Kaia stood there, panting in the muck, a mad grin spread across her face as the Field Wyrm now officially renamed Gerald slumped at her feet. Her adrenaline was still running high, magic crackling through her veins like a shot of pure chaos.
"I did it," she whispered to herself, amazed. "I actually did it."
And then, of course, the nosebleed started.
One moment, everything was fine just Kaia, standing tall with her oversized hoodie and battle-worn boots. The next, she felt the telltale wetness trickle down the side of her nose, and she blinked in confusion. It wasn't subtle. There was blood. A lot of blood.
"Oh no," she groaned, tilting her head back to stop it from dripping on her clothes. "I'm turning into one of those anime characters, aren't I?"
[Yep. You're officially one of those tragic, cool-but-awkward protagonists. Enjoy.]
"I was hoping for less bleeding and more... I don't know, a cool aura or something," she muttered, dabbing at her nose with her sleeve.
The world spun slightly. Maybe it was the blood loss. Maybe it was just the adrenaline crash. Either way, Kaia felt the overwhelming urge to collapse.
Then just as her knees wobbled and she thought, Well, this is it. I'm going to pass out in the swamp like a glorified potato.
DING!
A loud, cheerful notification suddenly filled the air. It glowed in bright teal letters, right in front of her face, as if Styme couldn't resist being dramatic.
LEVEL UP NOTIFICATION
[Congratulations! You've reached Level 2! All injuries have been healed.]
[Magic fully restored and enhanced! Stats have been upgraded.]
[Reward: 6,000 Jewels + Gear Voucher . Enjoy your well-earned break!]
"What?!" Kaia exclaimed, blinking rapidly at the screen. Her head was still spinning, but the dizziness was gone. Her body felt oddly fine, like her nose had been magically reset—because it had. She took a deep breath. No more dizziness. No more blood.
[You're welcome.]
"What just happened?" she demanded, but the system wasn't answering her directly. Instead, another window popped up, displaying her updated stats.
USER PROFILE: KAIA VEYRIS
Age: 15Location: Ravelle Marsh, FioreTitle: Underdog of Time (Still)Magic: Chrono-Flux (Unstable)
STATS
Vitality: 50/100 (Pretty solid now.)
Magic Power: 85/100 (Feeling spicy.)
Control: 40/100 (More stable sort of.)
Luck: 99/100 (Do you need a coupon for this?)
Sanity: (Rebooted.)
Footwear: +1 boot status (Look at you, fashion icon.)
NOTES
Potential: Absurdly high.
Training: Less than a rat, but that's charming.
Charm: That's better.
Attitude: 75% Less concerning, still high.
"Okay," Kaia muttered, scrolling through the stats. "What's with all the random, unnecessary comments?"
[I have a lot of feelings, okay? And your foot status is my personal favorite.]
Kaia shook her head and wiped her nose. "I'm not going to question it. I'm just going to roll with it."
[Good. That's progress.]
She glanced back at the monster she had just defeated. Gerald the Field Wyrm. He was still there, looking very much like an unfortunate puddle of scaly mush. Kaia approached it, half-heartedly kicking it with her boot.
"Are you sure that thing's dead? It kind of looks like a wet rug."
[It's dead, Kaia. The game's over.]
Kaia squatted down and poked the wyrm's soft belly. The glistening blue core it had kept inside was now exposed and flickering faintly, almost like it was going to explode. She grabbed it gently, because she wasn't insane and stuffed it in her bag.
"Alright, Gerald," she said with a final pat on its head. "You were the first monster I ever defeated. I'll treasure this moment forever. Probably for the wrong reasons, but still."
She stood, brushing her hands on her pants. Then, as she reached for her pouch of Jewels another notification appeared.
[SYSTEM ALERT: MONSTER STATS]
Field Wyrm (Gerald) - Stats
Level: 2Vitality: 40/100 (Less than you, but still beefy.)
Magic Power: 30/100 (Unstable and disappointing.)
Control: 5/100 (Who gave this guy a driver's license?)
Defensive Strength: 55/100 (Tougher than you thought.)
Offensive Power: 60/100 (It hit like a swamp-sickled tank.)
Notes
Weakness: Time distortions, apparently.
Surprise: Failed to stay in the present.
Preferred Diet: Rabbits, frogs, bad decisions.
"Wait, wait, WAIT!" Kaia exclaimed. "Why didn't you show me this earlier? I've been fighting blind all this time!"
[Laziness. Also, you didn't need to know. It was better for your confidence. It's about the journey, not the stats.]
"What?!" Kaia was livid. "I was fighting blind because you couldn't be bothered to tell me anything?!"
[You're alive. That's what counts.]
"Are you seriously telling me that you didn't want to show me its stats because it might hurt my feelings?!"
[No. I just didn't care.]
"You're impossible," Kaia muttered, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm almost certain I'm being gaslighted by my own magical system."
[You're doing fine. You're the one making the gameplay decisions.]
She took a deep breath, rolling her eyes. "Okay. Fine." She turned away from the wyrm's corpse and began to walk back toward town, still shaking her head at Styme's absurdity.