System X: Bloodline Awakening System

"WOI?" Kaiza's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. What the hell did this mean?

He recognized the mark on his palm immediately. Did he somehow join the WOI? Was he initiated without his consent, all in the pursuit of power? Panic bubbled within him as questions flooded his mind.

How was he supposed to hide this? In the capital city, where he would soon return to graduate from high school—and later, military school—the mark was unmistakable. It was a symbol everyone recognized, a sign that carried weight and suspicion.

Even if he managed to conceal it throughout high school, Kaiza knew it would be impossible to keep it hidden once he entered military school.

"How could this be?" Kaiza muttered, completely puzzled. His heart raced as chaotic thoughts overlapped in his mind, each more confusing than the last.

As he struggled to make sense of the situation, blue ink began to form on the already intricate mark etched on his palm. He stared in disbelief as the mysterious transformation unfolded. Little did he know, this was only the beginning.

A sudden twitch jolted his eye. At first, it was subtle, but it grew relentless, flickering uncontrollably with each passing second. Then came the itch—a sharp, irritating sensation that clawed at him.

A sharp pain shot through his eye, forcing Kaiza to press his ink-stained hand against it in hopes of soothing the torment. But the discomfort only grew worse.

Unbeknownst to him, these strange reactions were triggered by an unfamiliar force. The first spark had ignited when his eye came into contact with the purple light emanating from the ground seal surrounding the lab.

Normally, Kaiza's blood would unlock the seal, but back then, his eye had come into direct contact with it. The interaction was causing the relentless twitching he was experiencing.

As for his hand, the reaction stemmed from the system entering through his palm. The mark on his hand was a natural phenomenon tied to the system, though the true mystery of its purpose remained unclear.

This unsettling process continued for a while until, suddenly, the pain subsided. However, what followed was entirely unexpected.

Kaiza's eyes emitted a vibrant blue light, mirroring the glow from his hand. The ink on his palm illuminated brightly, though the light remained confined to the mark, as though it required activation to unleash its full potential—or whatever function it possessed.

His eye, on the other hand, seemed to reflect the changes occurring within him. It wasn't just reacting to the seal—it had transformed. His right eye became noticeably clearer and sharper than the left, as if it had gained an enhanced ability to see. The light in his eye was visible only to onlookers; to Kaiza, it felt as though nothing had changed. Only a glance at his reflection in a mirror would reveal the truth.

After a few seconds, the strange glow faded. But before Kaiza could process what had just happened, a floating screen appeared before him. This time, it was bold and vivid, displaying a message that demanded his attention.

[SYSTEM SUCCESSFULLY LINKED TO BLOODLINE]

"What?" Kaiza exclaimed, his voice echoing with shock. He had no idea what this meant or why it was happening.

Before he could process the message, the screen cleared, replaced by a blank interface that quickly began loading. As the transition occurred, Kaiza noticed something strange— the blue ink on his palm dimmed, gradually fading away until no trace of the mark remained. Likewise, his eye returned to normal, losing its sharp clarity and reverting to ordinary human sight.

On the blank screen, new words materialized:

[Welcome _________]

After the blank space, a keyboard suddenly popped up.

Kaiza hesitated, then assumed he was meant to enter his name. Tentatively, he typed "Kai" into the field and pressed enter.

The system responded immediately:

[Hero System Activated]

A new page appeared, displaying a simple title:

[Training Mode]

And then… nothing else happened. The screen remained stagnant.

Kaiza stared, confused and slightly frustrated. He had expected the system to provide more information, maybe an explanation or instructions. But it seemed determined to keep its secrets.

Curious, Kaiza reached out and pressed the screen, though a part of him hesitated. What if it vanished? What if it didn't reappear for hours—or worse, days? His worry lingered, but his curiosity burned brighter.

After much contemplation, Kaiza finally mustered the courage to interact with the screen. He swiped a finger across it, bracing for the worst. To his surprise, nothing out of the ordinary happened. The screen didn't vanish into thin air as he had feared—it remained visible, steady, and unwavering.

