Chapter 6: Chapter 6 – System Upgrade

Experiencing an early mid-life crisis at the tender age of 18, Damien failed to pay attention to anything that happened during the lecture as he contemplated his sudden realization.

 

Carefully reading the first chapter of volume 1, Damien couldn’t help but recall the strange sense of familiarity and accuracy he got when he first read this strange story…

 

Rather than just being detailed and realistic, it almost made more sense to imagine it as a story describing the future instead of just fiction…

 

‘The Talent System itself was already an unexplainable phenomenon, but to think the absurdity didn’t end there…’

 

As he further thought about the connection between the System and this strange novel, a sudden idea came to mind…

 

“Hey System… By any chance, are those ‘Destiny Nodes’ you mentioned related to the events in this novel?”

 

[Query Acknowledged. Destiny Nodes are tied to your own future, not the fate of the blessed child. However, it is correct to assume that there are many overlaps between the two.]

 

The System’s answer was quite vague and cryptic but Damien could roughly understand…

 

‘In other words, the novel describes Ryan’s future while the System is tied to my own future…’

 

“Hey System… Does that mean that both you and the novel were meant to belong to Ryan and not me?” Damien asked a question that had been bugging him for some time.

 

[Query Acknowledged. Incorrect. Damien King is designated as the sole recipient of the Talent System and the motivation behind its development. Such a mistake is not possible.]

 

The System reassured Damien…

 

Still, this answer only led to more questions… Why him? Who made it? Did he really have such a capable backer supporting him from the shadows all this time?

 

Damien wanted to ask the System for answers, but he knew it was unlikely to divulge any secrets… All he could do was think to himself in vain…

 

Regardless, today’s discovery was something Damien had never expected. Now that he knew the truth, he could utilize the strange novel to predict future events.

 

Damien was skeptical about how helpful such information would be, but he inferred it would be better than not having any at all. In the worst case, he could just use it to help establish a friendly relationship with Ryan.

 

After all his mission was more urgent than anything else…

 

Before he even knew it, the lecture concluded and Damien was forced to snap back to reality…

 

“You okay? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Ryan asked worriedly from the side.

 

“Ah no… It’s nothing. Speaking of, what class do you have after this?” Damien asked, trying his best to maintain a friendly atmosphere.

 

“Calculus with Professor Birch. You?”

 

“What a coincidence, we’re heading to the same place! Want to walk there together?”

 

“Sure thing,” Ryan answered cheerfully.

 

The more Damien interacted with Ryan, the more similar his personality felt to the “Ryan Lionel” that appeared in the novel. His lingering doubts about the recent revelation were quickly vanishing…

 

The two continued their casual conversation and attended class together. While Damien made sure to pay attention to the lecture this time, it was mostly trivial topics like discussing the syllabus and course outline…

 

When his second class concluded, Damien was left alone to talk once again with Ryan…

 

“It’s strange how different it is from high school…” Ryan spoke first.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well… I mean only having 2 classes a day? The sessions are spread throughout the week. I’m so used to attending the same five classes every day in one building.”

 

“Ah! I get what you mean… Still, I’m not complaining. It certainly frees up my schedule.”

 

“Oh? You certainly don’t seem like the party type. Maybe you have a girlfriend waiting on you?” Ryan teased.

 

“Nope. I’m not proud of it, but I’ve never dated once in my life.” Damien admitted.

 

“Oh? That’s surprising. You seem like a rich kid who would get a lot of attention. Everyone started talking about you when your name was called.” Ryan asked with a slight head tilt.

 

“Let’s put it this way… All the girls who have approached me in my life have one of two reasons: either they want money, or they want to sleep with my brother.” 

 

“Your brother? Is he that good-looking?” Ryan inquired innocently.

 

“Have you ever heard the name, Adam King?”

 

“It sounds familiar… Isn’t he that young bigshot CEO who recently started that famous tech company? Wait… That’s your brother?!” Ryan raised his voice.

 

“The one and only…” Damien answered with a fake smile.

 

“Damn… That’s rough buddy.”

 

As they talked, Damien could feel his reservations slowly fading… Feeling newfound confidence, Damien stepped outside his comfort zone and decided to ask…

 

“Hey Ryan, are you planning on joining any clubs or extracurriculars?”

 

“I was, why?”

 

“Want to go look around with me? Strike while the iron is hot as they say.”

 

With a subtle nod, the two began exploring campus and listened to the advertising of each club, fraternity, and organization on campus.

 

“Join Mu Kappa Theta! We have all the beer you can drink!”

 

“Tennis club needs new players! No experience needed!”

