Chapter 7: Medium-difficulty

"Hey, listen…"

A single look at the clock hanging on the wall of the cla.s.sroom was enough to confirm that the lesson was quickly coming to an end. Yet, instead of making sure that no one would take the time for when we were close for nothing but a sheer coincidence, Martha actually grasped the fingers of my hand even tighter.

"I know that you don"t want to attract attention, but with my protection, you would be completely safe. Why don"t you become one of my followers? I know you would have to swallow your pride and all… But isn"t being with me worthy of such sacrifice?"

For this one, single moment, I could once again see the girl that I fell in love with in Martha"s eyes. Her face no longer bore the expression that her family forced her to train her entire life. Her gaze was no longer only pretending to be warm while retaining its ultra-cold aspect. The girl that was squeezing my hand right now, was the same lovely tomboy that explored the ruins with me back when we were kids, the same adorable airhead with her naive look at the world, the same starking beauty that Martha became in her high-school years…

But the world around us didn"t change. Even if Martha were to keep this honest expression that she dared to reveal to me right now, as soon as the lesson would be over, her followers would instantly surround her. Her protection? I wasn"t that naive to believe it. Martha"s position in this new world was simply too high for anyone to be kind enough to not take the risk of removing me from the picture if they sensed that I would become a threat to their positions.

No, as lovely the idea of being with Martha was, as insanely pleasant and warming it was to hear her openly propose something like this, something that would never happen with how shy she was about her feelings just a year ago… It was nothing but a pipe dream of a naive kid.

Sadly, I could no longer share this adorable naivety. Not with my family to take care off, not with the system waiting for me in the bas.e.m.e.nt and not with how fragile the current improvement of my mother"s health was.

"I"m sorry."

Just like Martha timed her confession to happen just before the end of the lesson in order to put me against the wall and hopefully force the decision that she was looking for out of me, I was capable of doing the same. Speaking up right before both of the clock"s arrows aligned with each other, I could only watch with my heart bleeding how the sound of the school"s bell-ringing stopped Martha from responding or attempting to stop me from leaving.

"It was an honour to be able to sit beside such a great person, an honour I"m not worthy of. If you would now excuse my pathetic presence…"

Now that all the eyes in the cla.s.sroom could finally a.n.a.lyze every single movement and word that would fall out of our mouth, I quickly dressed up the usual attire of the subservient trash that was perfectly aware of his place in the new world. Backing off, I managed to leave the immediate vicinity of the VIP persona, before turning around and quickly pressing towards the doors.

This was one of the technique that those several months that I lived in this new world without the hope steeming from my system forced me to learn. To move naturally, without any visible hurry, yet to actually cover the desired distance faster than anyone else. It was only thanks to this technique that I managed to escape the cla.s.sroom and hide in one of the corridos. From my now safe position, I could watch how a group of school"s thugs quickly emerged from behind the doors, looking around in hopes of locating the one who dared to inflict his person on the sanct.i.ty of the school"s queen.

If simping was a plague before the apocalypse, then this d.a.m.ned change of times allowed those idiots to prove that no simp was true simp before. Donating money to have their name spoken on the stream? How about beating a guy to the border between life and death just because he dared to sit beside the girl they liked and were never bound to even talk with?

Thankfully, outside of the herbalism lesson today, there was no more interesting subjects that I was willing to spend my time on. By cleverly manoeuvring around the labyrinth that the school corridors and rooms were, I managed to free myself from anyone that was interested in following me, before departing the school grounds in the direction exactly opposite to where my house was.

Only after I moved a considerable distance away from the school did I start taking turns, taking a huge detour just to make sure I could arrive at my doorstep without anyone following me. After all, the moment when my bullies would learn where I live, they would just wait for me there instead of trying to chase me around. And if during their wait they were to get bored and decide to take their anger on my family…

Just the thought of this happening was enough for my wrist to heat up a bit. Forced to calm myself down in order to stop the ring that blocked my cultivation from coming off as an emergency measure I took a few breaths before resuming my long journey back home.

By the time I finally managed to return, I couldn"t help but just stay at the door, unable to move an inch. Just by opening the doors to my house I could see and feel the insane change that happened to it over the few hours that I was away.

While there were still a lot of dirty and untidy spots, just the fact that the windows were wide open, allowing the sun to penetrate deeply into the rooms and corridors made an insane work to change the atmosphere within the place, not to speak about the obvious effort that most likely my father has put into cleaning the place.

"Oh, you are back! How was school?"

Right off the bat, the voice of my father welcomed me. Still stunned, I took a few steps inside and just like that, saw this formerly useless parent of mine working over the pot in the kitchen with a small knife in one hand and a half-peeled potato in the other.

"Day like everyday. I will come to help in a moment, just let me throw my stuff to the room."

Right now, as happy as I was to see my father regain his will to live, I couldn"t focus on enjoying my renewed, daily life. I was perfectly aware that the current happiness that rejuvenated this household was something that I fully owed to my system. And the only way to ensure that it would be taken from me just like that was getting involved with that system more and more!

"Sure, I would use some help with the potatoes!"

Raising my hand as I moved past the entry to the kitchen, I quickly descended down the stairs leading to my bas.e.m.e.nt. Only once the doors of my private s.p.a.ce closed behind me could I feel safe and calm once again.

Throwing my backpack to the corner, I sat down in the only valuable piece of furniture in the entire bas.e.m.e.nt - my gaming chair. Stretching my legs and hands alike, I just remained on it for a moment, before finally calling out.

[System, wake up.]

According to all my experiences so far, there wasn"t really any form of command that I was required to use n order to communicate with my system. As long as I voiced them out properly, the system would react.

[System is now online.]

[Gate to a new world can be now opened.]

[Do you wish to open the gate?]

This was the standard moment. By saying no, I could return to any of the worlds that I already conquered. By accepting the inquiry, my doors would switch from leading to the rest of my house to opening a way into yet another unknown place somewhere in the multiverse.

[System, open the gate please.]

As much as I was willing to return back to that kingdom I saw the last time to obtain more of that herb they gave me, not only I had no money or valuables to trade the locals with, there was no denying that the majority of the work was actually done by the plant that system rewarded me with for finishing the mission. That"s why, instead of wasting the time in both worlds - as the time freeze no longer applied after the world was conquered - I decided that striving to conquer some more would be a better idea.

[Choice!]

[Host can choose between an easy and medium level world.]

[Picking medium level world will allow to develop host first-cla.s.s status.]

[Reminded! Host does not own the language pack for medium difficulty worlds!]

At first, this novelty made me hesitate… But that moment of self-doubt didn"t last that long. In the very next moment, I stood up from my chair and placed my hand on the door"s handle.

"I pick the medium difficulty world!"