Facing the Truth
Chapter 2: Facing the Truth
Author's Notes:
Before the chapter begins, I'll give you a bit of context. This was requested, and I think it's a great idea to better understand the world in which Maxwell evolves.
Context:
Maxwell is a 19-year-old young adult who, like many of us, dreamed of a peaceful and prosperous life, focusing on projects like trading and investment. He hoped to become rich, but more importantly, free, as that is his greatest dream. Passionate about anime, manga, and fantasy series, especially Supernatural, he often spent his evenings watching the iconic show for the umpteenth time. Before waking up in this old house, he had been watching yet another episode.
Maxwell is a little over 170 cm tall, neither too short nor too tall, with a fairly average appearance. He used to have a good build, but due to a sedentary lifestyle, he had gained quite a bit of weight. His hair is chestnut brown, and his eyes are brown—once again, nothing extraordinary.
He lived in France, with origins from Spain and Portugal on his alcoholic father's side, and roots in the northeast of France from his mother's side. As for his personal relationships, Maxwell is still a virgin. I'll see if I have him meet someone in the future, but for now, I don't plan on introducing romance for quite a while.
Closing Notes:
Anyway, all this to say that he quickly figured out what to do against the ghost, because as a huge Supernatural fan, he already knew the tricks to fight them.
I hope this explanation helps you better immerse yourself in Maxwell's universe. I'm open to any suggestions and ideas for improvement. Feel free to share your feedback. I wish you an enjoyable read of Chapter 2!
Chapter 2: Facing the Truth
Sitting in the dusty room, his breath finally steady, Maxwell ran a hand over his face. The adrenaline was starting to wear off. "I just... exorcised a ghost," he murmured, incredulous. He suddenly realized that in the heat of the moment, he hadn't even taken the time to reflect on the situation as a whole.
This wasn't just an ordinary haunted house. This world was different. Everything seemed real, but he remembered seeing these kinds of scenarios in his favorite shows. Supernatural... "I'm really in another world," he thought, shaken.
Everything he had experienced—the downloads, the exorcism—reminded him of video game mechanics. "It's like I have a built-in system..." He stood up, looking around. "If I have abilities, a system, there must be a status."
Without hesitation, he said, "Status."
As soon as the word left his lips, a window appeared in front of him, floating in the air like a game interface. His eyes scanned the key information displayed
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Name: Maxwell Hayes
Age: 19 years
Race: Human
Job: Downloader
Current world: Supernatural (Original series universe)
Downloaded abilities :
Telekinesis: Mastery Level: Beginner | Rarity: Uncommon
Intangibility: Mastery Level: Beginner | Rarity: Rare
Teleportation: Mastery Level: Beginner | Rarity: Epic
Perception of the veil of death: Rarity: Rare (No mastery)
Protection from the Madman Chuck (Multiverse Unique Rarity): Prevents you from being detected by him unless you make contact with him or as long as he plays his role as the writer of Sam and Dean's life story.
Modular body: Allows adapting skills and abilities to avoid negative effects, such as vampires' weakness to sunlight.
Download speed: 4.5 MB/s
Simultaneous downloads: 2
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Maxwell stood frozen for a moment, his thoughts swirling. "This really is a system..." Unlike what he might have imagined in a game or a show, there were no levels or stats. Everything was focused on the abilities he could download and the speed at which he could acquire them.
But what shocked him the most was the line "Current world: Supernatural (Original series universe)." His mind froze for a second. "This... I'm really in the Supernatural universe..." The revelation was as incredible as it was terrifying. This wasn't just a dream or a simulation. He was in a real world—a dangerous world filled with supernatural creatures.
He quickly skimmed through the list of abilities he had gained during his battle with Elisabeth's spirit. "Telekinesis, Intangibility, Teleportation..." Each ability seemed to have a mastery level and a rarity, which meant that some would be harder to improve than others. The classification gave him a clear idea of each skill's potential power, even though he was only at the beginning of their use.
"I'm still at the beginner level, but if I train, I could probably master these abilities..." he thought aloud. Then, an idea crossed his mind.
"What if I downloaded the same ability from a more powerful ghost?" He wondered if the mastery level of the ability depended on the strength of the creature it belonged to. "If I download Telekinesis from a spirit stronger than Elisabeth, will I get a higher level? Maybe even Advanced or Master?"
This new possibility made him pause. "But then, is rarity tied to mastery level?" he wondered. He was starting to glimpse the system's subtleties. The rarer the ability, the more powerful it seemed to be. Yet he still didn't know if this rarity also affected the possible mastery level upon downloading.
The download speed, now at 4.5 MB/s, and the ability to download two skills simultaneously reassured him. This meant he would be able to acquire abilities much faster in the future, increasing his chances of survival in this mysterious world.
