Chapter 14: Anomaly?
Nolan walked out of the classroom.
The door closed behind him, cutting off the whispers. The hallway was empty. Quiet. His footsteps echoed against the walls.
He didn't look back. He didn't need to.
His hand reached into his backpack as he walked. His fingers touched the papers. He pulled them out and glanced down.
***
OWNERSHIP CERTIFICATE
Property: Aurora Heights Hotel & Resort
Location: Grayport City Center, Skyline District
Owner: Nolan Drake
Ownership Type: Full and Complete.
***
He read the words again. Then again.
'Aurora Heights. The hotel Chad rented for his party. The one he bragged about. The one everyone thinks is impossible to book.'
He folded the papers carefully and slipped them back into his bag.
'That hotel is mine.'
He pushed open the campus gates. The evening air was cool against his face. His bike was parked under a tree near the curb.
He was walking toward it when he heard the voice.
"Oh, that's Nolan."
He looked up. Two guys from his class were standing near a car, staring at his bike. One of them pointed.
"No way that's his."
The other let out a short laugh. "Yeah right. Probably rented it to look cool."
They didn't say it loudly. But Nolan heard.
He didn't stop. Didn't react. He just walked to his bike, unlocked it, and swung his leg over. The engine hummed to life beneath him.
He rode toward his dorm.
The dorm room was empty. Ethan was still in class.
Nolan sat on his bed and pulled out the system screen.
[Name: Nolan Drake]
[Tier: 4]
[Strength: 4]
[Agility: 6]
[Stamina: 2]
[Intelligence: 6]
[Inventory]
[Stat Points: 0]
[Skills: Appraiser Lv.1, Danger Sense Lv.1]
[Balance: $100,000]
He studied the new sections carefully. Inventory. Stat Points.
He focused on the word Inventory.
[Inventory: A personal storage space accessible only to the host. Capacity: 4 × 5 × 6 dm (120 L). Items must fit within these dimensions. Items can be stored and retrieved instantly. Retrieved items appear directly in the host's hand. Prevents items from appearing out of thin air in public, avoiding unnecessary attention.]
Nolan nodded slowly. 'That's useful. No more papers appearing out of nowhere in front of people.'
He focused on the Aurora Heights papers in his backpack.
In his mind, he thought: Store.
The papers vanished.
He blinked. He checked his backpack. Empty.
He focused on his inventory. The papers were there. A small icon representing the documents floated in his mind's eye.
He thought: Retrieve.
The papers appeared in his hand.
A grin spread across his face. 'It works.'
He looked around the room. His phone was on the desk. His bike keys were beside it.
He focused on the phone. Store.
It vanished.
He focused on the keys. Store.
They vanished.
He checked his inventory. The phone and keys were there, neat little icons next to the papers.
He thought: Retrieve phone.
The phone appeared in his hand.
He thought: Retrieve keys.
The keys appeared in his other hand.
Nolan laughed. A real laugh. 'This is incredible. I can store anything. No more carrying bags. No more losing things. No more worrying about someone stealing from my room.'
He placed the phone and keys back in his inventory and looked at the next section.
[Stat Points]
He focused on it.
[Stat Points: From this tier onward, rewards will grant Stat Points instead of directly increasing stats. Host may allocate Stat Points to any preferred stat. This allows for customized growth based on host's needs and preferences.]
Nolan's eyes lit up.
'I can choose where to put my points? Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intelligence—whatever I want?'
[Correct.]
He looked at his stats again.
Strength 4.
Agility 6.
Stamina 2.
Intelligence 6.
'Stamina is low. Really low. That's why I get tired so fast. Strength could use work too. But Agility and Intelligence are decent.'
He leaned back on his bed, a satisfied smile on his face.
'When I get Stat Points, I can put them exactly where I need them. I'm not stuck with whatever the system gives me. I decide.'
He stared at the ceiling.
'This system... it keeps getting better.'
Then he remembered. The party. Chad had said 7:00 PM.
He checked his phone. 3:30 PM.
He had three and a half hours.
He looked down at his clothes. Old jeans. Wrinkled shirt. Cheap shoes. The same clothes he had worn for days.
He thought about the couple at Vellmar Tower. The way the woman had looked at him. The mocking smile. The words: "Let me guess. Are you here to rent a small flat? Maybe a studio on the ground floor?"
He thought about Chad's smirk. Lila's raised chin. The whispers in the classroom.
'If I show up looking like this, everyone will laugh. They'll think Chad was right. They'll think I'm still the same broke Nolan. The one who couldn't afford a decent shirt. The one who wore the same clothes every day.'
He stood up.
'Not anymore.'
He focused, and his bike keys vanished into his inventory. He walked out of the room, washed his face quickly in the hallway bathroom, and headed out.
He parked his bike outside the Grayport City Mall.
The mall was massive. Three floors of glass and steel. Designer brands lined the windows. Luxury stores with names he had only seen in magazines.
He walked through the automatic doors. The air inside was cool. Clean. Music played softly from overhead speakers.
