Finally, the class had ended.
Alex stayed in his chair while Michael came running toward him."Did you talk to the beauty?"
Alex answered, "She didn't talk the whole time. Besides, I didn't want to annoy her. She looks like the type who takes studying seriously, and I don't think she would appreciate it if I wasted her time in class."
Michael said, "Come on, you don't want to lose a chance with a beauty like this. Even if she insults you, hearing her voice would feel like heaven."
Alex looked at him, thinking that his friend was a lost cause.
Catherine, on the other hand, was surrounded by people. After class ended, a group of girls and guys gathered around her, trying to introduce themselves and be friendly. She answered in the same cold way she always spoke, but they didn't seem to mind.
Michael, meanwhile, was searching for something on his computer when he suddenly made a surprised face."You should see this."
When I looked, I saw it was about Catherine, but when I focused, I also opened my mouth in shock."What? She is the daughter of the king?"
Yes, we were in a kingdom, and some still held power. For example, the current kingdom we were in was called Luminara, one of the oldest and currently the strongest in the world.
The king who ruled now was known among the people as a good king. He had made many improvements to the lives of common people.
Michael said, "I didn't expect to study with a princess. I thought this only happened in romance story games."
I nodded. I also didn't expect this surprise. It looked like this year would not be normal. But after thinking about it, it made sense. This school was the best in the country. Every single student here either had ridiculously rich parents, was a top student, or had a special talent.
For me and Michael, we fell into the last category. We had special talents—well, at least that was what I had. As I thought about it, my smile faded again.
Michael said, "Come on, man. Since that accident, you've lost your confidence. You need to find something to do."
Alex replied, "You don't understand. I was good at one thing, and only that thing. Now I can't achieve it. Do you think I can do anything else at the same level?"
Michael sighed. "But even if that's true, you can't just give up like that. At least you need to try something."
Alex answered, "You're right. Maybe I should try to search for something."
Michael smiled. "Finally, man."
But Alex sighed again. "Do you think the school will wait for me to find it? They won't keep a talentless student like me for long."
Michael answered, "Don't worry. I've never heard of a case where this school dropped a student. If they did, it would be like admitting they made a wrong decision."
I smiled and said, "Well, let's hope so. I don't want to return to my old town. It was so boring."
He also smiled. "That's the Alex I know."
Alex and Michael headed toward the door after gathering their things, but before they could leave, someone stopped them. It was Catherine.
Michael froze in place, and so did Alex, but before they could react—
She said to Alex, "Can you give me your contact information?"
Suddenly, the whole class erupted. Were they really seeing the cold beauty make a move on Alex?
Michael was still frozen, his brain no longer functioning. As for Alex, he was also surprised, but he quickly regained his composure."Of course, no problem," he said, giving her his number.
She replied, "Thank you," before walking out.
Michael remained stunned for a moment before regaining his composure."Did you just get hit on by the new princess in our school?"
Alex answered while walking out, trying to escape the attention from everyone in class, "I didn't get hit on. She just asked for my information."
Michael said, "Yes, she wants to talk to you—so she's hitting on you. I mean, why else would a girl want to talk to a guy?"
I looked at him in disbelief. "Don't you talk to girls for other reasons?"
He answered proudly, "Of course not. I'm a respected virgin. I won't talk to a girl until I find the one I'll give my virginity to."
Alex suddenly didn't want to talk to him anymore, so he walked faster toward the exit as Michael followed him.
At home, Alex sat on his bed, thinking about what had happened today—and about Catherine asking for his contact information. He didn't believe she had fallen in love with him. Yes, he was handsome, but not enough to affect a princess of her level and status, and she didn't even know him yet. The only reason he could think of was that he sat close to her, so maybe she wanted to know the people around her this year.
Anyway, he stopped thinking about it and lay down on the bed. He tried to sleep, but after a few minutes, he started hearing strange sounds.
[Alert, System installation is ready][0%]
He saw the alert and thought he was imagining things. He got up and drank a cup of water, then noticed the number changing.
[20%]
He felt his heart sink. I'm not imagining this… what will happen when it reaches 100%?He didn't know.
[40%]
Fear crept into him. He decided to go for a walk. He didn't want to ask anyone for help, afraid it might land him in a psychiatric hospital—and that was the last thing he wanted on his academic record.
[60%]
After walking for a while, he calmed down a little. He sat on a bench and decided to wait until the number reached 100%.
Whatever it was, it might be better than the life waiting for him.
Alex hadn't always been like this. Before entering high school, he was a star wherever he went. He practiced martial arts and was ranked number one in the country under 18. He even competed globally and placed second. Upon entering high school, he was accepted into this top academy—only to get injured later during a competition.
But the real thing that broke him was how everyone changed afterward. Alex had been very social before, with many friends and a big group. After the accident, they suddenly became "busy." They no longer had time for him. Only Michael stayed.
That's why Alex valued his friendship so much.
As he thought about his life, the number kept increasing until—
[100%][Installation complete][Congratulations, user. The installation is complete.]
I was confused. What is this?
As if the system could hear me, it answered briefly:
[I am the System. My creator made me to help the user save humanity and this world from the coming apocalypse.]
I was stunned. What the hell was this about? Still, I decided to return home before trying to investigate further.
When I got home, I asked, "What apocalypse are you talking about?"
[The apocalypse is a series of catastrophes that this world will face one after another, leading to the extinction of humanity and all life.]
I froze. After a moment, I asked, "Are you sure you mean this Earth… and this country?"
[Yes. Based on my information, the user is in the country Luminara, specifically in the city of Letin.]
I took a deep breath. Either I was schizophrenic, or there was a strange system connected to my brain telling me the apocalypse was coming.
"So what is your goal?" I asked.
[My goal is to help the user save this world and humanity.]
"But why me? And why would you help me?"
[I chose the user because he has the most potential. Saving humanity is the mission my creator gave me.]
I frowned. "Can you tell me who your creator is?"
[My creator is a good person. He does not wish to be thanked, so he hides his identity.]
"Good people don't usually hide their identity."
"Anyway… what am I supposed to do to save humanity?"
[I will help the user awaken his power before the apocalypse and grow stronger so he can save the world.]
"So I just need to become stronger?"
[Yes.]
"And to become stronger, I first need to awaken my power… but how?"
[Normally, the user must wait for the first night of the apocalypse, when the red moon appears. However, with the system, you can achieve it earlier.]
"So what should I do?"
[Info: Preparing awakening program][Info: Creating missions]
[Mission: Do 100 push-ups]
[Mission: Do 100 pull-ups]
[Mission: Run 10 km]
[Mission: Kill 100 bugs]
[The user must follow these steps for the next 10 days.]
I blinked. "So you're just telling me to follow a normal gym routine to awaken my power? Well… except for killing 100 bugs."
[The routine strengthens the host body and prepares it for awakening.]
"That makes more sense," I said.
"What about killing bugs?"
[It is to gather soul power. Every creature possesses it. We start with bugs because they contain minimal energy and won't harm the host.]
"So does that mean anyone can awaken their power by doing this?"
[No. Others lack a method to gather soul power. The system performs this function for the host.]
Alex thought to himself—so the system gathers the soul power and helps him use it.
After a moment, he got out of bed."I was planning to start the gym tomorrow… but with this surprise, why not start today?"
Three hours later, he returned home, exhausted.
[System Alert]
[Mission: Do 100 push-ups — Completed]
[Mission: Do 100 pull-ups — Completed]
[Mission: Run 10 km — Completed]
[Mission: Kill 100 bugs — Completed]