Ding!
[Host has been confirmed to be asleep for 6 hours]
[Task Completed. Host has acquired the skill: Sleep Regeneration]
[Host is determined to have been injured]
[Scanning Host...]
[Injury deemed unfixable. Proceeding to heal it... Healing Failed.]
[Injury will remain as a hindrance to the Host.]
[Acquired the title: Heart Sleeper.]
Somewhere in the void of his consciousness, a small snore escaped Aithur's mouth.
"Hah... It's been a while since I've had a host," a voice yawned lazily, echoing in the cavern. "He's already dying. Amazing."
Aithur stirred.
A groan escaped his lips, and his eyes fluttered open like reluctant curtains on a Monday morning.
"Where... am I?" he mumbled, squinting at the glowing, dark blue ceiling above him. It looked like someone had thrown moonlight at a rock wall and forgot to clean it up.
He sat up slowly, his body aching, and took in the scenery: a wide, silent cave with a pool of softly glowing green water nearby, whispering gentle tunes of the sea. Water droplets fell like flower petals from the ceiling into the pool.
It was peaceful.
Then, his chest screamed.
"DAMN!" Aithur shouted, clutching his chest like he'd just lost in poker and love on the same day.
He expected blood. Lots of it. Maybe even a gaping hole.
But when he pulled his hand back, it was dry.
Confused, he yanked up his half-destroyed shirt, revealing only a scar across his chest. No wound. No blood. Just... a scar.
"What the..." he breathed, touching it.
Ding!
[Host has been sitting for 1 hour. Level upgraded.]
A faint glow shimmered across his body and disappeared like a shy firefly.
"Who's they?!" Aithur barked, leaping to his feet and grabbing a nearby rock like it was Excalibur.
No one answered.
Then:
Ding!
[Host calls me?]
A large glowing blue screen popped up in front of Aithur, radiating with the kind of calm joy only a clueless pet could manage. Two tiny dots for eyes and a straight line for a mouth appeared.
It smiled.
Aithur blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
And promptly passed out.
"AH! Host! What's wrong with you?!"
When he awoke, it was to the feeling of someone breathing directly in his face.
His eyes opened.
The glowing blue screen—still smiling—was floating barely an inch from his nose.
"GAH!" he yelled, flailing backward like a cat tossed into water. He scrambled up, rock still in hand.
The screen tilted innocently.
"Do I look... ugly?"
Without warning, the screen flashed bright blue.
Poof!
In its place now stood a small, fluffy white fox with glowing blue circuit-like designs that ran from its head to the tip of its tail.
It wagged its tail proudly.
"This form should be better for your poor human brain."
Aithur stared.
The fox blinked.
He stared harder.
The fox tilted its head.
Aithur sighed like a man who realized the last donut was eaten by his dog.
"Great," he muttered. "I've been adopted by a magical couch potato."
"EXCUSE me," the fox huffed, puffing up proudly, "I am a SYSTEM. A very advanced one, thank you. I help hosts like you become stronger. Level up. Conquer dungeons. Defeat villains. You know, the usual heroic checklist."
"Uh-huh," Aithur deadpanned. "And how do you do that? Magical training? Mental tests? Swordplay?"
The fox raised a paw and tapped his nose.
"Nope. Sleeping. Sitting. Sometimes thinking really hard."
Aithur squinted at it. "...So you're just a lazy system."
The fox giggled and flopped onto its side like it had just been praised.
"Yes! Finally! Someone gets me."
Aithur stared blankly, then looked around the glowing cave, wondering if this was a weird fever dream.
"I was sealed here," the fox added with a dramatic sigh, "because cultivators thought I was 'too easy.' They hated that my hosts could gain power without sweating blood. Like... what's wrong with lounging a little?"
Aithur sat back down with a groan.
"So what now?" he muttered.
The fox perked up. "Status check!" It raised its tail, and a glowing screen appeared before him.
[Host: Aithur]
Level: 1
HP: 30/50
Condition: Stable (Heart Injury - Unhealed)
Skill: Sleep Regeneration (Passive)
Title: Heart Sleeper
"Heart Sleeper?" Aithur asked, frowning.
"It means you're really good at sleeping when you're near death. A talent, honestly."
Aithur raised an eyebrow. "That's... oddly specific."
"It's rare. Most people panic when dying. You? You snored."
"I was unconscious."
"Details."
Aithur rubbed his temples. "So you're telling me, I level up... by doing nothing?"
"Absolutely!" the fox chirped. "We rise by doing less."
"That sounds like the slogan of a discount food vendor."
"Better than dying on a battlefield covered in mud and regrets."
Aithur leaned back, sighing. The cave ceiling sparkled with glowing fungi, casting eerie shadows that danced.
The fox scooted next to him and plopped down.
"Anyway, your heart's kinda broken. I tried healing it, but there's... something weird in there. Some black substance. Not natural. Couldn't get rid of it. So, yay, permanent injury!"
Aithur closed his eyes. "Wonderful. A heart problem in a cultivators world. Just my luck."
"Oh, don't be like that," the fox said, tapping his knee with its tail. "We'll manage. Plus, I chose you, didn't I? You should be honored! I've been sealed for eons under this sea, waiting for a master with proper slacker energy. And then boom—you show up, bleeding and unconscious like a true champion."
Aithur side-eyed the fox. "You chose me because I was dying."
"Semantics."
Aithur gave a long, deep sigh that said, "Why me?"
The fox blinked. "You know, you have the perfect bored expression. Not many humans can pull that off. It's impressive."
"Thanks. I think."
Ding!
[Host has been sitting for 3 hours. Level Upgraded.]
A faint glow enveloped Aithur's body again.
He blinked.
"Wait, what? I just—"
The fox squealed. "Yay! You're progressing already! Isn't that exciting?"
Aithur's eye twitched.
"I'm leveling up... by sitting?"
"Exactly. Don't strain yourself, champ."
Aithur leaned forward, face blank, and asked the universe:
"Am I the protagonist of a parody?"
The fox beamed, then leaned close.
"You'll thank me when you're level 100 without even lifting a sword."
Aithur groaned and flopped back onto the cave floor, arms spread.
The fox curled beside him.
"Nap time?"
He sighed. "Sure. Why not."