LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 8: The Looser, Part 3
Of course, the system didn't care. It never did. And here I was, once again, at the mercy of this glorified, bossy calculator.
Suddenly, another screen popped up, and I braced myself for the usual nonsense.
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Reward #1: State Limit Expansion
Physical Fitness: Expanded from 100 to 250.
Intelligence/Mental: Expanded from 350 to 700.
Attack Spell: Expanded from 500 to 900.
Defense Spell: Expanded from 500 to 900.
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I blinked. "Wait... what? You mean I've been struggling like a half-baked protagonist this whole time, and now you're telling me I had the potential to grow into some kind of superhero?!"
The system ignored me as usual, continuing to display the updates.
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Reward #2: Inventory Upgrades
Loner Katana: A sleek weapon perfect for slicing through both enemies and your self-esteem.
Water Spell Guide: Because hydration is important, even in combat.
Fire Spell Guide: For when you want to barbecue your problems.
Ground Spell Guide: To remind you to stay grounded, literally.
Air Spell Guide: For all your breezy one-liner moments.
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I stared at the screen, trying to process the absurdity of it all. "Wait a second, why are these rewards so… magical? I just swung a sword at a graveyard! Now I'm supposed to master four elements like I'm auditioning for Avatar: The Last Airbender?"
The system's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts:
"With great levels come great responsibilities. Please use your rewards wisely."
"'Wisely'?!" I snorted. "You gave me a katana and fire magic, and you expect me to not accidentally burn down the hotel? You've clearly never met me, System!"
I picked up the Loner Katana from the glowing inventory screen. It gleamed like it had a subscription to premium polishing services.
"Well, at least you've got style," I muttered, giving it a few swings. "Now I look like a loner samurai."
Next, I flipped through the spell guides. They were neatly bound and looked suspiciously like textbooks, complete with unnecessary diagrams.
"Oh great, homework," I grumbled. "Who knew leveling up would come with summer school?"
After a few minutes of pacing and sarcastic comments to the indifferent system, I decided to focus on the rewards.
"Alright, let's see what these spell guides are all about." I opened the Water Spell Guide, and immediately a holographic image of a serene lake appeared.
The system chimed in: "Water spells enhance control over liquids. Beginner spell: Splash Attack."
I groaned. "Splash Attack? What am I, a goldfish? What's next, Bubble Strike?"
Flipping to the Fire Spell Guide, flames erupted from the pages like they were auditioning for a Michael Bay movie.
"Fire spells channel destructive energy. Beginner spell: Fire Flicker."
"Fire Flicker? So instead of roasting my enemies, I'm just going to gently warm them like a candle? Great."
The Ground Spell Guide was equally unhelpful.
"Ground spells provide stability and defense. Beginner spell: Pebble Toss."
"Pebble Toss? Are you kidding me? What am I, a squirrel throwing rocks at people?"
Finally, the Air Spell Guide had the nerve to give me this:
"Air spells grant agility and light attacks. Beginner spell: Gentle Breeze."
At this point, I was ready to throw all the guides into the nearest volcano. "Gentle Breeze? What am I going to do, blow someone's hat off?"
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As I paced around, ranting to the system, it dropped its final bombshell:
"Hidden rewards for destroying the graveyard will be revealed at Level 20."
I froze mid-rant. "Level 20?! You're telling me I just erased a haunted graveyard from existence, and you're holding my bonus hostage until I hit Level 20? Are you even listening to yourself?"
Of course, the system didn't respond, leaving me alone with my new weapons, spells, and rising blood pressure.
I plopped onto the bed, clutching the Loner Katana like it was the only sane thing in my life. "Fine. Keep your secrets, System. But don't blame me when I accidentally 'Splash Attack' the next ghost into oblivion."
With that, I resigned myself to studying the guides, preparing for whatever nonsense the system had planned next. Because if there was one thing I'd learned, it was that life as a Level 10 loner was only going to get weirder.
