My guard had completely fallen as the constellation and the white monster left.
Doubt, fear, morals – all those things that I had forsaken for my survival flared up.
Behind the curtain, at the comfort of solitude
Or so I had assumed.
But –
In actuality, I was not out of their sights.
They are, at this very moment, watching me - my vulnerability.
[Few constellations like seeing you in tears.]
[The Abyssal Black flame dragon laughs his ass off seeing your pathetic sight.]
[Few constellations express sorrow.]
'??'
My body jerks up.
I was startled.
With shocked eyes I stare into the screen.
'They don't leave even if that white thing is gone?'
'Am I always watched?'
The idea that I am always going to be watched made me a little nauseous.
I drop the train of thought, as it's out of my control.
I hurriedly wipe away tears from my face.
Taking deep breaths, trying to stabilize my emotions.
Not that it did, but at least I believe I managed to control my expression.
'I have to be careful with how I interact with people, assuming that they can't read my mind.'
[Some constellation finds your act cute.]
I let out a deep breath.
'Calm down; don't drown in things you can't change. Instead, think. " What I can do"'
I remember something about exclusive skills and attributes.
If my knowledge from anime is to be trusted—
I take a deep inhale.
"Status"
[Personal Information]
[Name: Kim Seojin]
[Age: 15]
[Sponsor: None]
[Exclusive Attributes: Blessed by Imaginary (Heroic), Fantasist (General), Reason (Rare), Raging Flames (Rare), Foreigner (Unique), and Mass Murderer (General).]
[Exclusive Skills: Analysis Lv5, Instinct Lv1, Continuation Lv1]
[Overall Stats: Physique Lv. 2, Strength Lv. 5, Agility Lv. 6, Magic Power Lv. 8]
[Coin: 2800c]
I stare at the attributes.
Blessed By Imaginary: Your soul is gazed upon by what doesn't exist and is, in return, empowered by it.
First, when I saw it, it felt awesome, and it sounds awesome. But what does it do?
Mental Note: I need to test it out later.
'Fantasist' is self-explanatory, and then 'Reason', from what I get, basically enhances my ability to comprehend anything I come across.
Now what sounds awesome is raging flames – according to its description, so long as I have will, my soul will burn with power.
So if I have will, I can continue to fight.
Wait, was this responsible for the burst of power I felt at that time (when I was getting strangled)?
Now I understand why I suddenly had that last bit of strength.
Moving forward
The next one caught my eye.
-Foreigner
Its grade is unique.
Now I am no expert, but from all my otaku knowledge I can certainly conclude
It must be something special.
My reaction, however, is blank as a sheet of paper. I couldn't bring myself to feel.
Foreigner: You are an outsider.
??
What?
What does that even mean?
…..
I quietly stare at the screen for minutes.
"Haaaaa…that's anticlimactic," I let out a deep sigh.
I let out a disappointed chuckle.
"I guess it's my fault to expect something overpowered."
Reading the attribute [mass murderer] made my heart feel heavy.
"So it's permanently a part of me."
I chuckle a little, as, for whatever reason, it felt ironic.
But it doesn't hold me.
I proceed to the skill section.
The skills are self-explanatory, though only continuation is worth mentioning.
Continuation: So long as vitals remain and mana flows, the body will cross the natural limits till the end of the fight.
Interesting….
So like semi-immortality?
VERY OP!!
I stare at the screen for some more time…
All of them are passive.
I look through the system for a while.
All the basic stuff
There is a shop – Dokkaebi Bag.
…
I stretch a little, preparing myself for a "survey" of the surroundings.
Before that,
I open the status again.
Hmm….
I stare at my stats.
I can invest coins into my stats, though.
I am hesitant.
How wise is it to spend it now?
The fear primarily rises from the fact that I don't know how valuable or, in better words, hard it is to get.
Which is why I am holding off on the idea of using the coins.
"Okay, my body is warmed up enough."
I empty my bag.
Look around for anything useful.
I snatch a few full water bottles.
Unfortunately, no food.
No worries.
I will supply up on food from the cafeteria.
As for medical supplies,
The nurse's office will have some.
Although the system sells potions and health kits.
It is better to have a first aid kit with me, as I am still not in abundant possession of coins.
Now. The most important thing –
Weapon
I look around for anything; unfortunately, nothing is noteworthy.
My eyes fell on the curtain poles; those certainly give good reach, but they are very brittle.
I pick up some incisor and scissors.
Lastly, I will take a chair with me.
Though it's not sharp as a blade, it can do blunt damage.
I'd rather have distance from my opponent.
