Status
Name: Kane (just Kane)
Age: 16
Race: Human
Allies: 2
Level: 2 (0/200)
HP: 5/15
Energy Pool: 10/15
Strength: 10 (+5)
Speed: 12 (+5)
Agility: 15
Stamina: 15
Wits: 10 (-2)
Abilities: 2
Stat Points: 15
Skill Points: 0 (+200)
---
Kane stared at the glowing text hovering in his vision, his eyelids heavy from exhaustion but his curiosity outweighing his fatigue. He sat up slightly in bed, shifting to get a clearer look of what was in front of of him.
The first thing that caught his eye was the glaring subtraction under Wits.
"Wits: 10… minus two?" Kane read aloud in a whisper, blinking a few times as if that might change what he was seeing. His eyebrows knitted together. "Wait a minute. Why the hell did you take points out of my wits?!"
The system's response came instantly, its tone flat and indifferent as always:
[You were stupid enough to engage Martin's in combat despite the obvious power gap.]
Kane froze, his jaw dropping. "I knew you were gonna blame me for that! But you were the one egging me on the whole time! 'Fight them off,' you said! 'Complete the mission,' you said!"
[Your compliance with reckless orders further demonstrates a lack of sound judgment.]
Kane gawked at the floating text, momentarily speechless. "You—are you serious right now? You're blaming me for listening to you! You're the system! Isn't your whole thing guiding me or whatever?"
[Correction: I am a tool to assist you in growth. Your decisions remain your own.]
Kane buried his face in his hands and groaned. "Unbelievable. You're like one of those friends who dares you to do something dumb, then laughs when you actually do it."
He peeked at the screen again and sighed. "Fine. Whatever. I don't need wits if I've got fists anyway."
As his frustration simmered down, his thoughts drifted back to Martin. Something about the whole encounter still gnawed at him. "How the hell is that guy only Grade D?" Kane muttered. "If he's Grade D, then I'm a freaking' potato. He wasn't just stronger—he was faster, sharper... I couldn't even keep up."
Kane had come up with two theories, it was either the difference between a D-rank and E was much more greater then expected or maybe, Martins had a way of hiding his level.
The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. But Kane eventually shook his head, letting out a small huff. "Nope, not getting dragged down that rabbit hole tonight. One weird problem at a time."
His eyes flicked to the next part of his status:
Skill Points: 0 (+200)
"Wait, hold up." He leaned closer as if that would help him comprehend it better. "Skill points? What even are those? Hey, System, what's this about?"
For once, the response didn't feel condescending.
[Skill Points are a unique currency earned by completing special missions. They can be used to acquire weapons, skills, and high-grade items. The more valuable the asset, the greater the cost.]
Kane blinked. "Wait… currency? You're telling me I can buy stuff? Like, actual stuff? From where? And how do I even get it? You don't expect me to meet some shady system courier in an alley, right?"
[On reaching Level 5, new system functions will be unlocked: the System Store and Inventory.]
"Store and inventory?" Kane's excitement grew. He sat straighter, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "So, you're saying I can buy weapons, skills, maybe even armor, and just, like, store them in this… magical system bag or something? Like a pocket dimension?"
[Correct.]
Kane let out a low whistle, his grin stretching from ear to ear. "Okay, that's… that's awesome. No, scratch that—it's epic. I mean, I was already planning on leveling up, but now? Now I've got a real goal!"
He flopped back onto his pillow, still grinning like a madman. "Level five, huh? That's the magic number. If I can unlock this store and inventory thing, I'll finally have the tools to stop running and start fighting. Maybe this whole vigilante idea isn't so crazy after all…"
The thought of hunting down thugs and leveling up, one fight at a time, sent a surge of adrenaline through him. For the first time in a while, he felt like he had a purpose—a way to take control of his life instead of just reacting to whatever the system or the universe threw at him.
With a long, contented sigh, Kane let his eyes drift shut, his body finally giving in to the day's fatigue. As sleep took hold, a single thought lingered in his mind:
Just three more levels, and everything changes.
*****
The dorm came alive with the buzzing energy of teenage boys. Shouts, laughter, and the occasional crash of something falling filled the air as Kane groggily sat up, running a hand through his messy hair. The events of the previous night were still fresh in his mind, and he couldn't shake the memory of Martin's unsettling smirk and most of all, the systems revelation.
"Yo, Kane! You coming, or are you planning to starve?" Leo's voice jolted him back to reality.
Kane forced a smirk. "Yeah, yeah. Keep your pants on."
The group made their way to the canteen, the smell of food already wafting down the hall. Leo and Liam were busy debating which was worse: cafeteria porridge or the suspiciously gray meat patties they'd had last week. Kane trailed behind, his mind racing, eyes darting to every shadow.
As they entered the bustling canteen, Kane relaxed slightly. The noise and chatter felt normal, grounding even. He grabbed a tray and followed his friends to their usual table near the window.
