Jaka sat cross-legged in the shade of a leaning palm, a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead. The notification had already popped up hours ago—Level 2.
He didn't react then.
Not because he wasn't surprised.
But because he expected it.
This was his code, after all.
He exhaled through his nose, letting his breath steady. The forest around him hummed with distant life—birds, insects, the soft rustle of leaves.
"DPIM."
The interface flickered to life. The numbers looked about right—Overflow still existed, naturally. Some of the weapons had gained a few points. But what interested him wasn't the old data.
It was the two new tabs glowing faintly beneath the main menu:
[Skills Unlocked]
[Abilities Unlocked]
He smirked.
"Right on cue," he muttered, tapping the [Skills] tab.
...
...
....
[Aqualure]← Fishing Skill.
[Culinary Craft]← Cooking Skill.
What the— That's it!? Oh, right. I forgot.
Skills weren't just about doing something. Players could swing a sword a hundred times, but if you didn't meet the system's requirements—no Skill.
Skills required intent, technique, and most importantly... acknowledgement by the system.
It wasn't enough to flail. You had to mean it. You had to want to learn.
He sighed, leaning back. "Guess just surviving with a sword doesn't count as swordsmanship, but at least I got Gathering and Cooking Skills."
The [Abilities] tab pulsed gently. He opened it.
[Eyes of the Lord]
Type: System Perception
Rank: SS (Transcendental)
Description:
Grants developer-level insight that overlays the world with system-generated outlines, allowing perception through darkness, illusions, and obstructions. Grants direct access to the structural data of reality—revealing object stats, durability, hidden tags, enchantments, and internal values. Crafted, improvised, or enchanted items are instantly recognized, while living entities display names, and levels.
Note:
Originally designed as a debugging tool by the game's creator, this vision now serves as a weapon of clarity.
Jaka chuckled.
"Oh yeah. I remember this."
Abilities, unlike Skills, were innate or granted. You didn't train for them. They were either part of your essence—or given by something higher.
This wasn't a player tool. This was his own admin lens—backdoor access for debugging and development. He hadn't meant for it to ever activate in the wild.
He looked down at a small rock beside him and tapped it gently.
A pulse of translucent blue data flickered.
[Object: River Stone]
Durability: 999/1000
Material: Basalt
Weight: 0.8 kg
Classification: Natural Resource
Tags: Common / Environment / Ignored
He blinked slowly. "It's reading the raw data layer."
He grinned. "God, I missed this."
He tapped over to the next Abilities.
[Underdog]
Type: Modifiers
Rank: S (Legendary)
Description:
Strength blooms in the shadow of giants, where every step feels like you're barely holding on, yet somehow, that's when you grow the most.
Note:
It's funny, really—only when you're outclassed, outmatched, and about to be crushed, do you find the will to rise. But don't get too comfortable; the moment the giants leave, your growth slows down faster than your ego.
Jaka's eyes narrowed, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Oh, great," he muttered under his breath, "Really trying to rub it in now, huh?"
He tapped the air with exaggerated patience, speaking aloud to the invisible entity. "Listen, System, if you're going to lecture me about 'growth' and 'rising,' maybe try giving me something that doesn't feel like a constant slap to the face—because clearly, you're just here to watch me struggle."
Jaka paused, waiting for a response. His smirk faded into a frown as the System remained as silent as ever.
"Nothing? Typical. I guess it's not like you care about my suffering. But hey, at least the note's got some good drama. Just a shame it didn't come with a side of actual help."
And then—
[System Message]
You've been granted Underdog because you're a modern adult male forcibly yeeted into medieval hell. Currently: screaming at trees, eating failed girl food, sagu worms, and dodging arrows. Survival bonus granted.
Jaka's eye twitched. He stared at the message for a long moment, his disbelief palpable.
"Did… did you just call me out? You're actually making fun of me, right? Yeeted into medieval hell? Is this some kind of joke? Oh, no, I'm not laughing—this is just perfect. My suffering has become a punchline."
He threw his hands up in frustration, spinning around in a dramatic motion as if expecting the universe to offer him a drink for his troubles.
"Can't wait for the next one. Maybe I'll get a special bonus for 'best tree screamer of the year.'"
The forest still ignored Jaka.
He rubbed his face, sighing deeply, his shoulders slumping as the weight of the situation really set in. "God, I miss having a keyboard..."
He shook his head and stared up at the sky. "This... this is why I hated those 'immersive' games."
He tapped over to the next Ability.
[Abnormal Resistance]
Type: Defences
Rank: B (Rare)
Description:
Gain passive resistance to status effects such as poison, confusion, sleep, fear, and charm. Increased recovery rate from status debuffs.
Note:
You are spiritually not from here.
Your body has adapted to resist foreign toxins, curses, charms, and culinary war crimes.
Resilience scales with exposure.
Jaka blinked. Then laughed—hard. "Culinary war crimes? Really?"
