I kept my gloves on, even after the dishes were done.
Viktor sauntered over. “Why are you on dish duty?”
Pointing at Yeonju, I responded, “He put me on it.”
Viktor's voice boomed with frustration, “Yeonju, why’s he doing the dishes?”
Yeonju stood rigid, his face straining, “Kira asked me to assign him chores. About an hour ago. You were there, did you not you hear?”
Viktor glanced at him, his stance softening. He dragged his hands down his face, “Everything’s a blur right now. But yes, I remember. Apologies, Yeonju.”
Yeonju eased up too. “No worries, Viktor. Care to tell us what is bothering you? You seem stressed.”
Viktor then began to unfold the story of the conference room debacle. My mind stuck on the fact that we had a conference room on board. Were we on a yacht or were these guys ridiculously affluent terrorists?
He went on to explain the chaotic conversation between Kira and the client. How he discovered the group and how it was a major no-no in their ‘world’. How Kira stormed off, using his words, not mine. The way he illustrated the subsequent developments suggested that they reached some sort of agreement. It hit me that Viktor was shrewd and adept at navigating tough situations. He is probably going to be my biggest hurdle for any escape plan.
He concluded his narration and pointed at me. “We need to deliver him, so make sure he’s confined to his room. I don’t care if it's all day. I don’t want him roaming around the ship, seizing any chance to bolt.”
"Yeah, but with that slave collar on him, he won't be able to stray from this ship," Viktor argued.
"I'm aware, but considering how the mission's been botched, I'm just playing it extra safe."
To me, that’s perfectly alright, jerk. More time for me to figure out this system thing, bulk up, and eventually kick your butt.
I couldn't help but smirk at the thought, quickly wiping it off as I caught Viktor's gaze.
Yeonju tried to take action but was halted by Viktor. “Don’t bother. I’ll take him back. You all should rest and prep up. We'll be landing in Korea in twenty-four hours.”
Viktor wasn’t gentle like Yeonju. The moment the door opened, I was flung inside. He spared me a fleeting glance before slamming the door shut, leaving me locked inside. However, Yeonju crossed my mind. I hadn't gotten the chance to thank him for teaching me about ki. It seemed to mirror the concept of mana from the RPG games I used to play. Maybe there’s a way for me to harness ki. If I could conjure up blue energy orbs and hurl them at Viktor, that would be handy for my escape.
At the thought, I couldn't help but smile inwardly. Following that, I pulled up my profile screen.
Name: Josh Sanders
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Level: 1
Stats:
Movement: 10
Strength: 7
Will: ♾️
Ki: 0 (years)
Perception: 5
Class: Not selected yet.
At the moment, I was totally clueless about how to rake in experience points or level up. I understood that engaging in physical activities or anything related to my stats could boost them. According to the system, it's a kind of evolution. Just then, something snagged my attention — an exclamation mark floating in the corner. I mentally commanded it to reveal its secrets, and a fresh window rolled out. This screen was nothing like my profile one.
Current Quests:
Get Stronger - +5 Stat Points,
Find a way to gather Ki - +1 year Ki, +10 Stat Points, Burning Dragon Pill
Escape your Captors - +15 Stat Points, Rare Item
I took a keen look at this fresh window. Looks like my levelling up issue's sorted. I chuckled briefly, both in wonder and a bit of relief. Finally, I've got a real, tangible way to level up. But some of the quests seem odd. It's as if my thoughts or emotions have morphed into quests. Wait, let's ask the system what it means.
Nexus System, how are quests created.
Quests are created with the purpose to evolve the user. The Nexus System evaluates the user’s feelings and thoughts to find opportunities for growth.
Just as I'd figured. This system's picking up on my emotions and thoughts, and it's crafting quests tailored to my growth. But something's gnawing at the back of my brain, a little catch.. What if I want to kill a powerful individual, who’s way more stronger than me and you give me a quest, can I reject it.
Yes you can, but you will have to suffer the appropriate penalty in response.
I had a feeling this was too good to be true. It seems there's always a catch, huh? Nothing ever comes without a little snag. I let out a sigh, then summoned the courage to open the first quest.
Get Stronger.
Raise perception and strength stat to 10.
Reward: +5 Stat Points (can not put in Ki and Will).
Easy enough, right? But, here's the twist: I don't even know how to amp up my perception. Then it hit me, perception—it's all about how I see things. But looking around, all I see are drab, soul-sucking walls. With a sigh, I slump onto the bed, lost in thought. I won't back down, that much I had decided long ago. Now's not the time to waver.
When all else fails, why not get physical? If I couldn't ramp up my perception, I could damn well crank up my strength. So, right there, on that dreary floor, I start my pushups. The plan for the elusive perception upgrade can wait.
Every inch of my ached muscles protested, but I pushed on. Each descent was a brutal battle against gravity and the urge to quit. But mentally, I held my ground, halted the surrender, and fought back, tearing through muscle fibres.
The first thirty minutes were pure hell, but they got me to strength stat 8. The notification chime in my ear was a sweet victory tune that unfortunately cost me my focus. My muscles seized the chance to crumble, but I hauled myself back up, steeled my resolve, and went all in for another half an hour.
Just over an hour later, the chime rang again, signalling a strength stat of 10. Exhausted and drenched in sweat, I collapsed onto the floor, my slick hands smearing sweat on anything I touched. Grunting, I heaved myself off the floor and back onto the bed.
The room was chilly with no blanket in sight, so I curled up, conserving body heat. My tiny makeshift den was a far cry from my cozy apartment, but I wasn't upset. The pride in my newfound strength easily eclipsed any melancholy the room could muster.
I don't recall when or how, but I drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep that lasted until the next day.