‘Well, this is a mess…’
Evidently, the con artists had him cornered and were basically forcing him to offer money. However, Zeke wasn’t going to comply, not after getting the Paths of Extinction System. The purpose of his newly-acquired powers was for situations like these.
His family might not be comparable to that of Julia’s, for example. Additionally, neither his parents liked nor he liked them, and that caused an uncrossable rift between them, and to make matters worse, the money they would regularly send was enough to cover basic necessities, no more.
Zeke did not have the money to pay for their unreasonable ‘compensation’, neither was he inclined to do so even if it weren’t the case. Whether it was bullying or a case like this, Zeke vehemently refused to be pushed around.So, when the baldy shook his body, Zeke retaliated by pushing him to the back. His physique notwithstanding, he had enough strength to overpower an average student in Erys, so a common thug wasn’t a problem.
“Either we go to a hospital or I’m leaving.”
After saying that, he pointed at the surveillance camera directed at them and added, “The footage is enough to prove my innocence. It was an accident and I already apologized.”
“You!”
The woman’s face turned ugly as she looked at the thug for help. All three men were equipped with a domineering appearance, making anyone think twice before provoking them. They had thought it would be enough to frighten a seemingly weak student from Erys, but, unfortunately for them, things didn’t go as well as they had anticipated.
The crowd of people kept watching in silence, no one brave enough to step up. Their intentions became clear and the looks of suspicion coming from everyone in the crowd forced the baldy to think
twice before doing anything.
Ultimately, no fight ensued as he spat on the ground and left after glaring menacingly at the solemn Zeke. The woman put her son back in the wheelchair and chased after her accomplices.
With the matter resolved, Zeke sighed and walked to the station. The trip back home was swift, but, right after leaving disembarking from the subway train, he felt as if someone was following him. At first, he thought it was Rodrick’s men, but, soon, he saw that it wasn’t the case.
He caught a glimpse of a tall bald head amidst the crowd.
‘Of course it’s them.’
He continued the oblivious act and marched to his neighborhood, but instead of entering his apartment complex, he made a short detour and stopped at alley with a dead end.
“This seems like a good spot.”
He walked to the end of the alley and turned around, his eyes sweeping across the three thugs from earlier.
“Did you come for the second round?”
“You brought upon yourself.”
The baldy stepped up whereas his companions stood at the back, hissing at any passerby that dared to get close. Zeke also saw the woman standing behind the wheelchair and looking back at him with a triumphant grin. Her son was expressionless; He had signs of malnutrition as his lips were dry, his face pale, and his body thin, almost bony.
“You failed to trick me so you’re going to mug me?”
While cracking his knuckles, the baldy sneered viciously, “Had you paid up like an obedient boy, this wouldn’t happen.”
As soon as he was in range, Zeke immediately used One-star Side-kick, hitting the man from the side and making him crash into the wall. Then, Zeke backed one step and delivered yet another kick, this time aiming at the chest. Just like that, the baldy fell to the ground, groaning in pain and clutching his chest as he gasped for air.
“I didn’t want it to come to this.”
The man’s companions were shocked, especially the woman. She shrieked and fearfully run away, leaving her child behind.
A thin bolt of blue lightning shot from Zeke’s hand, striking one of the remaining men and making him fall unconscious.
“Don’t move.”
The last one, hearing Zeke’s cold voice, stood still as his legs trembled.
It was common knowledge that Erys’ students had superhuman powers, but not all of them were practical in combat. Furthermore, the students were young and bound to be inexperienced in such real-life situations.
Sadly for the con artists, they targeted Zeke, who had no qualms using his powers to defend himself.
Zeke crouched next to the bald man, giving him a bone-chilling gaze. “Still want to mug me?”
“N-no… I’m s…s-sorry.”
“Good. You better not let me see you again. Otherwise…”
Lightning currents crackled around his hand as he threatened the frightened man.
…
In the end, neither Rodrick nor his father’s men were waiting for him, fortunately. Zeke returned home and rested while waiting for the Daily Tasks to be refreshed.Strangely enough, the Daily Tasks’ rewards were varied each day, which made Zeke muse over the reason.
‘After leveling up, the overall rewarded points amount to 4, but it’s randomized between EXP and EP, sometimes even basic Stats. Does it have to do with the time it takes to complete them?’
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
The Paths of Extinction of peculiar and shrouded in many mysteries. To make matters worse, the explanations it would offer were mostly ambiguous and not helpful.
Zeke liked to rely on long-term benefits rather than instantaneous power-ups that would be circumstantial, though the Groundbreaker Optimal-path was an exception due to it being time-gated. The Aether Voltage Path was bound to be completed this week, and after reaching its mastery, Zeke was going to invest in either the Groundbreaker or the Inexhaustible path.
Results had shown that physical training would raise Zeke’s Strength and Agility stats, but he still needed countermeasures against an opponent physically stronger than him. Moreover, a tougher body meant higher resistance against the Aether-imbued powers of his peers.
----------------------------------------
[Daily Tasks (3/3) completed: +1 EXP | +2 PE | +1 Strength]
[You gained 1 Agility]
[You gained 1 Aether]
Around 3 o’lock in the morning, Zeke was drenched in sweat, his head wobbling from one side to the other. After meditating, he followed up with a short session of ‘Aether Control’, which was mentally exhausting, as was its wont.
