Dragon's Eye, and he didn't want to waste his points on anything else for now.
At that moment, two system missions appeared: the first was "Do 100 sword swings," and the second was "Kill five animals with the sword." Each mission offered tempting rewards: 15 SP and 15 XP for the first, and 20 SP and 20 XP for the second.
Kain decided to answer the question that had been bugging him: "Why is there so little in the shop?"
The system's response was direct: "As your level increases, the shop list updates. New items are added with every level, and a new skill is added every five levels. Skills are not added with every level, but every five levels."
Kain thought for a moment, then decided to buy the sword. Pressing the button triggered a system notification:
"Sword purchased successfully."
He felt a bit of excitement, as if he'd just started to gain the power he'd been lacking. A new adventure had begun, and he had to face the challenges ahead.
He retrieved the sword from the shop and drove to the forest to pursue his daily missions. He knew this would be a big step toward discovering his true potential, and he began to feel the thrill.
After completing his daily task, Kain headed straight to the forest to start the required exercises. The mission included running one kilometer, ten push-ups, and twenty squats. The time limit was 24 hours. With each movement, the pain in his body increased, but he knew it was the price to pay for progress.
When he finally completed the training, he earned the free points (FP) he'd been waiting for. He immediately opened his status to monitor his growth, and the screen appeared:
✦ Host Basic Status
Name: Kain Swan
Race: Human
Level: 1
[ Strength ]: 9
[ Agility ]: 8
[ Intelligence ]: 11
[ Vitality ]: 9
[ Defense ]: 7
[ Endurance ]: 8/3
Available FP: 6
Available SP: 2
Current XP: 0/15
Kain studied his status carefully, then decided to test how each stat affected his body.
"Could Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and the rest have a noticeable effect on my abilities?" he wondered and decided to try it out. He had 6 FP and chose to assign one point to each stat.
He started with Strength. As he added a point, he felt something strange—his muscles tensed under a wave of pain. But it wasn't as overwhelming as the pain from leveling up—just one point this time. After the pain subsided, he noticed a slight improvement in his arm muscle size, as if he had gained some power, even if the change wasn't very obvious.
Next, he moved to Agility. He felt something like a stretch in his muscles, but without tearing—his body felt slightly lighter. He ran a bit and noticed a slight increase in speed compared to before.
As for Intelligence, this stat intrigued him the most. When he increased it, a sharp headache struck him. But he knew that was the price to pay. After the pain faded, he felt like he could think faster—his brain more efficient, even his reactions were slightly quicker.
Then he upgraded Vitality. He noticed a minor improvement in his senses—his vision became clearer, hearing sharper, and his sense of smell more sensitive. There was no pain this time, as if the system was compensating for the earlier ones.
He increased Defense next. Pain returned to his muscles, but this time he felt a slight hardness build in his body.
Finally, he boosted Endurance. This stat had been drained recently due to his exertion. Once he increased it, he felt a surge in energy and vitality. He became more alert, and some subtle changes appeared in his abilities.
After testing each stat, he moved on to his next mission: sword swings. He started the exercise right away. When he completed it successfully, the system notifications appeared:
[Mission Complete!]
[Congratulations to the Host! 15 XP and 15 SP earned]
[Level Up!]
Kain felt a light headache as he leveled up—but as always, this was the required price. He immediately opened his status to see his progress, and the screen appeared:
✦ Host Basic Status
Name: Kain Swan
Race: Human
Level: 2
[ Strength ]: 12
[ Agility ]: 11
[ Intelligence ]: 14
[ Vitality ]: 12
[ Defense ]: 10
[ Endurance ]: 11/6
Available FP: 0
Available SP: 15
Current XP: 0/20
Kain was pleased with his noticeable progress and felt the changes in his body had a great impact. He decided to continue with his next mission: killing some animals.
He chose to hunt something weak to confirm his true strength, and when he began hunting, he found it easier than expected. After leveling up, he was stronger than he thought. He completed the mission successfully, and the system notifications appeared:
[Mission Complete!]
[Congratulations to the Host! 20 XP and 20 SP earned]
[Level Up!]
Kain felt excited and opened his status again after the pain faded. The screen showed:
✦ Host Basic Status
Name: Kain Swan
Race: Human
Level: 3
[ Strength ]: 14
[ Agility ]: 13
[ Intelligence ]: 16
[ Vitality ]: 14
[ Defense ]: 12
[ Endurance ]: 13/8
Available FP: 0
Available SP: 35
Current XP: 0/25
Kain finally decided to open the inventory. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He used 10 SP to unlock the inventory and bought the "Eternal Dragon's Eye" using the remaining 20 SP.
Upon using the "Eternal Dragon's Eye," he felt intense pain in his eyes, as if something was being implanted directly into his brain. But after a few moments, the pain vanished, and a new world of visions opened before him.
🌀[End of Chapter Four]
✦ Next Chapter: "Lenses That Don't See the Heart"