SAPA: "Stealth stat currently at 0%. Rely on observation, timing, and improvisation."
"Helpful," Gideon muttered.
He swung his legs over the bed and stood, steadying himself. The floor was cold beneath his feet. His body ached, but it obeyed. A blue button near the corner of the screen pulsed.
Activate Passive Buff: Resilience Surge (Once Daily Use)
+10% stamina recovery for 15 minutes.
He tapped it with a thought, and instantly warmth spread through his limbs. His back straightened. Breathing became easier. Muscles responded faster.
He opened the closet near the bathroom and found his clothes —a wrinkled T-shirt, jeans, and his old sneakers. The shirt still had dried blood on the collar. He frowned but wore them anyway.
As he dressed, SAPA updated:
Passive Stat Increased: Willpower +1
Current Buffs Active: Resilience Surge (14:12)
He cracked the door and peeked into the hallway. A nurse was walking away, clipboard in hand. No cameras on the ceiling. Two other rooms to the left, and the stairwell door at the far end.
Go now.
He slipped into the hallway, feet silent on the tiled floor. His heart thudded. At every step, he expected an alarm. A shout. A hand on his shoulder.
Nothing.
As he reached the stairwell, a voice rang out behind him.
"Hey! Young man!"
Gideon froze.
"Where do you think you're going?" the nurse said, walking toward him. Her uniform was crisp, and her eyes sharp. "You're not discharged."
Think. Think.
"I… I needed air," he stammered.
"You just survived a fall from a building," she snapped. "Air can wait. Back to your room."
SAPA flashed:
Speech Check Available: Attempt persuasion? [Y/N]
"Yes," Gideon muttered under his breath.
Roll: Speech Stat (Base 5%) vs Difficulty 30%…
Modified Outcome: 29%
Result: Near Miss — Partial Success
Gideon forced his eyes wide and layered his voice with emotion. "Please… I just need five minutes. Just five. I'm not trying to escape. I swear."
The nurse paused. Her expression softened — just slightly. "Three minutes. Right here. If you're not back by then, I'm reporting this."
Gideon nodded quickly, stepping through the stairwell door. The moment it shut behind him, he took the stairs two at a time, ignoring the pain in his side.
47:45:03
By the time Gideon reached the hospital compound's back fence, he was panting. A maintenance gate sat rusted in the rear, chained but not locked. Probably forgotten. He forced it open with a grunt.
Outside, the world looked different.
Brighter. Sharper. Every streetlight and passing car seemed to pulse with energy. Was it the system? Or just the fact that he was alive, moving, and no longer passively watching his life collapse?
He turned east, toward the river that wound through Eruwa town. He hadn't been there since he was a child — back when his grandmother used to tell him stories about spirits that lived in the water, and guardians who walked unseen among mortals.
He thought they were just stories.
⸻
The town was quiet this time of night. Street vendors had packed up. Bars buzzed faintly in the distance. He ducked into alleyways and stuck to backroads, checking his quest status every few minutes.
Objective 1: Leave hospital undetected — COMPLETE.
+1% to Agility
+1% to Stealth
New Stat Unlocked: Stealth
First-time achievement: Rogue in the Making — 50 XP
SAPA chimed: "Well done, Player. Rogue class potential detected."
"Rogue?" Gideon said aloud. "Is this an RPG now?"
"Your path is not fixed. But actions shape probability. A rogue walks between shadows and truth."
He chuckled despite himself. "Cool."
The river shrine sat outside the town limits, near a patch of thick bushland and ancient stones that villagers believed to be sacred. Gideon reached the edge of the forest trail by sunrise.
He paused, watching as dawn spilled over the horizon like golden wine. His shirt clung to his back. Sweat mixed with dew on his skin.
Quest Objective 2: Reach river shrine — COMPLETE
+2% to Endurance
+1% to Mind
Ahead, in the clearing, he saw it — a small, circular stone platform surrounded by seven standing pillars, each etched with tribal marks glowing faintly blue.
Something was waiting for him.
The shrine pulsed with a strange, rhythmic energy. Each of the seven standing stones radiated a faint, bluish glow, humming in sync with the quiet rustle of the forest. Birds chirped faintly in the trees above, but none dared enter the clearing. It was as if the very air was sacred — or dangerous.
Gideon stepped forward, drawn by the magnetic pull of something deeper than logic.
Quest Objective 3: Make an offering — anything that represents your childhood.
He stood before the center stone, frowning. "My childhood?" he murmured. "What even represents that?"
He looked down at his hands. He had nothing but the clothes on his back. No toys, no photos, no old books or trinkets.
Then he remembered something.
Around his neck, hidden beneath the collar of his shirt, was a small beaded pendant — a keepsake his grandmother had given him when he was seven. It was handmade, simple, and woven with red, black, and green strings.