Oliver walked home alone. Hands buried deep in his pockets and gaze somewhat distant, he passed by the library, then the gym, and finally reached his neighbourhood. He walked in absolute silence as he crossed their front yard and opened the front door.
His mother was watching Tv with a bowl of cereal in her hand. Upon seeing him she seemed a bit surprised.
"Oh! Champ how was school?"
"It was fine..."
Oliver yet again did not elaborate and walked past her towards his bedroom. Her eyes followed after him but then eventually readjusted to the television. She most certainly was not blind, but she knew it wasn't her that needed to talk with him.
After all, she was not someone who easily related with other's emotions.
Not for years.
Oliver entered his room and closed the door behind him. He took his phone out of his pocket and placed it on the desk. He then turned around and changed clothes. But before he placed the shirt on he inspected himself in the mirror.
Earlier he had felt them but now getting a glimpse he couldn't help but mutter to himself in pity.
Purple bruise marks and welts stretched across his abdomen and chest. There was a faint trace of a six-pack but his sides had also taken a great number of hits. That thief guy really hit him with skill.
But Oliver erased the thoughts out of his mind and placed his shirt on. He refused to think about it. He walked out of the room to head to the kitchen for a quick bite.
The phone remained on top of the desk.
****************************************
Oliver had gone for a quick bite. He remembered the second sandwich he had left in the fridge for himself when he got back from school. Just a quick reheat in the microwave, and it would be perfect.
But the moment he entered the kitchen, he heard the door close behind him. He looked forward to see his father leaning on the counter, a cup of coffee in his hand.
"Hey champ."
Oliver immediately felt it, the pressure of his father's presence. Strong and authoritative when he wanted to be, Jason Smith was a force to reckon with. And right then, his tone suggested a storm was brewing.
"Where were you today?.."
"I-"
Oliver didn't know what to say.
This was extremely bad looking.
But Jason Smith didn't wait for any response.
"I got a call. A Mrs. Marna... your deputy headteacher apparently, I never knew. But you weren't present for morning roll call. Asked me if you were doing ok. Are you doing ok champ?"
The words followed on after another. There was no rising or falling in Jason Smith's tone, yet this only caused Oliver to get even more scared.
And so he simply said the first defence that came to his mind.
"I'm sorry."
It was a childish thing to say. Oliver was 16, about to push 17. Yet his father's questions managed to bring this childish response out of him.
That was just how much Oliver feared his father.
After all, Oliver could never forget that day their old neighbourhood was attacked.
Jason simply stared down at Oliver before letting out an exasperated sigh. Honestly, this kid of his was a piece of work.
He stopped leaning on the counter and turned around to place his now empty cup in the sink. He washed his hands and walked past Oliver. The kitchen door swinging open once he approached it.
Without looking back, he left the kitchen with a parting shot.
"Just don't do it again..."
****************************************************
Oliver was back in his room. He lay on his bed and stared up at the ceiling, his mind wandering now and then.
It was now 9:00 PM.
Oliver glanced at the wall clock he had placed in his room over a year ago. It was a neon light, so it was visible even in the dark.
There was a reason he didn't check his phone instead.
He didn't know what to feel.
He got up and walked over to the desk, and turned on his computer. Out of idle boredom, he surfed the internet for around an hour. He even played a good half hour of [Keep It Going] on it.
But when it approached 11, Oliver felt an itch. It was like a slight hunger, a warning?
Oliver glanced at the phone and, for a moment, a dangerous thought crossed his mind.
{Did I complete my tasks?...}
Oliver then cleared the thought out of his mind and returned to the computer.
But once it reached midnight, Oliver felt a powerful pain right behind his eyes.
His vision went white, and he clutched his head in agony. No words escaped his mouth.That was just how great the pain was. But eventually subsided and his vision steadily returned, blurred at first.
Oliver got up groggily. Apparently, he had rolled off his chair and ended up on the floor. Drooling on the floorboards in pain. But as he got up, he heard an alarm at the edge of his senses.
He turned his head and glanced towards the phone he had placed on the desk earlier.
The screen was on and displaying lines of texts.
Oliver could read them from where he stood.
********************************************************
[Daily tasks]
{100/100} completed pushups. 100%
{100/100} completed situps. 100%
{615/1000} metres sprinted. 61.5%
{2307/3000} calories consumed (optional) 76.9%
Bonus: {0/2} strength points gained. 0%
Note: if you do not complete daily tasks within the allotted time, you will lose 2pts of each stat. Upon completion you will receive a free stat point for each task, you may invest it into whichever stat you wish (except for will).
New tasks in 0hrs: 0mins: 0sec
*************
[Warning: Due to the incompletion of daily tasks, all points gained today are confiscated. An additional 2 points from each stat will be confiscated as well (except will).]
{Daily report}:
[Daily Tasks]1 has been completed: +1 stat point
[Daily Tasks]2 has been completed: +1 stat point
Total points gained today:
[Free stat points] +2 pts
[Strength] +0 pts
[Stamina] +0 pts
[intelligence] +0 pts
[Agility] +0 pts
[Will] +0 pts
Points confiscated: [2 strength points, 2 intelligence point, 2 stamina points, 2 agility points, 2 free stat points]
***************************************
[Status screen]
Name; Brigand.
Strength: 14.4>12.4
Intelligence: 16.8>14.8
Agility: 9.6>7.6
Stamina: 13.8>11.8
Will: 6>6
Power level: 12.12>10.52
Free stat points: 9>7
[Attributes]
1.{Ultrahuman}-?!?@#?- Assmiliation(0.35%)
2.{Telekinesis}-Weak- Assimilation(0.01%)
3.----
*****************
Oliver was stunned. The tabs opened one after another, none of them waiting for whether he read everything or not. The final tab was the status screen and, seeing it, caused Oliver to go silent.
{Was that pain... really?...}
He didn't know what to say, but he just grit his teeth. A rage began to well up in him.
{THIS IS SO FUCKING STUPID!!}
He grabbed his phone off the desk and stared at the screen.
Every stat except for will had decreased by an exact 2 points. Not even following the stat distribution ratio.
That was just how merciless the System App was.
It didn't give to shits about Oliver and his differences. Whether he accepted it or not.
It would punish him just for not completing a daily task.
Oliver stared at the phone, but eventually his rage subsided and was replaced with absolute resolution.
He knew what he would do now.
****************************************************