Maxwell was still staring at the status window, the shock of the revelation not fading. "Supernatural... I'm going to have to face everything in that series."
He immediately thought of the dangers awaiting him: the apocalypse, demons, angels, false gods, and of course, a twisted God and his sister... who was also his wife. "Which, by the way, is kind of weird," he thought with a nervous smirk.
And that was just the beginning. There were so many things the show hadn't even shown—creatures even more terrifying that might exist in this universe. "The Alphas, ancient monsters, high-ranking demons, cosmic entities..." His thoughts raced as he wondered how he could survive all of it.
Fortunately, there were these two abilities provided by the system that I hadn't noticed: Protection from Chuck and Modular Body. Without them, Chuck would have probably sensed my arrival in this world, and that would have been the end of me.
"I was just a young adult dreaming of becoming rich," he thought with a hint of irony. He still lived with his mother, led a quiet life, and was taking courses on investment and trading. He had even started to earn a living, slowly but surely. It was a simple, well-laid-out path.
But alongside that, he had always had a penchant for fictional worlds. He had watched so much anime, read manga, manhwas, and manhuas, that he had fallen into fanfiction. "A hobby that became almost an addiction," he thought with a nostalgic smile. That passion had often kept him up late at night, dreaming of adventures and extraordinary powers—and now... he was living it.
Maxwell took a deep breath, trying to calm the avalanche of thoughts in his mind. "Okay... I need to take this step by step." He couldn't just dive headfirst into this world without at least a little preparation.
"First objective..." he murmured aloud to clarify his thoughts. "Figure out the date I arrived in this world, and know what country and region I'm in."
This kind of information was crucial. If the events of Supernatural followed the same timeline as the series, certain imminent threats were already in motion or about to start. This would help him anticipate what was coming and prepare accordingly.
"Let's start by finding a calendar or a clock," he thought, taking one last look at the status window before closing it. His top priority now was to establish the time frame and location of this new world.
Ready to explore, Maxwell was suddenly struck by a thought. "It's all well and good to want to find a calendar, but I seriously doubt I'll find that kind of information in an abandoned house like this." He glanced around the room, observing the dilapidated walls and the dust that covered everything, clear signs that this place had been deserted for a long time.
Then, a shiver ran down his spine. "I'm starting to feel cold..." he thought as he looked at his outfit. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, exactly what he had been wearing when he was transported here. "Thankfully, I wasn't in pajamas," he said with a sigh of relief. However, he knew these clothes wouldn't protect him from the growing cold for long.
He also realized, fortunately, that he was wearing his most recent pair of glasses—the ones he usually wore outside to have perfect 10/10 vision. "Thank God, at least my sight is clear," he thought with some relief. Before waking up here, he had been wearing his old glasses, which only corrected his vision to 04/10. With his nearsightedness at 1/10, he would have been practically blind in this potentially dangerous world without his current glasses.
"I probably won't find a recent calendar here, but maybe there's something else useful..." he thought, scanning the room. He needed to prepare for anything in this unpredictable environment. Maybe he'd find warmer clothes, tools, or even something to defend himself.
As he continued to explore the house, Maxwell suddenly found himself face to face with a spider web stretched across a doorway. He flinched slightly before stopping in his tracks. Instantly, a screen appeared before him, floating as usual. But this time, the information displayed was about... the spider.
"This is... kind of weird, but why not," he thought as he looked over the list of available skills.
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Available Skills :
Web Weaving :
Web Creation : Uncommon/Beginner Level (Size: 150 MB)
Sticky Web : Rare/Intermediate Level (Size: 250 MB)
Venom and Prey Capture :
Paralyzing Venom : Rare/Beginner (Size: 300 MB)
External Ingestion : Epic/Advanced (Size: 400 MB)
Vision et Sensation :
Enhanced Sensory System : Uncommon/Intermediate (Size: 200 MB)
Spider Vision : Uncommon/Beginner (Size: 150 MB)
Déplacement Rapide :
Agility : Rare/Intermediate (Size: 300 MB)
Jumping Ability : Epic/Advanced (Size: 500 MB)
Survival in Hostile Conditions :
Drought Tolerance : Uncommon/Beginner (Size: 200 MB)
Cold Adaptation : Rare/Intermediate (Size: 250 MB)
Opportunistic Feeding : Epic/Advanced (Size: 400 MB)
Camouflage et Dissimilation :
Hiding Ability: Rare/Intermediate (Size: 250 MB)
Mimicry: Epic/Advanced (Size: 350 MB)
Leg Regeneration :
Low Regeneration Ability : Epic/Advanced (Size: 500 MB)
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Maxwell stared at the screen, his mind quickly shifting into analysis mode. "Let's see how long it will take me to download all this..." he thought, reviewing the list of skills.
