Mia's heart raced as the last of the monsters dissipated into nothingness, leaving behind only the echoes of their victory. She turned to the young man, her eyes wide with wonder and disbelief. "Who are you?" she whispered, her voice trembling with excitement and confusion.
The face of the young man was enigmatic and expressionless as he turned to face her. At that moment a notice appeared saying "You have just completed a hidden quest."
Mia's mind whirled with questions as she tried to process the notice's announcement. "A hidden quest?" she echoed, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Executing Story Play. Subject, ID036876, Jin." Said the notification as images of the young man began to flicker on the screen.
The system's voice continued, recounting Jin's tale. "Jin was once a player in Nexus, one of the first to venture into its depths. But during a quest, he encountered a high-level monster and had an accident that left him in a state akin to death."
Mia's eyes widened in astonishment as she listened to Jin's story, her mind struggling to comprehend the gravity of the story. "But how..." she began, her voice trailing off in disbelief.
"As the system began the update of Nexus, he miraculously came back to life," explained the system. "However, by then, it was already too late. The system had scanned the entirety of Nexus before the update, registering his life signs as all but extinct."
Mia's heart ached as she realized the extent of Jin's ordeal, her mind reeling with the implications of his resurrection. "And then..." she prompted, her voice barely audible over the lingering echoes of the chamber.
The images and narration continued, revealing further details. "During the update, he became an irregular anomaly in the system. Errors occurred, and in an attempt to debug them, the system inadvertently restored and enclosed him within a crystal, marking the beginning of a hidden quest."
Mia's breath caught in her throat as she listened to Jin's tale, her mind reeling with disbelief and awe. "And now?" she asked, her voice trembling.
The screen disappeared, replaced by a new message "You have completed the hidden quest: Savior of the Restored Victim. Acquisition of <<Chaos Player>>, complete."
As she slowly absorbed the events that had just unfolded before her, another notification appeared before Mia, asking if she would form a contract with him. Without hesitation, entranced by the young man's strength, she agreed.
In that moment, a new title appeared before Mia, declaring her as the Chaos Partner, and her class advanced to Stellar Apostle.
She observed Jin's status window, noting with astonishment that he was Level 0, a player level that shouldn't exist. His stats were all at maximum level, and his class was labelled as Demi-god. Yet, alongside these details, Mia discovered another peculiar aspect: Jin lacked a true sense of self due to the effects of the update and restoration.
He functioned simultaneously as a player and an NPC, bound to serve her as a support character. The notifications also explained that as the affinity level between her and Jin increases, his sense of self would come back gradually but his personality would reflect more of Jin the NPC than Jin the player.
As Mia continued to observe, more notifications appeared, explaining the perks and intricacies of her new titles and class. With a sense of awe and determination, she logged out of Nexus, her mind buzzing with the possibilities that lay ahead.
Back in the real world, Mia met up with her friends once again, keeping the details of her adventure to herself, spinning a tale of being trapped in a secluded area that transported her to another field.
As Mia returned to her apartment and prepared to unwind with a bath, she couldn't shake the feeling of excitement and anticipation that filled her heart. As she emerged from the bathroom, her body enveloped by the warmth of the water and the soothing scent of soap, she was greeted by a sight that took her breath away. Standing before her, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight streaming through the window, was Jin.
"Wait, isn't he supposed to be a Support Character. So, how is he here?" she stammered, dropping her towel and then screaming out of embarrassment.
After hurriedly calming down and wearing clothes, she stood in front of Jin, confronting him as he remained stoic and unreadable. "Wait now that I think about it," she muttered to herself, trying to gather her thoughts. "There was a mention that even though he lacks a sense of self, he can sometimes act autonomously. He's only loyal to me, his registered partner. Maybe that's why he's here. But still... he saw me... naked, completely naked! Well he isn't wearing much either, and looking at his face, he's quite looker."
Shaking off her distractions, Mia refocused. "No, now isn't the time for that. He was once a player, so maybe he can use the same log out function as other players I guess." She reasoned aloud, trying to regain her composure.
"Even though I'm only in my second year of high school, living in this apartment far from my hometown was my choice, approved my parents. But bringing a boy here in the middle of the night... definitely not the best move. Hah! I guess I'll just have to find a way to deal with this." She thought, staring at Jin, whose gaze remained devoid of emotion.
Meanwhile, in an unknown dark place, a solitary screen illuminated a figure observing the events of the hidden quest unfold.
"So, someone has liberated the irregular, huh? Interesting," mused the mysterious entity. "Those humans dubbed the System's installation as Genesis if memory serves. Not a bad name. Quite fitting. After all, Genesis symbolises the birth of the world and the universe as we know it. So, if the world is reborn anew, it is a fitting name. You are an irregular whom even the system struggles to control. Show me what you are capable of, Jin."
With these cryptic words, the figure leaned back, disappearing into the shadows, leaving the screen flickering as it continued to monitor Jin and Mia's unfolding story.