"Hey, I didn't notice but where's Alex, haven't seen him since morning" Kane spoke as he munched down on his meat.
"Oh, he's not gonna be around for a few days" Leo said with food still in his mouth "The academy is hosting a research programme and he signed up"
"Wow, I didn't know, did he leave this morning?" Kane asked again.
"Of course you won't know!, you've been distant these days, it's almost like I don't even know you" Liam was the one to answer this time around.
The trio went silent for a moment with Kane reflecting on what Liam had just pointed out, thinking about it, he realized that Liam was pretty much right.
In the last few days, the chemistry between the three of them had dwindled without a doubt and it was mostly from his side.
"Sorry guys, I just had a lot on my plate" Kane said apologetically.
"No issues here dude, just try to carry us along" Leo blurted with a cherry smile "if this was a novel, I'd say that the writer was beginning to forget that our characters even existed"
"Haha, really Leo" Liam chimed in "you're relating real life with a novel"
"Come on dude, you never know," Leo laughed.
"Well if all this was a novel, I'd say it's the best thing that happened to me" kane voice rang out with a smile "why?, I got you guys with me"
With that, they continued their meal in peace.
The peace, however, didn't last long.
"Hey, uh… isn't that…" Liam's voice trailed off, his gaze fixed on the entrance.
Kane turned slowly, dread pooling in his stomach. Standing at the doorway, flanked by two very bruised and very miserable-looking goons, was Martin.
Martin scanned the room, his sharp eyes landing directly on Kane's table.
"Oh, no…" Kane whispered, gripping his fork like it was a weapon.
"What? You know him?" Leo asked, noticing how pale Kane had gone.
"Shut up," Kane hissed, trying to make himself smaller.
Martin began walking toward them, his signature cheeky grin plastered on his face. His goons followed, limping slightly, their faces a patchwork of purples and blues.
"Morning, boys!" Martin said cheerily, stopping right in front of their table. His grin widened as his gaze locked onto Kane. For a moment, Kane thought his heart might stop.
The table fell silent.
Martin leaned forward, his hands resting on the table as he stared directly at Kane. The silence stretched, and Kane could feel the sweat forming on his back.
Finally, Martin spoke, his voice low and almost… polite?
"Hey, buddy," he said, leaning even closer until his face was inches from Kane's ear. Kane froze. "Did you see anyone sneaking into the boys' dorm last night?"
Kane blinked. Wait… what?
"Uh…" Kane's voice cracked as he forced himself to speak. "Nope. Didn't see anything."
Martin tilted his head, squinting at Kane as if trying to place him. Kane held his breath.
"Huh," Martin said after a long pause, straightening up. "Alright, then. Just asking."
He gave Kane one last glance, then turned to leave, his goons trailing after him like broken puppies.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Leo and Liam burst out laughing.
"What the hell was that?" Leo managed between wheezes. "You looked like you were about to pass out!"
"Was that guy trying to recruit you for something?" Liam added, smirking.
"Shut up," Kane muttered, stabbing at his food.
"Oh, come on," Leo said, elbowing him. "You went full statue mode! I thought you were going to cry!"
"I said shut up!" Kane's face was bright red, but his friends only laughed harder.
The teasing was interrupted by a soft voice. "Um… Hello?"
Kane turned to see the girl he had helped yesterday standing beside their table, holding a small wrapped package.
"Hi," she said shyly, her cheeks pink. "I just wanted to thank you for, um, what you did yesterday."
'Wow, how come she remembers my face and Martin doesn't' Kane was a bit surprised, he remembered how dark the alley was.
"Oh, this is rich," Liam said, leaning back with a grin.
Kane opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out.
"This is for you," the girl said, setting the package on the table. "I, uh… hope you like it."
"Ooooooh," Leo and Liam chorused, leaning in with matching grins.
"Looks like Kane's got himself a girlfriend!" Leo teased.
"Shut up!" Kane snapped, his face burning.
The girl gave a small smile and a quick wave before hurrying off, leaving Kane to deal with the fallout.
"Wow," Liam said, shaking his head. "A heroic rescue and a gift? You're really out here living a main character life."
Kane groaned, covering his face with his hands. "I hate you both."
---
Just as Kane was contemplating whether it was possible to murder his friends and get away with it, the speakers crackled to life.
"All students are to report to the main hallway immediately," a stern voice announced. "This is mandatory."
"What now?" Leo said, groaning as he stood up.
The boys joined the flow of students heading to the hallway, Liam still whispering jokes about Kane's "girlfriend" and Leo making exaggerated swooning noises. Kane gritted his teeth, praying for the ground to swallow him up.
As they walked, he couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen.
A/N: please guys, I've been thinking of dropping this novel fo a while back now but it seems that a fraction ofy readers are still interested.
Please if you really are, show this by engaging the story actively, tell me my mistakes, like, dislike and many more. I promise that it is of great help to me