Seeing as there's no fire escape, I decide to wait on the roof until my health is completely restored before attempting to get down.
I can't believe there's no fire escape. Safety regulations are apparently more like guidelines for this building.
Waiting on the roof might make much too late for school, but I'm not going to get myself killed because of a hurry to get there. Besides, I'm already late. An hour more or less won't make that much of a difference. In fact, waiting is probably for the best. First period is taught by Teacher Do, and I have no desire to get disciplined by the Rod of Love. Teacher Ang is much more lenient.
Being stuck on a roof gives me ample time to think over what's happened and all the implications it holds. I boil them down to the most important ones.
Obviously, I'm not the only one with a power. Obviously, not everyone with powers is a nice person.
Obviously, I can be killed. Easily.
Too easily.
I need to train. A lot. Until now, I've just been having fun, but that can't continue anymore. I'm not going to get myself killed because of laziness.
Of course, I need to do more than just train. I need to gather information. Specifically, I need to gather information about people with powers.
I know just who to ask.
Sun-il's level indicates that he has a power as well. Hopefully this theory is correct, because having a best friend who knows what's going on would be invaluable. I would've told him even without that of course, but the benefit of him potentially having powers means that I'll tell him as soon as possible.
After coming to these important decisions, I take a moment to think up an excuse for my tardiness. I decide to go with, I overslept. Simple yet effective
Well, it'll be effective if school hasn't called Mom yet. However, given that my phone, which hadn't been in my inventory but which has miraculously managed to survive all that happened, isn't exploding with angry calls, I'm confident that they haven't notified her of my absence. Yet.
Every minute that passes increases the odds of that happening.
I start thinking of ways to get down, and eventually decide that my best bet is to slide down the drain.
My health still needs more time to recover, so I decide to train Observe. It's a very useful skill, and it doesn't even cost mp.
I look up at a cloud and say "Observe."
| Cloud
| Condensed water vapor. When gaining sufficient mass, the vapor turns to liquid, causing rain.
How literal.
| Concrete Roof
| A roof made out of concrete.
How very literal. Do all the descriptions of objects just state the obvious?
| Drain
| A metal pipe designed to drain off water. It is sturdily affixed to the building and is capable of bearing the average weight of a grown man.
Apparently they don't. What an oddly specific yet incredibly helpful detail. Though this does raise the question, are the descriptions influenced by my... intentions? Plans? General thoughts?
I can't exactly answer that just by Observing three objects. However, given that I'm on a roof, there aren't that many other things to Observe.
I decide to Observe the things in my inventory. In the process, I discover that I can't Observe my inventory itself. I also discover that I don't need to pull objects out to Observe them, the icons are enough.
| Backpack
| A pack designed to be carried on a person's back. It is filled with various supplies for school.
Once more, this is just stating the obvious.
| Panties
| Clothing meant to cover a person's privates. It has a cute bow.
True, the bow is very cute. It's why I bought it in the first place.
| Bra
| Clothing designed to support a person's breasts. Most commonly worn by females. It has a cute bow.
More specifically, it has the same bow as the panties. They're a matching set, after all.
On another note, most commonly? Really?
| Cargo Pants
| Baggy pants with many pockets. They are comfortable to wear but don't flatter a person's legs.
So? I'm a comfort over appearance kind of person.
| Shirt
| A large cotton shirt. It has a ridiculous picture.
And that picture is why I bought it.
| Sweater
| A soft, shapeless sweater that doesn't show off a person's figure. Perfect for chilly weather.
I adore that thing, I really do. It's just so comfy.
| Sneakers
| Comfortable but ugly shoes. Great for running.
If these descriptions really are influenced by me, then why does it feel like they're all vaguely insulting? The ones for my clothes, at least. Aside from my underwear, all of them seem to imply, and in the case of my sneaker, literally state, that they're ugly. Which, rude.
...Which is a point in favor of the descriptions being influenced by me. My personality? Personal tastes? My underwear got complimented, after all. Then again, my other clothes got insulted even though I like them.
