Chapter 9

Dan hurt. A lot. As he sat in his bedroom, mindlessly watching television, he could feel just how sore his body was. Peter had not been kidding when he’d said they were going to work for another hour. Even worse, just like Dan had worried, his stamina did not hold out. Even worse, apparently, once his stamina hit certain levels, debuffs were applied to him.

The first debuff hit when he dropped below 50% of his stamina. It had flashed across his vision, causing him to miss one of the balls Peter had tossed to him. Which was unfortunate, because he was at 9 good hits in a row, and every time he got 10 in a row Peter had promised to give him a minute break. So, not only was the debuff an inconvenience, it also stopped him from getting a quick breather.

His debuff at 50% had applied a 5% decrease to his strength, dexterity, and constitution. And while those stats didn’t have any points in them, it just meant he went negative. So whatever his baseline was, it went under that, and he could feel himself grow a little more sluggish, the racquet a little heavier in his hand.

Still, it wasn’t enough to really cause a noticeable difference in his performance. While it wasn’t ideal to be playing any sport when you were tired to that degree, it wasn’t unheard of. Dan figured it was similar to how he’d start to feel towards the end of a soccer game. Where his feet just wouldn’t respond quite as quickly as he demanded them. It was something you got used to, and worked around.

The next debuff, at 25% of his stamina, was a little more problematic. That debuff was a 25% decrease to his physical traits. He felt that one, and it sucked. Still, even as his breathing intensified, as he gasped for air, fighting to swing the racquet just as Peter had shown him, the senior continued on with his training. By the time Peter tossed the final ball, Dan’s Stamina was sitting at 5 of his 105 allotted points. He was exhausted. And yet, he still had to pick up all the tennis balls, and Peter had told him to return tomorrow after school, to continue their training.

All of this played through Dan’s mind again and again as he sat in bed. His arms screamed at him. Sure, he played soccer, he was fit, but this was different. He’d used parts of his body he wasn’t used to, and put more strain on them than he’d ever expected. Those hours of tennis practice had pushed him to his limit. And tomorrow, he was supposed to do it all again.

On the plus side, as he sat there, the television randomly flickering as he looked through his stats, he could at least see a tangible gain for his struggles. His forehand trait had leveled up to 5, and his top spin was sitting at 4. Apparently, just like in most video games, each level took more experience to master. Still, getting where he had in a single day had to be impressive. With that thought though, he turned his focus away from his sore body, and to a more pressing matter. He had some questions that needed answering.

“You there Syn?” He said quietly. The other reason he had the television on was to hopefully mask his voice. Dan figured it was probably a good idea not to have his dad thinking he was talking to himself. Especially after his concussion.

Well, that completely depends on the definition of ‘there’. The snarky voice responded in his head. Technically, I’m here, not there. And yet, I’m sure your intention was to ask whether or not I was around for you to ask questions. At which point, probably asking if I was available would have been more appropriate. Then again, available has different connotations as well. Don’t you just love language? So much fun, so easy to twist things. Seriously, I’ve always had fun conversing in such a manner.

Dan let out an irritated sigh. As always, Syn was going to make this more difficult than it needed to be. Whatever Syn was, it was extremely apparent the individual was getting quite a bit of amusement out of this whole situation. “Well, whatever.” Dan muttered. “I’ve some questions for you.”

And let me guess, you want answers to those questions too yeah? Seriously, speak more clearly. Though, I’m hurt. Is that all I am to you? A source for answers? Then again, I suppose that is usually why people speak aloud in an empty room. Searching for answers, hoping for a response. Really, not too strange when you think about it huh?

Syn was apparently in fine form today. If Dan had to guess, Syn was bored. He also couldn’t hear the other voices that normally floated around the background when Syn spoke. Meaning if Dan had to guess, Syn’s ‘friends’ or whatever they were, were currently absent. So, for once, Dan actually had Syn’s full attention. Which, was actually seeming to be more of a problem than a boon.

“Answers would be nice.” Dan responded. “After all, it’s kind of your fault I’m in this situation.”

Hey. I wasn’t the truck operator. And I told you, the truck method, before you, had never failed. Not my fault. If everything had gone to plan, you’d currently be in a magical world fighting against a demon lord’s forces in order to free the civilization, win over the princess’s heart, and you know, have a happily ever after, while bemoaning your longing to return to your mundane existence on Earth.

