System Authority

Axel's eyes flickered open, the harsh fluorescent light overhead piercing through his foggy senses. He squinted, wincing at the brightness, as his vision struggled to adjust. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and his thoughts swam sluggishly, refusing to align.

For a moment, he could only lie there, his breaths shallow and uneven, waiting for the haze in his mind to clear. When his sight finally sharpened, he glanced around, taking in his surroundings.

The room was stark and pristine, almost unnervingly so. He lay on a white hospital bed, the sheets crisp and sterile against his skin. The walls were painted a soothing pastel blue, adorned with abstract art, expensive-looking but emotionless. 

To his right, a sleek flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall, its screen flickering with a news broadcast. The soft hum of medical equipment punctuated the eerie quiet of the space. 

This wasn't any ordinary hospital room, it exuded luxury.

"Where… am I?" Axel's voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper, as the question slipped out unbidden. 

His fingers clenched the blanket beneath him, grounding himself as the sterile smell of antiseptic filled his lungs.

Just as he pondered his location, fragments of memory began to crash into him with the force of a tidal wave. His chest tightened as his mind replayed the chaos.

The dungeon.

The boss monster.

The battle. Not just a physical one, but a brutal internal war as well. Axel's humanity had hung by a thread, the relentless pull of his monstrous instincts threatening to consume him entirely. 

He remembered pushing himself past the breaking point, every fiber of his being fighting to maintain control. But then… nothing. The rest of his memory was a void, an impenetrable black hole.

Axel's breath hitched. "Am I dead?" The thought gnawed at him for a moment before he dismissed it. The sterile yet familiar scene of this room told him otherwise. If this was the afterlife, it wasn't what he'd imagined.

"Argh… I hate this feeling," he muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead. "What the hell happened after I lost my mind?"

Answers weren't going to fall into his lap, and Axel knew it. Summoning a deep breath, he squinted his eyes and willed the system interface into view. 

With a faint shimmer, the translucent window materialized before him, its soft glow cutting through the dim light of the room.

The first line of text made his brow shoot up.

[Congratulations! You are the first individual in this world to meet the requirements for System Authority.]

[You have been registered as a Player. System integration completed.]

[New system feature unlocked: System Authority (Level 1)]

"What… the heck?" Axel's voice rose slightly, disbelief etched into his features. "Player? Authority?"

He stared at the words, his mind racing. This wasn't something he'd ever heard of before. 

Axel prided himself on being well-informed about the system that governed all Awakeners, but this? It was entirely new. 

If not for the fact that it was displayed directly on his interface, he would have dismissed it as some elaborate hoax, maybe a hallucination brought on by his injuries.

Before he could dwell further, the system window shifted, transitioning to display his updated menu. Axel's eyes darted to his status panel, eager for any clues about what had transpired after he'd blacked out.

[Status Updated]

Name: Axel Cross

Rank: Human (C)

Strength: 39 → 72

Agility: 26 → 55

Endurance: 29 → 54

Mana: 30 → 78

Authority: System Authority (Level 1)

Title: Player X24K-881

Seeing his stats, Axel almost gasped, his breath catching in his throat. He was shell-shocked. His summoning wasn't active, so the stats displayed were solely for his human form. 

Due to the unique nature of his ability, Contract Bind, Axel, as his own summoner, had always been allocated only 50% of the stat increases from his monster form. This meant his human form had always lagged behind in raw power. But now, seeing these massive increases in his human form, he couldn't even begin to imagine how much his monster form had improved.

The urge to switch to his monster form surged within him, but he tamped it down. He couldn't risk triggering an alarm and being mistaken for an actual monster. The authorities wouldn't hesitate to raid the hospital, and he wasn't ready to face that kind of attention yet.

'What's with this new feature?' Axel's gaze fixated on the new stat entry: System Authority. Curiosity gnawed at him. Instinctively, his fingers hovered over it before pressing, almost out of habit. Immediately, a popup message appeared before him.

[System Authority grants access to premium system features. While most individuals in this world use the conventional system as free users, System Authority elevates you to a premium level, unlocking exclusive advantages.]

"Hm?" Axel raised a brow as he read through the explanation. The concept was bizarre but intriguing. Just as he absorbed the information, another notification appeared in quick succession.

[System Authority Level 1: Features available to unlock—Marketplace, Inventory.]

