Her smile faded, replaced by a look of disbelief and apprehension. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, avoiding my gaze for a moment before finally meeting my eyes with a mixture of guilt and defiance."I... I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Shade," she stammered, her voice shaking slightly. "I've always been honest with you." She said,Her words lacked conviction, and I could see the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. It was clear that she was caught off guard by my directness, and her attempts to maintain her composure were failing.The tension in the air thickened, and I could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on us both. Something wasn't adding up, and I was determined to get to the bottom of it."Cut the act, Ms. Taylor," I said firmly, my voice tinged with frustration. "I know about your involvement in my murder. Now, I want the truth." There was a look of disbelief in her eyes, and her hands began shaking as we made eye contact.“How…how do you kno
“At this point, is life really worth living?” I thought to myself.The thoughts consumed me, dragging me deeper into the abyss of despair. Nothing had changed; I was still the same old wimp I once was, trapped in the endless cycle of self-doubt and inadequacy.Without the system, I feel like nothing, like nobody. It was my lifeline, my source of validation and purpose. Everything I had worked for, everything I had accomplished, it all meant nothing in the harsh light of reality.I was just being a jackass for no reason, my arrogance and attitude nothing short of childish.And to think that my own brother, possibly my entire family, wanted me dead.But perhaps there was a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness, a chance to rediscover my worth and redefine my purpose. Maybe, just maybe, true strength lies not in the power of a system, but in the resilience of the human spirit. It's time to pick myself up, dust off the remnants of my shattered ego, and forge a new path—one built on hum
I screamed as I awoke from what seemed to be a terrible nightmare.“Bro are you okay?” I heard from a voice next to me, it was Tucker.Then the realization hit me, I was back in my dorm room.I dashed toward the restroom and looked at myself in the mirror, and I was nearly moved to tears when I saw my reflection.My young self, I was back!Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! Woooohooooooooo!!!! I screamed loudly.Tucker came to the entrance of the restroom to check on me, and had a look of genuine concern on his face.“Bro, are you sure you’re okay?” He asked me.I ran and pounced on him as I hugged him tightly, and we both crashed to the floor.“Get off me!” He screamed and I laughed loudly, before finally getting back on my feet.“I’m so sorry bro, I’m just so happy!” I said as I jumped from left to right, beaming with excitement.“Huh? How are you not hung over from last night, I’ve got a terrible headache,” he said, and massaged his temple with both hands.I then remembered what had happened t
I woke up the next morning in high spirits.I was eager to explore the new system, and see how much it had evolved.However, I had class that morning, auditing.It was supposed to be for nine in the morning, and it was some minutes past eight, so I was already running late.I woke Tucker up and we both got ready for class, and got there some minutes before the time.Our teacher was a woman in her late forties, and she introduced us to the basics of auditing, and gave us our course outline for the rest of the semester.After that we had forensic accounting class as well, but we had an hour's break before it.Tucker decided that he wanted to grab something to eat, i however, had other plans.‘The Greater System, I’m curious to see what’s changed. It reminds me of when a game gets a patch update,’ I thought to myself.I found somewhere and sat, and I decided to interact with the system like I usually would.However, as if on cue, a system panel popped up.It displayed all the changes tha
I gathered my belongings, my mind was still reeling from the revelations of the new system. With a sense of purpose, I made my way to the lecture hall for his next class.The corridors were bustling with students, their voices echoing off the walls as they hurried to their various locations. I navigated through the crowd with much discomfort, I was wondering what forensic accounting class had to offer.As I entered the lecture hall, he found a seat near the back. Tucker wasn’t there, so I guessed he hadn’t arrived yet. I wasn’t eager to immerse myself in the learning ahead. The room was loud and noisy as students chatted amongst themselves, exchanging notes and discussing the day's topic.The professor arrived shortly , and the room fell silent as he began the lecture. I didn’t listen intently, my focus was diverted due to the lingering questions I had about the new system.However, since I decided to be intentional about a fresh start, I decided to pay attention, and began to tak
As the ball was handed to me, I felt a surge of determination coursing through my veins. I nodded at him and I accepted the challenge, my focus was razor sharp.As the game began, the senior wasted no time in demonstrating his skills. Dribbling effortlessly, he passed around me with ease, leaving me struggling to keep up. He made his first basket easily with a finger roll, and everyone in the room cheered for him loudly.I picked the ball up and handed it to him again, my frustration was beginning to build up.His movements were calculated, and it quickly became apparent that he was a formidable opponent.Despite my best efforts, I found myself falling behind, I couldn’t hit my shots and was unable to guard him. Anytime I tried to drive in and get a layup I would get blocked.Soon, he was up by sixteen points, and I was at zero.Without my status upgrade benefits from the system, I began to realize how hard it was for me to keep up.I was losing stamina, and was breathing loudly,
After I was done with the pleasantries, I met the coach in his office and filled out some forms, providing him with my personal information.When we were done, he gave me an official jersey, and a timetable for all the times we would have practice.There weren’t any major tournaments coming up yet, so basically all we had to do was practice.I thanked him for the opportunity once again and returned back to the court.Most of the boys had left, but Tucker sat on a bench and was still right there waiting for me.I smiled when I saw him, he truly was a loyal friend.When I got close to him, he looked up and saw me, jumping to his feet.“Bro you were amazing! I mean at first you were playing pretty terribly, but then all of a sudden, it was like you were a different person, he didn’t stand a chance against you, you’re awesome!” He said.“Okay that’s enough bro, thanks for the praise,” I said and we both laughed.I packed my stuff and we began to leave the gym.“So did watching me play mot
I became slightly engrossed in the book that I was reading, that I didn’t realize when the hours flew by, which was weird.I never thought I’d be so fascinated by an educational textbook, however, it turned out I was.It was around ten in the night and soon, the entire library was empty.I didn’t even notice everyone leaving, and soon I was alone aside from the librarian, or so I thought.My attention was finally taken away from the book, when I heard a voice speak above me.“You’re still here? Wow, I’m certainly surprised.”I looked up and saw that it was Emily, and she stood there still grasping the book I helped her pick, smiling.“I’m guessing you certainly don't want to lose to me then,” she said and chuckled.“What do you want Emily?” I said, with a slight frown.“Nothing too much Damon, I’m just checking in on the opposition that’s all,” she said sarcastically.I picked up the book I took, and returned it back to the shelf where I picked it from.And I turned to see her standin