"All set," said the teenage boy, his curly black hair bouncing a bit as he rested his hand on the old wooden table, a hint of worry in his round black eyes. He wasn't exceptionally good-looking—just an average Southeast Asian boy with golden-toned skin. People here often linked lighter skin to more money, but being both a construction worker and a fisherman meant facing the sun almost every day.
"I wish my parents were here," he said, his voice carrying a touch of bitterness. The memories of their faces were fading, and that bothered him. A younger version of him might have cried about it, but not anymore.
Lucas grew up in a simple home and never resented his family's financial situation. He enjoyed life's simple pleasures and never wished for anything to change. But when a tragic accident at the fish market took both his parents, his life took a sudden turn. He was only 10 at the time, left behind as they were crushed in the collision, changing his world forever.
Orphaned at 10, no one wanted to take him in. He didn't blame them, knowing that adding him to their homes would only bring more difficulties, considering his young age and limited abilities. Thankfully, villagers, moved by pity, gave him a hand. He survived by doing household tasks for them, earning a bit of money and sometimes some food.
His eyes focused on the cake in the middle of the room, and he sighed. "16th birthday, alone again." The birthday song played on his phone, and a small smile appeared on his face. "Mom, Dad, today your son Lucas turns 16. I wish you both could witness this," he whispered, glancing around the room before sighing again.
Birthdays used to be something he eagerly anticipated, but now they just reminded him of his growing age, the absence of companions making the joy feel lonely. "ZZ...ZzZ...zZzZz..." Suddenly, odd static noises hummed in Lucas's ear, prompting a frown. "What's that sound?" he said out loud, eyes scanning the room.
Lucas glanced over at his phone, but the timer was already turned off, so the sound definitely wasn't from that. Confused, Lucas just gave up and brushed it off. There it was again, "ZZZ...zZzZz...ZZ..." The strange noise persisted, causing Lucas to halt and listen. Suddenly, a clear robot voice scared the daylights out of him, prompting Lucas to almost drop the knife he was holding.
---
"HUMANS OF EARTH! INITIATING EARTH MUTATION PROGRAM PHASE 1!"
---
"Huh? What's phase one?" Lucas mumbled, trying to figure out the weird situation. He wondered if it was like hearing things in his head.
"Is this what people mean by Auditory Hallucination?" he muttered. That makes sense. Why else would he hear voices when he's alone, with his closest neighbors a good twelve feet away?
With this idea, the young boy bent down to blow out the candle and cut himself a slice from his tasty strawberry grape cake.
'Yum!' he thought as he enjoyed the delicious flavors. After relishing the last bite, his only task remained—clearing the table and preparing for a lengthy shower, his sanctuary where the hot water cascaded, enveloping him in peace and silence.
As midnight approached, the moonlight bathed everything in a gentle glow, a moment cherished by Lucas, and that was all that mattered to him right now. Stepping out of the shower, washing away the day's sweat and the lingering scent of strawberry grape cake, he wrapped half his body in a towel and walked over to his bed.
But that peaceful moment didn't last long as "AHHH-" A blood-curdling scream pierced the stillness, sending shivers down Lucas's spine just as he settled into the pillow, ready to sleep.
"Who's making such a scary noise? Don't they realize they could ruin someone's peace?" Lucas complained, puzzled, as he covered his head with his blanket. "Honestly, people these days are so thoughtless."
***
January 21, 2029
"Last night's sleep was so good," Lucas said as he stretched. Since it was Sunday, he didn't have any duties, and a smile appeared on his face. "Looks like it's shaping up to be a great day."
Feeling positive about the start of his 16th year, he continued, "I should go and catch some fish for breakfast." Stepping outside, however, he was met with a sense of puzzlement.
"Wait, where's my boat?" His house was by a lake, and the idea of someone stealing his old boat seemed unlikely. He looked across the lake, but there was no sign of his familiar boat. Disappointment set in.
"I was hoping the first day of my 16th year would start better than this." He let out a disheartened sigh.
His attention shifted when he saw an unfamiliar, 30 cm-long fish where he usually kept his boat. Being an experienced fisherman, he could identify most fish species, but this one seemed... strange.
Approaching cautiously, he grabbed his fishing spear and went towards the unusual fish with careful steps. "Swoosh!" The spear went into the water, hitting the fish, and green blood spread in the water.
