I stepped out of the mineral analysis lab, my heart still brimming with joy. My employer walked beside me, smiling—though on his face lingered a strange blend of satisfaction and regret. He looked at me and said, half-joking, half-serious:
"Looks like luck is on your side this time. If I had gotten it... maybe I'd be in your place now."
I laughed, trying to ease the weight of his words.
"Heh, it's my fate. You can't change the past."
He didn't reply__ just gave a slight nod...
We continued walking for a few more steps. The road was quiet except for the sound of our feet on the dirt and the gentle whispers of the wind playing with the trees lining the path. Then, at a small crossroads between houses, he stopped and said:
"I'll see you tomorrow. Take the rest of the day off. You've earned it."
I nodded and thanked him. Then we parted ways, each heading in our own direction. As I walked toward the inn, I felt a lightness in my steps, as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders. The analysis results were proof that, at least for a moment, I held something that could change my destiny.
I pulled the money from my pocket and counted it for the third time: fifteen hundred dollars. An amount I never imagined having since I arrived in this strange world. Dozens of thoughts raced through my mind: "What should I do with this money? Should I buy something for myself? Feast on the best dishes? Maybe get a detailed map of the area? Or a book about the monsters I've heard of?"
But I quickly stopped myself, shaking my head firmly.
"No, not now. I can't relax or show off. This world is full of surprises, and I don't know what tomorrow might bring. I must save every coin."
I arrived at the inn. As usual, the innkeeper greeted me with her familiar smile, as if she had grown used to my return at this hour. She asked about my day, and I replied briefly that things went well. I didn't feel like sharing what had happened—at least not yet.
Dinner was simple, but warm. Then I spent a few minutes playing with the little girl. Her laughter was like a rare melody in my chaos-filled world, reminding me that a bit of innocence still existed in this new reality.
Afterward, I went up to my room and quietly closed the door behind me. I took out the money again, looked at it for a moment, then placed it in a small pouch and hid it in a safe spot under a loose wooden plank in the corner of the room—something I had noticed a few days ago. I felt reassured once I confirmed it wasn't visible.
I lay down on the bed, exhaustion beginning to seep into my body. I closed my eyes and smiled faintly.
A small step forward, but one I won't take for granted.
Then, slowly, I drifted into deep sleep, while the moon outside my window cast calm shadows across the ground.
---
Two full months had passed since I arrived in this strange world. Over time, things started to feel monotonous. The days flowed as if they were copies of one another: waking up each morning to the sunlight slipping through the window of my small room, getting ready, then heading to work. The same crates. The same fatigue. The same routine wrapping around me every day. Nothing special ever happened… but today was different.
Work started as usual. I carried boxes from the cart to the warehouse, cleaned weapons returned from various missions, and half-heartedly listened to workers exchanging jokes and curses. Sweat dripped down my forehead, my muscles ached from accumulated strain, but I was used to it. I had adapted to everything here.
Midday, while lifting a box heavier than usual, I noticed Knox—my mostly silent coworker—standing a few steps away, staring intently into empty space. His gaze was fixed, unmoving, as if he was seeing something I couldn't. Not only that, but he was moving his finger in the air, pressing at something… something invisible.
I paused, confused, wiped the sweat from my brow, then walked over and asked:
"What are you doing? Why are you staring like that and pointing at nothing?"
He didn't respond right away. He kept calmly pressing at the air, then sighed—almost like my question had snapped him back to reality. He looked at me and said in a quiet tone:
"From your reaction… I guess no one has told you yet."
I felt confused. I didn't understand what he meant, but before I could ask, he continued:
"Remember when we talked about unique abilities?"
I replied immediately:
"Yeah, I remember."
He said:
"Every regular person who comes here from another world… eventually gets a unique ability."
I furrowed my brows:
"And what does that have to do with what you were just doing?"
He smiled slightly:
"Hold on, I'm not done yet."
Then he raised his finger again toward the air. This time he didn't press anything—he simply continued speaking with a spark of excitement in his voice:
"Tell me… how do you think we find out if we've gained our unique ability?"
I answered with fake confidence, trying to sound clever:
"Well… by… uh…"
Then I paused, and quickly admitted:
"Actually… I have no idea."
He chuckled softly and said:
"That's normal. Most people don't know. But… have you ever played video games before?"
I looked at him, puzzled.
"Yeah, of course. A lot."
He nodded calmly.
"Then you must know something called a 'status window', right?"
I started connecting the dots. "Yeah… I know it."
He smiled and said:
"Normal people here, those who came from other worlds, discover their unique abilities through that… the status window."
I stopped breathing for a moment.
"You mean… it actually appears? For real?"
He replied:
"Yes. But it only appears to those who've gained a unique ability. All you have to do is say out loud: 'Status Window'. And you'll know whether you've received something… or not."
I stood there, frozen, as if a blade had slowly pierced my chest. I couldn't speak. My mind was reassembling everything from the past months.
"Is this real? Could it really be that simple?" I thought, as my heart began to race.
I looked at Knox but couldn't say anything. I was caught between doubt and awe. There was a small chance he was joking—but the way he said it, the look in his eyes… made me believe him.
It felt as though the world around me had suddenly shifted. As if a veil of mystery had been hiding the truth all this time—and now, it had begun to lift.
I stood there, staring into the same empty space Knox had been looking at, and a voice inside me whispered:
"Should I do it? Should I try? Should I say it?"