Chapter 3 – New World, New Training.
The slums of City Number 87 never truly slept.
Even during the day, the narrow streets outside the apartment building remained loud—arguments echoing through broken windows, footsteps rushing past, the distant hum of machines and generators struggling to keep entire blocks alive. At night, the noise didn't fade. It simply changed tone, becoming sharper, more dangerous.
The girl avoided all of it.
Six days had passed since she began training.
Six days since she had last left the apartment.
She hadn't spoken to another person. Not once.
She watched people from the cracked window—shadows moving through alleyways, figures exchanging items too quickly, too carefully. Every time she thought about stepping outside, Cellular Adaptation warned her again.
"Kidnapping risk in this area: high."
That alone was enough.
So she stayed inside.
A shut-in not by choice, but by necessity.
By the Void Calendar, today marked the twentieth day of the fifth month, year 670. In local terms, that meant ten days had passed since her rebirth—one full week, a quarter of a month.
Ten days in a new world.
Ten days in a body that still felt unfamiliar.
Ten days of hunger, exhaustion, and pain.
Yet—she was alive.
And more importantly—
She was improving.
She sat on the cleared section of the apartment floor, legs folded beneath her. The room still wasn't clean by any reasonable standard, but compared to what it had been when she woke up, it was almost livable.
Trash had been removed. Mold scraped away where possible. The smell, while still unpleasant, no longer made her gag every time she breathed.
A small victory.
A red translucent screen hovered before her vision.
She stared at it quietly.
Status
Name: $$$$ $$$$$$$$$$
Age: 16 years, 5 months, 18 days
Star Systems in Training:
Physical Star System
Mental Star System
Physical Star System:
Star 0 (Progress: 0.96%)
Mental Star System:
Star 0 (Progress: 0.17%)
Talents:
Cellular Adaptation (Rank: Unknown | Type: Host)
Shadow God Domain (Rank: Unknown | Type: Unidentified, Not Awakened)
Adaptations:
Muscle Decay Resistance – Rank 4
Bleeding Resistance – Rank 6
Slashing Resistance – Rank 4
Blunt Impact Resistance – Rank 4
Starvation Resistance – Rank 7
Dehydration Resistance – Rank 8
Disease Resistance – Rank 7
Cold Resistance – Rank 4
Drug Resistance – Rank 3
Heat Resistance – Rank 3
Iron Stomach – Rank 6
Poison Resistance – Rank 2
Pain Resistance – Rank 5
Self-Healing – Rank 12
Void Energy Absorption – Rank 9
Soul–Body Merge Completion:
12 days, 5 hours, 56 minutes, 44 seconds remaining
Status End
The girl let out a slow breath.
"…Some of them went up."
She hadn't expected that.
Bleeding resistance. Iron stomach. Pain resistance. Void energy absorption. All higher than before.
She wasn't imagining it—her body genuinely felt different. Still weak, still underfed, but less fragile. Less like it might shatter if she pushed too hard.
She looked back at the screen.
"There's a lot more here now," she said. "So what changed exactly?"
She paused, then added awkwardly, "My… syst—talent. Cellular Adaptation. Which definitely isn't a system."
The red screen flickered.
If Cellular Adaptation noticed her slip-up, it didn't comment on it.
"Nothing external has changed," it replied calmly.
"I have fully awakened."
She blinked.
"…Fully awakened?"
"Yes. During the original host's lifetime, my processing capabilities were limited. I lacked sufficient void energy to operate beyond basic survival adaptations."
Her interest sharpened immediately.
"Then why now?" she asked. "Why didn't you fully awaken before the old host died?"
The screen paused for a fraction of a second before responding.
"Talents are born within the body but require void energy to awaken completely."
"Some self-aware talents may awaken early, but cannot function at full capacity without sufficient energy."
Text continued scrolling.
"Previously, I could only generate weak, unstable adaptations and lacked the ability to display structured information."
"After your arrival, an external influx of void energy occurred."
Her eyes narrowed.
"…External?"
"Yes."
"Your soul carried residual energy from the void space you passed through."
"This energy allowed me to reach full activation."
She leaned back slightly, absorbing that.
"So me dying helped you wake up," she muttered.
"Correct."
Great. Even in death, she was useful.
The screen continued.
"Additional information: Talents often alter host DNA to ensure the body can withstand void energy flow."
"This results in physical abnormalities."
"Void energy is not native to this planet."
Her fingers curled unconsciously.
"So that's why…"
The scars.
The eyes.
The reason the original girl had been treated as something wrong.
She hesitated before asking the next question.
"You know a lot," she said slowly. "More than you should, honestly. Even with the original host's memories."
The screen responded instantly.
"The knowledge was provided by the entity you encountered prior to rebirth."
Her jaw tightened.
"…That black asshole?"
"Yes."
She snorted.
"But he said I'd get basic knowledge after reincarnation."
"The knowledge was transmitted prematurely," Cellular Adaptation explained.
"Your soul received it before entering the body."
"Access is locked until soul–body merge is complete."
"…You're kidding."
"I am not."
She dragged a hand down her face.
"So he messed up."
"Correct."
She sighed deeply.
"Unbelievable."
At least there was one upside.
"The information is backed up within my internal memory," Cellular Adaptation added.
"I can provide answers upon request."
That… helped.
But before she could ask more questions, the screen displayed a new line.
"Recommendation: Begin training."
"Physical Star Rank 1 is within reach."
Her thoughts snapped back to reality.
Right.
Training.
She shifted position, sitting upright on the cleaned floor.
The method was no longer unfamiliar.
Carefully, she took out the small sterilized tools she'd prepared earlier. Her hands were steadier than the first time. Less hesitation. Less fear.
She made small, controlled punctures across specific areas of her body—deep enough to form temporary conduits, but not enough to cause serious bleeding.
Pain flared briefly.
Then dulled.
She closed her eyes.
Void energy seeped in.
Not through her lungs—she wasn't strong enough for that yet—but directly into her bloodstream. It burned, cold and heavy at the same time, spreading through her veins and into her muscles.
Her cells reacted immediately.
Adaptations activated.
She focused on circulation, forcing the energy to move evenly, avoiding buildup. Excess void energy was expelled slowly, leaking out through the same punctures she had created.
Sweat dripped down her back.
Her breathing grew labored.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
She repeated the cycle.
Again.
And again.
Her body screamed in protest, but she pushed through it, stopping only when Cellular Adaptation warned her she was nearing her limit.
Finally, she exhaled and released the remaining void energy.
A red notification appeared.
Physical Star System:
Star 1 (Progress: 0.01%)
Mental Star System:
Star 0 (Progress: 0.21%)
She froze.
"…Wait."
She stared at the numbers again.
"Why did my mental star progress go up?" she asked. "I didn't train it today."
The screen answered promptly.
"Both star systems are linked."
"Improvement in one system produces minor progress in the other."
More text followed.
"Some individuals train both systems simultaneously."
"This method is resource-intensive and typically reserved for the wealthy."
"Most low-tier citizens focus on a single system until they acquire sufficient resources."
She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"So I didn't mess anything up."
"Correct."
Relief washed over her.
She wasn't strong.
Not yet.
But she had reached Physical Star Rank 1.
The first real step forward.
She clenched her fist, feeling the subtle difference in her body. Slightly more control. Slightly more strength. Not enough to fight monsters—but enough to survive a little longer.
In this world, that mattered.
She leaned back against the wall, exhausted but satisfied.
"…One step at a time," she murmured.
Outside, the slums continued their endless noise.
Inside, for the first time since her rebirth, she allowed herself a small, cautious smile.
End of Chapter 3