Calder woke to the shrill buzz of the system's internal alarm, a sound that echoed through his skull like a chorus of whispers layered with the screech of breaking glass. It pulled him violently from his half-remembered dreamscape, leaving him disoriented and aching. His body felt like he had been through a week of military boot camp compressed into one night; every muscle screamed in protest, and his back felt wrong, as if someone had pulled apart his spine and reassembled it tighter, stronger.
Dragging himself to the mirror in his apartment's rust-stained bathroom, he blinked blearily at his reflection. His eyes, once a dull brown, now held a faint ring of gold shimmering just beneath the surface, like an ember buried beneath ash. His posture was straighter, more grounded, and his skin, which had always leaned toward a sickly pallor, seemed a touch more vibrant. He was changing, and it was both exhilarating and terrifying.
> \[Daily Quest 1: Scan Three Low-Level Rift Signatures]
> Status: Incomplete
> \[Daily Quest 2: Meditate to Refine Echo Thread (10 Minutes Minimum)]
> Status: Incomplete
> \[Daily Quest 3: Consume or Prepare Nutrient-Grade Meal]
> Status: Incomplete
> \[Optional: Slay a Riftspawn - Reward Multiplies]
"Right," Calder muttered, his voice still rough from sleep. "Time to earn my way up."
---
**Week One: Progression Begins**
Every day began at dawn. Calder followed a rigorous ritual: searching the local ruins of the broken sector for Rift traces, meditating in the corner of his dim room, and cooking high-protein meals sourced from whatever scraps he could gather or trade. Occasionally, he would visit the old tech bazaar, where discarded AR-glasses or portable Rift detectors would give him just enough insight to complete his scans.
> \[Day 1 Complete: SIP +70 | Strength +1 | Constitution +1 | Trait Fragment: Survivor's Instinct\]
> \[Stats]
> Strength: 4
> Constitution: 5
> Endurance: 3
> Speed: 3
> Charm: 2
> Sovereign Insight Points (SIP): 70
Day by day, the routine started to shape him. On Day 2, Calder managed to barter for a military-grade protein bar from a passing scavenger—barely edible, but it completed his food quest.
On Day 3, he began to supplement his meditation with aggressive visualization. During these sessions, he could feel tendrils of warmth threading through his limbs, Echo energy refined through force of will.
> \[Day 3 Complete: SIP +85 | Speed +1 | Endurance +1 | Trait Fragment: Adaptive Reflexes\]
On Day 4, he found and defeated his first Riftspawn: a malformed dog-like creature prowling a trash-choked alley. It lunged, and he panicked, but then fought back using a rusted crowbar. The creature's blood was thick and smoky, coating his hands and arms in a layer of grit and gore.
> \[Quest Bonus: Riftspawn Defeated - +200 SIP | Trait Gained: First Blood (+3% XP gain from first kills)\]
By Day 5, he noticed people glancing at him twice in the slums. Not just out of suspicion, but something bordering on respect. His presence was changing, and so was the way people perceived him.
By the end of the first week:
> \[STATS – WEEK 1]
> Strength: 7
> Constitution: 7
> Endurance: 6
> Speed: 5
> Charm: 3
> SIP: 420
> Traits: Survivor's Instinct, Adaptive Reflexes, First Blood
His body was leaner, tighter. Each step felt more precise, more powerful. His jawline sharpened, and his voice carried more weight. Even unawakened thugs who'd once shoved him aside now gave him space, their eyes flickering with a mix of fear and respect.
---
**Week Two: The First Signs of Influence**
During the second week, Calder's efforts became methodical and relentless.
He added weight training to his routine, using discarded metal rods and cinderblocks. Each session burned like fire, but left him stronger, more resilient. He began practicing basic martial forms from old tutorial videos buried in the city net, his movements becoming more fluid and deadly with each passing day.
He upgraded his Rift scanning route, sneaking into semi-quarantined zones with higher Rift residue. His body adjusted to the ambient pressure faster each time, his senses heightening to detect even the faintest traces of dimensional energy.
