The Gift of the Unknown

Asvorn stared at the glowing blue screen floating in front of him.

It was surreal—almost dreamlike. His fingers twitched, tempted to reach out and touch it.

[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]

[Status Window Unlocked]

[Welcome, Asvorn.]

His breath was slow, controlled, but his mind raced.

"What... is this?" he muttered.

The screen shifted. New lines of text appeared.

[Appraisal Skill Acquired]

[Would you like to view your status?]

(YES) (NO)

A chill ran down his spine.

He hesitated, then mentally selected YES.

Immediately, another window popped up.

Name: Asvorn

Race: Human

Age: 22

Level: 1

Strength: 5

Agility: 7

Endurance: 6

Mana: 2

Skills: Appraisal (New)

His brows furrowed.

The numbers were low—too low.

No wonder everyone called me worthless…

But something was strange.

The window. The skills. The system.

It wasn't normal.

This… thing didn't exist in the world he knew.

"Hey, Lyara?"

Lyara, who had been sitting across the room, casually polishing her sword, glanced up.

"Hm?"

He pointed at the air in front of him. "Can you see this?"

She raised an eyebrow. "See what?"

His stomach dropped.

So it was just him.

"...Nothing," he muttered.

She gave him a long look before shrugging and returning to her sword.

Asvorn stared at the screen again, exhaling slowly.

He didn't know what this was.

But it was his.

Later That Evening…

Dinner was awkward.

Mostly because Asvorn couldn't stop stealing glances at Lyara.

She noticed, of course.

"The hell are you staring at?" she muttered, taking a bite of her food.

"Nothing," he lied, quickly looking away.

Her eyebrow twitched. "I saved your life, you know. You could at least act normal."

Normal?

How could he act normal when she had carried him back, nursed him for a month, fought off people who tried to stop her, and even fed him with the best food he'd ever tasted?

He was falling. Hard.

Lyara sighed, stabbing her fork into her plate.

"You're acting weird," she said flatly.

"I'm just… grateful," he admitted, staring at his food. "No one's ever done anything like this for me before."

She paused.

Then, in a rare moment of softness, she smirked. "Well, don't get used to it."

His heart skipped a beat.

He was doomed.

The Next Day – The Guild

Walking into the guild was the same as always.

The air was heavy with judgment. The whispers. The side-eyes. The silent mockery.

It wasn't new.

But it still stung.

He ignored them and approached the job board.

Lyara had warned him not to take another job so soon.

But he needed to test something.

His system.

His fingers traced over the worn parchment posters.

Simple gathering quest. Low pay.

Perfect.

He took the request slip to the counter.

The receptionist—a woman with sharp eyes and an ever-present sneer—looked him up and down.

"You again?" she muttered, taking the slip. "Still trying to be an adventurer?"

He didn't respond.

She sighed dramatically and stamped his request. "Whatever. Try not to die."

He nodded and walked away.

The whispers followed him out the door.

The Forest – Learning the System

The sun barely peeked through the thick canopy of leaves as Asvorn walked deeper into the forest.

The request was simple: Gather ten moonshade herbs.

Normally, it would take hours to find them.

But now—

He focused.

"Appraisal."

A faint glow flickered in his vision. The world sharpened.

And then—

A cluster of glowing blue herbs stood out among the foliage.

He blinked.

That was fast.

The Appraisal skill worked.

A smirk tugged at his lips as he quickly gathered them.

Within an hour, he had twice the required amount.

It was almost too easy.

System Notification

[Level Up!]

Strength +1

Agility +1

Endurance +1

New Skill Acquired: Beast Tamer (Beginner)

He froze.

Beast Tamer?

A sudden rustling in the bushes made him tense.

A small, fox-like creature peeked out, golden eyes locking onto his.

It wasn't aggressive.

It was… curious.

An icon appeared in his vision.

[Tame?] (YES) (NO)

His pulse quickened.

Slowly, he reached out.

"Yes."

The moment he said it, a warm sensation spread through his chest.

The fox's ears perked up. Then—

It trotted over and nuzzled his leg.

He swallowed hard.

This system… was insane.

Returning to the Guild

Asvorn placed a heavy sack on the counter.

The receptionist barely glanced up.

"You're back early," she muttered. "Did you fail—?"

Her eyes widened.

The bag overflowed with moonshade herbs.

Far more than required.

The other adventurers in the guild turned to look.

A few murmured.

"How the hell…?" the receptionist mumbled, counting them.

He just shrugged. "Good luck, I guess."

She narrowed her eyes, but didn't press further.

"Here," she muttered, sliding a small bag of coins toward him. "Your reward."

He took it and left, ignoring the stares.

Inside, though—

He was grinning.

Dinner – The Argument

The inn's dining hall was warm, filled with the scent of roasted meat and freshly baked bread. Asvorn sat across from Lyara, quietly eating.

She was staring at him.

Her expression was unreadable.

But the tension in the air was thick.

"You went to the forest," she finally said.

Asvorn kept chewing. "Yeah."

Her eyes narrowed. "Even though I told you not to."

He sighed. "It was a gathering quest."

"That's not the point," she snapped.

She put down her fork, her fingers tapping against the wooden table.

"Asvorn," she said, voice low. "You could have died."

He scoffed. "I was careful."

"Were you?" She leaned forward, her emerald eyes sharp. "Because the last time you went into the wild, you nearly didn't come back."

His fingers curled around his spoon.

"I made it back, didn't I?"

"That's not the point!"

Her voice rose slightly, drawing a few glances from other diners. She didn't care.

"You're not strong enough," she said bluntly.

His jaw tightened.

"You have no magic. No talent. You barely survived last time, and you think you can just walk into the forest like it's nothing?"

Her words stung.

Because she wasn't wrong.

But still—

"I have to do something," he muttered.

Lyara exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. "You're impossible."

He smirked slightly. "So I've been told."

She clicked her tongue and stood up.

"Just… don't die, alright?"

She left before he could respond.

Asvorn sat there, staring at his half-eaten meal.

She was worried.

She was angry because she cared.

But she didn't understand.

He couldn't afford to stay weak forever.

Because in this world, people like him—

Didn't survive.

That Night – The System Speaks Again

Asvorn lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

His body still ached from the day's work, but his mind was restless.

Then, the ding echoed in his head.

A glowing blue screen flickered into view.

[Evolution Available]

Would you like to evolve?

(YES) (NO)

His breath hitched.

Evolution?

His heart pounded in his chest.

Was this what he needed?

Was this the answer?

He swallowed hard.

Then—

He selected YES.

A sudden heat erupted inside him.

His veins burned.

His muscles twisted and pulled, pain spreading through his entire body.

His bones cracked, reshaping themselves.

A sharp, overwhelming pressure filled his skull.

His vision blurred.

He tried to scream—

But his body wouldn't move.

His consciousness slipped.

The last thing he saw was the faint glow of the system screen before everything went dark.