Chapter 6: New Status

Chapter 6: New Status

[11:00 AM; Saturday, 29th of April, 2023]

"Haa..."

Surrounded by protective walls, and an abundance of meals at my disposal, I sat on my bed and awaited the 'Announcement' that marked the beginning of it all.

>DING!<

Exactly as it played out in my dream, a System Window manifested before me, revealing the familiar sight I had seen multiple times already.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

<Paradise Will Now Be Initialized>

{The realm of the gods, Paradise, will be revealed to the chosen humans. Overcome the 99 Floors and get to the Final Realm.}

<A Tutorial Will Begin Once The Announcement Has Been Concluded>

{Your mission is to survive the Tutorial so you can be qualified to enter Paradise. Time Left until the end of the Tutorial: 168 hrs: 00 mins: 00 secs}

<Announcement is ending... The Tutorial will now commence>

'And just like that, it had begun.' I swallowed hard, feeling a shiver ripple through me. But when the announcement disappeared, something even more surprising happened.

"Huh? My headache's gone?" The same change seemed to happen to my trembling body.

For some reason, I felt completely normal, like everything was just right. My head cleared up, and I felt lighter, as if a weight had lifted. My heart, which had been racing, slowed down, and even the fear seemed to fade away. n-/0VElb1n

It felt amazing.

"Maybe this is a Skill?" I wondered aloud.

Back in my old dreams, the ones I used to have, there were things like Status Windows and Skills. This reality I was in now felt a lot like those dreams. They had to be connected.

"So, I should have a [Status Window], right?" I said.

And just like that, a screen appeared in front of me, showing things that should have blown my mind. But strangely, it was like I already knew how to make sense of it.

It almost felt like muscle memory.

"Weird," I said quietly, looking at the screen without getting too worked up.

[STATUS WINDOW]

- Name: Mikey Rael

- Race: Human

- Level: 1

- Life Force: 3/3

- Energy Level: 1/1

- Combat Ability: 2/2

- Stat Points: 0

- Currency: 100

- Role: <The Dreamer>

- Authority: <Dream/Nightmare>

- Titles: <Visionary>, <The One Who Saw The End>, <Chosen One>

- Skills (Exclusive): <Dream>

- Skills (Non-Exclusive): <Nil>

- Items Equipped: <Nil>

- Alignment: Neutral Good

[Additional Information]

You can experience the events of the world through the 'other plane'. It is a coveted power worthy of desire, but a scary one to possess.

[End Of Information]

"Well, I suppose this is to be expected." My Stats were all abysmally low, and I found myself stuck at Level 1. It seemed that this was the starting point for everyone, after all.

I looked at some parts of the info that seemed really important.

"So, my Life Force is like my HP, and Energy Level is my MP. Combat Ability must be stuff like Strength, Dexterity, and Agility."

Even if the System didn't spell it out, it had to be what Combat Ability meant.

This world truly seemed to operate like a game, much like the ones I encountered in my dreams. The concept mirrored those role-playing games where a player's prowess was distilled into quantifiable information and numbers.

Speaking of numbers, though...

"I've got Zero Stat Points. Maybe I get more when I Level Up. That makes sense." I haven't played many games, but I know leveling up means getting stronger.

I also saw something called 'Currency.' "That's like coins. It's pretty obvious."

But everything after that, I had no clue.

"Role? Authority? That's gotta be related to my Exclusive Skill, right?"

All of those three had something to do with dreams. I guess it was safe to conclude that this was something similar to a Class or Job, right? But did that mean there were other 'Dreamers' like me?

'No, I think I'm the only one. One of my Titles is <The One Who Saw The End>. I guess that has to do with that last nightmare I had. Is that... the end of the world?'

That thought gave me the chills. Thinking about it was already scary enough.

"No, no. Let's focus on the present. I need to find out more about my skills and abilities and how I can survive."

My fighting skills were undeniably weak, and the rest of my Stats weren't much to brag about either. With three Titles to my name and just one solitary Skill in my arsenal, I found myself in desperate need of a deeper comprehension of these abilities. Without this understanding, my chances of success in any encounter appeared to be incredibly bleak, and failure seemed inevitable.

