*Tap*
Moona flinched slightly as lisa’s gentle touch on her shoulder pulled her out of her wandering thoughts.
"...Mon, you okay?" lisa asked softly, concern flickering in her eyes.
Moona blinked, her gaze shifting from lisa to Grandma and Mikail. Only then did she realize all three were looking at her, their expressions a mix of worry and quiet curiosity.
A faint blush blood on her cheeks, and she gave a small, embarrassed smile. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve as she shook her head.
"...I’m okay. I just... drifted off for a mont," She murmured, her voice light as if trying to brush away the attention.
She glanced down briefly, still feeling the warmth of their eyes on her, then looked back up with a clearer expression, as if grounding herself once more in the present.
"...Is that so," lisa said softly. "Pretty sure the Old Man’s not coming back today either. We should go ahead and open the café, we can’t leave the custors hanging. It’s almost noon, you know"
She paused for a mont, then tilted her head toward Moona with a curious look.
"Oh, right... Don’t you have class today?"
Moona shook her head lightly. "Nah, I took a few days off. I’m good"
"...Alright," Grandma said as she slowly stood up, dabbing at the faint trail of tears on her cheek with the edge of her sleeve. Her voice was gentle but steady. "Let’s eat sothing first before you girls head out"
She turned her gaze to Mikail, her expression softening.
"What about you, dear?"
"I’m okay, Grandma," Mikail replied with a faint smile. "I just need a bit of ti to clear my head. I’ll catch up with you all later"
--------
Left alone in his room, Mikail looked at his System interface; the System interface shimred faintly in front of Mikail, pale blue against the dim lighting of his room.
[QUEST: RUN FROM THE NIGHTMARE - Complete]
You have confronted the fears that chased you, even if only in part. Progress cos not from strength, but from choice.
REWARD: Skill Acquired - [Ghost Step - F-Grade #Can Be Upgraded]
Mikail blinked.
A thin breath escaped his lips as the new icon pulsed softly on the interface, like a heartbeat made of mist.
He focused on the skill.
[Ghost Step - F-Grade]
Montarily phase your body, allowing you to evade incoming attacks or pass through thin barriers.
"...Ghost Step?" He murmured, the na tasting unfamiliar yet oddly fitting.
Mikail stood up, his bare feet touching the floor. He paced the room once, twice, then stopped in front of the door. Without thinking, he triggered the skill.
His breath hitched.
For half a second, his body turned light... Intangible. He felt the door’s presence blur past his shoulder like a breeze, and the next thing he knew, he was standing outside his room, heart pounding, slightly breathless.
"...Whoa"
The door creaked open behind him, untouched. No footsteps. No sound. Just him, already outside.
His lips curled into a grin for the first ti all day.
"Okay, that’s cool"
He glanced down at his hand, flexing it, still half-waiting for that strange sensation to return. The System interface hovered just beyond his peripheral vision now, subtle, quiet.
"System, upgrade Ghost Step to the max level," Mikail said calmly.
[To upgrade your skill [Ghost Step] from Grade-F to Grade-EX, 2,952,900 SP is required... Are you sure you want to proceed?]
"Yes," Mikail replied without even glancing at the cost.
[Confird... Upgrading [Mana Control]... Grade-F -> Grade-E -> Grade-D -> Grade-C -> Grade-B -> Grade-A -> Grade-S -> Grade S -> Grade SS -> Grade SS -> Grade SSS -> Grade-EX... Upgrade complete]
A faint pulse of energy flickered around Mikail’s feet... Silent, swift, barely noticeable. But his eyes narrowed. He could feel the difference.
The world felt... Quieter.
Mikail stood still in the hallway, listening, not with his ears, but with sothing deeper. A subtle vibration humd beneath his skin, not sound, not touch, presence. As if the air around him now carried his breath like whispers along a threadbare veil.
His fingers twitched. The warmth of his own body felt distant, yet sharp, like he was hyper-aware of every nerve, every heartbeat, yet detached from them all the sa.
Ghost Step EX wasn’t just speed. It wasn’t just phasing through. It was sothing more elental, freedom from form, however brief. He hadn’t moved faster. He had moved elsewhere.
He exhaled slowly, watching the way the air condensed just a little around his breath like even that mont of release disrupted sothing in the atmosphere. Ti felt... Loose. Not broken, just bendable.
