Groaning on the ground, Sinclair eyed the ominous system message with frustration and resignation. Why had he pushed himself so hard again? He mentally chided himself.

**System Message - Status Debuff - Torn ACL**

*Limping - Movement decreased. 1 hour left until the ligament has wholly healed itself*

While the injury was a setback, he couldn't help but feel relieved. The game-like system had its perks; in the real world, an injury like this would've sidelined him for months. Having played his share of high-contact sports, Sinclair was accustomed to physical setbacks, but this rapid recovery time was unprecedented.

He checked the other notifications to gauge his progress. Although the gains weren't significant, it was something. He deduced that the slight bump in his constitution was likely a byproduct of pushing past his physical limits. However, realizing that enduring more injuries might be the primary way to increase his health unnerved him. Still, with every fall, he learned. Sinclair was determined to navigate this new reality: bumps, bruises, etc. He just hoped future lessons would be less painful.

Base Stat Changes

+3 Agility

+2 Endurance

+2 Constitution

Deciding he had enough training for the day, he reviewed his stat sheet again while getting ready to take another shower. He would have to do something about these training sessions and needing to shower so much. Maybe a rain barrel outside to hose off like they do with showers on the beach?

Name: Sinclair Hagerson

Race: Human

Level: 0

Rank: F

Path: None

Class:

Health 230

Mana 170

Stamina 240

Strength: 28

Agility: 20

Constitution: 23

Intelligence: 17

Willpower: 23

Endurance: 24

Luck: 21

His Willpower gains over the day were lower than his bumps in the other fields. He was going to have to find ways to train Willpower. It seemed more research was in the future. He was glad he liked to learn things, or this would be seriously tedious.

His curiosity about the Universal Market and Dimensional Training Worlds grew. Their tabs remained tantalizingly out of reach, shaded in gray. He wondered if they'd become available later in his progression. And the quests, he knew these words from his games but how could they relate to his modern day life he wondered. Was he about to be delivering food across town for gold? He laughed at this thought. The lack of clear direction was both thrilling and maddening.

He glanced at the time on his digital display. He had to get ready. Tonight, he was meeting his friends at a local brewery, and he needed to check on his Uber. The digital realm was brimming with unanswered questions, but real life and its social obligations awaited.

Calling for a ride where he lived was sometimes a pain. As soon as he knew he was leaving, he scheduled a ride for that evening. It was about the only way to get someone to come out, and then he still tipped well because he felt wrong about them coming that far for him outside of where they made most of their money.

The drive showed up right on time this time. It was usually a crap shoot to whether they were going to be late or not. Sinclair climbed down into the little compact car that showed up to get him. He didn’t like cars. It was already hard enough, but it was even more pronounced now that he had gotten taller and filled out some more. His driver had gotten a little round-eyed when the car groaned while he got settled.

He usually tried to make conversation but needed to be more relaxed. Were his friends going to question him all night about what happened with his ex? He knew they never got along the best, but he tried to facilitate good experiences for both sides whenever they all got to hang out. He also knew they would have questions about his appearance. How could they not? He had gained over an inch in height and probably fifteen pounds of muscle while trimming his waist. He was still soft in some areas, but it was very noticeable that something was different. He hoped his loose hoodie and relaxed-cut jeans would hide some of the changes. He doubted it. Rose was typically very perceptive of any emotional or physical changes any of her friends went through.

Sinclair had fond memories of each of his friends, bonds forged during various stages of his life. Alice was the first of the crew; their friendship was born in the halls of middle school. Back then, she was the petite girl with braces who always sat a row ahead of him. Alice's reserved demeanor had inadvertently made her a target for bullies. They perceived her shyness as a weakness but soon discovered they were mistaken.

