Neraxis was lying in bed after spending the entire remainder of his day researching many things on the internet, but just like the rest of the websites he had visited previously, they too were gated.

He could only sigh in regret. He had hoped that in the new world, the government would not try to snuff out people and recruit them for more resources.

Normally, it would be fine; for some, it was even an opportunity. However, they did not hesitate to cross lines, meaning that the moment you began working with them, you became disposable.

And just like before, he did not want to become anyone's puppet—neither the government's nor whoever those system logs belonged to.

But it was finally time he got out of bed. The little bonding he had done the day prior was pretty uneventful; they talked about simple things, how everyone was doing, or what they planned on doing.

Neraxis also managed to find out that, unlike his parents in the past, these ones actually lived with them instead of being abroad. It was a pleasant change, one he hoped to get accustomed to quickly.

After all, it had only been a day. The concept of a loving family still felt pretty foreign to him.

Nonetheless, he headed downstairs. His parents were working today, and Elara was out with her friends, so he was not on guard as usual.

Apparently, his mother was an accountant, while his father was a guard at the Purple Tower, which, after further digging, he managed to find out actually had a name.

Dreamspire... It’s not that bad, if I’m being honest. He inwardly applauded their naming sense and went to the kitchen, grabbing himself some leftovers from the day before.

After that, he went straight to his backyard. It was as massive as it used to be in the past, and this time, it was actually well-maintained.

The yard had a few little gadgets like training dummies and even dumbbells. His father likely brought them back as souvenirs.

Despite that, Neraxis was planning to make use of them. He already had a training plan thought up.

Mana Capacity increased not just the amount of mana he could wield, but also the strength and speed of his spells—a hidden effect that was not as hidden anymore.

But alas, it would still be a while until he could start using mana. From what he remembered, you could only begin feeling it once you broke into the E-rank. If you didn’t learn how to use mana, you would forever be stuck at the E+ rank.

Neraxis scratched his head, as, surprisingly, he had an issue with it in the past. He was not very talented in mana. He only managed to get better at it once he got much stronger.

The one thing he learned was that the skills he used also took a small portion of his mana. While it was not very noticeable, if done enough, it could increase his Mana Capacity stat.

As for Intelligence, it was general perception and, well, smarts. It was his highest-ranked stat in the past, so it would likely return to how it should be soon—or so he hoped.

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Since he had it very high, he was even able to predict his opponents' moves; it was that overpowered.

There were also secondary skills, however, he was unsure of how they worked; it seemed like they simply increased on their own.

But for now, he had to build up his remaining stats. Neraxis glanced at the dummies and thought, Status.

Immediately, the blue status window appeared before him, displaying all of his abilities. It was the starting point, the foundation on which he would improve.

Status

+-----+

Name: Neraxis Valen

Age: 16

--Stats:

Rank: G

Strength: G-

Agility: G- -> G

Stamina: G- -> G

Intelligence: F-

Mana Capacity: G+

--Secondary Stats:

Luck: G

Charm: D-

--Skills:

[Eve of Ruin {G}]

+-----+

Neraxis stared at his status screen with satisfaction. It seemed like two of his stats managed to increase from the events that happened yesterday.

But he would not get ahead of himself. He merely raised the lowest possible stat to a slightly better yet still low stat. It was still pitiful, and he could barely feel the difference. The difference would only begin showing once he reached F rank.

That was why he would be going all out during his training—or trying to, at the very least.

Neraxis walked up to a nearby dummy. It was made out of wood, but it looked sturdy enough to not break in a single hit, at least.

He spotted a nearby stick, one that was shaped like a sword, and decided to pick it up. Swinging it around, he noticed that it had perfect balance, as if it were tailor-made for him.

Nonetheless, he shrugged his speculations aside and lightly swung it down at the target dummy.

However, what happened next startled him and nearly made him drop the makeshift wooden sword.

The seemingly effortless downward slash completely severed the target dummy's wooden arm. It was a clean cut.

The fuck? Neraxis thought with a raised brow as he took a look at the wooden sword in his grasp. It seemed like any ordinary wooden sword—nothing to take note of.

Therefore, with a skeptical look, he decided to try it again, this time paying full attention to what happened.

He slashed vertically, attempting to sever the target dummy in half, and to his surprise, he cut through it like butter.

Yet at the same time, the sword did not change in the slightest. It still looked ordinary, but its effects were anything but ordinary.

Neraxis stared at the tip of the blade for a moment before a stupid idea crossed his mind, and with a sigh, he attempted to cut into his palm.

But despite his expectations, it did not cut. It was not even sharp—just a dull wooden sword.

What is going on? He tapped the sword a couple of times with his finger, and just like a moment ago, nothing happened.

I must have hallucinated it... probably. Neraxis tried convincing himself and, for the last time, decided to try slashing once again, this time on another target dummy. For all he knew, that one could have been defective.

But as he did that again and again, the dummies decreased in number while his confusion grew greater.

That was until Neraxis decided to give up and put the sword down. If he continued using it, he would not get any training in since he was practically not using any strength to cut through those target dummies.

It was like some sort of artifact. He had a few back in the past. However, none were extremely groundbreaking; some could heal bruises, while others could summon a cup of coffee once per day.

However, this sword was beyond him, and it even felt easy to use, as if he had practiced swordsmanship before. But of course, his main weapon was a scythe, so that was impossible.

You can stay here for a moment... I need to train. Neraxis thought to himself, but then facepalmed. He was unsure of why he was addressing the sword as if it were some kind of dog.

Nonetheless, he placed it by the side and began his training. There were roughly 20 dummies left, with him having destroyed 9 of them. It would be a bit of a hassle to explain that to his parents.

However, the moment he reached out his fist and struck the dummy, he was electrocuted and pushed back a little.

He tilted his head and tried again, but just like before, the moment he hit the dummy, it sent a wave of electricity that made him back off.

It did not hold a lot of voltage; however, it still stung a little.

Neraxis snickered and glanced at the wooden sword he had placed near a bush.

Just what are you made of?