New Game - Chapter 2
Imported from SF2 with no description.
Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter took a while to make... there were some thing's that I wanted to think about and changed with the story. (I also was procrastinating, so there's that too...)
I decided to change the name of the story since I think "New Game" is a way and it fits given the context of this chapter. Also in chapter 1, I decided to change Callum having amnesia, he doesn't anymore. I thought that this would be best for me in the long run. Also that the doctor didn't check up on him yet.
This chapter may be a bit rough since I was off and on it during the month, so bare with me.
Anyway! Here's chapter 2!
'This sucks... why couldn't he stay in a coma...' Claire huffed to herself as she walked through the door to hell.
She knows it sounds mean to wish for something like that on a person, but for someone like Callum? It was completely justified. Callum's the worst, plain and simple. It's like he's a nightmarish mix of an overbearing karen and a whiny, psychotic, needy child. Just by imagining that image, you can already get an idea of the type of insane(IIIIII) person Callum is. If you knew the type of things that he has done, you would wish for the same thing as her.
There was one time at the mall where Callum wanted some new clothes but couldn't and caused a whole scene, forcing her mom to buy it so he can calm down. Later that day, she found a video of it on TikTok with the title “Average Human Moment". The video went viral and everyone talked about it at school, and Claire never wanted to disappear in her life.
Another time, her dad and brother needed help carrying something that needed three people. Claire and her mom weren't home, so they tried asking Callum for help, but were immediately hit with excuses and decided not to get his help. Her dad had to wear a foot cast for months…
And let's not forget the one time where an unpopular girl got a lot of attention from everyone when she almost got assaulted one night since everyone was sorry for her. Of course Callum was jealous that someone other than him is getting more attention. So he “bright" idea to one up her and faked about being SEXUALLY ASSAULTED of all things just so he gets the attention! That was just…a nightmare to deal with.
So yes, Claire won't hold back how happy she was when he was put into a coma, his bullshit finally caught up with him and he got punished for it. It was nice not having to deal with him and his antics for an entire week. They all deserve a break and some peace and quiet after dealing with him for so long.
'Of course, all good things must come to an end eventually… It was nice while it lasted…' She sullenly told herself, looking at the hospital bed that holds her living nightmare.
Hearing the door opening, Callum looks towards the door and sees us coming into the room. The doctor spoke up.
“Hello there, Mr Jones. I'm doctor Miller, It's good to finally see you up! How are you feeling?." Doctor Miller said with a smile.
Callum stares, not speaking for a second. His eyes rapidly scan the doctor's and our features with a look in his eyes, almost like he was examining something familiar and at the same time, foreign. Once he was done, he looked back at the doctor and opened his mouth.
'Here comes his loud, annoying voice…' Claire internally said as she prepared her ears.
“I'm feeling ok, doctor, just a bit hungry is all."
Claire blinked, and blinked again at Callum's reply, constantly checking to see if what she heard was right. She glanced at her family and saw that they too have the same look as her, confirming she wasn't the only one caught off guard with Callum's reply. If you know Callum, and you see his mouth open, anyone would alway expect to hear a different rotten reply answered with the same whiny, irritating, high-pitched voice he has to come out of his mouth. So it came as a bit of a surprise when his typical obnoxious voice was now more… soft… and calm. It didn't have any negative undertones to it nor did it provoke annoyance within someone.
It was, in all honesty… a polite, standard, everyday response with no ugly or hidden meanings nor any unnecessary passive aggressive tidbits.
And that was weird.
Claire furrowed her brows slightly before shaking the feeling off, believing that she was just looking too much into it.
“That's good. And don't worry, we'll get some food for you after I finish checking up on you, alright?."
Callum nodded, “Ok."
Again, his reply stumped her and her family.
'Ok? Just ok? The last time Callum had to wait for food he wasn't just “ok" with it.' Claire still felt sorry for that poor waitress when they all went out to eat to celebrate Mark's winning goal at his soccer— sorry— his football game.
To this day, Claire doesn't know why Mark was so adamant about calling the sport that name. Each time she gets it wrong he starts to go on a tantrum stating just how dumb the naming sense is in America.
“Great, now let's get this check up started. You all can grab a chair and take a seat as well."
Doing just that, we all took a seat at some chairs in the corner of the room while Dr Miller went to the end of Callum's bed and pulled out a clipboard full of papers and went through them.
“Ok, so your head injury is healing up nicely. I'll say after several months, the fractures on your skull will be completely healed."
“That's good," Claire's mom said with a small smile.
“Yes, it is. However, what I'm more worried about is his brain."
“His brain? What do you mean? Is this what you were talking about when we were outside?" Her mom asked, saying what everyone was thinking.
“Yes, it is. What I wanted to say was… well… he fell pretty hard on his head Mrs Davis. The skull protects the brain, but with enough force, the brain can slam into the skull and cause… some problems like brain damage or memory loss. Especially how serious his head injury was."