[System Message]
Based on data: subject has survived ingesting 34 failed meals by subject "Laksita". Estimated internal organ damage: manageable. Toxin resistance unlocked out of pity.
He doubled over, wheezing. "Out of pity? You passive-aggressive piece of shi-"
No response.
"Of course. You'll roast my taste and insult my life choices, but the moment I talk back, you ghost me. Typical."
He tapped the side of his head, muttering, "Wish I had a reset button for you."
Silence.
Then, almost as if in smug defiance—
[System Suggestion]
Acquire 'Gourmand's Curse' to complete your suffering-based resistance set.
Jaka stared at the screen, deadpan. "I will eat grass before I let that happen."
He narrowed his eyes at the data pane. Flipped it back to Core Stats. Looked at his Job Proficiency.
Martialist H (27/100)
A faint frown tugged his lips.
"…Wait."
He swiped the menu, scrolling past the Skill and Ability log again, double-checking.
No trace of Blade Memory, Deflection Rhythm, or any of the sword line traits. None of the elegant sword skills or abilities he'd trained for.
"I trained under Ra Kuti," he muttered. "Two months of drills. Swords till my arms went numb. That should have triggered something."
Nothing.
And then his eyes fell on the classification again: Martialist.
His mouth parted.
"…Oh."
Of course. It wasn't a bug.
It was his own damn design.
Martialist wasn't a focused class.
It was a military-class job, built to reflect versatility over mastery. A soldier, not a specialist. It didn't offer blade-specific bonuses, or spear-specific boosts. Because in wartime, any weapon could be in your hands. Spear today. Bow tomorrow. Sword by necessity.
He buried his face in his hands and groaned.
"How did I forget!?"
Specialization Choice.
Once players reach Level 2, they must choose a weapon specialization. After this choice, all other weapon proficiencies become significantly harder to improve, directing the player's growth primarily toward mastering their chosen weapon.
The path was designed to reward commitment, to sharpen a player's skills with time. Each weapon offered specific passive bonuses, mastery over their use, and powerful abilities tied to that weapon.
But Jaka? He hadn't gotten that choice. He was rare. Among all the beta testers, only 5% of them had encountered a glitch in the system, a rare bug that gave them the Martialist class at Level 1.
Unlike the 95% of beta testers, Jaka didn't get to choose.
He was the Jack of All Trades. His skills would never specialize.
He would never have the precision of a swordsman, the range of an archer, or the strength of a spearman. Instead, he would always be a soldier, capable of using anything, but never mastering anything.
He wasn't meant to be a knight. Not a hunter. Not a duelist.
A soldier.
One that never broke the system. One that bent just enough to live through it.
The interface shimmered again.
[New Ability Discovered]
[Jack of All Trade]
Type: Utility
Rank: Rare (A)
Description:
All weapon proficiencies increase passively over time with use. Increase effectiveness during battle. Cannot achieve full mastery, but can wield most weapons with competence.
Note:
You are not the best. But you are never the worst. Some fight with mastery. You fight with momentum. Adaptability is a weapon.
Jaka stared at the new ability. A strange, wry smile tugged at his lips.
"Not the best… but never the worst. Yeah, that feels about right."
The rush of excitement that usually came with unlocking new powers didn't come.
There were no grand images of glory in his mind, no desire to rush into battle to prove himself.
He'd always been about surviving, adapting, and moving forward. This was just… another tool in his toolbox.
But this time, it wasn't just about surviving.
His eyes flicked back to his core stats. Martialist. A generalist. The jack of all trades.
He'd never be a swordmaster. Never the bow expert. Never a spear-wielder with perfect form. But he was versatile. Flexible. A soldier who could handle anything, even if he didn't specialize in one weapon.
And yet…
A reminder. Something he'd almost forgotten in the previous world.
Ra Kuti.
Ra Kuti had been his idea. The Sword Saint. An unmatched warrior, perfect in his discipline, revered across nations. A blade that embodied everything noble and honorable about the art of the sword.
It had been his creation—a concept meant to inspire the players and moral compass of Majapahit, to offer them the chance to choice honor or war crimes.
But, in the end, it was scrapped.
And the world and system decided to bring him alive. Ra Kuti, the Sword Saint, had manifested as an actual figure. Not a ghost of an idea, not a scrapped concept, but a living, breathing warrior.
But there was a twist, Jaka realized with growing excitement. This Ra Kuti—this living Saint Sword. His power, his grace, his aura—they were all amplified by the system. And worse—he was here, now, with Jaka. To train him.
This wasn't just about leveling up his stats. This was about taking everything he had learned, using the abilities he now possessed, and weaponizing the very fact that the system had taken his scrapped idea and brought it to life.
Jaka exhaled slowly, a grin slowly forming on his lips.
"Oh, this is perfect. Thank you, system, for bringing Ra Kuti alive. Now, I can uses him for my growth."