How can a mere rabbit face a lion?
Even as he gradually recovered, it was hard for Davi to find the strength to stand. He was truly weak, and felt utterly powerless.
"What can I do?" the boy murmured to himself as he struggled to rise.
With tremendous effort, Davi forced his body to move. First, his hands sought support from the ground, and he tried to push himself up. His arms trembled uncontrollably, his blurred vision spinning everything around him.
"Is this pathetic strength what you're going to use to become an explorer?" Norman said, his voice laced with genuine disdain as he chuckled lightly.
Davi wanted nothing more than to land a punch on his damn father. If only he could slam his fist into that bastard's face with all his might.
The boy took a deep breath, or at least tried to. Every attempt to draw air was an act of sheer willpower, as if the very oxygen refused to enter his lungs.
Finally, he managed to stand, with his body still shaking violently.
"You think you can go to Enki and become an explorer? Right now, you barely stay on your feet after a single punch."
Davi didn't reply. Instead, he focused on overcoming the deep-seated fear etched into his body. He needed to find a way to win.
At that moment, he felt the breeze brush against his skin. The strong wind made his long brown hair flutter, and an idea crossed his mind.
Maybe it's possible, but I just need to hold on a little longer. Davi thought as he assumed a combat stance. Even the first step he tried to take forward almost sent him tumbling, but using the last shred of strength he had, he steadied his feet on the ground.
"Yes, I can become an explorer, even if I'm not as powerful as you." There was no way he could stall for time by fighting, but maybe could buy himself a little bit of time with words.
"Really? How?" Norman asked, his disdainful tone laced with mockery.
Davi began to argue desperately, just as the wind brought more and more soot, gradually worsening his virility.
Norman noticed it but couldn't imagine how a little smoke could be a problem. After all, he could sense the mana around him.
Because of his arrogance, the man allowed his opponent to go ahead with his plan. And finally, when the visibility became poor, Davi made his move.
The boy focused energy into his hands, launching it in the direction of the brute. Then he dashed forward, restarting the fight.
Norman, naturally, blocked the attack with ease, finding the attempt laughable. But in that instant, the wind blew stronger, carrying even more soot until it became impossible to keep his eyes open.
Norman simply closed his eyes and focused on sensing the energy around him. Of course, he could have dispersed the soot in an instant. In fact, that's exactly what he did every day when the wind brought that unpleasant haze to his home. But the man's deep arrogance made him decide to wait and see.
Davi took a deep breath, silently thanking the opportunity he had been given. Then he pushed his body to its absolute limit, using the last remnants of energy left within him.
The boy used his mana manipulation to create three clones of himself, formed entirely of mana. His father could sense the energy, but Davi's natural mana levels were so low that it was impossible to distinguish the real one from the fakes. Just as the human eye cannot differentiate between two or three millimeters, Norman couldn't discern which was which.
But that was not a problem, if he couldn't find the real one, he just needed to attack all of them equally. Considering it a pathetic attack, he snapped his fingers and unleashed lightning bolts toward the four enemies rushing at him.
That's why Davi saw a storm of lightning surging toward him. And as he realized what was happening, he smirked faintly. Luckily for him, his father remained an arrogant idiot.
Davi took a deep breath and charged forward as fast as he could, heading directly into the storm of lightning. He knew he couldn't dodge the attack, but if he could push through, maybe he could catch that man off guard.
The lightning seared his skin, sending waves of excruciating pain surging through every fiber of his being. His vision flickered, a blur of lights and darkness, and for a fleeting moment, he wondered if he would collapse. But somehow, through sheer will, he pushed forward, each step a defiance of the agony wracking his body.
With the last ounce of strength he had, Davi forced his fist forward, finally landing a hit on his father's muscular left arm.
Then the boy dropped to his knees, his entire body screaming in agony. He could barely breathe. But in that moment, he lifted his head and, for the first time, looked his father in the eyes without a trace of fear.
Davi coughed up blood and felt himself on the verge of passing out. Even so, he stood up. Staring at the man he despised so deeply, he gathered the last remnants of his strength and repeated a line he'd heard many times before:
"I won, loser."
Norman's initial reaction to the insult was pure rage. Unable to accept his own defeat, he grabbed his son's head and slammed it into the ground, cracking the arena's floor. He loathed such pathetic tricks. Besides, the punch had been so weak it barely counted as a hit.
On top of everything, the boy had only won because of sheer luck. If the wind hadn't brought the soot at the perfect moment he would lose. Or had Norman bothered to blow it away, it would have been, without a doubt, a pathetic victory.
Still, as much as the brute refused to acknowledge the win, he was a man of his word.
Without sparing much thought for his nearly unconscious son lying on the floor, he transferred a considerable sum of money to the boy.
That said, Norman quickly sent a message to a contact of his at the Enki Academy. There was no way he'd let the boy get in and tarnish the family name.