The room went quiet, and before anyone could react to that information the doctor quickly spoke up.
“However, we did run some MRI scans on his brain and besides the fractures on his skull, we didn't see any permanent damage to his brain—"
Her mother sighed in relief.
“—but we still need to see if the damage is affecting Callum mentally. That's where my check up comes in." Claire's mom nodded while everyone else stayed silent. Done with explaining, Dr Miller coughs in his fist and sits up a bit and turns to Callum. “Alright Callum, are you ready?"
He nods, “Yeah, I'm ready."
The doctor then proceeded to ask Callum questions. Questions ranging from personal ones like “what's your full name" and “when were you born" to general questions like “where are we in the world" and “who is the curtain president of the United States". Whenever Callum got a question, he furrowed his brow and thought about it for a second and would then give the doctor the right answer. This happened with each question he answered, it was like he was learning something new about himself with every answer he gave.
“Ok, it looks like the fall didn't affect your memory. That's good news!" Finishing what he was writing down, Dr Miller unclicked his pen and smiled towards the family and boy, “Well Mr and Mrs Davis, it's safe to say that Mr Jones will make a full recovery! Depending on the test tomorrow, he can be released from here as soon as a day or two."
“Really? That soon?" Claire's father asked, eyes narrowed in confusion.
Claire was also confused, and super sad, too. She would have thought that getting your head split open would force you to stay in the hospital for longer.
The doctor turns toward her father, “Yes, I'm just as surprised as you. I would have thought there would be some complications with his brain but I've been proven wrong. He hasn't complained or shown any signs of a headache when I asked him questions, his speech wasn't slurred when he talked, and there was no evidence of memory loss or unusual behavior.
We also took some x-rays and found that his muscles didn't decrease much after a week long of inactivity! We still need to put him through physical therapy to test his motor functions and coordination but other than that, he's good, more than good actually! I have to say, out of all the head injury and coma patients I have dealt with, Callum is the most fortunate one I have ever seen!"
Mark quietly scoffs at the doctor's praise towards Callum, but quickly gets a glare from their mother who didn't miss what he did. Claire would also scoff at what the doctor said but she couldn't help but perk up her ears when the doctor mentioned “unusual behavior". Of course he would think Callum's behavior now isn't unusual. All he sees is a well-mannered, young man, but for her and her family, it's definitely unusual for them. Throughout the whole check up, they were waiting for Callum to just start complaining or whining about something, anything really.
None of it ever came though, which was really unusual for them.
“That's wonderful to hear, doctor." Her mother said with a small smile.
“Yes, really wonderful!" Dr Miller then got up, “Ok, that should be everything that I need. You all are free to stick around and talk to each other if you want. Oh! And Mr. Jones, I'll have some food brought up to you as soon as possible."
Callum nodded his head, “Ok, thank you doctor."
…
'…Did— Did he say thank you?'
…
Yep, something is totally going on with Callum.
“It's no problem, Mr. Jones. You all have a nice day." With a smile, the goat life the room filled with an astonished wolf family and a human.
Thick silence takes up the room as everyone tries to digest everything that happened. There were no tantrums, no yelling or screaming, and no insults being thrown around. Everything was normal, and that pushed Claire the wrong way.
'He must want something. He wouldn't just act all nice and polite for no reason.' And Claire firmly believed that.
With suspicion and distrust in her eyes, Claire stared at Callum. Her narrowed look didn't go unnoticed by Callum but he tried to ignore it by turning his head slightly to the side while scratching his cheek uncomfortably.
'Yeah, he's definitely up to something.'
I know I'm not acting like how Callum usually is but does she really need to look at me so intensely? I sigh to myself as I lean back on the bed and look up at the ceiling, thinking about my current situation.
I was still in shock at the fact that I died and there were actual walking, talking animals in front of me and they weren't figments of my imagination, but surprisingly, I'm slowly getting used to it. I would have thought I would be having a mental breakdown right now but I don't feel it coming. So I chalked up lack of a breakdown to me trying to weave through years worth of new memories I got from Callum, this body's previous predecessor. Speaking about memories, it took a few minutes for me to adjust, but I got most of Callum's memories open up to me and let's just say I got my work cut out for me. I was a really nice guy before I died, I would keep myself up for days if I accidentally said something rude to someone. Now imagine what I feel when finding out I'm inside the body of someone the total opposite of me… I never felt so uncomfortable being inside my body in my life.
That's right, I'm already accepting the fact that this is my new body and life and I should abandon my old one, even though it fucking hurts to. Sure, I feel bad for taking someone else's life away from them, no matter how terrible they are, but I have no choice nor control of the matter. So I choose not to kick myself over it. As far as I'm concerned, the “Callum" of this world died when he fell on his head that day… and a new one rose up. Let's hope I can deal with everything this new life has to offer.
