Chapter 17: Lucky Draw

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I left the academy feeling rather annoyed with Eugene.

He had been hopelessly apathetic towards the difficulty of my situation. To him, I seemed like someone who won the genetic lottery, born with a unique affinity with the supernatural. The thrill of discovering the unknown outweighed the fear of injury or death. His view wasn’t exactly wrong, but it was overly optimistic and naive.

I’ve been called a pessimist more than once, but if you ask me, I’m a realist. The world was unfair more often than not. This was just another example. I was neither born with this ability, nor did I choose to receive it. And I didn’t consider it a particularly lucky thing to have either. Sure, it might let me experience some things that would otherwise be impossible, but it disrupted my life. I’d take a boring, normal, easy day over an adventure.

Despite the differences in our perspectives, Eugene wasn’t a bad guy. He was a knowledgeable person and willing to share what he knew. That alone made him worth knowing.

Before leaving, I got his contact information and agreed to consult him when I came across anything paranormal. He didn’t have a phone (he didn’t trust wireless companies to keep his data private), so instead he gave me an encryption key and an email address “hosted on a secure channel”. Whatever that meant.

I walked along the path that would lead back to my dorm. Other students passed by due to my slow pace, but I paid them no mind, letting my thoughts wander after everything I’d just learned.

Searching out the Truthseekers had been every bit as fruitful as I’d hoped. Having more information was obviously preferable to just blindly letting circumstances drag me along. However, what I’d learned was anything but reassuring.

Meeting Yuki wasn’t a fluke or an isolated incident. The point I’d placed into the Insight stat meant I was sure to encounter more ghosts throughout the rest of my life. It was a huge problem. One I didn’t know how to deal with. I wasn’t sure if a solution even existed. I’d just have to learn to live with it.

So much for my normal highschool life. The system doesn’t fuck around. I never should have used my free point from the tutorial on something I didn’t understand. One impulsive mistake ruined everything. My plans had been shattered.

It was wild to think that a single attribute point changed so much. It apparently made me a hundred times more likely to interact with the supernatural. Well, technically, I didn’t know for sure it was only due to the Insight. My transmigration from another reality might also play a role. But the fact still stood. One AP could be very significant.

Unfortunately, there was no way to undo the mistake. Not unless the system decided to offer me something like a respec point. That wasn’t impossible, but I wasn’t gonna hold my breath. In any case, it was out of my control. The only thing I could fix was the future. From now on, I needed to think more carefully about how I distribute my stats.

Maybe I’ve been spreading my efforts too wide. I was working on raising my Intelligence, Physique, and Charisma all at once. Would I be better off choosing just one and dedicating all my effort towards it single-mindedly? I really needed to sit down and create a more concrete plan. Being an all-rounder was good for the long term, but things were different now that there was real danger I had to be ready for.

One thing was certain. I most definitely would not be adding any more points in Insight. That’s for damn sure.

Then there’s the matter regarding Yuki’s past…

I couldn’t be sure everything I heard was legit. What Eugene told me was just the publicly known version of what happened. There could be some context missing or maybe things got exaggerated as the story was retold over the years. However, it was clear that Yuki was even more dangerous and unstable than I’d realized.

I’ve been entirely too tolerant with her. It didn’t matter if her feelings were genuine or born out of her obsessive personality. Maybe before I had been willing to overlook a few of her quirks, but not anymore. There were some things that couldn’t simply be brushed aside. I wasn’t willing to form a relationship with a murderer. I needed to put a stop to the attention she was giving me before the situation spiraled out of control completely and became irreversible.

Right now, Yuki’s only known me for a little over a week. She’s been alone for a long time, so when she finally found someone she could interact with, she developed a crush. But that’s all it was. If I made it perfectly clear I had no intention of ever becoming her boyfriend, she’d eventually move on… At least, that was my hope.

First things first, I’ll establish some boundaries and get her to move out. I already tried all sorts of ways to prevent her entry into my dorm, but I haven’t talked to her. Instead, I just caved and let her be when it seemed she wasn’t hurting anything. That was a big mistake. Once I returned, I’d put my foot down and tell her directly she couldn’t live with me.

The only problem was how to get her to listen and how to do it gently enough so she didn’t gouge my eyes out. If I pissed her off, my life could be forfeit. Seriously. She’s killed before. Maybe even a past ex-boyfriend. The worst case scenario was if she saw me as her current boyfriend and viewed this ‘break-up’ as a betrayal.

This wouldn’t just be a difficult conversation. There was a possibility of real life-threatening danger. If there was the option, I’d avoid it altogether, but what choice did I have? The longer I delayed, the deeper her fixation would grow. If it was likely to be dangerous now, death would be practically guaranteed later on. The only option was to rip the bandaid off as soon as possible and hope for the best. I knew that logically, but it was easier said than done. Serious, emotional conversations were difficult at the best of times, let alone when the other party was a homicidal wraith.

I stopped walking once I saw my building up ahead. Even though I knew it would only make things harder if I procrastinated, I couldn’t get my legs to take another step. I wasn’t ready to face Yuki. I’d probably never be ready.

Trying to delay the inevitable, I sat down on a nearby bench with a sigh. I’d allow myself a few minutes to work up the courage. If I thought long and hard enough, maybe some kind of epiphany would come. Not likely, but a guy can dream.

It occurred to me that I hadn’t yet checked the messages from the system. Since I couldn’t bring myself to return to my dorm just yet, now was as good a time as any. If nothing else, the distraction would take my mind off my problems.