The day it all changed, a group of boys attempted to push Alice around. Their taunts turned physical, and they soon realized they'd bitten off more than they could chew. When one grabbed her arm, Alice used her martial arts training to twist his wrist expertly, sending a clear message to any other would-be tormentors. It was then that Sinclair learned of Alice's hidden talents. Behind her delicate appearance lay a fierce martial artist. Her time spent in a dojo they had clearly paid off.

The situation escalated when a few other kids tried to intervene on the bullies' behalf. Sinclair, who was making his way over, jumped into the fray. His strong sense of justice and detestation for bullies drove him to always stand up for the underdog. Even though he was never a victim of bullying himself, he had always been that beacon of hope for those who were. The school's so-called "zero tolerance" policy on bullying was more a veil for their inaction. Still, Sinclair's policy was direct and unambiguous: confront bullies head-on, with overwhelming force if necessary.

As he and Alice stood side by side that fateful day, an unbreakable bond was formed. They had each other's backs, a sentiment that remained unchanged throughout the years.

After the tussle with the boys, Alice and Sinclair stood facing each other, catching their breath. “Hi, I am Sinclair. I figured you had the one idiot after you took him down with that hand grip so quickly. But, when the others jumped you from behind, I felt it best to step in and make it more fair.”

Still slightly winded and on adrenaline, Alice huffed out, “Yeah, I had the one, but fighting multiples was never my strong suit in class. I can handle most single fights with ease. My name is Alice, by the way.”

After that day, they slowly become closer and closer friends. She found that they had very similar interests. Sinclair went to her martial arts competitions, and she would watch whatever competitive sport he was competing in at the time.

A couple of years later, as they were starting high school, they made friends with Rose and Edward. They shared a similar story of bonding but more along the lines of less violence and just being friends because they were outside the regular school social society "standards." Rose and Ed had transferred into their high school within a day of each other. Their parents were neighbors and wanted their kids to have a fresh start where, hopefully, they could make new friends at a better school.

Sinclair's circle of friends grew close, creating an ensemble of shared passions and cherished memories. They spent endless hours debating the merits of Marvel versus DC, watching timeless films like "The Princess Bride," and eagerly attending any nearby Comic-Con event. When it came time to dress up, Rose and Sinclair stole the show as Wreck-It Ralph and Princess Vanellope, while Alice and Ed dazzled as their favorite Marvel characters.

Shared experiences and common challenges further strengthened their bond. Opting for local education after high school was a unanimous decision. The complimentary two-year programs at the local community college, funded by the state's lottery budget, offered a practical and economical solution. Given their families' financial constraints, attending expensive universities wasn't an option. Only Rose took the leap to pursue a bachelor's degree among them.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

As Sinclair sat in the Uber, going to the brewery, he lost himself in nostalgic memories with his friends. He tried to push aside thoughts of his newfound abilities to focus solely on the joy of the upcoming reunion. But the intriguing possibilities and questions that came with his transformation lurked in the back of his mind, proving difficult to ignore entirely.

Pulling up to the front area, he thanked his driver and crawled out of the back seat. There was some music playing already, which was nice. Sometimes, they didn’t play music immediately, which could make the vibe off. Walking inside, he did his usual round of greetings to the staff he knew, and the regulars littered throughout the common area.

He grabbed the most recent small batch IPA on tap and started scanning for the three hoodlums he was there to meet. Not immediately seeing them, he started walking around the bar when he heard someone say his name. Looking over to the outdoor garden section, he spotted Ed throwing his hand up.

Sighing to himself, Sinclair readied himself for the questions he knew were coming. As he walked over, he was watching their faces and noticed that they were all looking at him strangely. Ed and Alice looked like they could see something different but were uncertain. On the other hand, Rose was the observer of the group. If she had been converted like him, she would probably have become some ranger. Her perception was high for some reason.

Ed started in as he was always the more talkative of the group. “So buddy, you want to tell us what you have been up to. I know the whole break-up thing isn’t something you want to discuss, so we can table that for later. But, I think I can speak for all of us here when we ask what happened? You have always been tall and strong-looking….. but this look is something else. Did you find a magical potion you aren’t sharing with us somewhere?”

