Chapter 2: The Beyond System
1453 Words
The memory of his mother’s silent hug hung over Jack like a heavy fog. “Can I also become a hero?” The question still echoed in his mind, unanswered and aching.
The local park was supposed to be a place of play, but in a world of 95%, it was a battleground. Jack stood at the edge of the sandpit, his breath catching in his throat.
A boy named Flame—a cruel irony, given that his gift was the manipulation of high-pressure water—was standing over a younger kid. Flame’s hands were dripping, small orbs of water swirling around his knuckles like liquid brass knuckles.
"Please, Flame! Stop!" the younger boy sobbed, his shirt soaked through.
Jack’s legs felt like lead. He was trembling so hard he could hear his own teeth chattering. He was a 'Five Percent.' He was a bug compared to Flame. But as he looked at the bully’s smug face, something hotter than fear sparked in his chest.
Jack stepped forward, placing himself between the water and the victim.
"Flame... you can't do this," Jack said. His voice was shaky, but it didn't break. "If you don't stop... I’ll make you stop."
Flame froze for a second, then a jagged, mocking laugh burst from his throat. He slammed his palms together, and the moisture in the air condensed instantly into a swirling vortex around his arms.
"Look at this," Flame sneered, the water glowing with a faint, predatory blue light. "A powerless reject is trying to play hero. Do you even know what you are, Jack? You're a glitch. A mistake."
Flame moved faster than Jack could follow. A lash of high-pressure water caught Jack in the ribs, sending him flying backward. Jack crashed into the jagged rocks at the edge of the park's memorial fountain. His head hit something hard—a strange, obsidian-colored stone embedded in the earth that felt unnaturally cold.
The world turned to static. The sound of Flame’s laughter faded into a high-pitched ring. Then, darkness.
Ping.
The sound was digital, sharp, and sounded directly inside Jack’s brain.
Jack’s eyes snapped open. He was still on the ground, the taste of copper and dirt in his mouth. Flame was gone—probably bored of beating a boy who wouldn't fight back. But as Jack tried to sit up, his heart nearly stopped.
Floating in the air, mere inches from his face, was a semi-transparent screen of deep violet light.
[ SYSTEM INITIALIZING... ]
[ SOURCE: BEYOND STONE DETECTED ]
[ LINKING TO HOST: JACK HINATA ]
Jack blinked, rubbing his eyes, but the screen didn't vanish. It moved with his vision. He looked around frantically, but the parents on the distant benches didn't even glance his way.
"What... what is this?" Jack whispered.
[ THE BEYOND SYSTEM: VERSION 1.0 ]
[ STATUS: PHYSICAL LIMITER BYPASS ACTIVATED ]
Notice: This system does not grant magic. It grants the path to evolution.
[ DAILY QUEST: THE REJECT’S FOUNDATION ]
Goal: Push the vessel beyond the point of collapse.
- Push-ups: 0/100
- Sit-ups: 0/100
- Squats: 0/100
- Run: 10KM
[ REWARD: PERMANENT +1 STRENGTH, RECOVERY POTION (GRADE-E) ]
[ FAILURE: PENALTY QUEST - SURVIVAL TRIAL ]
Jack stared at the glowing text. It wasn't a superpower. It wasn't the ability to fly or shoot fire. It was something much more dangerous. It was a ladder out of the pit.
He looked at his thin, bruised arms. He looked at the 100 push-ups required. It was impossible for a five-year-old. It was crazy.
But then he remembered the silence of his mother’s hug. He remembered the weight of the word Powerless.
Jack placed his shaky hands on the dirt and lowered his chest to the ground.
The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting long, orange shadows across the park, but Jack’s world had narrowed down to the few inches of dirt beneath his face.
Fifty-one. Fifty-two.
At the tenth push-up, his triceps had started to sting. By the twentieth, a sharp, cramping heat radiated through his stomach. By the fiftieth, his arms felt like they were made of lead, trembling so violently he thought his bones might snap.
