《Call of Geminus》 Chapter 1.1 Transfer Student ¡°My name is Paul Matthew Lacson. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± I greeted the class in front of me with an awkward smile on my face. Some of them smiled back at me, while others did not care to make any response. ¡°Class, be sure to treat your new classmate well,¡± Miss Leah Sanchez reminded the students. She was the homeroom teacher of this class I transferred into. ¡°Go ahead, Paul. You may take any vacant seat.¡± I thanked her and looked toward the room. Each class can hold up to thirty students. The desks and seats were arranged into five rows and six columns. This class only have 24 students, all present, excluding me. There was only one vacant seat in the second row and five in the back row. I decided to take one of those five. The only other student in the back row was a male student occupying the seat by the window. I chose the seat closest to the door. There was an awkward vacant space of four seats between me and him. ¡°Now, that that¡¯s settled, let¡¯s proceed with some announcements¡­¡± Ms. Sanchez continued with the homeroom. I am now in my second year of high school. To be honest, I didn¡¯t want to go to school anymore. I dropped out of school two years ago after my first year. All of my previous classmates had already graduated. Some were already working, while others decided to go to university for a degree. Staying at home, I spent most of my time playing video games and browsing the internet. No, I wasn¡¯t a shut-in. I helped around the house whenever I can. Since I¡¯m an only child, and both my parents work, I am almost always alone at home. I did the household chores myself. When I told my parents that I didn¡¯t want to go to school anymore, they understood and accepted my decision. I quit school because I was being bullied. There was only so much the school could do to help me while my parents were always busy at work to do anything about it. They must have felt guilty about it and accepted my choice. Once, when I went to the mall to buy a new game, I met Ms. Sanchez by coincidence. She was a new teacher at the school back during my first year, and one of the few teachers who tried to help me when I was bullied. We had a chat over some cake and coffee. She said that she should have been able to do more to help in my case back then. I told her that that wasn¡¯t true and that she did her best, but she doesn¡¯t seem convinced. In the end, she tried to persuade me to continue my schooling. She saw my records and that my grades were good. It would be a waste if I don¡¯t graduate. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She also mentioned that my previous classmates had already graduated. Some of them admitted their fault and were guilty about it. The school did not admonish them, but the administration stated that if I would like to continue in my studies at their school, they would provide a discount for my tuition fees in reparation to the damage that I had received during my previous stay. The case would be kept in the dark from the other students currently enrolled. After all, all the students who knew about what happened had already graduated. With the conditions, I called my parents and discussed it with them. I told them that I wanted to continue studying, and they were really happy about it. And with that, I¡¯m back here at my old school. The bell rung and homeroom ended. Ms. Sanchez looked at me with a pleased smile and then left the room, which was then filled with a buzzing noise as the students started talking while preparing for the next class. Some of them were sneaking glances at me. ¡°Hey,¡± the girl sitting in front of me said as she turned around. ¡°Do you have the materials for the next class?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ no¡­¡± It took me a few seconds to make a proper response. ¡°I haven¡¯t bought any of the books yet.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s share then,¡± she said with a smile. Swiftly, she stood up and brought her book, notebook, and pen case and placed them on top of the desk beside mine. She then pushed it and combined our desks, then brought the seat along. The other students who heard the noise of the desk and chair being dragged turned to look, then quickly lost interest. ¡°My name is Zari Mae Yu, but you can call me Za,¡± she said as she stretched out her hand for a shake while smiling brightly. ¡°I¡¯m Paul Matthew Lacson¡­ well you already heard that earlier. You can call me anyway you want.¡± I took her hand and shook it. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take you up on that offer and call you Paul.