To win a game, you must understand the rules...
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By the time the agents left, it was dark. They spent most of the day gathering information about my personal life, but strangely, they never once said a word about my [talent].
'Are they not interested in what I can do or what?' I wondered but never voiced it.
Knock~Knock!
Unlike the agents, this knock was mild and respectful. The door slid open, and a nurse wheeled in a large tray covered with a metal lid that failed to prevent the aroma from filling the room.
Dinner!
My belly growled shamelessly, and I clutched it hard. The nurse flashed a smile at me, her sky blue eyes piercing into mine as if searching for hidden answers.
Her light blue scrub failed to hide her breathtaking curves, while her massive chest jiggled aggressively with each step she took.
'No bra?' I raised an eyebrow.
Her wavy blonde hair complemented her fair skin, and her perfect white teeth made her smile beautiful. If I weren't so tired, I would have considered flirting.
I watched her gently place the tray on the bedside desk—her expectant eyes trailing my movement. It wasn't difficult to notice the extra effort put into her form when she bent over. Nor did I fail to see the shameless wiggle of her butt cheeks, with a seductive gleam in her eyes.
'She knows I'm a Limitless... she's trying to score an easy hit on the young fool before he gains fame.'
For some reason, I felt extremely certain of this conclusion, and my initial urge to flirt with her vanished. Her seductive advances had successfully killed the little interest I had in her.
Rachel, as labeled on her ID badge, seemed disappointed when she didn't receive the desired reaction. The defeated expression etched on her face as she reluctantly left my room was strangely satisfying. Considerably more satisfying than watching her ass cheeks wiggle.
No, I'm not gay...
With Rachel gone, my tired expression vanished and was replaced with genuine excitement. I pushed the sheets aside, revealing my oversized patient gown that felt oddly comfortable.
Sitting up was hard, my joints ached, and my entire body felt heavy. According to the agents, I had broken a few bones from the accident and was unconscious for a while.
With the awakening of my Limitless [talent] came minor traits like enhanced regeneration and so many more. That was why I only needed a month to recover from my injuries, but the fatigue left behind by the quickened healing process was something that I could only recover from with a week of rest.
With the bed as support and standing on my feet, the weight of my body pressing down on my wobbly knees, threatening to crumble at any time.
It took a lot of willpower to move my aching body, but my curiosity was the ultimate motivator. Stretching forth, the panel appeared within my vision, with a few texts popping up.
[Door skill activated.]
Buzz!
A buzzing sound resonated from all corners of the room as the lights began to flicker on and off. Space twisted violently as the outline of a massive gate took shape in the wind
The outline pulsed once, then solidified into form.
A snow-white gate, polished like marble, shimmered into reality. Its surface glowed faintly, not from any light source, but as if alive with its own energy.
"W-ow." I stuttered, overwhelmed by shock.
Without a single touch, the gate groaned open, its hinges shrieking like metal dragged across bone. Beyond the threshold was a corridor bathed in white light. The walls were smooth and seamless, stretching far ahead, vanishing into a hazy unknown.
There were no shadows inside.
No sound.
Just an inviting silence that somehow felt... wrong.
Ding!
[Achievement Unlocked: Bona fide Limitless]
[It is said you are not a real Limitless until you have cast your talent, at least once. Congratulations!]
[+50exp]
Faced with the series of messages, I could only blink with a blank expression.
"This feels like a video game." I mumbled with a frown.
Adam was no stranger to RPG games. Seeing this mysterious entity follow the same pattern was sickening.
'Does that mean I will get to level up like they do in video games?'
[Yes... This system is designed to grant the host access to more skills and information as he advances in level.]
My indifferent expression transitioned into an ugly frown.
"Seriously?" I gasped in disbelief, but there was no response.
Without hesitation, I stepped through the door, and my vision was temporarily blinded by intense light. As the light subsided, I found myself in a 100 square feet white room—similar to what can be found in a mental hospital. There was no furniture or sharp corners, only soft, built-in padding.
"Interesting... But useless." I shook my head in dissatisfaction. "Unless I choose to store things here."
With just five [energy points], I can only summon this five times in a short while. How is this meant to assist me in a world filled with monsters?
