Rise of the Commoner: Johnny Burns's The Lost Heir

Chapter 6: Coming Out on Top

Johnny briefly wondered if he secretly had another power at his disposal that only awakened because of the divine power system's presence. His luck today was just outrageous. It was actually kind of frightening. Well, he could have done without all the near death experiences. He was sure that he was going to have nightmares tonight if he got out of this mess.

"Who are you?" Dorothy demanded as she thrust her chin out haughtily.

Now that he actually saw someone thrust out their chin in person, Johnny thought that it looked funny. He couldn't figure out how anyone thought they looked intimidating when they looked like they were desperately trying to stretch out their neck. Well, that wasn't important right now. What was important was that she looked pissed that he hadn't said anything.

Rachel pushed back her hair as she said, "If you don't answer, you won't like what happens next."

He had no doubt that she was telling the truth, so he really hoped that his new power was in effect. "I'm Johnny Burns. I'm just a delivery man."

A strange look crossed both women's faces as Dorothy asked, "Burns, as in the Burns family?"

Johnny shook his head. "No, I have nothing to do with them. I just had bad luck having the same last name."

Neither of them looked like they believed him. It was only natural, as a powerful family like the Burns wouldn't allow someone to share their last name. They were more likely to kill him and forcibly change his last name so he wouldn't be associated with them. That went for any of the seven families. Their last names were associated with the seven elements.

The Burns family was known for having fire powers, so him getting a fire power really didn't help his case. However, if he was really part of the family, he should have been living with them all this time instead of living as an orphan. He couldn't imagine why a Burns family member would end up in the streets. Also, there hadn't been any news of a missing child. No, he couldn't be related.

"I wish I was part of the Burns family, but I really am not," he said as he kept his eyes open for any signs of trouble. "Think about it. Would I really be doing deliveries if that's the case?"

Their suspicious looks lessened as they considered his words. Johnny couldn't tell if it was because of his power or that they were thinking logically. As long as it didn't put his life in danger, either was good. Behind the two women, he saw a message appear. His eyes widened before he tried to hide expression from them, but they weren't ameuters.

The moment they saw how he was trying to hide his emotions, they immediately followed his gaze and looked behind them. They didn't see or sense anything amiss. Neither of them considered the possibility that someone could be masking their presence from them or that it was the system. Both options were impossible in their minds.

"Anyway, I would like to leave now if you don't mind," he said as he backpedaled away from them.

"We're not through with you yet," Dorothy snapped as her head spun around to face him. "You're not leaving until you answer all our questions."

Johnny could feel himself breaking out in a cold sweat. "I really don't think I can help you. The two of you would surely know more than me. I'm just a delivery guy."

His words tasted like ash on his tongue. He hated how he had to flatter them with words to avoid a beating. It was humiliating, especially since he hadn't done anything wrong. He was the victim here. If anyone should apologize, it definitely shouldn't be him. Of course, he knew that wasn't how the world worked, so he could only go with the flow.

"Then how did you survive against Roy?" Rachel asked. "I find it strange that some nobody could beat that thing."

"Luck," Johnny bluntly said.

He wasn't lying. He had really been lucky to avoid getting killed several times. If it had been someone else, he was sure that the ones in charge of cleaning would be scraping the pieces off the concrete. He would even bet that they died within minutes if he were there to watch it happen. There was no need to explain it any further.

That's when he recalled the unusual situation. "By the way, how are we supposed to leave?"

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Dorothy snapped. "You're not going anywhere."

Rachel sighed. "And you wonder why no one wants to have anything to do with you."

"Excuse me!" Dorothy snarled. "You can't talk to me like that."

Instantly, they were back at each other's throats. Johnny did the only thing he could in his current situation, which was to remain quiet and let them rip each other's heads off. If he was lucky, they would take each other out while he figured out how to get away without being caught. What he didn't expect was to be physically pulled between them.

Neither of them seemed to notice what they were doing, and they were acting like kids fighting over a toy. In this case, the toy was him, much to his annoyance. Listening to them argue, Johnny got fed up hearing all the nonsense they were thowing at each other. He was going to see if his new power could convince everyone to leave, like nothing was wrong.

"If you're done now, I have a question," Johnny said as he put up a brave front.

The duo stopped their argument as Rachel said, "Ask away."

At the same time, Dorothy spat at his feet. "Stay out of it."

Seeing that one of them was on his side, he went ahead with his question since he was confident that he wouldn't die for asking. "Why is it so quiet, and where is everybody?"