The Beginning
Leon leaned forward in the shabby captain's chair, eyes gleaming with excitement. His fingers hovered over the control panel, itching to test out the spaceship.
"Alright, let's see what this baby can do."
The control console in front of him was cluttered with rusty buttons, flickering touchscreens, and a single joystick that looked like it had survived at least a dozen crashes. Some labels were completely worn off, and others were in a strange alien script.
But Leon wasn't worried. He had thousands of hours of experience flying spaceships like this in Star Revenant.
"System, give me a rundown of the basic controls."
[Acknowledged.]
[Main Controls:]
◇ Throttle: Left lever – Push forward to accelerate, pull back to brake.
◇ Steering: Right joystick – Tilt in any direction to turn.
◇ Boost: Green button – Short burst of speed, drains energy.
◇ Weapons: Red button – Laser Cannons (Active).
◇ Shields: Blue button – (Currently offline).
Leon cracked his knuckles. "Alright, let's take this rust bucket for a spin."
He gripped the joystick and pushed the throttle forward. The spaceship lurched, engines roaring as it surged ahead. Leon let out a whoop of excitement as the distant stars outside the viewscreen stretched from the sudden acceleration.
"Oh, this is NICE!"
He tilted the joystick left, then right, sending the ship into smooth, controlled turns. It handled better than expected, despite its battered condition.
Then, for fun, he slammed the boost button.
The spaceship jerked violently forward. The cockpit rattled. Leon's head snapped back against the terrible chair.
"Gah—!"
For a brief second, he thought he might lose control, but his instincts kicked in. He steadied his grip, adjusted the throttle, and let the ship slow to a stable cruise.
He exhaled, heart pounding.
"Alright. Lesson learned. Boost is no joke."
Grinning, he leaned back, letting the ship drift through space as he soaked in the view.
The vast, endless expanse of stars and nebulae stretched before him—a sight he had only seen through a screen before. Now?
He was actually here.
The excitement burned in his chest, but as the initial rush faded, his calculating mind kicked in. He had questions—important ones.
"System, let's talk."
[Acknowledged.]
Leon narrowed his eyes, voice turning serious. "First question—besides you and me, is there another entity in this spaceship?"
[No.]
He blinked. "Huh. That's… actually kind of a relief. Thought I'd have some rogue AI creeping in the vents or something."
Shaking off that thought, he leaned forward. "Alright, next question. Are you like those annoying systems in generic novels? You know, the ones that mock the protagonist, hide information, and actively try to slow them down?"
[Yes, I can mock you.]
[However, I have been configured to fully support you.]
Leon narrowed his eyes. "So… you're saying you CAN insult me, but you WON'T mess with my progress?"
[Correct.]
He nodded slowly. "Hmm… seems suspicious, but I'll take it."
Then, the system continued.
[To aid your progression, you have received a gift.]
Leon's ears perked up. "Oh, Free stuff! What kind of gift?"
A new notification popped up.
[Gift Acquired: Basic Material Radar]
— A simple detection system that scans for upgrade materials within a small range.
Leon's eyes widened. "Wait… a radar? This early?"
In Star Revenant, radar systems weren't unlocked until mid-game, usually after grinding through dangerous missions and gathering tons of resources. To get one right away? That was insane.
A slow grin spread across his face. "Oh, hell yeah. This is actually busted."
He quickly claimed the item.
A small holographic display appeared in front of him, showing a circular radar screen. The center marked his position, and a faint blinking dot appeared not far from his ship.
[Nearby Object Detected: Small Unmanned Spaceship]
Leon's eyes sparkled. "A spaceship? That means materials!"
The system pinged again.
[New Quest: Salvage Operation]
◇ Destroy the small spaceship and extract its materials.
◇ Rewards: 5x Scrap Metal, 2x Nanofiber.
Leon grinned, rolling his shoulders.
"Looks like it's time for my first real action."
He adjusted his grip on the joystick, his gaze locked on the radar display. The blinking dot representing the unknown spaceship remained stationary, floating in the depths of space a short distance away.
"Alright, let's see what we're dealing with," he muttered, easing the throttle forward.
The ship hummed softly as it glided toward the target, the distant stars and swirling nebulae painting a breathtaking backdrop. But Leon wasn't here to admire the scenery—this was his first mission.
He wasn't about to screw it up.
"System, analyze the target. What kind of spaceship is it?"
[Scanning...]
A few seconds passed before a translucent screen popped up in front of him.
[Target Identified: Unmanned Scavenger Spaceship]
◇ Class: Light Reconnaissance
◇ Armaments: Low-Power Energy Blasters (2)
◇ Shielding: Weak
◇ Condition: 67% Integrity
Leon smirked. "Not bad. Doesn't seem too tough."
