Alright, alright, let’s go back a bit—back when the SYSTEM arrived. Emi and I had just come from that traumatic dumpster fire, but hey, screw my feelings, right? Anyway, as long as Emi is happy, I’m happy too. We had just arrived near the mall. I got off the jeepney first, making sure Emi didn’t decide to jump down before me as a joke. I looked both ways before crossing the street and told Emi it's a good habit to check before crossing—following the rules means not getting run over and all that.
As we were crossing, Emi grabbed my hand, looked up at me with those big eyes, and proudly said, "It’s also very important to keep me, a young and cute kid, safe. Let’s go now, Pops, the light is green!" We walked, her swinging my arm as we headed towards the nearest—you guessed it—Jollibee. I gave her a skeptical look. "So, spaghetti again?" I asked. "Nope, I want a sundae with cookie crumbles," she replied with a smug grin.
"Fine, fine. You go fall in line, I’ve got to make a call." Emi rushed toward the counter but stayed within my line of sight as I fished out my phone from my pocket. Before I could dial, I glanced at Emi—happy, content—and it gave me the determination to make sure she always gets the best I can offer. I found my bai’s number (brother, for you English speakers) and dialed it. After a few rings, he picked up. "BAI! What’s up? Why the call?" He bombarded me with questions, probably because I don’t call him that often. I sighed deeply. "Bai, there’s a big problem. Diana cheated on me."
"Shit. I mean, like damn, man," he said. "What happened?" "I don’t know what to do. I still love her, but I’m so angry about what she did. You know how I get when I’m angry. I’m just thankful Emi didn’t see anything. Just thinking of her made me pause before tearing those idiots apart." I could feel the anger boiling again, mixed with sadness. "What am I supposed to do, Joseph? Do I just give up and leave Emi with her mother? I love that kid. She brings back the joy I lost when I was young." Tears welled up as I checked on Emi. She was almost at the front of the line. Joseph spoke up, "Alright, you’re with Emi, right? Where are you? And don’t do anything rash. I’ll be there for you."
"We’re at E-Mall, the Jollibee area," I replied. "I’m trying to stay rational." "Good, bai. I’ll be there in 10-15 minutes. Don’t worry, you know I’ve always got your back." Then the call ended. I sighed as I walked over to Emi. She had ordered spaghetti, fries, and a cookie crumble sundae, which came to about 150 PHP. It wasn’t much, but it still put a dent in my meager funds. "So that’s all you want, Emi?" I asked. "Yup, Pops!" she said with a smile plastered across her face. We found a nearby empty table and sat down. While she was happily eating, Joseph’s words echoed in my head: I’ve always got your back. It was true, and I’d always have his.
I met Joseph back when we were both teenagers in prison. He acted all thuggish, but let’s be real—he might have been tall at 6’2", but the guy was thin as a stick. He came from a well-off family, and he was only there because he wanted to act tough and started a bar fight. His mother tried to bail him out, but his father said he needed to face the consequences. The first few months were rough for him. He got beaten up by almost everyone. I got roughed up too, but I didn’t take shit from anyone if I didn’t deserve it. I fought back. Fights always ended one of two ways: either the instigator was bruised or had a dislocated jaw. Eventually, people learned to leave me alone.
When Joseph and I saw each other we tried to help each other being new and all. One day we tried to have a conversation then someone out of nowhere shanked me, but they missed my liver and hit my arm instead. I barely felt it. I looked at the wound, then at the guy who did it, and I beat him within an inch of his life. I was ready to kill him, but Joseph stopped me. He said it would only get worse if I did. I warned him to mind his business, but he didn’t back down. He suggested we let the guy go to send a message. He was right.
Joseph told me to make it look like we both roughed the guy up, to make me look less like the sole aggressor and to make him look tougher. From then on, we were brothers—not by blood, but in spirit. We both got extra time in jail because of that fight, but Joseph was let out earlier, probably because of his father’s connections. A few days later, I was released too. Joseph was there to meet me—driving an expensive car that his mom had given him. He drove me around, showing me the sights. Before I could say goodbye and go off to find my purpose, he offered me a job as his bodyguard. I was shocked but declined. I didn’t want to impose. Instead, he gave me enough money to start fresh. I was beyond grateful. I left our reunion in tears, walking toward the future that led me to today.
I was pulled out of my recollection by a loud ding in my head. A blue screen appeared in front of me.
FAITH ACCUMULATION AT 100%
SYSTEM INTEGRATION IN PROGRESS
30 DAYS BEFORE COMPLETE INTEGRATION
TUTORIAL INITIATING FOR INTEGRATION
COUNTDOWN HAS STARTED
TUTORIAL SPIRIT MONSTERS HAVE BEEN RELEASED
SURVIVE, AND MAY YOUR FAITH GUIDE YOU, HUMANITY.
I blinked, trying to make sense of it, then it vanished. I heard someone shout, "What the hell was that? Did anyone else see a blue screen?" Murmurs spread through the fast food joint. "Pop, what was that? Did you see the blue screen too?" Emi asked. Before I could answer, I heard screams—screams of terror from outside. Another blue screen appeared before me.
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FAITH DETECTED
HUMAN, YOUR STATUS HAS BEEN ACTIVATED
TO OPEN, THINK OR SAY ‘STATUS.’
I hurriedly blurted out, "Status."
STATUS ACTIVATION COMPLETE
CONGRATULATIONS, HUMAN, YOU ARE THE 99TH PERSON TO ACTIVATE YOUR STATUS IN CEBU
REWARD: TITLE [TIGHALANGDON]
STATUS SHEET NAME: Richard Makiling HP: 100/100 STAMINA: 100/100 TITLE: TIGHALANGDON ADVANTAGE: (0/5) ATTRIBUTES STRENGTH: 07 VITALITY: 10 CONSTITUTION: 10 DEXTERITY: 04 INSTINCT: 06 FREE: 10
CHOOSE YOUR FIRST ADVANTAGE. MORE CAN BE GAINED BY YOUR OWN FAITH.
ADVANTAGES KNIGHT INCREASE ARMOR DURABILITY BY 50% BERSERKER DOUBLE YOUR DAMAGE OUTPUT IF CURRENT HP IS EQUALS TO OR LOWER THAN YOUR MAX HP. BANDIT
DEAL TRIPLE DAMAGE INCREASE ON YOUR FIRST ATTACK AGAINST AN ENEMY WHO IS NOT AWARE OF YOU.
BRAWLER YOUR FISTS DEAL 50% MORE DAMAGE AND HAS A 10% CHANCE TO STAGGER ENEMY. ... ...
Before I could pick my first advantage, a gunshot echoed through the mall.