"Found... a... savior... break... him... open..."
"Nah, you found yourself a funeral, you freak," Hiro snarled. He was surprised by his own voice. It was steady, cold, and devoid of the terror a normal person would feel facing a nightmare creature limit this. It had to be the Iron Mind passive and the combat training taking hold.
The creature lurched under a flickering streetlight. It was a grotesque, six-foot tall thing of rotting cloth and jagged wood. Its head was a carved pumpkin with human eyes weeping thick, dark blood, and a serrated maw that leaked a black, long oily tongue. The red radiation aura of the system pulsed around it like a warning siren.
[PUMPKO. LEVEL 3. TYPE: MONSTER. HOSTILE DETECTION INSUFFICIENT TO VIEW WEAKNESSES.]
Hiro was getting sick of the "insufficient" bullshit. When would he level up his Analyze skill? Quickly, he unsheathed his short sword, the steel singing as it cleared the scabbard.
[YOU HAVE ENTERED COMBAT!]
Hiro blurred forward. His feet moved with a grace he hadn't possessed twenty-four hours ago. He swung the blade in a tight, efficient arc, the steel bit deep into the creature's wooden torso.
[ENEMY HP: 60%]
The monster shrieked like grinding metal, and swiped a clawed hand at him. Hiro twisted, the wood claw grazed his shoulde. It stung with a sharp heat that proved this was not a simulation but real life.
[ENEMY ACTIVATES: BLISTERING HOWL]
The Pumpko let out a deafening, sonic blast. Hiro instinctively covered his ears, but the pressure still buckled his knees.
[DEFENSE DECREASED BY 10%]
The creature followed up with a heavy swat that sent Hiro flying several yards. He hit the pavement so hard the breath left his lungs in a quick heave.
[YOUR HP: 80%]
"Smells delicious... savior... hungry..." the thing rasped, closing the distance.
Hiro scrambled up, the fear of being eaten alive snapping him into a state of hyper-focus. As the monster lunged again, it swatted his sword aside. Hiro didn't panic. He raised his left hand, palm out.
[ACTIVATE: ENERGY SPHERE]
A sphere of white-hot spiritual energy, the size of a basketball and bright as a miniature sun, roared from his palm. It slammed into the Pumpko's chest with enough kinetic force to knock the six-foot monster flat on its back.
[ENEMY HP: 15%. YOUR MP: 80%.]
Hiro tried to trigger a second shot, but the mental icon was grayed out. A cooldown timer that read: 1:58 ticked down in his vision.
'Damn it. High impact comes with a high wait time.'
Hiro didn't wait. Instead, opted to lunge for his fallen sword, scoop it up, and plunge the blade through the monster's pumpkin skull before it could recover. The creature burst into a pillar of violet flame and vanished into ash.
[BATTLE COMPLETED. VICTORY! REWARD: 100 EXP / $20.]
[LEVEL UP! YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 5. STATS INCREASED.]
[NEW SKILL LEARNED: ROUNDHOUSE KICK.]
[QUEST COMPLETED!]
Hiro was catching his breath when a voice drifted from the shadows behind him.
"To think a guy this gifted was my neighbor."
He spun around to see Hanako standing there, her arms folded over her voluminous chest. She wasn't terrified. Rather, she was smiling brightly.
"Seems like I won't have to hunt these things by myself anymore," she said.
"I didn't exactly sign up for this," Hiro said, lowering his sword but not sheathing it. "But I wasn't going to let it turn me into a snack."
"I saw the whole thing," Hanako continued, stepping into the light. "You're one of the gifted. Though your power... it feels foreign. Almost like you're from another world. Nevertheless, with training, you'll be a force of nature. Will you help me keep Sato City safe, Hiro?"
Hiro relaxed slightly, but as he analyzed her, his jaw nearly hit the pavement.
[NAME: HANAKO]
[LEVEL: 15]
[TYPE: GENTLE SPIRIT]
[HP: 90% / MP: 40%]
[SKILLS: RELATIONSHIP INSUFFICIENT, YOU BIRDBRAIN.]
"How the hell are you Level 15?" Hiro unconsciously blurted out.
The ink-haired girl winked. "You can read power, I see. That's quite interesting. I hide mine during the day to stay under the radar. People treat you differently when they know you can crack skulls."
"If you don't mind a rookie dragging you down, I'm all for it," Hiro muttered.
"Rookie? That magic you used is rare, Hiro. Maybe even lost." She looked toward the dark horizon. "Meet me here tomorrow at 8pm. The best way to train you is to keep thinning them out. There are demons out there far worse than that puppet. If we kill the 'Demon Lord' of this city, the sightings will stop."
"So it's a boss-hunt," Hiro said. "Kill the source and the area will clear itself?"
"Pretty much. Until another one takes root. Let's get home; it's late. And nice work on the sword, by the way. It suits you."
[HANAKO HAS JOINED YOUR PARTY!]
[NOTE: COMPANIONS ARE VITAL. DO NOT ENTER BOSS BATTLES ALONE.]
That night, Hiro lay in bed with a genuine smile. He was finally gaining ground.
[NAME: HIRO LARSON
LEVEL: 5
CLASS: THE PROTAGONIST / SALVATION
[ATTRIBUTES]
HP: 100%
MP: 100%
STRENGTH: 12 (+5)
ENDURANCE: 10
AGILITY: 14
LUCK: 9
WILLPOWER: 12
INTELLIGENCE: 17
FORM: 0
[SKILLS]
• ATHLETE (PASSIVE): 10% BONUS TO SPEED/WILL.
• HOSTILE DETECTION 1: SENSE THREATS.
• HEART PROTECTION 1: 25% MENTAL RESISTANCE / 10% PERSUASION BONUS.