Is it just my clothes, or do other things have slightly insulting descriptions as well?
| Cookies
| A package of chocolate chip cookies. They are sweet and crunchy.
| +5 HP per cookie
I stare, before closing my eyes with a groan. Of course food recovers health, why am I even surprised? In fact, how did I not realize this on my own?
Wasting no time, I pull out the package and start eating. When my health is fully restored, I store the remaining cookies away and put my plan into action.
I slide down the drain.
No matter that the description said that it can hold a grown man's weight, I'm still a little worried that the pipe will detach. Fortunately, it doesn't. And thanks to my Gamer's Body, I don't scrape all the skin off my palms.
I wasn't worried about losing my grip. I'm a console chick, and diligent gaming with a controller has made my fingers strong.
I still slide down faster than I like. The impact with the ground is jarring.
| -10 HP
Calling up my inventory, I take out two more cookies to recover my lost health, before I start running. Luckily, school is nearby and it doesn't take me long to reach it. Even so, I make a mental note to put my bicycle in my inventory. Never know when I might end up in a situation like this again. Hopefully I won't ever repeat this experience, but hope isn't a guarantee for the future.
Halting next to the entrance and out of sight of the windows, I quickly look around to check that no one is watching, before I pull out my backpack and race inside.
"Teacher Do, my deepest apologies for being late!" I exclaim with a deep bow the moment I enter the classroom. He falls silent halfway through his sentence.
Please don't use the Rod of Love, please don't use the Rod of Love.
"Han Jee-han," he says ominously. I wince.
He's going to use the Rod of Love.
"I'm so sorry, I overslept!" I rush out, no matter that I know it's useless to try to make him change his mind. As I straighten, I habitually glance at the text above his head.
| Passionate Teacher
| LV15 Do Gi-hyun
"You know the rules," Teacher Do declares, and I wince again as he picks up the Rod of Love. This is going to hurt.
I get five strikes and a slightly tender butt as punishment for my tardiness. Which is kind of odd. My Gamer Body means things hurt less now, so my butt shouldn't be tender. Yet somehow, the Rod of Love still masterfully straddled the edge of ouch, this hurts, without turning into this crazy teacher is abusing me! Teacher Do is special that way.
My punishment also leads to an unexpected reward.
| Physical Resistance (Passive)
| LV: 1 – EXP: 92,09%
| Increases the body's durability, allowing for less damage taken.
| 1% decrease in damage taken by physical attacks.
That skill is completely worth the tenderness of my butt. Leveling it will make my odds of survival shoot through the roof. Though I'm not looking forward to the actual leveling.
Leveling it is going to hurt. A lot.
When I'm sent to my desk, Sun-il gives me a questioning look, silently asking what that was all about. Unsurprisngly, my excuse hasn't fooled him.
Seeing as class is already in session, I give him a look that means later.
I sit down, take out my materials, and sigh softly as I slump down my chair. I still feel wrung out. Not physically, but my brain feels tired. I very much want to nap in a bed and wake up completely refreshed.
Unfortunately, I'm required to pay some attention to what Teacher Do is saying. My tardiness means that he's frequently calling up on me. Thankfully, Teacher Do is pretty entertaining when he teaches, so it isn't that difficult to do.
Yet even though I pay the minimum required attention to what Teacher Do is saying, I can't help but keep thinking about the fight. I might've finished calmly thinking things through, but that doesn't mean I can just put it out of my mind.
I almost died. Who wouldn't keep thinking about that?
The worst thing is that while this knowledge makes me feel so anxious, worried, and frightened to the point where I should be panicking, I'm not. Those emotions keep being so oddly muted, making me feel something that isn't panic, but it can't be called true calm either.
It's very unpleasant. So I decide to distract myself by training Observe. Specifically, I decide to Observe people.
"Observe," I breathe out as soft as possible.
| Name: Do Gi-Hyun
| Class: Passionate Teacher
| Title: The Terror Of Students
| Job: High School Teacher
| Race: Human
| Gender: Male
| Age: 42
| Level: 15 – Next Level: 29,42%
| HP: 1500/1500
| MP: 50/50
| STR: 20
| VIT: 56
| AGI: 12
| INT: 10
| WIS: 9
| LUK: 8
Huh. Apparently I can see other people's stats now. That's useful. Also, Teacher Do's title fits him perfectly.
