?Gasp...


    I let out a sharp cry of pain, my hands instinctively grasping my throbbing head. My entire body was drenched in sweat as I writhed on the bed, the pain almost making me faint.


    My nails dug into my skin, but I didn''t even process the pain. All I could think about was the unbearable torment I was enduring, yearning for it to end. The thought of death seemed preferable to the excruciating ordeal I was enduring.


    "Shit!"


    It is said that curses can help people tolerate physical pain, but I honestly couldn''t discern any difference. It still hurt like hell.


    I felt a warm liquid trickling down my cheeks, but I couldn''t tell if it was my tears or blood seeping from the wounds I had inflicted upon myself with my nails.


    Finally, after what felt like eternity, the agony began to recede, relinquishing its grip on my tortured body. I felt a sense of relief wash over me, as my muscles finally began to unclench, and my limbs rxed on the wet white bed sheets.


    Gasp...


    With a trembling hand, I reached up to touch my forehead, brushing away the strands of dark hair that had fallen into my face.


    "Where am I?"


    As I attempted to steady my breathing, I became aware of the fact that my body was in no condition to move. Realizing the extent of my weakness, I slowly scanned the room with my eyes, taking in my surroundings and assessing my situation.


    From my prone position, I could see a wooden table with a chair and an inkwell at the center of the room. I also noticed that the room''s design was decidedly archaic, reminiscent of the noble houses of the middle ages. There was a lone window in front of me, but its curtains were shut, so I couldn''t see what was outside.


    Ugh...


    I tried to get out of the bed, feeling my weakened muscles protesting against the effort. Although the pain was nowhere near the intensity I had experienced earlier, it still made me feel ufortable


    "What the hell happened..."


    I muttered, while limping towards the window, determined to take a peek outside. With a shaking hand, I reached out and grasped the edge of the curtain, pulling it back to reveal the world outside.


    ...


    Unfortunately, it was dark, hence I couldn''t see anything except for a few strange streetnterns that seemed to hover in the air.


    "I should stop drinking..."


    Rubbing my throbbing temples, I med it all on alcohol, familiarizing myself with thefy apartment and trying to find the owner of this ce.


    It was not the first time that I had woken up in unfamiliar surroundings, having found myself at random ces in the middle of the night on more than one asion. One of my friends probably allowed me to stay over, but it was difficult to imagine any of my partying friends residing in such an old-fashioned dwelling.


    "Was it by any chance a girl?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I tried to lighten my mood with the self-deprecating remark, but it only made me feel depressed. I was painfully aware of my less-than-ideal physical condition, having spent most of my days ying video games and indulging in unhealthy habits.


    It had been ages since I had any significant interaction with women, and the thought of waking up in a girl''s apartment was nothing but a distant dream.


    ''Nobody''s here...''


    It seemed that the owner of the apartment was absent. However, I stumbled upon a small kitchen, and after some rummaging around, I was able to find some snacks to satisfy my hunger.


    As I used the kitchen tap to pour myself a ss of water, my gaze drifted towards the floor. It was then that I noticed an unusual pattern of small, scaly ornaments scattered across the surface.


    Upon closer inspection, I realized that they resembled the scales of a dragon, something straight out of a fantasy novel.


    ''Weird...''


    Walking back to the main room where the inkwell and the table were located, I scratched my neck, still trying to make sense of my surroundings.


    Carefully, I picked up the ancient looking chair and took a seat, facing towards the lone window.


    Through the window, I could see the moon''s soft, silver light illuminating the sky. Its gentle glow contrasted sharply with the dark streets below, where strange, otherworldly streetmps glowed with a dim light.


    Despite the pain still lingering in my head, I found myself feeling calmer as I gazed out at the moon. Its serenity offered a sense of tranquility, a respite from the confusion and disorientation I had been feeling since waking up.


    Hmmm...


    I noticed some papers lying on the table and picked them up, intrigued by the sight of old parchment. I didn''t feel a pang of guilt as I examined someone''s documents, as they were almost fully drenched in ink and the writing was mostly illegible. It seemed as if the pages had been written by a quill pen, with elegant, swirling letters that betrayed their age.


    "I recognize some of these words..."


    I murmured to myself. Even though the document was written in anguage I couldn''t read and despite the ink stains that made some parts illegible, I somehow understood the meaning of a few isted words.


    "Aptitude... Element Orb... What is this?"


    The more I read, the more confused I became. The writing contained strange, fantastical concepts that I had only seen in anime and manga. It was as if the document had been written by a hardcore fan.


    But I couldn''t judge, I was also guilty of ying a weeb-like game for over 5 years straight. It was the only game my oldputer could handle without any significant frame drops, and I had poured countless hours into it, immersing myself in its virtual world.


    "Perhaps we have a lot inmon..."


    I murmured to myself as I ced the papers back on the table and reached for the nearby drawer.


    "Empty..."