When I woke up from my sleep, it was a bright, colorful red dawn outside.
"You're awake, Lily." Mr Simon, now wearing an athletic black shirt and sweatpants, handed me a toothbrush, toothpaste, and some essentials. "Here, you can freshen up. I'm afraid that I don't have any clean clothing for you… But if you want, you can go and take a shower. The bathroom is there— the first door on the left." He pointed down the hallway.
I graciously took the opportunity, noticing my dirtied and messy state. Mr. Simon is a real lifesaver!
***
I walked out of the bathroom, drying my hair with one of his spare towels. I still wore my old bloodied clothes from yesterday, but I felt way more refreshed than my previous state. I took a seat, sitting across from Mr. Simon in his kitchen area.
"Mr. Simon, we should start preparing for phase three, right? Although there's kinda no way to really prepare for it…"
"Hmm–" The physics teacher thought to himself, putting his index finger over his chin. "It cannot be a character event, or a main event. System Neo, what are the two types of events left?"
The familiar system spoke. "Calamity events and Special Events. Calamity events affect the entire planet, while special events involve gods or are special event requests from a god or the god's algorithm." The entire planet and the gods? That cannot be good…
"Algorithm?" I questioned, "What's that?"
"Gods, above the bubble universe plane, typically form algorithms. Gods are essentially important and powerful figures that either were already gods in their mythology or ascended to godhood through a means of power, historical presence, and trialhood. The watchers decide who can become a god."
Great, I'm even more confused. "Whoa Whoa. Okay, so what is the bubble universe you are talking about? And mythology? Does that mean like gods from different myths are actual gods in our reality?"
"I'll answer your second question first. Yes, gods from different myths can be actual gods in this cosmos. For example, in your universe, there is the Greek algorithm, from Greek mythology." So Zeus and other Greek gods are watching over us? Holy… "But in different universes, there are different mythologies, meaning that there are also gods that your planet, Earth 2038, has never heard of." System Neo answered curtly and quickly. "For your first question, the bubble universe plane is what is integrating in different universes right now. The bubble universe theory is that a universe is a bubble in a continuously expanding cosmic sea. The system exists to connect different universes."
"Huh. I think I get it now. So, gods come from different myths or legends, and they exist outside of the bubble universe. Alright."
Mr. Simon narrowed his eyes. "Hah… either way, the next two phases will be stressful, no?"
System Neo responded shortly. "Those with an SP have a higher chance of surviving events, including the tutorial. Resonator Jeffery Simon, you will have a higher chance of survival, therefore less stress on the individual."
"You have a special power, Mr. Simon?" I exclaimed in pure shock, still a little bummed out about not obtaining the reward.
"It's nothing special. It's just physics, really."
"Physics?"
"Yeah."
"Physics…?" Yikes, I may be a bit biased against physics, but physics?
"... Yes?"
"Geez." I coughed awkwardly. Imagine getting physics as your power; that would be pure torture. But then again, Mr. Simon enjoys his job of teaching such a difficult subject. "Can I know what it is?"
"Sure, I don't mind. You're my student, of course, you can know." Mr. Simon pulled up the system window and clicked a ||| button, allowing me to see his SP.
[ Special Power: Draw and Label a Force Body Diagram
Description:
Ability to control forces on anything that has mass to it, such as inanimate and animate objects (including those with a consciousness). Some examples include controlling the force of gravity, normal force, tension force, buoyancy, and more. This ability also allows for the usage of increasing/adding a force or decreasing a force.CAN BE EVOLVED
*NOTE TO AWAKENER: This SP only applies to forces on a Force Body Diagram. SP is still limited in usage. ]
What the? This guy can basically control gravity and forces. Who gave my physics teacher such an OP power? Uhm, me next System Neo!
"This is… so cool! Mr. Simon, this is seriously crazy! This is so insane, to think that one day my physics teacher would gain super mega powers in a survival apocalypse is so cool! Oh, can you please use the SP? Please?"
"Sure, sure." Mr. Simon warmly smiled and set down a white ceramic cup on the wooden table. "My SP is about forces, so if I do normal force multiplied by 1.5…" The cup accelerated straight upwards in the air. "When I use my SP, I can feel some part of my strength leaving. It's also a little tiring, too, but it's easy to control considering it's just exemplified magical physics to me."
"Wow! That's seriously so cool!"
"Haha, cool that I got a SP related to my job, right? Well, I guess I can still teach you Physics C when we aren't busy putting our lives on the line."
"Haha. No." Absolutely not. Does he think I'm suicidal?
"Oh."
"Yeah, nice joke, but I'll have to decline. Sorry, Mr. Simon!"
Mr. Simon gave out a hearty laugh, ruffling his dirty blonde hair once more. "You really remind me of one of the kids whom I used to know well."
I sat there silently, unsure of what to say. Is he talking about a dead student or not?
Mr. Simon noticed my expression and rushed to explain, "Oh, this student is still alive. Don't worry, I was actually partnered up with him for the second tutorial phase. He's the one who actually helped me awaken my SP."
I let out a quiet sigh of relief that I didn't totally make the conversation sad or upsetting.
"Haha, if it's someone like me, then I'd love to meet them. My favorite genre of people are those who are similar to me; they are the best type of people to get along with."
Mr. Simon chuckled at my words. "Yep, you really do remind me of him. Speaking of which… I'll need to go and find him…"
"Oh? Where's this guy at?"
"He's at his family's house right now. He declined my offer to stay here, but I'm still concerned for him."
"Shoot!" It made me think of my parents. But knowing the strength within my parents, I knew that they were probably safe. Mom… Dad… "Mr. Simon, if you don't mind, can I call my parents?" I left my phone, belongings, and everything back in high school. No clue when or should I get that back…
"Yeah, of course." He took his phone out of his pocket, handing it over to me. "The internet is still working, so there is some chaos online."
***
ZiChuang checked the time through the system. 10 minutes before phase three. He walked through bushes and grass, peering through a glassy window. He was just about to knock on the clear frame until he heard some muffled voices coming from inside the house.
"Are your parents fine?" Mr. Simon asked the girl.
The girl nodded, replying to his question, "Yeah, they are fine. Typical tiger parents, of course, can pull through. They are just stuck in the downtown area, and it would be fine if I stayed with you, since you are a trusted adult."
"Haha, you have a close relationship with your parents?"
"Yes. They can be a little strict with their parenting, but that's just our family culture, really. I'm glad that they are okay, I almost got really worried there."
ZiChuang could hear Mr. Simon's laughter through the house, eventually continuing the conversation with the senior girl. His already-cold expression fell even further.
…
Such warmth… ew. Forgot about pairing up with Mr. Simon again… What a stupid thought to have.
ZiChuang quietly exited the area.
That girl is odd. Being worried about one's parents?
How emotional.