After an unknown amount of time, Keir jolted from his bed with sweat dripping down his face and onto the sheets. His eyes darted around the room and he blinked in confusion.
"When did I get home?"
The sink was filled with dirty dishes, his dirty clothes were all stuffed in baskets, and the apartment was overall disheveled and messy. Keir's small apartment was government funded but it was better than living on the streets.
After sitting there, silently in thought, Keir took a few deep breaths, attempting to remember what just happened. It was all a blur and so surreal to the point where it felt like a dream, but was it a dream? No, it couldn't be, it felt too real to be a dream. Keir rose from bed and looked into his dresser mirror and noticed a few things. The cuts and bruises on his face were gone, and the intense pain was gone as well. Even though his glasses were still shattered and broken, his vision suddenly seemed like it was top-tier, clear, and perfect.
His other senses felt sharper too, his sense of smell, hearing, and more. Keir continued to ponder his new and strange situation but didn't have enough time to ponder for long as a familiar, floating interface screen appeared before his eyes, displaying something that resembled the games he played.
[Main Menu]
Note: The System will be updated occasionally
Keir was in awe for many reasons. First, the strange floating interface he was seeing didn't seem to be some sort of illusion. Second, the system right in front of him resembled the games he loved so much. The awe made him want to explore the main menu, so he began from the top to the bottom.
[Status Menu]
|Name:|Keir Asa|
|Level|1|
|Race|Human|
|HP|100/100|
|Mana|50/50|
|Credits|0|
[Stats]
|Strength|10|
|Agility|10|
|Defense|10|
|Intelligence|10|
|Senses|10|
|Available Stat Points|0|
The stats were a familiar concept to Keir, and each stat had their specific use and meaning. Strength would obviously increase his power physically. Agility would increase his speed, stamina, and make him more nimble. Defense would be used for endurance. Intelligence would be used to understand different things better and increase Mana. And the sense stat would increase his reflexes and overall perception.
So the status menu wasn't anything too new for Keir, so he moved on to the next tab on the main menu list.
[Quests Tab]
[Current available quests:0]
Note: Quests can be triggered by what the player does, so be mindful and stay alert for new quests to appear.
The quests tab was another concept Keir was indeed familiar with. Quests were alway triggered by certain events or random events in the day-to-day RPG gaming. Such as side-quests. It was still so surreal how this strange system was basically replicating those types of things. Keir didn't dwell for long though and moved on to the next.
[Skills]
[Current Active Skills:0/0]
[Current Passive Skills: 1/1]
> 1. SoulGazer
Keir had expected the entire skill tab to be empty, which it nearly was. However, there was one thing that caught his attention, and it was the singular passive skill residing in that category.
"SoulGazer…?" As he pondered, the system seemingly caught onto his thoughts and suddenly displayed a description for said skill.
"Those who peer into the abyss of the soul can see what others cannot."
SoulGazer: SoulGazer allows the user to perceive the lingering essence of fallen beings, granting unique insights and supernatural awareness. Additionally, nearby spirits are drawn to the user, and they can possibly interact verbally or physically with the user. The user can also "Free" a spirits soul for possible rewards.
[Additional Effects]
>Echo of the Soul: In rare cases, the user may witness glimpses of a target's past, revealing strengths or vulnerabilities.
Warning: Excessive use on stronger beings may trigger soul backlash, causing temporary disorientation or visions beyond comprehension.
Keir was somewhat shocked that the system technically gave him this passive ability for free, and it seemed to be extremely useful. The description was detailed and extensive, and the warning was also a good thing to keep noted in his mind.
"Strange…this system is so mysterious, but useful. Extremely useful." When attempting to move on, the system froze and denied him access to the last remaining tab.
[Trials Tab: Locked]
It wasn't anything to be shocked about really. "Maybe I need to be a certain level to unlock that tab?" Keir thought, but didn't dwell on it anymore after trying again. After examining the system and himself for a little longer, Keir looked over to the clock on his nightstand and read the current time.
8:20
He paused and processed the time in silence, "Wait…It's eight?..." He looked once more and finally reacted to the time, "WHAT?! I've been unconscious all night?! It's already time to go back to school!" Keir groaned, not looking forward to another hellish day at that hellish school, but he still had to go. Keir quickly dashed to the bathroom to get dressed for the day ahead.