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[Story Quest: Strange Events - Difficulty: Easy]

[Objective: Find the identity of the hanged girl. (Completed)]

[Reward: Gain a random trait.]

As expected, I’d finally completed the main quest after figuring out Yuki’s full name and her history. For a moment, I wondered if I’d already received the random trait I was promised and just didn’t notice a difference, but I quickly realized I needed to manually accept it.

[Quest complete! Accept reward?]

[>yes]

The moment I selected the option, there was some musical fanfare followed by an explosion of confetti. I tensed and looked around, but quickly realized my worry was unfounded. There were a few people nearby, but no one reacted. Just like the messages, I was the only one who could see and hear it.

A strange colorful circle appeared before my eyes. I had the bizarre feeling that it was both there and not there. Intangible. Even though it seemed to cover my field of view, it didn’t prevent me from looking past to the things behind. After staring for a few moments, I understood what I was being shown. A gacha wheel. The system had a sense of humor. What’s next, a loot crate?

The wheel was segmented into different slices, each labeled with a short phrase. I scanned over the possibilities and soon got a sense for what the system meant by a ‘trait’.

Photographic Memory.

Sleep Immunity.

Parallel Processing.

Quick Learner.

Natural Athlete.

Ambidextrous.

Virtuoso.

Math Whiz.

Innovative Genius.

Hyper-focused.

Pain Tolerance.

Casanova.

Fear Immunity.

Still Mind.

Persuasive Speaker.

Perfect Pitch.

Holy shit. Just about every option was amazing. Some of them were literal superpowers. How much more could I do with 6-8 extra hours every night from not needing to sleep? Or even better, what if I eventually get multiple traits? Imagine parallel processing combined with ambidextrous.

That was just a small sample from the list. There were dozens more, but the wheel started spinning before I got a chance to read them all. An arrow at the side indicated where it would land. As it spun, it clicked as each segment passed the arrow, as if it were a real physical wheel rather than just a hologram (or whatever it was).

Round and round it went, gradually slowing with each pass. Exactly like a mobile game or a slot machine, it was purposely designed to build anticipation, taking ages to stop. I could practically feel the spike in dopamine. And then finally, with one last click and another chorus of trumpets, my prize was revealed.

[Congratulations! You have gained the trait: Deadly Allure.]

Deadly Allure… I scratched my head and mumbled the phrase to myself, creasing my brow. Most of the traits seemed pretty self-explanatory, but I had no idea what this one was supposed to mean. As if to answer my question, the system helpfully popped up another message dialog with the description.

[Deadly Allure - Danger and opportunity follow you hand-in-hand. Double Charisma value when interacting with paranormal beings of the opposite sex. Gain +1 Insight.]

…

…Is this supposed to be a joke?

This is my “random trait”. Yeah fucking right! Random my ass! You’re telling me that out of all those amazing things I could have gotten, I just so happened to land on one that would make my current situation ten times worse? I don’t believe that for a goddamn second.

I should have known something was fishy the moment I saw that stupid fucking wheel. All gachas were rigged! Why did I expect this one would be any different? And not just the gacha either, the whole system was rigged!

Whoever sent me here must be laughing their ass off right now. Haha, look at that dumb look on Isaac’s face. He actually thought he’d get a chance at a normal highschool life. What an idiot!

Hey Yog’sothoth, why don’t you come down here and fight me? I’ll kick your ass. You think you can mess with me? Come on, let’s see your best shot. Smite me right now or you’re a little bitch.

I paused my internal tirade for a moment to observe my surroundings. A few seconds ticked past, but there was no heavenly lightning that struck my head, nor any other noticeable changes.

It didn’t matter whether I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms or ground my teeth down flat. I was given no outlet for my anger. There was no option but to accept what I was given, like it or not.

I closed my eyes and spent several minutes attempting to control my emotions. There was no reason to get angry. Throwing a temper tantrum wasn’t going to solve anything. A clear mind and a level head would give me the best chance to improve the situation. Repeating these things to myself over and over had little effect. When that didn’t work, I tried thinking nothing at all and focused on taking slow, deep breaths.

Namaste. Begone thought.

…

[Optional Quest: Path to Enlightenment - Difficulty: Easy]

[Objective: Use meditation to quiet your restless mind 20 times. (1/20 Completed)]

[Reward: Willpower +1]

You can shut the hell up. I don’t want your pity-prize.

Despite me just scolding the system, I didn’t believe it was actually sentient. But that doesn’t mean whoever (or whatever) created it doesn’t have some kind of agenda. If that’s the case, then what might their intention be?

Had I been chosen to come to this world or was it an accident? Was the system created specifically for me? Did it want to push me in a certain direction?

When I considered the only story quest I received thus far, the addition of the Insight stat that wasn’t in the original game, and now this trait, everything seemed to be pointing me towards immersing myself in the supernatural aspects of this world. That couldn’t be a coincidence.

Great. Yet another thing to worry about. That’s exactly what I needed right now. A mysterious power outside my control pulling the strings to influence my life.

I turned my eyes up towards the sky. Was there something there looking back at me? The god of this world, a cosmic force, or fate itself? It didn’t matter.

I wasted my first youth already. The sting of regret, the thoughts of what could have been. It wouldn’t happen again. Someone had a plan for me? Fine. But, I would have my second chance. Nothing could take it away. I refuse.