¡± The ten minute break ended and second period began. Chapter 1.2 Zari Mae Yu Bright. That was the only word I could use to describe this girl. Zari Mae Yu was very helpful and energetic. She has a pleasing personality and was always full of smiles. She sat beside me for the entire day and shared her books, notes, and other materials needed for the class. I could keep up with the pace of the class because of her. It was already July when I joined the class. One month had already passed since class first started on June, and I had already missed a lot of lessons, but thanks to this girl, I was able to not feel so lost in class. I¡¯m in the faculty room right now with Za. I made orders for the required books through our homeroom teacher, Ms. Sanchez. ¡°It¡¯s great that you had Yu helping you in class,¡± she said as she wrote down a list of books to fax to the supply department. ¡°Hehe,¡± Za made an embarrassed laugh as she scratched her cheeks. ¡°It just so happened that he sat behind me. I¡¯m sure the others would help him, too, if I didn¡¯t make the first move.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not sure about that. As your homeroom teacher, I don¡¯t want to say this but your class have that enclosed feel in it. The students tend to form small groups among themselves and shun others out. They don¡¯t really extend a hand out of their already formed cliques.¡± ¡°They¡¯re just probably shy.¡± Za stuck her tongue out as she said that. I noticed it, too. Aside from Za, the other students didn¡¯t really make any effort to talk to me. They only made small greetings out of politeness. ¡°Well, let¡¯s leave it at that. I hope you make the most out of this, Lacson. Keep up the good work, and if there¡¯s anything you need to say, come talk to me about it.¡± She looked and smiled at me warmly. I smiled back at her and nodded my head in affirmation. We said our goodbyes and left the faculty room. ¡°Are you going home, now?¡± Za asked as we walked along the hallway. ¡°Yeah. You?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in the volleyball club, and we have a meeting later.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll go ahead first.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± She made an apologetic expression. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you need to apologize about. See you tomorrow then.¡± ¡°Yep. Bye!¡± She dashed to the exit at the end of the hallway that leads to the club building. I heard a muffled voice yelling, ¡°No running in the hallway!¡± followed by a ¡°Sorry!¡±. I smiled at the scene. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. I left school and rode the bus home. While on the ride, I can¡¯t help but think about Za. She wasn¡¯t the prettiest; her looks were above average. Her shoulder length hair tied in a ponytail and her slightly tanned skin emphasized her energetic personality. When she smiles, her protruding canines make her look cuter. She was a bit lacking in height, but she makes up for it with her slender and firm figure, a testament to her healthy and sporty lifestyle. I looked at my reflection on the glass window. My hair was a bit messy since I cut it myself. Black-rimmed glasses compensated my poor eyesight since childhood. A body lacking in muscle size was instead slightly fat. I was far from being a good-looking person. Zari Mae Yu was a really kind person to tend to someone like me. Feeling slightly down, I got off the bus at the stop nearest my home. Suddenly, it started to rain. I made a run for the nearest shelter, a convenience store. Once inside, I bought a cup of coffee and occupied one of the tables as I wait for the rain to stop. The morning weather news reported only a slight chance of rain this afternoon, and that was why I did not bring an umbrella. It didn¡¯t look like it will last long, so there was no need to buy one right now. As I was about to finish my cup, I saw a familiar figure by the table across mine. It was the other student sitting on the back row in class. He was tapping quickly on his phone. He looked up and our eyes met. I forced an awkward smile and raised my hand to say hi, but he ignored me and returned to whatever he was doing on his phone. I didn¡¯t delve into the matter as I sipped the last of my coffee. Looking at his phone, I remembered Za and regretted not asking for her number and email. I guess I¡¯ll have to ask her tomorrow. The rain had finally stopped and I left the store. Feeling a gaze burning on my back, I looked back and saw him looking out the store¡¯s window and staring at me. Increasing my pace, I hurriedly walked home. Chapter 1.3 Ruined Fun Days passed by quickly and it was now Saturday. I was in the school gym watching the girls¡¯ volleyball club practicing after lunch. I was invited here by Za. When I entered the gym, I received doubtful gazes, but Za quickly explained to them that I was her classmate and a transferee. After a thirty minute warm-up, they finally had a practice match. Za was a substitute member, probably because of her height. She sat beside me as the game went on, describing each player¡¯s strength and weakness, who she admires and who she envies. I think to her, even though she couldn¡¯t participate much in the games, she was happy just being here. ¡°You love volleyball, don¡¯t you?