The faint sound of water dripping resounded around the room, a peaceful sound compared to the chaos earlier.

A few moments of shifting clued the young boy onto the fact he was on a couch, a blanket covering him. At that thought, his eyes snapped open, weary of the situation he had gotten himself into. The room was small, with only the couch and a sink in the corner.

He observed a door on the far wall and approached it, blanket dropping, his feet walking on what used to be a lavish rug, before opening the door to discover a worn-down bathroom.

His eyes took in the destruction on the ceiling that served as a reminder of his previous nightmare.

“It’s not a dream. That nightmare you had was reality.”

A voice resounded behind him, goosebumps covering his skin as he whipped around. A chuckle rang out as he looked at the man who appeared behind him, a glass of water in his hands.

He allowed himself to be brought back to the couch and accepted the glass of water handed to him. The man walked back to the table Valentyn had failed to see earlier and continued his previous task of cutting fruit.

He finishes his glass, holding it in his hands, fidgeting with his sleeves. The man appeared to realize his hesitance and glanced in his direction as his hands slowed down in their previous action.

“Are you the one who brought me here?”

“I am.”

An awkward silence befalls the two of them once more, unease traveling through the air. This man didn’t seem to have any bad intentions, but Valentyn couldn’t be sure of anything, considering the weird goblin creature he saw earlier.

His mind urges him to speak up, anything that comes to mind, to halt this hostile atmosphere, but he is relieved to witness the man utter something.

“My name is Sorian. In your moment of desperation you summoned me. I couldn’t ignore such a strong will to live.”

At the mention of names, Valentyn remembers his lack of courtesy towards the older man.

“Ah, my name is Valentyn Sinclair.”

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‘Summoned?’ a confused voice in his head rang out as he introduced himself. This man, Sorian, sounded weirder and weirder by the moment.

“What do you mean by 'summoned’?” He asks a moment later.

“Ah, I suppose this is a new concept in this world. You don’t know what’s going on right now, do you?” The man muttered to himself, rubbing his hand across the pommel of his sword in thought. One Valentyn failed to see before. The sight of a weapon made his hands shake, reminding him of the time before.

Without waiting for him to answer, he continued his explanation.

“I will explain this as best I can. Please trust me for a moment,” Sorian said, walking over and sitting next to him on the couch. “Say status in your head. It should bring up a screen of sorts.”

‘Huh?’ Valentyn gave Sorian a confused look, earning an encouraging nod and a small smile. ‘I guess I don’t have many other options.’

‘Status.’

A purple screen appeared in front of his face, startling him into leaning into Sorian.

“Whoa!”

He got a slight guffaw and a pat on the head at that from Sorian. He treated Valentyn kindly, despite the situation they were in.

‘What a strange man.’

The bright shine of the screen burned his eyes, tears pooling to dampen his dry eyes. His eyes trail across the screen, words appearing.

Welcome to the apocalypse! The system is here to guide you. Survival will only come to the hardest workers.

His hands reach towards the screen, wanting to see what exactly it was. A hand grabs his. He glances at Sorian, waiting for more of an explanation and for his hand to be let go of.

“Ah, sorry,” Sorian let go of his hand a second later, “This is called a status window. Every human has one. Usually, only the person can see their status window, but since you summoned me, and I am technically one of your skills, I can also see it. This means I can help you figure these things out and help you decide on the information it gives you based on the things you get offered as rewards or other people’s requests.”

In return for the information, Valentyn only gains more confusion.

“Skills?”

“I will explain that later. The status window will also display information for the missions that you need to complete. Some will come with a time limit, and some have specific conditions you need to complete, but I will do my best to help you accomplish them.”

“It sounds like a video game. The system is kinda like the tutorial at the beginning of the game that gives you instructions on how to do things, right?”

“I suppose so, although the system will always be available, unlike in video games.”

The air chilled with his next words.

“The stakes for these missions are usually life and death, and you don’t get second chances. I am here to assist your chances of living since you called out for me and formed a contract in the heat of the moment.”

“Contract? We never formed a contract?” Valentyn turned that information around in his head. How could they form a contract without his knowledge?

“Since you were in a state of panic, the contract automatically sealed without our knowledge or consent.”

“Why would you need a contract to help me? I thought you just helped me with a split-moment decision.”

Sorian stands from the couch, reaching his hand out towards him.

“I’m a contract demon.”