“Callum… are you ok?"
Exiting my thoughts, I turn my eyes towards the wolf woman on my left. Her name was Diana, and probably the only reason why I'm not getting juggled between different foster homes or on the streets. She was friends with my parents before they died when I was 13. She didn't even hesitate to take me in and give me a new home inside hers. I cringe when I remember all the times I've— Callum has been rude or horrible to Diana even though she deserves the world.
I took a second to think about her question, even though it's a simple one. After everything I went through, from dying to being “reborn" into this body, the answer to that question is obvious. It's a resounding no.
“I'm fine."
But they don't need to worry about that.
“Really? Are you actually fine?" She questioned again with confusion and slight concern.
Ah, right. Usually when Callum is asked “Are you ok" it's always no and proceeds to go on a rant on why he isn't. Got to add that to the gigantic list of things I need to fix.
“Yes, I'm sure. I'm fine, really." I said reassuring her with a small smile.
Her eyes widened, “O-Oh! Um, if you're sure then…"
Oh yeah, they also are not used to smiles that aren't mocking or for himself only, need to start smiling good naturedly.
There was a knock at the room door, Diana told the person behind the door to come in and the door open. Who came through was the same deer that made me pass out after shattering the reality that I once knew. A bit dramatic, I know, but I can't help it. It's the truth after all. Now that I'm calmer, I confidently say that she was a female deer or doe from her lack of antlers and her body proportions. In her hands, she has a tray of food with her.
“Good afternoon! I'm here with Callum's food." She walks up to the bed and sets the tray on a table. Then she lifts up an extension on the side of the bed that was another table and puts it in front of me. After that, she picks the tray of food back up and places it in front of me. On the tray looks like a bowl of applesauce? four pieces of bread, and a cup of water.
Wow… this looks appetizing…
“Sorry… I know it doesn't look like much. We can't have you eating any hard food for a while until your digestive system starts to get used to eating again, so this has to be done for now." She finished with a sorry smile.
“Don't worry, I get it. It's no big deal, I like applesauce anyway." Picking up the spoon, I scoop up some of the soft, yellow-y paste and put it in my mouth. Chewing for a few seconds, I swallowed. “Mmh… tastes pretty good actually."
She gives a short giggle, “Awesome! If you need anything else, just hit the button, ok?"
“Alright, thank you."
“It's no problem. You all have a nice day!"
“You too."
With that, she left the room. I scoop up another spoonful of applesauce and eat it. I wasn't kidding when I said it was good. I also ignored the gaping faces everyone has because quite frankly, even though it's amusing, it was getting annoying. A ringing noise starts playing in the room, it sounds like a phone. I was right when Diana pulled out her phone, and checked the caller id before answering it.
“Grace! Hey! How's everything?… Yeah?…. .I'm at the hospital…… Wait, that was today?!"
“What was today? What's wrong honey?" Said the older male of the family, Matthew, with concern.
Matthew, he was sort of like a type of kryptonite to Callum and his shenanigans. Whenever Callum was out of control or being too disrespectful, Matthew was the one who disciplined him and gave punishments to him. It was safe to say that Callum was scared shitless of him, so he would be on his best behavior with him around. Of course, when I say “best" I mean in terms of Callum. At his best he was still the worst but slightly more manageable.
“Today's the open house I was telling you about." She said to him while pointing the phone away from her before putting it back to her ear. Ah that's right, Diana's a real estate agent.
“Yeah, sorry Grace. I completely forgot about it….. Really?! There is?! You're the best Grace!… Will I make it? Sure I can—“ Diana stops talking when her eye's land on me. She then adopted an extreme look of contemplation before letting go a sigh of resignation.
I know that look. That's the look when she has to make a decision to pick what she needs or what Callum needs. Sometimes she picks what she needs to do, most times though she picks what Callum needs and from what I see, she was going to pick my needs.
That's not going to happen.
“Sorry Grace, I—“
“You should go!" I quickly said. Everyone jumped up from my sudden outburst, not expecting it. Oops, I guess I was a bit loud.
“C-Callum?" Diana addressed me with shock and confusion.
“…You should go to that open house. This is something important to you, right?"
She looked utterly confused, “You… you want me to… go?"
“Yeah, I do." I nodded. “I don't know much about real estate, but an open house seems like an important thing to go to."
“Uh… yes, it is important— But I can just give it to Grace! You're more important right now. There's always other opportunities in the future.
…
This is getting aggravating.
I know that I already decided to live Callum's life and accept everything there is about him, but I can't help it. It hasn't even been a whole day yet but I hate how everyone has to either walk around eggshells with me or just plainly hates my guts. It's all too much! This is obviously something that's important to her but Callum got most of his grubby fingers all around her. I just want to tell the person on the phone right now that Diana will be there just to get this over with!
