Chris noticed Raven standing there, frozen in place. His expression was tight, his face pale, his whole body stiff as though he had just seen a ghost crawl out of the shadows.
He reached forward and gave him a small shake. "Hey. Snap out of it."
Raven jerked violently, his eyes darting around as though searching for something that wasn't there. His breath was uneven, his fingers trembling slightly against the hilt of his chain.
"Did you hear that voice too?" he asked suddenly, his tone sharp and urgent.
Chris blinked. "What voice? What're you talking about?"
That answer hit Raven like a bucket of cold water. Chris hadn't heard anything. Only he had.
He quickly glanced back at the quest window that had appeared before his eyes a moment ago. But it was gone, vanished as though it had never existed.
'Was it… an illusion?'
His rational mind wanted to believe that. But no, he knew illusions. He had lived with despair and hallucinations before, in dark corners of his life. This was different. That voice had weight. That presence had pressed down on him like the hand of a god.
'Personal quest… Tomb of the Fallen? What even is that?'
Nothing about it made sense. He didn't even know if "personal quests" were real in this nightmare world. And if they were, then why him? And where was this so-called "Tomb of the Fallen"?
"Nothing," Raven muttered at last, shaking his head. This wasn't something he could share with Chris... not yet. Not until he understood more.
Still, he needed answers. "Is it possible that quests… have different kinds? Like types?"
Chris tilted his head, thoughtful. "Yeah, I mean… in games there are main quests, side quests, hidden quests sometimes. And very rarely, there are personal quests. Those are usually tied to characters, showing their backstory, their role in the story. But I doubt we'd get that here. We're not… characters in a game." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Why are you asking?"
'So there really are personal quests for characters…'
Raven's eyes darkened. His thoughts returned to the words still echoing in his skull: You have gained the qualification to become a character.
This wasn't just a world that had transformed into some apocalyptic game, streamed for the amusement of higher beings.
This world had turned into a world of stories.
A place where every living human wasn't just surviving, they were playing roles. Characters.
And the key to becoming one… was the star now resting in his hand.
"Gaining a star gives us the qualification to become a character. That's what the notification told me," Raven said at last, his voice steady even though his thoughts were spinning.
Chris's eyes went wide. "A character? Like… in a novel?"
He almost laughed at the absurdity. But the words refused to leave his throat. It wasn't absurd at all. He had read stories like this, webnovels, games, strange tales online. But reading them, imagining them, even daydreaming about them… was completely different from standing inside one.
"If that's true… then…" Chris trailed off. His lips trembled, his eyes unsettled.
The possibility clawed at both of them. Was there actually a novel about this world? Or was it modeled after some game?
Instead of clarity, the star had only given them heavier questions.
"There's more," Raven continued, forcing the conversation forward. "It gave me a quest. To clear the red zone by defeating the Licht controlling the undead outside."
"Figures." Chris let out a long sigh and leaned against the cracked wall, his gaze drifting to the ceiling. "So the undead are being controlled… by a Licht."
He frowned, lost in thought.
'Was there a story I read like this? A novel, a game, something?'
He searched his memories, but nothing fit.
"Anything else?" Chris asked after a long pause.
"Yeah. There's a requirement... one star. So we both probably need one each."
"Right. Makes sense. I didn't get the quest, so it must be tied to that." Chris exhaled through his nose. "But if there's a quest, there should be a reward too, right?"
"Twenty stars." Raven's answer was flat.
Chris's eyes widened again. "Twenty?! That's… insane. If stars were just qualifications, why would they reward us with more? No… they must have another purpose. Did you try putting them into your stats?"
"I haven't."
"Then check." Chris's tone turned sharp. "If we can boost stats with stars, that changes everything. The stronger we get, the more we can collect."
Raven nodded faintly. He had been thinking the same thing. Stars weren't just markers, they had to be a resource. Something vital.
He opened his panel, his eyes moving across the familiar lines of text. But this time, something was different.
"…Before, there were only levels. Now…" His brows furrowed.
Next to each of his stats was a faint plus sign (+).
Strength [+]
Agility [+]
Stamina [+]
Mana [+]
Curious, he reached out and tried clicking the sign beside Strength. Nothing happened.
"It's not working," Raven muttered.
He tried Agility. Still nothing. Then he noticed the difference.
Strength, Agility, and Stamina were all glowing in faint red. But Mana... Mana shone with green.
His gut told him the answer. He tapped the green plus sign.
Ding~
[You have used 1 Star.]
[Congratulations, Awakener. Your Mana has reached Lv. 1.]
Raven froze. His body shuddered faintly as something unseen flowed through him.
Warmth.
It spread from his chest, curling through his veins like fire. His mind cleared, his thoughts sharpening, every sense becoming just slightly more vivid. His lungs felt lighter, his heartbeat steadier.
Mana.
For the first time, he could feel it. Something deep and invisible moving inside his body, no longer locked away but alive, breathing with him.
"…It worked." His voice was low, almost disbelieving.
Chris leaned forward, eyes bright with excitement. "What happened?"
"I… leveled up my mana."
A grin broke across Chris's exhausted face. "Then it's true. Stars aren't just for survival. They're power."
Raven clenched his fist around the fading golden glow in his hand. His heart pounded.
Power.
In this world of stories, where everyone was a character, he had just taken his first step toward becoming more than a forgotten background extra.
***
Thanks for reading.