RUNNING OUT OF TIME " That is enough." I heard Mr. Brandon's voice right behind us. I looked back and was shocked. Did he also know this was going to happen? Where the hell was he when I was being beaten?" You need to leave now? I don't know who you are but get out of here this instance." Mr. Black shouted at Thomas " Did you know he was being bullied? He was nearly killed right here on this spot and all you could say is tell me to leave?" Thomas said with an emotion that showed he was a victim I took hold of his hands and dragged them " Let's go." I wasn't sure what to call him. I would have called him "BOSS" but I have started my training session yet " What were you expecting me to say huh? Put that fucking camera away!." Mr Black shouted at the students and they all removed the camera from his face"Knocking out a bunch of teenagers wouldn't make you feel good. Just tea Fredrick and leave." He said with his hands on his waist " I see you have changed one bit. You need to scho
NEW SET OF RULES { HAVING MY MINIONS}I felt shocked when I looked at my phone. " Eyes on the road, Fredrick," Thomas said looking at meI quickly drove back to the gym house and rushed to one side of the gym. I looked at my phone and entered the gaming app. " What the hell is happening?" my eyes rolled seeing the new updated level. " Should I be happy or scared? The system was giving me new rules and it even came with a package I looked up and I saw Rosetta walking towards me. The money on the app showed I had just two days to spend. I withdrew the money before Rosetta got closer" You look like shit." She said, placing her hands on my battered face " Yeah, Jonas and Zack did their worst this time around." I managed to reply " Luckily enough, Thomas was there to rescue me," I said taking off my clothes " You need to have that treated. I don't want a scar on you." She replied taking a seat beside me " I would check the nearest hospital when I am done over here." " What do you m
A NEW SET OF POWERS I was shocked to see Xavier. " You frequent here too?" I asked with disbelief " Of course I do. I and Thomas go way back." Xavier replied greeting Thomas. I watched as both of them made some hand gestures " Looks like things are working quite in my favor. " I said immediately I was done transferring Thomas's fee." Hey, Xavier. What do you think about being my guard on the campus?" I asked Xavier who was having a change of clothes looked at me " Why would I be caught up in your shit? This ain't my fight." He said getting himself ready for some exercise " C'mon, dude. He needs four help." Rosetta added " Oh yeah. Why should I risk my neck to help him? Do you even know who Jonas is? He could make you disappear with just the snap of his fingers[WhOOSH]Xavier made some signs with his fingers. " With you by my side, I am sure I have got a chance," I replied waking closer to the built guy " I might be a brute but that doesn't mean I don't have standards. I just
GAMING POWERS ACTIVATED I was surprised to see what the gaming system was bringing for me. It came with advanced settings and a way for me to update my avatar. Thinking it was all about gaming, I quickly played it and I was given a new set of skills or should I say power. My avatar looked different. Once I was done, I had my coins changed, and also my avatar was given new combat skills [ SYSTEM HOST: FREDRICK ][ BALANCE; $4,000,000 ][ SKILLS; KARATE ][ SYSTEM NOTICE; THIS SKILL WILL LAST FOR A WEEK. PLAY MORE GAMES TO UNLOCK NEW SETS OF SKILLS ]I smiled seeing my new skill " Karate isn't so bad either although I didn't know much about karate." I woke up the next day and jogged down to Thomas's gym house. It was still lockedI looked at my exercise watch and I thought maybe I was a bit too early. I had left my dorm by 5:30 am and I was at the gym house at exactly 6 am" Wow! That was fast." I said impressed with myself. The journey from my university down to Thomas's gym should
THE GAMING EVENT Everyone was surprised to see Rosetta kiss me. She had never kissed any guy on the university grounds and here she was kissing a fresher. She saw me blushed and smiled. " You need to make her feel she isn't worth it. And you need to stop mobbing like a child." She said silently into my ears. Xavier laughed, " You think that is funny big man?" I said with my face turning red " I wasn't mobbing." I managed to reply as I walked beside her " And was that your first kiss? I could see your face could light up the university ground." She asked looking at me and my face turned red again " Ah! You are doing it again." She said with a smile " Do you need some cash?" I asked looking at her, she was damn so good at what I contracted her for. I just felt like giving her more money to say I was grateful" you gave me the money we bargained for and remember our deal only lasts for some months?" She said in my ears "I know but..." I was about to finish my words when I looked up
FINDING A TEACHER { KARATE LESSON }I looked at Thomas as he made a few calls and eventually walked up to me" Looks like you have got your Karate tutor but he is asking for $24,000." " Money is not the problem. When do I get to meet him and have you gotten me an apartment yet?" I asked staring at his face " Oh yes! But it is going to cost you $3,000,000." Thomas said with eyes that told me that it was expensive I chuckled " Can I check it out? And is it having a good view? I want something nice. and convenient." " Of course. I will send some pictures to your phone in a bit." I looked at my phone as the pictures kept popping in. " This looks nice, can I talk to the person in charge?" I asked staring at the pictures. I was planning to take Rosetta out on a dateThe gym door opened and I looked up to see a muscular bearded man walking through " Hey, Thomas." he came walking towards us " My man. We were just talking about coming to see you." Thomas replied " Oh really?" He said ta
