[Quest Complete]
[Minor Recognition Gained: Level +1]
[Minor Resource Rights Granted: Spiritual Recovery +360 per hour]
[Minor Noble Crest: Obtained]
[Mei — Level 2]
[Race: Half Mortal — Half Conceptual Entity]
[Profession: Unseen Noble]
[Title: Restorer of Desolation]
[Age: 8]
HP: 81/100 (+0.6 per hour)
Spiritual: 12/1020 (+371.2 per hour)
Points: 4470
— Physical — (2)
STR: 0.4 (+)
AGI: 0.5 (+)
VIT: 0.6 (+)
INT: 0.7 (+)
PER: 11.2 (+10) (+)
—
As Mei lay down, she couldn't do anything else except look at the System Panel. It seemed she needed to lie down for at least an hour. Even though it said "per hour," in reality it continuously replenished her.
100 Spiritual was the base for most people. Some might have more, some less, but most were around this number. She only needed 100, but for the sake of emergencies, she felt that resting for an hour would let her store more.
"Can you hear me?" Mei spoke in her mind. Since she couldn't do anything, she might as well try to communicate with the man who called himself [System].
She couldn't speak, so she could only place her hope that they could communicate through thought.
[Yes]
It seemed that she could.
"What is your goal, and what will become of me?"
[I haven't thought about my performance goal yet. At the very least, your brother should be involved in the martial path—cultivating Qi, and probably becoming the strongest in the world.]
[As for what you will become, you don't need to think about it. You are not fully part of us, so it will likely be harder for you to express yourself, harder to feel emotion, and you may feel an urge to travel somewhere and fulfill your duty.]
[But you are only a small part, so rest assured—you only need to manage the area within your reach.]
"So what about the clothing? I've never worn that kind of clothing before… it felt really comfortable to wear."
[It is some kind of default—a preference, you could say, of the one who created this. As for me, I simply prefer suits… and cafés. It became my default.]
[It is called Noble, so it matches what a Noble should wear. And as for why it is like that—it is because the one who created it likes it. That is all.]
She looked down at herself.
The noble coat was gone.
In its place was coarse linen—rough, faded, and familiar. A simple top tied at the side, sleeves worn and rolled. Dark trousers, stained with soot, the fabric thin from years of use.
It was the same as before.
Plain.
Unremarkable.
"Are you the Unseen Royalty… the one who gave me this mark?"
Even though she was sure it should be [System]'s doing, she still wanted to ask.
[I don't know. It seems so. I only know what I am capable of doing—but not why.]
"Your way of speaking sounds so ordinary… I'm really surprised. What kind of being are you?"
[You already know. I do not know more than you.]
"That answer is… surprisingly direct. Are you some kind of Immortal?"
In Mei's mind, she had always heard rumors that Immortals existed—beings capable of things like this… or so she thought.
[You should not say that. It is disrespectful to [Immortal]. You may not understand it now, but remember this—no one should be called Immortal lightly. As for those who truly deserve that title… you will know once you have seen one.]
She could feel the seriousness in [System]'s words. so she changed the topic.
"Can you tell me what those numbers mean?" Mei asked, referring to the new values that had appeared next to her physical stats, as well as the changes behind her level.
[I will keep it simple. You know that if you exercise, you become stronger, right? Now—you can't. Your body is no longer purely biological. It cannot grow on its own.]
[As for levels—each time you level up, you gain points that can be added to your stats. That is how you grow stronger.]
[You can only level up by completing quests.]
[But remember—this is not normal growth for mortals. This is Rule-level adjustment.]
[If misused, it is possible to add too much to [STR]—and shatter your own body with a single punch.]
"Can you help me?" Mei asked. If that was the case, couldn't [System] just give her as many quests as possible so she could grow faster?
[Impossible. We need to follow the rules.]
"…?"
"Aren't you the one who gave the quests?"
[Yes.]
"Then why…? And how many more Nobles—or even Royalty—exist?"
[I also don't know. There are conditions required for quests to be given. At most, I can only give you quests that do not involve leveling. And currently, there are only two—one Noble, one Royalty… us.]
"Huh…?"
[Well, you see—for you to go higher, it requires merit. What I can give you is limited support at most.]
[Levels are not about stats. They are about rank. Stats are just a bonus for mortals like you. Right now, you are only a Minor Noble at best. The higher your level, the closer you are to promotion.]
Mei became even more confused. If there were only two, then who had given the quests—and who decided all of this?
Since it seemed this conversation would not go anywhere, she decided to stop.
"What should I add points into?" Mei asked. This was her first time.
[STR—you already know about it.
AGI is about reaction and how your body responds to signals.
VIT is about your body's resilience—resistance to damage, how fast wounds heal, resistance to disease, and endurance.
INT is how fast you can think and how well you can handle complex thoughts. However, no matter how fast you think or how complex it is, without knowledge to support it, it will only amount to a "muscle brain" at most.
PER you should be familiar with—it involves how you perceive the world and your instincts, including a sixth sense.]
