Time and Space (1)
You've got to be kidding me. Why is Katsuro here now, out of all times?
I stood there looking at him as a drop of sweat slithered down my face. I looked at him nervously for a slight moment, averting my gaze after I headed outside of the adventurer's guild.
To my surprise, I felt a strong grip on my shoulder, knowing all too well what would happen next.
"Hey," he whispered, turning his head to face me slowly.
"Yeah? Is there anything you need?" I replied casually, trying to act indifferent and not minding his grip on my shoulder.
As I replied, I had noticed a change in the act information from earlier; my mind was gathering information quickly like it had crashed down like a huge wave like before. I gripped my head as this process gave me a slight headache, my anomaly's perspective skill slightly changing.
[As Katsuro heads back to the central after instantly decapitating that burglar, he walks inside the guild to buy healing potions but sees his childhood friend, Mika Hatsujin, a woman with striking, long, midnight blue hair and exquisite blue eyes. As he opened the door, he noticed her as he walked inside.]
...
[As Katsuro heads back to the central after a tiring fight with the mysterious man, he walks inside the guild building to buy healing potions to recover from fatigue but sees a certain someone. The mysterious man from earlier. After recognizing each other, he saw his childhood friend, Mika Hatsujin, a woman with striking, long, midnight blue hair and exquisite blue eyes, walk inside, seeing two people she recognizes.
"Oh, hey, Katsuro. Why are you looking at him? Do you know him or something?" She asks.]
Damn it. Everything keeps changing; even right now, it's giving me headaches left and right.
Status window.
[Zankoku Hanzou
Age: 16 Gender: M
Level: 51 (14/940) Race: Human
Class: All-Rounder (Adaptable)
HP: 494
MP:283
STR: 59 (-5)
VIT: 63 (-5)
AGI: 42 (-5)
INT: 100 (-5)
DEX: 44 (-5)
LUK: 39 (-10)
Special: Anomaly's Perspective (SSS) [2], Willpower (B), Focus (B), Unlucky One (F), The Cursed (F)]
Also, Mika Hatsujin, huh... Wasn't she the woman I saw earlier? Should that even be considered a coincidence?
"Never mind," he finally answers after a few moments of awkward silence, wondering whether to pose the question in his head but deciding not to because so many people were observing them.
Just then, a certain someone walked inside the guild building. It was none other than- Mika Hatsujin.
"Oh, hey, Katsuro. Why are you looking at him? Do you know him or something?" She asks.
"...No, it's nothing." He replies to Mika, averting his gaze on me and acting like nothing ever happened.
"Okay, then I will leave." I smile as I exit the adventurer's guild, seemingly free of his hold. When I walked out the door, I heard a system notification.
[You have used your skill: Anomaly's Perspective (SSS).]
[When the man walked out of the guild, Katsuro decided to put his strength to the test and see if his instinct told him he was the strange man. He attempted to punch the man in the face, administering a lethal blow.]
This psycho...!
[Anomaly's Perspective has leveled up earlier. Would you like to know what it does?]
[yes] [no]
Yes, please!
"Katsuro, what are you doing-" Mika asks, reacting to his sudden movement.
As his punch was about to hit my face, I didn't have time to react. But when his knuckles were a millimeter away from his face, he stopped it.
...
What?
This... Has time actually stopped?
As I walked around his stiff body, stuck in time, I stared at the other people. They, too, were stuck in time, as was everything else but me.
The beer from a person's cup had stopped in the air, Mika's raised hand attempting to stop Katsuro, dishes had frozen in the air due to the employee's clumsiness, and a painting from the left wall had become caught in the air after the nail holding it had given up.
[Will you unfreeze time and do the best response?
[yes] [no]
...
Yes.
His knuckles were once more a millimeter from my face as my body instinctively returned to its pre-time freeze position as I considered the "yes" choice.
As I examined the "yes" option, my body reflexively returned to its pre-freeze position, causing his knuckles to become even closer to my face.
When time unfroze and his punch resumed movement, my body instantly responded.
I instinctively parried his attack with my other hand before counterattacking with my palm on his stomach.
I did this all without knowing I did; raising my palm in bewilderment, not knowing why I did that.
What the hell did I just do?
He was thrown a few meters back; I was still in place when I saw him grasp his stomach in anguish. As I looked bewildered, he coughed and stood up weakly. A system window stopped my thoughts once more.
[You have selected the best option to respond.]
Huh? Is this system for real right now?
Everyone gazed at me as if they had seen a ghost, shock and disbelief filling the quiet air. Katsuro finally stood up and shouted something.
"I knew you were the person who fought with me in the pub; who are you?" He asked weakly, coughing up drops of blood. He wiped the bloodstain from his mouth as he glanced at me.
"...I told you earlier, I am just a regular person; there is nothing exceptional about me." I tried to conceal my face as I went away, carrying my ID.
Katsuro's childhood friend, Mika, looked at me suspiciously once more as I walked away. Biting her lip as she debated whether to pose the question that has been racing in her mind right now.
"Hey! If you're really not evil, can you join the raid that's going to happen at Shigai Cave next week?" She asks nervously, bracing herself with a "no."
Shigai Cave, huh? It is an A-rank dungeon. Should I actually go? I am getting involved in something I probably should not be.
Then, I had a flashback once more. That person telling me to not give up.
I chuckled, content, looking above as I contemplated.
Really? You're meddling in matters like this now, mysterious dream person? Did you somehow tweak my thoughts so that if I seem to give up on something, it'll make me remember you?
Okay. I guess I'll have to join this raid. Maybe it'll end in disaster if I didn't.
...
[You have used the skill: Anomaly's Perspective (SSS)]
[A few hours later, the raid proved disastrous. The adventurer's guild misclassified it as an C-rank when it should have been an B-rank, resulting in half of their warriors dying in vain and Katsuro and Mika fleeing injured.]
Seems like I was correct. I believe I will have to interfere and assist in this raid if I am to change the direction of this story, and maybe, just maybe, I'll meet you one day.
I swear I'll thank you when I finally meet you.
"Okay, I'll join the raid." I reply to Mika, her face lighting up as I look at her while I smile.
I then looked at Katsuro, still gripping his stomach, smiling as he scorned me.
"You don't mind, right? I hope you don't," I say, patting his shoulder as I apologize indirectly, cutting my sentence midway as I get another headache.
...
[A few hours after they had traversed inside, the raid proved disastrous. The adventurer's guild misclassified it as an C-rank when it should have been an B-rank. But a companion of Mika, Hanzou, had blocked numerous attacks of the boss of the dungeon, resulting in a decrease of casualties.]
I observed that it did not mention that I killed the boss. Should I have to grow and become much stronger than I am now?
Haha, this is entertaining.
I thought as a silver aura enveloped my eyes, entering a state of determination and focus as I smirked, clearly enjoying and accepting what was about to come.
My motivation was cut short when I got another system notification.
[You have now become a bigger anomaly. Therefore, a penalty will be added, which are daily quests.]
[But if you fail, you will be teleported to the penalty area. But if you finish it in time, there will be rewards.]
Oh my god, why does this system keep pulling stuff like this on me? Does it hate me or something?