¡± I mentioned. ¡°Yes. Since I was small, I have always been interested in it.¡± Her eyes shone as she watched the club members play. ¡°I was sickly and frail as a child. I always sat out during PE classes, and my grades weren¡¯t that good because of my absences¡­ but when I entered high school, I was given a second chance¡­¡± ¡°A second chance?¡± What she said as her voice trailed off caught my interest. ¡°Huh? Ahaha¡­ It¡¯s nothing.¡± She dodged the topic. ¡°I¡¯m just being sentimental.¡± It was a bit outside of her usual cheery character, but I didn¡¯t force the matter. After a while, she was called to join a game. I cheered for her, and her team manage to win after some effort. Jumping with joy, she ran to me and posed with a V sign and a really bright smile. It was nice to see her cheerful attitude back and running in full gear. ¡°Hey, do you have anything planned after this?¡± she asked as she wiped her sweaty face and neck with a small towel. ¡°Nope, not really,¡± I replied. ¡°Then let¡¯s go hang out at the mall!¡± Her bright smile didn¡¯t give me an opportunity to say no. With my agreement, she told me to wait at the school gate. Half an hour later, we were sitting side by side in the bus. A faint shampoo fragrance wafted from her hair, and it roused my senses. Her skin was slightly red, and a slight touch revealed her slightly hot temperature from the exertion earlier. It seemed like she took a shower first, that was why she told me to wait. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± She noticed my uneasiness. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s nothing.¡± I looked away to hide my blushing face. I¡¯m two years older, but it seems like my lack of interaction with people other than my family had decreased my social skills. Well, if I had good social skills, I wouldn¡¯t have been bullied that badly back then. ¡°You¡¯re acting weird. Haha!¡± She laughed at me. Does she know, or is she just playing dumb? After another half hour, we arrived at our destination. Since it was a weekend, the mall was already packed with people. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± With her sports bag on her left shoulder, she grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the crowd. We pushed our way through, and she asked, ¡°Where do you want to go first?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know. You chose!¡± There was a small contest going on in the activity center in the middle of the floor we were in. It was really crowded in there, but we still joined in to watch. Children of age five to ten were performing on the makeshift stage. Some of them danced, some sang, some did both, others acted, and some even did a musical play. We watched and cheered along with crowd. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. We then went to the gaming center and played on the arcades. I managed to show off my gaming skills and defeated a lot of players who came to challenge me. A lot of money was spent on the crane game, as Za wanted a specific stuffed toy. It was a pink teddy bear. After that, we walked around the shops and checked out the new items for sale. Even though it just the two of us, it was really fun. I never had so much fun like this before. I felt really glad that I let Ms. Sanchez persuade me to return to school. A music ring tone disturbed my thoughts. It was Za¡¯s phone. She looked at the display and said, ¡°Sorry, I have to take this.¡± I nodded and we walked toward a location that was less noisy as she answered the phone. ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m in the mall¡­ No, sorry¡­ Yes¡­ yes¡­ Alright¡­ I¡¯ll meet you there¡­¡± She hung up and looked at me with an apologetic expression. ¡°I have to meet up with someone.¡± ¡°Is that person here in the mall?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ by the entrance.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t really have to. You can just go home ahead of me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll just take you there, then I¡¯ll go home right after.¡± I made my point, and she soon accepted. As we walked, she had her head hanging down, as if really depressed. When we reach the entrance, I was surprised. The person she was meeting with was a classmate. The same student I met in convenience store. ¡°Hey,¡± I greeted him. He walked forward and passed by me. A dry sound came from behind. I looked back and saw Za with a red mark on her face. It didn¡¯t took me long to realize what happened. He slapped her. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing!