At night, after Sirius left for his room, Noah went outside at 7:11 PM to complete his daily mission.
It didn't take long before Noah finished his mission and sat on one of the nearby benches, trying to calm his rapid breathing as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
[Push-ups: 100/100 (Complete)]
[Squats: 100/100 (Complete)]
[Curl-ups: 100/100 (Complete)]
[Running: 10 km/10 km (Complete)]
[Would the host like to receive his reward?]
"Yes," Noah whispered in agreement.
The moment the words left his mouth, a green aura surrounded him, rapidly healing his fatigue and restoring his energy. It gave Noah a refreshing feeling.
[Host has received 1 stat point]
"That took me less than…" Noah thought as he looked at his wrist to check the time—only to realize something strange.
"Since when do I have a watch?" he asked himself, feeling foolish for the oversight. He shoved his hands into his pockets and tried to act natural, even though no one was around to see.
[Mysterious Box obtained]
"Umm…" Noah hesitated for a moment. Then a bright light appeared in his hand, like a sphere of sacred light, which quickly vanished, replaced by a small, gift-wrapped box.
"Please don't be another spoon…" Noah muttered sarcastically to himself. He had bad memories of that gift—even if there ones were good turned to be useful, the spoon's effect was too overwhelming. Noah never trusted the system when it came to gifts.
He opened the gift, and a dimmer light emerged. When it disappeared, a golden potion in an ornate, gold-etched bottle landed in his hand.
"What's this?" Noah asked himself, puzzled by the thick golden liquid inside. It looked far too dense to be a drink.
[B-Rank Item obtained: Experience Potion]
[Experience Potion" (B-Rank): A shimmering potion made from the essence of dead beasts and concentrated time, designed to accelerate the journey of those seeking power.
When consumed, it increases experience gained from all sources by 30% for one hour.
Made for those who reject stagnation. Cannot be stacked. Disappears after use.
Inventory: 1]
"Experience potion?... This system is really just a game. The creator must've had a sense of humor, huh?" Noah muttered, staring at the potion in his hand. Should he drink it? It looked thick—like molten lava.
The potion vanished from his hand like digital data. Noah stood up and stretched.
"I'll use it later. Right now, I just want to sleep." Noah decided to skip special training since it was late, and he didn't want to exhaust himself again.
He returned to his dorm, took a hot shower, changed into more comfortable clothes—loose white pants and a black shirt—then lay on his bed and tapped his phone to check the time. It was 8:32 PM. He put his phone aside, closed his eyes, and drifted to sleep.
"Which makes you… the weakest student in the university." The words echoed in Noah's ears just as he was falling asleep, bothering him deeply. How could he sleep peacefully knowing he could become stronger by simply training while asleep? It felt unfair. But he didn't deserve that privilege if he was going to slack off.
"Ugh, this is so annoying," Noah groaned, his expression twisting in frustration. He covered his eyes and whispered under his breath, "Activate Special Training."
He closed his eyes and found himself floating in a dense black space, stars shining behind him like a cosmic backdrop. He could move, but he couldn't speak or think. The space shifted into a vast green field under a clear blue sky. A tall green tree with a rough brown trunk stood nearby, and a gentle breeze gave the place a sense of calm.
[Mission: Kill Nocthyr 0/10 (Incomplete)]
[Rewards: Full physical restoration, 1000 Gacha Coins, A-Rank Skill "Aegis of Elysium"]
Noah whistled in awe. An A-Rank skill was definitely worth the effort—and the gacha coin boost was tempting too.
"But… Nocthyr, huh? This'll be tough…" he muttered, raising his guard. Even B-Rank hunters would approach a Nocthyr with caution. Noah wasn't even at C-Rank yet.
Suddenly, black mist enveloped the area, the sky turned dark, and all light vanished.
[The host's calm is maintained by the passive effect "Frozen Mind."]
"There's a reason these creatures are dangerous even if they're only C-Rank… The Nocthyr can steal all of a target's senses. That's why they're so feared. They even have another name: 'The Strangler of Glooms'…" Noah thought. Despite the threat, he didn't panic thanks to "Frozen Mind."
He deployed a transparent spherical field using his "Influence field" skill, trying to detect them. But to his shock—nothing. Only a chilling coldness, a racing heartbeat, and blood flowing faster from the cold.
"What does this mean?! There's no one here?! Impossible! I have to move—" Noah panicked, trying to shift—but then, a searing pain pierced his shoulder. He couldn't see, but he felt blood trickling. His shoulder gave out, paralyzed. But now, he could sense the weapon—probably a curved blade, like a scythe—preventing him from moving.
"Damn it!" he shouted, cold mist rising from his right hand as he quickly struck behind him in the direction of the attack. Whether his ability hit or not, the scythe vanished, and he could move his arm again.
"I was attacked from behind… I don't even know if my skill worked or if I just flailed like an idiot… I can't see, hear, feel, or smell… But I felt the weapon when it touched me. That's a weakness—if I strike at contact, I might have a chance… But it's risky. I could die if hit again. Damn it, why isn't the detection effect working now?!"
Noah turned his head in all directions, hoping to hear or see anything—but nothing. The darkness was so deep it made normal night seem bright. Even panicking felt impossible.