On Day 9, he found a cracked Echo crystal and managed to bind it through meditation. It enhanced his perception momentarily, giving him glimpses into movement trails and the subtle shifts in his environment. The world became a tapestry of potential threats and opportunities, and he was the master of it all.
On Day 10, he unlocked a daily chain event:
> \[SPECIAL QUEST TRIGGERED: Echo-Stained Alleyway – Defeat 3 Shadow Wretches\]
The battle was brutal and unforgiving. His system guided him with reactive tips mid-combat, his body moving with a speed and precision he hadn't known he possessed.
> \[DODGE LEFT – REINFORCED JOINTS ACTIVE]
> \[CRITICAL STRIKE WINDOW – SWING NOW\]
He emerged bloodied but victorious, his body aching from the effort but alive with a newfound power.
> \[Bonus Gained: +350 SIP | New Skill: 'Sovereign Instinct' (Low-tier Pre-cog, 1-sec prediction window, 3x/day)\]
On Day 12, he rescued a young girl cornered by a Riftspawn—a freakish thing with centipede legs and a lamprey mouth. He killed it with a sharpened rebar, barely managing to stay conscious as he drove the makeshift weapon through its twisted flesh.
> \[MORAL COMPASS EVENT TRIGGERED: HERO'S ECHO – 5% Public Favor Gained in Local Zone]
> \[Reward: Charisma +1 | Trait Fragment: Kindled Aura\]
Later that night, while eating the soup the girl's family gave him, Calder felt a soft click in his bones—his spine straightened, and his muscles pulsed with new density. He was changing, evolving into something more than human, and it was both exhilarating and terrifying.
Each day, his internal system notified him of enhancements: muscle fiber acceleration, reflex tightness, bone strength, endocrine optimization. Even his scent had changed subtly—sharp but not unpleasant, a testament to his growing power and presence.
By Day 13, Calder noticed his dreams shifting. No longer chaotic, but visions of a distant throne carved in obsidian, surrounded by dragons and cloaked silhouettes. He was destined for greatness, and the world would bow to his will.
On Day 14, he returned to the slums where he'd once been ignored. This time, strangers whispered after him. One young woman shyly asked if he was an awakened—he simply smiled and walked on, his presence commanding attention and respect.
> \[Day 14 Complete: SIP +120 | Constitution +1 | New Passive: Stamina Regen +5%\]
**By the end of Week 2:**
> \[STATS – WEEK 2 SUMMARY]
> Strength: 10
> Constitution: 10
> Endurance: 8
> Speed: 7
> Charm: 5
> SIP Total: 1,150
> Traits: Survivor's Instinct, Adaptive Reflexes, First Blood, Kindled Aura
> Skills: Sovereign Instinct (1-sec precog, 3x/day)
> Passives: Stamina Regen +5%, Subtle Pheromone Drift
His once-awkward body had reshaped into a lean, muscular frame. Defined shoulders, thicker arms, and carved flanks spoke of the power and discipline he had cultivated. His voice resonated with low power, and women started to glance his way longer, their eyes lingering on his transformed physique. Men stepped aside, their instincts warning them of the danger he now posed.
The final night of the second week, his system chimed again, announcing a significant milestone.
> \[SYSTEM NOTICE: TIER 1.9 REACHED – Sovereign Body Reaching Apex Threshold. Tier 2 Unlock Available Upon Significant Milestone Achievement.\]
> Next Path Choice: Demon / Dragon / God / Vampire – Branch Traits Available on Tier 2 Ascension
Calder exhaled slowly, stretching his sore limbs beneath a cracked ceiling. His entire body pulsed with potential, a testament to the power he had unlocked and the destiny that awaited him. He was no longer the nobody who tripped over his own feet in school. He wasn't strong yet, but the city had started whispering his name, and soon, the world would learn it.
And with that knowledge, he closed his eyes, drifting into a dreamless sleep, ready to face whatever challenges the dawn would bring.