An Unexpected call

[DAILY QUESTS COMPLETE]

Erik thought with satisfaction. Then curiosity arose, "Status," he said, and a screen appeared before his eyes. Was it a mirage? A projection? An illusion?

(A.N: Look at the Auxiliary Volume-> Status Screen to see the status.)

The young man got thirty DNA points, only seventy missing to reach his goal. Then the future would be unknown. If now he knew that he was destined to suffer because of his unfortunate power with the system, everything would be different. There was hope.

Erik was not athletic; he had no visible abs and was a bit chubby. He wasn't strong since his brain crystal power was the worst in terms of mana efficiency, but he was relatively good-looking.

He had brown eyes and raven black hair that gave the kid a mysterious look. Too bad he was shunned by society, or he would have had a lot of success with women.

Sweat trickled from the young man's forehead when he ended the exercises. He had to take it slow because he would risk injuring himself if he rushed things. He sat on one end of his old sofa while resting his back against the armrest.

He was sweaty, and the feeling of his wet skin on the dry couch wasn't the best. He was tired and wanted to rest a little before taking a shower, having dinner, and going to bed.

The room looked like something from an antique store: sofas with wooden frames covered in floral patterns and tables made entirely of wood. The furniture was old and probably second or third-hand; he couldn't afford a new one.

A single window stood open behind him, allowing moonlight and fresh air into the living space. It also let Erik hear bugs outside—a rare thing those days due to pollution.

His apartment building was quite large compared to most others around it, meaning more people could live there. But since the building was not in its best shape, there weren't many doing so, and it didn't feel too overcrowded.

Since the place was not in the rich part of the city, many people roamed the street at night, and Erik didn't feel very safe.

When the young was about to wash, his smartphone started ringing. It was an old device given to him by his father some years before. He hadn't upgraded his phones recently because they still worked perfectly fine, and he didn't have money, but it was worn out.

The screen was broken due to all the beatings the young man did take, but luckily, there weren't any problems. Erik picked up the phone and looked at the caller, Benjamin Kaminski. He was his oldest and best of friends.

The man took care of him in his father's absence, helping him through difficult times. Whenever he didn't have money to buy food, he gave him; whenever Erik needed something at school, he bought it. If there was a parent-teacher meeting, it was he who went.

He was the father Erik never had, but he too couldn't be there whenever he needed something; he was a busy man as a military sergeant. So instead, he helped where he could.

Erik looked at the screen for a few seconds and sighed deeply; he was not in an excellent mood but tried to sound happy whenever he talked to the man. So, he forced himself to smile and replied to the phone.

"Uncle Benjamin!" Erik replied cheerfully.

Benjamin chuckled, "Hey Erik, how are you? Always cheerful, eh?" Erik tried not to be a burden to this person, so he didn't report the bullying he was subject to and tried to always appear happy in front of him.

The older man continued, "I'm doing great, by the way."

Erik put on the biggest smile he could make and said, "Yeah, things are going well," It was not true. If Benjamin could see the amount of rage the young man held in his heart, he would be scared.

His uncle paused for a moment, he was probably aware of what happened to Erik, but he didn't want to insist if he didn't say anything. After some time spent thinking, he spoke again, "Is there something I can do to help you?"

That question was hard to answer, honestly. Erik just wanted to scream about how unfair his life was and how he wanted to make all that made him suffer pay, but his pride didn't allow him to do so. However, now that he got the system, there was a sliver of hope.

"I don't need anything. Thank you, Uncle Benjamin," the young man said.

After a few moments of silence, Benjamin said, "I was thinking of paying you a visit."

"What? When?" Erik exclaimed. This was unexpected. Not only was he surprised, but he was also thrilled as well. Uncle Benjamin rarely visited him anymore, maybe once a month or less. Now that he mentioned it, it had been over three months since the last time.

"Is tomorrow good for you?"

Erik was slightly conflicted; he still had a lot of bruises due to Logan's beatings. However, he did miss Benjamin, the only person who cared about him during these two years.

But tomorrow would be Sunday, which meant no classes, and that was the only available day he had to see who he considered being his only friend.

"Yeah… why not?" Erik had to do something about his bruises.

There was a short pause between them until Ben finally broke it.

"So why don't we meet up at noon? I'll bring you to a fancy restaurant," Benjamin said.

"Yeah, that would be great!" Erik replied.

"Good, "Benjamin said.

The two talked a bit more and ended their conversation after a while. Erik sat back on his couch with a conflicted look. He really wanted to see Benjamin, but at the same time, he was in a very particular moment in his life because of the system and everything else.

However, he had already told Benjamin that he was willing to eat with him the following day so he would do it.

Erik then stood from the couch and went to the bathroom; he had to shower. After finishing, he changed clothes quickly before heading toward the kitchen. He grabbed his rice bowl, chicken soup, and salad and ate.

The following day was bound to be good, and his mood was good. It was something rare for him, well, he was happy when Benjamin came to visit him, but this time it was also thanks to the Biological supercomputer and the possibilities it opened for him.

After dinner, Erik went to bed and drifted into Morpheus's embrace a little later.

***

-Inside another building.-

"How could you do that?" Logan's mother said. She was angry, really furious.

Logan stayed silent; he wasn't sure what else he should say. His mind was blank. He didn't know whether he wanted to cry or scream. He felt helpless and scared.

Logan's father remained silent.

She continued yelling at him, screaming. Her voice echoed throughout the room, shaking walls and rattling windows. At least she stopped beating him, although the bruises already formed over his skin. That woman was crazy.

Maybe this was why Erik was bullied so much by the young boy.

"I swear, Mom, I didn't do it on purpose!" Logan replied.

"It doesn't matter, you all damaged the school, and now we have to pay back the damages," his mother screamed.

"Mom..."

"No, shut up!" She yelled.

He knew that one word was enough to trigger his mother. He decided to keep quiet instead. If he talked, it might end badly. So he did just that; he closed his mouth and waited patiently for her to calm herself.

As the seconds ticked away, Logan started wondering where his friends were.

Eventually, the screams subsided, and his mother calmed down. "I forbid you to see Orson and Conal," his mother said.

"WHAT?! MOM, PLEASE!"

"NO! Logan, can you understand how grave the situation you put us in is? Besides, you probably ruined your future because of what you did. What if you won't get job opportunities after the military service because of this stupid stunt you did?"

"Then I will simply stay in the military!" Logan replied.

"And fight the thaids?!" His mother replied.

"Why not? Isn't this our duty as citizens of Frant?"

Logan's mother looked at her son with incredulity. "Do you even hear yourself when you speak?"

"Yes, yes, of course, I am aware of my stupidity," Logan replied sarcastically.

His mother gave him an exasperated look.

"Look, I'm sorry," Logan apologized. "But please let me hang out with my friends again; they're the best people ever, and without them, life sucks."

"They are troublemakers," his mother said.

It was then that his father spoke. "Look, dear, stopping him from hanging out with his friends look a little too much?"

"Are you on his side now?" she asked.

"I'm not, honey." Logan's dad said to his wife.

Logan knew he had done something he shouldn't have, but he couldn't stop wondering if what they were doing was too much.

"We are only concerned about you, sweety," his mother said.

Their only concern was Logan; it was true. Albeit, they showed it in a strange and twisted way. And that concerned them both equally.

"You need to learn some discipline, Logan," his mother added.

Discipline. Wasn't he disciplined enough for his parents' liking?

"Now, go to your room," his mother said. He did, but there was no way he could fall asleep that night. He lay awake staring at the ceiling for many hours. Did he really ruin his future? Besides, how was it possible that the video was sent to the whole school?