[Ghost Step - EX-Grade - Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes. You are untouchable. Unseen. Forgotten]
The words floated beside his vision, but he wasn’t reading them anymore.
He looked down at his hand again, just like before. But this ti, he saw the faintest shimr trail along his fingertips. Not mana. Sothing thinner, colder. He flexed his hand, and it flickered like a candle about to go out.
"...Damn," he whispered.
The grin had faded. Not into fear, but into sothing else. Reflection.
He’d stepped through a door without touching it. Hadn’t even made a sound. For just under four seconds, he didn’t exist in the sa way he did before. That was power.
But also...
That was a step away from being human.
And for the first ti, Mikail wondered, how many more steps could he take before he couldn’t co back?
He closed his hand into a fist.
"Just a skill," he muttered. "It’s just a skill..."
But even he didn’t believe that anymore.
--------
After finishing his brief experintation with the newly upgraded skill, Mikail made his way down to the ground floor. The warm scent of food greeted him as he stepped into the kitchen, where Grandma, lisa, and Moona were already halfway through their al.
Without saying much, Mikail quietly pulled out a chair and sat down, joining them at the table. He picked up his utensils and began eating, blending into the familiar rhythm of the mont with ease.
After finishing their al, Mikail, Moona, and lisa headed out together toward the café.
By the ti they arrived, the clock had already passed noon. A small crowd had gathered out front, most of them office workers on their lunch break, waiting patiently.
Noticing the line, Moona’s eyes widened slightly. "Let’s hurry," She said quickly, then made her way to the back door without hesitation. lisa and Mikail followed close behind, slipping in quietly to get things ready before the doors opened.
Inside, the café was dim and still, chairs stacked, counters wiped clean, sunlight filtering through the frosted front windows in long, golden slants.
Moona flipped the lights on and pulled her hair into a loose ponytail as she moved toward the register.
"I’ll set up everything," she said without looking back, her voice steady now. "Mikail, can you handle the front?"
"Yeah," Mikail replied, already walking toward the row of polished equipnt. The scent of roasted beans still lingered faintly in the air.
lisa stretched her arms with a soft yawn, then moved to arrange the display pastries.
"... Mon, what should I do?"
Moona glanced over her shoulder just briefly, her fingers already flying across the tablet register as she booted up the POS system.
"Hmm... Restock the cold case first," She said. "Then check the fridge and top up the milk jugs. If there’s ti, wipe down the nu boards. They’ve got smudges again"
"... Okay"
As they settled into their respective tasks, the silence turned into sothing comforting... Punctuated by the hiss of steam, the clink of cups, and the hum of the refrigerator.
A normal day.
But Mikail’s hand paused over the tamper. Just for a mont. That shimr from earlier still ghosted along the edge of his perception like a shadow he couldn’t quite place.
His fingers twitched once, reflexively.
You are untouchable. Unseen. Forgotten.
He shook his head, focusing. He hadn’t ant to morize the system text, but it echoed all the sa.
"Everything good, kail?" lisa’s voice broke through the quiet.
"Yeah," he said quickly. "Just thinking"
She gave him a knowing look but didn’t press.
The café opened ten minutes later, and the rush began almost instantly. Office workers stread in, so regulars who greeted them by na, others new faces guided by glowing reviews and whispered recomndations.
Moona moved with practiced grace behind the counter, taking orders and managing paynts. lisa slid drinks onto the pickup counter with the usual flair, flashing tired but bright smiles.
And Mikail... Worked.
The motions were familiar. Grinding, tamping, steaming, pouring. He was fast. Clean. Efficient. But for the first ti, he noticed how much space he took up... Or didn’t.
People passed by him without hesitation. A few even glanced his way as if startled, muttered an apology, and then acted like he hadn’t been there at all.
Once, a regular, a young woman with pink headphones, bumped into him and recoiled like she’d touched a ghost.
Her gaze swept right through him before she blinked and focused.
"Oh! You... Sorry, didn’t see you there!"
Mikail gave a polite smile, but inside, he felt that ripple again.
Untouchable. Unseen. Forgotten.
Not just when he activated the skill.
Had sothing lingered?
He turned slightly, catching his reflection in the chro of the espresso machine. Perfectly visible. But his eyes...
He stepped back from the machine, heart steady but thoughts storming. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was just the morning. Or maybe...
"Yo, Kail! Double oat cappuccino," lisa called.
"Got it," he replied, and the mont passed.
....
...
..
.
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