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Loner Profile
SID: Chiku
Age: 17 years
Greed: Human
Title: Looser I
Level: 10 (0/2000 Lonely points to level up)
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Loner States
Physical Fitness: 26/250
Intelligence/Mental: 200/700
Attack Spell: 256/900
Defense Spell: 256/900
^ Reflected as your current Level
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Loner Items
Ghost Slayer Sword
Loner Katana
Lonely Potion (1)
Looser Knife
Water Spell Guide
Fire Spell Guide
Ground Spell Guide
Air Spell Guide
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It was just 6 A.M. now,One of my hotel room partner woke up, do not forget that everyone was boy in my room. I had already done all my stuffs like brushing my teeth and etc.
After useless system's stuff I was browsing social media peacefully.
Both of my hotel room parters were ready for breakfast, I was already prepared myself which I had just mentioned. So we left to canteen area of the hotel room. Note one thing they were not my friends, One was upperclassman and one was underclassman and both were toppers. I had been being crushed by some forces before free day yesterday but now it was a last day.
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Missions
1. Daily
a) Wake up at 4 A.M. Local Time Completed
b) Push-ups at least 30 times
c) Locked
2. Weekly
a) Walk 10 km
b) Locked
c) Locked
3. Rewards:
Daily: Two Point Sets items
Weekly: 200 Lonely Points
4. Failure Consequences
Daily/Weekly: Your pocket money will be deducted
^ Daily tasks reset at 3 A.M. daily.
^ Weekly tasks start in 24 hours.
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Upon reaching there we had eaten breakfast and went back to the room and prepared to leave hotel and reach school. So, push-up were still in progress which I would not able to complete until I was alone like system's name loner system,well anyway...
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The morning started like any other miserable morning after a school trip. The bus was parked in front of the hotel, ready to drag us back to school. A six-hour ride of boredom and awkward conversations awaited. Everyone split into their little groups before boarding. Of course, I, Chiku Ahay, the certified loner, walked solo to the bus, because that's my specialty.
I chose the second last seat on the left side of the bus. Window seat, obviously. At least I could stare out and pretend to enjoy life.
But fate, in its infinite sense of humor, decided to seat Reo Abe next to me. Reo Abe—a boy I've known since childhood but haven't spoken to since I cut ties with my parents in middle school. The guy's been living his best life while I've been living… well, whatever my life is.Or maybe I had spoken with him, everything was blurry, As fas as I remember it was may be first day of school school, or may be cultural festival of school, Just forget it, it was causing me a lot of damage.
"Hey, Chiku," he said, plopping down next to me like we were best buds.
"Reo," I muttered, nodding. I wasn't sure what else to say, so I just stared out the window.
Reo, however, was feeling chatty. He pulled out his smartphone and started showing me pictures from the trip.
"Look at this one! The museum was cool, right?" he said, shoving his phone in my face.
I glanced at the screen. It was a blurry photo of a dinosaur skeleton. "Yeah. Cool," I said, with the enthusiasm of a rock.
He kept scrolling. "And this one—oh, this was the café. The pancakes were amazing!"
I sighed. "Great. I'm happy for you."
Just when I thought the torture couldn't get worse, the teacher stood up at the front of the bus and announced, "Attention, everyone! We'll now go over the first-year exam results!"
Ah, the moment of truth. Or, in my case, the moment of barely surviving.
My name was called first. "Chiku Ahay—40 out of 100 in all five subjects."
Forty. The exact passing mark. I clenched my fist. "A perfect score… for mediocrity," I muttered.
Then Reo's name was called. "Reo Abe—Rank 3 overall."
Rank 3. Of course. The guy next to me was a walking, talking encyclopedia.
Reo turned to me with a sheepish smile. "Looks like I did okay."
I stared at him, my soul dying a little. "Okay? Reo, you're practically a genius. I'm out here struggling to pass, and you're out here ranking top three!"
He laughed awkwardly. "Well, you passed, didn't you? That's something!"
I shook my head. "Reo, when your standard is barely surviving, you don't really get to celebrate."
The bus ride continued like this, with Reo happily chatting about his life and me nodding along, questioning every decision that led me to this point. At least the window was there to comfort me. And maybe, just maybe, I'd learn to appreciate that 40/100. After all, it was better than 39.