"Don't be too hasty to judge... There might be more to this that I'm still unaware of." I mumbled
The lack of confidence in my tone said otherwise.
Returning my attention to the towering snow-white doors, which were sealed tight, I wondered if the door was visible on the other side.
"Can I get more information on this ability?" I just had to ask.
The disappointment was too much to bear in silence.
Luckily, the system responded almost immediately.
[Would you like to purchase information on the Door skill?]
[Cost: 50exp]
"What?" I blinked.
It took my brain a few seconds to process what just happened. Is this system trying to extort me for my hard-earned experience points?
[Whatever secret is revealed to you can be learned over time through constant use. That is how humans do it... The system offers you a means to achieve similar results with no effort.]
The system's response caught me off guard since I didn't expect it to respond to my rants, but I was grateful it did. Its argument made sense.
"Very well... make the trade." I sighed.
Ding!
[Door Information integrated with Host's mind]
[Proficiency:+10%]
All of a sudden, my vision blurred for a second, and the white room felt more familiar. Somehow, I had come to realize a few interesting facts about this skill.
Time has no power within this space. Anything stored here would remain in whatever condition it was when stored. Also, summoning the [Door] must not always be grand. I can reduce or increase the size of the [Door] depending on my intent.
I can summon anything stored within here into the real world with just my will. Finally, I can leave [Door] symbols anywhere in the world, which can serve as exit points. This meant if I left a mark in this hospital located in Texas. Even if I move to Ohio, I can easily return here by linking my door to the mark set at the hospital.
With this, I was only ten percent aware of what this skill was capable of!
And this was only one of the many skills I can acquire through my [Gatekeeper] talent.
"Just how powerful is a gatekeeper?" I muttered with a frown, but there was no response.
I stepped through the door again, returning to my room with a small smile. If the system functions like a game, then I should be given more opportunities to acquire more experience points soon. Thinking of what more I can learn when I purchase the next batch of information on the [Door] skill left me excited.
"With this skill, I can survive until I get strong enough."
Returning to the bed, I pulled open the lid on the tray, and the small smile bloomed into a full grin. It was a generous portion of egg fried rice with sizable portions of chicken wings, roasted pork, and perfectly grilled steak, and some sauce.
The jar of orange juice was just perfect for the meal. I knew I needed healthy food if I was going to build my weak muscles.
Watching Adam's memories helped me gain a deeper understanding of how this world works. Thankfully, my host was a nerdy type, so he had in-depth knowledge of this world, far more than any other 18-year-old. This reflected in my stats, as my Intel stat was my only redeeming factor.
As a Limitless enthusiast, Adam researched them intensively and understood what it meant to be Limitless.
Contrary to popular opinion, the life of a Limitless was not rosy. It came with a burden so heavy, I couldn't help but admit that powerless humans had it easier.
As a powerless human, you were a part of the multitude. Just one of the nameless men, women, and children who can be reported dead in large numbers due to unexpected rift breaks and other catastrophic events like the one that claimed my parents' lives. However, I could argue that life was much better than the life of the average Limitless.
"It is better to die from an event beyond my control than be forced to stand and fight against 8 ft tall monsters that will most likely murder me in a brutal way."
Those were Adam Black's exact words.
While the pay is good and the fame is addictive, Limitless is humanity's first line of defense. Death is certain; the real question is when?
Based on Adam's findings, the Imperial States of America gains about a thousand new Limitless annually. However, the annual Limitless casualty estimate is over 900.
It is said that less than 1% of the Limitless population live up to a decade after discovering their [talent]! The stronger a person's talent, the higher their chance of survival.
Because of this, powerless humans rarely envied Limitless. In fact, they pitied them more than they envied them.
Considering how Adam's research was mainly on the cons of living as a Limitless I could tell he deeply wished he would be one and was mentally preparing himself with the horrors that came with that life. Unfortunately, he died before that dream was achieved, and that was how my soul was able to take control of his body.
Limitless talents were graded from S to E rank. This left me confused, as my gatekeeper talent was rated triple-S, a rank that didn't exist in this world.
Well, I am taking God's place after all. It's expectedthat my talent is the strongest of them all.