《Real Life Can Be Interesting Too》 A Real Life Regular Morning I wake up to a familiar sound that I can never get used to. The standard alarm sound from my phone forces me out of the covers and into an sitting positon on my bed. There isn''t really anything special about this Monday morning. It''s the typical scenario where you set an alarm for 7:30 so you can make it to work on time, but you end up ignoring it and by the time you are actually ready to go, an hour has already passed. Every morning begins with this small defeat signaled by the text message from my boss telling me that I''m late. I look around my room as my eyes are still blurry from adjusting to the light coming in through the windows. I see the plates and cup on my desk that I neglected to put in the dishwasher after dinner last night. I see my dirty clothes lying across the floor. I see the mess of cables, empty cans, and various pieces of paper on my desk. Ignoring the mess I put on a dress shirt, pants, and throw on a tie. I look in the mirror and a somewhat sloppy but acceptable enough appearance greets me. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. There isn''t any time for breakfast since I''m already late, so I go to the station and get on my train. I have a 30 minute ride to work, which is enough time to read a little bit of a novel. Right now I''m reading a book where the main character is reincarnated in another world where magic exists and every chapter is filled with stories of how the MC uses his modern knowledge combined with magic to save the world. Novels like this are my favorite. I wish that this was how real life worked too. Everyday, I dream of a life dedicated to leveling up skills and adventuring, and then settling down with a party member and living out the rest of my time as an instructor for new adventurers. Unfortunately for me, you could say that the world I exist in is pretty much the opposite of my dreams. This cruel world has no levels, no dungeons, and no magic. Furthermore, there isn''t any exploration that''s possible; I was born too late to explore the earth and too early to explore space. And... My thoughts are cut short as I arrive at my stop. And just as I do everyday, I walk into my company''s building tired, hungry, and ready to put on a mediocre performance. A Real Life Regular Day at Work So far I''ve managed to make it halfway through the day. It''s another regular day where I''ve already finished my work so I''m just browsing the net and doing some window shopping. An hour passes and I get bored of that so I swap to the phone game I''ve been playing lately. I pass the hours as I level my character. Why can''t real life be like this... My thoughts are interrupted as my boss calls me into his office. "We need to go over your efficency numbers." he says. Great, it''s that time of year again. They say that a performance review is good because it helps you improve. But, I don''t see how it helps. If they really wanted you to get better there would be a concrete plan. "We''ve noticed that the projects you''re working on have gone over-budget and over-time" he says.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. I open my mouth and try to say something, "I''m trying to but I''m having trouble with getting the client to deliver the starting materials on tim..." "You have to make sure that we are working on time and on budget." he interjects. "Do you have any suggestions on how I should go abou..." "You''re going to have to improve your numbers or else we may have to let you go. We''ve discussed this matter..." My boss'' words grow faint as I zone out. What''s the point of even having this conversation if he isn''t interested in listening to what I have to say. Sometimes I feel like the performance review is just an excuse to make me feel bad. I wonder what kind of skills he would have if this was a game. I guess it would probabaly go something like this... My Boss (Richard) ---------- Skills: Leadership lv.2 Deception lv.2 Computer literacy lv.3 Public speaking lv.3 Bulls**ting lv.4 Titles: Bachelors Degree Holder : Economics Masters Degree Holder : Master of Business Administration I guess those would be typical stats for a mid level manager huh. "Hey, are you listening!?" A Real Life Regular Day at Work : Part 2 "Yes, I understand. I will be sure to take extra care in future projects." No... that isn''t what I wanted to say. What I really wanted to say was something more along the lines of, "could you just listen to me for once!" or "instead of just stating the obvious can''t you give me some suggestions!". But, judging from his attitude what he wanted was not a conversation, but just to fulfil his obligation and finish the performance review as quickly as possible. That is, his mind was already made up before I entered the room. While restraining my tounge, I walk back to my desk. I''ve only been away for a few minutes, yet I come back to dozens of emails and missed calls all from a single person. Unfortuately, they aren''t from anyone that I want to be receiving them from. There''s a higher-up in the company that I am often assigned to projects with. She always comes to me with unreasonable deadlines and requests and will shout verbal abuses accompanied with some harassment if I don''t end up meeting her expectations.