Traveling through the portal was a feeling that Arlo couldn't explain.
It felt like his body was thrown in a burning pan and a tub filled with ice at the same time.
He shivered and grunted as the alternating heat and cold whipped at his body.
Then it was over and he seemed to sink into darkness.
Just then, his eyes flew open and he jerked awake.
Arlo blinked, taking in his surroundings. He was back in his room.
Everything looked exactly as it had before he passed out.
His bed was unmade, the sheets tangled and half hanging off the mattress.
The pillow he must've knocked off earlier still lay on the floor, crumpled up in the corner.
Scattered around it were the plastic wrappers of the candies he'd eaten that morning, crinkled and torn, creating a messy halo around the bed.
The air smelled faintly sweet, a reminder of the sugar binge that now felt like it had happened ages ago.
The curtains were still drawn, letting in just enough light to give the room a dim, gray hue.
However Arlo wasn't completely satisfied. He still needed to be sure all was well and he was truly back in his world.
He stood up, so he could check on his mom.
The headset was still strapped tightly to Arlo's head, its thick cord dangling down his back.
As he pushed himself off the bed, he felt the weight of it tug, swaying slightly and throwing him off balance.
He staggered for a moment, the pressure of the headset making his head feel heavy and his neck stiff.
The padding around his ears pressed in uncomfortably, reminding him that he hadn't taken it off since… well, since before everything had gone blurry.
It was then the hunger he had been feeling really hit him.
All those activities with Azelia had drained him.
Arlo sighed and pushed his glasses up on his nose, that was one more reason to go outside.
As he stepped out of the room, he headed to the kitchen, where he could hear pots and pans clanging.
Arlo let out a sigh he didn't know he had been holding, his parents were fine, he was truly back in his world.
He peeped through the door and his mom was there, busily walking through the kitchen, preparing food.
She looked up when she saw his shadow at the doorway and her eyebrows arched in surprise.
"Hello sweetie, what are you doing down so early?"
Arlo rubbed the back of head and smile sheepishly.
"Nothing, just wanted to check on you".
His mom looked at him in surprise.
Her son usually would be locked up in his room, until it was dinner time and he was summoned to the dinning.
Also, he rarely showed affection.
Now he was out in the kitchen and as if that was not enough, he said he came to check on her.
Arlo was very shy by the look of surprise his mom was giving him so he retreated.
"Uhmm, so I'll be going now". He said as he turned back and left the kitchen.
In his haste to leave, he didn't remember the second reason he came to the kitchen, to grab some food.
As he entered his room, the bed was suddenly so inviting.
Arlo stumbled to it and fell in.
A minute later, his eyes slid shut.
****
As Arlo woke up, the first thing he saw was a screen in front of his eyes.
"What the fuck?" He exclaimed as he jumped out bed and landed on the floor.
Thud~
Pain shot through his hand as his elbow connected with the ground, however Arlo was less concerned about it.
He looked at the blue screen glowing before his eyes.
{Here's your profile}
{Level: 1}
{Skill: charisma}
{Mission: none}
{Daily task: none}
His memory came back to him slowly and he remembered the video game, him waking up in another world, lust giving him a system and him charming Azelia.
He relaxed slightly then but he still couldn't believe it.
So all that hadn't been a dream, he actually had a system that would help him get more girls than he had ever imagined.
Just then, his door swung open and his mom was standing in the doorway, with concern in her eyes.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked, her voice gentle but anxious. "I heard a noise." She stepped further into the room, her hand resting on the doorframe as if steadying herself, her gaze never leaving him.
Arlo pushed himself to his feet and rubbed his sore elbow.
"It's fine mom, it was a small fall". He assured her.
She entered the room and examined his elbow.
It looked fine and she nodded satisfactorily. Okay baby, go on and prepare for school now.
With that, she left, closing the door behind her.
The screen flashed abruptly.
{You have new daily quest}
Arlo frowned as he watched it.
{Daily quest: Complete 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 jumping jacks}
Arlo's mouth fell open.
There was no way in hell he could perform 100 push ups without passing out, he was sure.
He couldn't even do 10 at a go.
He was about to ignore it when he remebered what Azelia said, if he failed to complete his daily task, he would lose his charm skill for the next day.
It was crucial that be maintained his charm, after all he had plans to use them extensively.
Therefore he had to complete the push-ups somehow, someway.
Thankfully, he was an early riser and he still had a few hours before he had to go to school.
He would do as much as he could before school, then he would do the rest distributed throughout the day.
With a heavy sigh, Arlo dropped to the ground and began to do push-ups.
*****
{Here's your profile}
{Level: 1}
{Skill: charisma}
{Mission: none}
{Daily task: Complete 100 push-ups, 100 sit ups, 100 jumping jacks}