CHAPTER 2 – STANDING STILL
Daniel Park learned something new that morning.
Standing still was harder than walking.
Walking meant escape. If he kept moving, kept his head down, kept his steps quick, people didn't have time to notice him. Standing still invited attention.
"Daniel."
His homeroom teacher's voice cut through the classroom.
Daniel flinched and stood up too fast, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. A few students turned. Someone laughed quietly.
"Yes, sir," Daniel said, bowing without thinking.
The teacher looked at him for a moment. "Your posture," he said. "You'll hurt your back if you keep slouching."
Daniel froze. "S-Sorry."
"Sit down."
Daniel returned to his seat, face burning. His shoulders curled inward even more.
A faint blue window appeared at the edge of his vision.
Today's Skill Assigned
Posture and Balance – Level 0
Focus: Awareness only
Task: Notice posture five times today
No instructions. No correction. Just notice.
Daniel noticed everything after that.
How his shoulders tightened when someone laughed.
How his head dropped during class.
How his back curved as if trying to disappear.
By lunch, his neck hurt.
He ate alone.
"Why does he sit like that?" someone whispered loudly.
"Looks like he's apologizing for existing."
Laughter followed.
Daniel didn't react. He noticed.
After school, he walked home slower, paying attention to his steps. They dragged. Not because he was tired today, but because he was always tired.
At home, his mother was cooking.
"Do you need help?" he asked quietly.
She smiled, surprised. "Wash the rice."
Another window appeared.
Bonus Skill Interaction Detected
Basic Cooking – Observation Continued
That night, Daniel studied for fifteen minutes without checking his phone.
It felt longer than it should have.
Task Completed
Focused Learning EXP +0.1
No level-ups.
Just effort.
Before sleep, one line appeared.
Consistency matters more than intensity.
Daniel stared at the ceiling and let the words sink in.
End of Chapter
Arc Conclusion Chapter – LONG)
The thought didn't come suddenly.
It came quietly, like a leak in a wall you pretend not to see.
Daniel noticed it during class.
Not during bullying.
Not during laughter.
During silence.
He was staring at the blackboard when it happened.
What if I wasn't here?
Not dead.
Just… not here.
The thought scared him because it felt calm.
That day, the system assigned no physical skill.
Instead, a rare notification appeared.
Daily Skill Assigned
Environmental Awareness – Level 0
Task: Observe where stress comes from
Daniel didn't understand it.
Stress was everywhere. That was obvious.
But the system didn't want answers. It wanted observation.
Logan Lee pushed him after class.
Not hard. Not angry.
Casual.
Like it meant nothing.
"Move," Logan said.
Daniel moved.
He noticed something.
His heart didn't race anymore.
It just sank.
At lunch, someone took his seat on purpose.
Daniel stood with his tray until a teacher told him to sit elsewhere.
He noticed something else.
No matter what he did, the result stayed the same.
At home, his mother talked about bills while cooking.
Daniel washed dishes quietly.
He noticed something else.
She looked tired in a way he couldn't fix.
That night, he wrote in his notebook. Just one sentence.
"I am the problem here."
The system logged it.
Reflection Recorded
Emotional Accuracy: High
Self-blame detected
Daniel didn't cry.
He didn't feel angry.
He felt trapped.
Days passed.
Skills rotated.
Basic Coordination during PE.
He failed publicly.
Learned privately.
Rhythm Awareness when music played in class.
He counted beats in his head instead of insults.
Cooking tasks became repetition, not learning.
Nothing changed outside.
But inside, something dangerous formed.
Calculation.
If effort doesn't change the environment…
Then the environment must change.
Daniel didn't want revenge.
Didn't want dominance.
He wanted oxygen.
The breaking day came quietly.
Logan didn't even touch him.
Someone posted an edited photo online.
Comments piled up.
Laughing emojis.
Pig jokes.
Kill yourself.
Daniel stared at the screen for a long time.
Then he turned it off.
At home, he packed without emotion.
His mother noticed too late.
"Daniel?" Her voice shook. "What are you doing?"
"I can't stay here," he said.
Not dramatic. Not angry.
"I'll break if I do."
She tried to argue.
He didn't raise his voice.
He just explained.
Slowly. Clearly.
Like a conclusion reached after many failed experiments.
That night, the system appeared one last time for this arc.
Major Decision Detected
This system does not interfere with fate
Survival choice acknowledged
No advice.
No comfort.
Just acknowledgment.
Daniel lay down and slept.
The next morning, he would wake up somewhere else.
Not stronger.
Not better.
Just removed from the pressure that was killing him.
And that was enough.
End of Arc 1