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. To avoid that, I find myself working until midnight some days of the week and I constantly worry about if and when I will hear from herthroughout the day.Upon seeing the missed calls and emails, my stomach sinks and I feel uncomfortable. I''ve always been a passive person and dealing with this person is just the worst matchup for me. If this were a game, I would cast apprasial and compare stats upon running into some problems. Aaand, It would probabaly go something like this. Me ---------- Skills: Computer literacy lv.5 Titles: Bachelors Degree Holder : Computer Science Higher-up ---------- Skills: Intimidation lv.3 Deception lv.1 Computer Literacy lv.4 Titles: Bachelors Degree Holder : Psychology Yeah, that looks about right. The pretend apprasial once again confirms my fears. It''s that intimidation skill thatmesses with me. Well, I guess I''ll try developing a resistance to intimidation skill. A Real Life Regular Going Home After Work "Late night again?" "Yeah, got some stuff due today." I reply. "Beth on your back again?" "You know it." I reply with a light chuckle. The night janitor and I are on friendly terms. We have this conversation every time I stay late frantically trying to meet the unreasonable deadlines from the higher-up that bullies me. This conversation always calms me down and somehow I manage to finish my work. I send off the email saying I''m done and for the moment I am at peace knowing that Beth''s wrath has been successfully delayed.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It''s already dark when I leave the office and I''m feeling too lazy to cook so I grab a couple slices of pizza on the way home. As I sit on the train home eating a slice of pepperoni pizza, I start to think. What would intimidation resistance be in real life? In a game you would get that skill by spending some points and then you would level that skill to where you need it to go. So it looks like the pattern here would be obtaining an understanding of such skill and then grinding for experience. By the time I get home it''s midnight. Luckily, tomorrow is a Saturday so I can sleep in. But, that''s not what I''m going to do. I''m going to wake up early and try to figure out what intimidation really is, how I can resist it, and I''ll grind that skill as much as I can. Obtained : Conviction lv.1 I mutter as I drift into sleep, "That''s what the system announcer would say." Me ---------- Skills: Computer literacy lv.5 Conviction lv.1 Titles: Bachelors Degree Holder : Computer Science A Real Life Saturday Morning It''s a saturday morning and I wake up to the rude awakening of a 7am alarm. My motivation from yesterday is suddenly replaced by a desire to sleep for a bit longer. Still in a groggy state, I sucumb to my desire to sleep. ... Several hours pass and I wake up again, it''s now noon. Despite sleeping more, I feel worse. My vision still in a haze, I check the clock again. "Dammit why do I keep doing this..." I exclaim with a sigh. I''m upset with myself that I was so ready to get something done but I''ve already wasted half the day in bed. Well I can''t change the past, and the day isn''t over yet. I can still make progress towards my goal of developing a resistance to intimidation. So, I hop on the bus going to the city. Halfway through the ride, I remember a quote that I read online somewhere. It goes something like, "if you wait until you''re ready, you''ll be waiting your whole life". I''ve seen so many motivational videos and had people say stuff like that to me, but I''ve never really taken it seriously. Usually it motivates me for a few hours and then the feeling quickly fades.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I guess I needed that push from how bad things are at work to provide some long term motivation to try and do something about my situation. Thats right, life isn''t so convenient that problems fix themselves. Nothings going to change unless I make an attempt. And even if I don''t know how to solve my problem, life won''t get better unless I try. Damn, if only I could have realized this earlier... But, better late than never. Even with my terrible work ethic and awful discipline I should be able to do something right? *Skill Unlocked : Know Thyself lv.1* *Level Up : Conviction -> lv.2* "Last stop. Everybody off the bus." says the driver. I step off the bus with my spirits renewed and I walk out of the station into the big city. Alright, time to figure out this intimidation resistance skill. Me ---------- Skills: Computer literacy lv.5 Conviction lv.2 Know Thyself lv.1 Titles: Bachelors Degree Holder : Computer Science A Real Life Random Encounter Immediately after leaving