Ned stared at the holographic screen, his mind racing. "This… this can't be real," he thought. He pinched his arm. It hurt. The screen was still there, glowing with a soft blue light.
He touched the screen again, tentatively.
[HOST: NED]
[LEVEL: 1]
[HP: 30/50]
The numbers and words meant nothing to him. It was like another language. He knew basic math, from when he was in school briefly, but this felt different. "HP? What is this, a game?"
[SKILLS: NONE]
[MISSIONS: 1]
[SURVIVE THE NIGHT: IN PROGRESS]
[REWARD: 10 EXP]
He frowned. Okay, he could understand "Survive the Night." He had been doing that since he was six years old. But what was this "EXP" thing? And why was it telling him about "skills"?
He thought about the word "skill". "Maybe like fighting?" He did some fighting, when he had to protect himself or had to steal something, but nothing was structured or anything.
He looked around the abandoned building, trying to make sense of everything. "This thing is crazy," he thought. "It's like something out of those comic books or something." He looked at the orb again, lying on the floor, now dull like it had died.
He decided to focus on the mission. 'If I want to know what's going on, I need to do what it says,' he thought. He wasn't that scared at the moment, maybe too many things had happened to him already that nothing seemed to be capable of fazing him anymore. "Survive the night," he mumbled to himself. He'd done it many times, what's one more? He tried to sleep and the screen was still there, in his mind. He focused on the screen and his vision went blurry again, and he found himself looking at the screen in the mindscape.
[Would you like to enter [Sleep Mode?]
[Yes/No]
He was surprised. "Sleep mode, I guess, that is useful." He selected Yes, and the screen went dark. He fell asleep almost instantly, the exhaustion finally catching up with him.
He woke up to the first rays of dawn, filtering through the cracks in the boarded-up windows. The system screen was back, greeting him with blue light.
[MISSION COMPLETED: SURVIVE THE NIGHT]
[REWARD: 10 EXP]
[LEVEL UP! 1 -> 2]
[HP RESTORED TO MAX: 50/50]
[STATS INCREASED!]
He sat up, feeling slightly more awake than he usually did. "Level up?" He blinked at the screen. "Okay, this is new."
[LEVEL: 2]
Another screen popped up, this time with more options.
[SELECT STAT TO INCREASE]
[Strength]
[Agility]
[Endurance]
[Intelligence]
He had no idea what any of it meant. He knew he wasn't strong or fast. He was a normal guy, maybe a bit weak after all this time on the street. "What do I even pick?" He was just a kid trying to survive. He guessed Endurance was probably the best for him. "I gotta last longer."
He selected "Endurance" by focusing on it on his mind screen.
[ENDURANCE INCREASED!]
[HP: 60/60]
He blinked. So it really did something. "This isn't a joke, is it?" He felt like he had some more energy, not much, but still. He felt… better.
A new notification appeared on the screen:
[NEW MISSION AVAILABLE!]
[MISSION: FIND FOOD. REWARD: 20 EXP + 1 RANDOM ITEM]
He had no idea what random item meant, but it was way more than the 10 EXP he got last night, he was getting greedy already. Food was a constant worry. He had to eat, if he wanted to live another day. He knew just focusing on surviving was not going to change anything, he needed to work.
'Okay, fine, I'll play your game, I need food anyway.'
He stood up, feeling the slight increase in his strength and energy. It was like a tiny spark of hope, a change in his normal life. He looked at the orb and took a deep breath. He had to figure out how to use this weird system, but for now, it seemed like the only thing that he could rely on.
He went outside, the cold air hitting him. The city was waking up, people going to their jobs, to school. It felt like a completely different world. He needed to find food, and he had a weird feeling that things were going to be different from now on.
'What kind of item can I get?' he thought, an excitement he hadn't felt in a while in his heart.