His bedroom door closed slowly behind him. Raka stood in the hallway of that grand house—the house he once considered a shelter, now just a building with a roof and walls. No warmth remained.
He walked. His sneakers barely made a sound on the marble floor. Past the silent living room, past the family photos still neatly hanging on the walls. Those photos felt foreign now. Like they belonged to someone else.
Raka didn't stop. Didn't look back.
The main door of the house—the one his uncle had closed behind him yesterday—he now opened from the inside. Morning air greeted him. A little cold, but fresh.
First step.
He activated the system screen in his peripheral vision. A small feature appeared: Active Pedometer. Current steps: 0/5000.
"Start counting," he murmured quietly.
---
A Quiet Morning Walk
Raka chose a route he didn't usually take. Before, every morning he was driven to campus. Now he chose to walk. Not because he couldn't afford transportation—he still had enough balance for a public minivan. But because the mission told him to walk. And because he wanted to see his surroundings in a different way.
His family's housing complex was upscale. Large houses with wide yards stood neatly on both sides. A few household helpers were already sweeping the front yards. The security guard waved when he saw Raka but didn't say hello.
Raka exited the complex gate. The world changed.
Beyond the high walls of the housing complex, life was different. Small stalls were starting to open. A breakfast rice stall was crowded with customers. Factory workers in worn-out uniforms walked quickly toward the bus stop. A young child yawned while hanging out the laundry.
Raka walked on the uneven sidewalk. Occasionally he stepped aside to let a motorcycle pass.
Steps: 1200/5000.
Not even a quarter yet. But he wasn't in a hurry.
He deliberately slowed his pace, trying to feel every movement of his body. His calves were a little stiff—lack of exercise. His lungs felt limited when walking fast. But strangely, there was another sensation. Like something inside his chest was beginning to stir. Not pain. More like... a faint vibration.
"The System detects a small fluctuation in hidden potential. Mission 2 hint: The dormant talent is related to one of the five senses."
Raka paused for a moment.
Five senses?
He looked around. Sight. Hearing. Smell. Taste. Touch.
He had never considered his senses to be special. His eyesight was average, even slightly nearsighted. His hearing was standard. But the system said something was hidden.
Raka tried closing his eyes.
He stood by the roadside for ten seconds. Honking, engine noises, street vendors calling out, even birds in the distance—all came in. But nothing seemed strange. Everything sounded normal.
He opened his eyes again.
Maybe not hearing.
He continued walking.
---
A Simple Eatery and an Old Man
Raka felt hungry again even though he'd just had breakfast from the system. Maybe from the walking. He spotted a simple street-side eatery at the corner of the road. A zinc roof, dirt floor, but crowded with customers.
He sat on a slightly rickety wooden bench.
"Want to eat, son?" a middle-aged woman greeted him warmly.
"Just a cup of hot tea, ma'am," Raka replied. His money was limited; he had to save.
While waiting for the tea, he opened the system screen. Only he could see it. But occasionally he felt like someone was staring. Raka turned to his right.
An old man sat on the bench next to him. His face was wrinkled, his hair almost completely white. His eyes—though aged—were still sharp. The old man smiled faintly.
"You can see something we can't, son?" he asked.
Raka was slightly startled. Could this old man see the blue screen?
"Excuse me, sir? What do you mean?" Raka kept his expression flat.
The old man chuckled softly. "Never mind. Forget it. Just an old man who likes to mutter."
Raka wasn't convinced. There was something in the old man's gaze. Like he knew more than he let on. But Raka didn't want to ask further. Not yet.
The tea came. Raka drank slowly. The old man had returned to enjoying his breakfast—rice, fried tempeh, and sambal. Simple. But he seemed to enjoy it.
When he finished, Raka paid. Two thousand rupiah. Warm tea that warmed his stomach and his thoughts.
Just as he was about to get up, the old man spoke again:
"Son, if one day you feel alone, remember: not every closed door is a disaster. Sometimes, a door is closed so you can find another, wider door."
Raka looked at the old man. The old man smiled again, then focused back on his plate.
