[ Location: Frostwell Residence - Vivan's Bedroom ]
[ Time: 2:00 PM ]
My head felt like someone was using it as a bongo drum.
I lay in my bed—a four-poster monstrosity that cost more than my previous life's apartment—staring at the ceiling. An ice pack was strapped to my forehead, dripping condensation down my nose.
Every five minutes, the door would creak open. My mom would peek in, looking like she was about to cry, ask if I needed soup, and then leave.
It was suffocating.
But not as suffocating as the guilt.
'Will is gone.'
I closed my eyes, but I could still see his terrified face. I could see him throwing that rock. I could see him leading the monster away.
'He's in the Upside Down. Right now. Being hunted. And I'm here, in silk pajamas, icing a boo-boo.'
I clenched my fists under the duvet.
'I need to get stronger. I need to get him out. But to do that, I need points. And to get points... I need to be a scumbag.'
I took a deep breath. It was time to enter the shark tank.
'System. Open Chat.'
The blue screen flickered to life.
Lloyd Frontera (Admin): @The Glitch Oh, look who's alive! I saw the "Mission Complete" notification. Congratulations on not being eaten. Now, about my shovel...
Vivan Frostwell: I'm alive. Barely.
Lloyd Frontera (Admin): Great! That means your organs are intact. The loan term was 3 days, but since I'm a generous god, I'll remind you of the terms. Principal: 10 Points. Interest: 50%. Total due: 15 Points.
I stared at the number. 15 Points.
I checked my balance.
[ Current Points: 10 ]
'I am screwed.'
Vivan Frostwell: Lloyd, buddy, pal. I have 10 points.
Lloyd Frontera (Admin): ....
Esdeath: Start running. I hear he collects debts personally.
Lloyd Frontera (Admin): @The Glitch Kid, I like you. You have spunk. But business is business. If you don't pay in 48 hours, the System automatically liquidates your assets. Do you like your left kidney? It sells for about 20 points on the black market of system shop.
My hand instinctively went to my flank.
'Okay. Plan B. The Guilt Trip.'
I looked at the member list. There he was.
The red-and-blue icon.
Vivan Frostwell: @Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime: Vivan. I am relieved to see you are functional. I have been... troubled by your earlier statement.
'Hook, line, and sinker.'
Vivan Frostwell: Troubled? Optimus, I'm lying in bed with a concussion. My best friend just sacrificed himself to save me because I was too weak to fight back. Why was I weak? Because I'm a child. Why am I a child?
Vivan Frostwell: BECAUSE YOU SQUASHED ME!
Ryomen Sukuna: Drama. Finally.
Wanda Maximoff: Oh, you poor thing... Optimus, you really should do something.
Optimus Prime: I... I did not intend for this outcome. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, and I have inadvertently deprived you of your original life. The guilt weighs heavy on my spark.
Vivan Frostwell: Guilt is nice, Optimus. But guilt doesn't buy superpowers. Guilt doesn't save Will. I need to get stronger to fix the mess you put me in. I need reparations.
Sosuke Aizen: Fascinating. He is weaponizing the Autobot's moral code. A crude manipulation, but effective against the righteous.
Optimus Prime: You are correct. Words are empty without action. I cannot interfere directly in your world, but I can transfer resources.
[ System Alert: Member "Optimus Prime" wishes to transfer 250 Points to "The Glitch". ]
[ Reason: Reparations for Involuntary Isekai via Landing Gear. ][ Accept? Y/N ]
My jaw dropped. 250?!
'I expected maybe 50! Optimus, you beautiful, generous, gullible truck!'
Vivan Frostwell: ...I suppose this will help me heal. I forgive you. Mostly.
[ Transfer Complete. Current Balance: 260 Points. ]
Lloyd Frontera (Admin): PAY ME.
Vivan Frostwell: @Lloyd Frontera (Admin) Transferring 15 Points. Keep the change.
[ Transfer Complete. Current Balance: 245 Points. ]
Lloyd Frontera (Admin): Pleasure doing business with you! If you need a bridge built or a swamp drained, you know where to find me.
I let out a shaky breath. I was safe.
My kidney was safe. And I had 245 points.
'Shop. Now.'
I navigated to the Abilities tab.
Telekinesis (Level 1): 200 Points.
Mental Potion (Psionic): 100 Points. [Doubles mental capacity/Psionic power permanently]
Mental Potion (Psionic): 10 Points. (Doubles mental capacity/Psionic power for 1 hour.)
Remote Viewing: 30 Points.
I stared at the Mental Potion. 100 Points.
'Damn it. I can't afford the potion if I buy the skill. I'll have to run on raw brainpower.'
I didn't hesitate on the big one, though.
'Buy Telekinesis (Level 1).'
[ Purchase Complete. Remaining Balance: 45 Points. ]
A sensation washed over me. It wasn't painful. It felt like... pressure. Like someone was inflating a balloon inside my skull. My vision blurred for a second, then sharpened.
I looked at the glass of water on my nightstand.
'Okay. Eleven makes this look easy. She just stares and tilts her head.'
I sat up, ignoring the headache. I focused on the glass. I narrowed my eyes. I tilted my head slightly (for the aesthetic).
'Move. Just... slide over.'
I pushed with my mind. It felt like trying to lift a dumbbell with a muscle I didn't know I had.
Wobble.
The water rippled.
'Come on!'
Scrape.
The glass slid an inch to the left.
"Yes!" I whispered.
Then, a warm, wet sensation tickled my upper lip. I wiped it. Blood.
"Classic," I muttered, wiping it on my sleeve.
It was weak. Pathetic, really. But it was something. I wasn't just Vivan Frostwell, the rich kid victim anymore. I was Vivan Frostwell, the Level 1 Esper.
'I still need to find Will. Telekinesis can't do that.'
I looked at Remote Viewing. 30 Points.
'Buy.'
[ Purchase Complete. Remaining Balance: 15 Points. ]
'Okay. I have the tools. Now I need a plan.'
I couldn't just tell my parents. They'd think I was crazy (or worse, brain-damaged from the rock). I couldn't tell the police.
But I could tell the one person who might actually believe me. The person who was probably tearing his basement apart right now looking for clues.
Mike Wheeler.
But I was grounded. There was a cop car in my driveway.
I swung my legs out of bed. The floor was cold.
'I need to sneak out. Tonight.'
I walked to the window to check the perimeter. My room was on the second floor. A trellis covered in ivy ran down the side of the wall. Classic rich people architecture.
I looked down at the yard. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the lawn.
Suddenly, movement caught my eye.
At the edge of the woods, where my property met the tree line. A figure.
It wasn't a monster. It wasn't the police.
It was a small person. Wearing a hospital gown that was way too big for them. Buzz cut hair. Dirt-smeared face.
My heart stopped.
She was freezing, shivering, stealing a glance at my house—probably smelling the dinner my mom was cooking.
Eleven.
She wasn't at Benny's Burgers yet. She was here. In my backyard.
'The plot,' I thought, pressing my hand against the glass. 'It didn't just change. It just walked onto my lawn.'
I looked at my inventory. [ Food: 1 Point per Item ].
Too expensive.I should take something from the fridge
I grabbed my jacket. Grounded or not, the main character was in my bushes, and I had waffles.
"Time to make a new friend," I whispered.
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