¡± I exclaimed as I rushed to Za¡¯s side to check if she was okay. The people around stopped to look at what was happening. ¡°I¡¯m okay¡­¡± Za said, pushing my hands away. She smiled at me, but it was forced. There was a trace of blood on her split lips. Confused and angry, I turned to the perpetrator and dashed at him with a punch. He caught it simply without even looking at me. ¡°Do not interfere with matters that does not concern you,¡± he said dryly. ¡°Wha!?¡± He then twisted my hand and pushed me to the side. ¡°I am warning you. She is my property. I do what I want to do with her. If you value your life, keep your hands of my things.¡± He then turned around and walked away. Za followed behind him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she whispered as she passed me. ¡°I¡¯ll email you later, okay?¡± She gave me her usual smile as she left. The people around us left while murmuring words like, ¡°A lover¡¯s quarrel?¡±, ¡°It¡¯s so nice to be young,¡± and other stuff. The guard approached me and asked if I was okay, as I was sitting there on the ground for a long while. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, more to myself than to the guard. I picked myself up and walked away. That night, I waited for her message¡­ but it didn¡¯t come. Chapter 2.1 Leon Torrevilla Author''s Note: And so, the Zari Mae romance arc has ended. Tsk, tsk. Just like that. Kidding. Haha. I know this is quite a bit boring, and the fact the chapters are divided into short parts is also quite annoying... but I can''t seem to write something long. There''s this obsessive need to upload something. :3 Anyways, bear with it, please! Please, continue reading! I need your support! Constructive comments and criticism (not "Thank you for the chapter!" :P ) are well appreciated. The previous chapter BTW was 2810 words total. I''ll try to up my word count... So keep reading!!!!! Much love from ME! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Yo!¡± A cheerful voice came from behind me as I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Za with a bright smiling face. ¡°Why the surprised face?¡± It was now Monday, and I had not expected to meet with her by the entrance. Aside from the small patch on her cheek, she acted like nothing happened last Saturday. ¡°Are you okay, now?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine! You worry too much!¡± ¡°What about your parents? Didn¡¯t they say anything when they saw you?¡± ¡°Ahaha! I¡¯m actually from outside the city. I¡¯m staying in a dormitory, so my parents don¡¯t know about what happened.¡± She walked beside me as we made our way to the classroom. I was still concerned about her, but she kept on saying that she was okay. As we entered the room, all eyes fell on us. It felt really awkward. Za didn¡¯t seem to care as she walked to her seat with a smile still on her face. As I was about to follow her in, a hand pulled me from behind and out to the hallway. An arm twisted around my neck, as I was dragged near the stairway. Thoughts of my past flashed in my mind. Was the bullying going to start again? As my knees felt weak from the thought, a voice whispered in my ears. ¡°So tell me, is it a love triangle?¡± The question caught me off-guard and I lost strength in my legs. I fell down on my butt. ¡°Hey, you okay?¡± The person who grabbed me was a classmate. If I remember correctly, he sits on the front row. He helped me up, and patted my pants to removed the dust. ¡°Who¡¯re you again?¡± I asked. ¡°The name¡¯s Mark Valerie Ojario. I¡¯m the class secretary. My hobby is collecting gossips and rumors. Nice to meet you, Paul. Just call me MV.¡± He took my hand and shook it. Then without letting go, he gripped it tightly and asked, ¡°So is it a love triangle?¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± I pulled my hand and shook the pain away. ¡°You¡¯re asking Zari out, right?¡± he asked while smiling mischievously. ¡°No. We¡¯re just friends.¡± I denied his question. ¡°Hmm¡­ The volleyball club members said you were acting sweet last weekend. Then you went to the mall, just the two of you¡­ Last week you were always together during breaks¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s just showing me around.¡± ¡°Eh¡­ But you like her, right?¡± My mouth shut tight. I couldn¡¯t answer his question honestly. I do like her, but I couldn¡¯t tell if it was as a friend or as something more. I¡¯ve only known her for a week, and the incident at the mall just proves that I still don¡¯t know a lot about her. What was her relationship with that classmate, and why does she allow him to hit her. ¡°Love triangle?¡± I whispered as my thoughts escaped my lips. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± MV looked at me with an incredulous expression. ¡°Hmm¡­ Well they never admitted to it, but it seems like almost everyone who knows her also knows that she¡¯s the ¡®property¡¯ of Leon.