There are moments in life where you just know you're standing at a crossroads.
Like when you're about to confess to your crush. Or hit "Reply All" by accident. Or, in my case, assign permanent stat points in a real-life RPG system with no reset button, no refund policy, and no "Oopsie Undo" feature.
No pressure.
I stared at the stat screen like it was a bomb I had to defuse using only vibes and Google search results.
Unassigned Stat Points: 11
Unassigned Skill Points: 11
Use wisely, young padawan.
I had spent twenty-two minutes scrolling through gaming forums, Reddit threads, and even one suspicious YouTube video titled "I BECAME GOD BY PUTTING ALL MY POINTS INTO LUCK (NOT CLICKBAIT)."
Tempting? Yes.
Smart? No.
I like my insides un-exploded, thanks.
Now here's the problem: in most games, I play as a mage. I like mages. Mages get fireballs. Mages get cool robes. Mages don't have to do push-ups.
But here? In real life?
I didn't even know if magic was real yet. What if I poured all my points into Intelligence and Wisdom... and magic never unlocked?
Then I'd just be the world's most emotionally fragile nerd with a really high exam score.
That's like becoming a monk by accident.
And if I messed up? That was it. No restart button. No re-spec potion. No delete and remake character.
Just me. Kyle. The world's first muscle mage or wisdom warrior or charisma dumpster with no chance of redemption.
I needed answers.
Real ones.
And I needed them now.
So naturally, I did the only logical thing: I poked the system.
"Hey," I said out loud, like an idiot. "How do I get magic?"
Nothing happened.
"Uh. Access Help Menu?"
Still nothing.
"System, initiate tutorial mode."
Silence. Unless you count the sound of my dignity slowly deflating.
But then...
[DING!]
System Tip:
"Magic will be available upon meeting required conditions. Please continue leveling, questing, and being less of a potato."
RUDE.
But also? Kind of hopeful.
Required conditions? That meant magic was real. I just hadn't unlocked it yet.
Which left me with one big decision:
Do I gamble my points now?
Or hoard them like a gremlin until I'm sure?
You better believe I hoarded them.
I slammed the mental "Cancel" button like it owed me money, and my stat screen folded up neatly, the eleven unspent skill ans stat points glinting at me like gold coins I refused to invest.
If this was a long game, I wasn't going to screw it up by becoming Kyle the Mildly Strong But Magically Inept.
No. I would wait. I would quest. I would grind. And when the day came, I'd unlock Fireball and cackle like a Saturday morning villain.
But until then?
Time to figure out what the heck "conditions" meant.
Also, I still had to survive school tomorrow. Which, let's be honest, is harder than any dungeon.
After deciding to save my precious stat points and not ruin my life in the first real-world game ever created, I found myself facing an even worse boss battle:
Boredom.
Usually, future dystopia themed games are my jam. You know, scavenging for loot, fighting off mutant rats, trying not to get radiation poisoning. Good times. But now? Those games felt... boring. Like going back to playing with toy swords after holding the real thing.
Jimmy messaged me to jump into a co-op shooter, but I politely declined.
Okay, not politely. I just typed "No thx, busy with life stuff lol" and ghosted him.
Instead, I opened my inventory again for the eighth time that evening. Still the same lineup: one brand-new school notebook (completely unused, just like my math knowledge), one banana I swiped from the dinner table, apparently it gives me +5 HP if I eat it and a water bottle, which only made it in because I was testing the system and it happened to be sitting on my desk.
Eventually, I gave up and decided to do something truly radical: go to bed on time.
I flopped onto my pillow and closed my eyes.
[DING!]
Of course.
A notification popped up right in front of my face, glowing like a smug nightlight.
Would you like to sleep?
[ Yes ] [ No ]
There were actual buttons. I wasn't sure whether to be impressed or mildly offended.
"Huh," I muttered, because of course sleep had to be gamified too.
I tapped [ Yes ] just to see what would happen.
Suddenly, a slider appeared with a plus icon, and next to it: 0 hours.
When I tapped the plus sign, it jumped to 1 hour.
Oh. So I get to choose how long I sleep? Like setting a microwave timer?
