"Yeah, man, I'm sure."
Grover hesitated, asking a few more times if he was okay before finally grabbing his towel and heading for the showers, leaving Percy alone with his thoughts.
Frankly, Percy knew why Grover was worried, but it was obvious he didn't have a concussion. He was certain he'd heard the sound before he hit his head and fainted. Further proof that the blue, red, and brown boxes weren't just a hallucination was floating right in front of him; the brown status box hadn't gone away.
[Percy Jackson]
[The Gamer]
[Title: None]
[Level: 2 (EXP: 30/400)]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 50/50]
[Race: ?]
[Primary Stats:]
[STR - 2]
[VIT - 1 (+2) = 3]
[DEX - 2 (+2) = 4]
[INT - 1]
[WIS - 1]
[LUC - 3]
[Points: 0]
[Money: $0 / 0 Drachma]
Percy still had no idea what was going on. His best guess was that his life had been a video game all along, and he was only now realizing it. Of course, that sounded completely stupid. Why would something like this happen to him… now?
He wondered, what did video game heroes do before the game actually started? Before some kid picked up a controller and started playing hero? Did they all have regular, boring lives? Was he a hero now?
Percy shook his head, this was getting way too meta for him. It couldn't be true, because he didn't feel like he was being controlled right now.
[For thinking critically about your new abilities in a meta-context, you have gained +1 WIS.]
Percy blinked. Really? It was that easy? He looked at his status screen again, and there it was:
[WIS - 2]
He was stunned. At the very least, everything he did now seemed to affect this "game." Did that mean… he was really a Gamer now? That would explain the title. This meant… Percy could become so cool!
A grin spread across his face as he looked over his stats again. Honestly, they were pathetic. His Strength was a 2, his Vitality was a 1—though it was now a 3 for some reason. His Dexterity was the same, a 2 boosted to a 4. The only thing he had going for him was a Luck of 3. And don't even get him started on his Intelligence and Wisdom.
Percy shook his head and waved the box away. He needed to improve everything. But then a thought occurred to him: he was being remarkably calm about all this, which just felt… strange. It was like he was watching this happen to someone else.
He wondered why, and then called out, "Skills."
A new box appeared, displaying three symbols. Percy mentally tapped the first one.
[Gamer's Mind (Passive): Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Grants a peaceful state of mind, immune to psychological status effects and mental intrusion.]
Wow, that explains it, Percy thought. He now understood why he wasn't freaking out. Before this, he'd had a minor panic attack when he realized he could hold his breath for an unnaturally long time in the school pool. Now, he felt completely relaxed.
He went back and looked at his other two skills.
[Gamer's Body (Passive): Grants the user a body that allows them to live the real world like a game.]
[Physical Endurance (Passive) - LVL 1 (10%): Your body's durability has increased. You now take 3% less damage from all physical attacks.]
Percy read and re-read the descriptions. If this was all true, then his world wasn't a lie. He wasn't in a video game; he was the video game… which, for some reason, sounded incredibly cliché.
He looked at his stats and his skills. He needed to get better, and fast. Unfortunately, he knew next to nothing about video games besides the absolute basics. He'd never actually finished one in his entire life.
That meant he needed to learn from someone—someone who was good at this stuff. Just then, another 'Ding!' drew his attention to a new blue screen.
[Quest Alert!]
[A Newbie's Guide to Gaming: Find someone to teach you about video games so you can master your new life!]
[Rewards:]
[+50 EXP]
[Accept?]
[YES / NO]
Percy read the quest notification and, without a second thought, pressed 'YES'. He then paused, a curious thought entering his mind. Did these quests come from himself, or was there some invisible game master out there pulling the strings?
He decided to try a little experiment. The first quest had arrived right after he thought about getting help; it was like the system had read his mind and formalized his goal. So, if he focused on a new goal for himself, let's say… getting a girlfriend with the biggest rack ever, it should theoretically become a quest.
'Ding!'
You have got to be kidding me.
[Quest Alert!]
[Hormonal Teenager: Get a girlfriend with the biggest rack in the world (estimated size: 48V).]
[Rewards:]
[+100 EXP]
[Title: 'Man of Culture']
[Accept?]
[YES / NO]
Percy quickly hit 'NO' and sighed, rubbing his temples. Okay, so it worked, though it seemed someone or something else was determining the rewards for his self-made quests.
'Ding!'
[For learning a core game mechanic and figuring out how quests work (somewhat), you have gained +1 INT!]
Percy blinked, then pulled up his status screen to confirm. There it was:
[INT - 2]
So he could gain stats just by thinking? Wise decisions made him wiser, and learning new things made him smarter? This was getting interesting.
Percy dismissed all the boxes, clearing his head. Something was definitely going on, but he needed to focus on the here and now. He needed to be ready. He glanced at the clock on the wall and his eyes widened.
'Shit!' he thought, realizing he was late. Again. He scrambled off the bed, grabbing a towel and a change of clothes.
'Ding!'
[Quest Alert!]
[You're Late, Jackass!: Get to class on time!]
[Rewards:]
[+20 EXP]
[Failure:]
[Detention.]
[Reputation loss with all classmates and teacher.]
[Accept?]
[YES / NO]