PLAYER SYSTEM C17 REQUEST

Jack sat in silence, his grip tightening slightly around the spoon in his hand. A hundred thoughts swirled in his head.

‘Am I really going to ask him for this? Glasses that can replicate a system like BEYOND…? That’s asking for too much, isn’t it?’

His brows knit together. ‘Even if I ask for something simpler, it’s still a complicated request. I don’t even know if Ian could make something like that—no, actually… he probably could.’

Ian noticed the hesitation immediately. With a gentle smile, he leaned forward and said, “Hey, come on. What is it you want from me?” His tone was calm, understanding. “You said it was techy, right? You know I’m good for it. There aren’t many tech problems I can’t handle. So? Just speak your mind.”

Jack looked up, still unsure. “I…” He hesitated again, eyes scanning Ian’s face.

‘Even if he could build something that mimics BEYOND’s interface in glasses… what guarantee do I have that he won’t monitor it? He’s got the HACKER ability. He could tap into anything, even if he swore he wouldn’t. My system—my PLAYER ability—would be wide open.’

Jack’s gaze sharpened, jaw tightening as his mind spiraled deeper.

‘I trust Ian… but I don’t trust the world. And I definitely don’t trust our parents. If they knew I had a system that lets me gain real power through a game… that I have a real-life status panel… I’d be turned into a freak, a test subject. A lab rat.’

He stared down at the table, fingers tightening around the spoon again.

In this world, awakening wasn't uncommon—but how people awakened varied wildly. Some awakened through passions, others through trauma. Most gained powers loosely connected to the things they loved most. Still, nothing guaranteed it.

Some shared powers. Some had weaker or stronger versions of the same ability. It all came down to how much someone loved, believed, or devoted themselves to something.

Then there were the Rare Abilities—powers that only one in a million could ever awaken.

And rarer still… the Unique Abilities.

Abilities so one-of-a-kind that only a single person in the entire world possessed them. A complete anomaly in the system. Those with Unique Abilities were feared, idolized, sometimes hunted. They could rise to the top of the awakened world—unstoppable, untouchable.

Monsters… in the eyes of the rest.

And Jack had a feeling—no, a certainty—that his was one of them.

He knew it deep down—what he had wasn’t just a rare ability. It was beyond rare.

A "Unique Ability," maybe even something that defied that label altogether. The more he used it, the more he realized… calling himself a "Monster" might actually be an understatement.

So caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t realize a whole minute had passed in silence.

Ian tilted his head, frowning slightly. He waved a hand in front of Jack’s face. “Hey~ you still in there?”

Jack blinked and snapped back to the present. “Yeah, sorry,” he said quickly. He took a breath, then finally made up his mind.

“About that request… uh, if it’s possible, can you make a pair of glasses that work kind of like the BEYOND headset tech? You know… something with a holographic interface. Doesn’t need to be full VR. Just something similar to its system.”

Ian raised an eyebrow. “Glasses with a BEYOND-like system?” he repeated, then leaned back slightly, curious. “What, you planning to play virtual games on the go or something? Trying to turn real life into a game?”

His tone wasn’t mocking—just intrigued.

Jack chuckled softly, the tension in his chest loosening a bit. “No, nothing like that. Maybe just to play some light virtual games when I’m bored or something…”

He couldn’t exactly say it was to access his mysterious PLAYER interface.

“Hm? Light virtual games, huh?” Ian leaned forward, resting his chin in one hand, his elbow on the table. He looked amused. “Jack, you do realize there are already VR glasses on the market, right? Even BEYOND has a model. You could just buy one. Way easier than asking me to build something from scratch.”

Jack froze for a beat. ‘Crap… I completely forgot about that…’

He mentally kicked himself. VR glasses were a thing. But most of them were underwhelming. They couldn't run high-load games like The War of Eve, or even older titles like Warrior's Journey. Sure, they could project interactive avatars and basic environments, but they lacked touch feedback, sensory immersion, and overall processing power. And even so, they weren’t exactly cheap on his current allowance.

Thinking fast, he said, “Yeah, I thought about that… but they’re not really budget-friendly for me right now.”

Ian blinked. “They’re cheap.”

Jack scratched his cheek, awkward. “Maybe for you. For me, it’s… kind of a stretch.”

Ian rolled his eyes, chuckling. He pulled out his wallet, plucked a sleek golden credit card, and slid it across the table. “Here. Just use my card and buy one.”

Jack stared at it, hesitating. His pride got in the way for a second.

Ian noticed and gave a casual shrug. “Come on. You just said it’s cheap for me, right? So what’s the problem?”

Jack sighed and accepted the card with a reluctant nod. “Fine. But I’ll pay you back. Promise.”

Ian smiled faintly, watching him. ‘Jack’s really acting off tonight… something’s definitely different about him…’

“Anyway,” Jack continued, trying to keep his voice casual, “once I buy the VR Glasses… can you customize it for me? Like, disconnect it from any server—make it completely private and offline? Just for me.”

Ian raised an eyebrow. “Disconnect it? If it’s offline, how are you supposed to run virtual programs or access anything?”

Jack shrugged, flashing a half-smile. “You know I’m a private guy. I don’t want anyone snooping around my stuff.”

Ian narrowed his eyes. “What kind of stuff?”

Jack quickly put on an exaggerated pervy expression, cheeks flushed and lips pursed like he was suppressing something scandalous. “You know… that kind of stuff.” He raised both hands in the air, palms out, as if he were squeezing invisible… something.

Ian blinked. “…Huh?”

Jack sighed dramatically, then blurted it out. “Alright! I’m planning to buy a virtual girlfriend from one of those, uh… adult avatar stores. I want to download her into my VR Glasses. You know, have a little private fun—just me and her, no eyes watching!”

His ears burned red by the time he finished.

Ian recoiled like he’d been slapped with secondhand embarrassment. “O-Okay! Stop right there, I get it!” He waved his hands frantically. “You don’t have to explain any further, I’m not judging.”

Jack internally cheered. ‘Great. That should kill any suspicion.’

Ian shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Man… You really are a hopeless loner.”

Jack grinned sheepishly. “Just a bit embarrassed, is all.”

Ian exhaled through his nose, then nodded. “Fine. I’ll strip the server hooks and make it completely offline. No tracking, no backdoors, no remote access. You’ll be the only one who can run or see anything on it.”

“Thanks, bro. You’re the best,” Jack said, eyes bright, but inwardly thinking: ‘Now I can finally view the PLAYER system in peace without worrying about being monitored.’