"My head is hurting so bad... What happened?" When I woke up, I noticed that it was already dark outside, and only the light from a lamp next to my bed illuminated the room.
My dog, Bob, was lying in his bed next to mine.
"I slept all day? Why didn't anyone wake up? Good thing it's a holiday." I got up and went to the bathroom. When I turned on the light and looked in the mirror, I noticed that both my eyes were red. In addition, they were burning as if I had been swimming in a pool with my eyes open all day.
So I washed my face and wiped it with a towel.
"Even though I slept all day, I feel so tired." I took off my clothes and took a shower. Everyone was asleep, so I took this opportunity to take a long, quiet bath.
When I came out, I went back to my room and turned on my computer.
The first thing I did was research what was happening in the world at the moment. Dungeon invasions, raids, battles in the middle of the city. All the same as before, nothing had changed.
Among them was the news of the death of the two hunters that had happened yesterday.
After reading the article, I decided to open a game and play until dawn. Since tomorrow was also a holiday, I didn't bother to get ready for school.
After playing for long hours, I could see the sun rising through my bedroom window.
"My mom and dad must be awake by now." I left my computer on and went to the living room.
When I got there, my father sat in the living room watching TV while my mother finished preparing coffee. As soon as I arrived, I went into the kitchen and got some water.
"Can you get the jug of milk for me?" My mother asked as I was about to close the refrigerator door. I took the jug of milk and handed it to her. I then went into the living room and sat down next to my father.
As soon as I got his attention, he looked at me and noticed my red eyes.
"Are you feeling better?"
"Sort of. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning and couldn't sleep again. Plus, I feel like my head will explode at any moment." I hadn't been able to explain it. It was as if my brain was overloaded.
"Do you want to go to the hospital? I need to work today, and I can drive you there."
"I'll just take some headache medicine and stay home."
"Okay. But in case the pain gets worse, talk to me or your mom."
"I'll do that."
After that, we stood in silence and waited for my mother to finish. When she finished, we sat down at the table with her, and then my sister appeared in the living room. She was wearing strange clothes, her hair was quite messy, and her appearance was that of a zombie.
"Good morning." She said as she yawned. After approaching the couch, she lay down and turned on the TV.
"Anna, come over for coffee. No eating cereal today; you need to feed yourself properly."
"Okay, okay~~" My sister replied as if she didn't care.
Then my mother put some bread and cheese on a plate, grabbed a cup of coffee with milk, and led the way to the living room.
"Here."
"As usual, you are spoiling her." My father said.
"If I don't do this, she won't eat."
After that, everyone had coffee, and my mother and father got ready to work. After they got ready and left, I was left alone in the house with Anna. My head was still hurting, so my father and mother asked her to care for me. But I think it's easier if I take care of her.
Anna is very sloppy, even though she is the older sister.
Is there a lack of food? I have to prepare it myself. Is the house dirty? I have to clean it.
"Anna, do you want to go to the market?"
"Hm, why?"
"I want to buy some things. A new series has launched, and I want to buy some snacks."
"And where did you get money from?"
"It's the money left over from my allowance."
"I understand. But I don't want to go. Besides, I haven't gotten ready yet...I'm not going out on the street dressed like this."
"Haaa~~ Right. Do you want anything?"
"Since you insist, can you bring me an orange juice?"
"Okay. And take care of the house, don't forget to lock the door."
"Who do you think I am? I'm not a child. I can take care of myself."
"If you say so. I'll be back in half an hour."
"Okay, ~~."
Leaving Anna at home, I headed toward the neighbourhood grocery store. It was a small market, but it certainly rivalled a large market in some capital cities.
After arriving, I was greeted by Raquel, the receptionist.
Clear eyes, shoulder-length brown hair, and beautiful tan skin colour. I would be lying if I said I was never attracted to her, especially since she was an older woman.
"Lukas, how are you?" She chirped upon seeing me.
"Ah, Raquel. How are you? I'm going to get some things."
"Sure~~."
I waved to her and then walked down the market's aisles. I picked up some chips and two cans of soda. Of course, I didn't forget the orange juice that Anna had asked me for.