“I... I can’t...” his mind whispered at the eightieth rep. His face was inches from the mud, his breath coming in ragged, broken gasps. The memory of Flame’s water-wreathed fist flickered in his mind. Then, the memory of the doctor’s pitying eyes.
Jack let out a low, primal growl and pushed.
Ninety-nine. ONE HUNDRED.
[ PUSH-UPS COMPLETED: 100/100 ]
He collapsed, his chest hitting the dirt as a digital chime rang in his head. He didn't move for ten minutes, his heart drumming a frantic beat against his ribs. Every muscle was screaming, but the purple screen stayed fixed in his vision, merciless.
He forced himself up for the sit-ups. The burning in his core was a new kind of agony, a searing fire that made every breath a chore. By the time he finished the final rep, his legs were twitching uncontrollably. The park was nearly empty now, the streetlights flickering to life.
“Mom... she’ll be worried,” Jack realized, his stomach dropping.
He stumbled through the front door, his legs feeling like jelly. He tried to walk normally, trying to hide the fact that his body was vibrating with exhaustion.
"Mom, I'm back," he called out, his voice hoarse.
Mrs. Hinata was in the kitchen, the steam from a pot of soup softening the sharp lines of worry on her face. "Jack! Do you have any idea what time it is? Please, you have to take care of yourself. With no power, the streets aren't safe after dark."
Jack didn't look back. He couldn't let her see how pale he was. "Don't worry, Mom. I just... lost track of time. I’m fine."
He ducked into his room and leaned against the door, his lungs burning. He swiped his hand through the air, bringing the Beyond System back into focus. "What else?" he wheezed. "What's left?"
The screen flickered, the text glowing an ominous crimson.
[ DAILY QUEST: THE REJECT’S FOUNDATION ]
- 100 Sprints: INCOMPLETE
- 10KM Run: INCOMPLETE
- REMAINING TIME: 05:59:59
Jack stared at the numbers in disbelief. His legs were already failing him. 10 kilometers? For a five-year-old? It was a death sentence. But then he looked at the reward section: [RECOVERY POTION].
"If I don't finish... I don't get the potion. If I don't get the potion, I won't be able to move tomorrow," he muttered.
He climbed out of his bedroom window into the small, fenced-backyard. Under the cover of darkness, he began to run.
One sprint. Ten. Fifty. His vision began to blur. His lungs felt like they were filled with crushed glass. He ran until he couldn't feel his feet, until the only thing left in the world was the sound of his own thudding heart and the ticking clock of the System.
[ QUEST COMPLETE! ]
[ ALL REQUIREMENTS MET. CALCULATING REWARDS... ]
Jack gasped, falling to his knees on the grass. His fingers hovered over the [CLAIM] button, desperate for the healing power of the potion.
Creak.
The back door slid open, a pillar of warm yellow light spilling across the grass.
"Jack? What are you doing out here in the dark? Dinner is ready!"
It was Mrs. Hinata. Jack froze, his heart leaping into his throat. The glowing violet screen was hovering right in front of him, bright and impossible to miss. He scrambled to hide it, his mind racing.
But as his mother walked toward him, her eyes remained fixed only on her son. She walked right through the holographic text as if it were smoke. She couldn't see it.
"I... I was just getting some air, Mom," Jack panted, his sweat soaking through his shirt.
She looked at him suspiciously, then sighed, her expression softening into that familiar look of sadness. "You're pushing yourself too hard, Jack. Come inside. Your sister is already at the table."
Jack nodded, waiting for her to turn back toward the house. As the door closed, he looked at the screen one last time.
[ REWARD GRANTED: RECOVERY POTION (GRADE-E) ]
[ NEW STATUS RECORDED: STRENGTH +1 ]
A small, glass vial filled with glowing green liquid appeared in his hand out of thin air. He swallowed it in one gulp. Instantly, the fire in his muscles vanished, replaced by a cool, soothing tingle.
He stood up, his back straighter than it had been an hour ago. He felt... different. Stronger.
“One day,” Jack thought, looking at the door. “I’ll show you, Mom. I’ll show everyone.”
- Writer
