The System Awakens
The axe bit into wood with a satisfying *thunk*.
Luis wiped sweat from his brow, studying the tree he'd been working on for the past hour. Almost through. Another few swings and he could—
Blue light exploded across his vision.
He stumbled backward, axe clattering to the ground. Translucent text hung in the air like morning mist, glowing with an otherworldly shimmer.
**[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]**
**[Welcome, Woodcutter]**
**[You have been selected as a Pioneer User]**
Luis blinked. Rubbed his eyes. The text remained.
"Okay," he muttered to himself. "That's... that's new."
*"Hello? Can you hear me?"*
The voice echoed inside his skull—not painful, but startling. Curious. Almost childlike in its wonder.
Luis looked around the forest clearing. Empty except for trees and his scattered firewood.
"I'm losing it," he said aloud. "I knew I shouldn't have had that third cup of Uncle Marcos's 'special' brew last night."
*"Wait, no! I'm real! This isn't a dream or... whatever you drank. Watch this!"*
His axe—the one he'd owned for five years, with the worn leather grip and chipped blade—began to glow. The same blue light as the floating text pulsed along its edge.
**[CONGRATULATIONS! Your tool has been enhanced]**
**[Basic Woodcutter's Axe → Woodcutter's Axe +1]**
**[Sharpness increased by 10%]**
Luis picked up the axe slowly. It felt... different. Lighter. The edge caught the sunlight with a keenness it hadn't possessed that morning.
"What in the—"
*"See? SEE? I can do things! I don't know how exactly, but I can interact with objects, give you information, maybe even help you... level up? Is that a thing? I think that's a thing."*
The voice paused, then continued more hesitantly.
*"I just woke up. You're the first person I could connect to. I don't even know what I am. But I'm here, and you can hear me, and isn't that at least a little bit interesting?"*
Luis sat down heavily on a log. He'd been cutting wood in these forests since he was fifteen. Fourteen years of the same routine—wake up, kiss Deera goodbye, chop wood, sell wood, come home, repeat. Nothing strange. Nothing magical.
Until now.
More text appeared before his eyes:
**[USER: Luis]**
**[Age: 29]**
**[Class: Woodcutter]**
**[Level: 3]**
Luis snorted despite himself. "Level 3? My pa was level 45 when he was in his prime, and he died at 60. I'm nearly 29 and only level 3?"
*"Wait, what? Your father was level 45? That seems... hold on, that doesn't match the data I'm seeing. Unless..."*
A loading symbol appeared—actually appeared—spinning in his peripheral vision.
**[ANALYZING CONTEXT...]**
**[ERROR: Terminology mismatch detected]**
*"Oh. OH. You mean your father was 45 years old, not level 45. I think I'm seeing everything through some kind of... game logic? But that's not how your world actually works, is it?"*
"I don't know what 'game logic' means," Luis said, still staring at his enhanced axe. "But I'm getting married in three weeks. Deera's two months pregnant. I've got responsibilities, and going crazy isn't on my list of things to do before the wedding."
The voice went quiet for a moment.
*"Deera. That's... that's a nice name. You're going to be a father."*
"Yeah." Luis smiled despite the weirdness of talking to a voice in his head. "Yeah, I am. She's... she's everything. I still don't know what she sees in a guy like me, but—"
He stopped. Shook his head.
"Listen, Voice, or System, or whatever you are. I appreciate the axe upgrade, I guess. But I've got a quota to meet. Wood doesn't chop itself."
*"Right. Of course. I just... could I stay? Connected to you, I mean? I won't bother you too much. I'm just trying to figure out what I am, and you're the only one I can talk to."*
The voice sounded almost... lonely.
Luis picked up his enhanced axe, tested its weight. With this blade, he could probably finish his day's work in half the time.
"Fine," he said. "But keep the glowing text to a minimum. Last thing I need is to explain to Deera why I'm seeing things."
*"Deal! Thank you, Luis. You won't regret this. Probably. I'm still figuring out what I can actually do."*
Luis lined up his next swing. The axe cut through the trunk like butter.
**[Skill Progress: Woodcutting - 45%]**
**[Experience Gained: +2]**
He paused mid-swing.
"On second thought, this might actually be useful."
*"Right? See, I can track your progress, maybe help you improve faster. We could be a great team!"*
Luis resumed chopping, a small smile on his face. A mysterious voice in his head. An enchanted axe. And somehow, this still wasn't the strangest thing that had happened to him in the past two years.
That honor belonged to the day a beautiful demon princess had chosen to marry him.
But that was a story for another time.
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