[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE]
[QUEST: SUPERNATURAL AWARENESS]
[Locate and observe a supernatural entity without being detected]
[Difficulty: E-Rank]
[Reward: +2 Spirit, +1 Wisdom, 15 XP, Minor Spirit Bolt ability]
[Time Limit: 48 hours]
Jake stared at the notification as he walked back to his apartment, Sarah's business card tucked safely in his wallet. The coffee shop victory still felt surreal, one point of Charm shouldn't have made a difference, but somehow he'd felt more confident and more capable now.
Now the system wanted him to hunt supernatural creatures.
"Can I get like, a tutorial or something?" Jake muttered under his breath, earning a strange look from a passing jogger. "Maybe start with the basics?"
[ANALYZE ability can provide information on supernatural entities. SUPERNATURAL SIGHT allows HOST to perceive hidden threats.]
[Recommendation: Begin patrol of local area to familiarize yourself with common entity types.]
"Patrol. Right. Like I'm some kind of superhero." Jake laughed. He was an unemployed office worker with depression and anxiety. The idea of hunting monsters was absurd.
But the shadow creatures crawling across his ceiling that morning had been real. The green mist seeping through the streets was real. And if he ignored it, if he went back to being normal Jake Morrison, he'd just be the same pathetic loser who got fired and dumped in the same day.
At least this way, he had a purpose.
Jake's apartment felt even more depressing now that he could see the supernatural filth coating everything. The void entities clustered thickest around his unmade bed and the corner where he usually sat scrolling through job listings while feeling sorry for himself.
"They really do feed on negative emotions," he said, watching a particularly fat shadow-bug crawl across his pillow.
[Correct. Prolonged exposure can worsen mental health, creating a feedback loop. Recommend clearing apartment of entities.]
"And how exactly do I do that?"
[MINOR SPIRIT BOLT ability will be unlocked upon quest completion. Current options: Open windows to dissipate concentration, spend time away from apartment, or improve mental state to make environment less appealing to entities.]
Jake opened every window in his studio, letting the cool Seattle air wash through. The shadow creatures seemed to recoil from the fresh breeze, skittering toward darker corners. It wasn't much, but it was something.
He needed to get out anyway. If he was going to complete this quest, he needed to find a supernatural entity to observe. According to the system, they were everywhere once you knew how to look.
Jake grabbed his jacket and headed out, this time paying attention to the world the system had revealed. The Veil shinned like heat waves over certain areas, stronger near alleys, abandoned buildings, and places where people gathered in desperation. A homeless encampment beneath the overpass practically glowed with supernatural activity.
His new sight was overwhelming. Every shadow could hide something. Every flicker of movement might be a void entity. Jake's heart raced as he walked through Pike Place Market, seeing the invisible layer of reality that tourists and locals alike ignored.
That's when he spotted it.
Near a dumpster behind a closed restaurant, something larger than the shadow-bugs he'd seen was feeding. It looked like a dog-sized creature made of writhing darkness, its form constantly shifting and reforming. Red eyes gleamed from what might have been its head, and it was pulling something from the dumpster, not physical trash, but streams of sickly green energy.
[ANALYZE]
Jake focused on the creature, and information flooded his mind.
[VOID FEEDER - Rank F]
[Parasitic entity that consumes ambient negative energy and organic decay]
[Threat Level: Low (non-aggressive unless cornered)]
[Weakness: Direct sunlight, spiritual energy attacks]
[Note: Common in urban environments]
The creature hadn't noticed him yet. Jake kept his distance, observing from behind a corner about thirty feet away. It moved with an unsettling fluidity, sometimes seeming solid, other times nearly transparent. As it fed, it grew slightly larger, the green energy being absorbed into its shadowy mass.
A door slammed somewhere, and the creature's head snapped up. Those red eyes swept the alley, and for a heart-stopping moment, Jake thought it had spotted him. He pressed himself flat against the wall, holding his breath.
The creature returned to feeding.
Jake watched for another five minutes, noting how it moved, how it fed, how it seemed to avoid the patches of afternoon sunlight that penetrated the alley. This was what he was supposed to fight eventually? The thing was the size of a large dog and made of living shadow. He was a guy who got winded climbing stairs.
[QUEST COMPLETED]
[Rewards: +2 Spirit, +1 Wisdom, 15 XP]
[MINOR SPIRIT BOLT unlocked]
[Level Up! Level 1 → Level 2]
[Additional stat points awarded: +1 to all stats]
Warmth flooded through Jake's body, more intense than the first time. He gasped as energy coursed through his veins, his muscles, his mind. For a few seconds, everything felt sharper, clearer, more alive.
When the sensation faded, Jake felt... different. Stronger. Not by much, but noticeably. His chronic fatigue seemed lighter. His thoughts felt less foggy.
[DIVINE CHARM SYSTEM]
[Host: Jake Morrison]
[Level: 2 (25/200 XP)]
[Title: None]
[Stats]
[Charm: 5/100]
[Vitality: 14/100]
[Spirit: 8/100]
[Wisdom: 18/100]
[Leadership: 3/100]
[Abilities: ANALYZE, SUPERNATURAL SIGHT, MINOR SPIRIT BOLT]
[Sisterhood Members: 0]
[Combined Power: F-Rank]
Jake stared at his updated stats. Still pathetic by any measure, but better. Measurably better. And he'd gained an actual attack ability.
"Show me MINOR SPIRIT BOLT," he whispered.
[MINOR SPIRIT BOLT]
[Channel spiritual energy into a basic projectile attack]
[Damage: Low]
[Cost: 10 Spirit Points per use]
[Range: 30 feet]
[Note: Effective against low-rank supernatural entities]
He had eight Spirit total, which meant he couldn't even use the ability once. But that would change as he leveled up.
The void feeder had finished its meal and was slinking deeper into the alley, away from the sunlight. Jake watched it go, a mixture of fear and excitement churning in his gut. A week ago, his biggest worry was whether his boss would notice he'd been five minutes late. Now he was watching shadow monsters feed in downtown Seattle.
His phone buzzed. A text from his mother: "Jacob, we need to talk about your future. Call me."
Jake almost laughed. His future? His future involved rebuilding an ancient sisterhood and fighting demons. Somehow he didn't think his mother would approve.
Another notification appeared from the system:
[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE]
[QUEST: FIRST CONTACT]
[Introduce yourself to Sarah Chen and establish friendly relationship]
[Difficulty: E-Rank]
[Reward: +2 Charm, +1 Leadership, 20 XP, Increased favorability with potential recruit]
[Time Limit: 72 hours]
Jake pulled out Sarah's business card. The system wanted him to reach out to her. Made sense, she was his first real conversation success, and according to the original plan, he needed to start recruiting eventually.
But the idea of calling her, of trying to build a friendship with the clear goal of recruitment, felt manipulative. Wrong.
[Note: Sisterhood recruitment requires genuine connection. Manipulation and coercion result in weak bonds. HOST is encouraged to form authentic relationships. Sarah Chen has qualities suitable for membership, but the choice must be hers.]
That made Jake feel slightly better. At least the system wasn't asking him to be a creep about it.
He looked at the card again. Sarah had been kind to him, offered help when she didn't have to. Maybe reaching out wasn't weird. Maybe it was just... being friendly. Making a connection in a city where he had none.
Jake saved her number in his phone but didn't call yet. One step at a time. He'd just leveled up, gained a new ability, and observed his first real supernatural creature. That was enough progress for one day.