The next day, Peter made his way to the cemetery, with the time being 3:00 am. The young man didn't like interacting with the general public, his reason why he preferred completing the Quest under the cover of darkness.
[200/350 tombs respected]
Daylight broke out with Peter paying his respects to the two hundredth tomb. Heading back home, the young man went about his daily routine until the next day came.
_________
Getting up at the same time, Peter had a pep in his step as he entered the cemetery for the third day in a row. For more reasons than one, he was glad that he'd finally complete this Quest, getting it over with once and for all.
[250/350 tombs respected]
'Damn this is going slow! If only I could just speed up on time and Complete this Quest now!!' Peter complained to himself, stomping his feet as he came to stand in from of the 200th tomb in the cemetery.
Fortunately, as he exercised patience, the numbers the system displayed got higher and higher until they finally reached what Peter expected.
[350/350 tombs respected]
[Congratulations, host]
[The system shall now distribute your rewards]
With it already daytime, Peter chose to go back home before inspecting his rewards for completing the Quest. Unable to contain his excitement, the twenty-year-old ran home, not caring if anyone on the streets saw him or not.
Once he was in his room, Peter immediately went on to check up on what were the rewards for completing the Quest. Honestly, Peter was quite pissed at the system for making him work hard for something that was gifted to him, but after all the hard work he had invested in, Peter was quite eager to discover just what title and ancient power were gifted to him.
[Title: Calculating]
[Ancient Power] π
Reading through the system messages, Peter had a confused look plastered on his face. He was confused, for more reason than one. After completing that Quest, he was meant to receive two rewards, but after reading these messages, it seemed as though something still needed to be done before the rewards were truly his.
'That title message seems to be calculating. The calculations might have something to do with my deservedness of it. This son of a bitch system! I toiled all morning for three days, only for you to slap me in the face with this?!'
Peter could feel his blood boiling as his fists trembled. He felt as though his efforts had been wasted. He had wasted nine hours of his life. Nine hours, which he could never get back no matter what he did, on a crappy system that gave him a scamming Quest.
'But wait, what about the tab that says 'Ancient Power?' Could it be working?' Peter thought as he gazed upon the second system message.
[Ancient Power]
[Necromancy]
Reading the system messages that suddenly appeared, Peter had a confused expression on his face, until an idea hit him.
'Now I get it. This is a Necromancer System. That explains the weird Quest I had to complete to unlock the power of Necromancy. But also, this is interesting.
'Necromancy is the ability to resurrect and control dead bodies. With this power of Necromancy, there are multiple ways in which I can use its power to my benefit.
'I could raise slain beasts, create an army of my own. I could finally protect myself, as well as my mother. But first, I must cultivate this power. Make sure it's strong enough for what I intend to accomplish with it.'
While Peter was in his train of thought, a knocking sound could be heard. Turning his head, Peter let out a sigh as he walked towards the front door to see who is there.
Taking a peep through the door, Peter let out a scowl as he reluctantly opened the door.
Standing on the other side of the door was a man almost the same height as Peter, only a little bit taller. The man had medium-length blonde hair. His sharp jawline and piercing blue eyes made Peter's features pale in comparison. Although a handsome young lad himself, he couldn't compare himself to the looks of his best friend.
"Man, took you long enough to answer the door," the man said, pushing Peter aside as he entered his house. Turning his head, Peter could see his refrigerator open, as well as a bottle of beer in the man's grasp.
"Dude, you know I'm nearly broke and you choose to raid my fridge?" Peter asked, closing the door behind him. Andrew Cuomo was a young man in his early twenties who drank alcohol for a living, well, not literally. But his love for alcohol made people wonder how on Earth he's able to maintain his crisp look despite being a heavy drinker.
"Man, why are you always so serious? Be like me for once. Be free."
Peter shook his head at his friend's remark. Of course, he wasn't always serious. He just had a lot to deal with on his plate.
"Peter, come on, pot opens a champagne, and let's talk," Andrew said, gesturing at the seat next to him.
Begrudgingly, Peter did just that. Now with a glass of wine in hand, he took in a large sip.
"How is she doing?" Andrew asked.
Placing the wine glass on the table, Peter hesitated to reply. He had told Andrew all about his mother's condition, and the latter had told him it was all going to turn out fine, even visiting Peter now and then to check on how he and his mother were doing.
Being born into a poor family, Andrew and Peter had known each other ever since they were three. Since their mothers were friends, they always got the opportunity to visit each other and have fun playing games all day long. They even shared the same birthday.
Still, as much as they had a lot in common, there were also a plethora of differences that distinguished them, and physical looks were just one of them.
Andrew Cuomo is a social butterfly. Unlike Peter, he isn't someone who would turn down an invite to a social gathering. Even back then when they were still in high school, Andrew would, on many occasions, try convincing Peter to come with him to a party, but all the time, Peter would turn him down.
Although knowing he had his reasons, Andrew still felt like Peter needed to get out of his shell. Sure, he had been bullied throughout his school years, but so did Andrew. And Andrew found it selfish how Peter acted as though every single bad thing in the world was happening only to him, but chose to keep his opinions to himself.
"She's… stable," Peter finally replied, his hand shaking as he picked up the wine glass from the table. Andrew noticed Peter's uneasiness and snatched the wine glass from his hand.
"These glasses are too expensive for you to go around smashing them in anger. Go get a plastic cup instead," Andrew placed the wine glass in front of him while sipping the wine from his glass as well.
Gritting his teeth, Peter went and got a silver cup from the cupboard, and poured himself another cup of wine. Sipping angrily, Andrew decided to ask another question.
"So how're your online asses coming along?"
"Great, just a few more weeks and the semester will be over."
The two began to chat about themselves as they cheers to the wine. The two friends told jokes to each other, laughing until they couldn't feel their cheeks and their abdomen began to hurt.
Peter was only like this around three people: his mother, his best friend, and another friend of his, Kelly, whom he hadn't heard from ever since she moved away from his neighborhood when he was ten.
Once the two men had fully enjoyed their wine, Andrew and Peter went upstairs to check up on the latter's mother. The former had a pained look on his face as he gazed upon the bed-ridden woman who hadn't opened her eyes for over three weeks.
"If only I had the power, I would have gotten her treated right away."
"It's not your fault. You're struggling just as much as I am. Besides, she's my responsibility, not yours," Peter replied.
"Are you crazy?! She's like a second mother to me! She as much a responsibility to me as she is to you!" Andrew shouted, quickly covering his mouth upon realizing he was still in the room Peter's mother was unconscious.
"Now who's crazy?" Peter replied, his eyes blank as he exited the room, with Andrew trailing right behind him. They had made it to the front door. Andrew was leaving, while Peter was there to see him out.
"Tell me when her condition begins to get better. Or even, text me what medications you're giving her. Maybe I can find a drug store online that sells higher-quality drugs," Andrew said, and with that, he left.