He had a soft smile as he looked at his Status Window, pleased with the progress he had made in such a short period of time.
[User: Zeke Orland]
[Race: Human]
[Level 2 (20/30 EXP)]
[Strength: 45]
[Agility: 42]
[Aether: 25]
[Fortitude: 6]
[Paths: Martial Arts (1/12) inactive | Aether Voltage (16/22) active | Groundbreaker (1/32)]
[Skills: Fists of Fury(Proficiency 100%) - Aether Control(Proficiency 48%) - Voltage Zap(Proficiency 100%) - Spark (Proficiency 5%) - One-star Side-kick(Proficiency 68%) - Life Motus(Proficiency 25%) ]
[Available PE: 5]
He only needed one more PE to finish the Aether Voltage Path. Life Motus did not require a lot of Aether to use, but his apartment wasn’t spacious enough to freely use it. Spark, on the other hand, was a skill that automatically activated when the lightning orb was hit, thus making it difficult, if not impossible, to train.
As Zeke was a crude dinner picked from the fridge, the doors of the apartment blasted open, startling him.
“You little rascal!’
Like a bull, Maxine barged inside while shouting. It did not look like she took into account the time of her unexpected visit as she stomped on the ground and walked toward him. Zeke was too surprised to finish eating, he barely had the time to react before she head-locked him.
“Must I hear about your late awakening from the principal’s mouth? You’re my damn little brother!”
She didn’t use too much force, and after a second or two, she let go of him while grinning from one ear to the other.
“Congratulations! I’m happy for you!”
Maxine then gave him a light hug and sat across from him.
“I saw you placed 49th. That’s an amazing start.”
Zeke wryly smiled and retorted, “Now as amazing as you, though. I remember your first placement was 19th.”
“It was only because my ability countered the person I had challenged.”
He kept the smile and did not deign to comment. Maxine tried to minimize her accomplishment but she was really a talented student. Even before enrolling into Erys, back when their parents discovered her ability, she was always eager to learn Martial Arts, specifically boxing and taekwondo.
“I still haven’t seen your ability. Come on, show me!”
With an eager face and expression of intrigue, she intently stared at her sibling.
“It’s just this…”
He raised his right hand and, within two breaths, blue-colored lightning sparks appeared and danced around. It was, however, short-lasting as Zeke was tired from the prior intensive training.
“Lightning! I thought you’d be like Ed or dad. Still, that’s cool!”
She beamed at him, seemingly proud and genuinely happy for him. Their conversation was brief as Maxine’s phone vibrated twice, causing her to let out a curse and leave thereafter.
“If you need anything, don’t try to be a dumbass and just call me!”
He waved her goodbye and, soon, the apartment returned to its usual silence. He finished his food and, not feeling sleepy, went to revise his homework and study a bit.
…
‘It’s weird. I no longer remember any of my dreams.’
During the morning trip to Erys, Zeke was lost in thought. As much as he wanted to believe that the System was purely beneficial for its user, he had to face reality. After all, the truth never was as forgiving and it would be folly to not be a bit doubtful. His desperation and unwillingness to continue a wretched life were what pushed him to purge any dark thoughts and focus on improving himself. Sooner or later, however, the need to investigate more and learn the origin of the System would be too overwhelming to ignore or gloss over.
After he lashed out at Samuel yesterday, the latter did not appear before him, which was a relief to say the least. Rodrick was absent today too, so Zeke’s day, to sum it up, was harmonious. He attended class, chatted with Amelia during lunch, and went back home, ever eager to train.
Alas, that day, the System seemed to be playing a trick on him as he was rewarded with EXP and Stats, so the much-awaited last PE point was not acquired.
Wednesday morning, Christopher taught the first lesson of the day, so most of the students were bored and wholly disinterested.
“Julia, what’s Dual Aether and Tri-Aether.”
As he called her name, the girl, who had black circles under her eyes, instinctively jumped to her feet and sobered up. After a momentary hesitation, she recited,
“Dual Aether is when an individual’s Aether-generated metabolism is split into two harmonious segments, thus allowing for enhanced Aetheric Output as well as the ability to wield two forms of magical or physical powers. Tri-Aether is a theoretical hypothesis that explains how, given the right genetics and suitable environmental conditions, a human can manipulate Dark Matter.”
“Good, 5 Evaluation Points. Sit down.”
Julia sighed in relief, her tense shoulders relaxing as she buried her head back into the notebook. As she had stopped relying on Zeke’s help, and with the motivation to get better grades in Theoretical exams, she had been working tirelessly day and night in hopes of catching up.
“Azmer, name the three main categories of Aether and briefly explain each of them.”
The blond-haired young man stood straight and confidently answered,
“According to the Lyman Study, Aether is split into three different but connected ‘avenues’. The first is Magical, which is when Aether is converted into an intangible form of energy, like Fire or Water. The second is Physical, which uses constant and regulated quantities of Aether to enhance the body. Last is the Spiritual Aether, but, apart from two recorded cases, there exists no method explaining its functionality or requirements.”
“Excellent, 15 Evaluation points.”
Zeke glanced at Azmer, who did not seem proud to have answered so flawlessly. Then again, his bullying notwithstanding, Azmer was ever the studious type and the only one who surpassed him in Theoretical stuff was Zeke.
‘If only he wasn’t such an insufferable prick.’