Without saying a word, Raka gave a small nod. Then continued his journey.
---
The Final Steps
His steps had now reached 4300. The sun was getting higher. Raka had left the upscale housing area, passed through a densely populated neighborhood, and was now near a somewhat quiet city park.
He decided to rest on a park bench.
The system screen showed:
· Steps: 4300/5000
· Mission 3: almost complete.
· Mission 2: still 0%.
Raka sighed. Which sense was his talent?
He tried focusing on his sense of smell. The air in this park smelled of freshly cut grass, a little damp soil, and... something strange. Sweet. Like the scent of a flower not visible nearby.
He followed the scent. His eyes landed on a large tree in the corner of the park. There were no flowers there. But the scent grew stronger.
Raka approached.
Behind that tree, a girl was sitting, leaning against the trunk. Her face was pale, her lips bluish. She was clutching her chest, breathing in gasps.
Raka didn't panic. Didn't shout for help. His instincts kicked in immediately.
"Are you sick?" he asked softly.
The girl looked at him with half-conscious eyes. "Medicine... I forgot to bring it..."
Raka checked around. There was no one else in this park. He saw a small bag next to the girl. He opened it with permission—the girl nodded weakly—and found a medicine bottle with a complicated label. Raka didn't understand the drug's name, but he read the instructions: Take one tablet when experiencing shortness of breath.
He took out one tablet, helped the girl take it with the drinking water he had brought.
A few minutes passed. The girl's breathing began to stabilize. Her face slowly regained color.
"Thanks..." she whispered.
Raka just nodded. "Need to go to the hospital?"
The girl shook her head. "No. It happens often. Asthma."
Raka sat down next to her, keeping a comfortable distance. He didn't talk much. Just waited until the girl had fully recovered.
---
Mission Complete
Just as Raka almost forgot about the system screen, a notification appeared:
"Mission 3: Small Steps [COMPLETE]. +30 Points. Resilience +1."
His steps had reached 5100. Exceeded the target.
But there was another, more surprising notification:
"Mission 2: Observe – Detected use of sense of smell beyond normal limits. User successfully smelled the scent of medicine from inside a closed bag without opening it first."
Raka was shocked.
It's true. At the eatery earlier, I smelled the tea before the vendor served it. And now, I smelled the medicine from inside a closed bag.
"Locked talent identified: Super Sense of Smell. Accuracy: 73% (still needs training)."
"Mission 2: Observe [COMPLETE]. +100 Points. One locked talent successfully unlocked."
Raka stared at the screen. His heart was pounding, but his face remained calm. Beside him, the girl had now fully regained consciousness.
"Hey," the girl's voice broke the silence. "My name is Kirana. You?"
Raka turned. His eyes met a pair of brown eyes that were beginning to shine again.
"Raka," he answered shortly.
"Raka... thank you. I almost passed out earlier. You seemed to know exactly what to do."
Raka didn't answer. He just smiled faintly.
Inside his heart, he wondered: Was this a coincidence? Or did the system bring me to her?
"It wasn't a coincidence," the system's voice suddenly sounded, as if reading his mind. "This park was a recommended location for the observation mission. Meeting Kirana was a bonus."
Raka sighed. This system was sometimes too honest.
But Kirana couldn't hear that. The girl just saw Raka smiling mysteriously.
"You're strange," Kirana said with a small smile. "But a good kind of strange."
Raka stood up. "Can you walk now?"
Kirana tried to stand. Still a little unsteady, but stable. "Yes. Thanks again."
"In that case, I'll continue walking."
Kirana nodded. "See you around, Raka. Hope we meet again."
Raka just gave a small wave without looking back. He continued his steps, leaving the park with 5000 steps already taken, one talent unlocked, and one unexpected encounter.
The system screen was still glowing:
```
Current points: 180
Unlocked talents: 1/3
Tomorrow's missions: will appear at 00:00
```
Raka looked up at the sky. White clouds moved slowly. The morning air was still fresh.
The first day of my rise has only just begun.