Once in the bedroom, Arthur came across the scene of Thomas playing on the PSP while lying on the couch.
Trying to hide all the pain he was feeling as much as possible, he went straight to the bathroom without saying a word.
Thomas realized that Arthur had arrived, and he knew he wasn't acting normal, but he still left it to ask later. He also had a slight sense of what had happened, as Arthur only acted that way when he got beaten up.
'Looks like you can't go a week without getting into a fight...' Thomas decided to keep these thoughts to himself and went back to playing.
As soon as he entered the bathroom, Arthur took off all his sweaty clothes and threw them into a laundry basket.
While taking a hot bath, Arthur drew a health potion and drank. It wasn't enough to alleviate all the pain, but as Arthur got to know his own body better, and also because he didn't want to spend another potion, he decided to leave the rest to heal naturally.
'Despite having been beaten a lot, I can say it's better than before. I learned a lot more, and I definitely don't compare myself to before. He could only take it easy on the beating.' As he rolled his shoulders slightly, he assessed his situation.
Arthur still couldn't fully control his new strength. He had spent a week adapting to his previous situation, but due to the burst of strength, he was still adapting. But, he was definitely getting close to controlling everything.
He also couldn't tell how much above an average human he was, but if he were to take his previous stats, Arthur calculated that he should be around 20x, just his Strength and Agility.
Every 10 stat points marks what an average human should have. As the lowest stat he had was 210, for both Strength and Agility, so it was pretty obvious.
On top of that, Arthur also felt the differences surrounding his Constitution and Vitality as well as Intelligence. His skin and body were definitely perfect, with defined, tight muscles, but skin so perfect it made women jealous. There was even an indescribable glow, like a rainbow, but it was quite imperceptible. Not to mention his fragrant, enchanting scent and his honey-sweet saliva.
His mind also processed and stored information much faster than before, and he could definitely be called a genius beyond compare. And Arthur came to feel that it didn't stop there, but for some reason he couldn't figure out what was preventing him from accessing more.
'Perhaps it is the system, or even this unknown race, that justifies such an explosive increase. After all, there's no way in less than two weeks for someone to get that strong. Although I remember Gabriel talking about a so-called Super Vaccine...' As Arthur's head filled with thoughts, he was already drying himself and putting on comfortable new clothes.
As soon as he left the bathroom, already feeling more comfortable, Arthur smelled a little of the burning smell.
'Did something in here burn?' Looking around and following the scent trail, he glanced at the trash can. Instead of going there, he also viewed the room and saw that the cluster was dismantled.
"It finally couldn't take it?" Remembering the fan noise before going to train, Arthur quickly grabbed a snack from the minibar and asked Thomas.
"Yes. But I have already ordered some replacement parts and they arrive tomorrow. I called with that number you gave me. By the way, he asked me to thank you for the help before and that anything was just calling him, that he would always be available." While still playing, Thomas spoke in an indifferent voice.
Arthur soon remembered that he had given Augustus' number in case Thomas wanted something.
Augustus was Carlos' former employee, responsible for walking his dog. After Arthur gave him a suitcase of money, Augustus became his employee.
Arthur never had much of his help, as he didn't need it yet. But he didn't mind either, as it was a small amount of money and Augustus seemed to need it more than he did.
"How was the matter there? Did you get it resolved? You seemed to be very nervous and sweating a lot." As soon as he reached the couch, Arthur asked Thomas as he put some cartoons on the television.
"Yes. It was just a few companies revolting after I detonated their database."
"Aah... Wait, you what??" Bracing himself not to laugh, Arthur asked again for confirmation.
"What? They tried to steal my program, so it was well deserved. And about the money, I decided to do some anonymous transfers and decentralize the money, spreading it around."
"Really? Money management? Are you learning about that too?" A little taken aback, Arthur began to think that he shouldn't underestimate Thomas.
"Yea"
"Damn it!" Knowing he shouldn't try to understand all this, Arthur quickly let it go.
It wasn't like he couldn't do the same thing, but he always underestimated himself too much, so it created an inferiority complex.
This complex was weak, as the only person he ever found incredible and incompressible was Thomas.
