Chapter 3: First Challenge
POV: Zai
It didn't take long for the first challenge to show up.
The system did not give me a break—not even close. The moment I came out of the house the next morning, I got a ping in my head.
[SYSTEM QUEST ALERT]
Quest: Confront the Situation
Type: Social Challenge
Objective: Intervene and put an end to the hallway fight at school
Reward: +15 EXP, Skill Growth Chance, Social Influence Boost
Optional Bonus: Execute a good Parry (Frame-Perfect) — Bonus EXP
Failure: Loss of reputation, lost chance
Time Limit: 20 minutes
I rubbed my eyes repeatedly, hoping I was dreaming. Nope. The quest window stayed in front of me like a heads-up display for a game. Transparent and solid.
The weirdest thing? I already knew what it was referring to.
Jefferson High was always dramatic. There was this one rowdy senior, DeShawn, who always picked on this shy freshman, Evan. And where it always happened was in the east hallway, near the vending machines, before first period. I'd seen it a few times but never did anything about it.
Today. I guess I didn't have a choice.
My heart was beating like a drumline as I walked up to school. I had this feeling inside my chest—tension, maybe. As though the system was waiting.
Enough was it, though, when I went up to that hallway, that DeShawn was standing there, towering over Evan. Evan was pressed up against the vending machine, and DeShawn was pinching his forehead with his hand, laughing so hard it would echo.
It wasn't even over something. Just stupid bullying. Some guys stood by. Most ignored it.
[QUEST TIMER: 17:29]
I swallowed hard, clenched my fists, and moved forward.
"Yo, back off."
My voice didn't even feel like mine. It came out louder. Sharper.
DeShawn slowly spun around, raised an eyebrow. "You say somethin', freshman?"
I had no idea what to say next. I was a fool. But the system chimed once more.
[SOCIAL AGGRO TRIGGERED]
[YOU ARE NOW IN COMBAT MODE]
Combat? Wait—what!?
DeShawn threw a fake punch to scare me. I flinched.
[Opportunity Detected: Use DODGE ROLL]
I didn't think—I just moved.
My body dipped low and rolled to the side before I even understood what was happening. It felt clean, fast—like muscle memory. I came up on one knee be8hind him.
DeShawn spun, surprised. "What was that?!"
My hands shook, but I sensed something wrapping itself around—this odd compulsion, a cadence. He took a step forward to shove me—
And it came to pass.
[ACTIVATE: PARRY]
Time languished.
I raised my left hand and deflected his incoming push to the side at just the right moment. A blue flash of light pulsed at the contact point.
[PARRY SUCCESSFUL – FRAME-PERFECT]
[TARGET STUNNED FOR 3 SECONDS]
He froze, eyes wide.
My fist moved on instinct.
[ACTIVATE: BASIC PUNCH – SMASH VARIANT]
I leapt in and smacked his stomach with my right hand THUMP. Not insane like anime, but hard enough to have him panting. He doubled back, panting.
The witnesses surrounding us? Unspoken.
Evan? Agape.
Me? Shaking—but standing.
[QUEST COMPLETE]
+15 EXP
+5 BONUS EXP (PARRY SUCCESSFUL)
Skill Upgrade Chance: BASIC PUNCH Lv. 2 (Combo Enabled)
Reputation + Minor (School Awareness: +1)
DeShawn didn't even bother to attack me once more. Just stood there and stared at me like he wasn't sure what he was seeing, then spun around and ran down the hall.
Evan nodded at me as if I'd saved him from doom itself. Perhaps I had.
Later, in the bathroom, I locked the door and stared at myself.
A new screen came up:
[PLAYER: Zai – LEVEL UP!]
Level: 2
Abilities Upgraded
→ BASIC PUNCH (Lv. 2): Chaining two punches now enables basic combo.
→ DODGE ROLL cooldown shortened to 4 seconds.
New Ability Unlocked:
→ Edge Recovery (Lv. 1): Returns to edge automatically after being pushed off ledge or fall point once a day.
Energy Boost: +5 Stamina
I slowly exhaled.
This was no longer a game.
And I suspected this system… was not yet complete in testing me.