Dean's eyes sparkled as he looked through the list of abilities, skills, and provisions. There were so many tempting options, but his excitement dimmed quickly. The number of points he had was pitiful compared to the variety before him. Every choice meant sacrifice.
His gaze lingered on three particular entries:
Iron Will – 80 Points.
True Awareness – 200 Points.
Predator's Instinct – 200 Points.
Each one screamed survival, but picking one meant leaving the others behind until he earned more points—if he lived long enough to get that chance.
Dean rubbed a hand down his face, sighing. 'Damn it… why can't I have all three?'
He leaned back, restless, chewing over the short descriptions. Something nagged at him. Ghost Veil had given a precise breakdown earlier—every strength, every flaw. But for True Awareness? Just a neat little blurb. Too neat. Too vague.
"Why isn't there a more detailed explanation?" he muttered.
The panel shimmered in answer, a sub-window unfolding line by line, as if the system had been waiting for him to ask.
---
[True Awareness]
True Awareness is a passive ability that functions like a constant radar, granting 360-degree perception within a ten-meter radius. Anything that enters this range—human, animal, or monster—triggers an instant "presence ping," alerting you immediately. This detection isn't based on sight or sound but on an innate sense, cutting through silence, concealment, and even the town's mist. It provides precise information about distance and movement, like knowing something is three meters behind you and closing fast.
Limitations: True Awareness only tells you that something is there; it cannot identify what or why. The range is permanently capped at ten meters, leaving you blind to threats outside it. Awareness doesn't guarantee safety—if an attack is faster than your body can react, the ability won't save you. It ensures you're never caught off guard, but survival still depends on your reflexes, stamina, and physical limits.
---
Dean exhaled slowly, eyes fixed on the glowing words. How many other hidden explanations were tucked away in the store? The system sure hadn't explained this during its big info-dump earlier.
He tapped his fingers against his leg, reading the entry again. A smile tugged at his mouth. This was good—better than good. True Awareness bordered on overpowered, at least for a human. At 200 points, it even felt underpriced… not that he was about to complain.
With a thought, he dismissed the panel and shifted to Iron Will. Just like before, a second window appeared.
---
[Iron Will]
Iron Will is a passive mental discipline that steadies the mind under human stressors. It grants high resistance to fear, panic, and mental pressure, letting you think clearly when pain, exhaustion, noise, urgency, or social pressure would normally cloud judgment.
Limitations: However, Iron Will is not a magical mind-shield. It does not protect against the manipulations used by the town's monsters and offers no defense against supernatural compulsions, psychic pressure, enthrallment, siren-like lures, hallucinations created by entities, memory tampering, or time-distorting influences. It cannot stop the gradual mental corrosion that builds up from existing in the town over days, weeks and years.
---
Dean read it twice, then slowly nodded. It wouldn't protect him from the monsters, but it was still useful—especially when things went to hell and panic could get him killed. For 80 points, it was a bargain. If it had worked against supernatural mental manipulation, it sure as hell wouldn't be this cheap.
Even so, compared to True Awareness? It wasn't close. Iron Will helped you cope with danger. True Awareness helped you avoid being blindsided by it in the first place. And in this town, a surprise could mean death.
Dean leaned forward, exhaling through his nose. Two down, one left. His gaze shifted to Predator's Instinct, and the system obliged with another glowing panel.
---
[Predator's Instinct]
Predator's Instinct is a passive ability that sharpens reflexes to an animal-like edge. Reaction speed and dodge timing are roughly doubled, letting you move almost before you consciously register danger. This means quicker responses to sudden threats, smoother dodges, better balance, and instinctive decision-making in close combat where hesitation could cost your life.
Limitations: This ability doesn't make you stronger, faster, or more durable—it only sharpens how quickly you react. If you're too tired, restrained, or physically unable to move, the ability won't save you. It also doesn't guarantee accuracy; reacting fast isn't the same as reacting correctly. Most importantly, the ability doesn't provide awareness; if you never see or sense the threat, there's nothing to react to.
---
Dean's eyebrows rose. Now this had bite. Reacting twice as fast could turn a fatal encounter into a narrow escape. Ducking before a knife reached his throat, dodging before a claw ripped into him—the thought alone was tempting.
But its weakness was just as clear. Predator's Instinct was reaction; True Awareness was prevention. Together, though? They'd be devastating—knowing when something entered his range and instantly having the reflexes to respond. The two abilities were built to complement each other.
Dean drummed his fingers against his leg, weighing the three. Predator's Instinct had power, Iron Will had steadiness, but True Awareness… that was certainty. The one thing he couldn't afford to gamble on here was surprise.
After a long moment of thought, he exhaled and made his choice.
True Awareness.
Wasting no more time, he quickly confirmed the purchase of this particular ability.
Warmth spread through his body, steady and calm, like something unseen had slotted into place inside his mind. His breath caught as his world shifted. Not in sight or sound, but in awareness. A soft pressure expanded around him, circling outward, until he could feel the room.
