By the time Judas dragged himself across the UNLV courtyard the next morning, he looked like a sleep-deprived extra from a zombie film.
Hoodie up. Hands in pockets. Backpack hanging open. He was a certified background character.
He kept to himself at UNLV. Always had. He didn't join clubs or talk in lecture halls. He sat alone in the back row, studied occasionally, and blended into the environment like a poorly installed texture.
Today was supposed to be the same.
He pushed open the door to his 8 a.m. arithmetic class and—
Sitting in the third row, legs crossed, wearing a black choker and a UNLV hoodie that was three sizes too small,
…was Sera.
She waved.
A few students glanced at her, then at Judas. Their expressions were pure confusion.
"Why's she waving at that guy?" one guy whispered. It was as if a girl like Sera giving him attention broke the fundamental laws of logic.
Judas walked over, his pulse spiking. He knew every face in this class because he spent twelve weeks avoiding them. There was no way in hell Sera should be sitting there as if she was a UNLV student.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Judas hissed.
Sera patted the seat beside her playfully smirking as if enjoying his reaction. "Come sit. I'm enrolled now."
"No you're not. You weren't here yesterday."
"Yesterday and today are different days," she said innocently.
"That's not— Sera, that's not an explanation. It's the fucking middle of the semester…!"
He reluctantly sat, looking around like someone might call security on the strange new girl. No one did. A guy even smiled at her.
She leaned toward Judas.She was so close that he could feel the heat radiating off of her skin. Her voice was low and amused. "The system aligned reality."
"Aligned reality?"
"Yes. Because I'm your Guide, I require proximity. So the system wrote me into your environment. What's a guide if she can't be close to her player?" She shrugged. "So, now I'm a student. I have a transcript, a GPA, and a very expensive meal plan."
He stared at her like she'd just announced she was ending the world. "You forged an academic record."
She shook her head. "The system edited cause and effect. In everyone's head, I've always been here. You're just the only one who remembers the truth."
"Sera. That is so much worse."
"Truth isn't my department," she said with a smile. "I'm just here to help my favorite gambler."
"That's debatable. Part of me feels like you're enjoying this a little too much. What are you, exactly?"
"Tsk tsk, new players can't get end-game spoilers at the start."
The professor entered with a stack of midterms, dropping them onto the desk with the enthusiasm of a man who hated his life.
"Phones away. Eyes forward. Test begins in two minutes."
Judas groaned inwardly. He hadn't studied. He wasn't going to pass. A system death game AND a midterm in one week was rediculous.
There is no god.
Sera nudged him. Her knee pressed against his thigh and stayed there. "Don't forget about your quest. Far more important than those pieces of paper."
He glared. "I wanted to forget."
"When you win a jackpot like you did last night, you must complete a quest to claim rewards. Your first major quest is starting soon. Then it's tick tock."
His fingers tightened around his pencil. "Sera, I swear—"
The classroom door opened again.
Amelia Hart walked in. She was UNLV's golden girl. The campus idol.
She had blonde curls that looked like they belonged in a shampoo commercial and perfect posture that made every other girl in the room look slouchy. Her face was a masterpiece of "pure" beauty.
Judas sat up straighter out of reflex, yanking his leg away from Sera. People reacted when Amelia entered a room. It was a law of UNLV.
Sera hummed. "Pretty, right?"
"Don't start," Judas muttered.
A soft chime stabbed into his ears. Then another.
[JUDAS CROWN – FIRST MAJOR QUEST LOADED]
[ROUND 1 OBJECTIVE INITIALIZED]
[DIFFICULTY: NORMAL]
[TIME LIMIT: 5 DAYS]
His pencil slipped from his hands as shimmering letters overtook his vision.
[TARGET: AMELIA HART]
[OBJECTIVE: MAKE HER FALL]
[TIME REMAINING: 5 DAYS]
[FAILURE: PENALTY]
[PENALTY: NOT DISCLOSED]
[REWARD: CLAIM JACKPOT - (CHEAT ABILITY UNDISCLOSED), 441XP]
Judas' jaw unhinged.
Sera, of course, looked delighted. "Oh look," she whispered, "there she is. Your first target."
Judas whispered hoarsely, "THAT'S the quest?! THAT'S the major quest?! I have to make Amelia Hart fall for me? I'm a nobody!"
The UI faded before new letters formed:
[QUEST BEGIN.]
Amelia turned slightly as she walked past his row. Her eyes were a piercing, judgemental green. She stopped for a second, her gaze sweeping over Judas and the purple haired girl sitting way too close to him.
"Staring is a bit rude, you know." Her words were harsh and unwavering. " You should probably focus on your test instead of flirting. I don't recall ever seeing your name in the class rankings." Amelia huffed indignantly as she looked at Sera with a hint of pure, elitist disdain.
"Tch. As high and mighty as the rumors say." Judas snapped back. The stress of the system was finally making him reckless.
Amelia paused. She looked pleasantly surprised that a "background character" had the balls to match her tone. A small, mischievous smile played on her lips.
"Try not to fail, NEET."
With a flick of her golden hair, she paced through the class and sat down with poise, all eyes on her just like always.
Sera leaned back, smug as ever. She hooked her foot around Judas's ankle under the desk.
"Well, my little player, I'm not sure if that was the best start," she murmured. "The challenge will be fun though."
Judas looked at the midterm on his desk and then at the shimmering quest marker over Amelia's head.
He was so, so completely doomed.