My sense of hearing reacted to something. My consciousness that sank in the dark was brought back by that sound. My right hand was caressing them, searching for something.. but the normal vibrating sensation wasn’t there. The alarm sound continued ringing on my ears, almost felt like it was echoing inside of my head, and I could only manage a groan in response as I grabbed my pillow and buried my head beneath it, thinking about all the things I would do if only it meant I could go back to sleep. I would steal a candy from a baby just to continue sleeping for another five minutes. I didn’t even need a sidelong glance at the smartphone on my nightstand to realize that it was too early to even be getting up for school.
(Did I mess with the timer?)
(Wait. Since when my alarm become so normal?)
My usual alarm supposed to be chicken cuckoos, but the one that I heard right now almost felt like a trumpet.
I slowly opened my eyelids and words popped up in front of me while the trumpets were gone.
Achievement: Wake up, sleepyhead.
I blinked twice and it vanished. I had no idea what the hell that was about, but I had bigger things to worry about, like the horror that I forgot to charge my phone.
With a groan, I stretched my body hoping at least this would make me a centimeter higher... and found solid morning light shimmered against the light gray ceiling. I had forgotten to draw the curtains closed last night.
I glanced around my room half-awake. My bags on the floor, my new school books on the desk. My uniforms were in the closet. I slinked out from under the sheets and stretched my back before dressing up. Putting on a new school uniform felt like dressing in someone else's clothes. The artificial smell of generic detergent invaded my nose, but the feeling of fresh cloth against my back was a good one, a natural one. It felt like a school uniform, as it should.
And with another yawn.
New status condition: Drowsy.
More words appeared in front of me. I looked at them more closely this time. The words moved with my eyes, like a heads-up display. They were just out of the center of my vision but stayed in focus no matter what I was doing with my eyes. Except until I rubbed my eyes and the words were gone...
What the hell?
I stood still like a statue. “Is there something wrong with my eyes, or my mind? Or it is both?” I muttered to myself, maybe I should go see a doctor if this happened for the third time?
Anyway, somehow I spent more time than it should to think about those words.
Taking my phone, hoping whatever the battery was left, it would be enough to make me stay awake when commuting to the school. I walked to the first floor.
There was a little girl with brown hair tied into short pigtails and brown eyes, Tsubame, rubbing her eyes while munching the toast on her mouth.
Sitting next to her was a teenager with waist length black hair and brown hair, Tsukiko, showing grimace on her face as she played with the chalky egg yolk.
“...Arisato speaking.”
Sitting in front of Tsukiko was our father, short, grayish black hair, gray eyes, three-day stubble and broad shoulders. He was still wearing his dark gray shirt with pulled up sleeves, a loose, light red necktie and a brown belt with a metal buckle as well as a pair of dress pants... basically his attire from two days ago... ah, don’t forget about his black jacket, even though he always carrying it around, I never seen him wearing it.
“All right, I'm on my way.” Father put his phone down and left again without even touching his food.
”Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business.“
He said and already gone before any of us even had the chance to respond.
Finishing my food, I glanced to Tsubame. “You know, since my school is in the same way as yours, you’ll get stuck with me for the next whole years.”
I said, and immediately rushed toward her and raising her as high as I could but just as I did that and while hearing her giggling, another word popped.
Skill unlocked: Athletic.
I didn’t know what that meant either, not in this context, so I double-blinked it away. But I guessed I would see a doctor after school, or maybe I was just being paranoid?
Still, before I had the time to put any more thought into this, we already went on our way.
After dropping Tsubame at her kindergarten, while giving my greeting to the teacher and the housewives, another word popped up.
Skill unlocked: Flattery.
...Okay, something must be wrong with me. Since the other mothers didn’t make any comment. I assumed the words were all just in my head.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
With a sigh, I turned on my phone while planning to listen to relaxing lo-fi music, I knew the battery was less than 20% but I was just hoping it would make me a little bit calmer and might be little less crazier.
“What’s this?”
I was the type that never put things in the folder. To anyone else, it might look like a total mess, but for me, it was a carefully choreographed ensemble. And yet, there was one unknown application with a ‘wooden billboard’ icon appeared on my phone.
Holding the icon for several seconds. it didn’t show any information nor show the X symbol on the corner top right. And no matter how I searched on the setting, I didn’t find any app names ‘Guild App.’
