Rupert found himself floating in a bright space. Clouds filled the entire scene like he was flying in the bright sky. Everything around him was ethereal, like it was all a dream. His body was glowing slightly, like he wasn't fully there. He waved his hand through the puffy floating cotton balls and could feel the wetness on his hand.

Not a dream

Rupert's fuzzy mind slowly regained clarity. This place was alien to him, something beyond his understanding. He didn't know what to do; he couldn't move anywhere or changed anything, so he just waited.

What the hell is going on here?

It wasn't long before the answer came to him. Through the clouds, rays of light flittered and appeared before him. It was a glowing woman, the most brilliant yellow light surrounding her.

Her eyes were blazing gold, as was every part of her body. Her proportions were perfect through Rupert's eyes, just the right amount of everything in just the right places. Her golden skin radiated warmth and comfort, putting him at ease no matter how scared he was.

Hello, my child.

Rupert couldn't tear his eyes away from the woman. It was like her image was hypnotizing, forcing his mind to stare. Only in the deepest part of his brain, protected by years of love, did he hold onto the image of his wife.

This woman is nothing compared to her.

"Who are you?"

The woman chuckled softly; the action drilling into Rupert's head and messing with his mind. Every action of hers was beyond conceivable perfection. She was the very embodiment of it.

You know who I am. When you first landed in that world, my voice was the first thing you heard.

Rupert was in shock, "You're the System!?"

Indeed I am. And do you know why you are here, Rupert?

"Because of my title? [Chosen Of The System]?"

She laughed again. Rupert's mind was being eroded away being this close. he didn't know how much more he could take before his core was forever changed.

Partially. You are the first to reach level 5 out of all of my recent chosen. I wanted to congratulate you in person and allow you to see the person behind everything.

Every smidge of information she gave raise a new question. Rupert could barely contain himself, but from her aura, she was like a black hole of mana; infinite density, unlimited in power.

He started with the most simple, "Why did you choose me?"

Simple, because you proved your grit. During the teleport, you pulled your spouse into your tunnel, against the power of space. It takes a certain mental strength to do that, so naturally, I gave you a little bonus. I expect BIG things from you in the future.

"Why? What purpose does this all have?"

I thought that was in the introduction, this universe is under constant threat by beasts. Monsters from a different universe. Their singular goal is death and destruction, trying to reduce our universe to a smoldering pile of dust and bones. Sadly, they have already defeated multiple planets; even with my intervention.

I can only do so much, the rest is up to people like you as I have no physical form. I cannot leave this place, only guide the capable few to grow into Heros of the Integrated Worlds.

"You really can't leave? You seem like the most powerful person I have ever seen. Even Zuel didn't radiate as much mana as you are."

Of course I radiate mana my child, I am made of it; and quite the amount. But I give a lot of it away to help people. Skills don't just happen, I need to weave them for you. The fueling of the skill is up to you.

Rupert was starting to understand.

"So you are like the conductor? You orchestrate the band, but each musician still needs to play their instrument."

A lovely metaphor. It's quite on the nose.

It was like he was reduced to a giddy teenager again, feeling immeasurable pride at the small bit of her praise. Rupert was about to ask some more questions, but was stopped by her.

It looks like our time here is up; your body needs its soul back. I hope you find happiness in your new life and strive to rise above the enemies that threaten us all.

The woman leaned over and placed a kiss on his forehead. All his skills were raised to level 5, the max for their current form; pending an upgrade. The area she kissed still tingled with warmth and light, as if life itself had just kissed his forehead.

Goodbye.

The moment Rupert was gone, the smile on the woman's face faded and turned into a flat stare.

677 Varients survived to level 5, a less than an optimal number. I have many variables to adjust.

---------

Rupert's soul was moved from wherever The System brought it and placed it back into his body. His soul fused back with his body in the area his heart was. He would regain consciousness momentarily.

While this was happening, Yual and the healer, Luar, watched over Rupert's body. Luar checked him over and over, looking for the slightest indication of life. His state perplexed her greatly. That confusion lead to adulation at the thought of creating new healing techniques.

