Chapter 4: Lunar System
Chapter 4: Lunar System
Jerry kept on staring at the palm of his hand. Looking closely, he could see that the faint symbol from the pendant that had burned itself into his skin was now gone—or at least that's what it looked like. But every time Jerry tried closing his eyes, he could still feel it. It felt like some kind of phantom heat—it was there but wasn't there. The memory of the silver pendant was still clear in his head; he could still remember the pendant glowing in the dim light of the wrecked car. His mind also drifted to the sharp and burning pain he had felt when he touched the pendant.
Tim, on the other hand, was still speaking while pacing back and forth in front of Jerry, but Jerry barely heard what Tim was saying. His friend's voice felt more like background noise compared to the mass of thoughts going through his head.
"Jerry? Man, are you even listening to what I'm saying?" Tim asked while snapping his fingers in front of Jerry's face.
Jerry blinked and looked up while shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Sorry, what?" Jerry replied.
Tim made a low groan and ran a hand through his blond hair. "I said we need to figure out what happened back there! You don't just pass out for three hours after touching some random necklace," he repeated himself.
Jerry rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand and winced as he moved his body. His whole body felt weird; it felt like he'd been hit by a truck-kun.
"I don't know, dude. It just... it felt like something shocked me. But it wasn't just my hand; it was like it went through me. Like…" Jerry paused while trying to find the right words to explain himself. "Like it was alive."
Tim decided to stop pacing and stared at Jerry. "Alive? Dude, you're making this sound like some freaky sci-fi movie. Are you sure you didn't hit your head or something?"
Jerry shook his head with a serious face and said, "I'm not joking, Tim. Something happened. And it's not just the pendant. I feel... different."
Tim raised an eyebrow. "Different how?"
Jerry opened his mouth to answer but then he stopped. He didn't know. How could he even explain it? It wasn't just the weird burning feeling on the palm of his hand or the fact that he'd blacked out earlier; there was more to it than that. He felt different, like there was something new inside him, something that didn't belong there.
"I don't know," he finally said in a low voice. "It's hard to explain."
Tim sighed and sat down on the grass beside Jerry; his usual energy was now replaced by worry. "Okay, so let's figure this out. What do you remember? Like, right before you blacked out," Tim said in a calm and soft voice.
Jerry closed his eyes and was trying to piece everything together in his head. "The guy in the car… he looked at me like he knew me, even though I'd never seen him before. And then the pendant—it started glowing. When I touched it, I felt this… surge, like it was pulling something out of me or putting something in."
Tim shrugged his shoulders. "Creepy. So what, you think the necklace gave you superpowers or something?"
Jerry frowned at his comment. "I don't know. It's not like I can shoot lasers out of my eyes or anything. But it's not normal, either," Jerry replied.
Tim leaned back and stared up at the night sky with a smile. "Well, if it did give you powers, you better hope they're the cool kind, like invisibility or super strength. Not something lame like talking to squirrels."
Jerry laughed at the comment. It felt good to laugh, even if it was just for a short moment. "Yeah, because talking to squirrels is exactly what I need right now," Jerry replied with a big smile.
The two friends sat in silence for a while as the sounds of the now-empty clearing filled the air. Crickets chirped in the distance, and the occasional rustle of leaves made Jerry glance over his shoulder, half-expecting something or someone to be watching them.
Tim then broke the silence. "So… what now?"
Jerry shrugged. "I guess I try to figure out what's going on. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe I just freaked myself out."
Tim gave him a weird look. "Dude, you passed out for three hours, and your hand was literally burned. That's not 'nothing.'"
Jerry didn't respond. He felt like he couldn't. Because deep down, he knew Tim was right.
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The walk home was quiet. Tim offered to drive him, but Jerry said he needed to clear his head a bit. The cold night air felt good on his skin, and the steady rhythm of his footsteps gave him something to focus on.
When he had finally reached his house, he noticed that the lights were still off, which meant his dad wasn't home yet—not that it was a surprise. Jerry typed in the alarm code and stepped inside while locking the door behind him. The house felt very quiet; it felt more like the silence was pressing in on him.
He headed upstairs to his room while dragging his feet. After entering his room, he tossed his shoes in a corner, flopped onto his soft bed, and stared at the ceiling. His mind started to race with thoughts; his mind was replaying everything that had happened at the party. The pendant, the crash, the man's voice pleading for help…
Jerry suddenly froze, his breathing uneven. He could feel a faint hum of static filling his head; it felt sharp and distinct. The symbol on his palm that was input by the pendant began to glow while also casting weird shadows on his bedroom walls.
And then, something like a screen unfolding in his mind—it was something he had never seen before—something new. It appeared before his eyes: a box made of shimmering silver light, floating in midair.
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[Lunar System Initializing]
Jerry closed his eyes and opened them again, but the words were still there and didn't go away. His heart pounded as the screen changed and started generating information so fast he couldn't keep up.
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[Lunar System Activated]
Host Info
Name: Jerry Blade
Age: 17
Status: Normal
Class: Moon Whelp (Lunar Werewolf)
Affinity: None
Host Stats
Level: 1
Exp: 0/100
Strength: 10
Speed: 10
Intelligence: 15
Bravery: 5
---
Jerry's breath became slow. "Moon whelp? What even is that?" he said with a cracked voice as he swiped his hand through the air, trying to dismiss the glowing interface, but it didn't move.
Before he could process the stats, a new section had appeared below.
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[Daily Quest]
20 Pushups
Run 1 Kilometer
Lift 50 Pounds
Reward: 10 Exp, 1 Stat Point
Penalty: ??????
---
"What the hell is this?" Jerry whispered with a shaky voice and scrambled back against the wall, but the glowing screen followed, sticking to him no matter what he did.
Another message popped up, almost like it was taunting him.
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[USER ACTION REQUIRED]
Welcome, Jerry Blade. You are now the host of the Lunar System. Your primary objective is to complete all daily quests.
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Jerry groaned and dragged his hands down his face. "Skill points? How the hell do I get skill points?"
The system was able to reply right away:
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[SYSTEM RESPONSE]
Skill points can be earned through quests, combat, or special achievements.
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The glow from the system finally faded, leaving Jerry in his quiet and dim room. Just as he thought he could relax, another notification popped up.
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[WARNING: Inactivity Will Result in Termination.]
Jerry felt like his breath was stuck, and his pulse hammered in his chest. "Termination?" he said in a crack as he stared at his glowing interface. "What the hell did I get myself into?"
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