Chapter One - Race Down the Hill

Ring. Ring—

"Out of the way!"

People dropped to both sides, jumping out of the way.

"Careful!"

The bike kept racing down; luckily for me, in this late-hour traffic, there were relatively few people on the sidewalk.

Woosh—

I zoomed past the many faces—some angry, others scared. What a stark contrast, like sweet and sour.

"Careful! Old lady! Get out of the way!"

It was at this moment that I began to regret my choice to ride my bike through the city to get home as quickly as possible, shortly after I had saddled up.

"What kind of idiot would ride a bike in Soul's streets!?" An old man had screamed just minutes ago when I was still at the top of the hill.

Now, I had almost reached the bottom of it and passed half of the crowd.

There was only this one last opponent, the final boss, if you may. I could practically hear the pop-up announcing that I had found the final boss, the hardest of them all.

"Dang. I really am playing too many games. Maybe I should tone it down in the future?" I thought, distracted for only a second.

"Careful!" As if my mind wanted to prove me wrong—and I could have sworn I saw it—my mind flashed me the status window:

[Elderly Grandmother]

{Brings you milk and freshly baked cookies, even when you haven't eaten breakfast.}

[HP: 70 / 100]

[Abilities:]

[Complete voice block] – [Lvl. MAX]

{Thanks to a long-lived and at some points party-too-hard life, the woman has gained the ability to completely block loud and quiet noises, screams.}

[Petrified Agility] – [Lvl. 50]

{As stiff as a stick and slow as a slug. The woman has, due to hard work and dedication, sore muscles and stiff joints. Making it harder to dodge any attack.}

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"

The woman drew close, her red cardigan with flowers fluttering in the wind.

"Ok. Starting evasion maneuver!"

Grabbing the handle, I pulled to the side. Slightly right.

"Like this, I should just about…" I paused, cursing my lips. "I should make it!"

[Closure to Target: 10 meters]

[9 meters]

[8 meters]

I focused my eyes, continuing to ring. Well, slowing down and braking were out of the question.

[7 m]

[6 m]

[5 m]

I looked at her, detecting an AOE attack a little too late.

[Combined AOE attack]

[Granny's au de perfume]

{The sweet mixture of fresh peppermint hard candy and musty clothes will calm your nerves.}

[Your focus and accuracy have been reduced!]

"Oh crap."

[4 m]

I grabbed my handle harder, my hands shaking a bit. It was hard enough not to miss the gap and knock the grandma over.

"CAREFUL!"

I screamed from the bottom of my lungs, the wind tearing at them due to the cold. The pain was a sign—now I know—I shouldn't have done that.

[3 m]

I grabbed my brakes and pressed them down as best I could.

[2 m]

"Oh no."

[1 m]