Jelo woke up—
And immediately knew something was wrong.
It wasn't obvious at first.
Not pain.
Not injury.
Something deeper.
His body felt… off.
Heavy.
His head throbbed slightly, like a dull pressure building behind his eyes. Sweat clung to his skin despite the cool morning air, and his breathing felt uneven—too shallow, too forced.
He sat up slowly.
"…Not now."
He already knew what it was.
Then—
The system activated.
[Energy Reserve Low]
[Immediate replenishment required]
Jelo exhaled.
"…Yeah. I figured."
This wasn't new.
It had happened before.
Whenever his energy reserves dropped too low, his body reacted like this—fever-like symptoms, headaches, weakness. It wasn't illness.
It was depletion.
But something about this time felt different.
Stronger.
More noticeable.
"It's been a while…" he muttered.
He hadn't needed a Daba's heart in some time. His body had adapted, drawing energy from other sources—slower, more stable, less demanding.
