Sitting on the roof and eating some refreshments, Christian was reading a new novel.
He had just returned from the high school, and not finding the energy to change his clothes, went straight to the roof of their two-story building and lazily laid back in the chair
While it was still in mid-March, the sunny weather and the breeze from the nearby river made it feel relaxing.
But thinking about his current circumstances, he couldn't help but get distracted from the novel. High school was nearing its end, and he still hadn't decided what to do next. Should he go to college, university, or just start working?
As his parents died in a hit-and-run accident when he was eight years old, his older sister, who was eighteen at the time and had just finished high school, canceled her plans to attend a good university to take care of him and started working instead.
It's been ten years, and while they only have their house inherited from their parents, his sister has been encouraging him to go to university despite the high cost. Perhaps she still longs for higher education herself.
But even then, with his average results in school, he wasn't sure if it was even possible. He wanted to become successful and make her proud, to repay her for the sacrifices she made for him. Yet, deep down, he knew he was a person whom took the easy way every time, and had always done everything half-heartedly.
So even if he went to university, what would change?
His dream job of working one to two hours daily at most, and from his house, with a lot of pay and other bonuses, doesn't exist yet, unfortunately. Otherwise, he would have done everything to get it.
As he was daydreaming, Christian suddenly saw the sky becoming dark with a lot of clouds. Even though the weather report had said it would be very sunny today, but with an open mind he thought mistakes could happen. And was about to stand up and head inside to avoid getting wet from the rain.
But he suddenly felt like everything had stopped, the breeze bringing with it some leaves, and the waves from the river. Even his body, aside from his eyes, seemed frozen. He didn't feel like he could move at all. And it felt as though the world had become monochrome, and in this halted or very slowly flowing time, a purple lightning bolt contrasting to the world that had seemingly lost its color was approaching him. Perhaps because time was nearly stopped, he still managed to catch a glimpse of it before it could engulf him.
As the lightning struck him, Christian first felt everything in his sight turn white. Then came a sharp pain, and as the pain intensified, and perhaps due to the exhaustion of experiencing something he shouldn't have, he felt everything shutting down. Then his eyelids slowly dropped, and he finally fell into a deep sleep.
…
"Chris."
Waking from his deep slumber, as he heard his name being called repeatedly with a worried tone and feeling someone is shaking him.
[### #### #### ####.]
Christian opened his eyes groggily, and while he thought that maybe what he saw and what had happened before losing consciousness might have been a dream, the flickering blue window in front of him proved otherwise.
He didn't feel the need to question whether he was hallucinating or even ask the stupid question to his sister in front of him if she was also seeing it.
"Why did you sleep here? The weather is still cold; you could catch a cold and become sick."
Looking at his sister in front of him, her short, dark black hair and unblemished white skin stood out. And her above-average height of 168 cm, slim waist, and noticeable curves giving her a distinctive appearance. Her green eyes, like emeralds, and the small black mole under her left eye adding details to her look, while her well-defined facial features complementing her overall appearance.
Just from her appearance alone, it was strange that she still didn't have a boyfriend, no matter how one would look at it.
But seeing her worried eyes and noticing that the sun had set and it was now dark, along with knowing that his sister usually came home around 7 in the evening, reminded Christian that he must have lost consciousness for nearly three hours.
Coming back to the blue window in front of him, his sister's nagging words was more than enough confirmation, that she couldn't see it. And the thrill and excitement he felt about how his life would unfold going forward were more than enough to push other concerns aside for now.
So, while he felt sorry for his sister as she looked at him with concern, he wanted to be alone for now to think carefully about what had happened. So despite feeling apologetic inside, he still said:
"Sorry, sis. I must have fallen asleep without realizing it because I was tired. I'm going to my room to rest for a bit."
Seeing her brother stand up after what he said and noticing that he didn't appear to have caught a cold, Annabelle decided not to worry too much and simply informed him.
"Okay, I'll prepare dinner in the meantime and call you when it's ready."
...
Coming down to his room and closing the door, he went to the chair in front of his table. And then calming himself a little, he finally took a look at the blue window in front of him.
[The Idle System has been successfully connected to the host.]
Trying to see if there was anything else, but finding only a simple message confirming that he now had the system, Christian was surprised. Despite this, the word "Idle" and the ring of its sound still made him happy, and he felt like he could fly from the joy.
Wanting to explore more of what the system could do, he put his hand at the window. But seeing it pass through, he tried giving it a command with his thoughts. And the window then disappeared, and another one appeared in its place
[Idle System]
Host: Christian White
Level: 0 (EXP: 0/10)
Age: 18
Constitution: 6
Comprehension: 9
Unassigned Points: 5
Skills: None
Idle practicing slots:(1/1)