Meret Novak’s room was eerily quiet, save for the faint hum of the air conditioner. She stood in front of her desk, eyeing the pile of school supplies that had been waiting to be dealt with for hours. Her new backpack, a sturdy but rather basic one, sat at the center of it all. The pile of school supplies was a quiet mountain that needed scaling, but the thought of it made her groan. Still, she couldn’t put it off forever. With a sigh, she started sorting through the supplies, placing the notebooks in a neat row and grabbing the pens—color-coded, of course.
After a well spent thirty minutes she was finished. She picked up a notebook, admiring her handiwork and glancing at the neat labels on the front. Math. History. Science. Art. She had spent the past thirty minutes labeling everything, color-coding pens, and arranging notebooks by subject in some futile attempt to feel like she was prepared for whatever her new school brought to her. Her system pinged again, cutting through her thoughts.
New Quest: Prepare for Vermillion Academy
Objective: Organize supplies, pack your bag, and mentally steel yourself for impending awkwardness.
Reward: +8 XP, +1 ‘Prepared’ Buff
She tapped the Accept button with a reluctant swipe. As the system continued to hover in the corner of her vision, she set to work, carefully selecting the pens that went in her bag. Black, blue, red, and green. Every notebook had to be in order, with it’s neatly done label, and placed in the bag just so. When it was all done, her backpack looked like something out of an influencer’s back-to-school haul, sleek and perfectly organized. The satisfaction was small but undeniable.
“Okay, that’s done,” she muttered, stretching her arms over her head. “What’s next?”
Just as she finished zipping the backpack closed, the system chimed again, its notifications persistent as ever.
Task Complete: Prepare for Vermillion Academy
Reward: +8 XP, +1 ‘Prepared’ Buff (Duration: 1 Day)
Meret took a second to appreciate the feeling of accomplishment, even if it was over something as mundane as packing a backpack. The ‘Prepared’ Buff icon flashed on the screen, and she couldn’t help but wonder how much of a difference something like this could make.
She glanced at her XP bar:
Meret Novak – Level 1
XP: 65/100
“Well, at least it wasn’t a complete waste of time,” Meret muttered. “Maybe this whole system thing will be worth it after all.”
Meret flopped onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. “Okay, game,” she said aloud, as though addressing the system directly. “Let’s say I’m playing along. What’s next?”
The system didn’t respond to her though, of course. It wasn’t that kind of companion. It wasn’t a friend or a tutor. It was just an interface—a game that wouldn’t go away. She wondered if the system had been designed to make even the most mundane tasks feel important, like a constant stream of small victories in a world that didn’t ask for them.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, distracting her from her thoughts. She hesitated for a moment before pulling it out and reading the message. It was from Nico.
Nico: Hey, you alive in there? Mom says we’re going to the store. Wanna come?
Meret stared at the message. Her first instinct was to say no, public places—especially busy ones like grocery stores—didn’t exactly appeal to her. But the idea of sitting in her room all day wasn’t any better. And there was always the chance that another quest would pop up. Besides, interacting with someone outside her family? That sounded like exactly the kind of task she could check off.
“Sure,” she typed back. “I’ll come.”
Moments later, Nico knocked on her door. “Well, well, well,” he said, grinning as he leaned against the doorframe, twirling a basketball on his finger with obnoxious ease. “Didn’t think you’d actually say yes. Miracles really do happen.”
Meret rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. “Let’s go before you make me change my mind.”
The grocery store was more crowded than she had expected, full of busy families and slow-moving retirees. She walked behind her mom and Nico, clutching the shopping cart as if it might suddenly vanish. The hum of lights filled the air, and the familiar scent of canned goods and produce surrounded her. It was a strangely comforting chaos, but the noise and bustle weren’t exactly what she had in mind when it came to getting a breath of fresh air. She started to glance over her shoulder now and then, half-expecting the system to pop up and give her another task. It didn’t. But just as Meret was starting to zone out, the inevitable happened. She almost ran into someone with the shopping cart.
“Whoa, watch it!”
Meret snapped her head up, startled. She quickly stepped back and saw a girl—about her age, she figured—balancing a tower of frozen dinners in her arms. She had short, bob length hair dyed a deep shade of maroon, and her hoodie declared, Chaos Reigns in bold, defiant letters.