And as soon as I finished that sentence, suddenly, something inside me just… clicked.
“Can you put your phone on speaker for a second?"
Diana blinks, “What?"
“Your phone. Can you put it on speaker? I want to talk to the person on the phone."
She and everyone suddenly looked panicked, expecting me to go off on the woman on the phone.
“That's not necessary, Callum! I already said I wasn't—“
“Don't worry, I just want to say something. It's nothing bad, I promise." I said looking into her eyes with a serious look.
She turned quiet, having that same look of contemplation on her face. Before long, she sighed again, “… Ok." Matthew frowned while both of the siblings cringe and slowly slid down their chairs.
“…Grace, you're on speaker phone right now."
“I am? Why?"
“Well… someone wants to talk to you."
“Who?"
“Me." I spoke up.
“Oh! Uh… who are you?"
“I'm Callum."
“Oh, the same Callum who stresses out my best friend?"
The color drained from Diana's face.
“Yeah, the very same."
“Hmph! Well, what do you want?"
Everyone waited for bated breath for the potential onslaught of insults and arguing from me.
“Nothing much, I just wanted to tell you that Diana will be there at the open house."
The silence that came after my statement was so strong, you can drop a pin and everyone can hear it.
“W-what?" Grace's confusion was thick when it came out the phone. She was probably ready for a verbal showdown with me.
“Yeah, sorry I had to be all dramatic about this, but I want to show everyone that I was fine with her going. She was just worried about me since I just woke up from a coma recently, but I'm ok now, so she doesn't need to be worried anymore. It's not like I'm going to die without her being here."
“Oh— Uh… Ok! That's… good. And uh… congrats on your recovery… "
“Thanks. That's all I wanted to say, sorry for taking up your time."
“Uh… It's no problem…"
“Hey— uh Grace. I'll… I'll call you later, ok?" Diana spoke up.
“Yeah… you do that…" The call then ended.
Suddenly, with some struggle, I got up from my bed. “I'm going to the bathroom." I stumbled towards the bathroom and closed the door, locking it.
Resting my back on the door, I took a deep breath and processed what happened.
……
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?!
I was embarrassed, mortified, at what I just did. That was completely out of character! For both “Callum" and me. I don't know where that came from. I never acted so… so… courageous before! It was like I was someone else entirely!
Just what was that?!
[Ping!]
Huh? I raised my head up to the strange noise I heard only to be face to face with a… screen?
[What just happened to you was because of the system!]
“Wha—“
[Ping!]
[ Welcome User to your new system!
The goal of this system is to give the User a new way to live your new simulating life! How the system goes about doing that is by giving you choices!
Throughout your new life, choices will appear in front of you or in your head, if you so chose, and you can pick them. Those choices could go from important one's like picking someone to save or mundane one's like picking what to wear for today!
It's your life so you get to pick!
To get started, say or think “Menu" to start navigating through the system! ]
“…Ok. Just what the hell was in that applesauce?!" I couldn't help but ask out loud.
I continued to just stare at the screen for several seconds, totally at awe and shock from what I'm seeing. Is this a hallucination? Am I hallucinating?! Did my head injury really damage my brain?! What I'm seeing can't be real, right? Checking to see if the screen is real, I tried touching it but my hands went through it. Ah, so I am hallucinat—
[Ping!]
[The User cannot physically interact with the system, only see it. To interact with the system, the User needs to say or think about what he wants to do.]
[Ping!]
[ Welcome User to your new system!
The goal of this system is to give the User a new way to live your new simulating life! How the system goes about doing that is by giving you choices!
Throughout your new life, choices will appear in front of you or in your head, if you so chose, and you can pick them. Those choices could go from important one's like picking someone to save or mundane one's like picking what to wear for today!
It's your life so you get to pick!
To get started, say or think “Menu" to start navigating through the system! ]
…Alright, I need to splash some water on my face. I think I'm more tired than I realized.
Turning the sink on, I cup my hands to gather some water and splash it on my face, hoping that it would help the hallucination go away. I shivered at the coldest of the water, any tiredness that I was feeling left my body, making me fully alert. Making sure I was rubbing every corner of my face for good measure, I looked up again and noticed that the screen was…gone.
Grabbing the sides of the sink yo hold my weight, I dipped my head as I sighed in relief, “Thank God…it's gone—“
[Ping!]
My head snapped up and saw—
[ Welcome User to your new system!
The goal of this system is to give the User a new way to live your new simulating life! How the system goes about doing that is by giving you choices!
Throughout your new life, choices will appear in front of you or in your head, if you so chose, and you can pick them. Those choices could go from important one's like picking someone to save or mundane one's like picking what to wear for today!
It's your life so you get to pick!
