The rest of Tyler's shift went smoothly.
After closing shop, all that was left to do was go home.
It was around 10 pm.
"What a long day..." Tyler sighed. "Made good money though."
Getting beaten up and messed with by a crazy old man were really the only wrinkles.
Work was neutral.
'Got to see Sofia and Fiona... That was nice of them.' Tyler thought while walking home. 'Yeah, it was nice of them...'
The old man's words suddenly resurfaced like a curse echoing in his head.
You're surrounded by multiple women, aren't you? Women that you haven't made a move on, women that you won't even admit to liking... But deep down, you crave them, you want them.
'I don't know what that was about.' He scratched his head while letting out a sigh. 'In a way, I guess he had a point-'
Tyler's thought was interrupted as a nearby bush shook.
"Huh?"
Before he could approach it, the same old man leaped out of the bush, punched him in the face, and knocked him out.
'What the... Fuck...' Tyler fell unconscious.
***
Tyler's eyes suddenly opened as he took a deep inhale. For an instant, his eyes shone golden.
"What the hell was that?!"
He looked around, only to find himself...
"Huh? I'm... At home?"
Not only was Tyler at home, but he was in bed, tucked under his blanket, out of his work clothes, wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts, like he usually did every night to go to sleep..
"What the fuck...?" He grumbled while rubbing his face. "Was that a dream or something? Why can't I remember getting home..."
Tyler's words trailed off as an unfamiliar sound resonated.
[Ding!]
With that sound, a strong feeling of dizziness and light-headedness came, knocking Tyler out cold once again.
***
At exactly midnight, Tyler's eyes opened again.
"What...?"
Floating words were above him.
[You have been granted a personalized, tailor-made System.]
[The System you have been granted has been named the "Not yours To Reap" System.]
The acronym went over Tyler's head.
[The "Not yours To Reap" System will help you reap what you haven't sown.]
'The fuck is that supposed to mean?' He thought with a frown, before shaking his head and rubbing his eyes.
[While you might not have planted the seed, you can still reap the fruit.]
[That is the philosophy of the System you have been granted.]
The sleepiness only made it more difficult to accept and understand what was happening.
[You have reaped a beating despite not having planted the seed that brought on that beating.]
"You mean this is that old bum's doing?"
[The person you refer to as such is no old bum.]
[In any case, you should accept this gift, and use it for your benefit.]
"Is this also another seed that I didn't plant?" Tyler chuckled as he sat up, deciding to go along with the absurdity for now.
The possibility that he would wake up was still there after all.
[You can start by checking your Stats.]
"Alright, show them to me." Tyler said, amused.
[Your Stats are split into four categories.]
[1-Facial Stats.]
[2-Physical Stats.]
[3-Combative Stats.]
[4-Charisma Stats.]
[All Facial Stats have a maximum value of 25 and a minimum value of 1.]
[10 is the average value for Facial Stats.]
"Okay, show me my Facial Stats."
[Facial Stats:
-Hair: 15
-Jaw: 14
-Eyes: 14
-Chin: 14
-Nose: 13
-Lips: 13
-Teeth: 16
-Harmony: 15
--Comprehensive Evaluation: 15
]
"So basically my face is a 15 out of 25, huh? Above average, but not by much." Tyler nodded. "I would agree."
[With a worldwide average of 10 and a Comprehensive Evaluation of 15, that would put you in the top 20% of the male population in terms of Facial Stats.]
"So, one in five people. Now that you mention it, I guess that's better than I thought." Tyler nodded, hand on his chin. "Show me the Physical Stats."
[Physical Stats:
-Height: 184cm
-Weight: 81kg
-Bodyfat Percentage: 18%
-Skin Health: Average
-Bone Structure: Above Average
--Comprehensive Evaluation: B.]
"What are the ranks for Skin Health, Bone Structure, and Comprehensive Evaluation?"
[Skin Health Ranks: Horrible, Bad, Mediocre, Average, Above Average, Good, Perfect.]
[Bone Structure: Bad, Average, Good, Ideal.]
[Comprehensive Evaluation: D~S.]
"Hm... What makes my Bone Structure Above Average and not Good?"
[While your shoulders are wide enough, your hips could be narrower for a better look.]
[Other bone proportions also come into play.]
"My hips could be narrower?" Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Not everyone is born with a bone Christmas tree, you know?"
[How you were born has no importance when having a System.]
"You're saying... That I could actually change these things?"
[Correct.]
"How so?" Tyler asked immediately.
If he had the choice to change anything, Tyler would choose to lose the few kilograms he had gained in the past six months, as well as the blackheads he's had over his nose all his life.
Those kilograms had hidden his abs completely, and hurt his confidence immensely.
[Would you like to generate a Quest now?]
Tyler's eyes narrowed.
'It's saying now, which means that I can do it later.' He thought for a bit before shaking his head. "Show me the rest of my Stats first."
[Warning!]
[Quest available.]
[Time Limit to generate the Quest: 10 minutes.]
"So, as long as I tell you to generate the Quest in the next ten minutes, it'll be fine?"
[Correct.]
"Alright, then show me the Stats."
[Note that Combative Stats are often a mix of Technique and Explosiveness.]
[Average: 10.]
[There is no real maximum, but most will tap out at 30.]
[Combative Stats:
-Strength: 12
-Speed: 10
-Agility: 10
-Perception: 13
-Endurance: 14
-Striking: 15
-Kicking: 11
-Grappling: 12
-Dodging: 9
-Defense: 9
--Comprehensive Evaluation: 13
]
'I guess that's what I get for not working out for six months straight...' Remembering the beating he took, mediocre Dodging and Defense, as well as a 15 in Striking, made perfect sense. 'Like the old bum said, my punches made three of them unable to walk straight afterward.'
[Charisma Stats range from 1 to 25, with 10 being the average.]
[Charisma Stats:
-Voice: 12
-Posture: 10
-Composure: 9
--Comprehensive Evaluation: 11
]
A nice enough voice.
Average posture, which meant bad posture.
Below average composure. 'Tsk...' Tyler scratched his head. 'I guess I do get nervous.'
[A fifth Stat Category exists, but is unavailable so far.]
[Use SPs, or System Points, to unlock the Category.]
"System Points, huh? Well..." Tyler's lips curled upwards. "Tell me about that Quest."