Chika stood up.

"Don’t tell anyone. I don’t need anyone giving me pointless looks of pity. It’s bad enough that I’d rather give myself to someone I barely know than that jerk." She banged a fist on the table. "He thinks he can just do whatever he wants with me—I don’t enjoy his touch." She sighed. "Maybe this is the pot calling out the kettle. I touched you without your consent with a dumb reason called revenge."

Clyde knew he could invoke a silver tongue. He could take advantage of the poor girl in her momentary weakness just for pleasure, but he wasn’t that kind of person. He didn’t want to get into anyone’s affairs but a few wise words could change a weak heart. That’s what his grandmamma taught him.

"Uhm, well shit," he said, "don’t do this to anyone else. I’m letting it go because I was caught off guard." And she was attractive. "Why not just talk with your father, don't put up with his shit. Tell him how that jackass persistently violates you.

"If you just stand around and pout, rather than actually doing something, the jackass may push until it's rape. If your father truly cares for you, he’ll listen. If he doesn’t, tell another relative, a mother or someone to see if they could help. If that doesn’t work, then grab some things and move in with a friend. Let your father know you’re not some bargaining object for his company.

"Hell, if you have no friends, you could live with me. I don’t care. Don’t just take your fate lying down. You don’t want to be at the point where you’re doing…you know, just to get back at them."

Chika stared at him for a while, eyes intense, then nodded. While he totally didn't mean the part about her living with him, it sounded kind of cool nonetheless. And hey, she may even become a better person... Something about that thought gave him chills.

"No one’s…no one has ever just sat down and talked with me like this before," she said then looked down. The young woman nodded again as if confirming something within herself then looked Clyde in the eyes. "Thank you. I feel like I have the courage to end this tonight." She stood. "Study session’s over I guess. Just text me if you need anything else. You’re a pretty cool guy, so I don’t mind hanging out with you. "

She strolled out the door, her last words being, "see you in the morning."

[Quest completed. You have earned 20 EXP but also a bonus 30 EXP for giving Chika the courage to stand up for herself.]

[Your relationship with Chika has changed from curious to friendly- associate.]

[Congratulations, you have reached level 3! Stats increased! You have learned the passive skill, Heart Protection!]

Clyde smiled, eager to get home to see his stats, but before he could do so, he’d have to return the book he found. He pulled it from his inventory. The title of it made him flinch.

[You have found the book of Magic Line, Energy. Item value: mysterious. Opening this book will teach you the Magic attack: Energy ball. Warning, it will vanish after one use.]

Clyde’s eyes widened. He had found a way to defend himself at last. At least in the case of a fist fight being impossible against certain enemies. Possible monsters like in the games.

He opened the book. It shimmered, turned into golden sparkles that resembled the most amazing snowflakes, and then he knew everything. Just like that.

He wanted to try this power out but restrained himself. No need to cause a stir. He smiled, feeling giddy. All his life, he wished he could shoot powers from his hands like a Dragon Ball Z character or a superhero. The knowledge to do so was now in his head. He’d practice as much as possible to level it up. The only problem now is to get out of Harumi’s sights so that he wouldn’t risk being spotted.

He took the time to read over a few of his other books before tossing them back into his inventory. He made sure not to leave the book Chika took off his lap. Thinking of that moment made him chuckle. This world was insane.

When he arrived at his apartment, he locked all the doors, showered, then got comfortable. It was time to at last view his stats for the day.

Name: Clyde.

Level: 3

Type: Main character/ Stone.

HP: 100%

MP: 100%

Attack: 8

Defense: 6

Speed: 10

Luck: 5

Will: 8

Intellect: 13

Form: 0

Special: ???

Special Abilities: none.

Skills:

-Athlete: 10% bonus to speed and Will [passive].

-Hostile Detection 1: detects hostiles within a certain range of you. [passive].

-Heart Protection 1: you’re 25% less affected by unwanted mental magic or skills from enemies. You gain a 10% bonus to your ability to convince others to do anything that would protect their hearts. [Passive].

Magic:

-Energy Ball. Type: spiritual. Class: mysterious. [Cast]. Cooldown: 2 minutes.

Talent: Main character stuff.

Bonus:

10% boost to relationship stats with Harumi and her friends.

Inventory:

$133

Map of Lot City, Satovia.

Smartphone.

Key.

Reminder for practice- note.

Classes: (year1).

Satovia History 1.

Romance Literature 1.

Sciences 1.

Crafting 1.

Phone numbers:

Chika.

Harumi.

If things continued to go this well, Clyde would get to a respectable level in no time. He could even skip school and set off to find the Viper…Or use the internet, send a calling card, and ambush it.

He returned Harumi’s goodnight text then laid back. What if there were more things for him to do besides killing the Viper?

One step at a time, Clyde supposed. He’d overcome this trial. Get home. Forget this all. Hopefully, this was the only world he needed to learn about.