The first few weeks of school were rather a disappointment for Jung.

Jung hee, like the other students, is assigned school books on the first day of school. A typical first-grader has seven classes in addition to PE, so his book stack quickly grew. Every subject offeres at least two books. One is a textbook, the other a workbook. Jung was outraged when the used workbook turned out to have answers to some of the questions printed on it. Jung then had to transport all of those books back to his house, a seven mountain journey. But he was too preoccupied with the prospect of being given slightly worn-out books to care about the distance. At this point in time, carrying heavy objects is just a way of life to Jung and the distance from his home is just normal to him.

Within days, Jung had already devoured the books in his house, and he was eager to learn more about the world around him. Unfortunately, most of the lectures the teachers were teaching them were things either he already knew or something that could be learned by common sense. His first month in class was rather boring.

Ding!

Congratulations!

You have unlocked the general skill “Sitting” The skill help you to remain still, improve your posture, give a slight energy recovery, and increase your focus while your body is supported by your buttocks.

The higher the level, the higher the listed benefits.

Requirements: Wisdom 1, Endurance 1

Current level: 0

Jung hee groaned silently. For the last several months, he is getting an unlocked skill that, to his mind, is practically useless. At first, it was just a mild curiosity that he is getting skills like “Seeing,” “Listening,” “Talking,” “Feeling,” and “Tasting.” Then it started getting tedious when he got skills from “Running,” then “Walking,” then “Jumping” and even “Crawling.” Then Jung hee really blew up when he got the skill for “Eating.” By then, he was too spent to feel anything when he received the skill “Breathing.”

The senses skills, such as seeing, listening, and talking, were fortunate because they were among the first to be opened, and because Jung hee had a hundred skill points at the time, they were able to receive at least one skill point to activate them, but the rest were simply left alone.

But the skill list simply continues to grow as almost every ridiculous basic skill known to man were being unlocked almost one by one. The timing is almost random to him and he has no idea why the skill is unlocked at that exact time. Instead of making him more excited about the “System” Jung is getting less enamored with it.

Jung hee was looking outside the classroom window while muttering to himself about the stupid system, so he didn’t see the newcomer arriving immediately. But when he turned and stared at the little girl, his little heart twisted for a moment.

and then he fell in love.

“Class, you guys have a new classmate. She just enrolled today, and that is why you didn’t see her during the class orientation. The important thing is that she is here now, and I expect all of you to give her a warm welcome. Class, I want you to meet Song Eun Mei. Eun Mei, meet Class B-1, and please introduce yourself.

The girl has shoulder length brown hair that curled slightly in the end. Her uniform are not new and probably hand me downs, just like his, but they were neat and clean. Her skin is lightly tanned which Jung recognized is from working outdoors and she has a small smattering of freckles near her nose in her otherwise unblemished clear skin. But it was the eyes that drew Jung in. They have this perpetual scowl and a suspicious look in her, but they were the intelligent eyes full of worldly experience and defiance.

The girl reluctantly introduce herself, and she gave the minimum information possible. She repeated her name, and that she is 7 years old and she lives far away from town. She continued to frown with her huge eyebrows as she scanned the entire room, seemingly provoking the rest of the class. and it fascinated Jung.

If anyone was looking at Jung hee at the time, his eyes are probably shaped in hearts as his mouth unconsciously opened in awe at the mesmerizing girl in front of him. Anything about levels and the system was suddenly the farthest thing in Jung’s mind.

To others, her slit eyes made Eun Mei look sleepy, but Jung recognized right away that this was not the case. She is alert and jumpy, much like a cat. Her lips opened reluctantly and made sounds, but what she said was clear and concise in a beautiful melody. Her explanations were clip and to the point. This is no shy little girl, and her words are almost a challenge to all. Even so, Jung could tell she was uncomfortable being the center of attention.

When she was done, Jung promptly offered the seat next to him, the closest one available near him, but the girl ignored him and sat further in the back. For the entire day, Jung followed the girl like a puppy and bravely introduced himself. He offered to show her around the school and suggested that they eat lunch together. The girl coldly shut him down, but Jung was unperturbed. Her glare and rejections washed over him like rain on the back of a turtle.

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The more Jung tried to get to know her, the more the girl built defenses against his over-friendliness and regarded him more and more with suspicion.

That very day, Eun mei shouted at him when he persisted in following her after school and accused him of being a stalker. Jung realize her house was in the same direction as his, and it turned out that her house was not even half as far as his own home. But he guessed that for a girl, the 4 miles hike is very far indeed.

******

“No, I don’t need an escort home. Go away!” Eun Mei said angrily, marching away.

Jung was left there as a chibi with forlorn face, his right arm reaching pathetically for the girl who is now long gone. Hell, a tumbleweed passed by him as he stood there.

Saddened by the girl’s reaction, he was a bit melancholy when he walked back home alone.

I wonder if she likes sweet potato, Jung thought idly as he walked, the sun already setting on the horizon. He navigated the dirt trail expertly and the sound of the mountain forest soothed his soul. With level 4 in walking, Jung barely expend any energy, nor the attention he needed for him to walk the 12 mile trek back home.

The sun was setting as the boy continued to walk. He trudged through the mountainous forest, taking in the stunning orange and pink hues that colored the sky. The trees rustled gently in the breeze and the birds sang their final songs of the day. The boy couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy as he watched the sun dip below the horizon.