During that thought, Luar's skill told her that his heart had just pumped once. She checked again and found that his heart had started back up again. Calling over Yual, they watched the once-dead body come to life. His skin regained color and his body rose in temperature; all the way to perfect health.

His eyes fluttered open. When they did, there was a small light waving back and forth looking for a pupillary response. Rupert waved the light away and looked around. He wasn't in his room with Veronica, instead, he was sitting on a mountain peak overlooking the valley.

"What's going on? What's happening?"

Yual checked his own eyes, checking if they were working properly, "We're technically not lying to your wife."

"We're wha---"

"NOTHING!"

*Groan*

Rupert got to his feet and after some labored breathes, he finally stood up. Being technically dead for an hour was not the best feeling. It didn't help that once his vision and balance stabilized, a system prompt appeared before him.

[Skill \Heal Wound\ has leveled up]

[ LVL 4 --> LVL 5 (MAX)]

[Skill \Wind Blade\ has leveled up]

[ LVL 3 --> LVL 5 (MAX)]

[Skill \Empower\ has leveled up]

[ LVL 2 --> LVL 5 (MAX)]

Upgrades in progress...Processing...

[Skill \Heal Wound\ has become Skill \Mend Flesh\ ]

[LVL 5 (MAX) --> LVL 1B ]

[Skill \Wind Blade\ has become Skill \Blade Storm\ ]

[LVL 5 (MAX) --> LVL 1B ]

[Skill \Empower\ has become Skill \Enhance Attribute\ ]

[LVL 5 (MAX) --> LVL 1B ]

Upgrade complete.

Rupert felt completely drained of energy. His achievement of standing was reduced to a collapsed sack of potatoes as his skills evolved. This time, there wasn't anything bad about running out of energy so he was able to get up minutes later. Stand, collapse, stand, collapse. Dealing with The System was a real roller coaster.

Since Rupert was now fine, there wasn't much use for Luar now. She used a few diagnosis skills before concluding that he was fine and teleported away. That left Rupert on top of a mountain with a question-filled Yual.

"What happened to you? You were very dead."

"What do you mean 'dead'? The System...summoned...me? And we had a pleasant chat."

Yual looked skeptical.

"You? You spoke with The System? THE. SYSTEM. The construct that allows unfathomable powers and infinite lifespans to exist? That system? Spoke with you? Forgive my skepticism, but such an idea is unheard of. It is a tool used by intelligent life to rise; not an intelligent entity itself. It speaks in text for fucks sake!"

Rupert knew what he saw. His upgraded skills confirmed that he had indeed experienced SOMETHING. No matter what Yual said, the image of the glowing lady was stronger than the rising doubts.

"I know what I saw. She was like a goddess. With a kiss, she made all my skills evolve. With a wave of her hand, I woke back up. It WAS NOT a dream."

Yual held onto his skepticism. His long-lived life refused to believe that a level 5 fledgling spoke with The Almighty System. Even he, being a Catagory 12, had never interacted with the system in a more meaningful way than {Inspect} and {Status}. He tabled that the ensuing argument that would boil down to hearsay.

The mountain air was cold, and the rock beneath them was rough. These mountains were a perfect place to train; furious winds and laden with beasts of all kinds.

Every good disciple requires a little cold mountain training. My master did it to me, and his master did it to him; the tradition will live on.

Yual casually disassembled the cells of all the beasts they came across on the mountain. This made their trek smooth and unhindered. Rupert was none the wiser to the death Yual was causing just while walking. He did manage to catch a glimpse of some snow turning red, but before he could ask about it, Yual turned around and looked at him.

"Here. This will be the spot. Create whatever camp you feel like. Just a reminder that you won't be spending much time in it."

"If I won't be spending time in it, why make one?"

Yual grinned, "That's the spirit. Now fall into the snow and roll around."

"Why?"

"I'm not training you to thing; I train you so you can live. Now ROLL!"

Rupert flopped into the fresh white powder and tried his hardest to roll through it. The task was much harder than he thought. Compacting all that snow left you with a frozen wall that wouldn't be moved by simple rolling. In addition, his body became cold very fast.

His core temperature dropped by a single degree, already at serious risk for hypothermia. He wanted to stop. He wanted to just go see his wife. Every time, Yual would kick him back into his hole and force him to roll.

