Chapter 2
Drip. Drip.
A few hours had passed since the incident. A few stubborn raindrops still dripped along the roof, tapping like a quiet metronome — the last remnants of a passing storm.
Urghh!
A small groan broke the silence, echoing through the infirmary like a misplaced note in a peaceful song.
The sterile scent of antiseptic filled Auzra's nostrils, sharp and cold, before the pain caught up with him.
He groaned again, his eyelids fluttering against the harsh white lights above. Every breath felt like knives — a painful reminder of fists, rain, and bitter defeat.
Through the blinding haze, a blurry figure leaned over him, wrapping a fresh bandage around his arm with surprising gentleness.
A familiar voice sliced through the fog.
"You're awake, dumbass."
Auzra blinked hard until the figure sharpened into focus.
Sitting at the edge of the infirmary bed, sleeves rolled up and hair messier than usual, was Alleno Amethyst — the one person whose usual frostiness somehow made the world feel less cold.
"Alleno..." Auzra rasped, his voice broken like crushed gravel.
"Took you long enough," Alleno said with a thin smirk.
"Thought you were gonna die on me, idiot."
'Well, guess I'm tough as a cockroach,' Auzra thought wryly.
He shifted, immediately hissing as his ribs protested.
"What... what happened?"
Alleno leaned back, tossing the used bandage into a nearby bin. His sharp amethyst eyes narrowed slightly, weighing how much truth to give.
"I found you on the rooftop," he said simply. "You were lying there — soaked, bleeding, unconscious. Like something straight out of a tragic movie."
He snorted.
"Had to carry your sorry ass all the way here."
Auzra's heart twisted at the thought.
"The guy... the red-haired bastard...?" he croaked.
Alleno's smirk disappeared. His jaw tightened.
"Callisto," he said, voice cold enough to frost over the windows. "Callisto Graye. Big-shot school bully. Real piece of shit."
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
"You wanna know why he dragged and pummeled you? Well... apparently, you bumped into his little sister yesterday."
Alleno's lips curled into a sneer.
"Stupid excuse for a beating, if you ask me."
Auzra grimaced. His memory was hazy.
"I don't even remember bumping anyone..."
"You did," Alleno said, his voice softening. "Near the library stairwell. You were chasing that paper that blew outta your notebook. You bumped into a girl carrying a stack of books. Didn't even notice — you were too busy cursing the rain."
Auzra groaned, covering his bruised face with one hand.
"Perfect. I'm a criminal now."
Alleno actually chuckled — a rare, rough sound that only Auzra ever heard.
"Relax. His sister's in my class. She didn't even care. Actually apologized for her brother after you blacked out."
He grabbed a bottle of water from the nightstand and handed it over.
"Here. Drink."
Auzra accepted it, sipping carefully. His hands still trembled.
For a moment, they just sat there — the rain tapping softly against the windows, the world slowing down into breathing and quiet friendship.
"Thanks," Auzra said eventually, voice low. "For... you know, saving my ass. Again."
Alleno shrugged, like it was nothing.
"Yeah, well. Someone's gotta keep you alive. You're hopeless without me."
A faint smile tugged at Auzra's swollen lip.
"Yeah. Guess I am."
They talked for a while longer — about classes, about how the nurse scolded Alleno for tracking mud into the hallway while carrying him, about how Callisto was already bragging like a war hero outside.
Alleno promised he'd punch Callisto himself if he tried anything again — cool and emotionless, but deadly serious.
And even though every laugh hurt, for the first time since the rooftop, Auzra didn't feel broken.
He felt... safe.
---
About an hour later, Alleno stood, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
"I gotta go. Class is starting."
"Don't forget to tell the teacher I'm excused, okay?" Auzra called out.
"Don't worry. The whole school already knows about your idiocy," Alleno said, rolling his eyes — a contrast to his normally frosty face.
"Bastard!" Auzra snapped, trying to sit up — and instantly feeling a stabbing pain shoot through his chest.
"Fk, fk, f**k!!"