He adjusted his course, moving in from behind the scavenger ship. No need to announce himself just yet.
"System, do you detect any lifeforms aboard?"
A brief silence, then—
[Yes.]
Leon frowned. That was to be expected. "Are they human?"
[No.]
His grip on the controls loosened slightly. "Phew. Alright then."
Still, he wasn't about to take chances. If this ship was active, that meant potential hostiles.
His fingers hovered over the red button—his weapons system.
Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "Alright, first battle. Let's see what I'm made of."
Then, he pressed the button.
His ship shuddered slightly as twin beams of red-hot laser fire erupted from the front cannons, streaking toward the scavenger spaceship. The beams collided against its hull, sending small bursts of energy sparking across the metal.
Almost immediately, the enemy spaceship reacted.
The once-motionless scavenger ship suddenly jerked forward, its engines flaring to life. It twisted to the side, and before Leon could fire again, a bright blue bolt of energy shot toward him.
"Whoa!" Leon yanked the joystick, sending his ship into a sharp roll. The enemy blast barely missed, skimming past his left wing.
He gritted his teeth. "Alright, so it's not totally helpless."
The enemy ship spun around to face him directly, its twin cannons now glowing with an ominous blue light.
Leon's instincts screamed at him.
'It's about to fire!'
Two bright energy bolts erupted from its cannons, streaking straight toward him.
Leon didn't hesitate—he slammed the joystick hard right, sending his spaceship into a wide barrel roll.
The shots narrowly missed, flashing past his cockpit with a sharp whoosh.
"That was close," he muttered, sweat forming on his brow.
He couldn't let this drag on.
Gripping the controls tighter, he pushed the throttle forward, accelerating toward the enemy spaceship at an angle.
The scavenger spaceship tried to adjust, turning to face him—but Leon was already firing.
Twin lasers ripped through the black void, striking the enemy ship's side. The impact sent small metal fragments scattering into space.
A notification popped up.
[Enemy Spaceship Integrity: 42%]
Leon grinned. "Gotcha."
The enemy ship veered sharply away, trying to create distance, but Leon was already on it.
He flicked a switch, engaging tracking mode, locking onto the moving target.
'No escape.'
He fired again—this time, three precise shots.
The first slammed into its left wing, sending sparks flying. The second hit its rear thrusters, causing them to flicker wildly.
The third?
Straight to the cockpit.
The enemy ship lurched, its trajectory becoming unstable.
Then—
Boom!
A small explosion erupted from its back, followed by a second detonation that ripped through its hull. The scavenger spaceship tore apart, debris scattering into the void.
Leon leaned back, breathing heavily.
He had won.
[Enemy Ship Destroyed.]
[Automatically Collecting Materials...]
Leon watched as a faint blue glow surrounded the scattered debris, and piece by piece, the salvageable materials were pulled toward his ship.
[Materials Acquired:]
◇ 5x Scrap Metal
◇ 2x Nanofiber
Not bad.
Then, another notification appeared—this one different.
[You have leveled up! 1 > 3]
[Current Level: 3]
Leon blinked. "Oh, already?"
He opened his status screen.
━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━
[Personal Status]
◇ Name: Leon
◇ Race: Human
◇ Age: 10
◇ Level: 3
◇ Skills: [Basic Piloting], [Survivor's Instinct]
◇ Innate Skills: [■ ■ ■ – ???], [Adaptive Evolution], [System Integration]
◇ Status Effects: None
◇ Available Evolution Paths: ⌬ [Locked]
◇ Inventory: [New!]
━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━
And, sure enough, his level had increased.
But something bugged him.
He frowned. "System, I get that leveling up is good and all, but… how does this actually work? I don't see any stat numbers or anything."
The system responded immediately.
[Leveling System Explanation:]
◇ Levels represent overall growth, not just raw numbers.
◇ Each level-up increases your body's adaptability, reaction speed, strength, and overall potential.
Leon's eyes narrowed as he read through the explanation. "So, it's not a rigid number-based system, but more of an adaptive one?"
[Correct.]
Leon tapped his chin, thinking it over.
This was different from the usual systems in games or novels.
And honestly?
He liked it.
"It's kinda vague, but it actually makes sense. Real-life growth isn't just about numbers, after all."
[Correct. The system is designed to optimize real-world efficiency rather than numerical limitations.]
Leon grinned. "Alright, I can work with this."
He glanced back at his status screen, his level now sitting at 3.
But he noticed something.
His gaze landed on the new tab. "Oh? 'Inventory' wasn't here before."
He tapped it, and another translucent window expanded in front of him.