He passed stores with suits in the windows. Price tags caught his eye. Thirty thousand dollars. Fourty thousand.
He paused for a moment. Looked at the fabrics. The cuts. The brands.
Then he kept walking.
'Not yet. I don't need luxury. I need decent. Clean. Something that fits well. Something that says I belong without screaming for attention.'
He found a store on the second floor. Mid-range. Good quality. Nothing flashy. The sign read Mason & Cole. Simple. Professional.
He walked in.
A salesman approached him. Young guy, maybe late twenties. Sharp dress. Professional smile. But not fake. Not the kind that looked down on customers.
"Good evening, sir. Looking for something specific?"
Nolan looked around. The store was well-lit. Racks of jeans. Shirts on display. Jackets hanging neatly. Shoes lined against the far wall.
"Everything," Nolan said.
The salesman raised an eyebrow. "Everything?"
"A full wardrobe. Casual. Something for tonight specifically. Something that fits well."
The salesman's smile widened. "Right this way, sir."
For the first time in his life, Nolan didn't look at price tags.
He picked up jeans that caught his eye. Dark blue. Slim fit. The fabric was soft. Durable.
He picked up shirts. White. Navy. Charcoal. Simple colors. Nothing loud. Nothing that screamed for attention.
He picked up a jacket. Black. Lightweight. It hung perfectly on the hanger.
He picked up shoes. Leather. Comfortable. The kind that could be dressed up or down.
The salesman led him to the fitting rooms. "Take your time, sir. I'll be right outside."
Nolan closed the door and looked at himself in the mirror.
Old jeans. Wrinkled shirt. Cheap shoes.
He shook his head and started trying on the new clothes.
The jeans fit perfectly. They hugged his legs without being tight. The shirt—a simple navy blue—brought out his shoulders. His stats gave him a lean, athletic build. The clothes just highlighted it.
He tried on the jacket. It sat perfectly on his frame. He turned. Looked at his profile. The jacket moved with him, not against him.
He tried on the shoes. Comfortable. Solid.
He looked at himself in the mirror.
'Is that... me?'
The person staring back looked different. Stronger. Confident. The clothes were simple. Nothing flashy. But they fit. They looked like they belonged on him.
He stepped out of the fitting room.
The salesman nodded approvingly. "Excellent choice, sir. That cut suits your frame very well."
Nolan looked at the pile of clothes he had gathered. Five pairs of jeans. Eight shirts. Two jackets. Three pairs of shoes.
"I'll take all of it," Nolan said.
The salesman blinked. "All of it, sir?"
"All of it."
The salesman moved quickly. Folding. Boxing. Bagging. The cashier rang everything up.
"Total comes to $4,250, sir."
Nolan pulled out the black card. Swiped it.
Beep. Approved.
He picked up the bags—four large ones, heavy with clothes—and walked out of the store.
[Current Balance: $95,750]
He walked through the mall toward the exit. His hands were full. The bags swung at his sides.
He could store it in his inventory—but not in plain sight. Making something vanish in public would draw attention. He waited until no one was looking, until he was clear of any CCTV cameras, before slipping it into his inventory.
He was near the glass doors when—
A shadow.
Fast. Quick. Low to the ground.
His bag was snatched from his hand.
Nolan's mind registered one word. 'Thief.'
He dropped the other bags. His body moved before his mind caught up. His Agility—6—kicked in. He sprinted after the figure.
The thief was small. Fast. Weaving through the crowd. But Nolan was faster.
He closed the distance in seconds. His hand shot out and grabbed the back of the thief's shirt.
The thief stumbled. Nolan pulled him to the side, away from the crowd, and pinned him against the wall.
Then he looked.
A small boy. Thin. Dirt smeared on his face. Dark hair matted and tangled. Clothes hanging off him like rags. His eyes were wide with fear.
He looked thirteen. Maybe fourteen. But his face was younger. Hungry. Tired. Scared.
Nolan's anger faded.
The boy squirmed. "Let go! Let me go!"
Nolan didn't move. He stared at the boy. At his thin arms. At his hollow cheeks. At the way his clothes hung loose on his frame.
'He's homeless. He's hungry. He's a kid.'
The boy stopped struggling. His chest heaved. His eyes darted around, looking for an escape.
"Please," the boy whispered. "Please, mister. I'm sorry. I didn't mean—I just—please don't call the cops. I'll leave. I'll never come back. Just let me go."
Nolan opened his mouth to speak.
[DING!]
The system flashed.
[ANOMALY DETECTED!]
[ANOMALY DETECTED!]
[Quest Generated!]
[Objective: Make him your ally.]
[Reward: ?????]
Nolan froze.
His hand tightened on the boy's shirt. His eyes locked on the system screen.
'Anomaly...?'
Nolan stared at the boy.
The boy stared back.
Neither moved.
The mall crowd flowed around them, unaware. Music played softly. Lights hummed overhead.
But Nolan's world had gone silent.
'An anomaly. This homeless kid is an anomaly.'
He frowned.
'…What the hell does 'anomaly' even mean?'