System X: Bloodline Awakening System

Kaiza stopped in his tracks as the interface suddenly obstructed his view. The glowing screen demanded his attention.

Seeing the message, he was momentarily hooked, his eyes darting across the display as he skimmed through the details to understand what it was about. Then, something caught his interest—a title that piqued his curiosity.

Hero System X

After a moment of thought, Kaiza concluded that the book must be about the system itself, given that it shared the same name. This assumption pulled him in further, stirring a mix of curiosity and anticipation.

Kaiza returned to the bed, propping himself up with his legs folded comfortably. He focused on the system, following its every prompt as new pages opened with each click. Finally, he arrived at the first chapter of the book, titled Hero.

Without wasting a second, Kaiza dived into the chapter, his curiosity driving him forward.

As he read through the contents, something caught his eye—a small circular icon at the top corner of the page. It rotated steadily, tracking the seconds he spent on the book. After a short while, the circle flashed and displayed +5.

Kaiza paused, wondering what it meant. Was it some sort of progress tracker? A reward counter? He couldn't say for sure, but he shook the thought off and refocused on the text.

His curiosity about the system grew. What was it really for? And more importantly, could it help him achieve his goals? Could it grant him the power he so desperately sought?

Deep down, Kaiza couldn't shake the suspicion that the game's host had tricked him, manipulating him into playing for amusement. But this wasn't about fun for Kaiza—not anymore. The person he used to be had been buried the day his parents were cruelly taken from him. This was about reclaiming control and power, ensuring he would never be weak again.

In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed. Kaiza had read through the first two hefty chapters of the book. The chapters were detailed, explaining the system's origin, its purpose, and everything he needed to know—though not everything was included.

As Kaiza read, memories from history class began to resurface. He recalled the lesson about the war between the Dowolf and humans—how aliens had come forward to protect their new habitat and shield it from external threats.

Then, Kaiza remembered a specific moment in class. The teacher had hesitated when reaching a certain part of the story, visibly uncomfortable. Despite his reluctance, the teacher forced himself to continue. Just as he began to speak on the subject, the class was interrupted by the school's address system, summoning him to the principal's office. The next day, the teacher was suspended.

Kaiza had always suspected there was something the humans were trying to hide about the war—something they didn't want the younger generation to know. Yet, there were others who were determined to reveal the truth.

On his own, Kaiza had embarked on a thorough investigation. After days of persistent research, new areas of information began to open up. He spent hours every day, reading over fifty articles related to the topic, determined to uncover the hidden truths.

Despite his efforts, the more he uncovered, the more complicated things became. But the first two chapters of the book had given him hope—they promised answers that could fill in the gaps of the story.

One vital piece of information had been omitted from every publication he had come across: aliens had lived among humans before, during, and after the war. The war control organization had used all of humanity's weapons, but nothing had worked against the Dowolf. In their moment of desperation, when human power was no match for the beasts, the aliens stepped forward and offered their help.

After the war, the aliens had warned the world that they would return in greater numbers than before. In response, humans had begun collaborating to build weapons capable of fighting the beasts.

Eventually, humanity launched a full-scale attack on the aliens, using these new weapons to wipe them out. While it was believed that some of the aliens had survived, the majority were thought to be dead.

As Kaiza continued reading, the book listed many of the weapons created by the aliens. But there was something unexpected: a System Lab was mentioned. The second chapter came to a close there, leaving Kaiza on the edge of his seat, eager to learn more. But that was all for the day.

Kaiza's understanding of the system deepened, especially the training mode. The first chapter had focused heavily on it, explaining that it would be the first thing any user would encounter.

Suddenly, Kaiza was pulled out of the book and returned to the training page.

[Daily Quest]

[Read - 2/2 Chapters]

[Exp - 25/50]

Kaiza's eyes lingered on the screen. He had learned from the book that quests were often followed by a reward, and he was waiting for that moment.

And just as he had hoped, a reward appeared:

[Reward - Dash Skill lvl 1]

Excited, Kaiza watched as a new section unlocked in the training mode: the Skill Section. The only available skill was Dash, while the others remained locked.

Kaiza couldn't wait to test how the Dash skill would work. Would he be in control, or would the system take full control over him?

To satisfy his curiosity, Kaiza stood on the bed in the same position an athlete would take before a sprint. He didn't need to kneel on the bed; instead, he drew one leg back and positioned the other in front, forming nearly a ninety-degree angle.

He opened the interface and slowly pressed his finger against the Activate Dash button. Kaiza froze, his eyes widening in anticipation, ready for the skill to launch. Seconds passed, but nothing happened. He remained in place, still in the athlete's stance, waiting for the activation.

Frustration built up inside him. His patience wore thin as he considered the system's failure. Why grant a skill if it wasn't going to work? This was starting to feel like a waste of time.

Just as Kaiza was about to close the interface in anger, he noticed something on the screen. The dash had actually activated, but there was no impact on him. He remained in the same spot, unaffected.

Confused, Kaiza looked around, expecting to feel something—speed, power, maybe a surge of energy—but there was nothing. The dash skill hadn't made him fast like Flash or as quick as lightning. He felt no different from a normal human.

"What's going on?" Kaiza wondered aloud as he watched the dash timer decrease. The seconds ticked away, and he quickly assumed that the dash would only be activated for a short period before it deactivated. It reminded him of his father's advanced car, which had similar timed functions.

The dash timer started at ten seconds when he noticed it decreasing. He concluded that the dash's duration ranged somewhere between twenty and ten seconds, considering how long he had remained motionless, waiting for the system to take over him, only to see no result.

Once the timer ran out, a small tank-like icon appeared where the dash activation button had been. The tank displayed a number that decreased, just like the dash timer had earlier. As the number dropped, something like water began filling the tank, slowly refilling it.

"I guess it takes five minutes to refill after the first activation," Kaiza concluded as he observed the process.

He closed the system and lay back on the bed, a new question creeping into his mind. Why hadn't the dash worked when he tried to activate it? What was missing?

Kaiza pondered for a while longer, trying to figure out the puzzle surrounding the dash. Meanwhile, outside the hospital, two identical cars drove into the underground garage.

As the doors opened, heavily armed men stepped out of the vehicles. Their attire made it clear they were no ordinary individuals. Though they weren't wearing official military uniforms, their appearance screamed professionalism—black clothing without any identifying labels of police or special agents. Everything was in dark shades, blending seamlessly with the night.

The men assembled behind the parked cars—ten of them in total, excluding the drivers. It wasn't long before a man in a black jacket, reaching below his knees, and dressed in black from head to toe, walked out. The only noticeable difference between him and the others was the lack of heavy bulletproof gear or joint pads. His attire was casual, like someone out in the cold weather, with no sign of combat readiness.

He stood in front of the assembled men and began to speak.

"My goal is to protect that kid. He must not be harmed, no matter what. Protect him with your lives. Remember, the WOI aren't easy to deal with. Give it your all. They will be—"

His speech was interrupted by a soft chime from his earpiece.

He raised his wrist, and his wristwatch's blank screen flickered to life.

"He's here," he said, his voice calm and resolute.

- - -

Outside the hospital, just a few feet away from the fountain, a force slammed into the ground. A man in all black stood upright, staring at the building in front of him. His gaze was fixed on the uppermost floor.

"This won't take long," he whispered to himself, his voice filled with a quiet resolve.