Snorting his beer through his nose at the almost spot-on description of what was happening, he took a moment. He was grateful they would not ask him about his relationship, but apparently, the size was enough of a difference that even Ed picked up on. He never picked up on anything.

Clearing his face and recovering he tried to brush it off with simple handwaving of having been working on getting in shape and it was just starting to come together since they hadn't seen him much over the last month. “You know how it is after a breakup. I have been lifting hard over the last few weeks. This week, I started hitting it even harder. I started watching what I eat more, which is why I wasn’t down here with you chuckleheads as much. We have all been busy lately, but it can’t be that different.”

Rose popped in to add, A couple of weeks of heavy lifting and eating right doesn't cause that kind of change, Sin. You also appear taller, which no amount of lifting could change.”

Using her nickname for him, he knew she would not let it go quickly. He was partially proud and annoyed at them. Good on them for paying attention, but boo at the same time since it was about him, and he didn't see a great way out of it. There was nothing believable that he could do to prove what happened to him.

He hated gaslighting his family like this. “Come on, everyone. According to the scale, I have lost fifteen pounds in the last three weeks. Yes, part of it was from working out and eating better. I have been struggling with some depression, too, which is probably accounting for some of it. Plus, I got new boots and my favorite baggy hoodie. Besides magic, there is nothing else it could be.”

Alice finally piped up, “What about steroids? You said back when you considered competing in strongman competitions, everyone did them, and you were considering it?”

“Alice, we talked about this. I know what I said back then, and we both agreed it was not a good idea. I have not been taking anything like that. Just working out, eating better, fighting off depression, and a wardrobe change have changed me enough to warrant some concern. I am OK, however. Besides being constantly hungry and missing you guys. So enough of that. What have you been up to? Group chats only go so far in keeping up with each other.”

The three shared a glance and knew they were getting nothing else out of him. As strange as it seemed, they would have to roll with it. “Uh huh… I’ll play along for now,” Ed said, “ It’s been pretty much the same thing every day for work and around the house. We have missed seeing your handsome face around here. Did you hear that old crazy farmer out your way swear he saw a spaceship lift one of his cows last night and place it in a different field? Everyone knows he drinks too much, so no one is taking him seriously."

"HAHA. I had not heard that. How is it any different than your alien experience?" Sinclair rebutted

“Hey man, I told you that in privacy. Yes, I had taken some mushrooms, so I was willing to chalk it up to those, but I wasn’t the only one there, and it felt super real.”

Rose and Alice were eyeing Ed now. Their faces said we think you’re crazy, but their eyes were dancing with laughter at how they would use this to rib him. Halloween was coming, so they would likely get one of the UFO-grabbing-a-cow inflatable suites.

Rose took this chance to get her own opinion, “Yeah. I will not touch that for now, but we’ll see what the future holds. Things have been tranquil down at the shelter. I finally got my raise and promotion to team lead over the other vet techs. It’s not much, but it does let me breathe a little more now with that extra money.” After her undergraduate degree, Rose took a place with a local shelter as a vet tech and loved her job. It didn't pay well, but she had what she needed and was happy.

“That is great to hear Rose. I wish I had good news. They downsized our office, so yours truly is out of a job in 2 weeks. They were nice enough to let us work as long as they could and will be helping us update our resumes and provide references. It just sucks to have to find something else once again.” Alice stated morosely. Now, it was her turn to receive three pairs of shocked expressions.

“That sucks. At least they are trying to help. Do you have any prospects lined up yet, or are you just riding it out?” Ed asked.

“I think, for now, I will ride it out a little. I had decent savings; they are giving me five weeks' severance pay and unemployment, so I can probably take a couple of weeks to catch up on stuff around the house before looking for new work. They hire pretty quickly in my area of the IT field, so I am not too worried.”

