Sherry had to move back a few meters because there was this pressure which kept coming from the boy's tiny body!
Cutting wind blasted everything around him and the murky and dirty lake water rippled beneath his feet.
Pio and Lucas also noticed the disturbance when it happened but both men exchanged a look before shrugging helplessly in confusion then resuming their job of patrolling the area.
Aaron on the other hand kept receiving notifications from the System.
System : Upgrade in progress.
The next notification he received made the kid worry a bit because the Pressuring-Wind that's coming from his body might cause the earth beneath his feet to crumble which would make him fall into the dirty and murky green water of this newly-formed lake.
System : Host is advised to stay still and refrain from any unnecessary movements to avoid complications.
'I can always take a bath but I can't risk anything going wrong during this Upgrade, I've already sacrificed a Confusion-Fragment to achieve this System Upgrade.' Aaron grit his teeth and watched the numbers on the final notification window.
System : Current Upgrade is 0.5%
'It's moving so slow. It took a minute for it to reach 1%! My MP bar can only keep up with the cost of constantly activating the Recovery Skill for ten more minutes or so, that's only thanks to my MP Regeneration-Speed.
'But my biggest issue here is the effect of endless hunger no-thanks to that Ultimate-Growth Pill, I don't even know what's going to happen if I allowed that feeling of hunger to increase without satisfying it.
'Looks like I'm going to have to move at some point and eat something, I need to be fast and efficient when it happens.
'First I've got to choose which to eat among all of the consumables I've bought earlier, I must make the most of it.
'It saddens me to waste these Candied-Apples but their long duration of effectiveness is kind of perfect in this situation, not to mention the addition of MP and HP plus the MP and HP Regeneration-Speed which is really more than welcome in this situation.
Candied-Apple Effect All Five-Basic Stats +7 for a duration of 15 Minutes Maximum Number 100 each per Inventory slot Tradability Tradeable Refunded For 1 Gold Description A small Apple pierced with a thin stick and glazed with sugary candy. Notes None
Aaron prepared himself to eat this Candied-Apple alongside a slice of Pizza once his HP bar reaches below 30 points before finishing with a bottle of Pure-Water.
Pizza Effect Recovers 400 HP Maximum Number 100 each per Inventory slot Tradability Tradeable Refunded For 1 Gold Description A freshly-baked slice of Pizza. Notes None
The kid's hunger made him salivate once he saw the thin layer of crispy-looking crust filled with a thick layer of melted cheese in the corner and topped with a wild mixture of pepperoni slices and Italian-Sausages plus ham and some ground beef.
Not to mention the veggies which got burned exactly according to his taste!
Pure-Water Effect Recovers 800 MP Maximum Number 100 each per Inventory slot Tradability Tradeable Refunded For 1 Gold Description Very clean water, extremely rich with a wide variety of healthy minerals. Notes None
'I would've never thought a day would come where I'd actually be this eager to drink water in a situation where I'm not dying of thirst or anything like that! But I did buy this bottle with more than 24 Gold Coins so... it better be worth every single penny.'
System : Current Upgrade is 10%
"Time to eat!" Aaron eagerly retrieved the Pizza slice from his Inventory Space once his HP bar reached twenty-something, "Damn that's hot! Oh My God it's so good... still thoo Hawt though!"
Sherry watched the kid eat that extremely hot slice of Pizza and insist on stuffing his mouth with more despite clearly struggling to hold it properly with his hands because it's scalding his fingers.
'Smells so good! I wonder if I'll ever get a taste.' Sherry had this thought while gulping hard on her saliva.
"I don't have time to waste chewing all of this!" Aaron suddenly turned to look towards the teenager girl, "You finish the bloody thing, be careful it's very hot." He tossed less than half of the Pizza slice to Sherry who barely managed to catch it since the Pressuring-Wind coming from the kid's body almost tricked her but thankfully she managed to successfully anticipate the correct trajectory.
The teenager girl hissed from pain when the delicious smelling and looking food fell in her hand but she copied her young master Ron and took a bite anyway, Sherry felt like melting just like the cheese she just ate which kept extending further once she pulled her hands further from her mouth!
'The crunchy crust below and the melting layer on top with meat that's a bit chewy and fragrant vegetables in the mix, what type of food is this thing? It's... Perfect!' The teenager girl was already on her knees and taking one bite after another from the Pizza while silently watching the kid drink some water from an extremely clear glass bottle.