━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━
[Inventory]
◇ 5x Scrap Metal
◇ 2x Nanofiber
━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━
"Guess this is where all my collected materials are stored," he muttered.
"That's convenient. I don't have to physically lug everything around."
Then, another notification popped up.
[Additional reward for first quest completion.]
Leon's eyes lit up. "Free stuff!!"
A new item materialized in his inventory.
[Received: 1x Personal Cosmetic Box]
Leon tilted his head. "Wait… cosmetic box? Oh yeah, I forgot these were a thing. But in Star Revenant, they were for the spaceship."
He glanced at the label again. Personal.
"Wait, does that mean this one is for me?"
Curiosity won over hesitation, and he tapped to claim the box. The system displayed a small animation as the box opened with a faint golden glow. A moment later, a new item appeared.
[You have received a rare cosmetic: 'Majestic Crown.']
A description popped up.
━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━
[Majestic Crown] (Rare)
◇ A beautifully crafted red crown adorned with shimmering cosmic engravings. Despite its appearance, it is weightless and hovers just above the wearer's head.
Perks:
◇ Royal Bearing – Presence feels naturally more commanding.
◇ Stellar Mind – Increased mental clarity and focus in high-stress situations.
◇ [■ ■ ■ – ???] – Enhancement – ???
━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━
Leon scanned the perks, nodding. "Not bad, nothing too overpowered. I'll take it."
Without hesitation, he equipped it.
A faint red shimmer appeared above his head as the crown materialized, floating just above him, slightly tilting whenever he moved.
He blinked. "This is actually so… extra."
Curious, he tilted his head slightly, watching as the floating red crown subtly adjusted its position.
"System, how do I look?"
[Generating Virtual Mirror…]
A faint shimmer spread in front of him, and within seconds, a holographic mirror materialized. Leon leaned in, his red eyes locking onto his own reflection for the first time.
A boy—no, a girl? stared back at him.
"What the hell?"
"System, confirm my gender."
[The host is currently a male, but do not worry, the system is well optimized and will support your deci-]
"Stop it."
His long silver-white hair cascaded down his shoulders, shimmering under the soft glow of the cockpit lights, smooth and weightless like strands of stardust. His crimson eyes, sharp yet youthful, glowed faintly, like twin embers in the abyss of space. His facial features were delicate—almost ethereal—with a natural elegance that made him look harmlessly cute.
Then there was his outfit—a sleek, futuristic commander's uniform fitting of a high-ranking officer in a sci-fi empire. Midnight-black fabric lined with subtle silver trims, tailored to perfection, hugged his slim yet refined frame. The jacket was adorned with faint glowing circuitry patterns, pulsing softly with energy, while the high collar and neatly placed insignias gave him the air of someone who belonged at the helm of a grand fleet.
And finally, atop his head…
The Majestic Crown.
Its deep red hue glowed with an almost hypnotic brilliance, golden cosmic engravings shifting ever so slightly as if alive. Despite floating just above his head, it seemed weighty—not in mass, but in presence.
Leon exhaled slowly, taking it all in.
He stared at his reflection for a moment, blinking. That was him… right? He raised a hand in front of his face, turned it over, examined his fingers. Something felt off. He didn't remember having skin this smooth or eyes this sharp. A wave of doubt washed over him.
"Wait… Have I always looked like this?" he murmured.
A shiver ran down his spine. Had the system changed him without his knowledge? Was he still himself?
He frowned, shaking off the thought. It didn't matter. Now wasn't the time to question his identity.
He turned his head slightly, watching how the light caught in his hair, how the glow of the crown cast faint crimson reflections in his silver hair.
This was him now.
After a long pause, he smirked.
"Yeah. I look good."
Then, his eyes drifted back to the last perk of the crown. The black squares.
Leon frowned slightly. He had seen them before—right in his own status window.
He pulled up his Personal Status again, staring at the Innate Skills section.
━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━
◇ Innate Skills: [■ ■ ■ – ???]
━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━
His fingers tapped against his arm as he debated.
'I know I'm not getting any answers, but it never hurts to try.'
"System, what's with these black squares? What do they mean?"
[Unknown.]
Leon stiffened. "…Huh?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Not something like, 'Sorry, you don't have the authority for this information yet'?"
[Correct. The data is simply… unknown.]
Leon leaned back, genuinely surprised. "That's actually unexpected."
Usually, in novels, things like this were hidden behind ridiculous restrictions, waiting to be unlocked at a conveniently dramatic moment. But this? Even the system didn't know?
He let out a low chuckle. "Well, black squares are usually good things in novels, so I'll cope with that."
Whatever it was, he'd figure it out in time.
For now?
He had a chair to upgrade—and a universe to conquer.