Looking at the odd color of the blood, Lucas wondered, 'Is it even safe to eat?' Ready to clean and fry the fish for a meal, Lucas thought about the many fish species in the waters. He had seen plenty of strange ones before, so finding an unfamiliar fish near his house wasn't too surprising.
What surprised him was that such a big fish would be so close to a human home. But the survival strategy was clear – these fish got big by staying hidden. The larger they were, the more they had to stay elusive.
Holding a chopstick with fish meat dipped in soy sauce, he examined it, unsure if it was safe to eat. "Wow, this tastes even better than I thought," he said, both surprised and amused, only to suddenly be interrupted by a loud sound near his ear.
What happened next would probably be even more surprising to him than losing his parents, as a big see-through screen flickered to life right in front of him. The glow from the holographic display illuminated his puzzled expression as he squinted at the unexpected technology.
---
[Mutated Fish Species Detected, Starting System Profile!]
[Opening System!]
---
"System?" Lucas said, looking confused as he remained seated before the voice came back.
For a moment, he just stayed there, chopsticks in hand, staring at the floating images. It was like something out of a sci-fi movie, and Lucas, with his simple life as a fisherman, couldn't believe his eyes. His gaze shifted from the holographic screen to the mutated fish on his plate, and then back again.
"Uh... what in the world is going on?" Lucas muttered to himself, half-expecting the holographic screen to provide an answer. Instead, it displayed various graphs and data points related to the mutated fish species.
---
Name: Lucas Tharla
Age: 16 years old
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Class: None
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Level: 0 (0/10)
Stats:
Agi: 10 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Str: 20 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Int: 25 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Vit: 25 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
Skills:
Unallocated Skill Points: 0
---
Lucas stared at the words on the see-through tablet, his amazement clear. Seeing game-like things like stats and skills in the real world was confusing. He'd seen those terms in phone games, but the idea of them being real was hard to believe.
For a moment, he thought about alien technology, feeling a bit panicked. But he remembered the 'Mutated fish species' and wondered if it was connected.
"Could this be linked to those mutated fish?" Lucas wondered out loud. He cautiously stood up, looking around for more of the strange fish. It took a few minutes, but he found about ten fish like the one he caught earlier.
He watched silently, confused by the weird behavior of the fish. It seemed like they were cannibalizing each other, with the last two fighting fiercely. The most surprising part was that the survivor was getting bigger. Right before his eyes.
Lucas watched, curiosity mixing with a growing unease. A scary thought came to him – could these strange, cannibalistic fish be a threat to him? It wasn't impossible.
Being cautious, he got his spear and quickly ended the life of the injured fish, making splashing sounds in the water.
"Slash!" Lucas's quick move brought the 40 cm fish into his hands. He wanted to examine it, but once again, the mysterious voice of the 'System' interrupted his thoughts.
---
[Level 2 Mutated Fish Killed, Awarding 10 Exp!]
[Leveling Exp Reach: 10/10!]
[Leveling Up: Level 1!]
[Receiving 2 Stat Points and 1 Skill Point!]
---
'I can level up? This is so not scientific,' he thought, looking confused, before saying, "But then again, who would expect some see-through screen to show up? Yet here it is."
Most of it was familiar to Lucas, like the system, and now even getting better. But, of course, those were in a game, and this was real life.
It felt more and more like one of those video games rich kids talked about on the internet—games he only heard about but never got to play.
But what could he do? A poor orphan boy, he sighed and looked at the screen in front of him, saying, "Opening system!" And there it was again. A see-through screen appeared.
---
Name: Lucas Tharla
Age: 16 years old
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Class: None
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Level: 1 (0/50)
Stats:
Agi: 10 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Str: 20 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Int: 25 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Vit: 25 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Unallocated Stat Points: 2
Skills:
Unallocated Skill Points: 1
---
'If leveling up is real, could getting skills be real too? But I don't see any skill here,' he thought carefully. With intentional moves, he took the fish off the spear, cleaned it, and then fried it before enjoying it again. Catching a 40 cm fish wasn't something that happened every day, and his catches were usually small. So, the changed fish turned into just bones within a few hours.
"Now that I think about it…" Lucas muttered as he chewed on the remaining fish meat while his eyes focused on the screen in front of him as he continued, "Why is my agility so low, anyway? I catch fish every day; it should be higher." A bit bitter, he sighed as he drank the water with a gulp, voicing out again, "Well… it's not like I know what the hell all this is." There, he sighed again.