 

“UCLA Media is recruiting. Sign up now!”

 

As the two passed by each booth and received flyers and advice, Damien carefully weighed his options…

 

The first thing that came to mind was the Soccer club… Since he had acquired the [Soccer (Advanced)] skill as a bonus reward for completing his first daily mission, he would certainly be able to find some success there.

 

However, Damien had some aversion to joining a sports club due to the heavy demands of daily practice and competitions…

 

After some careful deliberation… Damien had a thought.

 

“Hey, Ryan… How would you feel about joining the Drama club with me?”

 

“Drama club? Sure, but why the drama club of all places?” Ryan asked with confusion.

 

“It just seemed interesting.” Damien lied.

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In truth, there were three reasons why he wanted to join the drama club. The first was that he had acquired the [Acting (Beginner)] skill as a reward for his last mission and wanted to put it to use.

 

The second was that it provided the perfect setting for Damien to quickly develop his social skills and build confidence.

 

And the third… Because it was the club that Ryan Lionel originally joined in the novel. The starting point of his road to becoming a professional actor in Jollywood.

 

Without hesitation, Damien and Ryan approached the recruitment booth for the drama club and signed their names on the registration form. At that moment, a familiar sound rang out; alleviating Damien’s anxiety greatly…

 

[The Critical Mission: “Social Debut” has been completed. 15,000 experience points, the skill Martial Arts (Expert), and a System Upgrade have been awarded.]

 

[System Upgrade complete… The “Appraisal” feature has now been added.]

 

‘Appraisal?’

 

“Is something wrong Damien?” Ryan asked, noticing his friend’s strange expression.

 

As Damien looked at Ryan, his eyes widened yet again… Not because of Ryan himself, but because of the familiar holographic panel now hovering above his head…

 

Name: [Ryan Lionel]

Age: [18]

Gender: [Male]

Title: [Fate’s Blessed Child]

 

Strength: [35]

Agility: [30]

Endurance: [30]

Physique: [25]

Intelligence: [16]

Charm: [54]

Luck: [999]

 

Skills:

 

Communication: [Expert]

Academics: [Advanced]

Acting: [Advanced]

Cooking: [Advanced]

Medicine: [Advanced]

Business: [Intermediate]

Marksmanship: [Intermediate]

Martial Arts: [Intermediate]

Sewing: [Beginner]

 

‘So this is what it meant by a System Upgrade…’

 

Distracted and busy admiring his new ability, Damien paid no mind to Ryan himself who looked at Damien as if he was a madman…

 

“Well then… I should get going. I’ll see you in class on Wednesday.” Ryan bid farewell to Damien and the two went their separate ways.

 

After a short call to Michael, the trusty bodyguard arrived in the usual black sedan to pick him up and bring him back to the family mansion.

 

As Damien entered the car with a grin, Michael couldn’t help but be surprised by his charge’s unusual expression.

 

“Did something good happen sir?” Michael asked curiously.

 

“You could say that… I made a friend.” Damien spoke casually in response.

 

“A friend, huh… I’m glad…” Michael whispered to himself quietly.

 

“Is something the matter?” Damien inquired

 

“Nothing sir, we’ll arrive home shortly…”

 

The moment Damien returned to his bedroom, he collapsed on his bed and let out a sigh…

 

“Haaaa… That was more exhausting than I had expected…” 

 

Still, Damien couldn’t help but smile as he examined his updated status panel…

 

Name: [Damien King]

Wealth: [$22,110]

 

Available Points: [15,900]

 

Strength: [10]

Agility: [9]

Endurance: [8]

Physique: [8]

Intelligence: [21]

Charm: [33]

Luck: [10]

 

Skills:

 

Martial Arts: [Expert]

Investing: [Advanced]

Programming: [Advanced]

Soccer: [Advanced]

Academics: [Intermediate]

Gaming: [Intermediate]

Acting: [Beginner]

Cooking: [Beginner]

 

He quickly acquired a significant quantity of points and even obtained an expert-ranked skill. He hoped he would never have to use it, but he was confident he wouldn’t lose in a fight as long as he had this skill…

 

And of course the greatest prize… The new “Appraisal” feature.

 

Damien still needed time to experiment with it, but it seemed to assess the physical attributes and skills of anyone Damien meets. There were countless uses for such information, but only one thing came to mind for Damien…

 

“I wonder what it will show for my siblings…”

 

Eager to surpass them in both skills and physical attributes, Damien couldn’t help but feel more motivated than ever…

 

Until then, he had to find the best way to spend his newly acquired experience points…

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