To get started, say or think “Menu" to navigate through the system! ]
My left eyebrow twitched before I started to walk towards the closed lid toilet and sat down, putting my face in my hands. Ok, so the screen isn't gone, that's cool. Dragging my hands down from my face, I cup my chin and stare at the screen with a look of tiredness. After a couple of seconds, I decided to just say fuck it and go with it.
'[Menu]'
[Ping!]
[ Profile
Character
Relationships
Requests
Calendar
Journal ]
[ This is your Main Menu! Here, you can see the main components of the system.
Pick the option you want to go over first and get a full explanation about it!
Once you're finished, just say or think “Menu" to go back to the Main Menu! ]
I guess I'll pick [Profile] first since it's at the top of the list.
'[Profile]'
[Ping!]
[This is your Profile menu! The Profile is where you can get general information about yourself. Information can change depending on your, and outside, actions!]
[ Name: Callum Jones
Gender: Male
Occupation: High School Student (Senior)
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green
Age: 17
D.O.B: August 18
Height: 5.6 ft (170.7 cm)
Weight: 123.5 lbs (56.02 kg)
Blood type: O Negative
Summary: Callum is a very…difficult person. His parents loved and praised him a lot, and that praise went into his head. Now, most people hate him and the people who don't want anything to do with him because of his unbearable personality.
However, after Callum's unfortunate passing, a new person decides to live their new life as the new Callum. Can he change this new life for the better and make the most of it…? ]
“Wow, this is…strangely informative. Though, how much of this is actually true? What would it mean if they were true—“
“Callum? Are you alright in there?" Diana asked, knocking on the door.
“Oh! Uh…yeah! I'm good." I completely forgot where I was at the moment.
“You sure? I heard something about applesauce?"
I blushed, “No! The applesauce is fine! Don't worry, I'm good!"
“Ok… if you're sure. I'm just letting you know all of us are leaving since we only came here with one car… Again, are you sure you want me to go?"
“Yeah, I'm fine."
“Alright then… we'll see you tomorrow!"
“Ok, bye! And good luck at that open house."
There was a bit of silence before she spoke back up, “Bye Callum… and thank you..."
With the end of that, footsteps echo throughout the room behind the door until the sound of the hospital room door closes, leaving the room silent.
I sighed, then turned back to the screen in front of me. After thinking for a while, I decided to get out of the bathroom and go to the front of the bed to grab the papers out of the holder. Putting the paper with my information and the screen next to each other, I look over each other and try to see if they match. It was shocking to the core, but it got everything right. It even got my exact height and weight, decimal and everything! With this, it at least tells me that this system isn't all that fake. After all, how could it know information about me that I didn't even know?
“…You know what? Fuck it."
I should just accept it for what it is. I mean, for crying out loud!— I died but somehow got “reborn" into a completely different person's body and that's waaay weirder than some screen popping up in front of me. If I can accept this whole dying and not dying business, I can accept whatever this is. With my mind made up, I set the papers back in the holder and plopped back down on my bed, finally ready to go back and finish going through this system of mine.
'[Menu]'
[Ping!]
[ Profile
Character
Relationships
Request
Calendar
Journal ]
'[Character]'
[Ping!]
[ Stats
Brains: Foolish (Rank 1)
Courage: Spineless (Rank 1)
Understanding: Clueless (Rank 1)
Charm: Non-Existent (Rank 1)
Physique: Detrimental (Rank 1)
Skills
None
This is your Character menu! This menu shows your stats and skills! Let's go over your stats first.
Stats show you the general performance of your body. Each stat is classified by ranks.
There are 10 ranks for each stat. They go from Rank 1, completely helpless, all the way to Rank 10, at the top of the food chain!
You have five stats to work with!
Brains - Measures how well your mind functions. The higher the rank, the easier it is to understand subjects, remember memories clearly, increase the speed of thoughts, and increase organization of memories and information! The ranks from 1-10 go as follows: Foolish, Slow, Sub-par, Elementary, Bright, Gifted, Cultivated, Genius, Encyclopedic, and Erudite.
Courage - Measures how comfortable you are at doing the unthinkable. The higher the rank, the easier it is for you to accept challenges, overcome fears, and have the will to keep going forward! The ranks from 1-10 go as follows: Spineless, Timid, Hesitant, Pliant, Daring, Bold, Brave, Audacious, Resolute, and Heroic.
Understanding - Measures how good you are at comprehending emotions. The higher the rank, the easier it is to sympathize and empathize with someone, know how they would react in a situation, and notice a change in their behavior! The ranks from 1-10 go as follows: Clueless, Dense, Inoffensive, Considerate, Kind-hearted, Empathetic, Selfless, Benevolent, Saintly, and Angelic.
Charm - Measures how skilled you are at using your looks. The higher the rank, the easier it is to get someone's attention and keep it, get what you want from a situation, and remain confident in a social situation! The ranks from 1-10 go as follows: Existent, Unpolished, Plain, Decent, Head-turning, Smooth, Popular, Charismatic, Casanova, and Super-Star.