𓊖𓊖𓊖
After some time, Davi finally managed to get up and realized he had been abandoned on the cold floor. He wanted to scream, complain to his worthless father, tell him to go to hell. But all he could do was struggle to his feet and be thankful that, at least, he had gotten the money he needed.
His body was completely overcome with exhaustion, but he forced himself to walk home. He hadn't broken any bones, so he'd probably heal on his own.
Once home, he collapsed onto his bed, utterly drained. He sighed, thinking about how he wished his family were different.
But he quickly pushed those silly thoughts aside.
Wanting to feel a bit of happiness, he looked at his phone. He had received the money he desperately needed.
Then, a faint smile appeared on his face as he saw messages from his best friend. He decided to tell her that he had finally gotten enough.
Davi pulled the phone close to his chest, thinking that he would finally be free. He could finally meet his friend, someone he'd only ever talked to online.
He smiled slightly, and she quickly responded, saying she was already home and that they should do a video call.
The boy agreed, after all, he wanted to celebrate with her.
Soon enough, he was staring into Luna's intense blue eyes and beautiful face. Her long black hair was messy, as usual, and she wore loose, comfortable clothes since she was at home.
As always, Davi's heart raced, and his skin turned slightly pink. The girl's beauty never failed to impress him.
"Are you okay? What happened?" Luna asked as soon as she saw the state of her friend.
Davi chuckled softly, trying to pretend it wasn't a big deal, but it was obvious how beaten down he was. In the end, he told her the truth, recounting the entire story.
Luna listened carefully, her gaze filled with sorrow as she looked at him. A deep anger welled up inside her, seeing all the injustice he had gone through.
Still, all she could do was offer kind words. After all, it was a day for celebration, so they didn't dwell too much on the matter.
Despite the pain, Davi couldn't help but smile the entire time, as he played and chatted with his precious friend.
Sure, he also couldn't deny the feelings growing in his chest. It had been a while since he had felt that, but he knew that the name of that emotion was love.
A flutter in his stomach took over just thinking about confessing. That said, Davi wasn't the type to hold back from doing or saying something because of fear.
However, he had repressed those feelings for so long. He didn't know if he'd be able to go to Enki and didn't want to be a burden to his friend.
Besides, he knew he wouldn't have time for her while he was working nonstop in the mine.
But now?
Maybe it wasn't the best time, but waiting any longer seemed like a mistake. And undecided about what to do, Davi concluded that at least he should make it a little more romantic.
"Will you have time tomorrow afternoon?" The boy asked when they were about to end the call.
"Well..." Luna was about to say no, but seeing Davi's look, she decided to change her schedule. "For you, I always have time. But don't you want to spend your last day there with your acquaintances?"
Davi smiled and replied, "Thanks... And you know I don't have anyone to say goodbye to." He simply shrugged. "Besides, I can talk to people in the morning. I really wanted to talk to you."
"Okay, see you tomorrow then!" Luna's smile was always so beautiful, it filled Davi's heart with peace.
Then, feeling the warmth spread through his body, Davi hung up the phone and closed his eyes. He was really happy to be leaving that place and finally meeting his best friend in person.
Then…
[You leveled up to level 25]
The message resonated surprisingly. He smiled a little, maybe this really was the moment to start a new life.
When he opened the system, he found:
Profile:
Name: Davi Motolitte
1° Class: Digger Lv 25
2° Class ?????
Skills:
- Thermal Resistance Lv 3
- Excavate Lv 12
- Shield Lv 1
- Mana Manipulation Lv 31
Status:
- Strength: 25
- Defence: 29(+5)
- Speed: 24
- Stamina: 32
- Intelligence: 25(-2)
Titles
{???????}
Effect: Grants access to a second class.
Requirement: Get a girlfriend and have an intimate relationship with her for your second class to be chosen
{The one who failed}
Effect: Mental instability in some situations. -2 intelligence.
{One who resisted inhumane working conditions.}
Effect: basic resistance to adverse situations. +5 defence.
What the hell did "getting a girlfriend" mean? Sure, he had planned to confess to Luna, but now things were going to get awkward.
If he told her about his second class, she might think he only wanted to date her because of that.
Or worse, she might think it was just an excuse to convince her to do indecent things. After all, an intimate relationship was part of the conditions.
By the way, what exactly defined an intimate relationship?!
The problem was: he couldn't hide this. His friend already knew about the title and the condition to reach level 25. Besides, he didn't want to hide anything from her.
"Ugh! This is so frustrating!" he shouted, tossing and turning in bed, thinking about what to do.
In the end, he decided that being honest was the best solution for his problem. He just needed to express his feelings, and she'd probably understand.
That, of course, if she didn't just reject him…
That night, Davi couldn't sleep, plagued by nightmares of a terrifying monster: the friend zone.