章 39: Opportunity
Little Joe woke up, with two pairs of eyes on him that seemed not to believe he was finally awake. Meanwhile, a transparent blue screen appeared right in front of his eyes, writing:
"Face the challenge and earn a reward."
"What happened, son?"
His parents asked simultaneously.
"What do you mean, Dad?"
He asked with the innocence that was his trademark, while rubbing his eyes to see more details on that strange screen.
"My little Joe, you've been unconscious for several days, and even specialist doctors came to visit you. You'll owe a lot of favors to the people of this town."
"What do you mean, Dad?"
Little Joe asked, trying to understand the strange information. At least when it came to his strength, he was sure he was right.
"Previous status: apprentice to master. Strength: 50 kg / Agility: 25 / Vitality: 100 / Defense: 50 / Luck: 3 / Wind Cutting Skill: Low /."
"Important people paid for your recovery, and logically, they'll be happy to see that you're well."
Little Joe couldn't remember much, but at the moment, he had no idea who those people his father was mentioning might be.
And as he tried to decipher that information, the screen simply disappeared.
"Wait a moment, I'll call them, and please treat them well, as they came to visit you every day."
So, Little Joe's parents left, and suddenly, his small room became even smaller with the number of people who abruptly entered.
His eyes filled with tears as he looked at each one, recognizing them one by one. There were his friends, Dimmy and Ylsean, the son and daughter of Baron Von Shift, his teacher Nali, who had recently seemed to really like him, and someone he didn't recognize but found strangely familiar.
Everyone wanted to speak and greet him at the same time until his teacher Nali asked them to respect his condition, as he wasn't fully recovered yet.
"We're all glad you're back," said Nali.
"Back? What do you mean back? I didn't go anywhere."
"You're as stupid as I thought you were," said someone.
"Hey! Who are you to talk to me like that?"
"Sorry, Joe, I forgot to introduce you. This is my sister, Miau Lee."
"Miau-Lee? Nice to meet you."
"Unfortunately, I can't say the same for a boy who created a huge mess with my image."
"???"
"Don't worry about it, Joe, my friend. It's all been explained, and you really don't need to worry about anything. We're here to help you. You can count on us."
"Help me? What are you talking about?" Little Joe asked suspiciously.
_"You'll find out soon, Joe. My sister will explain everything,"_ Ylsean said as the others began to leave the small room.
"Hello, little Joe. Do you remember me?"
"How could I forget such a beautiful and sweet-smelling girl like you?"
Ylsean blushed so much that even little Joe felt bad for being so direct.
"Thank you for the compliments, but I'm afraid I don't have good news for you."
Joe's eyes narrowed as he tried to understand the drama Ylsean seemed to be making with him.
"What exactly are you trying to tell me, Ylsean?"
"That we're lucky to have loyal friends who really care about us when we're not doing well."
"I think you're confusing me with someone else, Ylsean. I don't know how I was before, but now I feel just fine."
"First, you need to calm down, and then try to focus on your inner energy."
Little Joe smiled at Ylsean, thinking she was just teasing him, but suddenly, as he focused for a moment, he realized there was no response in his body. He tried again, concentrating, but all he could feel was that his stomach was empty, and he was very hungry.
"I think it's just hunger. I'm starving," he said, trying to brush it off.
"Unfortunately, it's not hunger, Joe. During the days you were bedridden, you were cared for by the best specialists in the region, and finally, your father was the one who managed to take care of you. But sadly, the cost was very high."
"Ylsean, stop talking like that. You're scaring me."
"I'm sorry, Joe, but you need to know the truth."
"Truth? What truth do I need to know?"
"You somehow swallowed a couple of energy stones, one of transformation and another of energy transfer, not to mention that you had already used one when you were with your father."
"And so what?" he asked, irritated.
"So what? You ingested and absorbed an enormous amount of energy in a short period of time, which would kill an ordinary person in a matter of minutes. Luckily for you, you're quite strong because of the training with your father."
"And? I'm fine, aren't I?" he asked, making a pitiful face.
"No, Joe. You're not fine at all. Your body couldn't handle all the energy inside you, and you could literally explode at any moment."
"What? Explode? Are you crazy, Ylsean? If that's true, how come I didn't explode?"
"In fact, you barely escaped. Do you remember the amount of energy your body released when you were in the school bathroom?"
Little Joe did remember, but he had no idea how he had done it. Now, it all made sense.
"So, Joe, you narrowly escaped death that time, but your body wouldn't have been able to handle the remaining energy much longer. It was growing at a worrying rate. After being examined by our doctors and sages, there was only one thing that could be done for you. Your essence stone had to be destroyed."
Joe's eyes filled with tears.
"I can't believe you destroyed my essence stone. Did you really destroy it?"
"Don't worry, Joe. We won't abandon you. We'll be with you until the end."
For Joe, this was an empty promise. His life was over, and there was nothing he could do to bring back his joy.
"Who was responsible for this? Just tell me who."
"Unfortunately, we couldn't do it ourselves, but we had to choose the best outcome to ensure your survival. Your father had to extract your essence stone."
The shock was too much for the boy, and he couldn't accept the news. He burst into uncontrollable sobs, while Ylsean, with great difficulty, tried to calm him, hugging him and gently patting his back, while one of her hands stroked his head.
"Stay calm, Joe. I already told you, we won't abandon you. We'll stay with you until the end."
The essence stone was the most important thing to someone in his world—just as important as life itself. When someone was lucky, they were given a stone that, once placed in a baby's belly, was absorbed and automatically directed to an area of the body that, whether randomly or not, would grant extraordinary abilities and determine their strength and skill in the martial arts world.
Suddenly, a screen appeared, delivering a harsh truth that Joe didn't want to accept:
"Current status: Failed. Strength 00.1 = 1 kg / Agility 00.1 / Vitality 00.25 / Defense 00.1 / Luck 0.10 / Skill... /."
The screen turned on and off again as a question formed, waiting for his confirmation:
"Do you accept to trade your current status of 'Failed' for the status 'Apprentice Merchant'? [Y / N]"
_???
Little Joe's greatest dream had always been to become as strong and powerful as his father, a true warrior. But, unfortunately, due to his gluttony, that opportunity had slipped away from his life.
However, what was this strange opportunity now being presented to him?
He decided not to dwell on it too much. The words "current status: Failed" didn't make much sense to him, except for the word "Failed"—that was something he knew he would never be.
Whatever it was, he would give his best and bring pride to his parents and the friends who were now surrounding and hugging him.
The screen glowed brighter, congratulating him, and Joe realized that this was only visible to him.
He allowed himself to be swept up by the momentary joy and let a small thread of hope grow in his heart as his friends spoke and repeated:
"You're going to overcome this challenge, Joe, no doubt about it."
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