He seemed in a hurry to finish it but he couldn't drink all of it and left half a cup inside it before tossing it towards Sherry while saying : "Drink. It's really good for your skin." Afterwards he retrieved the Candied-Apple and put it in his mouth before resuming his previous state of staying still.
Sherry caught the bottle and drank the water slowly between bites of the Pizza slice.
'Today is most definitely the best day of my life! I'm so glad teacher Sen insisted in making me the one to teach young master Ron the Staff art, had he listened to father then I would've never got the opportunity to taste such delicacies.' The teenager girl was so overcome with emotions during that moment to the degree where she didn't even notice the physical and other benefits she gained from the food and water she ate and drank.
Aaron on the other hand gawked once he saw the benefits which he received once he munched on the Candied-Apple.
His HP bar is a couple points shy from 400 and standing at 398 while his MP bar is well above 900 and standing at 922!
His Physical-Attack crossed the 100 mark and stands at 101 thanks to the new Staff he bought earlier, meanwhile his Magical-Attack jumped from 213 to 283.
But the most benefitable increase among the various percentage additions is the one he received towards MP Regeneration-Speed, because these +7 points to the Wisdom Attribute pushed it from 8.4% to 12.6%.
Right now he could feel his MP bar filling much faster than before and the Recovery Skill's long Cooldown of 1 Minute actually allows him to recover the 60 MP a few Seconds before he's able to use it again.
Not to mention that his HP Regeneration speed actually recovers the 20 HP he actually ends up losing between each activation of the Recovery Skill.
'Now there's no need to worry about the constant loss of HP anymore and my MP bar isn't going to be an issue, but there's nothing I can do about this hunger... a man has got to eat at some point it seems like there's no escaping this truth.' Aaron sighed and watched the sun's reflection on the surface of the lake.
System : Current Upgrade is 40%
Minutes after the effect of the Candied-Apple wore off the kid retrieved the other Candied-Apple and tossed it in his mouth then broke it to pieces with his molars before sucking on it slowly, he understood the need of having to patiently wait for his MP and HP bars to fall to rock bottom first before eating the second Candied-Apple.
System : Current Upgrade is 55%
"Looks like I'm going to have to spend the final 30 Minutes compensating for the lack of Mana by consuming some delicious consumables!
"Should I try the Fried-Shrimp next? Maybe the Hamburger or the Hot-Dog! I can also try something sweet like a Chocolate or have some of the Ice-Cream.
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"Damn it! having so many options isn't making things any easier for me to choose, but I doubt anything like a Salad or the Tasty-Milk would satisfy my hunger.
"I should probably stick with heavy stuff, like the Burger and the Hot-Dog for now.
"Hell. I doubt my belly would mind more of the Fried-Chickens right now even though I ate two of those earlier today and not feeling in the mood to eat any." Finally Aaron decided to eat something once he saw his HP going below the mark of 20.
System : Current Upgrade is 71%
The kid retrieved a paper box and opened it to expose a Hamburger wrapped in butter paper.
'It's still quite hot as well. Mmmm... yummy! I can eat this good stuff all day no problem, kudos to the chef.' Aaron thought while checking the details of the Hamburger.
Hamburger Effect Recovers 400 HP Maximum Number 100 each per Inventory slot Tradability Tradeable Refunded For 1 Gold Description A classic Hamburger with an addition of bulgogi and barbecue sauce. Notes None
"Some cheese would've been nice but it had all the vegetables I liked in a Burger, the bread was super fresh which is the most important for me." The kid muttered while nodding since his MP could keep him going for a bit more than ten minutes before he needs to refill that bar with another consumable.
While Aaron stood there under the sun the shore of the lake for more than an hour, Pio and Lucas kept patrolling the area vigilantly and tirelessly.
"What is young master Ron doing?" Pio whispered when he and his partner happened to be close enough to speak.
"I don't know, but judging by how focused he's been... it's really important. Keep your eyes wide open or we're going to be in trouble if something happened to escape our notice." Lucas whispered quickly before going back to patrol the area once again.
Both of them were in a battle-ready state and left no bush or tree unchecked.
Sherry sat as close as possible to the kid and endured the Pressuring-Wind which never stopped hitting her body and throwing soil and dirt at her face!
