Surviving was harder the woods behind Hawkins Lab were silent in a way that felt fake, like the world was holding its breath. I crouched beneath a cluster of trees, mud soaking into my borrowed clothes, watching headlights sweep across the forest road.
Search teams, dogs, men with guns.
[Threat Level: Moderate]
[Recommendation: Remain Unnoticed]
"Yeah," I whispered. "That's the plan." I waited until night fell fully before moving again hunger gnawed at my stomach, and my head throbbed from theSystem's lingering warnings. Every step felt too loud.By dawn, I found shelter in an abandoned toolshed behind an empty house near the edge of town. It smelled like oil and rot, but it was dry and more importantly it was Hawkins.I made it.
The first problem was obvious.I didn't exist
no birth certificate, no school records,no parents, no address.A kid wandering alone in a small town like Hawkins would get noticed fast.I sat on the shed floor, knees pulled to my chest, staring at the System interface."There has to be something," I muttered.
The screen pulsed softly.
[SYSTEM QUERY ACCEPTED]
A new menu unfolded.
[Identity Stabilization Module – Locked]
[Requirement: Level 3
Cost: 1 Skill Slot]
I exhaled slowly."So that's how it works."
leveling wasn't about power alone. It was about belonging i leveled the hard way.For weeks, I stayed invisible odd jobs, stolen meals, sleeping wherever I could. I helped an old man fix his fence and cleaned a diner's storage room after hours carried boxes for cash.Every small success ticked something upward.
[EXP +5
EXP +10]
It was slow.Painfully slow but then, one night, after narrowly avoiding another Upside Down creature slipping through a temporary rift near the quarry
[LEVEL UP
Level: 3]
I didn't celebrate.I opened the menu immediately.
[Skill Slot Available]
I selected it without hesitation.
[Unlock Identity Stabilization Module?
YES / NO]
"Yes."
The screen glitched violently.I woke up in a hospital bed.That alone almost gave me a heart attack white ceiling beeping machine smell of antiseptic.A nurse noticed my movement immediately."Oh! You're awake, honey."I froze.
She smiled gently. "You gave us quite a scare."
"What… happened?" I croaked.She checked my chart. "You collapsed near the road, dehydration mild hypothermia."She paused. "Thomas Wayne, right?"
My heart stopped."…Yes."The name felt heavy in my mouth.She nodded. "Your uncle's on the way."
Uncle?
[Identity Stabilization: Active]
The door opened.A tired-looking man stepped inside—mid forties, rough hands, eyes lined with worry. He stopped short when he saw me awake."Tom," he said softly something clicked in my head.The System filled the gaps a dead brother.custody papers.A move to Hawkins after "trouble back east."All fake.All real.
"I'm sorry," I whispered automatically.He sighed and rubbed his face. "You scared the hell out of me, kid."Two weeks later, I stood in front of Hawkins Middle School.
Backpack on clean clothes papers signed legally, I existed Thomas Wayne Age fourteen transfer student.The bell rang and just like that, I entered the story.
Skills
- Initial Skills (Chapter 1–3)
Presence Suppression – Rank D → C
Type: Active
Obtained: Chapter 2 (Upside Down survival)
Effect:
Reduces Thomas's detectability
Dampens sound, movement, and "existence signal"
Helps avoid hostile entities
Limits:
Not invisibility
Ineffective at close range
High-level entities may still sense him
- Survival Instinct (Hidden Passive)
Type: Passive
Obtained: Chapter 2 (near-death experience)
Effect:
Faster threat recognition
Improved reaction speed under danger
Triggers subconsciously
Limits:
Only activates during real danger
Cannot be manually controlled
- World Anomaly
Type: Trait (Passive)
Obtained: Upon Isekai Arrival
Effect:
Thomas exists outside normal causality
His actions may cause butterfly effects
Certain events respond differently to him
-Isekai Traveler
Type: Trait (Passive)
Obtained: Upon Isekai Arrival
Effect:
Resistant to minor reality distortion
Can perceive and use the System
Can pass through unstable dimensional gates
-Identity Stabilization
Type: Active / Passive Hybrid
Obtained: Chapter 3
Effect:
Creates and maintains a legal identity
Allows school enrollment and guardianship
Subtly edits records and memories
Limits:
One identity only (Thomas Wayne)
Cannot alter major public events
Heavy use strains the System
-Civilian Mask
Type: Passive
Obtained: Chapter 3 (linked to Identity Stabilization)
Effect:
Thomas appears "normal" to civilians
Reduces suspicion from adults and authorities