Meret took a step back, apologizing instinctively. “Sorry,” she said, glancing down at her feet.
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The girl raised an eyebrow, looking Meret over with mild amusement. “No problem. New around here?”
Meret blinked, a little surprised. “Uh, yeah. How’d you know?”
The girl smirked. “You’ve got that ‘lost in the produce aisle’ vibe,” she said with a shrug, shifting her frozen dinners to one arm and holding out her free hand. “I’m Briar.”
Meret couldn’t help but smile a little at that. “Meret,” she replied, shaking it hesitantly.
The system chimed just as Briar turned to leave.
New Quest: Take Initiative
Objective: Interact with someone outside of your family.
Reward: +10 XP
Before Meret could even blink the system bombarded her with another notification.
Quest Update: Take Initiative
Progress: 50%
Meret’s eyes widened. The glowing screen hovered in front of Briar’s face. She resisted the urge to swat at it—no one else could see the notifications, but that didn’t make them any less awkward.
“So, you go to Vermillion?” Briar asked, breaking the silence.
“Starting this week,” Meret replied, trying to keep her tone casual.
Briar’s grin widened. “Cool. Maybe I’ll see you around. Good luck with… everything.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Meret muttered, unsure of how to respond.
As Briar walked off, the system chimed again, the screen flashing with another notification.
Task Complete: Take Initiative
Reward: +10 XP
Meret blinked. She hadn’t really done much—just a simple exchange of words in a grocery store. Yet, here was another notification, and another bit of XP added to her total. Meret couldn’t deny that a small thrill ran through her as she checked her XP bar again.
Meret Novak – Level 1
XP: 75/100
She smiled faintly. Maybe this system was more generous than she initially thought.
That evening, after dinner, Meret laid on her bed, scrolling through her phone. The system hadn’t pinged again since the store, and she was starting to wonder if it was waiting for something else, something more. Her phone buzzed, and she looked at the screen. A new notification flashed in front of her, almost too quick to see.
New Quest Unlocked: Forge Your Path
Objective: Unlock a new skill.
Reward: +20 XP, All Skill Slots Unlocked, +New Skill
Meret stared at the screen, a sense of anticipation settling over her. Discover her first skill? What did that even mean? She had no idea what this system really was, how it worked, or why it even mattered. But she was undeniably curious. The idea that she had unlocked something—something new and unknown—She finally felt special for once in her life. She wondered what kind of skills she could unlock? Would it be something like magic? Or was it more mundane, like learning to cook better or run faster? The possibilities felt endless.
Meret sighed, closing her eyes as she lay back on her bed. She would have to focus on this new quest tomorrow as the darkness of sleep began to claim her, the faint glow of the system’s screen lingered in the corner of her mind, a quiet reminder that the adventure was only beginning.
The next morning, Meret awoke with a strange sense of purpose. She checked the time, groaning slightly when she saw that it was already after 10 a.m. There was no way she was getting back to sleep. Her backpack was sitting in the corner, the neatly packed supplies now looking slightly less impressive than they had the day before. She made a mental note to check on her new school schedule, but instead, her mind kept drifting back to the new skill that the system had promised her if she completed her new quest. Thats when she decided that it was time to do some experimenting with the system.
The rest of Meret’s week was filled with what she could only describe as a weird combination of self-improvement, chores,
and a relentless barrage of pop-up notifications from the system. With summer vacation dwindling, the system had turned into an all-consuming challenge that she couldn’t ignore—not that she wanted to. The thought of school starting in a week was enough to make her stomach churn and she could definitely use a leg up. But first, she had to figure out how to “level up” quicker.
Did brushing her teeth count as a quest? No. What about sorting the laundry? No.
“Great,” she muttered, tossing socks into the hamper. “I’m officially the Hermione Granger of housework with nothing to show for it.”
Her siblings weren’t making it easier. Nico wandered into her room around noon, tossing a soccer ball in the air.
“Why are you cleaning?” he asked, leaning against her desk. “Are you in trouble?”
“Not cleaning. Leveling up,” she said, instantly regretting the words.
“What does that even mean?” he asked, kicking the ball against her wall.
