After a while, the cycle of destruction and reconstruction stopped, making way for one final reconstitution. Everything that had been destroyed and reconstructed was now being rebuilt once more, stronger, more resilient, and tougher.
Alex's bones began to be reforged, his hair grew longer and more beautiful, albeit stained with blood, and his lost senses started to function again as the organs related to those senses were being reforged.
"What is this?" Scarlett wondered, seeing some sort of black liquid being released from Alex's body as he regenerated for the umpteenth time.
With no idea of what was happening, Alex continued to suffer. However, fortunately for him, the pain began to wane now that the cycle of destruction had finished.
After enduring even more pain for a few minutes, the pain finally subsided, and Alex heard the system's voice saying:
[Process complete]
With these liberating words, the system's voice seemed angelic to Alex's ears at that moment.
"Hah...hah...hah...hah..."
Alex's breathing was labored. He had survived, but he felt an immeasurable fatigue. He grinned a victorious grin before finally passing out, but not before he had succeeded.
He had experienced something that perhaps no other human had ever endured, but he had managed to survive. There was definitely something to be proud of.
"DAD!" Scarlett exclaimed, seeing him pass out. She rushed over to check his vital signs. Unlike Alex, she didn't know if the cycle was over, so she was frightened when she saw him faint.
However, after checking his vital signs, she realized he was still alive, and as his body was no longer being destroyed, she concluded that the process was finally over.
***
'hmm... Where am I?' Alex wondered as he opened his eyes, not recognizing the place he was in.
"Oh, you're finally awake," Alex heard, and as he recognized Scarlett's voice, his anxiety eased. He then tried to respond to her, but nothing happened. He couldn't make a single sound, move his lips, or even his head.
'Hey, what's happening to me?'Alex asked, addressing the system. However, the response he received only irritated him further.
[You are perfectly fine,] came the reply.
'Then why can't I move?' he inquired.
[It's due to your stats,] the system replied.
'My stats?' Alex wondered before invoking his status.
'Status,' he said, and immediately, a floating screen displaying his stats appeared before him, and he read:
[Name: Alex Eswald
Age: 60
Level: 0
Strength: 0
Agility: 0
Stamina: 0
Defense: 0
Mana Points: 0
Harem: Lilia Eswald
Abilities: Soul Linkage
Soul Points: 10]
'Huh?... Why are all my stats 0?' he questioned.
[I told you before the process that you would lose all your physical capabilities after the process. That's the reason why you can't move. To move, you need to invest some points into your strength and stamina], the system explained.
'I see... wait a minute... If I understand your explanation correctly, if I didn't have any points right now, I would have been bedridden for the rest of my life?' Alex asked.
[That's correct] the system confirmed.
'You couldn't have warned me?' Alex retorted.
[I did] replied the system.
'You fucking... breath, breath, don't lose your cool,' Alex told himself.
'Now that the process is over, I can increase my abilities, right?' Alex asked, appearing to have calmed down.
[Yes, you can now increase any of your abilities], came the response.
Hearing this, Alex grinned and looked at the floating screen displaying his status.
'Hmm?' It was only now that he had calmed down that he noticed something he hadn't paid attention to before. That something was:
Level: 0
Seeing this, the grin on Alex's face grew wider.
'Finally!' he thought with a sense of relief. His level was 0, and he was currently weaker than a normal human. However, Alex didn't see it that way. This number 0, which proved he had no level, was more like hope in his eyes—an hope that he could now become stronger.
In fact, he was going to start right now.
"Allocate two soul points to each of my stats"