I continue Observing first my classmates, then all the objects I can. In the process I discover that I can't Observe things if they aren't within my sight. There's also a mental component to the skill, because I always get the description of what I want to Observe specifically.
I test this more thoroughly on Ji-ah, seated right in front of me. When I Observe her with a desire to see her stats, I get those. When I stare at the exact same spot with a desire to Observe her blazer, I get a description of that.
Good to know that I won't have to worry about accidentally Observing the wrong thing.
The other things I discover is that Observing people gives more exp than Observing objects does, and the skill only gets exp the first time I Observe something. Also, all the objects I Observe don't have vaguely insulting descriptions like my clothes do. Which begs the question, why are the descriptions of my clothes different?
To my regret, I can't Observe Sun-il. He's seated two rows behind me, and every time I start turning my head the slightest in any direction other than my books or Teacher Do, Teacher Do calls on me. At least I can still glance at things from the corner of my eyes without his notice. As long as I keep my head tilted down, that is.
Time seems to crawl by at a snail's pace. By the time we're finally given a break, Observe has risen to level four.
The moment we're allowed to move, I march towards Sun-il's desk.
"We need to talk," I declare.
"Good morning, Jee-han. How are you this fine day? I'm great, thanks for asking," Sun-il returns with a sunny smile while casually leaning back in his chair. I scowl, not in the mood for our usual banter.
"I'm serious, we need to talk. I..." I sigh and close my eyes. My brain still feels wrung out. "I need your help," I finish as I open my eyes.
Sun-il's smile has faded and his eyes are open fully, his posture worried and tense. "What's wrong?" he demands, his usual zen gone. Worry is one of the only things that can accomplish that.
I shake my head. "I'll tell you during lunch. It's a long story." It really is. It also isn't something I want to talk about when surrounded by classmates. "But I need your help," I repeat, meaning every word. Even if Sun-il doesn't have a power, I still need his help. Or rather, I want it.
I'm really hoping that he has a power, though.
Sun-il gives a worried look a moment longer, before he gives a nod of agreement. "Of course I'll help," he promises, and I let out a relieved breath as the unpleasant not-panic fades away. I knew he would help of course, but it's still reassuring to hear him say it out loud.
"Thanks," I return with a smile, already so much more at ease with this entire situation.
"You're welcome," he says with his usual sunny smile, cheerfully zen once more.
Silence falls. It's a nice silence.
Naturally, Sun-il breaks it.
"But really, you can't even be bothered to say hello first? I feel used."
"Hello," I say in my most deadpan voice.
Sun-il lets out a falsely resigned sigh. "Well, I suppose better late than never."
"So glad you approve," I shoot back sarcastically. Sun-il shakes his head with such disappointment.
"I just don't understand where it all went wrong," he declares to the world in general.
"It's alright, I forgive you. You can't help being an ass," I comfort.
"No, you kicked me the very first time we spoke," he brings up for the millionth time, making me roll my eyes on pure habit. "It was clear from the start that you were a hopeless case."
"You have got to let this go," I tell him for the millionth time as well. Seriously, it's been over a decade, we were both nothing but dumb kids. He needs to let this go.
"How can I? There I was, trying to be friendly, and your response was to kick me," Sun-il recalls incorrectly.
"Friendly isn't the word I'd use. As I recall, you told me I was weird and stupid." If he isn't going to let me forget that I kicked him, I'm not going to let him forget that he insulted me first.
Our initial meeting is basically our entire friendship in a nutshell.
"Only because you made fun of my hair," Sun-il returns like it's supposed to be a valid excuse. Besides, I wasn't making fun of his hair, I was pointing out the obvious. Which is this.
"Your hair is naturally green." Granted, I didn't use those exact words, but the sentiment was the same.
"Your point being?" Sun-il asks like it's real question.
