The Sato Family was always very cheerful when having dinner. There was always something going on, they were always telling stories from their day. And today, the guest was the subject of their talk.
Nothing about their talk indicated Nevan's identity. As if they didn't even know. Just like the system had told, their reality had been altered. He was Nevan Kimura. Not Nevan Ayers. Not until he became a star athlete and got that Name-Key so that he could change his name again. That was what the system showed. Deadline of almost 6 years.
He had helped Mrs. Sato with the dishes despite how much she told Nevan it was okay. Keisuke was sitting with his father. Nevan envied Keisuke. He seemed to have a great bond with his father while Nevan barely had seen him these days. His father had always been busy. It was no surprise, considering how nerve-racking and ominous the Ayers Empire seemed.
After that Nevan had excused himself for the night, leaving the small family to themselves. Now he was looking around in Mei's room. It was held in a pastel green color. The curtains held a leaves and forest design. The bed and the desk really matched the aesthetic of this room. Mei had always had a knack for aesthetic.
What was his mom doing now? His family was probably having dinner now. He wondered if his father showed up to the dining table tonight or if he had shunned himself in his home office again. Did his mom miss him? Was she even able to eat without asking Nevan about his day?
No. Their reality was altered too. He wondered what was true for them. What was their situation?
He glanced at the display. He would have to make use of this thing. It had changed his life with just a simple edit. Nevan sighed in relief as he felt how soft the bed was. Better than the couch at Dax's place. He took a deep breath. The door was closed. He wouldn't get disturbed.
"Open Attributes and Skills." He said. He had already seen what the content of Host's information was.
The homescreen changed to a different display as soon as he said that. His eyes scanned over the new screen.
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[Attributes and Skills]
[Attribute-Points] 4
{Attributes}
⇢Strength: 1
⇢Perception: 1
⇢Endurance: 1
⇢Charisma: 1
⇢Intelligence: 1
⇢Agility: 1
⇢Luck: N/A (This attribute cannot be upgraded and enhanced actively.)
{Skills}
[Host has not aquired any skill yet. As soon he achieves one, it will je shown here and can be enhanced.]
Note: Once the first skill is unlocked, there will be 'Skill-Points' that can be obtained by completing tasks.
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Nevan was quiet as he just read through it all. It was really just like a game. A game which had an impact on the reality. This seemed simply enough. Nothing too odd and easy to understand.
He was just going to go through the system now and make a sense of everything. "Open Career."
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[Career]
⇢Quests
⇢Soccer
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He opened his mouth to say something but then paused. "Soccer."
The display changed in an instant. Now it showed a different window.
[You have chosen the career 'Soccer'. In this category, the Host will see abilities that are associated with the career choice. The skills in 'Attributes and Skills' are relevant to the chosen career path as well.]
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[Stats]
⇢Possession percentage - ???
⇢Pass accuracy - ???
⇢Shots on target - ???
⇢Ball control - ???
⇢1v1 defending - ???
[i: Stats are available after every match.]
[Teams]
N/A
[Teammates]
N/A
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This meant, this option was only available when he was going to play. He had gone through other options as well. The shop wasn't available yet and there was a register where he could see which tasks and quests he had to complete or which he had already completed.
He stared at the display. The more he looked at it, the drier his throat became. It felt so different, seeing a different surname hanging onto his name.
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[Name] Nevan Kimura
[Level] 1
[Exp] 14/100
[Status] Newbie
[Career] Soccer
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Nevan got up from his bed and started to pace around in the small room. He just couldn't sit and watch. First, he was kicked out and then the system made sure, the instruction of his father were followed. Find an ambition. And not use his name. The system was working effectively to make Nevan actually follow these instructions.
He slumped back on the bed and simply closed his eyes. He had tired himself out by pacing around like a tiger in a cage. As he drifted into his sleep, all of the thoughts blurred together to a big question mark before he finally slipped into the land of dreams.
