The Storm Clan's medical room was wrapped in oppressive silence, broken only by the faint hum of the healing machine in the corner and the occasional crinkle of bandages as Charles shifted on the bed.

Moonlight filtered through the window, casting long shadows across the polished stone walls.

According to the system, his energy was at 15% and his health at 100%, but staying in this room, pretending to be more injured than he was, was starting to wear him down mentally.

'This is… boring,' he thought, staring at the dark ceiling.

There was nothing to do in this room—no computers, no gaming consoles… nothing.

And since Charles couldn't do anything, all he had left was to stew in his thoughts.

His conversation with Lira still echoed in his head.

Her warning about firearms in the outside world had left him uneasy.

If he didn't escape, the clan would eventually send him on a mission to the outside world, but what would that even be like?

'If I'm out there doing terrorist stuff, no one's gonna take me in if I bolt from this place, right?' he thought.

But something that worried him more was how little he remembered of his past life, the life before waking up as Rian Cole.

He knew he wasn't the original Rian, but his memories as Charles were blurry, like someone had locked them away.

They were there… but he couldn't reach them.

Even trying to recall things he'd thought about days ago felt shaky.

'It's like I'm getting closer to turning into a fight-obsessed idiot like everyone else around here,' he thought.

'Damn it,' he thought, clenching his fists. 'I can't plan anything if I don't know what to expect.'

The only thing he remembered clearly was something about a "hero" who'd show up in the future, but the details were vague.

'Who's this hero?' he thought. 'An ally? An enemy?'

The uncertainty was driving him nuts.

"Damn it!" Charles blurted out loud, smacking the mattress with his palm.

His gut was screaming that he had to do something, so, as absurd as it was…

"System, can't you give me a recommendation or something? Do something useful for once!"

The blue system tab flickered in his vision, and a cold, mechanical voice responded:

"I don't understand your request. Please specify what you need."

Charles froze for a moment.

'The system can talk now?' he thought.

No, the real question was when the hell this thing started talking, but growing more impatient, he decided to shelve that mystery for later.

For now, he'd push the system for more functions, especially since it had shown him new upgrade options when he leveled up.

"Seriously? Come on, system," he said, his tone a mix of frustration and sarcasm. "In every story, systems help their users with missions, rewards, stuff like that. Don't you have anything for me? Some epic quest? A hidden treasure? Give me something!"

The system went silent for a few seconds, as if processing his words.

Charles could almost picture an old computer humming as it tried to think.

Finally, the voice returned, sounding slightly drier.

"Are the upgrades I offer not sufficient? You've reached Level 7, with increases in health and energy. What more do you need?"

Charles blinked, caught off guard.

'The system's… negotiating with me?' he thought, a crooked grin spreading across his face.

He hadn't expected the system to have anything resembling a personality, but he wasn't about to let this chance slip.

If he could get something out of this, he'd push with everything he had.

"Oh, come on, system," he said, hamming up his voice like he was in a play. "I've been risking my life in the arena, dodging fire, facing jerks like Syris, all while keeping my secret. Don't you think I deserve more? Give me new functions! Something worth my while!"

The system went quiet again, but this time Charles noticed the blue tab blinking faster, like it was calculating something.

"Specify what functions you desire," the voice said at last, neutral but with a hint of curiosity. "What kind of quest interests you?"

Charles sat up on the bed, a spark of excitement flaring inside him.

'This could be good,' he thought, rubbing his chin.

"I dunno, something like hunting for treasure," he said, his tone playful. "But not just any treasure. I want something powerful, something that gives me an edge. If you're suggesting a weapon, it better not be some rusty sword or a basic dagger. I want something badass, something to help me survive bullets, like Lira said."

The system fell silent again, and Charles saw a progress bar appear on the blue tab, filling slowly.

'What the hell's it doing?' he thought, leaning forward.

The bar took several seconds to complete, and during that time, Charles couldn't help feeling a bit ridiculous.

He was talking to an interface in his head, begging for treasures like he was in a video game.

But when the bar finished loading, the system's voice returned, clear and precise.

"Scanning available data… I have detected an object of interest near the Storm Clan's territory borders. It is an artifact that may meet your requirements of 'powerful' and 'useful.' Would you like more details?"

Charles's eyes widened, a rush of excitement hitting him.

"No way," he said, laughing. "Hell yeah, system, that's what I'm talking about! Of course I want details! What is it? Where is it? Spill everything!"

The system tab flickered, and a new line of text appeared:

[Item: Unknown Artifact. Location: Cave at the edge of the Stormy Forest, 3 kilometers northwest of the clan. Warning: Restricted access. Possible presence of guardian beasts. Recommended level: 10 or higher].

Charles read the message twice, making sure he wasn't imagining it.

"A cave? Guardian beasts?" he muttered, a mix of excitement and nerves creeping in. "This sounds… dangerous. But it's exactly what I need."

He leaned back on the bed, grinning ear to ear.

'I'm definitely gonna make every damn point I've sunk into this system worth it,' he thought, feeling a spark of hope for the first time in days.

A powerful weapon could be just what he needed to survive the weekly arena fights and any potential missions in the outside world.

But he also knew he couldn't just charge into that cave unprepared.

With his energy at 15% and his current Level 7, taking on guardian beasts sounded like a fast track to getting killed.

'I need to train,' he thought, recalling Lira's advice about buying a weapon. 'And maybe talking to Kaira isn't such a bad idea.'

As he planned his next steps, his thoughts drifted back to the outside world.

The blurry memories of his life as Charles frustrated him.

He knew he'd lived in a place with technology—phones, computers, like the ones he'd seen in the clan—but the details were a mess.

For now, though, he had a clear goal…

He was going after that artifact!

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