I stand in front of the door, fully expecting a bloody mess.
I jump a few times.
Crack my neck.
Trying to shake off the nervousness, preparing myself mentally for what lies ahead.
Letting a deep sigh out
"I can do this."
I slide the door.
Jam*
I try again.
Jam*
What the fuck.
I let the chair go from my right hand.
I put my whole body weight into it till my mind felt light.
Nothing
Pant* pant*.
"What the hell? How jammed is this shit?!"
[The constellations laugh at your useless attempt.]
[Some constellations thoroughly enjoyed your Scrabble.]
[Sponsor 200c]
Then it clicked.
I look toward the window – still grey.
[Abyssal Black Flame Dragon laughs till his belly hurts]
For some reason I feel so embraced.
[Abyssal Black Flame Dragon points its finger at you, saying to look at the tomato head. All that build-up just to fail to open the door.]
I sit down, burying my head in knees.
I could feel my face heat up.
'Stop…'
I could still hear messages popping up. Yeah.
It's from Abyssal Lizard.
'Just you wait, vengeance shall be served.'
…
I stare at the ceiling.
Letting out sighs every few seconds.
The Abyssal Lizard finally had enough.
As my scouting plan had been forcefully shut off, I shift my focus to exploring what I can do.
Among my stats, my magic power is the highest.
I would like to activate a skill to feel how mana flows, but –
None of my skills are active skills.
I could try and use coins to update magic power, but that would be very stupid.
What if I can't feel anything?
On second thought, no, it wouldn't be that stupid, as it will be fuel for continuation. But I don't see anywhere that it dampens the pain.
I'd prefer not to fall into a situation where I need to use it.
While on the topic of coins, let's organize what I know.
How coins are earned:
What I know is clearing scenarios grants coins, so that is to be noted.
But I have seen sponsorships giving coins, so I can compare it to those live streams.
Killing also grants coins.
Now the most important question is, will there be monsters later with which we can farm coins?
If not… I would rather not think about that.
As the whole situation resembles that of games, I should look out for dungeons and other hidden pieces. Though it's just a theory
For now
None other comes... wait, achievements.
Those also grant coins.
Now the exciting part –
Skills and attributes,
This can clearly be earned from what I get.
I distinctly remember earning continuation while having the life choked out of me.
Unconsciously I bring up my hand and rub my throat.
I stare at my first kill.
'Thanks to you I know I can earn skills, but still, getting strangled wasn't fun.'
I walk over to my first kill, give a nut kick, and walk over to my original position.
"Hmph!"
[A few constellations squeak, seeing your cute aggression.]
[Few male constellation shields their nut, calling your actions 'over board']
[A constellation asks to take off your shirt.]
'???'
I stare at the messages.
'Weird bunch they are.'
On that way,
Can I get a mana sense skill?
In anime, people tend to meditate, and then boom.
Mana sense
I excitedly fold my legs.
Closing my eyes, I start to meditate.
According to anime logic, magic either tends to be in the heart or gut.
Mages are cool.
Heart
Exhale… Inhale… Exhale… Inhale
The surrounding despair left from my mind as I explored deeper with myself.
I lost count of seconds.
Passage of time became a blur.
Suddenly a feeling rose in my gut.
'Is this mana?'
I focus on the feelings.
"Growl"
…
Okay, that's not it. That's just I am hungry.
I open my eyes.
Have to wait till gates open.
I close my eyes trying to sense something.
….
I open my eyes.
Afternoon light shines through the windows, illuminating the class.
I stumble a little trying to get up.
The body had gone stiff from sitting crossed.
'Wasn't I trying to sense mana?'
Guess I fell asleep.
My body felt energised and emotions felt stable.
[Second Scenario – escape]
Category: Sub
Difficulty: D+
Clear Conditions: avoiding the dangers that lurk above ground and entering underground
Compensation: 200 coins.
Failure: ???
As if announcing a new challenge, a loud tyrannical scream tours through the landscape.
I look toward the window.
The scene is not grey anymore.
Smokes everywhere
As I get up
My eyes bear witness to a ruined city.
A helicopter flying ab...
Crunch*
Well, was flying before – eaten as a snack by a water dragon?
Well, I guess it answers one of the questions.
Monsters will be there.
Now,
Need to go underground before midnight.
Subways, then
The nearest one is Dongmyo Station.
But even that is an hour away.
And that at a normal pace
Why did the school have to be so far away from subways?
I let a deep sigh out.
Not like I have other options now.
Picking up my things, I walk toward the door.
"Let the journey begin."