"Elaborate On My Titles." I spoke, guided by instinct.

[Titles]

<Visionary>: The user is calm and level-headed in situations that would otherwise cause severe mental distress. This composure isn't absolute, though. Severe mental attacks and traumas can still cause the user to break his composure.

<The One Who Saw The End>: As someone who has reached the end, dreams and fragmented memories can sometimes be imparted. Instinctive reactions such as muscle memory and a few other symptoms may be experienced.

<Chosen One>: Just like everyone who didn't get turned into monsters, The user has this title because he's a candidate who can enter the Tower Of Trials in order to get to Paradise.

[End Of Information]

"I see. I see."

As each piece of the puzzle fell into place, I couldn't help but marvel at the clarity slowly dawning on me. It was no wonder that an unexpected calmness washed over my senses, and even the strange dreams I'd been having started becoming clearer to me. What truly surprised me, though, was the absence of overwhelming confusion in the face of these peculiar occurrences, even though it would have been perfectly reasonable to feel utterly confused.

'Well, this has its own kind of silver lining, I guess.'

As for the last Title, <Chosen One>, it was the reason I was still human. This meant that all those monsters out there were once people like me. I had suspected as much, but it didn't make the reality any less chilling.

I was curious, though. 'How many humans became monsters, and how many of us were chosen to stay human?'

I didn't have the answers to those questions, so there was no point in asking. My time was best spent focusing on things I had direct control over.

Then, what about my Skills? I only had one, but...

"Elaborate On Skills."

[Skills]

(Exclusive)

<Dream>: Allows the user to experience future events in the form of a dream. These future events are basically the user's experience. Trauma could be experienced as a result of this Skill. {Note: User may not take his own life or intentionally try to use this Skill. It will not activate.}

(Non-Exclusive)

<NIL>

'Wow, it's pretty straightforward.'

I'd already pieced together most of this information, but having it spelled out was something else entirely.

"So, every time I dream, it's actually a version of me dying? That's brutal."

Did that mean that time was being reversed, and I was still the 'me' that died? Or had I become someone else ?

'I still have the memories of the version of myself that died in my dream. I can surmise that it's me. Yes, they're all me.'

Thinking any deeper about it hurt my brain.

'I also can't reset reality intentionally. That's a hardcore limitation. Looks like if I have to die, it'll have to be unintentional.'

Moving on, from what I could understand about 'Exclusive', it seemed I was the only one who had access to this Skill. Well, it could also mean that it was Exclusive to the 'Role' and 'Authority' I had, and it was possible that I wasn't the only one with them.

'But why do I have a feeling that it's the former? Well, I'll just go with that.'

It seemed I could obtain Skills that weren't related to dreaming, thanks to the Non-Exclusive section of my Skills. That was a relief, considering <Dream>, or pretty much any Skill I could derive from a <Dreamer> Role wasn't really going to aid in combat.

"Looks like I could eventually get Items. I haven't seen a Shop yet, but there has to be a way to spend the 'Currency' I had. I guess all of that will come in due time."

Finally, there was one thing that worried me the most.

"The [Additional Information] and what it says."

Apparently, my power was coveted, but also scary. If my power allowed me to see beyond this world's events, did that mean I could also glimpse the past? Would I see even more as time went on?

I had a lot of questions, but I suppose they would have to wait.

"For now, I'll just relax. Maybe eat something."

The lights in my room were turned off, so it was kind of dark, but not unbearably so. I made sure everywhere was locked tight and secure, so it didn't seem like I would be disturbed.

'I just have to—'

~H-heeellppp...~ A whisper suddenly echoed in my head.

'H-huh?'

~P-please... H-help mee...!!~ The voice became louder and more desperate.

Suddenly, I heard a soft knock on my front door. It sounded hollow, yet urgent. I felt a sensation course through me that resembled fear, but it was quickly suppressed.

The knock continued, relentless and desperate.

~I'm right in front of you. P-please... help!~

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[A/N]

Another survivor enters into the picture... or is it something else entirely?