"Let's start with the system," he thought.
"System, open."
A soft chime rang in his mind, and a light blue screen formed in front of his eyes — glowing gently, floating in mid-air like a window to another world. Lines of text and icons flickered into existence, waiting for his next command.
He began to read the glowing text:
"Memory Integration and Skill Evolution"
Initial Sync: 100% Complete
Status
• Memories: 1 / (Locked)
• Skills: 1 / (Locked)
• Scan
• Settings
He raised an eyebrow.
"Oh… I already unlocked one skill?"
He thought for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"It must be related to the memory I saw… that's why one memory is also unlocked."
But doubt crept into his mind.
"Still… in that dream, I saw all the memories. What's the point of this system if I already remember everything
He frowned, eyes narrowing as he stared at the floating screen.
"Wait..."
A sudden thought struck him.
"In the dream… I only saw the time I was in the hospital. The pain, the silence, the people around me... but nothing before that. Nothing from my childhood, nothing about who I really was."
He leaned back, the pieces starting to connect in his mind.
"So maybe… that dream wasn't all my memories. Just a glimpse. Just the final chapter."
The idea chilled him a little.
If that was the end...
What kind of life had he lived before that?
And why was the system locking everything else away?
"Well," he whispered to himself, eyes still on the screen,
"as that memory is unlocked… I understand everything "
He took a deep breath.
"No point in overthinking anymore. Time to focus on the skill."
With a thought, he tapped on "Skills."
The screen blinked, then displayed in glowing letters:
Skill Unlocked: Mana Manipulation
His eyes widened slightly.
"Mana...? So this world really does run on energy like that."
Curious, he clicked on the "Mana Manipulation" skill.
The screen shifted, revealing a simple interface.
Description: User can manipulate mana.
Evolution: 0 / 100
He blinked.
"That's all?"
No instructions. No visuals. No hints.
Just a vague sentence — and a counter.
He let out a small sigh.
"Great. Super helpful."
He stared at the floating screen for another second, then muttered,
"Well… guess I'll have to figure it out myself."
He looked back at the screen.
"Scan, huh..."
Without much thought, he clicked on it.
The moment his finger touched the icon, something flickered in his eyes — a faint glow, cold and sharp.
Suddenly, the world around him shifted.
The colors drained away like ink washed from a page.
Everything turned into shades of white, with thin black lines outlining shapes — walls, objects, even the air seemed etched in sketch-like strokes.
It was as if he'd stepped into a drawing — or pulled reality into a blueprint.
He slowly turned his head.
"What… is this?"
Each object seemed clearer now, simplified, yet strangely more defined.
His mind buzzed with new information — like he could sense weight, density, structure… maybe even .....
*********
Then small blue particles began to scatter all over the air, glowing faintly as they danced in the wind.
He walked to the window.
Outside, the world looked like a white and black sketch — as if color had vanished, leaving only outlines and shades.
But outside too, those blue particles had started appearing, drifting gently through the air. He looked toward a tree nearby — three birds were sitting on its branches. Unlike the rest of the world, drawn in white and black outlines, the birds glowed softly in shades of yellow, as if they didn't belong to this faded world.
But he noticed something else — some birds glowed more brightly in yellow, while others shimmered only faintly. Curious, he observed them closely.
The birds… were inhaling the blue particles.
A realization sparked in his mind. So that's what these particles are… mana.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand and whispered,
"Activate skill — Mana Manipulation."
Instantly, the blue particles surrounding the birds began to drift away from them, slowly drawn toward his hand, responding to his will.
But just as the mana particles gathered around his hand, a sharp jolt struck his head.
Suddenly, everything went black.
His vision vanished, and his body went limp.
Thud!
He collapsed to the ground, slamming hard against the floor, breath knocked out of him.
His mind felt like it had been yanked into a void — weightless, silent, endless.
Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. His head throbbed faintly, and his limbs felt heavy.
*******
He slowly open his eye
He had no idea how much time had passed.
Suddenly, his gaze shot toward the door.
"Ah… the door's still closed," he muttered, trying to sit up.
That could only mean one thing — not much time had passed.
Because if it had… his mom would've already come in.
Relieved, he took a deep breath, still shaken by what had just happened.