I had thought Davina was in my front to beg for my mercy but instead, she smirked: " I don't know how you come back that so much wealth but it had better been real because I will stop at nothing to see you hit the bottom rock." She said with so much vermin in her voice "Then you will be waiting for a long time. Besides, I wondered how long Jonas is going to keep you. He doesn't love you and you are just another woman who will warm his bed for some time before he leaves you for someone better." I said back at her trying to hurt her feelings [ SLAP] " You know nothing about Jonas. He loves me and I love him too. I wish he had you killed just like he killed Richard." She blurted out angrily My heart raced a bit. " Did I just hear her correctly? Or I am just assuming things?" I soliloquy " What did you just say?" I asked trying to make her request herself I knew Jonas and Zack had Richard killed but I have been so busy trying to save myself that I didn't remember anything about him
DRAWN INTO THE SYSTEM "Where am I? What is this?" I wondered what was going on and I noticed this wasn't the real world. " Wait a second? Am I in the system?" I shouted in disbelief [ SYSTEM: YOUR KARATE TRAINING WILL BEGIN IN A BIT ] " What? My training? How does the system do this?" I said with happiness. I needed some training and now I would be trained by the gaming system itself. That was way cooler than what I had expected. I watched as my Avatar was equipped with arcade skills.Suddenly the gaming atmosphere changed [ SYSTEM TASK: YOU ARE TO WIN ANY OF THE ROUNDS TO UNLOCK SOCIAL ABILITIES AND ALSO WIN SOME COINS. ][ REWARD: YOU WILL BE GIFTED WITH THE SKILLS WHEN YOU DEFEAT THE KARATE MENTOR. GAMING COINS WOULD AUTOMATICALLY BE CLEARED OFF IF YOU LOSE] " What? Gaming coins would be cleared off?" I felt scared. My account balance was red and I needed to pay the remaining money for the house I got. I knew losing was not an option anymore. The ground shifted and I heard a v
{ I AM BACK}Zack looked at me and was surprised. Most of the sympathisers were. "You were supposed to be dead?" Zack stammered, looking at me. "Let's just say I refuse to die." I replied with a smile. "Can you help her up?" I looked at Rosetta, who was on the floor with her eyes closed. Cassandra ran towards me and threw herself at me. She dobbed gently as she hugged me. I know I was the only thing she had left to be a brother. Everyone looked at me, and immediately the coffin was opened. The clergy looked at me and said, " This is a sign from heaven. Do you wish to share your death and return to life with everyone?" He said it with a smile on his face. I looked around to see the faces of so many students, all seated and staring at me with disbelief on their faces. I waited for the podium and grabbed the microphone. "I don't know where to start." I said it gently, with teary eyes. "I remembered my first day at the university grounds; I was just a teenager, but now." I looked at m
CONFRONTING TRAGEDY / THE BURIAL Zack, Richard, and Rosetta had a restless night, each consumed by their own thoughts on the events that had occurred. In the morning, the atmosphere in the mansion was filled with tension. The team assembled in the lounge, with a tense quiet atmosphere prevailing. Zack interrupted the silence. "We need a plan," he stated, his voice unwavering despite the inner chaos he experienced. "Jonas will keep going." We must carefully consider this. Judith was the one who replied first. "We must not allow him to escape from consequences. Jonas has hurt alot of people and now he must dance to the music. Fred wouldn't forgive us if Jonas managed to go unpunished." With red eyes from tears, Rosetta nodded. " I agree. However, we must be smart about all of this. We must not allow our actions to be dictated by our emotions."Diana looked around the room, her face showed determination. "We need evidence. If we can gather enough proof of Jonas's involvement in F
{ CONFRONTING TRAGEDY }Zack and Richard thought of a way to break the news to Rosetta. As they drove back to the mansion, they both pushed the responsibility of breaking the news onto her. "You should do it; you know I am just a member of Fred's crew. And besides, you know her more than I do," Richard said, gently trying to persuade Zack. "We both went because Fred trusted us. Now that he is gone, you are pushing the responsibility on me." Zack packed and looked at Richard. "I am sorry, but the news is going to be devastating to not only Rosetta but to everyone." Richard said and sighed. The two of them looked at each other and said nothing. Zack's phone buzzed, cutting the tension. "Who?" Richard asked, looking at Zack. "Rosetta," he said, showing him the phone. Thier heard beat fast as Zack picked up the call. "Tell me he is alright." Rosetta's voice was loud over the phone. "Can we talk when we get home? We are almost at the mansion." Zack quickly cut her shirt before she sa
