Johannes was looking forward to his skill shop, as he had received a coin earlier this day. While a single coin might not have been that much, it was enough to change his whole life.
Quite literally, he thought. As he looked at his pale hands, he started to reminisce. Johannes thought about how far he had actually come thanks to the newfound ability to breathe.
His gaze met the screen of the clunky TV that was running in the background, slightly flickering due to the lack of funding at the hospital. It was not like his parents had been poor. It was rather that healthcare was expensive in the world of Divers - at least if you were without powers.
He occasionally glanced at the old TV and saw an E-Rank Diver who talked about his latest success. Contemplating his fate, he overheard how the young Diver cleared a low-ranking dungeon on his own.
Now that's a rare one. His mind wandered around and compared himself to this unknown man. Though it sounded a bit sad, breathing was the extent of his success so far.
But he knew the journey had only just begun. If only his father was there to see how far he would get. Everything started to feel meaningless.
Why do I even thrive, when I cannot show it to my father?, he started to think. Knowing how the system worked, he had trouble maintaining his composure. Because Johannes knew it too well - if his thoughts became grim again, the system would revoke its powers.
It was difficult for him to accept what happened. While he often tried to push away the fact that his father had died, he now had to face the aftermath of suppressing his grief.
Tears streamed down his face. Johannes' face became even paler than it used to. "If only I could see him one more time" he begged. But there was nobody to listen to his request.
Thus, he kept crying to himself.
After a few minutes went by, he tried to dismiss the nihility in his thoughts. Johannes took a deep breath, steadying himself. He convinced himself to open the shop and found new strength. He was somewhat ready to spend his hard earned currency.
A message popped up, right into his face.
[Do You Want To Open The Shop?]
You bet I want. Today will be the day I regain something precious, he thought. His fragile legs were shaking from excitement. They knew what he had planned.
[Shop Commences...]
Come on, quicker. He was barely able to contain his excitement at this point.
[Notification: You Have 1 POINT(S) to spend]
[Do You Want T-]
"Stop being so slow, I already know what I want to buy", he shouted. Johannes had in fact laid out a proper plan. And the system was too sluggish with his sudden impatience.
One has to understand that this was not his usual self. It was merely a reflection of a man that had not been able to stand or even walk for a few years. The lingering sadness from earlier before had also taken its toll on him.
The blue mysterious screen started anew, unfazed by the impertinent behaviour it had just experienced. Without missing a beat it said:
[Do... You... Want... To... Buy... A... New... Skill...]
Every word was slowly creeping up on the screen, taking its sweet time in order to humble the impatient man. He understood his punishment, it was justified.
"Yes, I would gladly do so..."
[Great, Press The One You Want]
[Walking lvl 1] is what I would like to choose... but the man knew it could lead to trouble. Not that it had to but he felt like he would skip a major step, if he chose [Walking lvl 1].
One had to be able to stand, in order to walk. What would happen if he was able to walk but not to stand? While this would make no sense in Johannes' head, he figured the whole existence of his system was freed from the shackles of logic.
[Standing lvl 1] it is.
The white-haired man carefully placed his fingers on the mysteriously floating blue screen. Even though it was transparent and had no physical form, he could feel how his thumb eagerly selected [Standing lvl 1].