A few minutes after Damon summoned him, Elder Rowan arrived at the bedroom carrying a small leather case.
The elderly healer closed the door behind him and approached the bed, his expression calm but observant.
“Young Master Damon, I heard you wished to see me. How are you feeling today?”
“Better than before,” Damon replied. “But I still feel something strange whenever I try to sense my mana.”
Elder Rowan pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down.
“Tell me something. Before your awakening ceremony, did you ever experience these symptoms?”
Damon hesitated.
He possessed the memories of the original Damon, but he needed to be careful about how much he revealed. He couldn't explain that the soul now occupying this body had come from another world.
“My condition was never perfect,” he answered. “However, things became much worse after the awakening ceremony. My mana reserves increased, but controlling them became almost impossible.”
Elder Rowan's expression grew serious.
“That is unusual. An awakening ceremony should help you understand and control your mana, not make your condition worse.”
He opened his leather case and removed a small crystal attached to a silver chain.
“Place your hand on this crystal. Don't try to control your mana. Just relax and allow it to respond naturally.”
Damon did as instructed.
At first, nothing happened.
Then the crystal began to glow with a faint blue light.
Elder Rowan watched carefully as thin lines of light spread across its surface. For several seconds, the glow remained steady.
Suddenly, a dark line appeared inside the crystal.
The blue light flickered.
Elder Rowan's eyebrows drew together.
“What is that?” Damon asked.
The healer didn't answer immediately. He turned the crystal slightly, examining the dark line from different angles.
“This isn't a normal response,” he finally said. “Something is interfering with the natural movement of your mana.”
Damon's heart skipped.
So the system hadn't been mistaken.
His mana wasn't simply difficult to control. Something was obstructing it.
“Can you remove it?” Damon asked.
“I cannot promise that.” Elder Rowan shook his head. “I need to study this carefully. I've treated many cases of unstable mana, but I've never encountered anything quite like yours.”
Damon maintained a thoughtful expression.
“Could it have something to do with my awakening potion?”
Elder Rowan looked up sharply.
“Why do you ask?”
“My condition became much worse after the ceremony. I thought the potion might have something to do with it.”
The healer fell silent for a moment.
“It's possible that something went wrong during the ceremony, but we shouldn't jump to conclusions. I'll examine the records and review the ingredients used in your awakening potion.”
Damon nodded, hiding the excitement stirring inside him.
That was exactly what he wanted.
An investigation.
If someone had deliberately interfered with his mana, the truth might be hidden in those records.
“Please do,” Damon said. “I want to understand what's happening to my body.”
“You have my word, Young Master.”
Elder Rowan packed away his diagnostic crystal and stood.
“For now, avoid attempting powerful spells. Your body is still recovering, and forcing your mana could make things worse. Continue resting, eat properly, and follow the stabilization exercises I gave you.”
“I will.”
After offering a few more instructions, Elder Rowan left the room.
Damon waited until the footsteps faded before speaking.
“System, what do you think?”
A familiar blue screen appeared before his eyes.
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE.]
[THE HOST'S MANA IS OBSTRUCTED.]
[THE OBSTRUCTION DISRUPTS THE NORMAL FLOW OF MANA, MAKING CONTROL DIFFICULT.]
[RECOMMENDATION: CONTINUE MANA STABILIZATION AND INVESTIGATE THE SOURCE OF THE OBSTRUCTION.]
Damon sighed.
“So we're back to investigating.”
[CORRECT.]
“Could you at least tell me how to get stronger while I'm dealing with this?”
The screen changed.
[HOST STATUS REQUESTED.]
A new display appeared.
[UNIVERSAL DESIRE SYSTEM]
[HOST: DAMON JUBO]
[AGE: 18]
[SYSTEM LEVEL: 1]
[SYSTEM EXP: 0/100]
[HEALTH: RECOVERING]
[MANA RESERVE: ABNORMALLY HIGH]
[MANA CONTROL: SEVERELY DEFICIENT]
[MANA CIRCULATION: OBSTRUCTED]
[STRENGTH: 5]
[AGILITY: 5]
[CONSTITUTION: 4]
[INTELLIGENCE: 8]
[PERCEPTION: 7]
[SPIRIT: 10]
[AVAILABLE STAT POINTS: 0]
[DESIRE POINTS: 0 DP]
[CURRENT CULTIVATION STAGE: UNCONFIRMED]
Damon studied the display.
“System Level?”
[THE SYSTEM HAS ITS OWN PROGRESSION LEVEL, WHICH IS SEPARATE FROM THE HOST'S MANA CULTIVATION STAGE.]
