As we arrived at my familiar yet unfamiliar home, we were greeted by the magnificent sight of an enormous glass gate embedded with jewels the size of pigeon eggs.
I let out a low whistle. "Were we always this extravagant?" I mused, realizing I had grown accustomed to damp floors, leaking roofs, and the heinous odors of the past. I shook my head to rid myself of such melancholy thoughts. "This time will be different," I muttered silently.
"What will be different this time?" Senior Sister suddenly asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
Oh! I meant it will be different because of the workload and preparation for the entrance exam and all that."
"Do you mean you're interested in going?" She asked casually, but the immense hope in her eyes betrayed her.
"Of course I want to go. I might not be strong, but I'm sure I can make myself useful there."
I know what you might be thinking after seeing my stats: "Oh, he's just trash," or "He's a loser, and my parents don't love me. I'll use my system to grow and slap some faces right?"
[Well, they aren't wrong, you know.]
Ignoring the system's interruption, I continued, "You're right about using the system to grow and slap faces, but you're wrong about me being unloved. Actually, I'm very much adored by my family."
"You see, I was born prematurely, causing my mother's death—a guilt I carried through my past life. But my father and my elder sister never made me feel that way. Instead, I was given an abundance of love to make up for the lack of motherly care."
"Every race awakens their abilities between the ages of 5 and 12, but I was an anomaly, awakening my abilities at the tender age of 4 and awakening two abilities. One in a billion people awaken two abilities, and I'm one of those rare beings. However, I was born with a weak constitution because of it. I was told my body couldn't handle the power I carried, which would only become harder to bear as I grew older."
[That's not a problem anymore. Host now has the ability to adapt, acquire, accumulate, and utilize others' abilities while leaving them unable to use them, which can also harm them.]
"..."
"You make something like theft seem righteous. Don't you have any sense of shame or dignity?"
[Intelligence ---05]
[Bravery ---null]
[Charm ---null]
[Fluffball, look at where all your shame and dignity have gotten you. Very impressive.]
"..."
Jun Xuan Jie was speechless.
[I rest my case.]
"Jie, are you okay? Should we go back to the hospital? Say something."
I was jolted awake by the persistent calling. "Yes, Senior Sister, what is it?"
"I've been calling out to you for a while now. What's wrong? Are you alright? We could go back to the hospital if you're not."
I was deeply moved by the unconcealed concern in her eyes. I smiled lightly and replied, "No, don't worry, Senior Sister. I'm fine. Just a little distracted, that's all."
I know what you're thinking: quite impressive for me to be so knowledgeable when I barely went out. Well, you can just call me an information guru.
[Quite a fancy way of saying you're a nerd.]
"What do you mean, nerd? I'm deeply offended."
[Okay, good to know.]
As we got out of the car and approached my extremely extravagant home, I couldn't help but sigh and smile bitterly, remembering how long it's been since I felt so at home.
"Are you really sure you're okay? You know we can go back," Senior Sister asked for like the hundredth time.
I smiled calmly, looking at her. "I'm completely fine. A little weak, but enough rest should take care of that."
She smiled gently and softly kissed my forehead. "Sure, I'll believe you for now. But the moment I detect any overly abnormal behavior, you're going straight back to the hospital."
"Don't you mean 'abnormal behavior'?" I asked, confused.
[Wait for it.]
She replied calmly, "Oh honey, you're already abnormal.
"[And there it is.]
I felt deeply attacked but was suddenly too tired to argue. As I watched my elder sister walk away to most likely inform my dad of my discharge, I began to think about how to accomplish my daily tasks.
I brought out the system window to reexamine my stats and tasks. After doing so, I couldn't help but sigh. "This is going to be a very stressful year."
[You will get used to it.]
"How do I do this? Wait, this is a mansion, right?"
[No, it's a hydro loop.]
"No, I mean if I run half the size or even a quarter of the size of the yard, I should be able to accomplish my daily task, right?"
[Yes, that should be right.]
"Okay, here I go."
I immediately started running across the huge yard. Honestly, I felt like I might drop dead any second. My body was experiencing all kinds of pain."How long have I been running?"
"How long have I been running?
"[10 minutes, 200 meters.]
"I'm about to die," I muttered painfully.
"This is the end."
[No, it's not.]
I could almost imagine the eye roll and detect the disdain in the system's voice, but I had no time to care. I was running as fast as I could, but every breath felt like inhaling needles.
I finally couldn't take it anymore and was about to give up, but I couldn't. I shouldn't give up. I mustn't give up. Giving up now would only lead me back to that horrible place—the disgusting smell, the unimaginable torture, the heinous laughter filled with ridicule, and the heartbreaking betrayal.
If I survived 45 years of pure torment, what's a 5km run? I will not succumb to failure. I shall acc—
[Hey kid, it's over now.]
"..."
I felt like vomiting blood out of anger. Who in the hell interrupts another person's emotional monologue?
[Host is very delusional.]
"What's next?"
"7kg, 7kg—how big is 7kg, system?"
"Oh, I got it. 7kg is equivalent to 15 pounds, right? That means if I carry 7 one-liter bottles of water, I should be able to accomplish this task as well."
[Sure.]
"…"
What kind of reply was that?
"Hmmm, we can do this task inside."