4: New Side mission!

"New side mission: Save inhabitants of burning vehicle. Reward: Silver ticket."

"Aw come on! I can't put that fire out, there's no way." Jihuun stamps. "But I am curious about that reward…" Jihuun shakily marches towards the burning bus. He quickly notices a large crowd of people standing outside and around the bus.

"Where is the fire department?!" Someone mutters.

"Hey! I think someone is still in there!" Another person yells. Jihuun looks to the back of the bus and notices an old woman standing in the aisle.

"Crap, I have to do something!" Jihuun says. He runs towards the bus and takes off his jacket.

He tosses his briefcase onto the grass and shoves through the crowd of people. Jihuun steps onto the burning bus and is immediately hit by a wave of surging heat.

"Hey what are you doing! You'll get yourself killed!" A stranger yells.

Jihuun ignores them and covers his mouth. The fire is spewing from every surface in the bus, the only real way to get to the old woman stuck at the back of the bus is to run through a wall of fire and flames.

He takes a deep breath and runs through the fire. To his dismay, it is thicker than he thought. He could feel his skin burning, but he had to save the old woman.

Jihuun reaches the old woman and finds her praying silently. "Come on lady! We have to get out of here!" Jihuun yells.

"W-what? Oh, I thought I had been abandoned! Young man, thanks for not letting me die alone." The old woman rasps sorrowfully, coughing occasionally.

"We're not going to die! Now follow me!" Jihuun coughs. It's only now the pain is really beginning to settle with Jihuun, and he begins scowling in pain.

In a panic, Jihuun picks up the old woman and puts her on his back. He begins to run through the wall of fire. "Brace yourself lady!" He screams.

Jihuun sprints as fast as he can through the flames, and comes out on the other end. Shakily, he walks down the steps of the bus. The crowd of people all clamor around him and the old lady. They're all screaming at him.

"How did he do that?" One person says.

"Oh my god, look at his face…" Another says.

"What a stupid thing to do!" One yells.

"He saved that old lady!" Someone yells from the back.

"I did it." Jihuun huffs. "Mission completed, reward has been granted." The adrenaline in Jihuun's system begins to wear off, and he can feel the crippling pain of his wounds trickle up his spine.

"Attention, secret reward achieved! Due to the parameters of the mission, an ability has been gained! Due to increased exposure to flames, you have built a tolerance to flames. New passive ability: Fire tolerance: F 1/100."

The pain from his burns begin to fade slowly due to his new passive ability. "Wow, it's going away… What an amazing skill." Jihuun rasps. Unfortunately for Jihuun, the damage had already been done.

Jihuun begins walking home, picking up his briefcase and jacket. As he steps into the elevator of his apartment building, he receives many shocked glances from strangers.

"Why are they all staring at me like that?" He wonders. "Maybe I have some ash on my clothes." Jihuun clicks the button for his floor, only to notice the lady in the elevator huddled in the corner acting scared. "What's the big idea lady?" Jihuun asks rudely.

"Y-your face." The lady mutters shakily.

"My face? I'm not that off-putting, am I?" Jihuun jokes. He reaches for his face and pokes his cheek. The instant his finger makes contact with his skin, he feels feels a jolt of pain go through his head. Jihuun winces, and realizes he was affected more than he previously thought.

The elevator finally arrives at his floor, and he runs to his apartment. Quickly, he unlocks his door and enters. He runs to the bathroom to look in the mirror, and what he sees staring back at him is not the man he once knew.

He begins to sob as he keeps on discovering new burns everywhere he looks.

After sobbing and sulking over his deformation, he decides to act upon his injury. "That's right, I can control plants. I wonder if any nearby stores sell plants that can heal burns, or maybe I should just pick up some burn lotion…" He wonders. "No time like the present I suppose."

Jihuun puts on a hoodie to cover his body and wears a mask over his burns. As much as pain as it inflicts upon him, he can't bear to be seen this way.

Jihuun can barely walk his burns are so bad. He wonders how he was even able to walk before. Wincing, Jihuun goes to push the button for the elevator, but can barely manage it.

"Attention: You have surpassed your limits! Your vitality has permanently increased." It is as if a weight was literally lifted off of Jihuun's shoulders as the pain begins to slowly fade.

"Wow, I'm already feeling much better." Jihuun chirps. "What does it mean my vitality… Is this a video game or something?"

After some brainstorming, Jihuun has an idea. "Open profile." Jihuun imagines a character profile like in a video game, and suddenly, a new screen appears. "Profile"

Profile:

Jihuun Kong. Level 1.

*Occupation: Office worker, Junior Reality Warper*

*Info: A typical low-level office worker. Living day-to-day, Jihuun didn't see the world for what it really was. After proving his worth, he was accepted as the inheritor of the power of the One Above All.*

*Abilities: OBA's Blessing, Reality Warper in training, Fire Tolerance (F), ??? (X)*

Stats:

*Strength - 6*

*Wisdom - 4*

*Endurance - 7*

*Vitality - 11*

View more....? The screen says, text blinking.

"W-whoa, this is me? I'm a junior reality warper?" Jihuun wonders. "This is a lot to unpack, like what is OBA's blessing…"

"One above all's blessing: Grants user the ability tamper with the very fabric of reality. The One Above All sees you as their inheritor, and therefore grants you the full extent of their metapotent power. Dangerous when combined with salt."

"Uhh, What? The very fabric of reality? That seems pretty dangerous, especially when combined with salt, I guess…" Jihuun mutters. "What about that one, Trainee Reality Warper?"

"Trainee reality warper: Grants user access to the reality system, which dampens the effects of OBA's blessing severely. This system is put in place for Junior reality warpers to get them used to their powers. Once mastered, this skill will disappear, and the user will be granted full access to their powers."

"This power, I wonder why it was granted to me... There were surely better people for the job. It could've been a fireman, or a war hero, or even a vigilante or something, but instead I was chosen..." Jihuun ponders. "Oh that's right, I have to check the plant store!"

Jihuun rubs his finger, the pain has mostly left his body, but still remains slightly. The elevator dings, and Jihuun walks out of the elevator making sure his face is covered.

After a short walk down the busy street, Jihuun arrives at his destination. The plant store.