Then, all at once, she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. Quick, warm, and a little shaky.
Her face turned bright red. She spun around and rushed inside without another word, like a rabbit spooked by its own shadow.
[Target registered for Keyhole Eye. Data recording in progress.]
Alex blinked, a little stunned, then laughed under his breath.
That was Maya sister, Lina .
Maya was always kind and caring. She never asked for anything in return. She had helped Alex more times than he could count, always there when he was in trouble or needed support.
Lina was her sister, but Maya treated Alex like family too. She cared deeply for both of them and loved them like her own.
He stood there for a moment, staring at the door. Both sisters are worried about each other.
But Alex already knew what he was going to do. He'd protect them both. No matter what.
.
.
.
"System," Alex whispered, lying in bed with the lights off.
A soft blue light shimmered in front of his eyes as the screen appeared again, just like yesterday. It hovered there, quiet and unreal, as if the world had paused around it.
***
Name: Alex Morgan
Age: 20
Status: Dormant
Skill: Keyhole Eye (Locked – Passive Mode Active)
Ability: Five Rings (Locked – Upgradeable)
Stats:
Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Agility: 1
Dexterity: 1
Charm: 2
Stat Points: 0
***
His current stats weren't impressive.
Strength, Stamina, and Dexterity all sat at 1, the average benchmark for a normal adult. Charm, at 2, was slightly above that. Not enough to turn heads in a crowd, but just enough to hold someone's attention a little longer.
In this world, 1 was the baseline across the board. Anything higher meant potential. Anything lower, a disadvantage.
Alex rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of it all.
It started yesterday.
He woke up feeling awful. Head throbbing, vision fuzzy, like he'd been run over in his sleep. At first, he thought it was just a cold. Maybe the flu. Something going around campus.
Then the blue window appeared.
Right in front of his eyes.
No phone, no glasses, just floating there, like it was part of his vision.
He blinked. Shook his head. Slapped his cheek. Nothing changed. The screen didn't go away. It just hovered there, still and sharp, like it belonged.
That's when the panic hit. The screen? Not normal at all.
Most people don't see their system until the Trial starts. That's how it works. On the first day of the Trial, the system kicks in. People either survive and Awaken... or die trying. Only a few come back changed. Strong. Special.
That Trial was six days away.
And somehow, Alex's system was already active.
Way too early.
That alone was strange, but the skill it gave him? Even stranger.
Keyhole Eye.
He remembered how he laughed when he saw it. Sounded dirty. Like something a creep would have. But when he focused on it, a new screen popped up:
***
[ Keyhole Eye (Locked – Passive Mode Active)]
Current Use: Registers and record people.
How It Works: Touch someone. System starts recording them.
Unlock Full Data: Only after Trial or Awakening.
Note: Some basic functions work now, even if locked.
***
Alex had read the message more than ten times.
Touch someone, and the system starts tracking them. Watching. Recording. He couldn't see the results yet, but the data was there, waiting.
And he'd already touched a few people. Not on purpose. A handshake here, a pat on the shoulder there. Every time, a small message had popped up:
[Target registered for Keyhole Eye. Data recording in progress.]
He wasn't trying to be creepy. He wasn't spying. But something told him this skill would matter. Maybe more than anything else.
His parents were powerful. His dad could smash through walls. His mom could call down lightning. Both of them had survived the Trial and were well-known for it.
Alex had always been the ordinary one.
But maybe not anymore.
He had six days left.
Then the Trial would begin.
And whatever the Keyhole Eye really was… he planned to use it fully.
Even if it was weird. Even if it cost him something. This ability might be his chance to pass the trail.
Yesterday, after realizing how it worked, he'd done something his parents would hate.
He turned on passive mode. Then he went out and started touching people.
He began small. During his exercise in academy, he high-fived every runner he passed. Each time, the same message appeared.
[Target registered for Keyhole Eye. Data recording in progress.]
Later, in class, he sat next to Rose. She was a genius. Always helped people out, shared her notes, always smiled.
Alex leaned closer and put a hand on her shoulder. "You've got this. You're the smartest one in there."
She smiled again.
He felt a little bad.
Then the message came.
[Target registered for Keyhole Eye. Data recording in progress.]
The guilt faded fast. Rose was now part of his system.
It became a game after that. All day, Alex kept finding reasons to make contact with people, especially those connected to the Trial.
Other Chosen Ones with insignias, teachers, mentors, anyone strong or experienced. He touched them too. Pretended it was nothing.
They didn't notice. So he kept going. By evening, he'd added dozens of people.
[Target registered for Keyhole Eye. Data recording in progress.]
[Target registered for Keyhole Eye. Data recording in progress.]
[Target registered for Keyhole Eye. Data recording in progress.]
It kept happening. Over and over. And every new target added to his hidden list made his heart beat faster.
He wasn't a saint. He was a guy. With a weird skill and a goal.
Was it pervy? A little.
Was it smart? Absolutely.
When the Trial starts, people will lie. They'll hide their powers. Some will kill just to survive. But Alex?
He'd already have the edge.
Now, lying in bed twenty-four hours later, Alex stared at the screen again.
What was the system recording?
Daily routines? Training habits? Secret powers? Personal conversations?
Maybe even more.
What if it tracked their phones? Texts? Social media? Could it follow their steps, their thoughts, their desires?
What if it showed everything they didn't want anyone to know? Skills, abilities, plans, weaknesses, lies and secrets.
His mind raced. Maya. Lina. Sarah. All those people walking around with no idea they were already being watched.
All their secrets—his system was quietly collecting them.
Then there was his second ability: Five Rings.
Alex tapped it again, even though he already knew what it would say:
***
Five Rings (Locked – Upgradeable)
[Upgradeable Option: Unavailable]
[Condition: Complete base skill → Five Rings unlocks after Trial Entry or Awakening
***
No information and no clues. Just that name.
It would unlock after he entered the Trial.
He'd spent most of last night wondering what it could mean. The name felt strange. Maybe something spiritual. Five steps? Five powers? Five people?
His parents' powers were elemental—earth and lightning. Maybe this was something like that.
Or maybe it was completely different.
He thought about the stories he used to read online. The kind where the main character got stronger through bonds with women. Some called it absurd. But what if that's what Five Rings was about?
If so, then he'd already started. Without even trying.
Alex turned in bed and looked out the window. The city lights shimmered in the dark. People were sleeping peacefully, with no idea what was coming.
In six days, when the Trial started, he'd finally unlock his full ability.
He'd finally see what the Keyhole Eye had learned about everyone.
Secrets. Strengths. Weaknesses. Even desires.
He was going to use all of it.
Tomorrow, he'd keep going. More handshakes. More pats on the back. More data.
By the time the Trial arrived, he wouldn't be walking in blind. He'd have a map.
He'd have leverage. And that meant he'd have power. Alex smiled, eyes still open. Six days left. And he was already winning.