บท 52: ETIOS
Robert slowly opened his eyes, feeling the fluorescent light buzzing above his head. The whiteness of the walls and the smell of disinfectant confirmed that he was in the medical area of the barracks.
The sterile and silent environment contrasted with the flood of thoughts and memories invading his mind.
"Heh… in the end, I lost" - he murmured, with a mix of irony and resignation.
His thoughts were jumbled as he recalled the fight against Park Jincheol.
The frustration of not surpassing the monstrous soldier overwhelmed him, and every moment of the battle echoed in his mind endlessly.
He turned slightly toward the window, where the sun's rays began to timidly filter in, drawing patterns on the polished floor.
He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering every move, every failed strategy, and every instant when his strength surged dramatically.
"But… it seems I got something out of all this" - Robert turned and stared at the ceiling, with a renewed determination in his eyes.
He had broken his limits, his stats reaching an extremely high level, something he had never thought possible in the short term.
The memory of that experience brought him a mix of amazement and a new understanding of his potential.
As he reviewed the experience of breaking his limits, he vividly remembered the overwhelming sensation of energy coursing through every fiber of his being.
In that moment of intensity, he had felt as if his body were transforming, as if a reserve of latent power had suddenly been unleashed.
Every muscle had responded with renewed strength, every movement executed with a speed that he could barely keep up with.
Adrenaline flowed through him, amplifying his senses and sharpening his perception of his surroundings!
He could feel every pulse of his heart, every drop of sweat running down his skin. The energy was so intense that it seemed almost tangible as if he could touch it and shape it at will.
'System, show me my stats' - he whispered mentally.
Ding, ding, ding
[Status]
>Basic Information:
Name: Robert Jovanovich-Lee.
Age: 19 years.
Race: Human (90%) / Transcendent (10%)
HP: 50 (400)
MP: 400 (700)
Strength: 150 (500)
Agility: 140 (300)
Vitality: 750 (1000)
Intelligence: 65 (90)
Perception: 75 (100)
Fatigue: 0
Average Human Value: 10
Additional Points: 55
Unclaimed Rewards: 5
'Mmm… it finally happened, huh? The number in parentheses is the maximum level I can reach, which means it's permanent, right?'
Robert murmured mentally as he saw the new numbers that appeared on the stats list.
[Affirmative. When the passive skill "Limit Breaker" is unlocked, you will be able to use your maximum stats, as well as the "Exp" of this world]
Robert smiled at the system's response, as it was good news. However, that smile gradually faded from his face.
Along with the excitement of surpassing his limits, a deep reflection also came.
As the fight progressed, he began to feel a growing fatigue. His energy, which initially seemed immense, felt like it would crush his body at a certain point, leaving in its place a sensation of exhaustion and weakness.
Although he wasn't paying much attention to what the system was showing him, he did remember how his "Vitality" and "HP" stats were decreasing rapidly.
That was not good.
'System, the rapid decrease in my vitality was due to the extreme load my body was exposed to from the sudden increase in energy, right?'
[Affirmative. Although "Limit Breaker" significantly boosts your stats, your human body was not prepared to handle it. However, your transcendent part helped prevent your muscles from tearing or your bones from breaking. It is recommended that you increase your base levels to withstand the overload of "Limit Breaker" when you use it again.]
'Ha, you make it sound so easy to achieve' - Robert laughed mentally as he contemplated the system's words.
It was evident that his newly awakened potential had reached levels he had never dreamed of. His maximum strength had reached a level fifty times that of an average person, and his speed was almost 300 m/s.
However, it was true that his body was not prepared to handle such sudden tension. It was already a miracle that he was in one piece at that moment.
He knew that the amount of energy that must have been released was so great that a normal body would have exploded into several pieces.
'That energy… system, can you tell me what that energy is?'
His mind began to focus on the nature of the strange energy that had invaded his body when he activated that ability.
What kind of energy was it?
Where did it come from, and what was its true nature?
He knew it wasn't just a matter of adrenaline or physical strength; there was something deeper, something almost mystical in the way he had felt that energy flow through him.
It was possibly a mystical energy like the one used by martial artists in fantasy stories: Chi, Chakra, or deep energy. Maybe that old man who sent him to this world was responsible for it.
[Answering the host, the energy that powers your growth and evolution is ETIOS, the energy that Transcendents wield, the most powerful energy in the Cosmos]
'What?'
Robert did not expect this answer at all. He blinked, assimilating the information as the system continued its explanation.