¡± There¡¯s the ¡®property¡¯ word again. Seeing my expression, he continued. ¡°I think you¡¯ve figured out who Leon is. His full name is Leon Torrevilla. Smart, good looks, rich, he¡¯s the kind of guy that girl would fall for. But he doesn¡¯t talk to anyone in the school. A lot of people, though, saw him and Zari Mae hanging out back in first year. There was even a time when Zari got in trouble with some drunk, and Leon beat those guys up while declaring, ¡°Hands off my property!¡±¡± He then made a pose with his back at me while looking sideways. ¡°If I were you, it¡¯s better to avoid Zari. If you noticed in class, the others doesn¡¯t really approach her unless they need her for something. It would be best to avoid the king of the forest. See what I did there? King of the forest? Lion¡­ Leon?¡± He made a stupid grin as he said that joke. As I was about to say something, the bell rang. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s time already! Hurry, hurry!¡± He dragged me back to the classroom. As I entered the room, I saw Leon on his seat, but he was looking out the window without a care in the world. I went to my seat and my eyes met with Za¡¯s. She made her usual cheerful smile. As first period began, my mind was confused on what to do. Chapter 2.2 Advice Author''s Note: Remember the tags? School Life, Slice of Life... hehe. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was lunch time, and Za invited me to eat with her again, but I declined her offer. I told her that I had to go to the faculty room. She offered to accompany me, but I told her to just eat ahead because I might take a while. In the end, she finally gave in and went ahead. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Ms. Sanchez asked with a worried voice. She was easily able to tell that I was brooding over something. With the expression I was making, I think anyone could. After a long time of indecision, I finally asked, ¡°Do you know what¡¯s the relationship between Leon and Zari?¡± The question surprised her a bit, but she quickly regained her composure. She then entered into a deep thought for a while, then asked, ¡°Is there a reason why you¡¯re asking this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just I was hanging out with Zari last Saturday, then we met up with Leon. He then¡­ hit her. You saw the patch on her face, right?¡± ¡°Are you concerned about her?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m her friend. She had helped me a lot in such a short time. I want to know if she¡¯s having problems and I want to help her, too.¡± ¡°Have you asked her herself?¡± I fell quiet. I couldn¡¯t muster the courage to ask her. She didn¡¯t open up the topic herself. Seeing my sudden silence, Ms. Sanchez let out a sigh. ¡°If you¡¯re worried that she¡¯s being bullied by Leon, well, she¡¯s not. Have she told you that she was once sickly and weak?¡± I nodded. ¡°Well, she was when she entered high school. But then she met Leon, and after that her health started to improve. She used to be a gloomy girl, but now she¡¯s so energetic and cheerful. All traces of her past self were gone. And I believe that she owes that to Leon. I don¡¯t know what he did exactly, but the reason why she¡¯s putting up with his actions is because she believes she owes her current self to him.¡± ¡°But it doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s fine for him to just hurt her like that¡­¡± ¡°If the person herself isn¡¯t complaining, I think you don¡¯t have to concern yourself much over it.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Ms. Sanchez put a finger on my lips. ¡°How about this? Tell her what you feel as her friend. Let her know that you¡¯ll be there to help her in case she¡¯s in trouble. I¡¯m sure that when she needs help, you¡¯ll be the first person she¡¯ll call.¡± I could only nod and listen to her advice. Za still had a club meeting to attend to, so I went home ahead. As I waited for the bus, a person I did not want to see stood beside me. It was Leon. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. What was he doing here? As I started to panic I remember seeing him at the convenience store near my home. Does he live near me? With my back full of cold sweat, the bus finally arrived. I hopped in and Leon was right behind me. My head was full of thoughts of being stabbed in the back, or being thrown out the bus window and hit by a rushing car. Fortunately, my wild delusions stayed as delusions. As I got off at my stop, there was a tall woman wearing a baseball cap and chewing a gum standing there. Her ears were plugged with earphones, and she fiddled with her phone. As I turned to walk away, a cold voice that filled me with dread came from behind me. ¡°Did you wait long?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± I turned to look and found the woman walking away with Leon while grabbing his arm. That night I emailed Za and told her about what I saw. She called me back. ¡°I think you¡¯re talking about Angela Bermosa. She¡¯s a university student and a model.¡± ¡°You know her?¡± ¡°Well, yeah. We¡¯re friends. We hang out every now and then when she¡¯s not busy and our schedules don¡¯t conflict.