He gritted his teeth, rage flickering in his bruised face.
"Damn that red-haired tomato. I'll make him suffer after this..." he muttered darkly, an evil grin stretching across his battered features.
As Alleno's footsteps faded down the hall, the infirmary fell back into silence.
Auzra sighed, wincing as he shifted slightly.
He closed his eyes to rest—
Ping.
A mechanical chime echoed.
His eyes snapped open — and floating in the air was a translucent blue panel.
---
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
> Name: Auzra
Age: 16
Level: 1
Experience: 0/100
---
[STATS]
> Strength: Level 1
Agility: Level 1
Endurance: Level 1
Intelligence: Level 1
---
[ABILITIES]
> [Extreme Flexibility — Level 1]
Able to maneuver and control the body with enhanced flexibility.
---
Auzra blinked rapidly, trying to register what he was seeing.
Ping.
The panel flickered again.
That was all it took.
Auzra jolted upright, ignoring the fresh pain tearing through his ribs.
His heart slammed against his chest, breath catching as pure panic surged through him.
"WHAT THE—?!"
He scrambled backward on the infirmary bed, flailing — almost crashing into the wall like a panicked cat.
"WHAT THE F**K IS THIS?!" he shouted, voice cracking.
He clutched the edge of the bed with trembling fingers, panting hard — but the glowing blue panel just hovered there, uncaring.
His eyes darted over the text, brain racing.
> [SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[STATS LOADED]
[MISSIONS AVAILABLE]
"This... this looks like..." he muttered, breathless.
His mind flashed back — middle school days, the glow of his old computer screen, RPG games at midnight.
"A game panel...?" he whispered. "What kind of messed-up dream is this...?"
But the panel didn't vanish.
It just floated — patiently, insistently real.
He forced himself to breathe slower. Forced his head to stop spinning.
The pain was real.
The fight was real.
The blood was real.
This infirmary was real.
Auzra slumped against the pillows, stiff as a board.
"...Am I crazy?" he muttered to no one.
Maybe he hit his head too hard. Maybe he was hallucinating.
Maybe he was—
Ping.
Another alert.
---
[Main Mission: Recover 80% Health]
Reward: Skill: Extreme Agility Level 1
---
"YOU AGAIN?!" Auzra yelped, swinging a hand at the panel like it was a mosquito.
His hand passed right through the glowing text — of course — causing him to lose his balance and faceplant back onto the bed.
THUMP.
"Argh—! Motherf—!" he hissed, hugging his stomach where bruises screamed in protest.
Somewhere, he was sure the System was laughing at him.
Grumbling, Auzra sat up again, rubbing his forehead.
"Okay. Okay. Calm down, me," he muttered. "Be cool. Be chill. Like Alleno."
He tried to imitate Alleno's deadpan expression — only for his lip to twitch awkwardly.
"...Nope. Too handsome to look that cold."
Ping.
Another line popped up.
---
> [Note: Handsomeness Stat: Nonexistent]
---
Auzra's jaw dropped.
"ARE YOU BULLYING ME NOW?!"
He flailed at the System again, nearly knocking over the IV stand.
For a long moment, he just sat there — bruised, humiliated, and arguing with thin air.
"...Haaa..."
He ruffled his messy hair, defeated.
"Alright. You win. I'm the protagonist of a cursed comedy manga, huh?"
With an exaggerated groan, he flopped back onto the bed, covering his face with both hands.
But underneath all the whining...
A tiny, stupid grin pulled at the corner of his mouth.
Because deep down —
This was probably the coolest, most ridiculous thing that had ever happened to him.
Maybe — just maybe — this was the second chance he never had.
No strength? No problem.
He had agility.
He had brains.
And now...
He had a System.
"Alright then..." he whispered, tapping his fingers together. "Let's see what this thing can really do."
The panel pulsed once — almost like it was answering him — before quietly fading into the background, waiting.
Auzra lay back down, bruised, battered... but now, his eyes burned with a brand-new fire.