"Sun-il. Your hair is naturally green," I emphasize, feeling a grin grow. This entire argument is ridiculous as ever.
It's exactly what I need.
"Still waiting for you to make your point."
We spend the remaining time trading insults, and I'm grateful that Sun-il keeps the conversation light. He doesn't even ask why I was late.
When break is over, I return to my seat with a smile, feeling so much better than before.
Now I just need to make it to lunch.
As soon as we're allowed to leave class, I drag Sun-il to our corner underneath the stairs, not bothering to get something to eat first. I can pull something out of my inventory later.
Sun-il doesn't suggest we go eat first either, which shows just how worried he is more than anything else could.
"Tell me what's wrong," he demands the moment I let go of his arm.
I hesitate. Now that it's time to explain things, I don't really know where to start.
Well. Best start at the beginning.
"Four days ago, I woke up with... a power, I guess," I say, my voice coming out more awkward than intended. Sun-il keeps quiet and gives me an unreadable look, an incredibly rare occurrence. It's enough to make me uncomfortable all on its own, even without adding in the rest of the situation.
I cross my arms and tilt my head back, deliberately not looking at him. It's easier to figure out how to explain things without having to worry about his reaction as well.
"At first I thought I was going insane, but I'm not. I don't know how it happened, but... well, I somehow became a videogame character. I have hp and mp, stats and skills– wow, that sounds crazy," I interrupt myself with sudden realization, keeping my eyes aimed at the ceiling while trying to figure out how to not sound crazy instead.
Offering him proof should be the easiest way to accomplish that.
"I have proof. Inventory," I call up and blindly pull out the first thing I can think of, which happens to be my favorite sweater, before I lower my head to look at Sun-il– I freeze.
Sun-il is still giving me an unreadable look, yet for some reason I can't help but feel that right now, he is very, very dangerous. In a way I've only known him to be a handful of times in my entire life.
In a way I could've never imagined he'd aim at me.
I clutch my sweater closer, uncertain on how to proceed. I decide to keep quiet and wait for him to make the next move.
After a moment that feels a lot longer than it actually is, Sun-il closes his eyes with a pained grimace, the inexplicable sense of danger gone like it was never there. He brings up a hand to rub his forehead and lets out the deepest sigh I've ever heard him make, incredulous, anguished, despairing, and completely exasperated.
"You're a natural. Of course you are," he says softly to himself.
A natural? And why does he look like I've just told him that the world is about to end?
Most importantly. "You believe me?" Yes, I expected that, but it's still so weird to hear him accept my power with nothing but that brief explanation. Even if I did pull a sweater out of, to him, thin air.
The great news is that his immediate acceptance means that he definitely has a power as well.
"It does explain why you've been acting so weird," Sun-il returns while opening his eyes and trying to give a sunny smile.
He fails, he still looks far too despairing to pull it off. It's not only unpleasant to see, it's confusing. What's there to despair about? I haven't even told him about this morning yet.
And I haven't been acting weird. In fact, I'm pretty proud of how well I managed to hide my power.
"I haven't been acting weird," I deny, feeling a little indignant. It's a relief to see Sun-il raise a mocking brow in return, his sense of despair lifting a bit.
He lifts a hand and raises his index finger like he's ticking something off. "You're constantly glancing at the space above people's heads." He raises a second finger. "You're frequently staring at nothing like there's something in front of you." There goes the third finger. "You've been mumbling to yourself." He lowers his hand and gave me a pointed look full of wry amusement. "And finally, you haven't talked about your latest obsession in days."
Well, when he puts it like that.
"Then why didn't you ask about it?" I deflect instead of admitting that he's right.
Sun-il's expression becomes fond. "I knew you'd tell me eventually. You always do."
He has a point.
Sun-il lets out another deep sigh and closes his eyes, a pained grimace appearing briefly. Thankfully, he soon pulls himself together with a curt nod.
"Right then," he says as he opens his eyes, serious and determined. "Explain your power to me."
"I told you, I'm a videogame character," I repeat, because that really does sum up the essence of it.