I made a mental note to restore my phone as soon as I went home. But first thing first, I curiously opened the Guild App.
The screen immediately went dark, and just when I thought this was some kind of virus destroying phone. All of sudden a video of a hunched man wearing black tuxedo with inhumanly long and pointy nose was being played.
I guessed I did go crazy and he was an imaginary friend or something. But I wondered why my imaginary friend was a creepy old man.
“Ah... it seems we have another promising one.” He chuckled, and I didn’t know my phone could create such a crystal clear chilling ghostly voice.
“I’m the resident of the place that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter…”
Every time he spoke, I felt chill on my spine.
“This is an app that only those who are promising may use…”
Was he going to continue monologuing all by himself?
I pressed on the off button... of course, my phone didn’t turn off.
“Now then… Why don't you introduce yourself…?”
I wonder why I needed to tell this creepy old man my name?
And the virtual keyboard appeared on the screen... huh, seemed like I could also use Icons and Numbers to write my name?
Should I go with ‘Sushiboi9999’?
I stopped walking for a while and thinking very seriously about using that name... still, my guts telling me I DID not want to lie or messing with this person.
And so I entered my real name.
‘Arisato Tsubasa.’
“Hm... I see, so it’s Tsubasa?” Woah, woah, woah. Was this live? Or the AI was just good?
Then the man gave a very nasty grin, it wouldn’t surprise me if he suddenly jumped out from my phone screen.
“My duty is to provide assistance and guide promising people like you.” He said. “We shall attend to the details another time. Until then, farewell…”
And my phone went back to normal... or not as if the ‘Guild App’ was still there.
There was (1) notification coming out from the ‘Guild App’
I didn’t want to meet that old creep again, though my thumb was already pressing on the said app.
But this time, rather than showing the old creepy man, it showed me my Character Sheet.
———————————
Arisato Tsubasa - Rank J
4 PHY
2 POW
0 One-handed Weapons
0 Two-handed Weapons
0 Dual Wield
0 Athletics
2 END
0 Unarmed Combat
0 Shield Combat
0 Improvised Weapons
0 Survival
2 DEX
0 Thrown Weapons
0 Ranged Weapons
0 Flexible Weapons
0 Acrobatics
2 PER
0 Main Sense
0 Sixth Sense
0 Sense Motive
0 Stealth
2 MAG
2 INT
0 Destruction Magic
0 Curse Magic
0 Summon Magic
0 Magic Sense
2 WIS
0 Restoration Magic
0 Support Magic
0 Morph Magic
0 Magic Resistance
2 SOC
2 CHA
0 Flattery
0 Intimidation
0 Deception
0 Illusion Magic
2 SPI
0 Music
0 Art
0 Handle Animal
0 Mind Magic
2 CRA
2 KNO
0 Alchemy
0 Spell
0 Language
0 Information Magic
2 CON
0 Smithing
0 Leathery
0 Weaving
0 Reinforcing
You have 2 unspent status points.
You can access your status at any time by closing your eyes and chant ‘status’
——————————————
At that moment, I could only say “what.”
——————————————
Author Note
For those who wonder, I’ll give some small explanation about the status abbreviation. The fully detailed one will be given as the chapter goes on.
PHY (Physical)
POW (Power) : How much force one can exert, basically smash the tomato with your palm.
END (Endurance or maybe Stamina, still not sure yet about which one): Used to prevent disease or how long a tomato will withstood without any nutrition.
DEX(Dexterity): How fast your tomato will roll on the slope.
PER(Perception): How well you can see tomato from a distance or smell... or feeling a tomato is flying to your direction
MAG (Magic)
INT (INTELLIGENCE): your tomato can play puzzle and basically become attack of killer tomatoes.
WIS (Wisdom):your tomato can make quick decision and healing anyone who eat it.
Soc (Social)
CHA (Charisma): Your tomato either god damn cute, freakin scary, or it might be an orange pretending to be a tomato.
SPI (Spirit): Watching your tomato standing still soothe your mind.
CRA (Craft or maybe creativity, still not sure which one is better)
KNO (Knowledge): Your tomato can remember 10 digits of number with a single glance that or your tomato can talk.
CON (Concentration): Your tomato won’t get distracted even though a meteor is falling to earth (but basically we’ll just use it for crafting skills)