"FUCK! Is this a… what the hell is happening to me?!" Jack screamed.
Colors bled, shapes warped, and the world around him felt both impossibly close and unbearably distant. He clutched his face, trying to anchor himself, but the sensation only worsened, leaving him teetering on the edge of panic.
"Aahhh!"
The system-like panels flickered violently in front of him—one after another, overlapping, spinning, flashing, and making him cry. He was almost blind.
The world twisted and swam, jerking across his vision. The fluorescent lights above stabbed at his eyes like countless knives, and every flicker made his head throb harder.
Bent over the sink, his stomach tightened, and bile involuntarily rose up his throat. He vomited hard, hands braced against the cold tiles.
"Ugh—bleeghhh!" He doubled over, retching hard.
"You okay?" a voice asked. Someone then said from outside.
"I'm fine…real--" Jack croaked, vomiting again.
The guy waited outside for a few seconds, but Jack eventually heard fading footsteps.
After a few minutes, Jack felt better, and was even able to force a strained smile.
Slowly, his sight returned to normal, allowing him to see the multiple panels of shining texts floating in the air around him.
Clutching his head, Jack, with his head down, speed-walked out of the building. Luckily, most students were still taking their exams, so the hallways were nearly empty.
Outside, his foot crunched dry leaves as he crossed the deserted parking lot. At that moment, the sky was still streaked with sunlight, though the sun hung low, ready to vanish into night. The contrast felt… wrong, leaving around this time.
Once outside the gates, he didn't think about catching a ride—he just ran. The cool air hit his face, giving him a fleeting sense of relief, but his vision was still unstable, making him barely notice where he was going.
Beep…Beep…BEEP!!
"Hey! Watch it!" a man yelled as Jack darted across the street without looking.
Car horns blared, tires screeched.
A motorcycle swerved violently to avoid him, cursing as it skidded past him, before crashing into an electric post.
Jack didn't stop nor looked back. He couldn't. His heart pounded against his ribs like it was trying to escape, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
People shouted after him as he stumbled through intersections, narrowly dodging bumpers and outstretched arms. The world had become a smear of headlights, angry voices, and warped shapes, but he just kept running.
Suddenly, his foot caught on a stone, sending him tumbling down a short flight of stairs.
"Ugh!"
Jack hit the steps with a harsh jolt, pain exploding through his body, and the world spun violently around him.
When he finally came to a stop at the bottom, everything went black for a moment.
Jack groaned. Somehow, he survived without anything broken—just badly bruised and disoriented.
"That hurt…"
While patting his head all over, however, he saw "those" pop again, one after the other. Now his head wasn't aching like earlier and he could hardly believe it was true.
[User: Jack Crawlluster]
[Age: 24]
[Occupation: Hopeless Deadbeat Loser]
[Level 1]
[0/100 exp]
[HP: 10]
[MP: --- ]
[Strength: 8]
[Speed: 6]
[Stamina: 4]
[Skills: Speed reading, basic fighting, Appraisal]
Jack blinked at the floating windows, mouth half-open. He rubbed his eyes—once, twice, then yanked at his hair—but the panels didn't vanish.
"…You've got to be kidding me. Am I really going crazy?" he muttered, still half-gaping.
Blood trickled down his face, but Jack barely noticed. He gingerly pushed himself upright on the stairs, every movement sending dull pain through his elbow from the fall. Desperate, he thrust his hand toward the glowing panels—only to have it pass right through them, like smoke.
He chuckled nervously, unsure how to react.
Jack closed his eyes.
"Who am I kidding," His laughter echoed in the neighborhood, but in doing so, he decided to entertain his hallucinations once opening his eyes.
"I'm Level 1 and my class is hopeless deadbeat loser?"
His voice cracked with a mix of disbelief and frustration, and he slammed a hand against the air, unconvinced.
Then, he looked at his stats.
Jack's eyes widened, then he started laughing—really laughing, the kind that drew stares from a few people walking past the stairway. He didn't even care.
"Single digits are wild."
"HP ten? Stamina four? Are you kidding me? These numbers seem puny."
Looking at the last panel, Jack tilted his head.
"Speed reading, basic fighting and Appraisal? What the hell do I even—"
He focused on a random rock near the steps and as if instinct took over, his mouth moved on its own. "Appraise."
[Small Stone. Weight: 14g. No special properties.]
Jack froze. His lips twitched and he swallowed hard. Then he doubled over laughing again, clutching his stomach. "PFFFT—hahaha! Oh my god…"
Still grinning like a madman, half-embarassed and half-excited, he tried to control his laughter.
The reality of it all hadn't fully hit him yet.
"What the hell…" he muttered to himself sarcastically.
The panels flickered in front of him, waiting silently as if daring him to take the next step.
He was frantically switching from tab to tab when the panels in front of him suddenly glitched, flickering like a screen with bad reception. The clean blue glow disappeared, flickered red, and a sharp chime rang in his head.
[Warning.]
[Threat detected.]
Jack's eyes went wide.
It wasn't just a hallucination or maybe it was, but he suddenly felt his spine tingle.
Another line scrolled across the air:
[External presence locked. Range: 50m.]
With or without the system, Jack believed he had perks—one of the most important being his instinct. He had always trusted it, and even if he lost all sense of sanity, he was certain it was one of the most reliable tools he possessed.
At this moment, his eyes went in focus, scanning the empty street around the base of the stairs.
Nothing looked unusual—just the fading noise of traffic, a few pedestrians in the distance, and the smell of lechon manok getting roasted in the nearby store.
Yet suddenly, the cool evening air felt heavier, pressing against his skin.
'Now that I think about it, where am I? Don't tell me!'
Jack remembered about the shooting incident his mom had told him, and clenched his fist. He turned over the corner and started heading towards a place with people, finding that he was in a somewhat secluded area.
Just then, he couldn't help but flinch when he noticed a black figure looming at the top of the stairs which disappeared immediately after.
"No way."
Jack wouldn't call himself a scared-cat. He actually wishes that he encountered a few incidents here and there sometimes and even day dreamed about it since he was a kid. But still, he will get scared in the moment.
'If there was really a killer on the loose, what were the odds that I might have entered that guy's territory?'
Just then, another notification appeared.
[Recommendation: Evade.]
[Stamina -1.]
Jack's eyes suddenly caught someone approaching him while wearing a hoodie covering most of his face.
"Hello." Jack greeted with a bright smile and bow, but he was actually praying.
The person, however, didn't seem to hear him.
"Hey." Jack said again, praying.
As they were about to pass, the person yanked his hands from his jacket pockets and suddenly punched Jack square in the face, lifting him inches off the ground. Before he could react, a follow-up kick sent him crashing into the wall.
"UGH! Shit!"
[Start Battle]
[Win against your first opponent]
[Reward: 50 exp]
Getting up, Jack reeled back, disbelief flashing across his face. Once again, his instinct had been spot-on.