"And being a videogame character allows you to pull things out of thin air, how?" Sun-il asks in a way that silently insults my intelligence, and he sits down the stairs.
"By having an inventory," I retort in an equally insulting way as I sit down beside him, sweater held between my hands and my inventory following along. Really, I know he did it on habit, but to make fun of me in a situation like this? Ass hole.
"An inventory?" Sun-il asks in a way that means now is not the time for your usual reluctance to vocalize anything other than insults.
"You can't see it, I'm the only one who can. But yes, an inventory. As in, a screen with icons of whatever I put inside it," I answer in a tone that means then don't provoke me, asshole.
It makes Sun-il huff, giving me a small but true smile, before he turns serious again. "Okay, you have an inventory. What else? You said you had skills?"
"I do," I confirm while bringing up my sweater and putting it back in my inventory. Sun-il's eyes widen with surprise. I grin at his reaction. "I've got a couple already, and I can create new ones by performing special actions. Close inventory," I finish. The screen blinks out of existence.
Sun-il keeps looking at the place my inventory– well, to him the spot of thin air where my sweater vanished, with fascination.
"I know, it's amazing," I say, excited by my power all over again.
Sun-il shakes his head with disbelief. "It's unbelievable, that's what it is. You're a natural and your ability is related to videogames. Honestly, this could only happen to y–" He cuts himself off with a sudden realization, before he gives me a suspicious look and the inexplicable sense of danger returns. Not as much as before, though, not by a long shot.
It's still so disturbing to see it being aimed at me, no matter that I know he'd never hurt me.
"Why aren't you surprised?" he demands. I'm confused. Isn't the answer obvious?
"I told you, I got this power four days ago, I've had time–" Sun-il cuts me off with an impatient gesture and I obligingly fall silent.
"That's not what I meant. I mean, why aren't you surprised that I'm not surprised by this?"
My confusion grows.
"You are surprised," I point out, wondering if shock is addling his thoughts.
The sense of danger vanishes as Sun-il raises his eyes towards the ceiling in a frustrated plea for strength, before he looks back at me with impatience. "Let me rephrase that in a way your weird brain can actually understand," he says with some actual annoyance. How rare. "Why aren't you surprised that I'm not asking how this is possible?"
Because he has a power as well– oh. Right, he hasn't actually told me that yet.
I open my mouth to say that I know he has a power as well, but then I take a moment to think about how that would make him react in his current mood. Probably make him even more frustrated. Maybe even a little freaked out.
I should probably begin by explaining how I know he has a power in the first place.
"You know how I've been glancing at the space above people's heads?" I decide to start with, the question reflexively making me glance at the text hovering above his own.
"I noticed," he deadpans in the most insulting way possible. "What does that have to do with you not being surprised?" he continues impatiently.
"I'm getting to that," I retort with the silent addiction of so shut up and listen.
Sun-il gives an annoyed look in return, even as his lips twitch with involuntary amusement. He keeps quiet.
I nod, satisfied with his reaction. I'd rather do this without interruptions, thank you very much.
"So the reason I'm doing that is because everyone has text floating above their head, though I'm the only one who can see it. The text contains a person's class, level, and their full name. You're level twenty-five. Every normal person I've seen has a level somewhere between one and ten. Maybe fifteen? Anyway, they're a lot lower than yours, so I was already pretty sure that you have a power as well. And your immediate acceptance of my own power is proof that you do. Am I wrong?" I finish with smug grin.
Sun-il stares back at me with an unreadable expression, making my grin falter. Did I say something wrong?
"...What exactly do you mean by, every normal person?" he asks while bracing himself like he's expecting something terrible to happen. Right, I haven't told him about this morning yet.
This is going to freak him out. A lot.
Best get it over with. Like ripping off a band-aid.
"This morning I got dragged into a fight between a guy named Hwan Sung-gon and–"
"You what? " Sun-il actually yells while jumping to his feet. I stare up at him with astonishment. Yes, I expected him to freak out, but not like this, and definitely not just from mentioning the Black Summoner. Or is it because I got into a fight? That's always a surefire way to get Sun-il riled up. This is extreme even for that though, it really is.
