“Huff... huff... A dream?”

  Julian woke up, drenched in sweat, heart pounding in his chest.

  “You okay, big brother?”

  He turned toward the voice and saw the familiar face of the young man beside him. The boy's innocent expression, black hair, and dark eyes radiated concern.

  Julian didn’t answer right away. He scanned his surrounding a wooden ceiling above, a flickering torch on the wall, a modest desk by the bed, and a chair where the young man sat. Everything was simple and rustic.

  After a few seconds, he closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

  'I’m back.'

  That dream... it had felt so long, so vivid, that for a moment, he had believed it was real.

  'What are you all doing now? Mom, Dad... my little sister... Where are you guys?'

  Julian's heart sank. It had been a few weeks since he arrived in this world, ever since the unknown entity swallowed the sun and darkness fell across Earth. From that moment, everything had changed.

  He remembered the light vanishing, his vision fading, and then suddenly he was here. Facing a stranger who called himself his father. Slowly, Julian had come to realize he hadn’t just come to another world. He had taken someone’s place. Someone who shared his name.

  He still didn’t know how or why it happened. Maybe he died. Maybe not. But he didn’t spend too much time wondering anymore. What kept him up at night was thinking of the family he left behind.

  Even now, the faces of his parents and little sister were fading from memory. The only time he saw them anymore was in dreams.

  He opened his eyes and looked at his younger brother with a small, faint smile.

  “I’m fine,” he said quietly.

  “You nearly gave me a heart attack when you collapsed after training, big brother,” Will said, relieved but still frowning. “Father said you should rest for a few days. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard.”

  Julian gave a tired smile. He appreciated the concern, but his mind was always running. Worry had become his constant companion. And training helped silence it, even for a moment.

  He stood up slowly, placing a hand on Will’s shoulder as he walked toward the window.

  Sunlight poured in.

  Outside, the street was alive with life, children running and laughing, mothers chatting, birds gliding across the sky, clouds drifting peacefully. The view looked like something out of a painting.

  “...How long was I out?” Julian asked.

  “Three days,” Will replied, stepping beside him to look outside too. “Nothing much has changed during that time. Father’s been busy, like always. Everyone’s preparing for winter... Oh! Something did happen.”

  Julian raised an eyebrow. “Tell me.”

  Will grinned. “Benson finally confessed to Anna... but she rejected him. Brutally. And in front of a crowd.”

  Julian blinked. “Oof.”

  “Yeah, everyone’s been talking about it. Poor guy hasn’t left his house since.”

  Julian shook his head, chuckling softly. “That’s rough.”

  Will smirked. “Romance is dangerous business, big brother.”

  Julian leaned against the window frame, the sunlight warming his skin, his memories came into a pretty woman with golden hair and eyes.

  Anna was a young woman, twenty years old, just like Will. She was beautiful and strong, a goddess in everyone's eyes. But unfortunately, a goddess couldn’t simply fall for a mortal.

  "That guy..."

  Julian smiled, and for some reason, his mode improved. After they talked for a while, his brother left, saying he still had things to take care of, leaving him alone in his thought.

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  'What should I do now? Should I keep training? No, Father would get angry, and I really shouldn’t make him more upset; he’ll probably ground me for a week. How about sewing? Ugh, too much hassle. I’ll just go on patrol.'

  Julian was only good with a sword. So whenever he had free time, he’d go on patrol. Sewing, cooking, or anything else didn’t suit him. Besides, patrolling gave him peace of mind he liked walking to ease the worries in his head

  It wasn’t even a patrol anymore. It was more like a hobby.

  As he reached the door, he stopped. His hand rested on the doorknob, a surprised look appearing on his face as he stared ahead. Golden text began to form out of thin air.

  Julian blinked in surprise. He closed his eyes, then opened them again. The words were still there. He wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating, but he reminded himself of the kind of world he lived in and stayed cautious. Still, something felt different. This didn’t feel like the usual illusions caused by monsters or strange entities.

  It felt more like...

  “A system?” he mumbled.

  He naturally knew about systems. They were a common trope in web novels, always helping the main character on their journey. Sure, they were clichés, but almost every story had one. With a system, authors didn’t even need to explain how power worked. It just made writing easier.

  “Did I get a system... after a week? Wait, am I in a web novel?”

  The last thought felt more troubling than receiving a system. With that, a chill ran down his spine. Before he could overthink it, he shook his head, trying to push away the strange thoughts. Everything around him still felt real, not like something that only existed in fiction.

  Clearing his mind, he locked the door and went back to his bed to inspect the system more carefully.

  He tested everything he touched: the bed, the cup, the desk, even the wall. After several tries and some thinking, he concluded: this was an upgrade system. It could upgrade anything he touched.

  To upgrade something, he needed specific resources. For example, the door could be upgraded from a wooden one to steel or even a magical door. But as the options got better, the chances of success went down. He figured there were conditions he hadn’t discovered yet.

  “With this, I can finally help the village... But I need to keep this secret. How am I even supposed to explain it?”

  As he thought, his chin resting in his hand, new words appeared before him.

  “Huh?” Julian’s eyes widened. His mouth dropped open. “Wait, wait, I can upgrade myself? For real?”

  As the thought hit him, a huge smile spread across his face. Of course, he was happy.

  This was an easy path to getting stronger. He could finally help his family more. He’d thought only items could be upgraded; he never imagined people could be, too.

  “If I can upgrade items and myself... does that mean I can upgrade other people, too?”

  Excited by the thought, he immediately ran outside, looking for his brother. When he found him sitting under a tree, reading a book, Julian rushed up and grabbed his hand.

  A look of surprise appeared on Julian’s face as he narrowed his eyes.

  William’s stats were different. Unlike mine, which showed my rank, his displayed a profession. It was because he hadn’t chosen or practiced any profession yet. I’m a Martial Artist, he’s not.

  There were three types of upgrades: Construct for objects and items, Rank for people who had achieved mastery in a profession, and Profession itself, like Martial Artist or Scholar. That seemed to be the upgrade tree for now.

  But as Julian thought more about it, a question crossed his mind. If his system could upgrade anything... could it also upgrade skills or martial arts?

  But more importantly, the thing that made him the happiest was the realization that he could upgrade people.

  The thought of upgrading someone filled him with joy. It meant he could help build a powerful group of martial artists in the village. Not just people, but items too. He felt truly excited his mood shot through the roof. This system was even more powerful than he first thought.

  After a moment, he managed to calm himself down. His face returned to a calm expression, but inside, his heart was still pounding. He sat down beside his younger brother and asked casually:

  “Did you try blacksmithing?”

  “How did you know?”

  “I ran into Uncle Rowan on the way. He told me you went to see him,” Julian replied smoothly. Of course, that was a lie. He couldn’t exactly say he rushed over after discovering a magical system.

  “Yeah,” Will said with a small nod. “I gave it a try, but I lost interest pretty fast. I don’t think I have any talent for it.”

  Will had visited Uncle Rowan’s blacksmith shop a few days ago, hoping to find something he enjoyed. But after trying it out for a bit, he quickly realized it wasn’t for him. It felt boring, joyless, definitely not his passion.

  “So, you’re still looking for something to do?” Julian said thoughtfully, glancing at the floating words above Will’s head. “Why not try martial arts? Or maybe become a scholar. You never know, you might be talented at one of them.”