"I used two functions of the system at the same time…" he muttered to himself, still catching his breath.
"Or maybe… I ran out of mana."
He clenched his fist, frustration and curiosity mixing inside him.
"To find out, I need to know my mana capacity," he said, eyes narrowing with determination.
Without wasting time, he sat up straighter and whispered:
"Status."
Then light blue screen appears
[Status – Sam]
• Memory: -1 / Locked
• Skill: -1 / Locked
• Scan
• Setting
"Where can I find my mana capacity?"
he muttered, staring at the limited options on the screen.
Only four functions were visible: Memory, Skill, Scan, and Setting.
No direct mention of mana.
Thinking quickly, he tapped on Setting.
The screen blinked for a moment, then expanded into a new interface with a soft mechanical hum.
[Settings]
• Display Options
• System Language
• Energy: Hidden
• Notifications
---
After Sam tapped on Energy, a soft pulse echoed in his vision.
A glowing bar appeared:
🔹 Mana: 3 / 10 🔹
"Only three points left…" he whispered, frowning.
"No wonder I passed out. Using Scan and Mana Manipulation together must've drained me."
"Okay… now I understand," Sam muttered, still staring at the flickering mana bar in the corner of his vision. "But man… this is really something else."
*******
He shook his head and refocused.
"Let's focus on Scan."
With the help of Scan, he could see the blue mana particles drifting in the air — gentle, weightless energy that made the entire world feel alive.
But then he glanced at the tree again…
At the birds.
Unlike the free-floating mana, their bodies were glowing — not just with outer light, but with condensed mana within them, flowing like invisible blood.
He compared them closely and realized something:
The brightness, the density… it reflects their power.
"If I evolve Scan," he thought, "maybe I can see even more… maybe even deeper layers — emotions, weaknesses, energy flow…"
His mind raced with possibilities.
******
Thinking of usage of his system ana skill
And then —
A chilling idea struck him.
"What if… I manipulate the mana inside living beings?"
He stared at the glowing birds.
"Their bodies… are filled with mana. Just like mine."
A pause.
"If I can move that mana… twist it… stop it…"
His eyes widened slightly.
"I could kill them… without touching them."
He swallowed hard. For the first time, the system didn't just feel useful.
It felt powerful
Sam leaned back slightly, his mind racing.
"But if I can think of this… then others must have too."
He remembered the stories his mom used to tell him — bedtime tales that sounded like fantasy, but now felt more like hidden truths.
A world filled with dragons, monsters, elves, demons, and countless other special beings…
And almost all of them —
"Are good with mana," he whispered.
Some control it naturally.
Some are born from it.
And some… probably bend it far better than he ever could.
********
Sam's thoughts deepened.
"But… if manipulating mana inside living beings is possible…"
"Why hasn't the world fallen into chaos?"
Then it struck him.
"There must be… some kind of defense. A natural resistance."
He remembered something from his mom's stories — how strong creatures had mana shields, aura barriers, or inner energy circuits that protected them from outside interference.
"That must be it. In this world, most beings have some kind of natural defense that prevents others from manipulating the mana inside their bodies."
He clenched his fist slowly.
"But I… don't."
Not yet.
"What if I evolve my skill to a higher level…?"
"What if I could manipulate mana inside others — even those with defenses?"
His heart pounded.
"If I can do that… I won't just be able to fight monsters…"
He paused.
"I could control them."
Dragons.
Demons.
Even other humans.
The thought was dangerous — terrifying even.
But also… powerful.
He looked down at his trembling hand.
"Mana Manipulation — evolution… I need to find how to level it up."
He opened his system again, eyes focused, mind sharp.
There was no going back now.
"System, how do I evolve my skill?" Sam asked aloud, hopeful.
Silence.
He frowned.
"System, how do I evolve my skill?" he repeated, slower this time.
Still nothing.
"System?"
"Hello, system?"
"System, are you there?"
"…Brother System?"
The room stayed quiet. The interface didn't even blink.
Then it hit him.
"Ah—right…"
He facepalmed lightly.
"The system only responds to two commands: 'System Open' and 'System Close'."
He sighed, slumping back.
"Useless system…"
Still, he couldn't help but smirk.
"Looks like if I want answers, I'll have to dig them out myself."