[Loading choices…]
-Ding!
[(1) Respond to Rian with:
"Top 1 or Top 2, I couldn't care less. Let's just eat and get back to business. No need to make a big deal out of it."
(Reward: God-Level Negotiator)]
[(2) Tease Rian:
"Rian, you sure you're not just trying to get a good view? I bet you're already plotting your next 'perfect' pickup line."
(Reward: God-Level Pickup Artist)]
[(3) Say nothing and follow them to the cafeteria, silently amused by the conversation.
(Reward: God-Level Bodyguard)]
[(4) Reply to both:
"You guys can go ahead, but I think I'll pass on the cafeteria today. I've got more important things to focus on."
(Reward: God-Level Time Management)]
[(5) Agree with them:
"Alright, let's get there before it gets crowded. But I swear, if anyone bumps into me, I'm out."
(Reward: God-Level Charm)]
[(6) Reject them heartlessly:
"Go eat shit at the cafeteria, I could care less. I've got better things to do."
(Reward: God-Level Traitor)]
[(7) Choose none of the given options and choose your own path.
(Reward: None)]
As usual, when those choices were loaded in front of him, Ainsworth noticed that time halted.
Of course, his movements were limited so he couldn't attack or interact with anyone while time was stopped. His system wasn't the god-level time-stopping system but the god-level choice system so he couldn't take advantage of that.
'I have to admit, the time stop after the choices are loaded by the system is quite humane as it allows me to choose my options without having to be pressed on time. It also allows me to organize my thoughts and also prevent myself from being in a daze from an outsider's perspective during decision making.'
Commenting about the system's good features, Ainsworth looked at the familiar faces of his two best friends, Rian and Dante.
'In my past life, Rian and Dante were also my best friends. According to the memories of this parallel self of mine, Rian was the second son of a billion-dollar mogul. On the other hand, Dante came from a military family whose father was a second-star general while his grandfather was a four-star general.'
'In my past life, Rian only came from a rich family, but not a billion-dollar rich. Dante also came from a military family but his family wasn't that influential and high-ranked.'
When Ainsworth recalled the improved background of his best friends in this parallel world, he couldn't help but complain, 'How come my background didn't improve even in this parallel world?'
'From what I know, it had even worsened. At least, in my past life, my parents and younger brother weren't dead. My parents died in a car accident while my younger brother died after being hit by a truck. As if that wasn't enough, even my younger sister went missing and her status is unknown.'
'As for my older sister…'
Remembering what happened to his older sister, Ainsworth felt indignant, 'According to the Awakener Association as well my sister's own words, sister had encountered a powerful organization while she was taking a mission in the Otherworld.'
'That organization seemed to have intended to recruit her due to my sister possessing the Divine Eyes of Death Lines. It was a powerful eye bloodline that allowed her to see the lines of death in any entity she gazed upon. Severing those very lines would remove the cause of death and realize the effect immediately, thereby causing the target to die.'
'No matter how powerful her eye bloodline was, that organization that targeted her was filled with members that possessed powerful eye bloodlines as well. She was outnumbered and in the end, her Divine Eyes of Death Lines were gouged out from her eye sockets, causing her to become blind.'
'That organization was about to kill her after they obtained her divine eyes but sister managed to abort the otherworld mission and return to Earth.'
Recalling his parallel self's memories and what he had been through, Ainsworth sighed, 'No wonder 'I' was motivated to do well in school. It was in hopes of taking revenge against that organization, gouging out the eyes of each of the members, and recovering my sister's eyes as well.'
'How come this parallel self's life is so tragic? As far as I remember, in my past life, my family was complete and happy, and we recently had a family camping trip. My younger brother even caught ten fishes, boasting to my father who only caught three.'
'But in this life, my older sister is the only family I have left, yet even suffered and was currently blind. Fortunately, my older sister had saved up a lot of money since she was a powerful awakener so our living expenses were taken care of by her.'
A sense of helplessness welled up in his heart as he recalled just how different this parallel life was compared to his past life.
However, it was soon replaced with determination as Ainsworth swore, "I'll protect my sister, recover her eyes, take revenge in her stead, and find my younger sister. And if I'm powerful enough, I'll resurrect my younger brother and parents."
With a goal in sight, Ainsworth was no longer frustrated after recalling this parallel life's memories.
Instead, he looked at the choices in front of him and the rewards offered by each of those options.
Compared to the choice systems from the novels he read in his past life, his god-level choice system was quite humane as it allowed him to reject the choices offered and even the rewards were mostly equal in quality.
However, a certain reward stood out and since the choice related to that reward wasn't against his principles, Ainsworth chose Choice (5).
As soon as he made his choice, time resumed and flowed as usual.
Looking at Dante and Rian who were waiting for his response, Ainsworth agreed, "Alright, let's get there before it gets crowded. But I swear, if anyone bumps into me, I'm out."