[Transcendents are one of the most powerful races of interdimensional beings in the Cosmos. They are capable of wielding ETIOS at will, achieving truly incredible feats]
[ETIOS is the purest form of energy that exists in all realities. Destroying continents, erasing solar systems, ending alternate realities, moving forward or backward in time… these are some of the things that beings who wield ETIOS can accomplish, as this type of energy affects the very essence of reality]
The room fell silent as Robert processed this revelation. His mind was flooded with chaotic thoughts, trying to comprehend the magnitude of what he had just heard.
"What the hell?!" - he spoke out loud unconsciously.
For a long time, he had asked his system about its nature, to explain what it meant to be a "Transcendent" but the answers were always unsatisfactory.
You don't have the necessary level yet.
That was the phrase the system always repeated, so Robert gave up asking. However, it seemed that now he had managed to obtain some information.
Now it was dropping all this information out of nowhere?
And not just any information, but something that completely surprised him!
The energy he had felt flowing through him wasn't just a powerful force; it was the essence of reality itself, the same energy used by beings capable of performing unimaginable feats.
Holy crap!
His reaction was almost stupid, with his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide in disbelief. The idea that he had touched, even for a moment, such pure and powerful energy left him speechless.
He couldn't believe everything he was being told!
'Wait, wait, hold on' - Robert tried to organize his chaotic mind - 'Are you telling me that I could use such a magnitude of energy, which I still can't believe, are you seriously telling me that?'
[Affirmative]
'This isn't some troll from that old bastard, right?' - Robert asked again.
[If by "old bastard" you mean the ROB, then no. It's not a joke; the guy ran out of time for jokes]
Robert was about to ask something else, but his thoughts were abruptly halted by the system's response.
'What do you mean by-'
[Ask a useful question, host.]
Robert opened his mouth to inquire about the revelation, but the system interrupted him abruptly.
The unexpected interruption left him stunned. It was evident that the system was evading the question.
What the hell did it mean that the guy had run out of time for jokes?
The refusal to answer and the way it was interrupted made Robert's curiosity spike significantly.
However, he knew he wouldn't gain anything at the moment. He had experience with the system's refusals, so he wouldn't push it. Nevertheless, he would mentally note this incident in the future.
'Fine, fine, getting all special on me' - the young man sighed - 'What I wanted to ask is, if I have such a strong, powerful energy as you say, why couldn't I win the fight?'
[The amount of ETIOS you can currently handle is almost negligible. It's a very diluted and weak version of the true energy. If you were exposed to pure ETIOS, you would be consumed and disappear into nothingness. Your small percentage of Transcendent nature makes you compatible and allows for gradual maturation.]
[Moreover, you didn't lose because your strength or speed was lacking; you lost for two justified reasons: the first is simple, your body wasn't up to the task of handling the sudden excessive energy load. Even if you hadn't been knocked out, it would have been useless to keep fighting after a minute]
Robert grimaced at hearing these words.
[The second reason you lost was because Park Jincheol didn't use any combat abilities against you from the start. While his stats were halved, using abilities in combat makes him achieve true mastery in fighting. Park Jincheol's CQC is one of the strongest skills within the webtoon "Manager Kim." When deployed, it allows him to attack any target within his range.]
Robert didn't know if the system was giving him information or scolding him, but he listened attentively to all the information it had to share.
It was very rare for the system to divulge so much information, apart from the biographies of the different characters he encountered.
In his past life, he had seen and practiced CQC (Close Quarters Combat), a combat style designed for close encounters, typically in confined spaces where there isn't much room for wide movements.
This fighting style focuses on quick and effective techniques to neutralize the opponent at close range, using strikes, blocks, grapples, and disarmament techniques.
Robert knew it very well, but he didn't expect that within a fighting story, it would be given so much importance to turn it into something extremely powerful.
'This situation is messed up' - he murmured mentally.
His current situation was indeed very messed up.
He was unaware of many of his objectives and had been naive. Even though his strength had received a significant boost, his body was falling behind.
Above all, he still didn't know the people he had to fight to fulfill the orders of old General Kim, who, by the way, must be real monsters.
However, this seemed to be the least of his concerns. Putting aside the matter of taking down the gangs in Seoul, the information the system had just given him about ETIOS brought to mind the real reason he was sent to this world.
He didn't understand why the old man who sent him to this world gave him that nature, why he gave him such potential for growth, to become Transcendent and wield such an unbelievable type of energy.
