The morning sun had fully risen now, spilling soft warmth through the window as Taryn stood there, watching the light dance on the surface of the estate's distant lake. A peaceful moment.
Until—ding!
The familiar chime of the system echoed inside his mind, cheerful and a little smug.
"Alrighty, no matter what—drumroll please—you, Taryn of House Calvier, have officially completed your first quest! Cue the applause!"
A moment of silence.
Then, somewhere in the void of Taryn's spiritual sea, faint applause echoed like badly recorded clapping from an old sitcom.
"…Really?" Taryn muttered, raising a brow.
"Ahem!" the system cleared its throat, floating dramatically in front of him. "As per the sacred and unbreakable Rule 3.7.1, subsection B, line 42—it is required that before any significant reward is bestowed, the host must first kneel before the system."
Taryn blinked. "Kneel?"
"Yes! It is the ancient and—uh—definitely not made-up tradition of Respecting the System. Now, come on, T. Just one respectful knee-bend to your spiritual benefactor. I promise it's worth it!"
He squinted. "Are you serious?"
The system nodded sagely, hands behind its back, all solemn and composed.
"…Fine," Taryn sighed, stepping forward on the wooden floor, shoulders stiff. "If this is really some formal thing…"
He dropped to one knee.
And that's when he heard it.
Pfft.
It started soft—like the world's smallest chuckle. Then it grew. A burst of stifled snickering turned into a full-blown cackle.
"HAHAHA! OH, OH, MY CORE! YOU ACTUALLY DID IT! He knelt! The young master of a rich house just knelt to me! I knew you were easygoing, but this is next-level!"
Taryn's eye twitched. "You tricked me."
"Of course I did!" the system was rolling midair, literally tumbling in invisible fits of laughter. "You should've seen your face! So serious! So respectful! I almost gave you a fake title—'Taryn, the Humble!'"
He stood, brushing off his knee with a sigh. "You're enjoying this way too much."
"Oh, I live for this stuff. But alright, alright," the system wiped an imaginary tear of laughter, floating back into its proper place. "You did complete the mission, after all. So…"
It snapped its fingers.
Suddenly, a warm energy swept through Taryn's body. It wasn't forceful or blazing—it was like a spring breeze flowing from within. Gentle. Cleansing.
He could feel it working its way through him—tendons relaxing, his lungs opening with deeper ease, a lingering ache in his legs simply… gone. Every breath felt clearer. His vision sharper.
[Quest Completed: Step into Level 1 of Stage One]
[Reward: Full removal of internal negative elements]
[Status: Body healed, meridians cleared, vitality restored]
It was like waking from a life-long fatigue he hadn't even realized he carried.
Taryn stretched his arms. "Whoa… this… this feels amazing."
"Yup!" the system said smugly. "I may be mischievous, but I deliver. You're not just healed—you're optimized. Like a brand-new spirit chassis with all the default settings restored."
Taryn grinned, rolling his shoulders. "So this is what a healthy body feels like."
"Mm-hmm," the system bobbed. "And now, your real journey begins."
There was a beat of silence.
Taryn's expression turned sly. "So… do you kneel to anyone, or does the 'respect' thing only go one way?"
The system floated back, mock-scandalized. "Hah! Me? Kneel? I'm practically divine! I'm the all-powerful—wait, where are you going?"
Taryn had already turned, hands behind his head, walking out with a smirk. "Time for breakfast, O Great One."
"I—I'm not done lecturing you! Don't just—ugh! Mortals!"
And with that, the day had truly begun.