"If I move recklessly, they'll attack immediately. They're toying with me… Damn, I'm not some main character in a novel who'll awaken a sixth sense and dodge danger at the last second… Wait. A sixth sense? That's it. The detection effect is like a sixth sense—an extension of my body, that's why it didn't work. But if sensing danger is like seeing the future… maybe I still have a chance!"
Noah tried to activate "Foresight" to predict the Nocthyr's movements.
[The host cannot predict what he cannot see.]
Those words shattered Noah's hopes. "Can't predict what I can't see."
"What kind of nonsense is this?! If I can't predict what I don't see, then how am I even seeing this useless screen in front of me?! Are you kidding me?! Am I really going to die?!" Noah's thoughts spiraled.
"...No—calm down. Don't panic. I can still log out. But the mission will remain the same next time… I have to find a solution fast!"
Then he felt pressure—something stepped on his foot, pinning him. His body leaned back into a defensive posture to protect his chest and face. But a cold hand suddenly grabbed his neck and started choking him, lifting him off the ground with crushing force.
"A-Aghh!" Noah felt his throat nearly collapse. In a desperate attempt to break free, he grabbed the monster's hand. It felt cold and frail—but was strong like bone. Noah's vision returned as he opened his eyes—his pupils and sclera entirely black.
The moment he looked up, he saw a terrifying sight: a monster with decayed grayish-black skin, wearing a tattered gray cloak like a grim reaper. Its cloak covered its eyes, but the rotting flesh of its face was exposed, along with sharp white teeth stretched into a wide grin. In one hand, it held a short scythe stained with thick black blood—and in the other, it continued choking Noah.
Noah felt a severe lack of air, to the point where it seemed his head was about to explode and his lungs would fall out of place. Instead of tears, Noah cried dark blood due to the absence of oxygen reaching his brain. He scratched the hand of the smiling Nocthyr standing before him, trying to tear it apart or cause pain to make it let go—but Nocthyrs are already dead creatures; they don't feel pain.
As a last resort, Noah struck the Nocthyr's hand with his elbow with full force. The blow shattered the bones in the Nocthyr's hand, but all Noah got in return was a widening smile. Nevertheless, the Nocthyr threw Noah away.
Noah landed on his back, clutching his neck where the Nocthyr had held him, feeling the marks on his skin.
"cough, cough, cough!" Noah coughed violently, breathing deeply and rapidly in a panic, unable to stay calm.
[The host's mind is shaking violently]
[The passive effect "Frozen Mind" has increased drastically]
[The host's calm has been preserved]
Noah stood up after regaining his composure. He remained completely still, his body trembling from fear. He was crying blood, and he felt like his soul was about to tear apart, but he kept standing—because he refused to be weak.
"What am I supposed to do?! I can't do anything without my senses. If I can't see him or at least feel his presence or location, I can't defeat him... This is impossible for me!" Noah thought to himself, his mind overwhelmed by thoughts of surrender and despair. Then, a phrase echoed in his mind: "Mana Sensitivity"—a trait of those ranked C.
"I haven't reached that rank yet. How would I even know what my rank is..… But it's worth trying, right?" Noah thought to himself. Sweat trickled down his cheek. Then he took a deep breath, realizing that surrender was no solution, and tried to sense anything.
"Anything, anything at all will help!..." Noah thought desperately, praying that his heart and the world around him would respond to this attempt.
"Mana Sensitivity" works in two phases: "Perception" and "Interaction". "Perception" is sensing the world around you—the movement of the wind, the scent in the air, the sound of heartbeats near you, the feeling of mana flowing through your body, and seeing the world turn. This is what allows a C-rank human to perceive their own "Mana Field"—something possible because their minds has opened up to the universe.
As for "Interaction", it's the full control of your "Mana Field": the ability to hide it, show it, and of course, spread it. When you spread your "Mana Field", it covers a small area depending on your strength. The mana must move in waves, but smoothly, like ripples. When these waves touch the Mana Field of any nearby living being, they react together, revealing the presence of the target.
For someone like Noah—isolated, introverted since birth, slow to adapt—using both "Perception" and "Interaction" for the first time is like an ant trying to breathe fire like a dragon. It's possible, of course… if one is talented. But unfortunately, Noah had no talent, he is talentless, So it was expected that… Noah would fail.
"I can't feel anything... Damn it!…" Noah cursed, but he couldn't even hear his own voice now. He felt inferior, lacking. The truth hurt—badly—even though he had expected it.
"…Log out…" Noah said, having finally decided to give up. At that moment, his body vanished from "The Other Realm" like digital data, returning to his real world.
Noah opened his eyes, finally able to feel again. His senses had been cut off for a while, so when they returned, they went into overdrive. Even though it was nighttime, Noah felt the light was painful to his eyes. The sound of rustling leaves outside from the wind was annoying, and the scent of his daily cologne was so strong it burned his nose. The sting in his nostrils hurt too much. It was an unpleasant, revolting feeling.
But what bothered Noah the most... was that he had given up.
"I… am worthless," Noah whispered to himself, curling up in bed as tears welled up in his eyes. He closed them and sank into sleep.