Sinclair watched his friends go back and forth, asking more questions and occasionally putting his two cents in. He couldn’t shake his own questions about what happened to him the entire time. How would it affect his friends? Every novel he ever read that involved someone getting powers also had a negative side to it. Whether it was a singular lousy guy or a horde of zombies. Wait, are zombies going to be honest now? I could kill zombies, especially if they are shamblers and not those abominations from Raccoon City.

Rose was still watching his facial expressions unbeknownst to him as Sinclair was thinking these thoughts to himself. She would get to the bottom of this one way or the other. Her brain was on fire with curiosity, and there was no deflecting that something had changed.

As the night went on, it got closer to leaving time, and Sinclair realized that he had already had nine beers and was as sober as when he got there. He groaned inwardly. Do you mean to tell me those bumps in my stats will make catching a buzz impossible now? That was not something I wanted to happen. Sometimes, catching a buzz was the only way to relax and get out of your head.

The last call was made, and Rose offered to give him a lift home since it was only a few minutes out of her way when going home. She had come straight to the brewery from work and changed clothes in the car, so now, at least, he could save the thirty or forty dollars it would cost him to call a ride. And, besides, he would get to spend a few more minutes with her. They always had great conversations about the many different aspects of life.

They made their goodbyes and said they would be catching up again soon since Alice was free for a while and Sinclair was off work for another six days. He might as well have fun while he could.

The car ride home could have been more relaxed at first. Sinclair could feel it. So, instead of waiting and stewing, he figured he would get it over with. “Rose, what’s up? You are being very silent tonight, even for yourself.”

Rose sat there momentarily, and he wasn’t sure she would answer. “Sinclair, I know you didn’t tell us everything about what is happening with you. You know me well enough to know I can tell when you’re being evasive. I am not asking you to spill because you don’t want to discuss whatever happened. But please don’t lie to us. If you don’t or can’t talk about something, you have every right to keep it to yourself, but know that we are your family and will never judge or criticize you about something important. When you are ready to talk about it, I hope you know we will support you in any way we can.”

Sinclair sat there and listened to her words, feeling pretty bad about lying. What was he supposed to do, however? How do you tell someone you woke up with strange screens in your face and the ability to rapidly increase in size, strength, intelligence, and agility? Unless you want that grippy sock vacation, he was worried about before. There was also a part of him that knew better, however. He should have more faith than his friends would believe. Hell, they had all seen him without a shirt. He could show them the white lines all over his torso. He didn’t even know how they got there. They deserved more than being lied to.

“Rose, I don’t want to lie to you guys. I can’t talk about it right now though. Give me a few days, and I will try to explain what is going on the best I can. I am not in any danger, nor am I hurting myself. The last couple of weeks have been insane. I promise to tell you guys everything as soon as I know more. And thank you for being blunt and understanding.” He only stretched the truth a little by saying he wasn't hurting himself because, just earlier that day, he had torn his ACL while training.

They sat there for several minutes, watching the trees go by, taking the windy road to his house. Contemplating if he needed to say anything else, Rose started talking first. “Thank you, Sinclair. You don’t owe us an explanation, but I am glad you know we are here for you when you are ready.”

With the elephant in the room taken care of for now, they listened to music and chatted about some of the latest events in their lives. He opened up a bit about his relationship and said he was sorry it was over to a degree but had a strange feeling it was declining no matter what he did. She went on to tell him that she was tentatively talking to someone. She was shy about it for some reason, like ashamed. They weren’t sure it would be a “thing,” but time would tell. They eventually got to his house, and he climbed out of her car, telling her goodnight and to text him when she got home safely.

Walking up the front steps to his house felt weird. This was the first day in his new life, and so much had happened. He had stats like in a video game now, his chest had weird markings all over it, and there was an unknown being out there watching him to see if he was worthy of a blessing. It couldn’t possibly get any weirder, right?