Pain.
That was the last thing Fredy remembered.
A sharp, crushing pain in his chest—then nothing.
No heaven.
No hell.
No grand meeting with a god.
Just… silence.
---
When consciousness returned, it came slowly, like he was being dragged up from deep water.
"…gh…"
Fredy's eyes snapped open.
The first thing he saw was a cracked ceiling.
The second thing he felt… was cold.
Not the comfortable kind. The kind that seeped into your bones.
He was lying on something hard—concrete.
"…Where…?"
His voice came out dry and weak.
Fredy forced himself up, his body trembling as if he hadn't used it in years. His vision blurred for a moment before stabilizing.
A narrow alley stretched around him.
Dark. Dirty. The smell of garbage lingered in the air.
Somewhere in the distance, a siren wailed.
Fredy froze.
This wasn't a hospital.
This wasn't anywhere he recognized.
"…Didn't I die?"
The memory hit him all at once.
The impact.
The pain.
Darkness.
There was no doubt about it.
He had died.
Yet here he was.
Alive.
---
Before he could process it further—
[System Initializing…]
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
Fredy stiffened.
"…What?"
A faint blue screen flickered into existence before his eyes.
---
[Limit-Break System Activated]
[Host: Fredy]
[Core Principle: Growth through limit-breaking]
---
Fredy stared at it.
"…System?"
His heart began to pound.
Reincarnation.
System.
This kind of setup—he knew it.
From the countless web novels he had read.
A slow grin started to form on his face.
"So I actually got one…"
This was it.
His chance.
Power. Strength. A new life—
"Show status."
The screen shifted instantly.
---
[Status]
Strength: 1
Endurance: 1
Speed: 1
---
Fredy blinked.
"…That's it?"
No skills.
No abilities.
No special traits.
Just… numbers.
And low ones at that.
His excitement cooled slightly.
"…Alright. Growth system, right?"
He clenched his fist.
"Then how do I grow?"
---
[Condition: Break your limits]
---
"…That's vague."
Fredy frowned.
"What does that even—"
---
[Warning: Growth rate is extremely low under normal conditions]
---
Silence.
Fredy stared at the message.
"…Extremely low?"
A bad feeling crept into his chest.
He stood up fully now, testing his body. It felt… normal.
No hidden power.
No sudden strength.
Just an average person.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
---
A sudden shout echoed from the other end of the alley.
"Hey! Someone's there!"
Fredy turned sharply.
Footsteps.
More than one.
Rough voices. Aggressive.
"…Trouble already?"
Three figures stepped into view.
Men. Rough-looking. Street thugs.
One of them smirked. "Well, look what we found."
Fredy's stomach tightened.
No weapon.
No power.
Unknown place.
This was bad.
Very bad.
---
"Hand over what you've got," another said, cracking his knuckles.
Fredy took a slow step back.
"I don't have anything."
"Then you're useless."
The first man shrugged.
"Beat him anyway."
---
Fredy didn't wait.
He turned and ran.
His footsteps echoed loudly as he sprinted through the alley, heart pounding wildly in his chest.
"Catch him!"
They were faster.
Much faster.
A hand grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back.
"Got you."
Before he could react—
BAM!
A fist slammed into his stomach.
Air exploded out of his lungs.
"Ghk—!"
He collapsed to the ground, coughing violently.
Pain shot through his body as another kick landed.
And another.
Fredy curled up instinctively, trying to protect himself.
"Pathetic," someone muttered.
Everything hurt.
His head rang.
His vision blurred.
"…This… is…"
So this was it?
Reborn… just to die again?
---
A faint sound echoed in his mind.
---
[Condition met: Physical limits exceeded]
---
Fredy's eyes widened slightly.
Through the pain—
He focused.
---
[Reward calculated…]
---
Another kick slammed into his side.
Something cracked.
He couldn't even scream properly anymore.
---
[+0.2 Strength]
[+0.3 Endurance]
---
The world faded.
Darkness closed in once more.
---
But this time—
Right before he lost consciousness—
Fredy smiled.
Just a little.
"…So that's… how it works…"
---
End of Chapter 1