Physique - Measures how fine-tune and develop your body is. The higher the rank, the more strength, agility, control, and endurance you have! The ranks from 1-10 go as follows: Detrimental, Wimp, Shaky, Unimpaired, Fit, Balanced, Poise, Athletic, Tarzan, and Adonis.
Next up is skills!
Skills are the ability to use one's knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance. Just like stats, skills also classify and go up by 10 ranks. The ranks from 1-10 go as follows: Dreadful, Bumbling, Mediocre, Adequate, Competent, Experienced, Whiz, Professional, Virtuoso, Master
You currently have no skills to work with. In order to get skills, you can either learn and train from others or learn by yourself.
To increase the rank or “rank up" your stats and skills, you need Notes! Notes are the “exp" of this system.
There are 3 types of Notes! The 2 that we will be focusing on now are Stat and Skill Notes!
Just like their names tell you, Stat Notes are for stats and Skill Notes are for skill! To earn Notes, you need to do an action or events related to said stat or skill. For instance, working out gives you notes in physique while practicing drawing will give you notes in the [Art] skill.
Remember, stats and skills go hand-to-hand! The higher the stat, the faster the skills related to that stat will rank up! ]
Woah…that was a lot to go through, but pretty informative. This is kinda like a game, specifically a rpg in a way. The stats are worrying though. Physique makes sense since this body hasn't worked out in a day in its life while Charm worried me initially. I wasn't kidding when I said I looked like a pretty boy, so I was anxious that I would all of a sudden look ugly or something. Though after reading Charm's description, it makes sense. The late Callum knew he was good looking and instead of taking advantage of that he just goes around telling people how good he looks and how ugly they are in comparison. Lowering not over his charm but the charm of this body… which is sooo awesome for me…
However, the other stats don't make sense. I know Callum wasn't all that smart, kind, and brave, but what about my experience? I wasn't a genius, saint, or some daredevil, but I know damn sure I was better than Callum in those regards. So is the system just going to ignore those? And what about skills? I was a data analyst, I was decent at cooking a few meals, I was…ok-ish at drawing…it was a recent hobby I took up a few months ago…
Was the system just going to just ignore those as well?
[Ping!]
[The User just provided a good claim to the system. After processing your query, the system decided to accept your claim!]
[Ping!]
[ The system is going through an update! Please wait a few seconds for the update to complete.
…
…..
……!
Update completed! Information in the Character Menu has changed! ]
[Ping!]
[ Stats
Brains: Slow (Rank 2)
Courage: Hesitant (Rank 3)
Understanding: Considerate (Rank 4)
Charm: Existent (Rank 1)
Physique: Detrimental (Rank 1)
Skills
Data Analysis: Adequate (Rank 4)
Cooking: Mediocre (Rank 3)
Art: Bumbling (Rank 2)
Provocation: Adequate (Rank 4)
Deception: Bumbling (Rank 2]
Huh, I didn't know I could make requests and the system could accept them. I'm going to have to keep that in mind in the future. I would have thought I had more skills than that but after thinking about it, the system is right. In my old life, after I found my routine, I usually never stray from it. It was always going to work, spending my free time doing whatever, most of it was reading stories off the internet and some drawings here and there, and cooking the same old dinners but in different cycles. Any other skill I had would've deteriorated slowly to nothing so it made sense why I only have those three skills.
Which then made me confused as to why I have the [Provocation] and [Deception] skills. Sure I lied a few times to get out of work and piss people off with my unfunny jokes now and then, but I can't be that bad.
“I was literally just bragging seconds ago about how better I was than Callum. Was I really just talking out of my—“ Then it clicked, those skills came from Callum. It makes sense, after accepting my claim, the system would have also taken into consideration his skills too. As for only getting two? That also makes sense. All he ever did was lie and piss people off after all.
The only other gripe I have is…
“Why the hell is my rank for [Brains] slow?!" I know I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I can't be that dull, right?!
Ignoring [Brains] while grumbling, I moved on to the next main menu option.
'[Relationships]'
[Ping!]
[ Diana: Outlier (Rank -1)
Matthew: Foe (Rank -2)
Mark: Foe (Rank -2)
Claire: Enemy (Rank -3)
West Bridge High School: Foe (Rank -2)
More…
This is the Relationship menu! It keeps track of your, well, relationships!
Relationships are also classified by ranks and there are 10 of them, but they work a bit differently from stats and skills however.
You'll start off neutral or “a stranger" towards someone first and then depending on your interaction with them, your relationship will become positive or negative!
There are 5 positive ranks and 5 negative ranks. Here they are from best to worst:
Family (Rank 5) - Your bond runs thicker than blood, this person views you as one of their own and would just about do just about anything for you.
