Status Screen

Kai awoke to find himself in a familiar dusty room, his old bedroom. Remaining motionless on his bed for ten minutes after waking up, he processed the events that had just unfolded. Each moment replayed in his head like a broken record until it hit him.

'I must have regressed,' Kai thought to himself.

Rising to inspect himself in the mirror, he confirmed his suspicion. Staring back at him was not the scar-ridden face he was accustomed to, but rather a youthful, attractive, smooth face. Turning to face the calendar, it read:

23rd Year of King Blaine, 10th month of the sun.

"So I've gone back 23 years," Kai muttered to himself, letting out a laugh at the absurd situation.

Suddenly, a blue menu appeared out of thin air.

===Status===

[Name]: Kai Morrow

[Blessing]: Time Convergence (Used)

[Bloodline]: Gift Of Sound

===Attributes===

Strength: 7

Agility: 31

Endurance: 13

Intelligence: 21

Mana Capacity: Locked 

Charm: 23

===Bloodline Abilities===

-->[Rank S] Sound Step [Passive Skill] After emitting a certain sound, you can propel yourself forward in the direction of that sound. If the emitted sound encounters an obstacle such as a wall or surface, the propulsion will automatically cease once you are one foot away from the obstruction. Alternatively, you can choose to cancel the propulsion early. However, with each use, a subtle ringing will echo in the user's ears, gradually intensifying with repeated utilization, serving as a cautionary reminder of the skill's toll on their senses. If you are unable to hear, this skill becomes unusable.

-->[Rank C] Resilient Hearing [Passive Skill] Your eardrums possess resilience, impervious to destruction from sound. However, exposure to excessively high-pitched sounds results in temporary deafness lasting an hour.

-->Locked

-->Locked

-->Locked

=Affinities===

Unlockable after attaining Mana.

===Skills===

Unlockable after attaining Mana.

======

"What's that?" Kai muttered, looking at the strange screen. Suddenly, a voice resounded in his mind.

[That is your status screen, sir.]

Surprised but maintaining his composure, he asked, "Who are you?"

[You can refer to me as the system, sir. I am a function designed to help you on your journey.]

"Sounds too good to be true," Kai scoffed, knowing nothing was free in this world. "Who made you, and what's your motive?"

[I was made by the same goddess who gave you your blessing, in hopes you can accomplish her long-awaited wish. However, I am afraid I cannot disclose that wish to you at the moment.]

"There's more than one goddess?" Kai asked, slightly surprised.

[I cannot disclose that information right now.]

Sighing, Kai turned his attention to the screen displayed in front of him. "So what's this?" he inquired.

[As I mentioned previously, that is your status, a screen designed to show you your current rank, bloodline abilities, attributes, affinities, and skills.]

"Current," Kai asked. "Aren't affinities and bloodline abilities determined at birth?"

[To most people, that would be correct, sir. But if you complete missions the system gives you, you will be able to unlock new affinities and unlock bloodline abilities that were previously locked.]

"Missions?" Kai asked.

[Missions will be unlocked after obtaining mana.]

"When I unlock missions, will they be mandatory to accomplish?" Kai asked suspiciously, unwilling to lose his free will.

[Of course not, sir. The system was made as a blessing; it will not hinder nor limit the user's actions in any way.]

Slightly relieved, Kai glanced at his rank with a scoff. "F- rank, huh," he muttered under his breath. Memories flooded back to his childhood, where he shied away from training or honing his bloodline abilities. It wasn't laziness; after inadvertently causing his blood mother's death when first awakening his bloodline, he was too afraid to ever attempt to train himself in any regard. This fear extended to his communication, as he stopped talking in hopes of preventing accidentally activating his bloodline.

Consequently, nobody knew his true bloodline, not even his father. To them, Kai's muteness was simply attributed to the trauma of witnessing his mother's death. It took Kai until he was 15 to start attempting to train and use his bloodline again. He quickly learned that 'Sound Step' would only activate if he made particularly high-pitched sounds, such as a whistle. Once he grasped how to use 'Sound Step' effectively, he rapidly rose to become one of the strongest in his generation, despite starting several years behind others his age.

Looking back, Kai realized the extent of his own cowardice. If only he had mustered the courage to confront his fears earlier, he could have potentially become the strongest individual of his era. After all, in his opinion, his bloodline was among the strongest, second only to one other.

"No matter," he told himself firmly. "Thinking about the idiocies of my past self is just a waste of time. Besides, right now, my main goal should be awakening mana."

"And how can I access this status screen again?" Kai asked, remembering the system's explanation.

[Simply say "Status," sir, and the screen will appear.]