System Update

A few days later, Steve found himself confined to a guest room, a place that had become his refuge since that fateful night. The walls of the room were painted a calming shade of pale blue, and thick curtains covered the windows to create near-total darkness, even in bright daylight. The bed, with its neatly arranged down comforter, dominated the space, offering a sense of comfort and security.

Yet Steve's mental state was light-years away from the tranquility of his room. He had spent all of his savings for his studies to rent this hotel room for a month. Since that time, he had withdrawn from the outside world, as if he were trying to cut himself off from the reality around him. The young man spent his days in a state of torpor, with the curtains drawn to preserve this artificial darkness. Lying on his bed, he stared at the ceiling in a distant manner, lost in the depths of his thoughts.

It was not only the disappearance of the system, which since that night had displayed the unchanging message: [Error! Upgrade required] [Please wait!], nor even his conversation with the old man, who had mysteriously disappeared during his breakthrough, that made him unstable. It was especially what he had experienced during that experience, and the many lives he had lived, taking on different forms and perspectives as he explored. Each of these lives had left a deep mark on him, leaving an indelible imprint on his troubled mind.

In the course of his solitary meditations in this hotel room, Steve allowed himself to be carried away by the memories of these multiple lives that he had lived during his breakthrough. He had been an explorer in a distant galaxy, discovering black holes that devoured matter and warped space-time. He had felt the devastating power of fire, forging worlds and reducing them to ashes.

Among the many existences he had lived, he had been a sage in an isolated temple, meditating on the mysteries of the universe. He had been an artist, creating works of art that transcended human understanding. He had been a warrior, fighting for the survival of his people in a world at war.

However, the more he immersed himself in these memories, the more he struggled to distinguish between what was real and what was not. He no longer knew if the man sitting in this hotel room was the real Steve or simply another life that he had to live before moving on. The boundaries between the different realities seemed to be blurring, and he had difficulty distinguishing his own identity.

The days passed in a monotonous routine, but Steve could not find the strength to leave his room. He was prey to deep doubts about his own existence, wondering if he was condemned to wander through countless lives for eternity. This uncertainty gnawed at him, preventing him from finding inner peace.

The hotel room had become a microcosm of the uncertainty swirling in Steve's mind. The walls seemed to be closing in on him, each day tighter and tighter, each night darker. The memories of his past lives continued to assail him, like fragments of a puzzle that do not find their place.

Steve was sitting on the bed in his hotel room, lost in thought, when suddenly, a system notification sounded

[System update complete]

Steve's reaction was ... absent. He didn't even take a second look. Without caring about Steve, the system continued:

[Host analysis]

[Analysis complete]

[Host status]

[Name: Steve Davis

Age: 18 years old

Sex: Male

Cultivation technique: Transcendence of Quantum Ether

Cultivation level: Ether 2nd level

Health: Suboptimal (Developing cancerous cells in the lungs, weakened digestive system, weakened lungs, weakened heart, nicotine addiction... select to view full list)

Midnight points: 0 (Returned to 0 after system update)]

[Last rewards received: Technique {Dragon Body}]

[The host has understood a truth of the universe: One must not submit to the laws, one must submit them]

[New reward: Technique {Dragon Body} replaced by {Ether Body}]

[Ether Body: No law, no realm, and no dimension can hold your body.

Current level: Level 0]

[New system feature opened: King without a crown]

[King without a crown: As ether is the king of the elements, the one who controls ether must have two subordinates. The system will ensure their absolute loyalty. Subordinates : 0/2]

After a long moment of silence, Steve finally spoke for the first time in days: "done?"

"I find you different."

[I've grown. You're different too.]

"Whose fault is it, in your opinion? I've lived many lives as a practitioner. No one, and I mean no one, has lived what I've lived."

[That's normal.]

"Oh, normal you say. Explain."

[A normal cultivation technique for humans begins by tempering the mortal body with spiritual energy, a special type of energy present throughout the universe. This improves strength and endurance, and is called the domain of body tempering. Once the body is sufficiently tempered, it is ready to accept spiritual energy inside. This is when cultivation can truly be said to have begun. Once inside, spiritual energy improves the function of the body in all areas, making the practitioner faster and stronger, while also improving their mental faculties. Each realm then focuses on developing a specific aspect of the practitioner or putting them in contact with new, more powerful energies. These are called the laws.]

"And the ether in all of this?"

[The ether is only known to the strongest practitioners of the higher dimensions. I'll tell you more when the time comes.]

"So you're saying that instead of cultivating energy like everyone else, progressing step by step, I started at the end and directly used ether," Steve mused aloud.

The system replied: "[Yes, and your mind and body are not strong enough to undergo these transformations. It is therefore normal to experience hallucinations and mood swings with each breakthrough.]"

Steve raised an eyebrow, still skeptical. "And how do I know that what I'm experiencing right now isn't just another hallucination?"

The system replied: [It's simple: the details. In hallucinations and illusions, no matter how powerful their source, there are always missing details.]

Steve listened attentively to the system's explanation. It made sense, logically at least, but the line between reality and illusion had become increasingly blurred for him.

He sighed and leaned back on the bed in his hotel room, staring at the ceiling. "I never signed up for this. I just wanted to change my life, not dive into a cosmic rabbit hole."