As he walked, he couldn't help but admire the beauty of the forest. The tall pine trees reached towards the sky, their green needles glistening in the last rays of sunlight. The rocky path was covered in a blanket of fallen leaves, rustling under his feet as he walked. He passed by a babbling brook, the water sparkling as it flowed over the rocks.

Despite the tranquility and serenity of the forest, the boy couldn't help returning his attention back to the pretty girl he met today. Jung sighed helplessly. He wondered about the future and what it held for them. He thought about the kids he already befriended, but his desire is to get to know the girl somehow and he hoped he can become her friend some day.

The boy continued to walk, lost in his thoughts. As he reached the middle of the forest, he felt his inner compass guide him to the right path towards his home in the distance. He took a deep breath of the fresh air and continued on. Although he was sad he wasn’t able to befriend the mysterious girl, Jung never lost hope. He knew that tomorrow was another day and it would bring new opportunities and experiences for him. He inadvertently looked back in the direction of the girl named Eun Mei, then at the setting sun before he continued heading home.

I should ask mom what girls like-

A chirp of a little bird disrupted his thought and he stopped walking. Even at level 1, his hearing is able to detect it and through a combination of focus mind and observe skill, his brain sort of judge the sound was important to him. So Jung absently followed the sound until he found a little bird behind a group of plant bushes. “Eh?! Where’d you come from, little bird?” Jung asked. Gently, he picked up the distressed little thing, and then he looked around.

The little bird was so young that she is still blind and couldn’t see the environment around her. That is why she is in distressed and panicking. Then she felt being carried away by an unknown creature and she was tweeting up a storm. Jung hee tried to calm her down by smoothing the back of her head with a finger, cooing at her all at the same time. Jung looked up at a nearby tree.

Jung spotted a nest on top and Jung figured out that the bird fell from her home and was now distressed without her familiar surroundings.

Jung grimaced, looking up at the dark, many branches of the massive tree in front of him. He would just have to be careful. Climbing is already a skill he already possessed, after all, he thought grimly. With a nervous breath and a very careful blanking of her thoughts away from the possibility of falling, Jung took several steps back and gave himself some space.

Without really thinking about it, Jung took a couple more steps back and then run the length of the tree trunk.

His hands reached for a strong branch, and Jung began to climb, fitting fingers and the tips of his worn boots wherever he could.

The wood was faintly damp, and in more than a few places it had bred a slimy film. When he reached a certain height, his right hand slipped, but he managed not to cry out, despite breaking most of the nails on his left hand as he dug his fingers even harder into the crevasse. The little bird was tweeting even more as she tried to learn what is happening from the front pocket of his uniform that Jung has secured her into.

I guessed both of us are not comfortable with all this jostling, Jung thought wryly.

Jung shuffled sideways till he reached the next branch upward. Bracing the toes of his hand me down shoes between the wooden crevasses, Jung peeked upward, judging how far he still needed to go. His fingers trembled on the edge of a broken protrusion with the pressure he placed on them, and he was excruciatingly conscious of how close he was to falling backward. The forest was eerily silent as if holding its breath as it watches his next move.

Despite his unbelievable skills, Jung can feel his stamina draining quickly from his lack of formal training and actual experience in doing the climbing. Although he knew what he was doing, his body simply could not keep up since it did not have the same muscle memory it needed for Jung to climb properly. His eye dropped at the little bird who is now silent as it felt somehow that it was being lifted.

Jung smirked despite his predicament. I can't let something this trivial stop me, he thought, glaring at the hundreds of wood branches blocking his way. Jung made sure his feet were stable, then released one hand's death grip as he pushed upward and reached for another branch. His cold, clumsy fingers fumbled for a second until he grip another moist branch. Then he pulled himself up until he find a good space for his foot, and then used that base to lift himself up again. Rinse and repeat.

Eventually, Jung reached the empty nest. With a heave, he carefully grabbed the bird and deposited her in her home. The bird flapped its wings but recognized its surroundings despite having no vision just yet. Maybe the smell or the scratchy feel of the branch, but the bird knew she was on her nest. She tweeted a few more times and then settled in the center of the nest.

**

Going down was easy, as he climbed, slid, and fell his way back to solid ground. He beamed to himself at his successes after patting himself clean of leaves and other debris.

Jung smiled contentedly as he returned his sight to the sky and listened for a minute as the bird's chirping faded.

Suddenly, a new pop-up message covered his view.

Congratulations! You have upgraded the general skill, climbing by 1.

Current level: 4

Needed skill points to upgrade to the next level: 1

Remaining Skill Points: 10

014Jung sighed. For the last few months, ever since he unlocked his attributes, Jung Hee is been receiving a whole lot of skill options. Right now, there are probably 3-4 pages of skills in his skill list that are available to him. The problem is that he didn’t have enough skill points left to get all the cool stuff. Just because he unlocked the skill doesn’t mean he can use them immediately. All the unlocked skills are at level 0 and he needed to upgrade them to level 1 to make good use of them.

At least the skill “Climbing” is already unlocked and therefore he can upgrade it simply by grinding the skill. But not today. He has enough of climbing for now.

Silently closing his status window, Jung continued walking back home while whistling a happy tune.

He didn’t notice the little bird looking down at his direction and listening to his footsteps as he walks away.