Ryan's eyes snapped open.
For a brief moment—
The world spun.
His vision blurred, then slowly steadied, the bathroom ceiling coming into focus above him.
He groaned.
"Argh…"
Ryan pushed himself up.
The movement came too easily.
No strain.
No resistance.
Like his body had finally caught up to his intent.
His muscles felt strange.
Loose.
Light.
Different—
Not bad.
Then he noticed the floor.
"…What the hell?"
He was sitting in a shallow puddle of dark, foul-smelling liquid.
The stench hit him immediately.
Rotten.
Sharp.
Unbearable.
Ryan grimaced and carefully stood up.
The moment he straightened—
Something shifted.
His body moved effortlessly.
Too effortlessly.
He clenched his fists.
Rolled his shoulders.
Twisted slightly from side to side.
Everything felt—
Smooth.
Lighter.
Stronger.
Controlled.
"What happened to my body?"
[Good morning.]
Iris's voice echoed through his mind again.
Strangely—
She sounded cheerful.
Ryan stepped out of the disgusting puddle and walked across the bathroom floor.
Each movement felt… precise.
Balanced.
Natural.
Like his body finally responded the way he expected it to.
"My body feels different."
He flexed his fingers again.
"My movements are smoother."
Iris sounded delighted.
[If you want to know why, you should check your status.]
Ryan nodded.
"Status."
A translucent crimson screen appeared in front of him.
[Host: Ryan Hale]
Age: 25 (Mental age 125)
Race: Human
Rank: Lower-Earth
Level: 2
Strength: 22
Agility: 12
Vitality: 12
Intelligence: 20
Mana Capacity: 100 / 200
Skills: Absorption (Mid-Earth)
Ryan stared at the screen.
"…Everything doubled."
Not slightly.
Not gradually.
Doubled.
He leaned closer.
"And I leveled up?"
That shouldn't have been possible.
In the previous timeline, Clearleaf had been useful—
But not this powerful.
Iris answered proudly.
[Yes!]
[Compared to the average human on Earth, you're already quite strong.]
Ryan crossed his arms and began pacing around the bathroom.
"That's great and all…"
He glanced back at the screen.
"But I still don't know what any of these numbers actually mean."
Iris sounded confused.
[What do you mean you don't know what they mean?]
Her tone shifted toward mild irritation.
[I designed this system to be extremely easy to understand!]
Ryan couldn't stop the slight smile forming on his lips.
Iris sounding annoyed was strangely amusing.
"I don't mean I don't understand the stats."
He gestured toward the floating screen.
"I mean I don't have any reference."
"How strong is this… actually?"
There was a brief pause.
Then—
Understanding.
[Ooooh.]
Ryan chuckled softly.
[Well…]
[The average human stat is around 10.]
Ryan stopped pacing immediately.
His eyes widened.
"So you're saying…"
He looked back at the screen.
"My strength is more than double that of a normal person?"
[Correct.]
[And all your other stats are now above average as well.]
Ryan nodded slowly.
"Okay."
That helped.
A lot.
"What about levels?"
Ryan leaned against the sink.
Iris explained patiently.
[Your level increases as your mana capacity and control improve.]
[Each rank contains ten levels.]
Ryan nodded.
[Right now you are in the Earth Rank.]
[To reach Level 2, your mana capacity needed to reach 200.]
Ryan glanced at the screen.
Matched.
[Level 3 requires 400.]
[Then 800.]
[The requirement doubles each time until Level 10.]
Ryan froze.
His eyes widened.
"Wait."
He did the math quickly.
"Are you telling me that by Level 10…"
His voice rose slightly.
"I'd have over one hundred thousand mana capacity?"
Iris sounded pleased.
[Yes.]
[At that point, you would be standing at the threshold of the Sky Rank.]
Ryan leaned back slightly.
That was…
Absurd.
"How are the levels divided within a rank?"
[Three levels in Lower-Earth.]
[Three in Mid-Earth.]
[Four in High-Earth.]
Ryan nodded slowly.
Then—
Another thought.
"Where was I ranked in my previous life?"
He looked up slightly.
"I know I was the strongest human alive."
"But I never had that much mana."
Iris answered calmly.
[Level 7.]
Ryan blinked.
"That's it?"
[That placed you firmly within High-Earth.]
Ryan frowned slightly.
"You're telling me the strongest human on Earth only reached High-Earth?"
[Yes.]
[Reaching that level on a newly awakened world without guidance is extraordinary.]
Ryan snorted softly.
"It still took me a hundred years."
[Even so…]
Her voice softened.
[That achievement is remarkable.]
Ryan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I still don't fully understand how mana capacity increases."
"No one figured it out last time."
Iris explained patiently.
[At the Earth Rank, it's relatively simple.]
[You must repeatedly drain your mana… and refill it.]
Ryan blinked.
"That's it?"
[Yes.]
[Each cycle forces mana to circulate through your body.]
[This expands your mana pathways.]
Ryan's eyes widened slightly.
"So every time I exhausted myself in a fight…"
[You were strengthening your foundation.]
Ryan let out a quiet laugh.
"So I was training without realizing it."
[Exactly.]
A brief pause.
[Your meditation habit also helped.]
Ryan remembered.
Every morning.
Before everything changed.
Before the war.
Before the loss.
He had always meditated.
Ryan stepped out of the bathroom.
Then—
Stopped.
The mirror.
He walked toward it slowly.
Then froze.
He already knew something had changed.
But seeing it—
Was different.
"…What?"
The reflection staring back at him was different.
Noticeably.
His hair had grown longer, brushing past his ears.
His shoulders were broader.
His chest more defined.
The softness that once covered his body—
Gone.
In its place—
Lean muscle.
Defined lines.
Sharper edges.
Ryan turned slightly.
Flexed.
Even his posture had changed.
Straighter.
More controlled.
Everything about him looked—
Refined.
Ryan blinked.
"Everything is bigger…"
A pause.
Then—
He shook his head.
"…Nope. Not finishing that sentence."
A crooked grin spread across his face.
"Not bad."
Iris giggled.
[Impressive, right?]
Her tone carried obvious amusement.
[I think you look fantastic.]
Ryan froze.
Wait.
"…Did you just say—"
His eyes widened.
"Can you see me?"
He looked down.
Very aware—
He was still completely naked.
Ryan grabbed the nearest blanket and wrapped it around himself instantly.
Iris burst into laughter.
Bright.
Unrestrained.
[Of course I can see you.]
Ryan stared at the ceiling.
"…Seriously?!"
He groaned.
"So that's it."
"No privacy ever again."
Iris giggled again.
[Well…]
[I do look away sometimes.]
Ryan sighed deeply.
"I'm going to pretend that's true."
He turned back to the mirror.
This time—
He studied himself carefully.
Not just the body.
But what it meant.
A slow, confident smile formed.
His preparations were nearly complete.
And now—
He wasn't just prepared.
He was ahead.
Ryan grabbed his clothes and started getting dressed.
Because today—
Everything would change.
The Awakening was coming.
Closer now.
Hours.
Not days.
And this time—
Ryan would be ready.