Chapter 16: Affection
"Zac?"
"It's me… mother."
Nathalie Baker.
Zac truly doesn't remember much of her — and he did not really get the chance to since he spent most of his time training his body ever since he regressed. He knew she was a kind mother that doted on her son…
…but not to this point.
This kind of dedication was something too rare to find. It was the right decision to give her the [Tome of Mage].
"Identify."
[Nathalie Baker, Lv. ??]
Zac didn't really even need to see her level to know that she was strong. She was a very fine warrior for the days to come.
"Sorry for making you wait so long, mo—"
And before Zac could even finish his words, Nathalie suddenly leaped towards her — the warmth of her quickly blanketing Zac's entire body.
"Y… you're back," Nathalie's muffled voice whispered into Zac's ears, "I… I knew you'd be back. I knew my baby boy is… is out there somewhere."
"..." Zac could really only stand there, slightly astonished as each of Nathalie's words seemed to resonate and crawl straight through his bones, causing them to almost tingle. How long… has it really been since someone cared for him this much?
…He knew the answer to that — because the last person that cared for him this much… was also his mother.
"Yeah," Zac let out a small breath as he finally returned his mother's embrace, "I… truly apologize for having you wait so long, mother."
It… felt weird. By all means, he had lived Nathalie's age 3 times over… but there was something about her embrace that felt… different. Almost as if just for a moment, Zac found himself in peace; cradled by nothing but the warmth and care of his mother.
"...And thank you for being such a good mother, I—"
And before Zac could finish his words, he felt something warm trickling on his cheek.
"..." He quickly let go of his mother as he touched his face, only to find tears trailing down his face.
He… was crying? He thought he had lost the capacity to do so a very long time ago — but to think his mother would bring them back. Was he… slowly turning into a human again? Did… he have the right after all the things he had done?
"..." Did he have the right to cry? Nathalie was welcoming his son… but whatever Zac is, he wasn't the one she was truly welcoming.
Zac was just an old man. Tired, beaten, a product of the ending world. He—
"It's alright," Nathalie then very slowly caressed Zac's face; her hands, softly brushing away the trail of tears on his cheeks, "It's fine now… we're together. Mommy… Mommy's here."
"..." Zac could really only stare at Nathalie's eyes; filled with nothing but love and care — almost as if reflecting her bright red hair that flowed with the wind; moving, but never fleeting.
And very slowly, a small smile crawled on Zac's face as he gently held his mother's hand. He then also placed his hand on his mother's cheek, before leaning forward and kissing her on the forehead,
"We… are together now."
[Congratulations on unlocking your Hidden Skills!]
[Congratulations on gaining your first Harem Member with a MAX Affection!]
"..."
"..."
That's not right.
***
"I… I'm sure you are hungry, just… just sit there, okay?"
"Oh my god, why is it so dirty."
"Zac, look! The fries we ordered from WcRonald's are still fine! I… wonder if I can still re-fry it?"
"..." A wide smile has been plastered on Zac's face as he had been watching his mother run around their apartment; well, at least what's left of it. The windows were all already broken, with some of their stuff missing — no doubt from someone trying to get parts and other stuff.
The only things that were left were the large furniture, no doubt because they didn't want the hassle of bringing them out.
Zac was wrong about one thing, though. Even dilapidated and half the building basically caving in on itself, their apartment was still standing — no doubt because of Nathalie.
"..."
"..."
[ New Skills!
< Harem Link Lv. N/A
Basic Info: Once an individual reaches a certain level of Affection, they will be added to the Harem Link. Members of your Harem are able to share the experience they gained from defeating monsters when they are within a 500-meter radius. The experience shared will depend on the Affection Level of your Harem member. >
< Skill Share Lv. N/A
Basic Info: Once an individual's Affection towards you reaches a certain level, you will be able to copy one of their skills. The rank of the skill you are able to copy will depend on the Affection level of your Harem member. >
Other Skills will be unlocked once your System's Level rises up. ]
"..."
If Zac was complaining before, he truly wasn't now. The skill <Harem Link> would basically boost him up — and with Nathalie technically being a part of his 'Harem', it… should be possible for him to become stronger faster than he thought.
And as for the <Skill Share>, its strength was too obvious to even describe.
"..."
"..." Zac then turned to look at Nathalie, and once again, "...Identify."
[Nathalie Baker, Lv. ??
Affection Level: Unmeasurable.
Skills are available to copy.]
Un…measurable? Where does that sit in terms of Affection Level? — and as soon as the thought entered his mind, another window popped up in front of him.
[Affection Levels: Shy, Awkward, Neutral, Cordial, Affectionate, Loyal.]
…Where does his mother fall in this category? The System did mention that Nathalie had MAX Affection, but why doesn't it just say she was Loyal?
This… wouldn't affect <Harem Link>, would it?
"..." Zac once again glanced at his mother, who seemed to be stuck in her own world as she continued to prepare a meal for him. He wanted to help her at first, but Nathalie just… threw him into the chair without any hesitation.
If he pushed any harder, then Zac would have surely broken a few bones here and there.
This… truly was a surprise, though. His System activated when Nathalie touched his tears, right? So why… didn't it work on the woman from the Solid Dreams group, Laura?
[Would you like to open your Harem List?]
"..." And as the thought popped up in Zac's mind, the System once again guided him almost as if it had a mind of its own. Zac glanced at his mother once again to make sure she was busy, before…
"...Open Harem List."
[ <Nathalie Baker – Affection Lv. UNMEASURABLE>
<Laura — Affection Lv. Awkward> ]
Laura is on the list. But why… didn't anything pop up when she touched his blood? Did… the Affection Level need to at least be at Neutral? Why does it feel like his System is just—
"!!!"
And before Zac could continue his thoughts, his eyes darted to the end of the list.
<Ishtar — Affection Lv. Toy>
If Zac was right, then Ishtar… was the goddess that gave him the System. She… was also part of his Harem? But why…
…is the Affection Lv. showing as Toy?
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