[DING!]
[Congratulations! You have drawn Enhanced Healing.]
[Enhanced Healing: Host can now heal faster than normal. Host's healing factor 5x faster than normal.]
Two panels popped up right after one another. Nathan read the two and shrugged. It definitely had to be a fluke or something. The pains in his body was still there to bring him back to reality and just as he dismissed the panels and took another step, he received yet another notification.
Ding!
"I'm tired of your bullshit!" Nathan yelled in frustration, addressing no one specifically. He'd received more notifications in the last ten minutes than he'd ever received in a full day.
However, the vibration that came with the bell sound told him that this notification wasn't one of the previous ones that looked like hallucinations.
"Oh!" He quickly located his phone, which was dangling in his front pocket. The trousers' threads held it on, or it would have fallen off.
He took out the phone, revealing the cracked screen. The phone itself was slightly bent, which caused Nathan to frown. The phone was already looking like something beyond repair
Regardless, he'd received a notification from it so he knew, at the very least, it was still working.
He pressed the power button, switching on the phone, and fortunately for him, it responded.
"Thank God!" He said with a sigh of relief, his eyes momentarily meeting with the sky.
He quickly tapped the screen and when it responded, another sigh escaped his mouth.
He opened the ruined device and saw a notification. When he opened it, he discovered it was a credit alert showing a balance that was $350 more than it had initially been.
Nathan paused for a moment, considering the fact that the system he'd been believing to be a hallucination at first had indeed sent him $350.
He shook his head at the thought. He was close to the city already. He would have to purchase new clothes since the current ones were ruined. He'd check his balance while doing so to truly confirm if he'd received $350.
"Last time I checked, I had $600 on there, and now it's $950. Must have been a hug." With those words, Nathan shoved the phone right back into his pocket but then he remembered. The pocket was damaged. The phone could fall out.
Given his proximity, he opted to retain the phone in his grasp. He would have to make payment with it afterward.
Having settled his plans, Nathan took his first step and then a second. The third brought him to the first building in his path. A three-story building with see-through glass, and that was when Nathan noticed.
"Huh?" He questioned himself more out of confusion than curiosity.
His injuries, although still aching, were in way better form than when he'd first received them. Nathan could feel that his bruises were healing. His whole body was getting better.
"That's crazy!" He screamed internally.
He could slowly feel the pain going away. If this was real, if he'd indeed gotten a skill from a system he thought to be a hallucination, then wasn't it also true that the money he'd received was genuine?
"Curiosity and patience do not go hand in hand." His words had barely been completed when he arrived in front of a small shopping center. His eyes scanned the building as he searched for the single most important thing he needed right now. He was in dire need of a new pair of clothes.
"Let's test it out then." Without further ado, Nathan made his way into the center.
His way of dressing, the tattered, blood-stained clothes, gave onlookers the wrong impression, as most of them immediately branded him a madman. He certainly fit the role.
Not until he arrived at a small boutique and greeted politely did the others confirm that he was sane.
"Good day. I'd like to purchase a new set of clothes. I was involved in an accident that resulted in the ruin of these clothes." Nathan said with a mixed facial expression. He wasn't stating the exact truth, but he wasn't lying either.
The owner looked him up and down before asking. "What kind of clothes are you looking at getting?" There was a look of contempt on the man's face, but Nathan didn't mind.
"Something free and casual. Just a shirt, a pair of pants, and new underwear, and," Nathan looked at his legs before answering. "A pair of shoes as well."
The man took another look at Nathan and shrugged. "Follow me." Despite his desire, the man refrained from judging this book by its cover.
Nathan obediently followed the man into the boutique without a word.
Inside, there were all sorts of clothes, from casual to luxury. The price tags prominently displayed the items, providing buyers with a clear understanding of what to expect.
Those who wanted to try out luxury wear would back away after seeing such a huge price tag.
"Pick your choice. Or should I?" The man asked.
Nathan simply nodded at the man's question, which led the man to ask another question. "What's your budget for everything?"
Nathan paused for a moment and then replied with an unusual expression. "$300 for everything. Including a belt and a shade."
The man looked at the figure in front of him once more. Nathan sure didn't look like a person with $100 to his name. Although the man was trying his best not to judge Nathan, it was becoming harder not to judge him with each extra look.
He shook his head and walked away to get the clothes for Nathan as he'd requested.
Minutes later, the man returned. "A bit over $300, but I'll settle for $300 since that's your budget." He handed Nathan a few hangers and guided him to the dressing room.
He'd provided a pair of brown chinos, a cream button-down shirt, a brown leather belt, new underwear, white Converse sneakers, and aviator sunglasses.
When Nathan re-emerged from the dressing room after cleaning up in the bathroom that was provided for him, he looked noticeably different.
Nathan quickly paid the bills which amounted to $330 and thanked the man for the service.
bills,
Just as he stepped foot outside the boutique, he heard the familiar sound from the system and then the familiar panel appeared.
[You have spent $330. 2x Hit! You have received $660 as payback. Money has been sent to account XXX-XXXX-XXX]
Ding!
He received another alert, but this time, it was on his phone. The alert confirmed that he had actually received $660.
"What the fuck?!" Nathan almost screamed but he held his tongue back. He remembered that one of the panels had said something about him receiving double his spending, but he disregarded it as crap. Now, he couldn't do such.
With $1,280 now in his account, he decided to give it another go. He looked at the ruined phone in his hand and smiled. He definitely needed a new phone. Luckily, there was a phone mall across.