System : Current Upgrade is 82%
"Time to try that Fried-Shrimp," Once Aaron saw his MP bar almost drying out completely he retrieved one of the 3 consumables he bought of this type, "It's been a minute seafood!" After saying that he smiled widely and took a huge bite while confirming the benefits he gets after eating them.
Fried-Shrimp Effect Recovers 500 HP and 500 MP Maximum Number 100 each per Inventory slot Tradability Tradeable Refunded For 1 Gold Description A unique species of Jumbo-size Shrimp coated with a layer of Flour and Eggs with an addition of spices and mashed garlic which gives it a special flavor, it's juicy not rubbery. Notes None
*Sigh*
Aaron released a long sigh full of satisfaction after eating two thirds of that Fried-Shrimp which is quite big indeed.
'It's also quite hot like the Burger and the Pizza!'
"Sherry. Try this... I bet you'll fall in love with me afterwards." The kid threw the remaining piece of the Fried-Shrimp to the teenager girl who caught it excitedly and moaned from pleasure when she took a bite and felt the rich juice seep into her mouth from the soft flesh.
'Am I spoiling this girl too much? Nah... Pio and Lucas are going to get their share of the fun later, and who cares if I'm favoring the girl? I can do whatever the hell I want!' Aaron shook these thoughts from his head and waited for the System Upgrade to complete.
System : Current Upgrade is 95%
"I have enough MP but unfortunately I don't have time to wait for the Cooldown of Recovery to be over." Aaron muttered while retrieving one of the Hot-Dogs from his Inventory Space.
Hot-Dog Effect Recovers 300 HP Maximum Number 100 each per Inventory slot Tradability Tradeable Refunded For 1 Gold Description A Hot-Dog with Ketchup on it. Notes None
'This girl is acting more and more like a house kitten, look at her eyes brighten once she spots food!' Aaron smiled when he saw Sherry's reaction when he waved a piece of the Hot-Dog in his hand.
"Here kitty." The kid stopped teasing her and threw her share towards the teenager girl, unexpectedly this time she didn't catch it with her hand but directly opened her mouth and caught it with her teeth!
"Oh My God... that was too hot! Now that I think about it, the Hot-Dog wasn't hot at all, it was barely warm to be honest." Aaron could feel himself getting mentally aroused just by witnessing the scene of Sherry mimicking a cat but he quickly remembered an important detail which distracted him from the girl who smiled mischievously when she saw his reaction.
System : Upgrade Complete.
"About time," The kid yawned and stretched his body backwards while extending his arms lazily, "I was getting sick and tired of having to stay motionless already. Oh! Maybe I should've just took a seat or laid down on the ground in the first place... damn. I'm so stupid sometimes!"
Aaron was feeling so embarrassed once he realized that he was the one actually making things difficult for himself all this time.
"Young master Ron! Now that you're done doing what you had to do, I can finally hug you and talk with you... that food you gave me was like... the best! Eveeeer! I feel so strong and focused right now, I bet I can take on both big brother Pio and uncle Lucas on my own." Sherry snuck behind the kid and snatched him into her embrace once she noticed how the Pressuring-Wind lessened gradually then disappeared entirely.
The teenager girl twirled her body and danced joyfully with her young master in her arms, she held his hands and acted like she's fighting an imaginary opponent with him which sounded and looked extremely cute and adorable in the eyes of the two men who patrolled the area nearby.
Aaron just nodded without giving it much attention because quite honestly he was much more interested in checking the changes in the System after it underwent this costly Upgrade.
Not much change happened in the Statistics, Equipment, or the Skill-Tree window besides things looking a bit more realistic instead of it being digitalized before.
The same could be said about his Avatar which looked kind of like his twin!
His Inventory Space had five more rows of slots available for him to fill which is a good thing to have more of in the future if possible.
The only remaining area left for him to check is the one which caused him to actually choose to Upgrade the System to begin with, the Store.
'Now I can buy a wider variety of consumables from the Store, there was these Extreme-Potions which expands my base MP and HP bars by a couple thousands for 30 Minutes while giving me a boost of more than a 100 Physical and Magical-Attack! Not a bad deal at all I'd say... What the fuck is going on here? Why did the prices of these consumables drop? I just bought these Candied-Apples for 15 Gold Coins! How come they're only worth 9 Gold Coins now? The Apples only cost 30 Silver Coins now! The Orange prices also dropped from 1 Gold Coin to 60 Silver Coins, the Eggs..., the Lemons..., the Peaches..., the meat...'