With a download speed of 4.5 MB/s, he began doing mental calculations. "Web Creation: just over 30 seconds, Sticky Web: almost a minute... Paralyzing Venom, around 66 seconds, and External Ingestion, about a minute and a half." He continued to run through the skills in his head.
In the end, he concluded that it would take a while to download everything. "It would take me nearly 20 minutes if I wanted to download it all... But I don't necessarily have that time," he thought, frowning.
Then, after a moment's reflection, he shrugged. "But 20 minutes should be doable... Especially since all these abilities seem interesting, even though some sound strange from their names. I'll understand their usefulness after I download them," he thought with a smile. "In a world with capricious, immature gods, I can't overlook any skill."
With that decision made, Maxwell prepared to begin the download, convinced that every skill could be useful in one way or another.
After 20 minutes of consecutively downloading the skills two by two, Maxwell began to feel the effects of his new abilities. He straightened slightly, feeling a subtle yet distinct strength awaken within him. "This is incredible..." he thought.
He suddenly realized that he could go days without drinking—a strange but reassuring sensation. "Drought tolerance..." he said to himself, recalling one of the skills he had downloaded.
Additionally, his senses were heightened. Every sound, every vibration in the air seemed clearer, as if the world around him had gained more definition. His sensory system was on high alert. His ears picked up even the faintest details, catching the slightest echoes in the house.
As for his vision, he realized it had changed in an unexpected way. Although his original eyes weren't particularly enhanced, he could now see in the dark with remarkable clarity. More impressively, he felt a new ability awaken within him: he could open up to six additional eyes on his head and place them anywhere to enhance his perception in all directions. "I can see in the dark... and I can open more eyes?" he thought, marveling at this discovery.
Maxwell, still fascinated by the discovery, began to better understand what was happening to him. "It must be thanks to the 'Modular Body' skill," he thought, running a hand over his head. He realized he could create up to six new eyes anywhere on his skull, and that these eyes could remain for a more or less extended period, depending on his needs. This gave him incredible flexibility to explore and analyze his environment.
"I can leave them there permanently or make them disappear after a while. That's really interesting," he thought, pondering. The idea of having 360-degree vision or being able to monitor strategic areas by placing his eyes wherever he wanted made him even more aware of the opportunities opening up to him in this new world.
But he knew he couldn't get carried away. The Modular Body skill seemed to offer much more than just adding new eyes. "If I can adjust my body for skills like this, what could I do with more powerful abilities?" The thought filled him with excitement but also caution. He knew that every ability had its limits and risks.
Adjusting his newly acquired sensory system and his new eyes, Maxwell decided to test his limits. He closed his eyes for a moment, then focused his mind on the idea of adding two extra eyes to the back of his head. Within seconds, he felt a slight tingling sensation, as if new nerves were forming. He slowly opened the new eyes and realized that he could now see all around him.
"It works... I can literally see everything." Shock and satisfaction mixed in his mind. His new eyes could detect the slightest movement in the room, and the details of the dust floating in the air seemed sharper than ever.
"But I can't stop here..." He knew his exploration of the house wasn't over. Though his new abilities gave him a significant advantage, he still needed to understand the full extent of his situation. He needed more information about this world, and especially about the threats looming over him.
Maxwell moved toward another part of the house, his senses on high alert, his mind sharper than ever.
While Max finishes exploring the house, let me explain some of the skills he has acquired. These are abilities he quickly understood how to use as soon as he downloaded them, thanks to his integrated system.
First, External Ingestion in spiders. This skill allows Max to understand and mimic the process by which spiders liquefy their prey using digestive enzymes before sucking up the nutrients. It may seem particularly disgusting, and it's clear that Max has no intention of using it for sustenance—the very idea repulses him. However, in situations where he needs to neutralize enemies or dangerous creatures, this skill could become a formidable weapon. Using this ability to kill might be far more interesting than he initially thought.
Next, there's the Opportunistic Feeding skill. Spiders eat any insect or small prey they capture, adapting their diet according to the available prey. Thanks to this skill, Max can regulate his nutritional needs, allowing him to go long periods without eating, as long as he doesn't engage in intense or exhausting activities. This is a valuable ability for situations where food is scarce.
Lastly, the Mimicry skill. Some spiders camouflage themselves by imitating their environment to escape predators or surprise their prey. Max can now use this ability to blend into his surroundings, becoming almost invisible to those searching for him, as long as he remains still or moves cautiously.
These skills turn out to be much more than just traits inherited from simple creatures; they represent essential survival tools in a world as unforgiving as Supernatural. Max instantly understands their usefulness, ready to deploy them at the right moment.
Chap 2 End
PS: Let me know your preferred chapter length, 1500+ or 2500+. I don't think I'll write chapters longer than 3000.