• SECRET SWORD/MARTIAL ARTS COMBO: RANDOM SPEED/DEFENSE BUFFS. +2% CRIT CHANCE.
• ROUNDHOUSE KICK: PHYSICAL ATTACK. 5% KNOCKDOWN CHANCE.
[MAGIC]
• ENERGY SPHERE: SPIRITUAL ATTACK.
[INVENTORY: $103, MAP, SMARTPHONE, KEY, SHORT SWORD (+5 STR).]
[QUEST LOG: FIND A PRINTER (STATUS: $103/$300).]
***
(Next day.)
Wednesday. Week 1. Year 1.
[YOU HAVE TRIGGERED: NIGHTMARISH SLEEP.]
[HIDDEN STATS REVEALED: PARANOIA +25%, COMPOSURE -5%, EVASION +1%.]
[DEBUFFS APPLIED: DEFENSE -10%, SPECIAL DEFENSE -15%, LUCK -3%.]
[BUFFS APPLIED: ATTACK +7%, SPEED +5%, WILLPOWER +5%.]
[SYSTEM NOTE: HIDDEN STATS ARE UNLOCKED BY SPECIFIC TRIGGERS OR PROXIMITY TO CERTAIN ENTITIES. YOU HAVE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE.]
[MANDATORY QUEST: MEET HARUMI AT 8PM. THIS QUEST CANNOT BE REFUSED.]
Hiro woke up feeling like he'd been dragged through a gravel pit. Every muscle on his body was sore, and an edge of anxiety due to good new debuff was biting at his brain. He shifted under the blankets, only to freeze when he felt a large, warm weight pressing against his leg.
His heart hammered against his ribs. Is it a monster? Did a Pumpko follow me home? Did the End decide to end me while I slept?
He reached for the edge of the duvet, his palms slick with sweat. His Hostile Detection was silent, but in this world, that just meant whatever was in his bed wasn't currently trying to kill him.
Thinking this, he mustered his resolve and whipped back the covers.
Hanako was curled up there, half-dressed and fast asleep. Hiro stared, his brain short-circuiting for a full five seconds. Then, he reached out and poked her shoulder. She stirred, let out a soft yawn, and blinked up at him with a sleepy, radiant smile.
"Well, good morning, Hiro."
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATED: HARUMI (FRIENDLY/ASSOCIATE->CURIOUS)]
Hiro facepalmed, dragging his hand down his face. "Hanako... look, as much as I appreciate the view, what the hell are you doing in my bed? My heart nearly stopped. I was two seconds away from jumping out the window or burning the place down."
She giggled, propping herself up on her elbows. "I came over late last night to talk shop. You know, power levels, magic types, the usual. But you were totally wiped. You barely listened to me before stumbling into your room and passing out. It was actually kind of cute." She smirked, watching him struggle.
"I stayed to make sure your mana levels stabilized after using that rare spell. High-tier magic can be a strain, and you needed some passive healing. I guess I just drifted off too."
As she spoke, Hiro's memories of the previous night flickered back in blurry images of her voice lulling him to sleep. He looked down, noticing that the "morning wood" phenomenon was very much in effect under his boxers. Hanako noticed too, her grin widening.
"Well now, someone's definitely happy to see me—"
Before he could retreat, she leaned in and kissed him. "There's only one way to solve a 'problem' like that," she whispered, her hand moving with a confidence that made his head spin. "We're partners, aren't we?"
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATED: HARUMI (CURIOUS->FRIEND)]
Hiro wasn't about to play the "dense, virginal protagonist" role. He was a grown man, and she was beautiful. But just as he was about to lean into it, his smartphone alarm blared with the subtlty of a foghorn.
The mood shattered instantly. They both knew Oakhaven Academy had zero tolerance for being late.
Hanako let out a frustrated sigh. "And you had such a lovely, perverted look in your eyes. Too bad duty calls." She winked and rolled out of bed, giving him a deliberate, unhurried view of her curves before grabbing her clothes.
When they arrived at the academy gates, they saw Kaito. The "Noble" was practically on his knees, hands clasped together as he pleaded with Rin. The icy glare in Rin's pale blue eyes suggested he was wasting his breath.
The moment Rin spotted Hiro, her entire demeanor shifted. The ice melted into a bright, triumphant smile.
"Forget it, Kaito!" she snapped at the rich kid, then did a literal anime-style dive into Hiro's arms.
"Good morning!" she chirped, ignoring the world. She spared a single, razor-sharp glance for Hanako before focusing entirely on Hiro. Hanako didn't flinch, stepping up beside them and sparking a silent, high-voltage duel of jealousy right there on the sidewalk.
'Oh, god. Not this one,' Hiro thought.
The Harem Trope.
In the shows, this was the part where the main character became a stuttering, indecisive mess, losing his privacy and his sanity as girls fought over him.
His luck would tank, and he'd never get a moment of peace to actually level-grind.
Well, screw that. Hiro wasn't indecisive. He valued his privacy, and he certainly wasn't going to let the system turn him into a gag character.
"Morning to both of you," Hiro said, smoothly disentangling himself from Rin's grip. He moved with a practiced grace that prevented any "accidental" grope or awkward fall, though he did let his hand linger on Rin's waist just a second longer than necessary as he pulled away. "We're going to be late if we keep standing here."
During lunch, the inevitable happened: two identical invites to eat.
"You've got to be kidding me," Hiro muttered. Part of him wondered why he wasn't this popular back on Earth, but he quickly shut that down. He didn't want to be jealous of his own "Protagonist" perks.
[QUEST: CHOOSE A LUNCH DATE. REWARD: 20 EXP. ACCEPT: YES/NO?]