"Is this... the legendary system everyone talks about?"
Jacob stared at the floating translucent interface in front of him, his eyes shining with a mix of curiosity and excitement. He had only ever encountered something like this in novels and anime. Never in his wildest dreams did he think such a thing would actually happen to him. It felt surreal—like a dream come true.
But as Jacob examined the system more closely, his excitement wavered. "Why does it look different, though?" he mumbled, leaning forward to carefully read the text displayed on the panels.
The screen resembled a stats page straight out of a video game. To be honest, while he was embarrassed to admit it, his current stats were absolutely pathetic.
"Come on, my dexterity is only 8? That's crazy."
Jacob scoffed at the number, though deep down he knew it wasn't surprising. He had never been an athletic person. Ever since his elementary school days, he had spent most of his time playing video games. After graduating from a small local college, his habits hadn't changed. Day after day, he had lazed around, glued to his computer or phone screen.
In other words, Jacob was one lazy bastard.
The only times he had engaged in physical activities were during mandatory extracurricular events in high school and college—and even then, he had done the bare minimum to get by.
If anyone had called him pathetic—either physically or mentally—he would have denied it immediately. But now, staring at the brutal honesty of his stats, Jacob couldn't argue. The numbers didn't lie. The system wasn't fake; it was undeniably real. And as someone who liked to embrace the unknown, Jacob knew he had no choice but to accept the reality he was now in.
His gaze shifted toward the two stats that stood out the most—his Aura Points (AP) and Charisma (CHA). Both were absurdly low, far below zero. Aura Points were sitting at an abysmal -200, while Charisma was -100.
He let out a frustrated sigh. "How did I end up with such a brutal penalty? Just because I died embarrassingly? That's ridiculous!"
Jacob frowned at the numbers, his mind filled with questions. "Why is my Aura Points lower than my Charisma, though?"
The Charisma stat made some sense to him—after all, the system had conveniently included an explanation underneath it. But Aura Points? That one was a mystery. Based on the word "aura," he could only make a vague guess.
"Could it be related to that vibe thing everyone talks about on the internet?" Jacob muttered, scratching his head. He had seen the word used frequently online, though he couldn't quite recall its exact definition. He only remembered it was a trendy term lately, often used in phrases like "good aura" or "bad aura."
Still, the mystery of Aura Points didn't stop him from looking back at the screen. His attention turned to the title section of his profile.
[Name: Jacob Fox
Title(s): Shitstormer (effects apply)
Achievement(s): N/A
LVL: 1 (0/100)
AP: -200 (-100 + -100)]
"Shitstormer, huh?" Jacob said with a dry laugh. "What a ridiculous title."
His gaze lingered on the words in parentheses: (effects apply).
"What does that even mean?" Jacob wondered aloud. He tapped on the words, and the three panels disappeared, replaced by a new screen.
[Title: Shitstormer
A title granted to the user after dying while shitting.
Title Effect: Reduces the user's Aura Points by 100 upon obtaining the title (one-time effect). Every person who knows about the user's "death" will be unable to forget the event until the title is removed.
Removal Condition: Attain the 100 AP milestone.]
Jacob's face darkened as he read the description. His stomach churned with irritation. Losing 100 AP just for earning the title was already bad enough, but the second effect? That was on another level of humiliation.
"Everyone who knows about my death can't forget it?" Jacob grumbled. His fists clenched in frustration. "What kind of cruel joke is this?!"
This wasn't just a penalty—it was outright torment. He cursed under his breath, muttering every insult he could think of.
"What dogshit luck! What kind of shitty system is this?"
He had been excited about the idea of having a system mere moments ago, but now? This so-called Infinite Aura System seemed like it was designed purely to mess with him. And whoever—or whatever—created it had succeeded.
Jacob took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Losing his temper wouldn't change anything. "Okay, okay... now how do I turn this back?"
He scanned the new panel, searching for a "return" button or some kind of menu, but there was nothing. "Is it possible this system uses both physical and verbal commands?" he speculated.
It was worth a shot. After all, there was no harm in trying. He cleared his throat and spoke firmly, "Return."
To his relief, the panel flickered, and the previous three screens reappeared. Jacob let out a sigh, feeling a small sense of accomplishment. At least he had figured out one thing about the system's functionality.
"Alright," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "Let's see… what should I do now?"
He turned his gaze toward the window, his thoughts wandering as he stared at the towering skyscrapers in the distance. The cityscape looked alien yet beautiful, glowing under the night sky.
But as he observed the scene, a realization struck him.
"Wait a minute," Jacob said, narrowing his eyes. "I'm awake now, so why hasn't the doctor or nurse come to check on me yet?"