It was 11:00 p.m., and school started at 8:00 a.m. I figured 7 hours of sleep was more than enough. Especially if I wanted to squeeze in a Daily Stamina Building Quest before breakfast.
Because nothing says "normal teen life" like doing push-ups at dawn in your pajamas to get bonus XP.
I tapped until the slider hit 7, then hit Confirm.
The world blinked.
My body sank.
And just like that, I was out.
No tossing, no turning, no late-night overthinking about whether I accidentally doomed myself by not going full INT mage.
Just... sleep.
Which, honestly, might be the best power-up so far.
After what felt like five minutes—or five centuries, I couldn't tell—I finally stirred from sleep...
ALERT!
ALERT!
Radiation of Chaos detected.
Emergency Dungeon Entry Imminent.
Would you like to enter?
[YES] [NO]
Except the NO button was grayed out. Because of course it was. I was literally sleeping how was I supposed to opt out of danger while unconscious?
Still, some part of me was semi-aware, like I was dreaming but also not. The screen hovered in my vision like a glowing threat, and since "no" was off-limits, I did the only thing I could do: I tapped YES.
Instantly, a jolt zipped through my body, like someone hit the respawn button on my soul.
Suddenly, I jolted awake.
So yeah. Emergency Dungeon. While asleep.
Because apparently, rest is for people who aren't being targeted by cosmic game designers with a flair for drama.
The space around me? Definitely not my room.
The bed creaked under me like it hadn't seen a mattress upgrade since the dinosaur era. The walls were cracked, the furniture looked like it had escaped from a haunted museum, and everything smelled faintly of mold and grandma's attic.
I sat up fast, heart pounding.
"Okay," I muttered.
"This is... not great."
Before I could even finish wondering where I was, I heard it, this low, rattling clack-clack-clack noise coming from the hallway.
Then came the notification:
[Emergency Quest: BONES TO PICK]
Objective: Defeat 10 Skeletons
Reward: ?? (Depends on how many limbs you keep intact)
Failure: Death. Probably.
"Oh, fantastic," I groaned. "Zombies would've been too cliché, huh?"
Another sound, this time closer. A bony foot scraped across the wooden floor.
I turned just in time to see the first skeleton shuffle into the room, holding what looked suspiciously like a rusted spoon.
Great. I was about to be murdered by a medieval kitchen utensil.
Strangest thing? I wasn't even scared. No racing heart, no sweaty palms. Just… mild curiosity. Like I was watching someone else play a game and yelling bad advice from the couch.
The skeleton clacked its way toward me, spoon raised like it meant business.
"Really?" I said out loud. "You couldn't at least give me a sword wielding mini-boss? I feel kinda insulted."
[DANGER: Combat Imminent]
Tip: Improvised weapons are still weapons. Good luck!
My eyes darted around the room. Moldy bed? Nope. Broken chair? Hmm. I lunged, grabbed a wooden leg, and snapped it free. The end was jagged and splintered, perfect for undead dental work.
The skeleton lunged, spoon-first.
I sidestepped, swung with my makeshift club, and crack!
Its skull flew off like a baseball.
[Skeleton Defeated! 1/10]
XP Gained: +10
Loot: Rusted Spoon (Junk)
"Oh yeah," I grinned. "Still got it."
Then the walls creaked. Floorboards groaned. And I heard it—more rattling. A lot more.
The hallway echoed like a xylophone being murdered. Clack. Clack. Clack-clack.
A whole marching band of clackity death headed my way.
A second skeleton rounded the corner, dragging a rusty broom like it owed him money.
"Is this a janitor-themed dungeon?" I muttered. "Do I fight a mop boss at the end?"
[DANGER: Multiple Hostiles Detected]
Tip: You're not Bruce Lee. Maybe try not fighting them all at once?
Too late.
Two more skeletons clattered in behind the first, forming a line like they were waiting for coffee.
I backed into the room, heart thumping, eyes scanning for anything useful.
Rotted desk. Broken mirror. Old dresser. Definitely cursed.
Then I saw it a fire poker. Metal. Pointy end. Jackpot.
