[Mediocre Meter: 86%]
Mission: Achieve the most ordinary and unremarkable life possible.
✧˖°
Key Metrics:
1. Job and Income – Is he making just enough to survive?
– (+) = Secures reliable employment, manages expenses without much excess, and pays bills on time.
– (-) = Struggles with job instability, falls into financial hardship, relies on external support.
2. Public Perception – How do others see him?
– (+) = Gains better reputation
– (-) = Loses reputation
3. Talent & Skills – Does he have talents, but none good enough to be impressive?
– (+) = Gaining/improving a talent
– (-) = Losing/demoting a talent
✧˖°
So that was why he had a talent window! He nodded to himself.
Well, it seemed like the Ascendants had actually given him a simple mission. This was one of the easiest ones he had done in centuries!
It almost made him want to question why this subject gave up when he was already so close to his ultimate goal.
Almost. Of course, he liked how he only had to fill in a small fraction!
He clenched his fists, looking forward to finishing it.
‘Wait for me, my 10-year long rest!’
“Wait a minute,” Eli suddenly said. “Didn’t we explain all of these to you yesterday already?” he asked, making Zeno turn to him.
Minji’s eyebrows furrowed. “Yeah,” she muttered. “The doctor said we should ease you in on things you don’t remember. It seemed like you still knew a lot the moment you went back, though.”
“You apparently have mild retrograde amnesia,” Eli continued. “As a med student, I know you should not be feeling this way.”
“You’re only in your first year, though,” Minji teased.
“I still know more than you,” Eli retorted.
“Anyway,” Eli continued, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “You have retrograde amnesia caused by unknown trauma, not the anterograde one. That means—”
Zeno cut him off. “Retrograde amnesia. The inability to recall past memories, usually due to neurological damage. It affects stored information but does not prevent new memories from forming.”
“Anterograde amnesia. The inability to create new memories after the event caused amnesia. Damage to the hippocampus, usually.”
“Trauma-induced amnesia. This can be caused by either a physical head injury or severe emotional shock. If it’s the latter, it may be linked to dissociative amnesia, a condition where the mind blocks out distressing memories as a defense mechanism. No brain damage, just the psyche refusing to remember.”
The three of them became silent, merely staring at their friend like he had grown another head.
Zeno cleared his throat. “However, in the medical world, nothing is truly certain. Even if it has been published in numerous approved articles, there’s always an outlier. I can be that outlier. Rest assured that I will not be repeating the same questions, but I might ask more when I need such information,” he said.
Eli’s mouth was still open in shock. “How the heck do you know all of that? Were you a doctor in your past life or something?”
Yes.
Doha clasped his hands and fluttered his eyelashes like a fool.
“Zeno was so cool just now. Kyah!” he exclaimed.
[+1 Public Perception. Remarkable, but forgettable]
[Mediocre Meter: 87%]
Zeno resisted the urge to chuckle like a madman. Only 13% more, and he was out of this place.
“Well, if you excuse me,” Zeno said, clearing his throat. “I shall go to bed now. I need to establish a consistent sleeping routine.”
“It’s just 10 PM!” Minji exclaimed.
“Exactly,” Zeno said before heading to his unit. However, he wasn’t sure where it was. Fortunately, Minji followed after him and handed him a key.
“Here, you’re on the first one,” she said. “I held onto the key while you were out with Doha.”
Zeno nodded in acknowledgment. He unlocked the door and was about to go in when Minji suddenly called his name.
“Zeno,” she said.
He paused for a while before turning around, raising one eyebrow.
Minji’s gaze went to the ground, so he couldn’t see her face fully.
“Happy birthday,” she said once again.
“We’ve already established that,” Zeno pointed out.
Minji finally lifted her face, and Zeno saw how red her cheeks were. He clicked his tongue. Was she having a mild allergic reaction to the food on sticks?
“I just wanted to say it again,” she said with a small smile. “We rarely heard from you in the military, and when you came back, you didn’t talk that much. I’m glad you’re asking us questions. If you have more, you can just approach me.”
Oh, what a good friend.
“I’ll make sure to do that,” he said.
Minji still stood there, and Zeno didn’t know what to do. So he turned around once more and opened his door. However, what greeted him next was something he didn’t expect.
“What the fuck is this?”