[THE SYSTEM GAINS EXPERIENCE THROUGH QUALIFYING MISSIONS, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND OTHER DESIGNATED ACTIVITIES.]
[INCREASING SYSTEM LEVEL MAY UNLOCK ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS AND REWARDS.]
Damon's eyes brightened.
“So I can level up the system while improving myself?”
[CORRECT.]
“And what happens when I level up?”
[NEW FUNCTIONS, UPGRADES, AND REWARDS MAY BECOME AVAILABLE. SPECIFIC UNLOCKS DEPEND ON SYSTEM PROGRESSION.]
Damon nodded slowly.
This was easier to understand than he had expected.
The system had its own level, while he had his own path of cultivation. The two were connected, but they weren't the same thing.
He could work toward becoming stronger while gradually unlocking more of the system's abilities.
“What about my attributes? Can I increase them?”
[CONFIRMED.]
[STAT POINTS MAY BE USED TO INCREASE ELIGIBLE ATTRIBUTES.]
[STAT POINTS CAN BE OBTAINED THROUGH QUALIFYING MISSIONS, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND OTHER DESIGNATED REWARDS.]
Damon glanced at his attributes again.
His Strength, Agility, and Constitution were disappointingly low. His Intelligence and Perception were better, while his Spirit stood out at ten.
He still had no stat points to spend, but at least he understood how the system worked.
“Then I need to complete missions.”
[CURRENT MISSION: STABILIZE THE FALLEN HEIR.]
[OBJECTIVE 1: SURVIVE THE AFTERMATH OF MANA OVERLOAD.]
[STATUS: COMPLETED.]
[OBJECTIVE 2: AVOID UNCONTROLLED SPELL CASTING.]
[STATUS: IN PROGRESS.]
[OBJECTIVE 3: ALLOW THE BODY TO RECOVER.]
[STATUS: IN PROGRESS.]
[OBJECTIVE 4: BEGIN INVESTIGATING THE MANA OBSTRUCTION.]
[STATUS: IN PROGRESS.]
[REWARD: BASIC MANA STABILIZATION TECHNIQUE — ACQUIRED.]
Damon leaned back against his pillows.
At least he had already completed one objective.
But he needed to be realistic. His body was still weak, his mana remained obstructed, and someone might have deliberately arranged for him to die.
He couldn't afford to rush.
“System, is the shop available yet?”
[ACCESS DENIED.]
[REQUIREMENTS FOR SHOP ACCESS HAVE NOT BEEN MET.]
Damon clicked his tongue.
“Of course.”
He had a system with a shop, an inventory, missions, attributes, and a progression level, yet most of its useful features were still locked.
It was like being handed the keys to a treasure vault only to discover that every door required a different key.
Still, he wasn't going to complain.
He had died once already. Getting a second chance at life was more than enough reason to be patient.
Besides, he had six months before the next intake at the Imperial Academy of Arcane Arts.
Six months to recover.
Six months to improve his control.
Six months to prepare for the world beyond the Jubo estate.
And, most importantly, six months to begin uncovering the truth behind his condition.
Damon closed his eyes and focused on the Basic Mana Stabilization Technique.
He imagined his mana as a river flowing through his body. He didn't force it or attempt to increase its speed. Instead, he concentrated on guiding the energy gently around the points where its movement felt restricted.
Pain flickered through his chest.
He almost stopped.
Then he remembered Elder Rowan's warning and resisted the urge to push harder.
Slowly, he breathed out.
The pain eased.
A notification appeared.
[BASIC MANA STABILIZATION TECHNIQUE]
[PROGRESS: 3%]
Damon opened his eyes.
Only a one-percent increase.
It wasn't impressive, but it was progress.
A small smile appeared on his face.
“Three percent today. Maybe four tomorrow.”
He knew recovery wouldn't happen overnight. Whatever had been done to his body had probably taken years to develop, and he couldn't expect a few days of training to undo everything.
But he had something the original Damon had never possessed.
A second chance.
And the Universal Desire System.
Damon turned toward the window, watching the sunlight spread across the estate gardens.
Somewhere beyond those walls, the Gassi family continued with their lives, probably believing the Jubo heir would remain weak and powerless.
They had no idea that Damon was beginning to fight back.
He would investigate the awakening potion. He would discover who had obstructed his mana. He would master his abilities and enter the Imperial Academy prepared to face anyone who stood in his way.
And when the time came, the people who had treated Damon Jubo as a failure would learn just how badly they had underestimated him.
For now, however, he had one immediate task.
Survive.
Recover.
Level up.
And grow stronger.
The road ahead would be difficult, but Damon Jubo was no longer willing to let other people decide how his story would end.