Sigh.

"I'm impressed. Even though you're lacking in many aspects, your acting is commendable," her voice echoed in his mind. He wasn't comfortable with this yet but was starting to adjust.

"I wouldn't call it acting. I meant most of what I said," he replied aloud.

"Nice point. But you don't have to speak up. We're linked telepathically."

"Oh, whatever," he shrugged.

Rachael had left to inform his father about his recovery, leaving him alone. Taking this opportunity, Art decided to check his status.

[Name]: Art Von Silver

[Race]: Human

[Level]: 1

[EXP]: 0/1

[HP]: 10/10

[MP]: ???

[STR]: 1

[AGI]: 1

[STA]: 1

[VIT]: 1

[INT]: 0

[Attribute]: None

[System Remark]: Pitiful

Art's lips twitched. His stats reminded him of the term "binary" from his former world.

"System, I refuse to accept this evaluation. Especially the intelligence stat. I'm not that dumb. How can it be zero?" he protested. "And what's with that remark. Stop rubbing it in my face.

Without warning, information flooded his mind, explaining the stats. It wasn’t as painful as the first time, but it wasn't pleasing either.

The intelligence stat wasn't about general IQ but the ability to learn and manipulate magic. With zero points, his magical potential was non-existent.

An average base mage, if converted to system stats, had 10 points in all stats except intelligence, which was 30, and 50 MP. Meanwhile, an average Silver of his age had 30 points across the board, and 15 intelligence, MP, which simply meant mana point. It was the amount of mana they possessed.

The boy he'd seen earlier, for example, was at least 30 times stronger.

"Do you think I can do this?"

'Honestly? No,' her voice replied bluntly.

"That's harsh."

"Remember what you said about surpassing everyone's expectations? That includes me. Don't tell me you're giving up already."

Her disappointment stung, but it fueled his resolve.

The system revealed that he could only grow stronger by completing quests or killing others, including beats and humans. The latter was out of the question for now due to his current state.

He opened the quest tab.

[Quests Available Tomorrow]

'You should rest. Trust me, you'll need it,' she advised.

"Fine," he muttered, staring at the darkening sky.

Rachael soon returned with a vegetarian dinner. Despite his initial reluctance, he found it surprisingly delicious and felt a bit stronger afterward.

Not long after, he drifted to sleep.

Rachael covered him with a blanket and stayed for some time before retiring for the night.

***

The next morning, Art woke reluctantly. The comfortable bed tempted him to stay longer, but memories of his past life stirred his anger.

If only he had this in his past life, then he wouldn't have gone out on that date.

A notification blinked before him. He wanted to shove it aside before feeling a pair of eyes staring intensely, causing him to immediately sit up. 

[Quests Now Accessible]

'Looks like you were enjoying yourself,' she teased.

Ignoring her, he checked the quest menu.

[Daily Quests]

[Short-term Quests]

[Long-term Quests]

He began checking them one after the other.

[Daily Quests]

100 Push-ups

100 Sit-ups

100 Press-ups

10 km Run

5 Litres of Water

5 kg of food

"WHAT?!" he shouted. "That's insane! Are you trying to kill me before the sickness does? I'd be lucky to do one-tenth of that in my current state."

He didn't have much of a problem with the eating section. He would do that even without the system, but the exercise section was asking for too much.

"Daily quests mean you can complete them throughout the day. It's not like you have to do it at once.' she explained.

He decided to pace himself but noticed the short-term quest, which caused his jaws to drop.

 

[Due to Host's unstable mana core, death will occur in:]

[2:20:43:20]

[Solution: Reach Level 5 to stabilize your core.]

 

"Three days?!" he exclaimed.

"Guess I'll be doing the daily quests after all," he muttered wryly. He thought he heard her chuckle.

Opening the long-term quest, he was shocked even further.

 

[Become the Most Powerful Mage in Ghia – Time Left: 5 years.]

 

"At 23? The system sure has high hopes for me," he said, shaking his head with a nervous but excited smile.

"You'd better put action to those words," her voice chided.

"I will. After completing my first quest," he replied.

'Which is...'

"I thought you could read my mind." He asked in confusion. 

'Not really. I can tell what you're thinking, depending on how deep and complex the thoughts are and how your brain processes them. I would love to explain further, but your intelligence stat shows that I'll only be wasting my time.'

His mouth twitched, wondering how long she was going to stay in his head. 

A knock interrupted his thoughts.

"Art, breakfast is ready," Rachael announced.

"I'll be there shortly," he said, heading to the bathroom.

"Want help washing up?" She asked innocently, stirring embarrassing memories.

"No!" he snapped, surprising her a little.

"Alright," she said as she walked away.

Inside, he admired the mana-powered shower but paused when he noticed his frail frame. His ribs were visible, yet, thankfully, he wasn’t lacking down there.

"Wait... Can you see through my eyes?!"

'Obviously.'

"Can you see me now?!" 

'...'

"ANSWER ME!"

'Come on, don't be shy,' she teased, making his face burn red.

"GET OUT OF MY FREAKING HEAD!" he yelled.

"