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± ¡°Why did you ask? Hmm¡­¡± After a short silence, ¡°You like her?¡± ¡°Huh? No!¡± I immediately denied. When I saw her, I didn¡¯t even get a good look on her face. ¡°Hehe, you don¡¯t need to be shy. I could give you her number and email if you want¡­¡± ¡°I said, no!¡± After that we had a long conversation over the phone. I managed to forget about all the things that troubled me. I guess, things are fine the way it is now. ¡°Za,¡± I said, ¡°if you have any trouble, just tell me okay? I¡¯ll help whenever I can.¡± ¡°What brought this on?¡± ¡°Nothing, really.¡± ¡°Was it because of what happened on Saturday?¡± I kept quiet. ¡°I told you, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. I¡¯m fine, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Then, see you tomorrow. Good night.¡± ¡°Yeah, good night.¡± She hung up. I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I picked up the console and played a game until I was feeling sleepy. It was a little bit past midnight when my phone rang. Did she forget to say something? As I lied down on the bed, I answered my phone. ¡°Did you miss me?¡± I asked jokingly. There was no answer except for a continuous static sound. ¡°Hello?¡± Nothing. When I was about to take the phone away from my ear, an oddly strange voice emerged from all the static. Then, my body burst into flames. Chapter 2.3 Geminus Author''s Note: Aaaaand things go crazy here! It''s time to hit on that follow and favorite buttons! Haha. Should the genre be Fantasy or Sci-Fi? or maybe both? :\ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hot. My body was burning hot. I rolled over and over, trying to extinguish the flames. Even with my eyes closed, I could imagine myself slowly turning into an unrecognizable black mass. Then, the sound of laughter entered my ears. Just like that, the pain disappeared as if it was all just a dream. Slowly, I opened my eyes. There, in front of me, a man wearing a green tuxedo and top hat was rolling on the ground while laughing. His face was covered by an opera mask with a laughing expression. Around us was a vast expanse of white. I pushed myself up to a kneeling position and looked down at myself, and I too was nothing but white. I was naked, but there was nothing to be seen. I¡¯m not invisible; just white and featureless. Like a blank sheet of paper. ¡°Oh, that was fun. I never get tired of that.¡± The strange man suddenly stood up at attention, making a sound by knocking his heels together. Then he spread his feet and placed his arms behind his back. Mysteriously, his mask had already changed to that of a stern expression. All his motions were like that of a soldier, and I could only stare at him. ¡°How was your first time?¡± he asked. ¡°Was it¡­ HOT?¡± He then suddenly fell on his back and burst out laughing. His mask was back to that of a laughing one. Was this a dream? A nightmare? I don¡¯t know anymore. Just what the heck is going on? ¡°Where am¡ª¡± The man had disappeared. Then a voice came from over my left shoulder. ¡°Welcome to Geminus.¡± I hurriedly scampered away. The man had suddenly appeared behind me. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so afraid,¡± he said while making exaggerated hand gestures. His mask had turned into a sad one. ¡°Who are you?!¡± I asked. He covered his face with his gloved hands, then made a hideous laughing sound. Then suddenly, he spread his arms wide. His mask had changed to a simple smiling one. ¡°I am¡­ the Game Master!¡± He folded one arm in front of him, the other behind, and made a bow. ¡°GM, for short.¡± I was at a loss for words. I still don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on. Seeing my confused expression, Game Master chuckled and stood up straight. ¡°I know that you are very confused right now, but don¡¯t you worry. You¡¯ll get the hang of things very quickly, like all the others before you did.¡± He then turned around and raised both his arms. The white world was then filled with colors. Out of nothing, various objects came out and disappeared. Mountains, forests, plains, rivers, lakes, seas, strange animals, huge rocks, deserts, snowy lands, cities, ancient structures, skyscrapers, space, stars, planets, galaxies, and things that I have never seen before. ¡°This is my world. This is my game. This is Geminus.¡± Game Master looked at me over his shoulder. Then, he snapped with his right hand fingers and everything disappeared back into the white world. He snapped with his left hand fingers, and an armchair appeared in front of him. He then jumped and turned around, and landed on the armchair. ¡°Now then, would you like to play my game?¡± he asked as he crossed his legs, intertwined his fingers, and rested them above his knee. As I was still confused, I was not able to give an answer. A few seconds passed and as I opened my mouth¡­ ¡°Wait! You don¡¯t need to answer that.