The System Awakens

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the ache in my back. It wasn't a sharp pain, more like that dull soreness you get after sleeping on rocks—or in this case, a city street. I stretched out, wincing as my stiff muscles protested, and groaned.

"Two days," I muttered, rubbing my eyes and blinking at the faint light creeping through the cracks in the stone wall behind me. "You said two days. Well, here I am, still alive, but no closer to figuring out what the heck is going on."

I stared at the sky above, feeling the weight of everything sink in. This wasn't some vacation or extended dream. I was in a new world. Alone. And the *system*—my magical, supposed-to-be-helpful system—was taking its sweet time coming online. "What kind of isekai screws you over right from the start?" I grumbled, pulling the blanket around me tighter.

The city was already stirring. The low hum of the market waking up carried on the wind, and I could smell fresh bread being baked somewhere nearby. My stomach growled in response, reminding me of just how little I'd eaten since arriving here. Whoever left me those fruits the first night? Bless their heart. But that was a one-time miracle.

I stood up, brushing dirt off my clothes and taking in the scene. The streets were busier now, merchants setting up stalls, people milling about, all of them with their oversized posteriors. The more I looked around, the more ridiculous this town felt. It was like someone had cranked up the 'butt' slider in a character creator for fun.

"And I'm the odd one out here?" I muttered, shaking my head.

But that wasn't the real problem. I needed food, shelter, and something resembling a plan. I wandered toward the market, my mouth watering at the scent of freshly baked bread and roasted nuts. The chatter of vendors filled the air, and for a moment, I could almost pretend I was back home at a bazaar.

Almost.

I scanned the stalls, but with no money in my pockets—and no clue what the local currency even looked like—there wasn't much I could do. Bread, fruits, simple pastries… everything smelled incredible, but everything was *just* out of reach.

"I can't keep wandering around like this forever," I mumbled. "If I don't figure something out soon, I'll be stuck sleeping on the streets like a stray cat."

As if on cue, a vendor shot me a glare when I lingered a bit too long near his bread stall. I flashed him a nervous smile and hurried off, doing my best to look like I wasn't totally lost. Even as I made my way to the quieter part of the city near the walls, I could still hear my stomach growling, louder and louder by the minute.

"Food. Shelter. Some kind of plan," I reminded myself, sitting back down against the wall. "How hard can it be to figure this out?"

The problem wasn't just hunger, though. It was the nagging sense that I was missing something—something big. The people here looked at me like I didn't belong, which, fair enough, I didn't. But it was more than that. They had a way of moving, speaking, existing in this world that seemed effortless. Meanwhile, I was out here barely scraping by.

I leaned back, closing my eyes and trying to ignore the hunger. Maybe things would look different tomorrow.

*DING*

My eyes snapped open at the sound. It wasn't the soft murmur of the city this time. This was something else.

"Finally!" I shouted, jumping to my feet. A blue screen flickered to life in front of me, its light soft and glowing, and my heart raced as I read the words.

**[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]**

"About time!" I said, barely able to contain my excitement. My whole body felt lighter, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Maybe now, I'd finally get some answers.

*DING*

The system was quick to follow up.

**[Congratulations! Newbie Gift Package has been given to the host.]**

"Gift package, huh? Not bad." Before I could respond, though, the system didn't wait.

*DING*

**[No response. Auto-opening…]**

A list of items popped up before my eyes. I blinked, rubbing the sleep from my face as I tried to focus on the words.

**[Congratulations! You have received: 10 Random Status Points, 1000 Experience Card, 100 Low Rank Power Crystals, 1 Time Use Protection Gem.]**

"Not bad at all," I muttered, scrolling through the list. "Though I have no clue what half of this stuff is."

Before I could dive into the details, another notification popped up.

**[Translation Skill Activated]**

Suddenly, the market's indecipherable chatter around me transformed into words I could understand perfectly. I blinked in confusion as people passed by, speaking casually, and for the first time, it didn't sound like gibberish.

"Oh, thank you, translation skill," I said with a grin. "You might actually save me some trouble."

Just as I was about to take a step forward, another sound rang in my ears.

*DING*

**+1, +1, +1...**

I stared at the notifications, trying to make sense of it. "Wait, what's going on? What's with the numbers?"

**[You have earned World Points.]**

"World Points?" I raised an eyebrow. "How did I earn those?"

**[World Points are earned based on your power and influence in the world. You received points because people were talking about you.]**

I froze, feeling a mixture of confusion and amusement.

"So, let me get this straight," I muttered. "I earned points… because people are talking about how weird I look?"

**[Correct.]**

I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity. "Well, if that's all it takes to get ahead in this world, I guess I'll roll with it."

I glanced at the system shop, curiosity getting the better of me. "Alright, let's see how much I've earned."

**[World Points: 234]**

"Not bad," I murmured, my curiosity growing. "Let's take a peek at the shop."

The system shop menu unfolded in front of me, filled with tempting items, though most of them were locked or way too expensive.

**[Shop - 1 Random Status Point (Cost: 1000 WP, Max 5 per month), 1000 Experience Card (Cost: 1000 WP, Max 5 per month), 1 Water Bottle (Cost: 10 WP), 1 Fruit (Cost: 10 WP), Locked, Locked…]**

My excitement faded quickly when I saw the prices.

"What the hell? Why is a water bottle so expensive?"

**[Items in the shop provide benefits beyond their basic use. They can heal fatigue, restore health, or replenish energy.]**

"Right… of course they do." I shook my head and sighed. "Why does everything have to be so complicated?"

Deciding I'd had enough window-shopping for the day, I opened my status window instead.

---

**Tanuj's Status:**

- Name: Tanuj

- Age: 19

- Level: 1 (0/1000 EXP)

- Job: None

- Title: None

- Strength: 10

- Agility: 7

- Vitality: 9

- Intelligence: 7

- Defense: 8

- Luck: 6

- Mana: 10

- Skills: Translation (Level 1)

Unused Status Points: 10

---

I frowned at the screen. "Yep. Definitely not a hero. More like a glorified errand boy at this point."

Still, I had 10 random status points to play with, courtesy of the Newbie Gift Package. I decided to spend them.

*DING*

**[Strength +4, Agility +3, Vitality +1, Intelligence +1, Defense +1]**

"That's more like it." I flexed my arm, though I couldn't tell if the points made a visible difference or not. It was something, at least.

Before I could close the menu, another notification appeared.

*DING*

**[New Quest - Find the Mysterious Helper]**

**Time Limit: 2 Days**

**Reward: 1000 EXP, 500 Low Rank Power Crystals, +1 Luck**

**Penalty: -1 Luck**

"A quest?" I grinned, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. My first real quest. And all I had to do was find the person who'd helped me that first night.

"Well, I guess I've got my work cut out for me."

With a determined nod, I stood up, ready to track down my mysterious helper. Finally, I wasn't just waiting for something to happen—I was about to make it happen.