Confidant (Rank 4) - A person who trusts you enough to share secrets or private matters with you. Whenever you need help, they would likely come to your aid.
Companion (Rank 3) - This individual has a mutual bond of affection with you. They enjoy your presence and would spend most of their time with you.
Friend (Rank 2) - They find you pleasant to be around. Would like to get to know you more.
Acquaintance (Rank 1) - You stand out in a positive way. This person has a good impression of you.
Outlier (Rank -1) - You stand out in a negative way. This person has a bad impression of you.
Foe (Rank -2) - They don't like you, plain and simple. They wouldn't want anything to do with you half the time unless forced to.
Enemy (Rank -3) - An individual who will oppose you most of the time and may be slightly hostile on a bad day.
Oppressor (Rank -4) - Someone who treats you unfairly (or fairly if you deserved it) and harsh. They enjoy preventing you from having opportunities. They don't need a bad day to become hostile, they just need to see you.
Nemesis (Rank -5) - An inescapable agent, this person hates your entire being and won't stop trying to hurt you until you're beneath their feet sobbing. Warning: High chance this person will severely hurt you…or something worse.
To rank up your relationships, you need the third type of Notes, Affection Notes! There are a lot of ways to earn Affection Notes with someone. You can have a friendly chat, hangout, complete a request, or gift something that they like!
Make sure you don't upset them too much though! You can also lose Affection Notes as well. ]
If I didn't know I was fucked before, looking at this menu surely did it. I don't have a single positive relationship on this menu… at least I don't have any [Nemesis]. I do have 2 [Oppressors], both from school, luckily one of them moved to a different school last year so I only have to deal with one.
Yaaay…
Suddenly tired from thinking about all the shit I have to do in the future, I decided to go over the rest of the options in the menu quickly. They were all short in their explanations which were great for me.
[Requests] were basically “missions" given mostly by people and some by the system. Completing requests from people can either reward you a bunch of affection notes, gifts, and money. While system requests can give me lots of experience notes in both stats and skills, gifts as well, and even unlock features of the system. Though those are rarer to come by so you usually get experience notes most of the time
The [Calendar] is self explanatory, I'm able to check the date and time through it. I could also set important dates and events in the [Calendar] and it will remind me of deadlines I have to meet 3 days beforehand. There's not much else to this option but it was still a neat function.
Lastly, there's the [Journal] and just like [Calendar], it's easy to understand. The system will note down everything surrounding me from conversations I had, things I did, what happened to me. Basically, it was like a diary, nothing too special. It will be a good way to remember past instances though.
“After reading all of this, the system is starting to look more and more like one of those dating sims than a rpg…" I told myself before processing what I just read.
[Ping!]
[ You finished going through the system!
Now that you are done, the system can finally offer you a request! ]
My eyebrows furrowed. A request? Already??
[ You got a new Request!
New World, New Me!
The user has found himself in a new body in a new world! The previous owner of this body was a loud, obnoxious, rude boy who didn't care about anyone but himself… not you though! Show everyone that there's a new Callum in town!
Objectives
Get every stat to rank 3 or above (1 / 5)
Get 7 skills to the Mediocre rank or above (3 / 10)
Obtained a positive rank with all of your new family members (0 / 4)
Gain 2 friends (0 / 2)
Change your reputation at school
Rewards
1000 Stat Notes
2000 Skill Notes
A item from the system
Inventory will be unlock
Failure Conditions
Fail to complete more than 3 objects before the end of the school year
Punishments
De-rank 1 random stat
De-rank 2 random skills
Inventory will remain locked
Be known as the “Annoying Brat" by everyone who knows of you
Do you accept the request?
Fair reminder that you won't be punished for not accepting the request, but you will not get any rewards.
Yes / No ]
I stare at the screen for a couple of seconds, surprised about the difficulty of this request. I'm mean, come on! This shouldn't be impossible right?! The objectives aren't what's hard about this, but it's the time limit. If I remember correctly, the average high school in America usually starts in August and ends in May. When going through the [Calendar] beforehand, I saw that it was currently August 25. That means I have a little under 8 months to complete this request.
8 months….to change years worth of dislike and hair pulling frustration while simultaneously trying to improve myself and pass all my classes at the same time…yeah there's no way I can do this. Plus it saids I won't be punished, so I can refuse the request and take my time without having to worry about meeting any deadlines or being on a time limit, I always hated that.
The obvious choice is to pick no. Sure, it would have been nice getting those Notes, but I can always get more in the future. Yeah, it would've been cool seeing what item the system would of give me, but it's not like it's going to kill me if I don't find out. Of course it would have been amazing having an inventory to put stuff in, but I could just use a good old backpack or something to hold my things.
Yep, the obvious choice is to pick no…… then why am I hesitant so much…
…
Maybe… maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm tired… tired of always being last in everything.