But when Jacob thought about it further, it was probably because it was already nighttime. The hospital staff were likely running on a skeleton crew, with most personnel off duty, leaving just a few covering the night shift.
"Shitty service," Jacob muttered under his breath, sinking his head into the soft pillow and staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Hmm, I guess I'll deal with the system tomorrow," he grumbled, his frustration ebbing as fatigue overtook him.
---
The next day, after waking up and going through the mundane discharge procedures, Jacob finally stepped outside the hospital doors. By exactly high noon, he was free, basking in the sun and breathing in fresh air. While the heat from the blazing sun made his skin tingle uncomfortably, it still felt infinitely better than the sterile, suffocating air of the hospital.
"Yo, Jacob!"
Jacob glanced up at the familiar voice and saw Mason jogging toward him, clad in his signature red jacket despite the oppressive heat. Jacob couldn't help but chuckle. Only Mason would wear something so ridiculous in this weather.
"Here," Mason said, handing him a brown paper bag with bold yellow letters spelling out: Whacknonald's.
'What the hell is Whacknonald's?' Jacob frowned, his brain tripping over the unfamiliar name. But he shoved the thought aside and focused on Mason instead. "Why are you here?"
"I heard from the nurse you'd be getting discharged today, so I thought I'd drop by with some food," Mason said, grinning as he tapped the bag.
"Thanks, man," Jacob said, genuinely touched by the gesture. Together, the two started walking toward a nearby park.
As they walked, Jacob scanned the unfamiliar streets and towering structures around him, his unease growing with every step. "Hey, uh…where are we?"
Mason gave him a weird look. "What do you mean, 'where are we'? We're in Sparrow City. Where else would we be?"
"What? Sparrow City?" Jacob repeated, his voice laced with disbelief. He'd never heard of such a place in his entire life. Maybe he'd come across the name in a book, but definitely not in real life.
"Did you hit your head or something?" Mason snorted, though his eyes glinted with mild concern. "This is your hometown, Jacob. How could you forget that?"
"You're messing with me. There's no way this is my hometown."
Mason shrugged, unimpressed. "Whatever, man. Just don't drag me into your weird delusions. You're probably just salty you missed the Lizardball X premiere."
"You're the delusional one," Jacob shot back, though his voice trailed off as he sank into his own thoughts. Mason wasn't lying—that much he could tell. But the people here, the places, the everything—it all felt just wrong. Even when he'd casually asked the doctor about the year, the man had said 2026, not 2024.
'So I'm really in a different world, huh?'
The realization hit him like a brick to the face. It was surreal. Wild, even. Jacob never thought he'd be the type of guy to experience something this bizarre in his lifetime. And now, on top of everything else, he had a system. Whether it would actually help him, though, was another question entirely.
Speaking of the system, it had been unusually quiet. Not that he wanted it to pop up—it was already proving to be a pain in the ass. But it wasn't like the system was sentient, appearing whenever it felt like it. He just had to say the word, and boom, it would show up.
"Oh, it's Mira," Mason suddenly whispered, his face lighting up with a mix of nervousness and excitement.
Jacob raised an eyebrow at his friend's sudden change in demeanor and followed his gaze. Sitting on a park bench nearby was a red-haired girl with a strikingly pretty face dotted with freckles. Her fiery hair glinted under the sun, and while her looks were undeniably captivating, Jacob knew her far too well to be charmed.
Mira Hansen.
Jacob recognized her immediately—she'd been their classmate from high school all the way through college. On the surface, Mira was a stunning girl who seemed perfect in every way, but her personality was anything but. She had a reputation for being cold, haughty, and downright rude to anyone she deemed beneath her—especially guys like Jacob. For him, Mira was nothing but trouble, a walking headache he wanted to avoid at all costs.
[Ding!]
A familiar sound rang in Jacob's mind, freezing him in his tracks. His stomach dropped as a transparent panel suddenly materialized in front of him.
"What now?" he muttered under his breath, already dreading whatever the system had in store.
Words began to appear on the screen, each one filling him with a growing sense of dread.
[Mission: A Taste of Medicine
Description:
Approach Mira Hansen and make her feel bad about herself.
Time limit: 30 minutes (29:58)
Reward: +100 EXP, +8 AP
Penalty: Removal of the system, becoming a wanted criminal, -1,000,000 AP, -500,000 all stats, forever haunted by bad luck.]
Jacob stared at the screen in stunned silence.
"What the actual fuck is this!?" he hissed, his fists clenched as his eyes darkened.
The audacity of this so-called system! First, it penalized him for dying in the most humiliating way possible, and now it wanted him to provoke Mira of all people? And if he didn't do it? The penalties were so brutal they didn't even seem real.
"This system…is seriously out to ruin my life," Jacob growled.