I blinked… once, then again.
I could breathe again. My body no longer hurt at all, but the memories—memories of the moment I was being bitten—suddenly returned, making me shiver slightly before I managed to control myself and calm down.
"This is the same place I was in last time… so I really do have the ability to come back from death."
The first time, I didn't really believe the idea, but now I was more certain that I had it.
And despite having the ability to come back from death, I wasn't happy about it. How could I be happy when I had no other abilities? I might keep dying like this forever, endlessly.
Shouldn't I at least have a system to help me, like all the people who transfer?
I said sarcastically:
"System, appear now, I summon you."
No screen appeared in front of me.
Ah… I thought maybe there was a secret word, like a status window, but nothing appeared. I wasn't very frustrated; I had only said it to relieve my tension… or maybe I was frustrated, I wasn't entirely sure.
But as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a blue screen in front of me…
I closed my eyes, then opened them again to make sure I wasn't imagining it.
But the screen didn't disappear.
It was fixed in front of me, glowing a clear blue, with large letters written on it:
System Choice
Do you want to activate it?
Yes / No
I stared at the words for a long moment, my eyes automatically focusing on the word Choice.
Choice… so I really had the right to decide.
Before I could say anything, I murmured to myself:
It doesn't matter… let's stop acting too smart. After all, I've never been a smart person in my life.
I stopped overthinking and focused all my attention on the screen in front of me.
If I say "Yes"… what will happen?
Does that mean I'll be able to use supernatural abilities?
A slight feeling of joy crept into my chest at the thought, but I shook my head quickly.
Focus… forget the useless words, focus on what's in front of you now.
I turned my gaze back to the blue screen.
And if I choose "No"?
Will the screen just disappear?
I was tempted to try, to see what would happen if I refused, but I stopped myself at the last moment.
No… let's choose "Yes" anyway.
And as soon as I said "Yes"—
A bar appeared in front of me and began moving slowly.
1%… then 2%…
I stared at it in astonishment and said to myself:
Does this mean I have to wait until it reaches 100%?
I stood in place, watching the bar rise continuously. I didn't wait long; its progress was faster than I expected.
And within a few short moments—
The bar reached 100%.
And in the next moment, I felt the pain.
It wasn't sharp or shocking pain, but an unnatural internal feeling, as if my body was going through a phase it didn't understand. A heaviness started in my chest, then slowly spread to my limbs, making my breathing falter beyond my control.
I tried to take a deep breath, but my chest didn't respond properly. My voice came out hoarse when I opened my mouth, without a scream, without strength.
My legs weakened, and I couldn't stand any longer, so I fell to the ground. It wasn't a sudden fall, but a gradual loss of balance and control. I felt my heart beating irregularly, fast at moments, then slow in a worrying way.
I raised my hands in front of my eyes as I trembled. My veins were more visible than usual, pulsating strongly, as if the blood itself was flowing with difficulty. The pain wasn't unbearable, but it was constant, pressing, growing with every breath…
I stayed in that state for a few more seconds before my body gradually calmed down. My breathing returned to normal slowly, and it took some time until it fully stabilized.
And when I finally managed to stand without my body swaying, I said in an angry, choked voice:
"Damn… what the hell just happened?"
I raised my head and directed my words at the emptiness in front of me:
"You damn system, what did you do to me?"
As soon as I finished speaking, a blue screen appeared in front of me again. It read:
You have been merged with your body.
Therefore, the host experienced some pain.
When I read the words, I couldn't control myself.
"Some pain?!"
I shouted angrily, hitting the screen with my fist.
"You were supposed to warn me! How dare you lie? What I felt was not 'some pain'! I thought I was burning alive, damn you!"
But my fist passed through the screen.
I hit only the air, lost my balance, and fell to the ground. I groaned as I cursed again, then brushed the dust off my clothes with a trembling hand.
"Damn…"
I muttered, taking a deep breath, then let out a short, hollow laugh.
I realized a strange truth then…
That in this day alone, I had cursed more than I had in my entire life before…
I stood there, observing the situation, and murmured:
"Status…"
I waited for new signals to appear in front of me, and I didn't have to wait long, as the blue screen appeared again.
[Status Screen]
Username: Zak Alder
Race: Human
Profession: Mage
Level: 1
Experience Points: 0 / 100
Health: 10
Strength: 4
Agility: 4
Endurance: 3
Skills: None
Shop: Closed (Opens at Level 10)
[System Notification:]
Host Evaluation: Extremely Weak.
I stared at my status in astonishment and murmured:
"Wow… this really looks like the web novels I used to read in my free time…"
I kept thinking about what I saw, immersed in the details, until I suddenly heard a faint sound coming from behind me…