“It means get out before I throw your stupid ball out the window.”
Tuesday started with another round of mundane tasks, but with a lack of system notifications and experience points. Meret decided it was time to kick it up a notch.
With a sigh, she retrieved the toolbox and got to work on repairing the kitchen chair that’s been wobbling for weeks. It took longer than expected, mostly because she kept checking the Skill tab to see if anything new had popped up.
Finally, after tightening the last screw, the chair stood firm, and the system gave its cheerful ding.
Special Quest: Fix the Wobbling Chair
Objective: Repair the kitchen chair that’s been wobbling for weeks.
Reward: +15 XP
Quest Complete!
+10 XP
Meret stared at the notification. “You mean to tell me I can get rewarded for stuff that’s literally been broken for months? Why didn’t this system show up before Dad bought three rolls of duct tape?”
By Wednesday and Thursday, Meret had a system for her system. She tackled small quests in the morning (making her bed, helping her mom sort recycling) and saved the big tasks for the afternoon. Cleaning out the garage was her Everest for the week. It took hours of sweating, sneezing, and wrangling old junk into donation piles, but the payoff was worth it.
Quest Complete: Organize the Garage
+10 XP
“Finally,” she said, collapsing on the driveway. “I’m one step closer to… I don’t even know what.”
Her parents were none the wiser about her newfound motivation, though her dad did make a comment about how “responsible” she’d been lately.
“That’s me,” she said dryly. “The poster child for responsibility.”
Friday and Saturday were left uneventful because of Meret catching the sudden flu. She used her long hours on bed rest to think of ways to optimize her XP gains from doing these tasks. She would tackle the most time-consuming tasks first, like reorganizing the pantry. She glanced at her XP bar before nodding off to sleep.
Meret Novak – Level 1
XP: 95/100
Sunday was her last chance to finally complete that quest and grind XP before school started. Meret spent the morning completing smaller tasks like watering the plants and cleaning her room. Nothing she did seem to awaken the system’s interface though.
Late that day, while helping her mom carry groceries inside, she accidentally dropped a jar of pickles.
Emergency Quest: Clean Up the Mess
Objective: Safely clean up broken glass and spilled brine.
Reward: +5 XP
“Emergency quest?” she said, staring at the notification. “This feels insulting.”
But she completed it anyway, earning enough XP to hit Level 2 by the end of the day.
Level Up!
Rewards:
• +1 Stat Point
• New Skill: Quick Thinking (Passive)
Quick Thinking promised to improve reaction times, which came in handy a few split seconds later when Nico almost “accidentally” spilled water on her.
She caught the plastic cup mid-fall and set it on the table.
“Okay, that was cool,” Nico admitted, looking impressed.
Quest Completed: Forge Your Path
Reward: +20 XP, All Skill Slots Unlocked
New Skill Unlocked: Adaptive Coding
She blinked. That was it? That was her first reward skill? It wasn’t much to go on, but the system was often cryptic with its descriptions. She felt the urge to experiment, maybe try to use the skill in some way. But how? What could Adaptive Coding even do?
As if on cue, the familiar system notification flashed.
New Quest: Test Your New Skill
Objective: Experiment with Adaptive Coding.
Reward: +5 XP, Potential Skill Upgrade
“Great,” Meret muttered, glancing at her phone. “Looks like it’s time for some more experiment.”
Meret sighed, looking at the clock. She would have to tackle this skill sooner or later. It seemed like the system wasn’t about to let her off the hook. And as much as she wanted to protest, something about the structure of the tasks had started to appeal to her. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. After all, who could resist a game that promised to make you just a little bit better at everything?
After brushing her teeth and triple-checking her backpack, she climbed into bed, opening the system one last time.
Name: Meret Novak
Level: 2
XP: 20/200
Health: 100/100
Energy: 90/100
Skills:
• Basic Athletics (Level 1)
• Quick Thinking (Level 1)
• Adaptive Coding (Level 1)
“Alright, system,” she said, staring at the glowing screen. “You’ve had your fun. Let’s see how you handle high school.”
She closed her eyes, the faint glow of the system fading as she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts swirling with anticipation—and a little dread—for what was to come.
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