His sleep didn't last for long. It was as if he had been shaken up my someone. He had sat up in shock, his head light from the heavy sleep he had just been embraced in. There was no one in the room as he looked around. What had been that sensation?
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Fever tasks have been generated.
[Accept.] [Decline.]
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He groaned in frustration. How much was this system going to trouble him? Could he not even sleep? Nevan rubbed his eyes and muttered a low 'accept'. Then he waited for something to happen which followed right after.
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Fever Tasks (0/2)
- [100] Push-ups
- [100] Squats
[Reward] ???
[Penalty for not completing the tasks] Hidden - Will be revealed if Host fails to complete the tasks.
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"You gotta be kidding me." Nevan's eyes widened. There was no way, he was going to do hundred push-ups and squats. He was anything but ready for that. He felt like sleeping and not doing some additional workout in the middle of the night.
He laid back and closed his eyes again. He thought, he could just ignore it and go back to sleep. But there was this ugly feeling that gnawed at him. The feeling he got when he had left something incompleted.
With a determined look, he got on his feet and then tended to the tasks. First warm-up and then these almost impossible goals. That was what he did. After struggling for almost two hours, he had done that. Finished the tasks.
His body was aching from the sore muscles. He had pushed himself too far. He collapsed onto the floor and simply fell asleep there.
At first, he just felt the sunlight lingering on his face, soothing it with the gentle warmth of the rays. Then, he heard footsteps and how he was shook awake. He opened his eyes in a groggy manner and looked at Keisuke.
"Man, what are you doing? Let me sleep, will ya?" His voice sounded deeper than usual. Of course, he was still half asleep.
"Why are you sleeping on the floor?" Irritation was laced to Keisuke's voice. He was persistent. He only left Nevan alone when he was finally awake and couldn't go back to sleep.
He had gotten ready for the day and entered the kitchen where Keisuke was drying the dishes. Keisuke greeted his friend as if he hadn't forced him out of his peaceful sleep just fifteen minutes prior. "Good morning. Your breakfast is on the table. Mum and dad both went to work."
"Oh! Thank you." Nevan sat down and digged right into the food. It was delicious and he immediately remembered his own mom's food which had been equally good. Despite being rich, his mom always preferred to cook on her own and his father appreciated the taste of it. It was always his father who worked while his mother spent her own time with artistic skills, such as cooking, painting or gardening or with Nevan, when he had been younger. Both of his parents working was just not something he was used to.
Keisuke sat across from his friend as soon as he was done with his chores. "Do you have a plan how you want to train?" Curiosity settled on his features as he watched Nevan eat.
He chewed and swallowed before eating. He remembered the distaste of his father for people who ate and talked at the same time. "I guess, I do habe something I might call a plan. Why?"
"I know, we said, we will train on our own. I just wanted to make sure, you know what you want to do. Otherwise I would have helped, of course." Keisuke was being as compassionate as ever. Nothing weird about this. "I will probably go to my club to train. There are other clubmates who want to go to that boot camp and the trainer wanted us to train together."
Nevan nodded in acknowledgement as his mouth was filled with the delicious pancake. He could never get enough of pancakes, no matter what. "Sure, no worries. I am perfectly fine on my own." He grinned after his mouth was empty.
That was all. Then Keisuke had left the house and told Nevan where the spare key was. After being left alone in this house, he had looked at the display.
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Fever Tasks
⇢Completed.
[Reward]
[1] Key.
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For some reason, the rays started to gather at a spot on the table. After a few seconds, they suddenly disappeared and a key appeared. Reluctantly, he took the key in his hand. "What is that for?" His question was directed to the system. The key seemed normal. One, he was used to. But the real question was, how did the key appear out of nowhere?
[The purpose of the key will be revealed in the future.]
[Continue with daily tasks?]
Nevan stared at the key for a while before putting it in his pocket. Later it was, then. "Yes."