Whenever there's something I need to do, I either take my time with it or I do it at the last minute, there's no inbetween. I'm lazy, so I like going at my own pace, and when I do things last minute, it gives me that extra push to do work. Due to this kind of work ethic though, I'm always the last to finish or I still need more time and now I have to beg or come up with excuses to get more time.
I hated that, I hated the person I forced myself to become. No more of that though, I want to change. I've been given an opportunity to change and start anew. Hell, I even got a system that helps me grow better as a person!
Am I really going to waste a chance like this all because it was moving too fast for me?
No, not anymore.
With newfound determination and a new sense of self, I accept the system's request.
'[Yes]'
[Ping!]
[You accept the request: New World, New Me!]
[Ding!~ Ding!~ Ding!~]
Suddenly, these music notes popped in front of me. They were floating in front of me and were surrounded by a yellow aura. Inside the circle part of the notes were what looked like smiles. They twirl around for a few seconds before disappearing.
[Ping!]
[For taking the [Courage] to look inside yourself and decide to take the first big step to change yourself, you earned 50 Stat Notes in [Courage]! ]
I smiled. Looks like I really did take a big step.
Finally done, I close my eyes and slam onto the bed, letting out a sigh. After a couple of seconds, my eyes open with a new light in them.
“I'll take this new life seriously…I promise."
{10 minutes ago}
Diana and the rest of her family stare as Callum stumbles towards the bathroom door and closes it behind him. They sat there in silence for a few seconds, completely shocked at the scene that just happened before. After a while, it was Mark who spoke up first and said what everyone was thinking currently.
“What the hell was that?"
Of course, like any good mother, she scolded him for his language.
“Mark. Language."
Mark groaned, “Mooom… I'm almost 18…"
“You still shouldn't make it a habit to curse." Diana didn't budge as she narrowed her eyes.
He sighed, “But still, you have to admit that what just happened was super weird, even for Callum."
“… Yes, you're right about." She admitted before muttering to herself. “Just what was that…"
“Maybe he hit his head too hard? I heard that it could scramble your brain a bit." Mark offered as an answer.
“I don't know… he certainly looked sure of himself when he was talking." Diana said uncertainly. “Matter of fact, throughout the entire time that we were here, Callum was acting completely different. It was like he was a different person altogether."
Then Matthew decided to speak up, saying something that caused different reactions from the rest of the family. “Maybe he's finally getting his act together after seeing the consequence of his actions."
“Yeah right." Clare huffs while rolling her eyes. “This is Callum we're talking about, dad. There's no way he can learn from his actions." She leans back on her chair and folds her arms while looking towards her left side. “He probably doesn't even need to use the bathroom, maybe you couldn't hold it anymore and went inside the bathroom to giggle to himself."
With a look of concern, Diana open her muzzle to speak—
“What the hell was in that applesauce?!"
—only to get cut off by a loud muffled voice. Of course, with being a family of wolves, the voice wasn't so muffled to them because of their ears.
“I don't know, sis. That sounds like someone struggling inside that bathroom." Mark gave a mocking smirk towards Claire, making her embarrassed.
“Oh shut up!"
Mark kept antagonizing her sister until they started to argue with each other. The parents could only laugh as this was a common occurrence between the two, and it was always entertaining to watch. However, Diana couldn't help but think about what her husband said. Was Callum really learning from this and starting to change? It doesn't seem likely given past events, but this time, it's different. He got really hurt this time and could have… died if he was taken to the hospital fast enough. Was that enough for him to change?
“Alright pups, enough arguing with each other." Matthew got up from his seat and rubbed the heads of both Mark and Claire to pacify them, “We need to go, your mother will be more late than she is otherwise."
Diana gave Matthew an unamused look while he only returned a playful one. She scoffs and rolls her eyes but smiles nonetheless.
The two siblings stare at each one more time before looking away, “Fine." They both said.
The rest of the family got up from their seats and started to walk towards the door to leave. Before heading out, Diana wanted Callum to know that they were leaving so she knocked on the bathroom door and spoke with him. She told him that they were leaving, and why all of them needed to leave. Just to check again to see if this is actually happening, Diana asked him again if he really wanted her to go, and once again, he said that he was fine. Diana felt relief inside her body.
With that, she said her goodbyes and before she can turn around to leave, Callum once again said something that shocked her.
“Ok, bye! And good luck at that open house."
Those words were so foreign coming out from his mouth, but Diana could understand them. Callum was really… wishing her luck. Caught off guard, she said her goodbyes again while also saying “thank you" to Callum, a word she's not used to saying when it comes to him. Walking to the room door, Matthew gave her a raised brow while also looking surprised at what he heard. She just shook her head and shrugged, just as confused as he was.
They both left the room and walked through the halls of the hospital.
“…Do you really think he's starting to change, Matt…?" Diana asked her husband.
“…I don't know, D… let's just hope that he is…"