the station, I realize that I don''t have a plan. This makes me feel a bit nervous and I start to wonder if I should just go home. Despite having come to the city so many times for work, it looks and feels so different when I don''t have a specific destination in mind. During my moment of hesitation, an elderly man who was walking by starts talking to me. "I was nervous when I came to the city for the first time too. Came from the countryside with 20 bucks in my pocket and the clothes on my back" he says while giving me a heavy pat on the back. "Get some lunch" he suggests, "No good looking for a job on a empty stomach." "Thanks" I reply with a light chuckle. Somehow that made me feel a bit better even though this wasn''t my first time in the city and I already have a job. Taking his advice, I go to a cafe to grab lunch. After ordering a sandwich and soda I begin to think about my original problem. What is intimidation and how do you develop a resistance to it? I suppose intimidation would be when you are scared as a result of your own thoughts or somebody else''s actions or appearance. So, that would mean that intimidation resistance would be training yourself to not be afraid as a response. So I guess...The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. My thought is interrepted as the waitress comes by with my meal. After saying thank you, I take a bite and realize that the meat is undercooked. What I should do is call over the waitress and let her know. But, I''m still hesitating because the thought of doing so is making me uncomfortable. I''m about to just let it go, but my thoughts drift towards my earlier conclusion about intimidation resitance. This uncomfortable feeling is fear but a lighter version of it, which makes this a good random encounter to get some XP and start to develop some resistance. I call over the waitress and tell her about the undercooked meat. "Sorry about that hun, I''ll grab you another one." she replies, "I''m glad you said something, health department would be on us if someone got sick eating here." Woah, it turns out I had nothing to be afraid of after all. In this case, fear was my natural response to not understanding that it is normal to do things like this. And, I was able to overcome it by doing what I was afraid of, and coming to an understanding by thinking about the result. Therefore, I can confront fears that are completely from my own thoughts this way. *Level Up : Know Thyself -> lv.2* *Skill Unlocked : Intimidation Resistance lv.1* Now I know what to do with the rest of the day. I''m going to seek more random encounters to build my new skill. Me ---------- Skills: Computer literacy lv.5 Conviction lv.2 Know Thyself lv.2 Intimidation Resistance lv.1 Titles: Bachelors Degree Holder : Computer Science A Real Life Random Encounter : Part 2 Feeling that rumbling and sinking feeling in my stomach, panicking a little bit, and then reminding yourself to stay calm and make a rational decision. This is the process that leads to growth. And, that growth can be seen immediately when the bad feeling in your stomach subsides and you realize that you made it through. Doing something that I was uncomfortable with helped me learn and improve, and this is whatneeds to be doneto develop the intimidation resistance that is so badly needed. I''ve ended up with the unfulfilling life that I have today because my entire life I''ve neglected to think properly and make decisions after careful thought. *Level Up : Know Thyself -> lv.3* *Level Up : Conviction -> lv.3* A voice suddenly interrupts my thoughts, "Hun are you all set?" "O...Oh sorry about that." I reply.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I was so absorbed in thought that I''ve spent an hour here without realizing it. After quickly paying the bill, I leave and head over to the next place that hopefully will let me level up my intimidation resistance skill. As I walk to my destination, the figure of the higher-up at work that bullies me comes into view. I can see her through the storefront glass drinking a glass of whiskey on the rocks. She isn''t wearing the usual business casual attire, and in place of it, a t-shirt and jeans. Several empty glasses surround her as she takes sips while looking towards the ground. Why is she drinking so much by herself? She turns her head to the left to look out the window and I find myself looking her in the eye. Apparently, I''ve stood here a bit too long while thinking. Usually if you encounter a boss so early in a game, you should run away. I''ve made the bad decision of casting appraisal instead of running, and now im face to face with the first boss while hopelessly underleveled and with only a thin pane of glass separating us. Higher-up ---------- Skills: Intimidation lv.3 Deception lv.1 Computer Literacy lv.4 Titles: Bachelors Degree Holder : Psychology Me ---------- Skills: Computer literacy lv.5 Conviction lv.3 Know Thyself lv.3 Intimidation Resistance lv.1 Titles: Bachelors Degree Holder : Computer Science