"Jee-han, did you get in a fight with the Black Demon? "
Ah, so it's because of the Black Summoner in particular. This is great news, it means that Sun-il understands what's going on.
"Black Summoner actually," I correct.
Sun-il lets out a strangled sound and smacks the back of my head.
| Physical Resistance has risen by 1!
The yelp I let out is more startled than hurt, one of my hands coming up to cradle the spot he hit out of pure surprise. "What was that for?" I demand. This was incredibly unexpected. It's rare for Sun-il to even jokingly hit me, normally I'm the one who assaults him.
"That's for being a moron!" he snaps while clenching his fists, looking like he wants to give me another smack. Or maybe shake me like I'm a disobedient dog. "Of all the– do you even understand– no, of course you don't," he finishes with a deep grimace, and clenches his eyes shut. He groans and blindly sits back down next to me, bringing up a hand to rub his forehead.
He's really freaking out.
Sun-il lets out a tired sigh, before he clenches his jaw with determination and nods sharply. "Alright, I can handle this," he tries to convince himself. Badly so.
I open my mouth to tell him just that–
"Don't," Sun-il warns without opening his eyes. I close my mouth.
He's right. Now isn't the time to be acting childishly.
After a moment, Sun-il lets out another sigh and opens his eyes, giving me a hard look. "Tell me everything that happened this morning."
So I do. I tell him about the dungeon, the Black Summoner and the girl on fire, the fantasy creatures and defeating the Demon Slime. I don't spare a single detail.
Sun-il keeps quiet throughout my explanation, but his expression becomes more pained the longer I talk. More exasperated as well.
When I finish, he lets out a despairing groan and closes his eyes once more. He keeps quiet.
I shift in place, nervous with this reaction. I'm not used to him being quiet. Normally he's the one who needles me into talking. I understand why he's keeping quiet, this is a lot to process, but it still makes me uncomfortable. Not in the least because I don't like seeing him so upset.
This isn't a nice silence.
"So, what do you think?" I ask after I feel enough time has passed for him to process my story.
"I think you're a moron," Sun-il returns without missing a beat, eyes remaining closed. I roll my own in return, no matter that he can't see. His reaction already makes me feel better.
"Thank you so much for your compassion," I say in my most sarcastic voice. Sun-il chuckles softly and finally turns to face me again. He's still upset, but he's also calming down with every moment that passes.
"It's the truth. Who in their right mind runs towards mysterious howls instead of running away?" he argues with a faint but real grin.
"In my defense, I didn't expect to find a giant three-headed dog. Or the Black Summoner," I counter.
"What did you expect to find?" he retorts with a mockingly raised brow. I open my mouth to answer– I close it without saying anything. I... hadn't been expecting anything in particular, really. I was just curious.
Sun-il gives a nod like I've just proven his point for him. "Moron," he says in the same way he'd say that the sky is blue.
I punch the asshole's arm. Gently for once, because, well, he has a point. Not that I'd ever admit it out loud.
"Now do you understand why I need your help?" I return the subject to more important matters.
Sun-il lets out a bark of laughter, one that comes dangerously close to being hysterical. "Yeah, I do. I really do," he emphasizes in the most insulting way possible. I roll my eyes, but I feel a smile grow as well. If he can still insult me, things are still fine.
Letting out a soft sigh, Sun-il brings up an arm around my shoulders and pulls me close, something that doesn't happen often. I'm not complaining, this is a situation that definitely calls for a hug.
I lean into him and close my eyes, enjoying his warmth.
"It's going to be alright," he assures both me and himself.
"Good to know," I tell him, meaning every word. When Sun-il says things are going to be alright, it's impossible not to believe him.
Silence falls. It's a nice silence.
Naturally, Sun-il breaks it.
"Seriously though, you're such a moron."
I blindly stomp down on the asshole's foot. Sun-il chuckles, the sound bright and real. My smile grows.
For the first time since the fight happened, I truly feel like there's nothing to worry about. Not anymore.
Not when I have my best friend with me.
AN: I present: a divergence in canon.
Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it :)
