The first thing Nare noticed when he opened his eyes was that he was still standing. Not dead or bleeding. The Splitjaw Pup was gone, like it had never been there. The training circle looked normal again.
Nare's breathing was still uneven, chest rising and falling like his body hadn't caught up yet, sweat cooling against his skin in patches, his shirt sticking to him in a way that made him aware of every movement.
"…Nare."
The instructor's voice came through, closer this time, more careful.
"You're out of the circle. Step back."
Nare blinked, he hadn't even noticed when he moved, or if he moved. His legs felt strange, like they weren't fully his yet, but they worked enough for him to take a full step back, then another.
The whole class was staring now, not laughing. That was new.
"What just happened?" someone whispered.
"The beast slipped—did you see that?"
"No, it didn't slip… it was like the ground—"
Nare swallowed, they saw it, not everything, but enough. His gaze dropped slightly, and that's when he saw it again.
[SP +3]
"…what?"
He blinked hard, it didn't disappear.
"…"
His heart started picking up again, not fear this time. Something worse than that.
"…it is still here…"
He didn't mean to say it out loud, but someone heard him.
"Who are you talking to?"
Nare's head snapped slightly to the side, Milo stood there.
"…nothing," Nare said quickly, almost biting on his own tongue.
Milo narrowed his eyes slightly.
"That didn't look like nothing," he said. "That thing slipped twice. You did something."
Nare shook his head once. "I didn't."
"That's not what it looked like."
"…I said I didn't."
His tone came out tighter than he expected. Milo paused, just for a second, then he smirked slightly.
"…whatever you say."
But he didn't look convinced, Nare looked away first. Because right now, the last thing he needed was attention.
"Class dismissed."
The instructor's voice sounded louder now.
"We'll continue tomorrow. Review your control techniques. Those who hesitated today—fix it."
He paused, looking at Nare.
"…and Nare."
Nare's body stiffened slightly.
"…come see me later."
That wasn't good, not good at all for Nare.
"Yeah… you're finished," someone muttered under their breath.
Nare didn't respond, he grabbed his bag fast. Because his focus wasn't on them anymore. It was on the thing still sitting in his vision.
[SP +1]
"…again?"
It ticked up just like that. Nare walked out of the hall, the hallway felt louder than usual. People talking, moving, some laughing. Everything was back to normal.
'Why is this still here…'
He turned into the first empty stairwell he could find and pushed the door open, stepping inside quickly before anyone could follow. The door shut behind him and heavy silence followed.
Finally,
"…okay."
He leaned back against the wall, breathing out slowly, running a hand through his damp hair, fingers coming back wet.
"…think."
His eyes focused, and the screen responded.
Name: Nare Vance
Title: The Unwashed One
Level: 1
SP: 7
"…what kind of title is that…"
He stared at it, longer than he should have.
'Sp…'
"…Sweat Points?"
The answer was obvious. His gaze dropped to his sleeve, still damp.
"…no way."
He pushed himself off the wall slightly.
"…no, that's stupid." He paused. "…right?"
He wiped his face with the back of his hand. A bead of sweat rolled down from his temple.
Drip!
[SP +1]
Nare froze. "…what?"
His head tilted slightly. "No way"
He wiped his neck this time, slowly, watching for any reaction. Another drop fell.
[SP +1]
He went quiet, a strange feeling settling on his skin.
"…this is serious."
He let out a short breath, not quite a laugh.
"…this is actually serious."
His hand dragged down his face again, slower now, testing, watching, waiting. But nothing happens this time.
"…wait." His brows pulled together. "…do I have to—"
He stopped, the thought forming halfway.
"…no.
He paused again.
"…there's no way that's it."
But something in his chest said otherwise. He pushed himself off the wall again, pacing once, then twice, mind racing now, faster than before.
'Think, Nare.'
Back in the room, the creature slipped twice. Not once.
"…that wasn't normal."
His breathing picked up slightly again.
"…it didn't miss me." A pause. "…it couldn't stand."
His eyes dropped to the floor, then back to his hands.
"…because of this?"
The word felt ridiculous, but the points were still there. Still increasing, and most importantly, it's real.
"…this is insane."
But his voice didn't sound like rejection anymore. It sounded like a realization.
"…this actually works."
A silence followed, then a very small smile.
"…that's actually crazy."
Another drop fell.
[SP +1]
"…okay." His voice steadied slightly. "…okay… think."
If this was his system…then maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as useless as he thought.
"…I can use this."
The words came out more serious, not hope, but something close to it.
"…I just need to understand it first."
Outside, footsteps passed the stairwell door. Followed by voices and movement. Normal life continued, but inside, something had already changed.
And Nare knew it, even if it was ridiculous and made no sense. Even if people laughed.
"…I don't care."
He looked at the screen again, then down at his hand.
"…I'll make it work."
Another drop fell.
[SP +1]
This time, he smiled a little more. Not because it was funny, but because it meant one thing. He was never trash.