"Here's the deal," Officer?Huang said, lifting a perfectly cooked spinach leaf with his left hand. "Do one task for me and I'll give you every serial number past fifty. Plus, I'll answer one question—anything I know."
"What task?" Lynn asked.
"Agree first." Huang smiled. "It's easy—no risk to your lives."
Lynn kept silent.
Skyler stayed quiet; bargaining wasn't his lane, better to lurk and listen.
"You know the ten?thousand?to?one ratio. You know how bleak this is." Huang sighed. "We're orphans of this world—God's throwaways."
Lynn hesitated.
"Survival needs more than talent—it needs rules. My intel is gold. This trade's a steal."
"Deal," Skyler blurted.
Lynn shot him a glare but voiced no objection.
Pleased, Huang scribbled on three sticky notes. "Can't blame an old cop for caution."
He folded the notes, offered them, then pulled back. "Remember: open the first after tomorrow's night class. Finish that, open the second. Finish both, read the third. No exceptions."
Lynn tucked them into her blazer. "When it's done, I ask two questions."
"Deal." Huang rose to pay. "See you tomorrow."
Past midnight, Skyler reached home, his mindset irrevocably changed.
Knowing the one?in?ten?thousand odds, he could no longer view this cozy five?person household the same.
Judging from the memory of that night when the host was four, Skyler was almost certain his grandfather had been a Beast—though he had no idea what type.
Grandma had shared the same bedroom; odds were she was a Beast as well.
As for Dad, Mom, and his little sister…
Skyler refused to dwell on it. Deep inside he prayed his family might, by some lottery-level chance, all be human—because they had loved him for twelve long years.
Had that "lunatic" never crashed into him on his eighteenth birthday—had he grown up ignorant, married, raised kids, died peacefully—perhaps that would have been bliss.
There is no tragedy in living a lie—so long as you never wake from it.
But there was no "if." Skyler had Awakened, and the calm life was gone.
Now other people were hell.
From here on every step would be a tight-rope over the abyss.
At 3 a.m. the household slept. He'd surely catch an ear-bashing at breakfast, but at least tonight he could compose himself, rehearse the mask he'd wear before them.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Exhausted, Skyler sank into the bathtub, craving nothing but hot water.
Lifting his eyes he saw the faintly glowing hexagram. Without touching it, he closed his eyes and thought: Enter system.
【Beep —】
【System online】
【You've gained 27 Luck Points. Total Luck: 30. Spend them now?】
—Use them.
【Opening attribute panel】
【Stamina 12 Endurance 12】
【Strength 11 Agility 11】
【Mind 10 Charisma 10】
【Luck 0】
Skyler noticed a few base stats had crept up—barely, but up.
—Do stats grow automatically?
【Stats can fluctuate with your physical condition.】
【Today you lived fully; you're a bit stronger than yesterday.】
—If I do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and run 10 km every day for three years—till I'm bald—will I become the strongest on earth?
【In theory you'll be fitter, but risk muscle tears, worn-out knees, other injuries.】
—Then how do I grow stronger?
【Spend Luck Points to permanently raise stats.】
【Different Talents also grant permanent stat bonuses.】
—Is Lynn's Blade God talent strong?
【Talent: Blade God. Serial No. 32. Rune Type: Damage】
【Max-level Blade God: sword mastery; blade damage ×3; physical armor-pierce 91.4 %.】
【Permanent bonuses at max: Stamina +400, Strength +800, Agility +1000, Charisma +400】
—What about Gun God?
【Talent: Gun God. Serial No. 41. Rune Type: Damage】
【Max-level Gun God: firearm mastery; 97.3 % accuracy; 12 rounds/sec.】
【Permanent bonuses at max: Stamina +300, Strength +700, Agility +800, Charisma +300】
—F*ck.
—Stupid system!
【Gacha can't fix bad play; pay-to-win changes no fate.】
【You also detected Talent—Metal. Need details?】
—Skip it, my heart can't take more.
【Allocate Luck Points now?】
—Only 30 points? Shove them all into Luck; let's see how "lucky" I can be!
【Luck allocation is irreversible. Confirm?】
—Confirm. Hurry!
【Congrats! Luck > 30. All stats +6 permanently.】
【Stamina 18 Endurance 18】
【Strength 17 Agility 17】
【Mind 17 Charisma 16】
【Luck 30】
—Only six? Stingy much?
—Wait, six stats ×6 = 36 points—actually not bad.
【Hidden panel unlocked. Open?】
—Open it, quick!
【Sorry—Luck insufficient.】
—Then why tease me!
【Session ended, system hidden】【Beep—】
At dawn Skyler got up and, as expected, Mom laid into him: finals were near, yet he'd stayed out two nights, ignored texts and calls, and was becoming a bigger worry every day.
He lied that it had been Kevin Wang's birthday and they'd sung karaoke until after midnight.
Mom grew even angrier: "Kevin Wang? Didn't he get expelled? Stop fooling around with that boy—you'll turn bad like him!"
At the table Dad munched his cruller, cheerful as ever: "Kevin? His old man's loaded. Son, that's a friend worth keeping."
"Don't listen to your father," Mom snapped. "Bad company corrupts!"
"Honey, times have changed," Dad sighed.
"Changed how?"
"Nowadays ability ranks second; connections are what count. A friend from Kevin's circle will help our boy down the road," Dad argued.
"That's a warped set of values!" Mom fumed.
I only mean more friends, more paths," Dad said, wounded. "I trust Yang-yang's judgment; he won't actually go bad." He threw Skyler a meaningful glance. "Right, son?"
"Dad, Mom, I'm full."
Skyler's feelings knotted; unsure how to face these "family members," he shoved in two more bites, shouldered his pack, and left for school.
Though he knew they were likely Beasts, a flicker of doubt surfaced: they'd raised him, doted on him—how could such loving parents be monsters?
Yet Vivian Li had been his childhood sweetheart, too—beautiful, gentle—and she'd become a demon in a heartbeat.
What were Beasts, really?
What did they want?
And what was the truth of this "parallel world"?
Skyler had no answers—no more than he knew why he'd crossed worlds at six, or why he'd drawn such a troll of a system.
…… …
He reached school and survived an utterly normal day.
All day he and Lynn exchanged neither words nor even a glance.
After evening study he slipped into a camera-blind alley nearby.
Lynn soon arrived, producing two thin black hoodies, two ball caps, and masks. "Put these on."
"Um—here?"
"Why not? Need me to build you a fitting room?" With that she shed her uniform as swiftly as a snake sloughs skin. Flustered, Skyler turned his back and fumbled with his own clothes.
Three minutes later both were in black hoodies, hoods up, caps pulled low, masks on.
Before they moved, Lynn drew the first note from her pocket and unfolded it.