He brushed his teeth, washed his face, and tried to fix up his messy brown hair. Without that massive pair of glasses covering his face, Keir noticed that he looked a bit better without them on, which was good, in his opinion. On the way to school, he picked up on a few things. He felt slightly lighter, slightly faster, and slightly more energetic. It was only subtle and nothing really significant, but enough to tell Keir something changed, in a way.
When arriving at school, it was as lively and loud as ever, despite it being eight in the morning. Many students flexed their abilities, talking with friends, and some of the weaker students were dealing with other problems. The strong stood on top while the weak were torn down and remained at the bottom.
Someone could have an ability, but that power could be terribly weak depending on the body and the person. A person could have a strength-type ability, but if it wasn't compatible with the person, they would end up getting badly hurt from the physically demanding backlash.
However, there were people out there who were like Bradley, he won the genetic lottery just from being born in the Bedwell family. His family was known for birthing amazing adventurers to this day.
Around ten years ago, strange vortexes began to appear, seemingly out of nowhere, holding beasts from different realms and planets. To kill these beasts and fight back against extinction, humans had to break their limits and awaken the powers humanity had today, as the military's weaponry was ineffective against these magical beings. The people who fight these vortexes are called Adventurers.
That's when the Bedwell family came in.
The Bedwell family was special, being one of the first ever families to awaken their abilities and fight back against the earth threatening pests, but now wasn't the time to dwell on that matter. Keir liked to leave the past in the past, definitely not because he just hated Bradley with every fiber in his body.
Today was the day where all the first-year students would get their Mana levels scanned and scaled into official ranking as it was nearing the end of the year. The ranks started at E-rank, all the way up to S-rank. It wasn't something Keir was looking forward to though. He was still utterly weak, and the scaling would be happening after the last period of class in the combat class.
"Ugh, how annoying." Keir muttered and he grabbed his things from his locker and made his way to class. However, when passing the boy's restroom, he heard a few thuds and grunts from inside, followed by three voices.
"Gah! W-Wait! I know I borrowed credits from you guys, b-but! Just give me a few more days and I'll pay it back, I swear!"
"No way! You said that last month, bastard!"
"You know what'll happen if you don't give us those credits. It'll be on our ass because of you!"
The sounds of someone receiving a brutal beating and pounding went through the bathroom again, a boy screaming in sheer agony and pain. The previous dialogue made one thing clear to Keir, and the thought went through his head. "The Loaners…"
The Loaners were one of the school's miniature "gangs" who lended other students credits for whatever they needed. This particular group was run by the scum Bradley, and he had dozens of lackeys on his side due to his power and status. They would lend students credits, and if they failed to pay it back before the deadline, they were beaten senselessly like this.
The previous exchange wasn't over and it continued after a few seconds of beating, "We'll ask you again, the boss needs his money, and he's willing to let you off if you pay half today. If you do, we'll extend the deadline to this friday." One of the boys said, "B-But that's all my credits, I need them for my sister!" The beaten boy pleaded on his knees in front of the two debt collectors.
"Listen, you took the loan, so you play by our rules, garbage!" One of the boys stepped forward, using their ability to make a water sphere form in his palm. "If you're declining, the boss told us to beat the hell out of you until you are hospitalized, and our next visit is gonna be in there. In short, do as we say."
The boy was in shambles, he obviously had his reasons for borrowing some credits from a group like them. His desperation was almost admirable, but foolish. He hesitated to respond, "I'm sorry…but I can't pay half today either…" His response earned two sighs from the boys standing above. The previous boy with the water ability raised his hand, aiming the hardened ball of water at the boy.
The boy closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, accepting his fate and preparing for the pain like a coward. However, in that small time pause, a hooded figure dashed into the room and striked the waterboy before he could send the sphere of water out. He was caught off guard by the sudden attack and went plummeting into one of the nearby urinals with a loud bang. If that attack didn't knock him out, his head slamming against the urinal did the trick.
His comrade was shocked and turned towards the figure, their appearance concealed by a simple black hoodie. "Who the hell are you?!" The concealed figure was no one other than Keir. He usually wouldn't get involved with matters like this, he was actually going to ignore it a few moments ago, but the system said something he couldn't pass up right now.