17 The System Screen

Asper made his way through the dimly lit road, he was fully geared and felt just a little safer now, but he could still tell that he was an easy target.

The vest wasn't too heavy, nor light. It felt normal on him, which was unexpected due to his weak frame, but it was probably thanks to him playing around with his stat points earlier.

'Who knew that, this ability could… It's almost like a game. No, that is precisely what it is.' He thought to himself as he continued to walk

He continued to make his way to his location, as he wanted to get in there and out as soon as possible. He couldn't believe he was going there, it was practically home to the thing he detested the most.

'Looks like I'm finally here.' He thought to himself as his eyes landed at the large building at the end of the road.

"Just great…" He muttered as he forced a smile, only to end up having the look of disgust.

…

After the shower, Asper sat on his bed before getting a wet wipe and passing it over his glock. It was the first firearm that he had ever bought so he was going to cherish it.

"From today on, your name is bang…" Asper muttered to himself. His cheeks then turned bright red after he realized how embarrassing it was, naming a gun out loud.

'Is this normal…?' He asked himself

"Yep, Yeah… It's not." He replied

Despite that, he didn't care. He couldn't help but smile as he stared at it's design. It was truly a work of art.

"Hey~ Strange voice inside of my head… Show me that screen thingy with my level and everything again-" Said Asper

He didn't expect anything to happen, but contrary to his expectations, but whilst he was speaking, it had popped up. Right in front of him, as clear as day.

<Name: Asper Antes>

<Race: Human>

<450/1000 exp>

<Class: Adapter>

<Title: None>

[Stats]

HP: 75/75

MP: 155/155

---------------------

VIT: 5

SEN: 7

STR: 5

AGI: 21

INT: 31

<4 Stat points Available>

[Skills]

<Adapt LV.1> (Passive)

—————————————————————

His eyes widened as a smile formed on his face.

"Holy shit… It's real…" He muttered as he stretched out his hands towards it.

It went right through. It went right through but, he could slightly feel it. Even though there was nothing there, it was as if his brain had been programmed to feel it.

He stretched out his hand and retracted it through the screen a few more times before staring at each of the individual categories being displayed on the screen.

His eyes scrolled through the list. Once, then twice, then eventually a third time, before it stopped on his level.

"Level…? So, like a game…?" Asper questioned.

He wasn't one acquainted with games but he knew how they worked. In games, levels were series of stages which tracked a players progression.

Level one would be a beginner, and as he'd become more and more experienced, he'd level up.

'I'm already Level 10… That explains how I kicked their ass.' Asper thought to himself.

He then looked down at his chest, the shirt was covering it but he could still see a dim glow coming through it.

"And the reason I'm able to level up… Probably thanks to this artifact or whatever…"

'Can they really do these things?' He wondered

He then rubbed his hand on his chest, clearly feeling the hard texture of the crystal implanted in him.

"I wonder if there's a limit to what level I can reach… I also wonder what sort of boost I gain when I level up…"

The instant he said this, his attention quickly returned back to the screen. His eyes stopped at the next section which interested him.

<450/1000 exp>

It then moved down.

<Class: Adapter>

And down.

<HP: 75/75>

<MP: 155/155>

Before stopping.

"I don't even know where to start…"

'If it's like any normal game, exp means experience points… A quantity measure. Once a set amount is reached, a player levels up.'

Then there was HP, it most likely stood for Health points, another quantity measure. Measures how much health he has.

Lastly MP, another quantity measure. It measured how much magic power he had.

How did he know this? There were a few arcades in Zalpha. Although he was never able to play since he had no money, he'd see some kids when they were his age have fun in the arcade, some of the games had similar terms.

What confused him was how he was seeing these terms in real life, was it normal?

"Am I in a game now…?" He muttered reluctantly

As much as he'd want to play one, he wouldn't want the game world and the real world to mix. For many reasons. If he began thinking of life as a game, he'd definitely take it less seriously, and that could cost him, a lot.

"No… Let's not jump to conclusions… Whatever this thing was, it was probably programmed like a game… Or maybe it programmed itself in such a way…" Asper muttered as he pinched himself. His eyes lit up as he let out a sigh of relief

"I can still feel pain, and my perception on things haven't changed… This isn't a game… This is reality… If I die here, it's over… People aren't player's-"

The instant he mentioned the word "Players.". His eyes widened.

'Wait- What if there are other people who can see this screen? What if there are other hunters who knew about this but hid it?' Asper wondered

He was clearly shaken once the slight possibility came up, but decided that the only way to move forward would be to calm himself down.

"If that was the case then rumors would have started spreading by now. I've never heard anything about this." Asper muttered as he let out a sigh

He then got up before preparing himself.

"Staying at home all day is depressing… I need some fresh air."

***

"And somehow I ended up here." Said Asper as he stopped in front of the hunter guild's door.

'Speaking of which, there's still more to inspect from the screen…'

"Guess I'll just do it after registering." Muttered Asper before walking inside

Next chapter