After seeing the reward, Kurt felt his luck drop straight to the bottom. Every time that girl was near, his fortune seemed to vanish."Seriously? Bottle Flip Mastery? What am I supposed to do with that — entertain kids?"
He shook his head and tried to focus on something else.
"Oh, System, how do you evaluate my targets?"
– I evaluate them based on their abilities, appearance, and background.
"Hm, I see."
Kurt then drank half of the bottle he'd brought. His curiosity refused to die — he still wanted to confirm whether all of this was real or if he was simply losing his mind.
Bottle flipping was a trend where you tossed a partially filled plastic bottle into the air, letting it rotate, trying to make it land upright on its base or cap.
"So basically, bottle flip means flipping a half-filled bottle so it stands when it lands. Let's give it a try."
He positioned his fingers above the cap and gave it a light flip. The motion felt oddly familiar, as if he'd done it thousands of times before.
The bottle spun gracefully in the air, its rotation mesmerizing. The world seemed to slow down around him — though in reality, it was simply an incredibly precise throw. The bottle landed perfectly upright, as if placed there by hand.
What amazed him more was that the water inside didn't move — not even a ripple. It stayed completely still.
Kurt blinked, baffled, then tried again. The same flawless result. The bottle rotated beautifully and landed upright, water frozen in place as though time itself refused to disturb it.
He frowned, conflicted. There was no way he could perform something so perfect. So he tried again — this time throwing it from the side, then higher, then farther. Yet each time, the outcome was identical: perfect spin, perfect landing.
He didn't know what to feel — it was silly, yet incredible. Now, there was no denying it — the system was real. He wasn't insane.
"This system is unbelievable… but it looks like I can only use it when I meet girls. I'd rather not use it often — since that means I have to get closer to them, and I know my heart couldn't handle that."
"Hey, System, is bottle flip considered a talent? Why does it say 'mastery'?"
– Mastery-type rewards fall under the 'Asset' category.
"I see. I should probably research other systems online to understand you better. You're too inflexible — I need to figure out how to stretch your potential and make you more useful."
He pulled out his phone from his pocket and noticed that break time was nearly over. Standing up, he descended the stairs, locking the rooftop door behind him before leaving.
While scrolling through the internet, he read about countless fictional systems. It didn't surprise him that most were creations of authors. Even though he rarely read such stories, he knew that only authors could make people dream of the impossible.
After browsing for a while, he walked toward his classroom just as the next teacher exited another room.
Along the way, many students stared at him. Even after half a year since the semester began, they still hadn't gotten used to his looks. To them, someone like him seemed straight out of a novel — yet there he was, walking casually.
Some girls looked at him with admiration, while others sighed in pity. The boys, on the other hand, were relieved — at least their crushes wouldn't fall for him. Still, many envied him for his looks, thinking if they were in his place, they'd be surrounded by girlfriends. But that was just fantasy.
Kurt was used to the attention. Since childhood, admiration — and the emotions that came with it — had always followed him wherever he went.
He didn't mind. He walked gracefully, ignoring the whispers.
Unbeknownst to him, a few girls in the crowd were watching with strange smiles. They hid quickly, not wanting to be mistaken for perverts.
"Hey, System, can you show me my status — like how authors usually do in their stories?"
– Affirmative.
Name: Kurt RussellBody Power: 1Item: NoneAsset: Bottle FlipTalent: Musician (Rare)Summoned Beings: None
A green screen flickered before his eyes. He quickly instructed the system not to project the interface directly in front of him again — no one wanted a screen flashing in their vision mid-conversation.
He made the system more practical, keeping only the essentials. After all, he planned to use it sparingly — one target at a time.
As he was about to enter the classroom, he suddenly felt a strange disturbance in the air. The atmosphere seemed to freeze, as though something invisible was happening. Jokingly, he brushed it off — until he noticed the student council president walking nearby, scanning the hallways as if searching for someone.
He assumed she was just patrolling again. "Weird girl," he thought. But then, he noticed her gaze — sharp, intense, predatory. Like a tiger staring at its prey.
"Yeah… definitely weird." He shuddered. Her stare made his skin crawl. He could handle normal admiration, but this was different — it felt invasive, like he was being stripped bare by her eyes.
"Hey, you know staring that much is rude, right?" he finally said.
She blinked, startled, then smiled awkwardly. "Oh, sorry for staring. Uhmm… could you come with me to the council room? Please?"
He raised a brow. "And why should I, weirdo?"
"Uhmm… it's about the system you have. And I'm not a weirdo!" she replied, still staring at him intently, as if searching for something hidden.
Kurt froze inside. He hadn't expected to meet anyone else who knew about the system — at least not this soon.
His eyes flickered with emotion. Should he be cautious, or was this an opportunity?If she truly knew about the system, or worse, had one herself, then it might be safer to cooperate. The system did say something about beings that hunted their kind — and he was now a host. Grouping with another might increase their odds of survival. Even just knowing someone else existed could help.
He smirked. "Oh, your weirdness is showing, Prez. Didn't think chuunibyou types could become student leaders these days." He kept his tone casual, though inside he was on alert.
The girl noticed his emotional shift — and that was all she needed to confirm her suspicion. Her eyes lit up, and a smile spread across her face.
"Yeah, yeah, I know you're being cautious. But I have tools that can detect people like you… Hey, wait — don't run! Please, you're my only chance to survive!" she said desperately as Kurt started to step back.
Her panicked tone made him pause. Slowly, he turned around and looked around the hallway. No one else was paying attention.
Without another word, he grabbed her hand, and together, they ran.
Classes could wait — right now, learning more about the system was far more important.