[I recommend AGI and VIT. VIT helps with sudden movement, making it harder for you to be injured from abrupt motion. AGI helps send signals to your brain faster—in emergencies, you can activate [Noble Presence] more quickly.]
Since the System had already recommended it, she chose to follow. She focused, thinking about adding points.
[1000 Points Required]
"Points?"
Suddenly, another line of text appeared before her.
"So this is what those points are for…"
[At least for now. Later, I can create things for you to purchase with them.]
AGI: 1.5 (+1)
-1000 Points!
VIT: 1.6 (+1)
-1000 Points!
Points: 2470
Even in her paralyzed state, she could feel the changes in her body. Something was different… she seemed taller.
But she still couldn't move—so she had no idea what she even looked like now.
[Mei — Level 2]
[Race: Half Mortal — Half Conceptual Entity]
[Profession: Unseen Noble]
[Title: Restorer of Desolation]
[Age: 8]
HP: 81/100 (+1.6 per hour)
Spiritual: 12/1020 (+371.2 per hour)
Points: 2470
— Physical —
STR: 0.4
AGI: 1.5 (+1)
VIT: 1.6 (+1)
INT: 0.7
PER: 11.2 (+10)
—
As time passed, she couldn't think of anything else, so she simply waited in silence.
As she thought of her neighbors—or even her own family—she realized she didn't feel as much hatred as she had expected.
Even when thinking about the barbarians who massacred her village, she knew that if she could, she would still kill them.
But she also knew—
it would not be for revenge.
It would be what she would do, based on memory.
After two hours had passed, she finally decided to get up and looked at her [System] Panel.
HP: 84.2/100 (+1.6 per hour)
Spiritual: 754.4/1020 (+371.2 per hour)
—
"[System]… what can this crest do?" Mei asked in her mind as she noticed a blank crest appearing on her clothing.
[It's tied to factions. Once you pick one, you'll get some authority from it. It also serves as proof that you are a Noble.]
"So… nothing?"
[Being a Noble isn't just a title. It's different from what mortals think—it comes with meaning.]
[You'll get it… eventually.]
[And I recommend you purchase this item. I just created it.]
A new panel appeared before her.
[Envoy Glove]
[Effect: Can summon a designated image to the current location. The image can speak and observe surroundings. Only the wearer can see and hear it. Consumes 60 Spiritual per hour.]
[Cost: 1500 Points]
[Select me as the image and summon me.]
He chose this method to see the outside world. As he had said before, he could only observe through Mei's senses—or appear like this at a cost.
Mei didn't question it. She acted immediately.
-1500 Points
Points: 970
An ivory-white glove trimmed with gold appeared out of thin air before her. It felt smooth—similar to the fabric she had worn in her Noble form.
Next, she tried to imagine what [System] looked like.
But the more she thought, the more the image faded—
As if she wasn't allowed to remember.
Realizing this, she stopped.
"…It works."
She looked at the glove on her hand. The same mark had appeared upon it.
"Good."
She could see him now—an ordinary man.
But she didn't pay much attention.
"So… what next?" Mei asked.
"…Follow your sense."
"But I don't know."
"Then follow it anyway. Find the next place where the aura of Desolation gathers."
He could only say that much. In this form, he couldn't feel anything himself.
"…South?"
Mei faintly sensed something gathering in that direction.
An invitation.
"If you say south… then we go south."
He walked ahead of her, but it wasn't that he passed through the ruins—the path itself opened for him. Wherever he stepped, the surrounding wreckage faded away, collapsing into nothing as if it had never existed in the first place. As a mere image, he should not have been able to do any of this. The ground beneath his feet turned dry, yet he didn't seem to notice anything wrong.
Even Mei almost forgot about her village, about everything that had happened. But somehow, she could still remember—perhaps because she was part of the same force.
She could feel it clearly. This place had already reached the absolute limit of what Desolation could become.
Then a green aura began to spread. Part of it came from her body, while more appeared from nowhere, as though the space itself was responding. The land's vitality slowly began to recover.
Only then did Mei realize how short-sighted she had been. If Desolation were simply destroyed, how could anything recover? She had almost forgotten her duty as a Restorer—if left alone, the land would remain in ruin forever.
He didn't have that authority—she could sense it. And yet, by forcing Desolation to its absolute peak through his presence alone, he had triggered the next stage directly.
Restoration.
Because she had forgotten her role, her lingering power remained within the land. His presence—even as a mere image—used it as a medium, like second nature, as if it were something that happened every day… something that was meant to happen, carrying a fragment of his authority. He did not restore. Instead, he forced Desolation to its peak—leaving the world no choice but to enter Restoration.
So that was what it should be.
No—
what they should be.
As it should.
Mei followed behind.
Her gaze drifted upward.
The sky shimmered with flowing colors—beautiful, almost unreal.
But she knew—
the more beautiful it seemed…
the more dangerous it was.
As she walked forward, she realized—
this was her first time leaving the village.
And yet—
she felt no resistance. as she look forward to future.