Chapitre 7: Choice
"Since I'm the only member of Hera Familia, it means I can act freely without being restricted by anything. Given my current situation, it's impossible for me to work with others."
Reflecting on the tragic events of his past life, Charlie was determined not to repeat the same mistakes.
Among his friends, there was a traitor who sold information about him to the politicians who opposed him.
Betrayed by those he trusted, Charlie found it difficult to trust others as he once did.
"Help!"
A cry for help snapped Charlie out of his thoughts.
Looking toward the source of the voice, he saw a small child drowning, calling for help.
"He's drowning!"
Before Charlie could react, someone else acted faster than him. In the distance, a young woman jumped into the water without hesitation, swimming toward the drowning child and bringing him to shore.
"That's a member of Poseidon Familia."
Because the distance wasn't too far, Charlie could see the logo on the back of the young woman's clothing.
Two Familia had established their headquarters in the City of Melen: Njord Familia and Poseidon Familia.
Poseidon Familia had a higher reputation than Njord Familia.
Long ago, Poseidon Familia had sealed a hole in Lake Lolog that served as an exit for water monsters. Since then, they had dedicated themselves to monitoring it and maintaining peace.
Charlie could occasionally hear the townspeople speak of Poseidon Familia with great respect.
"So, there's still some humanity left in me, huh? I thought I'd discarded it all."
Recalling how his body moved reflexively when someone needed help, his feelings were mixed.
In the past, he had helped others selflessly without expecting anything in return. He had risked his life countless times to capture criminals who disturbed the peace.
Because he disrupted the dirty businesses of politicians, they decided to eliminate him.
"Evil people thrive while good people are oppressed. Indonesia... what a strange country."
Shaking his head, Charlie turned and walked away.
*THUD*
"Hey, watch where you're walking!"
A burly man with pig-like ears and a tail, drunk, had bumped into Charlie.
"..."
Ignoring the drunkard, Charlie continued walking without looking back.
"Tsk, are you deaf? You're going to walk away without apologizing?"
"Let it go, John, let's just leave."
Sensing the unfriendly stares from those around, the drunkard's friend stopped him before any trouble could start.
"You're lucky today! Pray you don't run into me again, or I'll ruin that face of yours!"
Seeing that the other party had disappeared into the crowd, the drunkard and his friend left.
On the other side, Charlie clenched his fists.
"No matter what world you're in, there's always trash that bullies the weak."
Demi-Humans were constitutionally stronger than humans. Moreover, that drunkard had likely received a Falna from a certain god.
At this moment, Charlie was just an ordinary person. Although he had rich combat experience, it wasn't enough to bridge the gap in strength between adventurers and ordinary people. Therefore, he restrained himself even when insulted without reason.
Returning to the small house on the outskirts of the city, he knocked on the door before entering.
*KNOCK* *KNOCK*
What if Hera was just wearing a towel after having just bathed?
Charlie didn't want to experience the cliché plot of a rom-com anime.
"Come in."
Opening the door, he saw Hera reading a book on the sofa.
"It seems you've made your decision. I didn't expect it to be this soon."
"Sit down."
Diverting her gaze from the book, Hera commanded.
"Yes, the sooner I make my decision, the sooner I can gather Excalia after defeating monsters."
Just like before, Charlie sat across from Hera. This time, his understanding of this world was deeper than before.
His memory might not be as good as a photographic one, but his recall was better than the average person. He might not remember the plot in detail, but at least he remembered the general outline.
Excalia was essentially the same as a person's life experience, like the work they did in the dungeon or training.
Gaining Excalia was expressed in the form of status points. The quality of Excalia varied, and the quality of the Excalia they received was directly proportional to the difficulty of the tasks they performed. So, if an adventurer just went around defeating groups of monsters much weaker than them, they would only gain low-quality Excalia and thus wouldn't see much improvement in their status.
Simply put, Excalia was like EXP in a game after successfully defeating monsters.
"From your words, may I conclude that you've agreed to my offer to join my Familia?"
Hera smiled slightly at Charlie's ambitious words.
"Yes."
"Take off your shirt."
"Understood."
Following her instructions, Charlie removed his shirt.
"Sit in front of me and show me your back."
"Mm."
Charlie obediently sat in front of Hera, exposing his back to her.
Then, Hera took out a needle and pricked her finger, letting her blood drip onto Charlie's back, using it to draw a pattern on his back.
*FWOOSH*
"Using our own blood as a medium, the gods in the lower world can only play the role of granting Falna to their Familia members. Remember, Falna is merely something that functions to unlock a person's potential. Simply put, it's a way for children to grow. Just because you receive a Falna from a god doesn't mean you'll become strong without effort."
Hera had promised not to grant Falna again after losing all her Familia members. However, Charlie's identity as an Otherworlder was too intriguing for her to resist. She didn't want to let him fall into the hands of other gods and goddesses.
Perhaps this child could bring her much joy that couldn't be obtained in this world in the future.
"When awakening a Falna, it can inspire Magic and Skills. Both are directly related to your interest in something; it's like realizing the power of imagination and longing in your heart. So try to recall your past, you might succeed in triggering the awakening of Magic or Skills."
In the process of writing the Sacred Text on Charlie's back, Hera didn't forget to give him some advice.
"The past, huh..."
Closing his eyes, Charlie unconsciously recalled his initial aspiration to uphold justice. It all started because of the unbalanced gap between bad news and good news in Indonesia.
Bad news like corruption involving trillions, legal injustices, criminals getting away despite evidence, and many others. Because there were so many, bad news had become commonplace for the people of Indonesia.
But Charlie didn't want to resign himself like everyone else. That's why he wanted to change Indonesia from within. Unfortunately, his hard work failed to transform Indonesia into a better country.
Most of the higher-ups were incompetent people who only knew how to enjoy tax money.
Honest people like Charlie were outnumbered by them. Because Indonesia was a democracy, the majority easily oppressed the minority, even if the minority was on the side of good.
Power...
If only he had the power to suppress everything, Charlie could have given all Indonesian citizens a better future.
He lost because the evil higher-ups were more powerful than him.
He didn't just hate them; Charlie also hated himself for being weak and powerless.
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
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