+4 Strength Allotted.
+1 Stamina Allotted.
Sleep Mode ready to be engaged.
The system's mechanical voice rang in my head, filling the silence of my dorm. My heart thudded as I stared at the prompt, unsure if picking my "stats" even did anything.
Sleep mode? As if I could sleep now. After everything I'd learned, I could barely even breathe, let alone fall asleep.
I rubbed my temples, trying to process. Strength? Stamina? What the hell was this system doing to me, and was I supposed to just go along with it?
The system had called it a "Doomcycle". I had no idea what that meant, but the idea of dying again and having to start over was far from reassuring.
Still, the change was very noticeable. I could feel it already- just a slight pulse of power in my arms, and a rush in my legs that felt foreign but somehow... not bad.
The fact that I was the one who chose my stats left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Whatever this thing was, I was playing by its rules.
I took a deep breath, and distracted myself by looking around my room.
This place, my dorm, had always been my peace. In the corner stood a large wooden shelf with various manga series lined up neatly.
I had always found myself drawn to stories. With a world like this, the idea of escaping into the imagination of someone else was always truly magical.
No matter what hazing I had to deal with at Blackwell, snide remarks from Camden or others on the football team, or the loneliness I felt at night on my shifts, these stories were always waiting, always ready to keep me company.
But now it felt like my solace was being interrupted by all of this supernatural crap.
My chest tightened as frustration started to rise, pushing out the panic.
"What the hell man?!" I shouted out to no one, banging the side of my fist into my wall.
CRACK!
"H-huh?"
The wall had split under my hand, a deep crack running up to the corner. I stared at it, blinking in disbelief. How hard had I hit it? That... that shouldn't have happened. The wall wasn't made of paper.
I pulled my hand back, eyes wide. Too much power, too fast. I was definitely not that fucking strong.
Then again, the system didn't exactly feel like it was asking for permission to change me.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Hey you good in there?"
The voice was a woman's; soft, almost nervous, but vaguely familiar.
I opened my door without thinking.
An girl with orange hair around my age stood in the hallway, one hand on her hip. I think her name was Maya? She was my next-door neighbor, another Blackwell student. I had seen her in passing, but I'd only exchanged a few greetings with her.
Pretty girls like her were scary after all.
She looked a little out of breath, like she'd ran over here, but when she saw me standing there, her eyes went wide, blood rushing to her face.
And then I remembered.
Shit.
I was standing there in nothing but my underwear. I hadn't even thought about changing after my shower...
But she hadn't said anything yet so maybe she didn't care?
My pride felt a sting as my mind raced.
"What the...?" she took a small step forward, looking me up and down.
I stared at her, my feet glued to the floor. I pressed my lips together silently pleading for this moment to just end.
"What the hell?!" she said, her voice way too loud.
I immediately fumbled, grabbing my towel that was hanging up on the bathroom door, trying to make myself presentable without making the situation worse.
"Uh... sorry I forgot to ch-change," I stammered, not sure what else to say. I wasn't sure if I should slam the door in embarrassment.
But Maya wasn't done, and she just kept staring at me, her eyes flicking between my head and my chest.
She didn't even try to hide her shock. "You're like jacked now?" she, questioned, furrowing her brow like she was trying to solve an unanswerable question. "What happened? Have you been hiding this under those trash bags you like to call clothes?"
I just stood there mouth agape. Did this girl really just say that?
"I er... that was mean, wasn't it?" her voice trailed off as she scratched her cheek with her finger.
The way she said it wasn't cruel, just blunt. The heat in my face surged again, annoyance mixed with my embarrassment.
"Listen, I'm good, so you can go now alright?"
I swallowed a lump in my throat. This was just getting worse and worse. I could barely even make eye contact.
"Um, alright then," she sighed, before slowly raising a finger pointing behind me. "Mind explaining that?"
I hesitantly turned my head, sweat falling as I saw the mess I had made. The corner of my dorm had a hand sized gash cutting clean through the wall.
"...oh yeah."
That was all I could manage. The wall looked like it had been attacked by a crowbar.
Maya's eyes darted between the crack and me, her expression shifting from confusion... to disbelief... to something close to amusement.
"Did you-" she pointed again, "punch your wall?"
"I...it wasn't- I didn't mean to."
The corners of her mouth twitched upward. "Dude..."
"What?"
"There's a whole-ass crater in your drywall."
"I know," I muttered.
"And you made that. With your hand."
"I know!"
I ran my hands through my hair letting out an annoyed sigh, wishing I could evaporate into steam. What was I supposed to tell her? "Oh hey funny story, I died and came back stronger and now I have a hologram following me around, but it's also in my head. And by the way, the world is ending in 90 days."
Yeah. No. I wasn't suicidal enough to sound insane on purpose.
Maya crossed her arms. "Okay," she finally said, "so you open the door in your underwear, your wall has a huge hole in it, and you're telling me everything is fine?"
I shot up a glare. "I didn't mean fine. I meant you can leave."
Her eyebrows shot up. "You're awfully forward. I assumed you were the type to get all shy and dainty around a pretty lady. Instead, you're just a rude guy, aren't you?"
I opened my mouth to defend myself, then shut it. She wasn't wrong. I was being an ass to someone who was checking on my well-being... even if she had long overstayed her welcome. But today had been... a lot.
A lot.
Maya exhaled, softening a little. Her voice lost the teasing edge. "Hey. I'm not trying to make fun of you. I was just worried. You hit something hard enough to shake my room."
She tapped her heel awkwardly, her voice lowering, "And it gets quiet at night, so... loud noises kinda freak me out. I was just checking, okay?"
I looked at the ground, embarrassed at the kindness she was showing me. "Thanks." I mumbled.
Gently she brought a finger below my chin, raising it until my eyes met her own.
"Get some rest yeah? And whatever is going on... you don't have to handle it alone. Even though we just met, knock on my door any time you need someone to listen to ya." And with those warm words, she flashed me a bright smile.
A warmth rushed into my chest. A girl, way out of my league, was now treating me like I was someone important.
And then she ruined the moment by blurting...
"Also put on pants."
And she shut the door behind her.
I listened to Maya and put on some sweats, before sinking to the edge of my bed, staring at the crack in the wall like it was judging me.
"...This is getting out of hand."
I looked down at my shirtless torso and noticed abs visible from beneath my skin. I guess allocating stats to my strength significantly changed my physique. If +4 strength did this... what would happen if I made a real mistake? What else inside me was changing?
However, my thoughts began to slow, sleep mode... or whatever, finally hit me like a drug. My body softened, the air conditioning humming faintly, and before I could spiral further, the world dipped into a fuzzy dreamless void.