Previously, the system had struggled to integrate, caught in the conflict within his body. Kaiza's system and bloodline had been at odds with the foreign fluid, a battle that left his body in turmoil. The system had been attempting to connect with his bloodline but was initially restricted because his blood wasn't stabilized.

The fluid had created a barrier, forcing the system to intervene. Working in tandem with Kaiza's bloodline, it coerced the fluid out of his body in one swift effort. Though his body had fought hard to eject the fluid on its own, it wasn't fast enough. The system's assistance had been critical, and now, with the obstruction gone, the installation was complete. The game had officially begun.

As Kaiza's hand struck the screen, he instinctively withdrew his finger, expecting the screen to fade away like before. But to his amazement, it didn't. The screen stayed exactly as it was—strong, steady, and unyielding.

Relieved yet intrigued, Kaiza began to experiment, cautiously attempting to navigate the interface. He wasn't entirely sure what the system was or how it worked, but one thing was clear: it was somehow tied to the mysterious cave he had entered.

Although Kaiza still had countless unanswered questions swirling in his mind, the sight of the Training Mode screen eased some of his confusion. At least now he had a clue—this system was some kind of Hero System.

The thought brought him back to the second test in the cave, the one about heroism. He'd hated it at first, dismissing the concept altogether. But when his life depended on passing, he had no choice but to take it seriously.

"Is this the power the game promised? What the hell is this?" Kaiza muttered in frustration.

This wasn't what he'd imagined at all. He'd dreamed of wielding powers like Thor's lightning, Flash's speed, or even Green Arrow's precision and skill. But instead, all he had was a floating screen that offered cryptic commands and no immediate abilities.

Minutes passed without any new messages appearing on the screen. Kaiza found himself bored, staring blankly at the black display. The only movement was a faint, radiant line shifting subtly in the background, adding an almost hypnotic effect to the stillness.

Despite his boredom, Kaiza's curiosity wouldn't let him give up. He wanted to know what the Training Mode was about. He tapped and swiped, trying to navigate the system. Yet, no matter what he did, nothing moved. The page remained static, unyielding to his attempts to uncover more.

Frustrated but determined, Kaiza resolved to figure it out. He wasn't going to let the system's mysteries defeat him.

The page was locked, preventing him from progressing further. Strangely, there was no message or prompt explaining the restriction—no notification instructing him to complete the training before advancing, as a typical game might. Kaiza had to figure it out on his own, piecing the puzzle together.

"Maybe this system is designed for people with a high IQ," he thought, his frustration mounting.

Noticing the faint lock icon on the next page, Kaiza stopped his futile attempts to move forward and decided to wait a little longer. But even after several moments of silence, no new message appeared.

Growing impatient, Kaiza focused on getting the floating screen out of his view. And just like that—it disappeared.

"What?" Kaiza exclaimed, startled. He hadn't expected the screen to vanish so abruptly. A moment ago, he had been about to tap the minimize icon, the same one he'd used earlier, but before his hand could reach it, the screen had vanished entirely.

The timing of its disappearance was uncanny, almost as if the system had responded to his thoughts. His heart raced, and he nearly let out a loud shout, enough to alert the nurse or guards nearby. But at the last second, he managed to stifle his voice, leaving only a worried whisper of disbelief escaping his lips.

Despite wanting the interface gone moments ago, Kaiza now wanted it back. He needed to see it again, to confirm he hadn't imagined the whole thing.

Just like that, the interface reappeared.

Kaiza realized the system responded to his thoughts. All he had to do was focus on the interface in his mind, and it would open. Testing his theory, he willed the interface to close, and it vanished instantly. Satisfied, he decided to focus on something else for now.

He walked off the bed, moving to a spot within range of the S-TV, which could be controlled with voice commands and a unique command code.

The command code for the S-TV varied between owners, but in this hospital, it used the default factory setting, allowing everyone access.

"S-TV, power on," Kaiza said clearly.

Suddenly, just as he was about to tune into the news to catch updates on the Dowolf attack, a faint chiming sound interrupted him. The interface reappeared, glowing faintly before presenting a new message:

[Daily Quest: Training Mode - Read]

Before Kaiza could react, a book materialized on the screen. Its cover displayed a bold title:

HERO SYSTEM X.