Kael and Lyra crouched behind a toppled vehicle, the neon-white glow from the strange panels casting jagged shadows across the cracked asphalt. Kael's hands shook slightly, part adrenaline, part fear. He had faced hardships in the slums before, but nothing like this. Nothing that measured life in numbers floating in the air.
"Kael, what are those things?" Lyra whispered, her voice trembling. Her eyes were wide, scanning the streets for movement.
Kael peeked over the edge of the car. A small pack of creatures shuffled in the distance. Their forms were grotesque, a mix of steel and shadow, with glowing red eyes. They moved unnaturally, their limbs jerking in short, twitching motions. Numbers appeared above them as they shifted: Level 3, HP 45/45.
"They're… monsters," Kael said, trying to sound calm, though his stomach knotted. "Looks like the System counts them too."
Lyra's hand hovered near her mouth. "Do we fight them?"
Kael considered it. Running wasn't an option; the creatures had noticed them. He gripped a broken pipe from the debris, feeling the rough metal under his palms. Time to test this System, he thought.
He stepped out into the open, the panels flickering around him. As he swung the pipe at the nearest monster, numbers popped above it: Damage 17. Another strike landed: Damage 35. The creature screeched and staggered back.
"Did you see that?" Kael whispered to Lyra. Her jaw was tight, eyes wide. "It… it's like a game," she breathed.
Kael's focus sharpened. Each movement, each strike, was now measured. The monsters attacked, their claws swiping through the air. Numbers appeared above Kael as well: Dodge +2, Endurance -1. His heart raced. He realized he was learning; tracking patterns, timing attacks, reading numbers.
After several tense minutes, the last monster collapsed in a heap of steel and shadow. Kael stared at the floating numbers, his chest heaving. XP 42 gained. Level Up: 1.
Lyra stepped forward slowly. "You… you're stronger than me already." Her voice held awe, and something else he couldn't name. Relief, maybe.
Kael swallowed. "I think… it's this glitch. Something about the System. It's… broken for me." He looked down at his stats. Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Intelligence; they were all higher than they should be for someone his age and size.
The street remained quiet for a moment. Then Kael noticed more red glows in the distance, more creatures moving toward them. He grabbed Lyra's hand firmly. "We keep moving. We learn. We survive."
The System was no longer abstract. It was real. And Kael realized that every choice, every swing, every decision mattered in a way it never had before. This was survival. This was the first lesson.