"Is that all?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, what happened to you? I feel like you look different than before." Raquel asked as she looked at me.
"Probably because of the dark circles under my eyes, I didn't sleep very well tonight."
"It's not that; there's something strange about you. How can I say... You look more 'shady' than usual?"
"What are you saying? Are you saying that I was 'shady'?"
"No, not at all Hahaha." Raquel smiled a little awkwardly, "What I mean is that you seem sadder than usual, more melancholy. So I want to know if something has happened. Are you by any chance having trouble at school again?"
"No, nothing has happened."
"I see. If you want to talk, you can come over here. I'm excellent when it comes to cheering people up!" Raquel raised her thumb and gave a big smile.
In response, I smiled and then gave her the money.
"Come back again."
After picking up the bag with the items, I left the market.
I looked both ways and then crossed the street. A few people walked by and stared at me, which made me uncomfortable.
I began to remember what Raquel had just said.
Am I a shady person who causes people to be afraid? No, I look good. It's probably because of my eyes; it must be drawing people's attention.
I decided to speed up my steps, but I still felt something strange.
I felt as if everyone was looking at me.
The old lady with a baby cart, the two children carrying toys in their hands, and a mother and son walking hand in hand. I felt as if everyone was staring at me.
'Am I going crazy or something?'
[ Note: The user's sanity is gradually decreasing due to the emotional factor: Fear ]
[ Note: User's sanity is gradually decreasing due to an emotional factor: Anxiety ]
'Huh?'
I stopped my steps completely.
I looked back, looked sideways, down, and even up.
[ Due to low sanity, the system will use its methods to stabilise the user emotionally. ]
[ Applying changes ]
[ 0%...50%...80%...100% ]
[ Sanity restored ]
'Huh? Am I going crazy?' I started looking around to figure out where that soft, feminine voice was coming from. But for some reason, after she said all that, I began to feel calm.
It was as if I had taken some medicine that made my head stop hurting and all the tiredness go away.
'I must be going crazy.'
I quickly went back home.
As soon as I opened the door, my sister, who was on the couch, stood up and looked at me.
"Welcome back. What happened? You look nervous."
"Something strange happened while I was coming home."
"What? A dog tried to bite you again?"
"It's not that. A voice started talking in my head, and it said things like 'The user's sanity is low' and did a count."
"Ham? Are you finally going crazy? You don't have a fever?"
"No, I'm feeling pretty good. After listening to that voice, my headache is gone. Look at that." I slapped my head a little and then jumped up and down, showing that I was okay.
But that only made Anna even more worried about me.
"Brother... You are going crazy."
"I'm telling you the truth!"
"Right, right. A teenager's imagination is very fertile."
"You're also a teenager."
"What? I couldn't hear." My sister threw herself back on the couch and ignored me.
I took what I had bought and then went upstairs to my room. After putting everything on the computer table, I stood in the middle of my room and decided to call out that voice again.
I couldn't be going crazy, could I?
"You. Who are you? Why are you inside my head?" I asked but heard no answers.
"I remember something. I dreamed about something, and it had something to do with RPGs. I remember something like that." I began to force my mind to remember my dream, but I was not succeeding in remembering everything.
I did manage to remember the keyword, though.
"System... Yes, that's it! System!"
[ Welcome to System. ]
[ First, I'd like to introduce myself. ]
[ Pseudonym 'Glutton System' but you can call me System ]
[ Below, you can keep track of all the numbers in your Status. Physical strength, agility, endurance, and intelligence. In addition, there is also the soul counter. Please pay close attention to it. ]
[ Look to the left, do you see that? Yes, that's your skill tree. Don't have some exciting things? If you want some explanations on how to get new skills, ask me, I'm very assertive. ]
[ And don't forget your usable skills to the right ]
[ Pyrotechnics ]
[ Telekinesis ]
[ Divine Eyes of Doom ]
[ Glutton ]
[ NULL ]
[ If you want to know the effect of each skill, ask me, and I will tell you. I will be here to give you an explanation. ]
'What the fuck is this? And why are you talking to me so casually? That's creepy!'