Arthur woke up the next morning with a buzzing he couldn't explain—a mix between dread and excitement. He already knew the system wanted something stupid today. He could practically feel it watching him, waiting for the perfect moment to drop another mission on his head. He rolled out of bed, stretching, and his bones cracked like he was twice his age.
The morning felt too calm. That was the problem.
As he walked to school, backpack over one shoulder, he kept checking the menus in his head—
INT: 4
STR: 3
CHARM: 4
LOOKS: 5
CONFIDENCE: UNLOCKED
TOTAL POINTS: 90
He clenched his jaw. Just 10 more and he could hit 100. Just 10 more to finally afford the Answer Exchanger.
Just thinking about it made a chill of delight run through him. With that thing, passing the exams wouldn't even be a challenge—it would be a guarantee. All he needed was one solid mission.
He stepped into the classroom. Miyu glanced up from her notebook, bright eyes landing on him—and for a second, she blinked like she wasn't sure she recognized the boy walking through the door.
"Arthur…?" she said, almost whispering it.
He rubbed the back of his neck, acting like he didn't know what she was reacting to. Deep down, he absolutely knew. The 2 points in looks weren't subtle. His jawline was sharper, his eyes a little brighter, his posture suddenly confident enough to make people wonder if he had a secret glow-up procedure overnight.
"Morning," he said.
Miyu stared at him longer than she probably meant to. And then she actually turned her head away, cheeks pink. Miyu never blushed. Ever.
He lifted an eyebrow.
Before he could tease her, a small notification pinged in his head.
He nearly tripped over his own feet.
"Oi—turn off—turn it off—"
Arthur froze.
Emotional what? Romantic where? With who??
He glanced at Miyu, who was now stealing tiny glances at him.
Oh.
Fantastic.
"Why do u look like someone stole ur wallet?" Miyu asked suddenly, trying to hide her fluster.
He coughed into his hand. "No reason. Maybe ur face just surprised me."
He regretted it instantly.
Her eyes widened, she opened her notebook like she was hiding behind it, and her ears went red.
Kill me. Just kill me now.
The system chimed softly in his head.
"No," he hissed under his breath.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting the urge to argue with a system only he could hear. Classes passed with him constantly trying not to react whenever Miyu shifted next to him or brushed his hand while passing papers. Every tiny moment triggered that stupid:
Each time, the system whispered snide commentary like:
By lunch, Arthur was emotionally exhausted.
He dropped his head on the desk and groaned quietly. "I swear I'm gonna uninstall u."
He gave up.
The last class ended, and Miyu walked with him toward the gate like she always did—but today the air between them felt warmer, like there was something unspoken, something she wanted to say but didn't know how.
"So…" she said softly, eyes down. "U changed a bit."
"Is it bad?"
"No." She touched her hair. "It's… actually nice. U look… different."
The FLIRT skill started humming again like a cursed alarm. Arthur smacked the side of his head as if he could shut it off.
Miyu frowned. "Are u okay?"
"Perfectly fine," he said. Then muttered, "Just fighting a demon."
She giggled, and that made his heart flip in his chest like an idiot.
He walked her home, trying not to activate anything else by accident. By the time she disappeared inside her house, he finally exhaled.
And then the system struck.
A bright blue screen appeared in front of him.
Survive one night alone in the forest.
Rewards: +3 stat points, +40 system points
Failure: -2 CHARM, -1 LOOKS, -1 CONFIDENCE
Time Limit: Must be completed within 48 hours.
Arthur froze in the middle of the sidewalk.
"…U want me to what?"
"Are u kidding me? Exams start in four days!"
Arthur swallowed.
130 points.
Enough to buy the Answer Exchanger…
But the system wasn't done.
Arthur's eyes widened.
"…How many points does it cost to exchange answers?"
A sharp chill went through him.
So even after buying the Exchanger for 100, he'd need more points to actually use it.
He clicked his tongue. "So this mission is basically u forcing me to get close to 130 points?"
"U mean u want me to freeze my ass in the forest."
Arthur dragged a hand through his hair. He stared at the mission window again. He imagined exams approaching, stress building, and then imagined himself sitting safely with everything solved—answers ready, no panic, no guessing.
He let out a shaky breath.
"Fine," he whispered. "I'll do it."
The system chimed like it had expected this outcome the whole time.
"Difficulty what?"
He glared at the empty air.
He spent the walk home planning everything. If he was going into that forest, he wasn't going blind. He needed food, water, batteries, something for fire, warm clothes—the weather wasn't freezing, but night outside was always unpredictable. Especially alone.
When he reached home, he tossed his bag aside and opened the system menu.
"Alright," he murmured. "If I'm doing this, I need to prepare properly."
He spent the next hour packing:
– a flashlight
– a portable charger
– a water bottle
– two sandwiches
– lighter
– a hoodie
– a cheap blanket
– a knife (not for violence, for branches and stuff… hopefully)
He stared at the backpack.
It didn't feel like enough. It didn't feel safe.
The system chimed lightly.
"'Probably' is not comforting."
"And 40 points…" he whispered. "That'll make my total 130."
He swallowed.
The truth hit him all at once:
This night could make or break everything.
He zipped the backpack slowly.
As the sun started setting outside his window, the sky tinted with orange and violet, Arthur took a deep breath.
A forest.
Alone.
At night.
He didn't know if it was going to be peaceful or terrifying. He didn't know what the mission would throw at him. He didn't know why the system thought this would make him "evolve."
But he knew one thing:
He was going.
Because he didn't fight this far just to fail a stupid exam.
He swung the backpack over his shoulder, stepped outside, and whispered under his breath:
"Alright. Let's get this over with."
The system chimed softly in his mind.
Arthur glared up at the sky.
"U're hilarious."
And with the night creeping in, he walked toward the forest—ready or not.