American comic book: My Father is Superman, am I just an NPC?

Chapter 1: A Man in an American Comic Book, Diagnosed with Mental Illness
metropolis.

The sun was shining brightly.

A psychologist's consultation room.

A gentle breeze stirred the curtains, casting dappled shadows. The boy sat on the not-so-comfortable sofa, looking up at the psychiatrist in front of him.

"I am not mentally ill."

Ian Kent spoke softly.

"Most of the people who come to me feel they are not sick." The psychiatrist, dressed in a sharp suit, sat with an elegant and upright posture, with a fine notebook and a fountain pen in front of him.

"That's just because my parents often find me waking up in the middle of the night, so they think I need some psychological counseling." Ian adjusted his position on the sofa.

He seemed to be trying to find the most comfortable sitting position.

"What did you dream about?" the psychologist asked at the opportune moment, picking up the pen in front of him. His magnetic voice had a power that could evoke a person's desire to confide.

However, Ian did not have that need.

"Teenagers in their adolescence always have some unrealistic fantasies that they're ashamed to talk about, don't they?" Ian pondered for a moment before giving a vague answer.

Upon hearing this, the psychologist nodded without changing his expression.

“I understand you don’t trust me much yet, we can talk about this later.” He said, while scribbling in his notebook.

Sitting in Ian's seat, one cannot clearly see what the psychiatrist is writing.

"Perhaps you could prescribe some medicine for me directly."

Ian offered his suggestion, saying that he preferred to show off some cool technology and ruthless skills rather than therapy through conversation, as he didn't want others to pry into his inner thoughts.

For example, he is a time traveler, and his father in this life is a superhuman with ears more sensitive than sonar detectors... and there is also the world that appears in his dreams every now and then.

Everything seemed frozen in place, with snow falling heavily and a fierce wind raging. The broken outlines of buildings appeared and disappeared in the haze, and such an environment made everyone who walked in feel increasingly depressed.

It might be a nightmare.

It could also be something else entirely.

After all, we live in a world where anything is possible, and Ian isn't entirely sure what his dreams mean. He only knows that he will wake up precisely when he hears the bells ringing.

Just as Ian was lost in his memories, the psychiatrist put down his pen. "In my career, I haven't seen many patients like you who would actually ask to take their medication."

He seemed somewhat surprised.

“Although I firmly believe that I do not have a mental illness, I still occasionally feel some symptoms of anxiety…” Ian paused for a moment, then added somewhat evasively, “It may be related to my heavy academic workload. I think taking some medication in this area can help calm me down.”

The boy's voice was very sincere and frank.

The psychologist glanced at the top of Ian's head, but didn't find any signs of a pointed scalp. "From what I know, your grades are excellent."

He was clearly questioning the source of Ian's anxiety.

"That's why the pressure I face to stay ahead of my peers is definitely much greater than that of others," Ian said, seemingly sincerely but giving a false answer.

"Ah."

Upon hearing this, the psychologist nodded first, then stared intently at Ian for a long time.

"I don't think you're telling the truth."

He expressed his opinion very directly and made a note of it in his notebook again. Ian just watched the psychiatrist's actions in silence.

His anxiety did not stem from his studies.

In fact, as an unlucky guy who scored over 700 points in the college entrance exam before transmigrating but was forced to restart his studies before even getting into university, the learning tasks in the public schools here were not difficult for him.

What truly made Ian anxious was his recently awakened cheat ability, what most people call the perks of time travelers.

When the "ding" sound appeared in his mind, he knew he was no longer an ordinary person. However, the awakening of the system did not bring him joy for long. This system was different from the sign-in system, attendance system, or even the gigolo system that Ian had dreamed of. It was more like the character panel of an unfinished game.

Name: Ian Kent

[Common Occupation: Student lv7 [12/640]]

[Extraordinary Profession: None]

[Global Recognition: Ordinary NPC]

【Strength: 0.7】

[Physique: 1.5]

【Intelligence: 2.3】

【Spirit: 2.5】

[Talent Skill: None]

[General Skill: Learning [Elite]]

[General Skill Points: 7]

……

There are no missions, no shop, no fancy features; there's just a panel and a function to digitize and update Ian's abilities and situation.

The skill of learning may be a legacy from a past life, as Ian is born with an [elite] level of quality, enabling him to learn new knowledge at a speed that surpasses most of his peers.

However, since Ian has never stepped into society in either his past or present life, and the knowledge from books has not been presented in the form of skills, his skill list looks somewhat empty.

What truly made Ian anxious was the "World Recognition" displayed on the system panel. The glaringly obvious words "ordinary NPC" on it made him wish his cornea would fall off.

The liver, gallbladder, and kidneys also felt precarious.

Isn't this exactly the kind of template used for sacrificial offerings to the heavens, to unleash the potential and talents of family members? Ian watches some movies regularly, so naturally he would have some suspicions about this.

After all, American TV shows are all about this kind of thing.

And isn't he living in a comic book world now? You see, since awakening this system, Ian has also realized that he is not his parents' biological child in this life. What could be a better sacrifice to inspire Superman's fighting spirit and the potential of his two older brothers' bloodlines than an adopted son!

How can one survive?

This was Ian's greatest anxiety after dying once. Although he was working hard to improve his [Student] profession level, aside from some upgrades in intelligence and mental attributes, he only gained seven general skill points. At most, he could use these to learn and upgrade skills such as [Cooking] or [Dancing].

Reading may not change your destiny.

Seriousness was embodied in Ian.

He even felt somewhat desperate because of this, which is why he proactively suggested taking medication. As for the real reason for his anxiety, Ian couldn't explain it to the psychiatrist in front of him.

The reason is not just because of some unspeakable secret.

Furthermore, the psychologist his parents found for him didn't sound like the name of a good person—Ian's gaze drifted to the nameplate on the doctor's desk.

Hannibal Lecter

Yes.

Once inside.

Ian noticed the psychologist's extraordinary abilities.

This damn prejudice.

He just hoped that he was really paranoid.

(End of this chapter)