"Fuuuuck! Fucking fuckity fuckadilo of the freaking fuck!" Aaron suddenly shouted at the top of his tongue while glaring at the sky, he felt like he's about to faint from anger.
The hard truth is everything he bought from the Store ever since the Store was available for him, he actually bought them at price that's 40% higher then he could've got them had he choose to Upgrade the System before wasting all that money.
Poor Sherry was given the scare of her life when the kid screamed without a warning, the teenager girl froze and almost burst in tears but she made sure to cry in silence.
*Sniffle*
Finally Aaron came back to his senses when he heard Sherry and felt hear tears on the back of his neck, or maybe that was her snot!
"Take me home, I'm tired and sleepy." He said while closing his eyes and resting his head on her chest.
"Y-yes young master." She nodded and hugged him close to her body before heading back towards the village.
The kid opened his eyelids a crack to look at her before saying : "I'm sorry for startling you, it had nothing to do with you... I just made a bad decision a while ago."
The teenager girl looked down towards the boy in her embrace and smiled, "Teacher Sen always says that we learn the most from our mistakes, that's why we should enjoy them."
"He's a wise-ass mofo indeed, but I'd like to see how he's going to enjoy that failure once he realizes he got scammed for almost half his money someday. I bet he wouldn't be able to keep his cool and have the same taste of regret in the back of his mouth just like me." Aaron shivered from head to toe once he remembered the Invincibility Hat and the Spirit Pendant which he bought for 1k of Gold Coins yet he's able to buy them now for only 600!
Sherry was at a loss for what to say but she enjoyed carrying her young master in her embrace, having him in this position suited him the best.
Pio and Lucas walked on her flanks and made sure to stay a step or two behind the kid and his maid, but both of them were feeling burning curiosity just to know what caused what happened earlier near the lake.
'Fucking thieving System, give me back my money!' Aaron thought while retrieving 3 glass bowls of Ice-Cream and giving Pio and Lucas one each before using the spoon to offer Sherry some from the one in his hand.
"Amazing!" Pio smacked his lips in enjoyment after getting a taste.
"Ugh! My head!" Lucas on the other hand ate a big piece and suffered a brain freeze.
"Hahaha... that's what you get for being a glutton, that's not how you eat Ice-Cream." Aaron took joy in the suffering of his guard before winking at Sherry who cupped her cheeks and just smiled blissfully.
"Young master... y-you should've warned me." Lucas murmured sadly.
Aaron just rolled his eyes at the man before giving Sherry another spoon full of Ice-Cream, "Humph. Look at you acting all coy and reserved, yet your hands never stopped eating more from the Ice-Cream."
"Ehehe... of course I wouldn't dare stop eating! That's the gift young master gave me after all." Lucas grinned before stuffing his mouth with another spoon.
"Shameless!" Pio muttered while doing the same.
Aaron almost felt like kicking the younger man when he heard him shamelessly admonish his partner, sadly his legs are too short and wouldn't reach unless he made the effort but he doesn't want to leave the girl's comfortable embrace yet.
"None of you bastards is decent, each one of you is more shameless than the other one! Where's my thanks? I gave each one of you bastards a portion of Ice-Cream didn't I?" The kid scooped another spoon from the Ice-Cream bowl in his hand and offered it to Sherry who opened her mouth and obediently accepted it.
"Whoa! I was so overcome with gratitude towards young master Ron... I actually forgot something so important! I deserve to be whipped." Lucas bowed low after moving a few hurried steps to pass the girl, unfortunately he didn't seem sincere enough because his hands still didn't stop using the spoon to eat more of the delicious Ice-Cream!
*Bffft...*
The teenager girl finally couldn't hold herself back from laughing which put an end to the gloom in the boy's heart and scattered the tension in the air.
Pio and Lucas joined her and laughed while Aaron just shook his head and continued feeding her the Ice-Cream.
Sherry enjoyed the slow walk while thinking : 'I wish if today would last forever, how wonderful would that be?'
Meanwhile Aaron who's in her embrace was thinking : 'I wish if I could forget all about today, how wonderful would that be?'