My beauty sleep ended as "Over the horizon" played in maximum volume right beside my ear. This beautiful piece of art was the melody of my nightmares. Don't say that I have no taste in music.
Just tell me, who wants to hear their alarm tone at 6 a.m.?
Of course, not me. It separates me from my true love, the bed.
However, I didn't have the luxury to sleep at least five minutes like other kids. I have to finish my shower before Julian wakes up. So, I jumped out of the bed and rushed into the bathroom. I took like 20 minutes to finish my shower and get ready. I put on my spectacles, grabbed my bag, and reached downstairs.
I was still hungry as I didn't eat anything properly yesterday. How funny. I starved on my coming-out-age day, while others ate, drank, and partied on my behalf.
I grabbed an apple on my way out and bit into it. This will be my breakfast for today.
The ride to school with Julian was silent as usual. As soon as the car parked, Julian hopped out and jogged to the school, not even talking to Mr.Lance. I thanked Mr. Lance as usual. He slightly nodded before getting into the car and drove back. I walked to the school alone.
When I entered the hallway, someone reached me from behind and put their arm around me. Simultaneously, a cheerful teen voice said, "Congratulations again, buddy. Now, it's your turn to treat your bestie."
I didn't have to look back to know who he was.
Mike. He was my best friend from elementary school. I wanted to tease him for asking for treats.
However, before I gave my reply, he frowned and put his arm down. I forgot what I wanted to say. That look wasn't right. Did I do something?
"Wassup dude. Why did you suddenly put on a long face?"
"Bro, how in the hell did you get this much tall in one day?"
I blinked. What? Then I mentally compared my height with him.
He wasn't wrong. we used to be at the same height, until the day before yesterday. Now, he was shorter than me by like 3 inches? I looked at my trouser legs. Yeah, they were shorter than before. How in the hell I didn't notice this much change?
I looked at Mike and he was already looking at me with a bewildered expression. We stared at each other for a long time. We both didn't know what to say. Then he broke the silence.
"Did aliens abduct my friend and leave a replica here? Dude, I heard that puberty makes you tall but, this? Whatever. Let's grab something to eat. My brain starts to hurt when I think too much."
I smirked and replied, "That's what happens when you don't use your brain much."
Smack.
As expected he smacked me. It was enough to break down my laughing barrier. We reached the canteen while bickering with each other as usual.
The rest of the school day went uneventfully. I earned a few weird looks from some students. They surely noticed my height difference. However, the majority didn't notice anything at all.
After I reached home and took a shower, I lied in my bed and opened the web novel app. I still have to read the new chapter of "Solo-Leveling" manga. Jeez, I love this story. How cool to have a system like that.
I wish I had a system too. A minute thought passed through my head.
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I heard a mechanical female voice talking to me.
"The customer accepted the contract. The evaluation process is in progress..."
Huh?
"A hidden bloodline detected. Proceeding to further investigations."
I felt my heart start to beat fast. What in the hell was happening? Am I hearing things or...
"Evaluation process finished. Currently loading the data..."
Is this real? I blinked. My brain seemed to be in a jumble. I didn't understand what just happened. Did I imagine it because I was too tired? Or maybe the voice inside my head playing tricks on me? But, how could my thoughts prank me if I'm not aware? I felt scared.
"Welcome to the Mothman transformation system!"
A what? Mothman? I never heard about such a thing. So, let's think. I'm hearing voices. And it was saying something I never heard before. And...
"Welcome, customer:0000123. I am your personalized ability enhancer, Amy. Do you want to change your username? Please remember that this will be a permanent change of your username."
Oh, Just shut up for a moment. Let me think. What was I thinking before?
"As the customer didn't answer the question his name will be registered as; CUSTOMER:0000123. I hope you will enjoy our service. Do you have any questions to ask?"
It felt too real. However, it's not something possible, right? Do I have schizophrenia?
"According to your mental health evaluation, you do not have any underlying mental health issues including schizophrenia. Do you have any more questions before I proceed into the introductory phase?"
I took the water bottle from my desk, took a handful of water, and wiped my face. I wasn't sleeping either.
"As the customer didn't ask questions, the system will proceed into the next phase. Do the customer wan-"
For goodness sake please, stop talking so fast. I still don't know if this is real or if I have gone crazy. If you are real, please explain yourself.
The voice paused for a moment. Then it started to speak again.
"You are currently registered for the Hidden Ability Enhancement System- HAES. And I am your AI assistant Amy. My purpose is to awaken your hidden abilities by assigning tasks and evaluating your progress. Does Customer:000123 have any more questions to ask? We are happy to provide excellent service to our customers. The w-"
"Hey, slow down, you are a system that wants to make me strong?" I asked out loud this time.
"The customer:0000123 is correct."
"So, how are you talking to me? And, I can't see you."
"I'm currently bound with your brain cells. So, you cannot see me. You can hear me."
Holy shit. I needed a system but, I don't want something to merge with my brain. This wasn't what happened to Sung Jinwoo, Right?
"Sorry, There is no customer registered under the name Sung Jinwoo."
Did it just read my thoughts? No. It has been doing it to answer my many questions. A dread spread through my body. However, I really wanted to confirm it.
"Um, can you read my thoughts?"
"Yes. I have access to your memories and every sensory input."
I gulped. That sounds bad. I proceed to ask the next question.
"Can you control me by any chance?"
"Yes. I can. However, due to customer rights, we don't cont-"
"Enough. Get the hell outta my brain. I don't want you." I panicked. This is too dangerous. An AI who can control you completely? No thanks.
The system paused again. Did it go away?
Instead, an agreement letter was displayed in front of my eyes. "The customer should read this carefully. According to this, once you are bound to the system it would be permanent. If you take the nano-green pill you should be aware of this policy."
What the hell is this nano-green pill? I didn't take any pills. Wait.
I remembered last night's incident. I ran to check the dustbin. The tissue which I used to spit was still there. I opened it.
The glowing green light pulsated on the white tissue.