Being capable of controlling time... with abysmal strength to destroy planets and realities... he still couldn't believe it.
He knew that what he was experiencing right now was nothing compared to what he would face in the future, so his vision shouldn't be centered on just a simple gang fight.
He had to look beyond.
'System, tell me more about the information on Transcendents and ETIOS'
[Sorry, but the host's current level is not sufficient to continue providing more information on that topic.]
'Ha… damn, I expected that' - Robert smiled ironically - 'Then, why did you give me all that information about ETIOS if you weren't supposed to tell me anything since my level wasn't sufficient?'
He knew this revelation changed everything. Now he had a new goal: to understand and master ETIOS, not just to improve in combat but to unravel the mysteries of the Cosmos and his potential.
[All the information has been revealed because the host leveled up while unconscious, gaining the right to have information about the energy that flows through his body]
'Wait, hold on' - Robert looked at the system screen and saw that his stats were the same as before he passed out - 'Everything's the same; I don't see that my stats have increased'
[Since you were unconscious, the rewards for successfully surviving your first deadly fight were held in reserve. You need to open the "unclaimed rewards" tab to claim them.]
'Huh? Where… oh, I see it now, here it is'
Robert searched and found a small tab located below his accumulated points. The tab was labeled "unclaimed rewards" and had the number five next to it.
Did that mean he had five rewards?
Click
Ding, ding, ding
[You survived Park Jincheol's first training! You gain twenty additional points]
[Your skill "Advanced Combat Arts" leveled up!]
[You obtained the passive skill "Limit Breaker" – lvl 1: cooldown, eight hours at the current level.]
[New skill classification available!]
[Your nature as a Transcendent leveled up!]
'… this is good, I guess' - Robert muttered with a bit of dismay - 'Go ahead, accept all of them'
It's not that Robert felt discouraged by what he had obtained; he was just a bit annoyed by the system's refusal to give him more information.
Ding, ding, ding
[Accepting all skills... preparing the host for evolution as a Transcendent... initiating the increase of Transcendent nature]
"Wait, what-"
Rumble
Crack!
The next moment, Robert's entire body began undergoing a monstrous qualitative and quantitative change, causing him intense pain!
Slowly, he sank deeper into the bed sheets. It seemed as if the weight of his body had increased dramatically, as the metal legs of the bed began to bend.
"Damn it! This is too much!"
[Percentage increase, loading… 10% -> 11%... 12%]
"What... What the hell is happening?!"
In the next instant, Robert clutched his head as his fingers tangled in his tousled hair, pulling tightly as if trying to rip it out.
"Argh, damn it!"
A stormy headache was now assaulting him, as if his skull were splitting in two, unable to contain a tremendous explosion from within!
This pain was something the boy had never experienced before in his life—an indescribable agony that was rapidly corroding his mind.
Not even when he was sent to this world by that old man did it hurt as much as now!
But this wasn't the worst of it, for the terrifying pain that began in his head soon spread throughout his entire body.
[13%... 14%... 15%...]
Then Robert felt pricks all over, as if stabbed by tens of thousands of blades, causing him to heavily collapse onto the shattered floor and begin to writhe painfully.
"Shit... Argh!"
An immense and sharp agony emanated from every corner of his body, and no matter how hard he clenched his teeth, he couldn't help but let out some painful groans!
Instantly, a series of barely perceptible multicolored patterns began to run through his entire body, as if liquid energy were bathing and illuminating the entire room!
This phenomenon emitted such intense light that it heated his skin to a glowing red as if slowly roasting and deforming his body as if it were a gelatinous mass!
[16%... 17%... 18%...]
After some desperate seconds, which felt like hours of torture, the multicolored patterns disappeared, only to be replaced by an intense multicolored light that engulfed him once again.
Gradually, his body began to deform as if undergoing some kind of metamorphosis!
His contorted body started to jerk spasmodically as if thousands of worms were wriggling beneath his skin!
Crack
Draack
Gkrgggh
Several sounds of bones breaking and skin tearing began emanating from his body, a horrifying spectacle for anyone witnessing it!
But as bizarre as it appeared, it seemed that his deformed body was now slowly assuming the shape of a normal person, just as it had been initially.
However, for Robert, the indescribable pain persisted!
It was a pain that no real words could express, a pain that far exceeded the capacity of any human to endure!
[19%.... 20%]
This agonizing pain continued relentlessly in Robert's mind until the system gave him a new notification.
Ding, ding, ding
[The host has achieved a 20% integration of their Transcendent nature!]
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