Chapter 3: City Exploration
Kai woke up feeling good. The sun shone through his window. He checked his stats again.
[Kai Harlan - Level 3 System User]
Health: 140/140
Mana: 70/70
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 12
Intelligence: 15
Perception: 13
Experience: 100/100]
He was at full experience. Ready for more. The quest from last night was still active.
[Quest: City Exploration. Objective: Walk around Nexus Prime and observe for anomalies. Reward: 50 XP, Shop Discount. Hint: Look for odd patterns.]
Kai ate breakfast. Toast and eggs. He thought about the day. Work was later. First, explore the city. Then, coffee with Lena. He smiled. She was nice. Maybe this could be fun.
He stepped outside. Nexus Prime buzzed with life. Cars honked. People walked fast. Tall buildings touched the sky. Kai walked down the street. His boosted perception made everything clear. He saw small things others missed.
Near a park, he spotted an anomaly. A street sign bent oddly. Like someone twisted it. Kai touched it. A notification popped up.
[Anomaly Detected: Minor Distortion. Fixed with Rule Bending. Bonus XP: 30.]
He used Rule Bending. The sign straightened. Mana dropped to 60/70. No one saw. But the System rewarded him.
[Experience: 30/100]
Kai kept walking. He passed shops. A café smelled of fresh bread. He bought a coffee. Sat on a bench. People talked around him. Normal stuff. Jobs, weather.
Another anomaly. A crack in the sidewalk. It glowed faintly. Kai fixed it with Interface Manipulation. Tweak the code. The crack sealed.
[Anomaly Detected: Energy Leak. Fixed. Bonus XP: 25.]
Experience: 55/100. Good. He felt useful. The System was teaching him. Anomalies were like hidden problems. Fixing them gave rewards.
By noon, he had explored a few blocks. Experience: 80/100. Close to Level 4. He headed to the coffee shop for his date with Lena.
She was already there. Sitting at a table. Brown hair loose. She waved. "Kai! Over here."
He sat down. Ordered a latte. "Thanks for inviting me."
"No problem. Work is boring. This is nice." Lena smiled. Her eyes were warm.
They talked. About life. Kai shared his dreams. "I want to start something. Like a business. Use my smarts."
Lena nodded. "That's cool. What kind?"
"Maybe trading. Stocks or apps. I have ideas." He didn't say about the System. But his boosted intelligence helped him think fast.
Lena laughed. "You're ambitious. I like that."
They chatted more. About movies, food. Kai felt connected. She was easy to talk to. Maybe she could be more than a friend.
After coffee, Lena checked her phone. "I have to go. Family stuff. See you at work?"
"Yeah. See you." Kai paid the bill. Walked her out. A small hug. His heart raced.
Back home, he thought about business. With the System, he could make money. Start small. Invest in stocks. Use Rule Bending for luck.
He opened his laptop. Researched trading apps. With boosted perception, he saw patterns. He downloaded one. Invested $50 from his lottery win.
The app showed trends. Kai bent a rule. "Increase my luck." Mana to 50/70. The stock went up. He made $20 profit.
[Bonus XP: 20 for Smart Gain.]
Experience: 100/100. Level up!
[Level 4 Achieved. Health: 160/160, Mana: 80/80, +1 Skill Point.]
Kai allocated to Interface Manipulation. Level 3. Now he could tweak more things. Like making apps run faster.
He smiled. Business was starting. But he needed more money. The Shop called. Points: 20 now. He bought a small boost. +1 Dexterity for 10 Points. Felt quicker.
Points left: 10. Not enough for big buys. He needed Essence Stones. But he didn't know what they were yet.
A new quest appeared.
[Quest: Business Start. Objective: Make $100 profit from trading. Reward: 75 XP, Skill Point. Hint: Use abilities wisely.]
Kai nodded. He would do it. But carefully. No one could know his secret.
As night fell, he ate dinner. Thought about Lena. She was special. Maybe his first girlfriend.
The city exploration quest completed.
[Quest: City Exploration. Completed. Reward: 50 XP, Shop Discount.]
Experience: 50/100. Shop discount? Nice. Next time, cheaper buys.
Kai lay in bed. Life was changing. The System gave him power. He would use it right. Build something big.
But whispers of rumors. People talked about rich elites. Secret groups. Kai wondered. Were they real?
He closed his eyes. Tomorrow, more work. More quests.