Axel blinked at the prompt. The words blurred momentarily as he struggled to process the deluge of changes. Before he could fully gather his thoughts, the system chimed again.

[Would you like to unlock both features? Yes/No.]

He hesitated, his mind swirling with unanswered questions. What were these new developments? Why him? Yet, despite his misgivings, curiosity got the better of him. He couldn't resist the pull of discovery. With a deep breath, Axel selected 'Yes'.

[System Marketplace and Inventory unlocked.]

[System Marketplace.]

The interface rearranged itself, and Axel couldn't help but notice that the system had become more complex. Two new sections now accompanied the conventional system menu: Marketplace and Inventory. 

His finger hovered briefly before pressing the Marketplace section. Instantly, the display shifted to reveal the new interface.

The Marketplace section appeared blank, save for a single Register button and a note. Axel's eyes skimmed over the note.

[The Marketplace serves as a hub for commerce and trade among Players. It allows seamless exchange of goods and services across distances and even between worlds. Transactions are conducted using standard system credits.]

"Worlds?" Axel muttered, his brows furrowing. He took a moment to digest the implications. The concept wasn't entirely foreign, but hearing it spelled out so plainly gave him pause. 

The existence of dungeons had always hinted at something greater, something beyond their world. Yet, this confirmation struck him differently.

Axel leaned back against the bed, mulling over the revelations. The dungeons that had appeared suddenly in this world's history were shrouded in mystery. Dangerous, yes, but enigmatic. 

Countless theories had been proposed: Were the dungeons connected to the system? Did they serve a greater purpose beyond just becoming stronger by clearing them? And if so, what was the origin of the system itself?

These questions had lingered in the minds of scholars and adventurers alike for years. Now, however, Axel felt a conviction growing within him. This Player designation, this System Authority, they weren't just random upgrades. They were pieces of a much larger puzzle, one that might finally reveal the answers to those age-old questions.

As for the other thing Axel understood, there were people the system recognized as Players, and he had just become one of them. 

In fact, he was the first person from this world to achieve that status. However, the purpose or responsibilities of these so-called Players were entirely unclear to him. It was a concept that defied everything he knew.

Still uncertain, he decided to press the register button in the marketplace section. As his finger made contact, a new popup emerged on the interface:

[Warning: Joining the System Marketplace will officially introduce "World-#0811712" to the Player system, along with the associated risks. Do you wish to proceed?]

Axel froze, his eyes narrowing at the warning. It wasn't just about him anymore.

This decision would affect everyone on this planet. Introducing his world to the broader Player system could mean incredible opportunities, or devastating consequences. For all he knew, it might bring chaos or attract threats far beyond anything his world was prepared for.

He clenched his fist, his finger hovering over the confirmation option before pulling back. Despite his curiosity, he couldn't afford to be reckless. 

If the system itself was issuing a warning, the stakes were likely far higher than he imagined. Sighing deeply, Axel exited the marketplace interface without proceeding.

He would need to think this through more carefully.

Pushing aside his unease, Axel turned his attention to the inventory section. When he clicked on it, a blank screen appeared. A small question mark icon blinked at the top corner, prompting him to press it for clarification.

[System Inventory: A spatial storage function capable of storing any non-living items. The initial capacity is 10 cubic meters. Storage can be upgraded using system credits or rare dungeon materials. Additional features may unlock with higher System Authority levels.]

Axel nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "So it's just like a storage artifact."

Storage artifacts weren't unheard of in his world. In fact, they were fairly common among adventurers and dungeon divers. 

Axel himself carried a small enchanted pouch at his waist for this purpose, or, at least, he had carried one. His eyes darted down to his side, but his fears were confirmed: the pouch was gone.

His chest tightened. That pouch had held valuable materials he'd collected from the dungeon, resources he desperately needed given his current financial struggles. 

His first thought was theft. Could that rich brat Rael have taken it? But Axel quickly dismissed the idea. Rael was seemingly wealthy beyond imagination; stealing monster parts or dungeon loot wouldn't make sense for someone like him.

Just as panic began to creep in, Axel noticed something else: a small, unassuming ring on his finger. 

He hadn't been wearing it before. His brow furrowed, and he lifted his hand, examining the band closely. It was plain but oddly pristine, as if untouched by the chaos of the dungeon.