Within an underground floor, tens of capsules filled with sleeping people are set.
Each one of them was not simply kept inside the capsule, but had a crystal shard in some part of their body.
These individuals are known as the first awakened, those who were meant to be the first to experience the great power of the system in the past.
But, due to some unknown reason, when mana first emerged into the world, these people couldn't hold on to the sudden energy entering them.
Instead of making the mana that entered them into power, it instead consumed them, making them go into slumber.
Now, hundreds of years into the future, the current generation has figured out how to bring them back, allowing them to continue their lives.
Although it may have taken hundreds of years, they are now free from their eternal slumber.
***
Walking through the rows of capsules before them, the guards on today's schedule could not help but sigh.
"To think each one of these people used to live hundreds of years ago," a voice from one of the men said.
"Pity," a woman said back.
He glanced at her. "Pity? How so?"
"These people's families are already dead, and when they wake up from here, they'll have to live in another era they don't know anything about." She stopped for a bit.
"Living in a new era, where everything has changed, from small to big... wouldn't that be scary?" she asked, looking at the two before her.
The two stayed silent, but understood her words.
Then suddenly, a notification called out to them, informing them that one of the first awakened had regained consciousness.
Knowing this, the three ran towards where this person should be, and a moment later, they found him.
Pulling out a tablet and a tiny box, they moved towards the gasping man on the cold steel floor.
"Hello..." the woman said in a natural tone.
"Do you remember anything?" she asked, grabbing the man's arm and placing the tiny box on his wrist.
The man didn't say anything, instead keeping his hand on his head, feeling intense pain all over his body.
{ Mana has been stabilized }
The device said out loud, then suddenly the man's chest area glowed.
The mana shard before him slowly sank into his body.
No blood. No wound. It simply got absorbed within him.
"Hoo... so that's how it looks," she uttered, finally witnessing the so-called "Mana embed" that their senior talked about.
The moment the mana shard was completely taken into the man's body, he looked up at the three.
His expression carried pure confusion and pain, before he passed out.
"Goodnight," the woman said, standing up.
"What are you two waiting for?" she asked. "Carry him to the camp, now," she ordered.
The two quickly did as she said.
Lifting the unconscious man onto their backs, they left the area, along with the open capsule he belonged to.
***
• First-person narrative •
Looking around my room, I couldn't believe it had already been a month since I woke up in this era.
In this past month, many others like me have awakened from their sleep, filling the camp we're in with people from the past.
"Aaaa..." Nothing. Nothing again.
All this time, I've been trying to say a word, only for nothing to come out.
Compared to others like me, whose situations range from weak legs to uncontrollable leaks, I couldn't speak at all.
Disappointed, I stood up and left my room, moving down to the cafeteria on the ground floor.
As I went down the stairs, I crossed paths with several people like me, wearing white uniforms.
No words were exchanged — just simple nods and smiles.
Ignoring that, I entered the cafeteria, approached the vending machine, and selected the fried rice option.
I grabbed the tiny ticket the machine dispensed and moved to a table near a window to wait.
A moment later, a tiny pink creature, shaped like a ball with small wings on its back, carried the food I chose on its head.
It handed me the plate, which I took and began eating.
After finishing, I looked into the void and whispered:
"I need to get out of here before I go crazy..."
But for now, I needed to fix myself. Leaving this place unprepared would be the worst thing to do.
So until I can leave this place on my own two feet, I will follow what people want me to do.
As each passing day goes on, I learn the history I slept through, thanks to the lessons given to us.
The more I learned about how things have gone over the last 500 years, the more I became dedicated to fixing myself.
---
A week after I decided to fix myself, I was finally able to say a word, and the first thing I did was summon the system of this world.
After I managed to summon it, the people in this camp examined me and gave me a rank based on the results I had.
In that examination, I was given a D-rank level, thanks to my embedded ability, awakened ability, and system first skill.
Days passed by, and during this time I kept exercising, as it was the only thing I could do to entertain myself.
Although there are tons of shows and movies on the net, I couldn't get myself into them, as I didn't understand most of them at all.
But I made sure to still watch some of them to understand the current culture and norms of the current era...
And honestly, not much has changed at all.
Somehow, it felt like the day I fell asleep, humanity only moved forward in everything, but not in cultural appropriation.
Being honest, I found exercising more entertaining now.
Since each time I pushed myself to my limit, my stats increased, giving me more motivation.
Seeing the numbers in my stats go up in real time makes me smile when it happens, and only keeps me pushing to do better.
I basically became a perpetual machine; each time my stats go up, I keep pushing myself to increase them and repeat the process.
Unfortunately, after three months in this camp, I couldn't increase them anymore.
When I asked the people in this era why that happened, and why I couldn't increase them anymore.
They answered that I had probably already hit the limit of human capability in increasing one stat through exercise.
Bummer, but oh well.
At least this means I'm already at peak human level, just by exercising for three months without stopping.
During this time, many people from the past were able to leave this place and enter society once again.
I wonder when it will be my turn though? I'm already able to speak as I did before I fell asleep.
---
Days continued. I studied the changes in the era, and one thing I learned is that the current world has only one currency.
Not only that, many races you would only see or hear about in the fantasy genre are now integrated into everyday life.
Races like demi-humans, elves, dwarves, and other peaceful races are now living among us.
"This world has truly changed beyond what I could understand."
***
Four months after waking up, I finally received the news that I could now return to society or leave this place.
Allowing me to get out of here.
Finally! Actual news I wanted.
Packing the things I got and earned during my time here, I was ready to finally leave this place and live on my own.
Though the idea that the world I knew is already gone, I didn't feel anything at all... after witnessing all of that.
Standing just outside the gate of the camp, I looked one last time at this place and hoped those who couldn't leave yet stayed safe.
"Stay safe out there," one of the workers said to me and the others who were about to leave.
Currently, we were waiting for the ride to take us out of here.
Looking at him, the others simply nodded and smiled. Seeing this,
I decided to thank them wholeheartedly, since doing so does not take anything from me.
From how the workers reacted, it seems this was a rare thing to happen...
God... how did those people before me leave this place, for them to react like this?
A moment later, a bus arrived.
With nothing else to do, we entered the bus and let it take us to the nearest city.
Like that, people like me, who belong to the past, left the home that welcomed us the moment we woke up in this era.
I don't know what others were thinking, but I couldn't care less about it.