4 Changes x School x Pain
A full week had passed since I got back home. I was given an extra week of leave from school once my parents informed them that I had woken up and left the hospital, just for me to get used to things. "She" hadn't visited, probably not sure of how to face me after all that happened. I wasn't really bothered by it, though. I was going to see her tomorrow, as I would be attending school again.
"Better get some sleep" I told myself as I lay down on my bed, only to feel something crawling in the room. It was weird and unpleasant, as if something dangerous moved around me while I was defenceless. I decided to focus on ignoring the feeling and just went to sleep. The Focus stat helped a lot in this kind of situations.
As I fell asleep, I remembered the "conversation" I had with the System earlier in the week. I was wondering what the Focus stat did, as I hadn't seen it anywhere before. Hence, I asked my trustworthy System. The answer had come not so much as a surprise, but as something unexpected.
*Flashback*
'Tell me, System, what does Focus exactly do?'
[Focus is an aspect related to all three aspects of the Host's being: Mind, Soul and Body. Focus allows the Host to, literally, focus on something. The more the Host Focuses, the more the stat will grow. It also allows the Host to enter into the state called "The Zone", where time seems to slow down ever so slightly and reflexes work faster.]
'Basically, it is literally what its name implies, the ability to focus on things'
[Yes. Still, Focus is the stranger between stats. It holds the biggest capacity to give birth to talents. Host should not ignore any of his stats, but Focus helps all other stats work correctly, as it aids the Host in using his Strength, Agility or even Wisdom. Luck is the only other stat that works weirdly, but it also is like a separate entity, as it works on its own and affects chances.]
'Thank you, System'
*End*
The next morning, I woke up feeling weird. Something had been happening this last week, but I still didn't know what. It only happened in my room, as I had asked Alexis and even my parents if something weird happened in their rooms, but they only looked at me weirdly and pinned it on me still not getting used to being back at my own bed.
The feeling itself wasn't bad, but I had my own issues with it. I felt better physically than I should've and, according to my parents, I had grown better looking in this past week. Looking at myself in the mirror, I realized that I had indeed gotten more handsome, so I checked my stats out of reflex. This would be the first time I would check my stats, now that I thought about it.
{Name: Alan Bennet
Level: 1
EXP: 0/100
Strength: F (0/100)
Agility: F (0/100)
Wisdom: D (0/10000)
Luck: C (0/100000)
Charm: E (0/1000)
Focus: S (0/???)
Stat Points: 1500}
'System, has any of my stats grown recently?'
[Besides your Focus growing while you were in a coma because of you disconnecting from your body, your Charm went up by one rank on its own.]
'So something has been happening...' I sighed as I gave up on finding any answer for now. I decided to focus on it later, as now school was my priority. I found myself being slightly more confident, knowing my Charm had increased and I was more handsome. Still, I had a simple question 'Why do I have Stat Points and so many of them at that?'
[Stat Points are acquired through a "hidden" function of the P.B.S. This function rewards the Host for whatever action he takes that affects someone else. These points have been acquired because Host decided to let go of his apprehensions and is now on good terms with his family.]
Quickly looking over my stats once again, I decide on what I want to do with my current points. I used two hundred to increase my Strength and Agility from F to E and the thousand points I had left I used them to increase my Charm. Once over, my stats looked like this.
{Strength: E (0/1000)
Agility: E (0/1000)
Wisdom: D (0/10000)
Luck: C (0/100000)
Charm: D (0/10000)
Focus: S (0/???)}
I could instantly feel my body change. There was a very slight pain, as I could feel some parts of my body increasing in size and I could also feel how the fats were being burned. Now, I wasn't overly muscular and neither did I have a perfectly shaped body, but I felt stronger and my muscles were beginning to show. I also got a bit taller, now standing close to 6', probably around 5'11.
The part that hurt the most was my face, as I could actively feel my bones shifting. Still, it wasn't that bad. Manageable would be the fitting word, but not that it mattered. The important matter was how I looked now that I had looks on par with some models and actors.
My jaw was a bit more square-ish, without losing its softness. My eyes looked sharper and they were also a bit bigger, and my nose was a bit smaller and less angular. My cheekbones lifted up a bit, so now I had dimples when I smiled. Overall, I looked like the handsome and friendly kid next-door. That was something good.
"Alan! Come eat your breakfast quickly so I can take you to school!" my mom yelled from downstairs. Our house was a typical two stories building with three bedrooms on the second floor and a kitchen, living room and guests room on the bottom floor. Since my room was upstairs, I had gotten used to going down the stairs. This time wasn't like the others though. I had forgotten something very important.
"Alan! P-put on s-some clothes!" I heard my sister yell at me. Apparently, being so caught up on my stats and physical changes, I totally forgot to put my uniform on, so I came downstairs in just my boxers. This wouldn't have been nearly as embarrassing for her if I didn't look so different. Besides, Alexis had been behaving as if she wasn't my actual sister, but just a girl who had a crush on me. It was weird, but I somehow didn't feel repelled by the idea.
'Something else to ask the System about.'
*
After that embarrassing morning experience, I finally found myself in front of the door to the school I had been going to ever since Middle School. This would be one hell of an experience... and little did I know how right I was.
Making my way into the school, I heard whispers around me, probably gossip. I wasn't bothered by it. It was, after all, better than being ignored by everyone else. Besides, my Popularity Points were rising the more they whispered. Why would I be bothered by them?
'System, how many Popularity Point do I have currently?'
[Calculating...
Popularity Points: 1500]
'And how many do I need to increase my Singing talent?'
[Host's current level is <Singing (Rookie)>, the next category would be (Singing <Experienced>), and it would cost 1000 PP.]
'Do it.'
A sudden rush of information entered my brain. I much preferred increasing my Talents to my Stats, if that was what it felt like. It was painless and quick, and I suddenly felt myself being better at something I had never done outside of my shower. What? Everyone sings in the shower.
As I was walking down the corridor to where my locker room was, I found myself in front of "her". She was looking at me with worry, fear, regret, sadness, pain and an entire rainbow of emotions that I didn't know people were capable of feeling. I somehow felt pain myself when I saw her looking at me like that. I didn't want her to feel so sad and hurt, so I did what felt natural.
I walked towards her and, once I had gotten close enough, brought her into a tight hug.
"I'm back, Megan"
And all I heard was the sobbing of a broken girl.