But little did he know that, in Thomas's view, the most amazing person in the world was he, who did everything possible and impossible to see him well.
***
Some time, more exactly 4 days, passed with this type of routine. Exercising in the morning and working right after. The girls also kept their word and every day they went to the kiosk for breakfast. Flirts also started to be frequent, but less direct. Arthur started to like this kind of thing, as he found it amusing, and even gave back some. Impressing even himself, as he didn't know he was so good and creative with it.
At night, Arthur was beaten like never before, but he also learned a lot. His Will was always in battle with Gabriel's Killing Intent.
'What did this guy have to go through to have such a big killing intent?' That kind of thought started to pop into Arthur's mind during the fights, but it was quickly ignored.
In the middle of one of the fights, when Gabriel had punched Arthur away, instead of advancing, Arthur just stood and spoke to him.
"I know it's sudden, but can you help me buy a house? I've been wanting to move for a long time with my brother, but I'm not old enough for that." As he wiped the blood from his lips, Arthur spoke indifferently. With that kind of training every day, pain was already a constant friend of him.
"You can go to the Betting Room in the Arena. They have that kind of thing to help mercenaries who are trying to change their lives." Still standing, Gabriel lightly shrugged. There wasn't even an ounce of sweat on his body.
"Thanks. I'll drop by in a few days. I have some school business to do."
"By the way, where are you going to study? I know your situation so I know you want to get out of that place too."
A little surprised by Gabriel's personal question, Arthur only responded in a calm voice.
"As you said, I don't want to stay in that place for at least a minute longer. The years I studied in that hell are enough. Now that I have the conditions, I'm going to a better place." As he spoke, some memories came to Arthur's mind.
His school could be singled out as one of the worst in town, if not the worst. As the orphanage didn't care about education, any place was good enough. He and Thomas were forced to study there. It was a beating almost every day, and it could have been from protecting they food to protecting Thomas.
Gabriel's voice soon interrupted his imagination with a suggestion: "Why don't you go where I go? It's the second best high school in the city, but only in terms of university entrance exams. If you consider the quality of the place and output for the job market, it comes first. And if you like, there's another very good school close by, but it only teaches elementary school, so it's good for your brother."
After some thought, Arthur nodded and said: "Thanks again. I was going to look it up, but it saved me time. When do exams start?" Since every school required a recommendation or exam to enter, Arthur also thought it was obvious that this one had.
"It has already started and will end by the end of this week, in this case, tomorrow. For the other, a recommendation is needed."
"I'll sort these things out tomorrow."
So the two began to fight again. But Arthur noticed something and asked suddenly.
"By the way, how old are you? To study in high school yet..."
"15 years old!" In an indifferent voice, Gabriel spoke as if it wasn't worth keeping this information.
"15 years old??" In a surprised voice, Arthur's eyes widened.
'And already has such an incredible strength? Did he get this super vaccine? Pretty sure yes!' Even though his mind was filled with thoughts, he remained silent. Gabriel didn't say anything, so he wouldn't ask either.
***
Some time later, when Arthur had already taken his shower and was watching cartoons with Thomas.
"Thomas, do you want to change schools? I recently decided to change too, and I found two that are interesting. Do you want to?"
"If it's possible, then I do. I don't even want to imagine how many times we'll be robbed if we stay there."
"Hahaha, ok then! I'll sort everything out tomorrow then. Do you want to go with me or stay?" As he rubbed Thomas's hair, Arthur laughed a little.
"Since I've been here a lot, I want to go out with you a little." Taking Arthur's hand from his head, Thomas quickly accepted the proposal. He had been wanting to go out for a while, but he was ashamed to ask Arthur, who was always so busy.
"Alright then. Besides, I've already figured out a way for us to buy a house too, so be prepared to move in soon."
Instead of answering, Thomas just nodded slightly. But despite his lackluster response, his heart was filled with joy.
'I've never felt so happy since we left that orphanage. And all this thanks to my brother!' As he thought about these things, the brotherly love Thomas felt for Arthur grew even more. After all, he would have died long ago internally if not for Arthur, who had pulled him out of the abyss of loneliness.