The sense was subtle but undeniable. The air felt different, mapped out in quiet pulses. He knew instantly that the room was empty—no footsteps, no presence but his own.
'Yeah,' he thought. 'I can work with this.'
The panel faded, leaving only the steady hum of awareness in his head. His body felt unchanged, but his instincts were sharper, like his nerves had been rewired to notice things before his eyes could.
He turned the empty glass in his hand, the silence of the house heavy around him. Sitting still wouldn't help. Setting the glass down, he stood and headed for the door.
The morning air was cool and damp against his skin. Still there was some creepy feeling lingering in the surroundings that Dean couldn't quite put a finger on it. As if the environment here always put you on the edge, reminding you how screwed you are.
Ignoring this feeling he stepped outside towards his car.
His car sat a few feet ahead in the yard, still marked by the monster's attack. The hood was bent, one headlight broken, and long scratches ran down the side as if something had tried to tear it open.
Dean got into the car, turned the key, and started it. He gripped the wheel and drove onto the road.
He wanted to see the loop for himself, and now felt like the right time. It would also help sell his act of being just another confused guy stuck here, same as the rest of the townsfolk. The streets were quiet in the early morning, not a soul in sight.
As he swerved the car back on the road, his mind ran through ways to earn progress points. Today would be important. The Matthews family was coming to town. Jade and his friend were arriving too. And then there was Sara, who would kill Jade's friend—though he couldn't remember the guy's name.
Could he get points by influencing the Matthews family's accident? They'd have to spend the night outside the town in the RV because Jim's son Ethan—had a pierced thigh and couldn't get out. Would spending the night outside with them earn him points? But the system wouldn't be that foolish. It wouldn't give him progress percentage and points for basically doing nothing.
Afterall nothing happened that night. Everyone survived without a scratch....well except for Ethan.
Maybe there was another way. If he stopped Sara from killing Jade's friend and left the clinic door open, letting the nurse and Kenny's father die… that might count. It would be a major plot change. He could earn a substantial amount of points.
Dean gripped the wheel tighter. Today, the events would unfold, and he would decide which ones to let happen and which to alter. This was his chance to earn points, to shape the story—and, if he played it right, maybe even come out ahead.
He drove past the edge of town, the road stretching out before him—only to find himself rolling right back in through the other side. He tried again, from different end, but the result was the same.
By the third loop, he decided to stop as it was convincing enough. There was no exit. The road circled forever.
That was when he saw them.
Up ahead, three figures stood by the roadside. As he drew closer, the fog shifted enough for him to see Boyd, standing firm as ever. Kenny, the deputy sheriff was beside him, shoulders hunched, hands shoved into his pockets. Across from them stood a man Dean knew from the show but was unable to remember his name.
Boyd's voice carried across the quiet road as he scolded the man, who hung his head in shame.
Dean slowed the car down, wanting to test his newly acquired ability. He looked to the opposite side of the road, away from them, just to check. And sure enough, it still worked—those three people showed up clearly in his mind, like shapes inside his ten-meter bubble, no matter where he looked or even if he closed his eyes.
A smile appeared on his face. Unless something was impossibly fast, nothing would slip past his detection. It reminded him of Observation Haki from One Piece anime, something he'd watched back in his old life. True awareness was kind of a weaker version of it.
Satisfied, he pulled over, killed the engine, and stepped out of the car. Shutting the door behind him with a firm click, Dean started walking toward the group.
Boyd noticed him coming and cut his scolding short, his sharp tone fading as his eyes landed on Dean. The other two followed his gaze to Dean who seemed to be coming towards them.
His eyes flicked to the man Boyd had been chewing out. He knew that face—he'd seen him in the show.
'Dammit, what was his name again?' He pressed himself to think but to no avail.
It sat just out of reach, teasing him. What he did remember was the guy's screw-up. Drinking too much, crashing at a buddy's house, and leaving his family alone. His little girl had been the one who opened the window—the window that wasn't nailed shut. The monsters had walked right in, and by the end of the night, both his wife and daughter were dead. First episode. Brutal as hell.
Dean asked with a casual tone as he closed the distance. "Everything alright here?"
Boyd's stern expression softened. He gave Dean a small, easy smile. "Yeah. All good." He looked back at the man and jerked his chin. "Go on. Just a warning this time."
The man nodded sheepishly and hurried off, clearly relieved to be let off the hook.
Boyd sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose before glancing back at Dean. "He didn't go home last night. Got drunk, ended up sleeping it off somewhere else. Lucky nothing happened." His voice carried a weight that made it clear how close things could've gone sideways.
Dean raised an eyebrow. 'Lucky, huh?'
In the show, luck hadn't spared that guy's family. Maybe the damn monsters had been too busy fucking with him to pay any attention to his family—and that first episode massacre never happened.
He thought to himself,'Son of a bitch… guess I'm already screwing with the script.'
***
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