I dropped the chair leg and yanked it free just as the first skeleton lunged.
CLANG!
Fire poker met ribcage. Bones exploded like bad LEGO.
[Skeleton Defeated! 2/10]
XP Gained: +10
Loot: None. He broke. Like your GPA.
I didn't have time to be insulted. The other two rushed in, flanking me like they'd taken a tactics seminar.
I pivoted, swinging wide, and clocked one in the pelvis. It collapsed with a mournful clatter, hip bones scattering like poker chips.
[Skeleton Defeated! 3/10]
XP Gained: +10
Loot: Partial Skeleton Pelvis (Gross)
The last one jabbed with its broom.
I dodged.
Barely.
The bristles grazed my cheek. It wasn't painful, just degrading.
"Did you just sweep at me?"
I jabbed back, aiming for the skull.
Missed.
It headbutted me.
Let me say that again: a literal skeleton headbutted me.
"OH ... COME ON "
I slammed the fire poker downward, shattering its cranium with extreme prejudice.
[Skeleton Defeated! 4/10]
XP Gained: +10
Loot: Broomstick (Junk, probably haunted)
I was breathing hard. Sweaty. Sore.
Still no real weapon.
Still six more to go.
And no way out but forward.
"Okay," I said, tightening my grip. "This is fine. This is totally normal."
Then the next wave showed up.
Only this time, they brought friends.
Two skeletons were armed with what looked like… bones?
"Are you dual-wielding your own limbs?!" I shouted.
No answer, obviously. Just more rattling and murder-intent.
I took a shaky breath and dashed forward, channeling every P.E. dodgeball trauma into pure adrenaline.
I ducked a swinging femur. Slid under a flying tibia. Jabbed my pole through a ribcage like I was assembling Ikea furniture with rage.
One down.
Another.
Another.
[Skeleton Defeated! 5… 6… 7!]
XP Gained: +30
Loot: Skull Helmet (Looks cool, smells terrible)
The last three came at once. Classic final-wave energy. I was flagging. My arm ached. My vision swam.
This was it.
Time to get creative.
I ducked behind the dresser and kicked it over, crushing one skeleton beneath it with a dramatic crunch.
The other two flanked me, bone clubs raised.
I grabbed the mirror off the wall and chucked it.
It shattered against one's face, and while it did nothing, the surprise gave me just enough time to grab the busted desk drawer and slam it into the last skeleton like I was handing in an overdue homework assignment.
[Skeletons Defeated! 8… 9… 10!]
XP Gained: +30
[Skeleton Defeated! 10/10]
[Quest Complete: Skeleton Cleanup Crew]
Rewards: +150 XP
Level up!
+5 Free Stat Point
+5 Free Skill Point
All stat +1 ( except luck, come on you can't buy luck )
+1 minor HP potion
40 Ancient Coins
Assortment of bones ( for alchemy?)
Bone club x 2
I collapsed onto the broken floorboards, panting, limbs shaking.
"Is this what cardio feels like? I hate it."
Kyle (Lv. 4)
Title(s):
* Savior of School Belle from Banana
* Effect: +1 DEX when equipped
* Mom's Favorite Minion
* Effect: Mom will have more chores for you.
HP: 190/190
MP: 190/190
SP: 190/190
Stats:
* STR: 9 (+1 from Level Up)
* VIT: 9 (+1 from Level Up)
* DEX: 12 (+1 from Level Up)
* INT: 9 (+1 from Level Up)
* WIS: 8 (+1 from Level Up)
* LUK: 10 ( Nothing Change)
Unassigned Skill Points: 17
Unassigned Stat Points: 17
Important Skills...
* Appraisal (Lv. 2): View basic info of objects and people. Higher level reveals more detail.
* Running (Lv. 1): +5% speed while running.
System Notes:
* Survived an unexpected "Emergency Dungeon" in his sleep.
* Currently smells faintly of dust and undead.
* Has a strong suspicion that the "Almighty System Sama!" has a weird sense of humor (and possibly a grudge against sleep).
* Still has no idea what to do with 17 shiny, tempting stat and skill points.( His skill are just noob. )