¡± He then stood up and the chair behind him disappeared. ¡°I haven¡¯t explained to you what this game is. Hahaha! Silly me!¡± He made that bow again and said, ¡°I apologize.¡± A familiar sound came from the ground in front of me. I looked down and saw my phone. ¡°Go ahead, answer it,¡± Game Master said. I picked it up and answered, ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Rule number 1: You must answer the Call of Geminus.¡± It was Game Master¡¯s voice. I looked up and saw his figure almost 500 meters away, a phone pressed on his ear. He then waved at me. ¡°What is this¡­ Call of Geminus?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much about it. Just answer it when it comes. It won¡¯t interfere with your daily life.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. He took my silence as an affirmation. ¡°Rule number 2: Never talk about Geminus to anyone unrelated.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I asked out of curiosity. Game Master chuckled and answered, ¡°You¡¯ll die if you break any of the rules.¡± ¡°Rule number 3: Have fun!¡± The call ended and he reappeared in front of me. ¡°Those are the most basic rules. The game isn¡¯t complicated, really! You just have to fight and win. If you win, you gain points. If you lose, you lose points. Very simple!¡± He then inserted his hands into his pockets and said, ¡°Pick a number from zero to infinity!¡± The suddenness of what he said left my mind in a blank state. ¡°Have you chosen one? That¡¯s good!¡± When I was about to say a random number, he then said, ¡°Don¡¯t say it! I don¡¯t need it!¡± and burst out laughing. He then pulled his hands out along with a bunch of cards that fell like a waterfall and scattered on the ground as far as the eye could see. Strangely, they were all face down. ¡°Seriously, now¡­ Pick a card!¡± With no choice but to do as he said, I picked up the card closest to me and flipped it face up. On it was a king chess piece image. ¡°OHHHHHH! Lucky you!¡± Game Master suddenly exclaimed. All the other cards flipped up. They were all blanks. ¡°You just managed to draw the king card which has a chance of one over infinity!¡± He then clapped his hands. On his final clap, all the cards once again flipped down. ¡°Now, because you got the king card, you get to pick a card again!¡± I picked the same card. This time, it was a question mark over a pawn chess piece image. ¡°Hmm¡­ not bad, but you could¡¯ve done better.¡± All the cards flipped up revealing a variety of images. Most of them were numbers followed by the letters ¡®PTS¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s the random pawn card. With it, you could get a pawn for free. The abilities of the pawn you get is random, though. It could be weak or strong, depending on your luck.¡± All the cards then flew back and returned to Game Master¡¯s pockets. He snapped his fingers and a sofa appeared beneath me. He then sat down beside me. ¡°I know you¡¯re still confused, but don¡¯t worry. Take a look at your phone.¡± I did as told. There was a new application installed called Geminus. ¡°Launch it.¡± I clicked the icon and the program launched. The first thing that appeared was a white featureless human figure. Underneath it was a bar of icons. ¡°That¡¯s your game avatar! That is how you appear in this world. Now swipe it to the side.¡± I swiped the avatar to the side and was replaced by my image. It was how I looked in reality. ¡°Well, well, well. Isn¡¯t that you. Hmm-hmm. You don¡¯t look so good. Can you see the status icon? If you click it, you can see your stats and the points you can allot to them! You can even use those points to change your appearance!¡± As told, the status window showed a list of stats like STR, AGI, INT, and others just like in a game. There seems to be 100 points that can be distributed. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you already know what those stats are, but before you distribute your points make sure that you have thought about it properly. Any changes made will affect your actual stats in real life, you know.¡± I was completely shocked by what I heard. Affect my stats in real life? If I increase my STR, will I be stronger? If I increase my AGI, will I be faster? This is too ridiculous! ¡°Hahaha! Shocked, right? But it¡¯s true! Oh, and before you go crazy over it, a piece of advice from the Game Master himself. Save those points for later, especially when you finally get yourself a pawn. You can use those points to strengthen your pawns, after all.¡± After that, he stood up from the sofa and said, ¡°I suggest you use that card as soon as possible. You can find it in your item box,¡± and suddenly disappeared. While I was pondering on what to do next, my phone rang again. ¡°The app has a help page, by the way¡­ And change that avatar! It doesn¡¯t cost points, so go crazy and be creative! Ta-ta!¡± As soon as the call ended, I woke up.