That…sounded like every isekai anime Dan had ever watched. Yet, given the bizarre nature of this situation, he was getting a feeling those things actually happened. Which, opened up another string of questions that Dan doubted Syn would answer. If there was one thing the voice in his head liked to do…it was dance around just being helpful.

“First, what are bonuses?” That was the biggest question he had currently. Considering it had come with the fastest set of growth he’d experienced so far with this strange magical system that was now a part of him.

Bonuses are extra things, obviously. Nice little boons you get for reaching certain goals and tiers. It went quiet for a split second. Let’s see here. Syn mumbled lightly in Dan’s head. I’m assuming you’re curious because you unlocked an Ambition Bonus today yeah? Look at you go, growing your ambition. See, you would have been a right proper adventurer. Such a waste… Syn trailed off, leaving Dan to sit there for a long moment, waiting for the voice to respond.

But nope, instead you’ve just got magical powers on Earth, and you’re using them to get good at tennis. Which, I still think could turn out quite amusing, so please, don’t stop doing that. Syn chuckled. Any who, I digress. A lot of your traits and skills have thresholds that will unlock bonuses when you break them. Some are set at every 10, some every 20, some every 25, and a few are set at just the 50 and 100 mark. Currently, you can’t see what the thresholds are, because your power is still at level one. The more you use it, and the more skills you unlock and level up, eventually you will level up your power as well. As that evolves, you will be able to see more about your own skills and powers, and really be able to take full advantage of what you’ve gained. I’m going to guess you’ll hit Rank 2 in a week or two, if you keep these things up. So yeah, I’ll explain more on that one later. Next question?

Dan had to admit, that was actually more information than he’d expected to receive from the voice in his head. In fact, he was wondering if he could take advantage of the rambling Syn to learn even more about what was going on. Because while a lot of what Syn was saying was nonsense, and spoken extremely quickly, Dan was still picking out additional details.

“How can I increase my physical and mental traits? And what does aptitude do?” He shot gunned those questions, hoping to keep Syn going.

Those traits are usually increased by using them, or bonuses. There are active and passive ways to grow them as well. Sitting around in school, doing your learning, has obviously been slowly growing your mental traits. That’s why you could see experience gain going on them. When you sleep tonight, your body will reset, and apply any of the experience you’ve earned from the day into the traits as well. For instance, I’m sure you’re going to wake up with a nice little bonus to your physical traits. And lucky for you, you’re young, and you have magical powers! So, you won’t have to suffer like a normal person would. Because let’s be honest…normally you would be barely able to move tomorrow after a workout like that. Syn made the clicking sound with his tongue. Truly, it’s like you’ve got cheat codes activated now. So unfair. The way he spoke, Dan was pretty sure Syn was smirking. The being was amused by all of this.

“Thanks, what about-“ Before Dan could ask another question, Syn cut him off.

Nah, that’s it for today Danny boy. You caught me bored on break. I’m heading back to the office now, and I’m not about to give you any more freebies. I’ve got a reputation to uphold after all. Can’t be seen as going soft. But you amuse me, so I figured I’d toss you a little extra help today. Not to mention, I’m mildly impressed by how you’ve been embracing all of this. So, yeah. Have fun, and keep amusing me. Who knows, if you do enough, I may even see about giving you some fun gifts. Toodles. And with that, Dan got the sudden sense Syn was gone.

“Well, that was somewhat helpful.” Dan said quietly as he pulled his stats up once more. He skimmed through everything, checking his stats, making a mental note of where everything was. If what Syn had said was correct, when he went to bed, the ‘system’ would somehow allot any experience he’d gained through the day to his stats, potentially increasing them. If he had to guess, it was similar to some of the video games he’d played, where certain things increased a skill immediately, while others required a long rest to apply. Which was going to be a pain to figure out.

With that thought, Dan turned down the volume on the tv and turned off the lights. He didn’t really have any reason to stay up late, and his body really was sore. If his new powers were going to wipe away the pain when he woke up…well, there was definitely no reason to prolong his suffering. And with that thought, Dan closed his eyes, losing himself to the sweet escape of sleep.