{THE BRINK OF DARKNESS }"What is it going to be, Fred? Do I need to shoot her before I get you to talk? Tell me what you know about the system. I know you didn't have it destroyed." Jonas barked I looked at Rosetta and back at Jonas. "You need to believe me when I tell you that I had the system destroyed. What do you want from me?" I shouted in anger. "I want absolute power, and I want my face changed. I can do that with the power of the system, and you are going to help me.'" I looked at Zack and back at Richard. "I will do that if you let Rosetta go and have me as a hostage instead." I replied Emily looked at Jonas and nodded. Rosetta was immediately pushed towards Richard and Zack while I walked over to Jonas. "Take care of her." I looked at Zack as they walked out of the warehouse. "Now you are going to tell me what I need to hear, or I am going to kill you, Fred. You have taken a lot from me. You took my father and my sister and also turned my world upside down, and you are
{ JONAS MENACES}My mind raced as I considered the options. Reasoning with Jonas seemed impossible, but a direct confrontation was out of the question. Ineeded a plan that balanced both."Alright, let's gather everyone in the room," I said, looking determined. The crew moved to a hidden part of the classroom where we could discuss our next plan without being overheard."First, we need to find out where Jonas is holding Rosetta," I began. "Diana, can you get close to him and see if you can find any clues? You’re his sister; he might let something slip."Diana nodded, her face grim. "I’ll do my best. But if he’s involved in something big, he might not tell me everything.""That’s where we come in," Richard said, his voice steady. "We’ll need to keep an eye on Jonas without him noticing. We can set up a surveillance network around his usual haunts. Zack, you’re good with tech. Can you handle that?"Zack nodded. "I’ll get my equipment. We can cover the campus and any other places he frequ
{ ROSETTA KIDNAPPED }I slept with a smile on my face after I and Rosetta had made love. It was the first time we actually got intimate. I stared into her eyes all night before she finally fell asleep. The sound of the alarm woke me up, and I looked beside me. "Where is she?" My eyes flashed around the room as I tried to wake up. I rubbed my eyes gently, and I noticed there was a bit of a scuffle on the bed. I couldn't believe I had one good night's rest in a while, and everything was going back to being war for me. "Rosetta! Rose!!" I shouted, getting into my slippers. I walked through the hallway and stairs leading down to the main room. I was surprised to see a lot of broken glasses over my chairs, and the house was a complete mess. I quickly went to my CCTV footage, and I noticed it had been fired. "Was I drugged?" I ran my hands over my hair as I stared at the television right in front of me. I knew I needed to find Rosetta quickly. I couldn't believe I let my guards down, and
{ JONAS BACK }The university semester was coming to an end. A lot of preparation was going on for the graduating students. My joy knew no bounds because I was finally stepping into society. But little did I know a brewing storm was ahead. Many of the students were busy tying loose ends. Many were saying their goodbyes already, while others were focusing more on their studies. I knew I wouldn't have the power of the system again, so I need to focus more on my arithmetic. So far, Emily has been behaving herself, and I noticed that I couldn't find Alex and Jonas inside the school. I was just coming out of my department when I met with Emily. "What about Jonas and Alex? I don't think I have seen them this semester." I raised my eye brows. "I don't know. I promise to tell you everything, but recently, I noticed Jonas had been . distant. Do you want me to help you track them?" Emily looked at me."Track them? I thought you said you knew everything about them. Why are you really here, Emi
{ BETTER DAYS IN THE CAMPUS}The university was becoming stable, with each student minding their own daily activities. I walked through the corridor of the university, and everywhere seemed peaceful. I decided to sit down, and I looked back to when I became a part of the university. I remember being nothing, a loner who had always thought of staying low throughout my days here. I looked up to catch some of the pretty girls staring at me, and I laughed. I was becoming more of an icon by the day, with many of the students looking up to me. I felt a hand over my eyes, and I smiled. "Rosetta," I whispered softly, trying to get up to my feet. The hand moved slowly away from my face, and I saw it was Davina. "I think I told you to stay the hell away from me." I shouted in anger. "But I don't want to, Fred. I realise my mistake, and I would like to make amends. Can't you just give me the chance for old-time sake?" Davina said it with a sorry face. "Do you think I can ever forget what you
{ JONAS'S PLAN } Flora sighed, her eyes narrowing as she weighed Emily's words. "Okay, Emily. I'll talk to Fred. But understand this—if he says no, there's nothing more I can do. Your actions will speak louder than your words."Emily nodded fervently, wiping the last of her tears. "Thank you, Flora. I won't let you down, I promise."They parted ways, and Emily felt a flicker of hope. But she knew she had a long road ahead of her. She returned to Alex and Jonas, who were waiting for her back at the mansion."Did she buy it?" Jonas asked, leaning forward.Emily nodded. "Flora said she'd talk to Fred. But we need to be careful. She's suspicious."Alex smirked. "Suspicion won't matter once we have control of the system. We just need to keep them off balance until then."Emily didn't respond. Her mind was racing with the possibilities and the dangers that lay ahead. She knew she had to tread carefully if she wanted to succeed with the plan. The plan was simple. They need to know if I stil