I stared at the floating screen until my eyes started to sting.
It didn't fade.It didn't glitch.It didn't care.
"…System?" I said carefully.
The screen refreshed.
"Unfortunately, yes."
I exhaled. "So you're real."
"You were hoping for brain damage?"
"Little bit."
New text slid into place, sharp and unkind.
"Clarification: you are extremely weak.""This system was not designed for you."
"…That's reassuring."
"It isn't meant to be."
A window snapped open beside it.
[Status]Strength: 1Speed: 1Endurance: 1Perception: 1
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
I stared. "That's all?"
"This is the body of someone who avoids danger instinctively and stairs intentionally."
"I take stairs!"
"Occasionally."
I clenched my jaw. "So what do you actually do?"
The System paused, like it was choosing how insulting to be.
"You are too weak to be rewarded for success."
"…What?"
"Therefore, you will be rewarded for failure."
The words sank in slowly.
"That feels backwards."
"Reality is already unkind to you.""I am simply adapting."
I found out how serious it was the next day.
The Gate alert came while I was walking home.
Low-level fluctuation. Monitor only.
The street ahead warped inward, black cracks spreading like spiderwebs across the air. The Gate opened anyway.
People screamed.
A monster crawled out—small, fast, wrong. Too many legs, teeth scraping against each other as it locked onto the nearest civilian.
I didn't want to move.
My body moved anyway.
I ran toward it, bag swinging wildly, heart hammering so hard it drowned out thought. The thing lunged. Pain exploded across my arm as claws tore skin.
I swung blindly.
We crashed together, rolling across the pavement. Its weight pinned me down, breath crushed out of my chest. Jaws snapped inches from my face.
I pushed.
Nothing.
My vision darkened.
"Assessment," the System said calmly."You are catastrophically outmatched."
"Good to know!" I gasped.
The monster pulled back to finish it—
Ice speared through its skull.
The weight vanished.
I lay there, choking, staring at the corpse.
A woman stood over me, ice mist curling around her hand. Guild jacket. Calm eyes.
"Civilian," she said. "Why did you engage it?"
I opened my mouth.
Because I panicked.Because I didn't think.Because I didn't want someone else to die.
What came out was, "I was… buying time?"
Her gaze sharpened.
"…I see."
She nodded once. "Reckless. But effective."
Then she turned and left.
I lay there, stunned.
The System chimed.
[Achievement Unlocked: First Real Fight (Lost)]Stat Points +3
I blinked. "I didn't win."
"Correct."
"Then why—"
"Because if I only rewarded victory, you would be dead.""Enjoy this generosity while it lasts."
I swallowed.
Three points glowed on the screen.
The second alert came an hour later.
Another Gate.
I didn't hesitate.
I ran.
Down alleys. Over fences. I didn't look back until the sirens were close and the sounds of fighting faded into the distance.
I slid down against a wall, shaking.
"I ran," I muttered. "Happy?"
The System appeared instantly.
[Achievement Unlocked: Ran Away Successfully]Stat Points +2
"…You're serious."
"You are weak.""Running is optimal.""I am rewarding correct behavior."
"That feels temporary."
"It is."
The words sat heavy.
Five points.
I stared at them like they might vanish.
"Should I save them?"
"You lack the discipline."
"Hey!"
"Spend them."
I did.
Strength +2.Endurance +2.Speed +1.
Nothing felt different.
I frowned. "That's it?"
"You are still weak.""Just slightly less fragile."
By the time night fell, I was back in my room, sore and exhausted.
"I survived," I said quietly. "That counts for something, right?"
The screen flickered.
[Achievement Unlocked: Didn't Die Today]Stat Points +5
I stared at the total.
Ten points.
My pulse picked up. "You're really giving me points for staying alive."
"Yes.""Because you are not expected to."
"…Wow."
The System dimmed slightly.
"Enjoy this phase.""I am compensating for your weakness.""When that excuse disappears, so will the charity."
I looked at the glowing numbers, at the points I hadn't earned the normal way.
"…Then I'll just have to stop being weak."
The System paused.
"We will revisit this conversation."
My fingers hovered over the stats.
And I started spending again.
[End of Chapter 2]