He went back and forth for hours. His arms had already lost all feeling. His snot had frozen under his nose, making it harder to breathe. Everything sucked.

Conditions Met

Skill received: [Cold Resistance Lvl 1]

Rupert could feel the core of his body emitting extra warmth. The heat warmed his heart and pumped that now warm blood through his body. It was only a mild warmth with everything still being frozen. Even so, the skill helped tremendously.

"You stopped. Do you need another smacking?"

"I got a skill, [Cold Resistance]."

Yual seemed pleased.

"Good...very good. I thought I would have to bring you to 9th Peak, the most chilling zone on the mountain. It looks like you have a bit more luck than most."

The snow and ice and was still invading Rupert's body. It continued to lower his temperature even with the new skill he gained. The air around him grew colder, like the mountain itself had a vengeance with him, feeling his resistance against its grasp. There was no fighting the cold, only accepting it.

Yual looked down on his frozen body, pleased, "Did I say you could stop? ROLL!"

Rupert continued, fearing for his life. He was middle-aged already, nearly a senior! How had he been reduced to a child rolling in the snow? He was an engineer. How could he be turned into a fighter? He was a husband. How could he let his wife get in harm's way?

Self-doubt ran rampant through his sluggish system. His mind was vulnerable right now to alternate ideas, ideas that might make him stronger so he could be a better person; a better husband.

The adrenaline had long worn off from this activity. His muscles ached as he had never felt before. Every ounce of energy went into rolling back and forth. He quickly hit an equilibrium, a point where he expended energy just as fast as he made it.

[Skill \Cold Resistance\ has leveled up]

[ LVL 1 --> LVL 2]

Rupert felt a second wave of warmth flow through his veins. He could feel each and every artery and vein since they gave off a very tangible warmth. His body temperature rose a little bit again, only to fall back down once more.

It wasn't actually colder, only perceptively so. Finding that tiny shred of warmth had given his body hope that the cold was now gone, only to be stripped away by the frigid wind and piercing ice. His skin had long become inflexible; if he stood up, his arms would remain stiff above his head until he warmed them up.

"Anything new to share with the class?"

"Ah, I got a level in cold resistance."

Yual continued to be pleased, "Nice, let me know when you hit level 3."

Rupert agreed and continued his rolling act. This activity went on for several more hours and into the night. The stars overhead were impossible to see with the clouds that surrounded the top of the mountain. Without any stars or a moon, the night was very dark. Yual could see perfectly as if it was light out. What use would an assassin have if they didn't have some form of night vision?

Yual stood there like a statue, completely unaffected by the cold around him. His body let off lines of steam as the snow that accumulated on his robe vaporized. He had earned this resistance skill a lifetime ago, having leveled it to an extraordinary level. An assassin needed cold resistance, for the realm of shadows was anything but welcoming.

Time was fluid for Yual, yet for Rupert time seemed to drag on into eternity. When the first ray of morning light struck their bodies, his skill had leveled up.

[Skill \Cold Resistance\ has leveled up]

[ LVL 2 --> LVL 3]

"Yual...I'm...D...Done."

Rupert was barely able to stutter out those words. His body was done, completely empty of energy and will. The pit he had made was coated with red paint at the bottom; his blood. He used many [Mend Flesh]es during the night. Right as he was getting out, he used it one more time for good measure.

Yual slapped him on the back, causing him to nearly fall back into his hole.

"Good job my boy, you've shown that you are mildly capable at this. Why, when I was your age, my master was thrice as strict as I am. Evolving cold resistance in a single night should have been possible If I pushed you even further. Alas, your psyche falls fall behind your ability to perform. We'll resume training tomorrow; it's volcano time."

Yual grabbed him and slithered through the shadows to the top of the mountain. This was above the cloud layer, relieving them from the aggressive snow and ice. Rupert was astounded. The majesty of watching the sunrise from atop the clouds was unimaginable for him just a few months ago.

"Lovely isn't it?"

"Yeah..."

I just wish I could have shared it with Veronica.

Rupert watched the light start to envelop everything around him, bringing morning to the world. The pain from last night was gone, replaced with contentment. This new world, this new way of doing things, it was all so different.

I might like it here.