The hall was still thick with tension as Carl walked away, his smirk masking the frustration in his eyes. Jayden had barely reacted, but his silence was suffocating, an unshakable presence.
He turned back toward his locker, folded the card and placed it back neatly. His amber eyes flickered slightly under the dim glow of the corridor lights, but he remained composed.
Tasha, still at a distance, sighed in relief. She had sensed Jayden's rage bubbling under the surface. She decided to ignore Carl's taunts.
But Jayden, on the other hand didn't take any of Carl's statements well. He had wasted enough time and needed to get strong quick. He had been distracted and almost forgot about his main goal. He needed to utilise the system well and develop himself so no one would ever look down on him again.
He shut the locker and began walking away, without even sparing Tasha a glance. It made her a bit hurt, but she understood what he was feeling. No guy likes being saved by a girl. And twice, that was simply too depressing.
She followed behind him and they both walked out of the building, where Jessica was waiting for them.
"What took you so long? Were you two making out or something?" she teased
"Haha, very funny, Jessica. But I won't give you the pleasure of taunting me today," Tasha said with a sarcastic expression. "We just had a run in with a very annoying person, and it's not Jayden fault if that's what you're thinking,"
Tasha explained, but Jayden didn't even reply Jessica. He just kept walking, with his usual indifference.
Jessica, on the other hand, watched him with narrowed eyes, her arms folded. "Tasha, are you seriously going to keep defending him?" she muttered.
Tasha bit her lip. She herself didn't understand Jayden's behaviour. Sometimes, he would be charming and nice. But other times, he would be uncaring and stoic. "He really did change... but how much?" she thought, as they approached the car.
But Jayden didn't stop, he continued walking, towards the gate.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Tasha called after him as she hurried to catch up. "The car's right here,"
Jayden didn't stop. His pace was calm, purposeful. "I'll walk."
Jessica scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, sure. Walk home, tough boy. Let's see if you don't get eaten on the way." she jeered
Tasha shot her an annoyed glare, but Jayden barely reacted. He simply kept walking, hands in his pockets, his steps fluid and precise.
Jacob, waiting by the car, raised an eyebrow as Jayden walked past. "Kiddo? Where you going?"
"I don't want a ride," Jayden replied.
Jacob sighed, rubbing his temples. "You sure?"
Jayden kept walking. "I'm sure."
Jessica shook her head in disbelief. "Of course he'd do something this stupid. We live miles away."
Jayden ignored them all and continued forward. "Good," he thought. "No more playing around,"
Tasha frowned, stepping forward as if to stop him, but he was already gone. "What the hell is he thinking?" she whispered.
"Who cares?" Jessica said, folding her arms. "If he wants to be a dramatic weirdo, let him. He probably thinks that because he is evolved now, that makes him invincible,"
Tasha wasn't convinced. Something about Jayden had changed beyond just his attitude. There was something different about him, and it wasn't the fact that he had become an evolved.
This was something that made her heart race, and she wasn't sure if it was simply attraction or... fear.
Jayden finally reached the gate and walked out of the school premises, he took a deep breath and began to jog, slowly increasing his pace as he left the area completely.
In the distance, Tasha and Jessica stood frozen, watching him disappear down the street.
"You see what I mean, Tasha?" Jessica muttered, arms crossed. "I was wrong. He hasn't changed at all. He's still a freak. Just quieter now, like a predator watching its prey."
Tasha bit her lip, conflicted. "I don't know, Jessica. I feel like there's more to him than we see."
Jessica scoffed, flipping her hair. "Nah. He's probably just hiding something. Perhaps his ability,"
Tasha sighed, watching Jayden vanish down the street. She had a feeling that Jayden was battling with some personal issues. "What's going on with you, Jay?" she thought with a worried expression.
*****
Jayden had now been jogging for over one hour, he would stop to take a break from time to time and also to track his progress. After a few more minutes, a notification popped up in his face and he stopped just by the entrance of the city's grand park.
*Daily Quest (2/3):
[Run a total of 10km] (Complete)
"Huff! Huff! Luna, this better decrease soon. I can't keep running ten kilometres everyday, I'm not training for the fucking olympics," Jayden panted as he complained about his tasks. But who could blame him, running for six miles wasn't an easy thing for a human. Though he wasn't exactly human anymore
[Quit whining, it's only a few miles. And besides, you shouldn't be complaining, it's not like you're a normal human anymore] Luna replied
Jayden simply ignored her, but he knew something about him was different. Normally, he wouldn't be able to run for an hour straight, but now he could.
"I guess that leaves the climbing quest then?" he muttered
[Yep] Luna replied. [Just 20 metres]
Jayden sighed and walked into the park, he originally planned to sit and relax there for a while. But the park was filled with tall tress, which was the perfect place to complete the final quest.
"Well, it's best I finish up now. I'll rest later," he said, as he approached a tall tree rooted to the centre of the park. The tree stood out as it was the largest and tallest tree in the entire park.
Jayden exhaled sharply, cracking his knuckles as he stared up at the massive tree. Its bark was rough, aged with time, and its branches stretched out like the arms of a sleeping giant.
"Alright, twenty meters... shouldn't be too hard," he muttered, placing his hand on the bark. Back when he was young and still living with the beastmen, climbing trees was like a daily challenge and he had gotten used to it.
[Confidence is good, but don't get cocky. You're still human enough to fall flat on your ass,] Luna teased.
Jayden rolled his eyes but grinned. He dug his fingers into the rough surface, testing his grip. Then, with a swift pull, he hoisted himself up. The first few meters were easy; his body felt stronger than usual, his endurance remarkable. He found himself moving with a natural ease, his limbs responding faster, his instincts sharper.
Halfway up, he paused, pressing his forehead against the cool bark as he caught his breath.
[7 meters left. You got this,] Luna said, her voice less teasing now, more encouraging.
Jayden gritted his teeth and pushed onward, climbing higher with steady momentum. His fingers dug in deeper, his arms and legs working in perfect rhythm. He felt the burn in his muscles, but it wasn't overwhelming... t was exhilarating.
"Oh, I've missed this," he muttered, a nostalgic smile drawn across his face.
Finally, he reached the twenty-meter mark.
*Daily Quest (3/3):
[Climb a total of 20m] (Complete)
[+10 stat points received]
[+10 Exp received]
Jayden let out a breathless laugh, gripping a sturdy branch as he perched himself on it. The view from up there was peaceful, the city lights twinkling in the distance beyond the lush greenery.
After a while, he climbed down from the tree and decided to hail a cab home.
By the time he arrived at the house, the night sky was already out, the moon spreading its light on the city.
Jayden entered his room, took a shower and went to have dinner with the family. He ate quickly and went back to his room, completely ignoring the stares Jessica and Tasha were giving him.
He entered his room and lay down on the bed, recollecting the day's events. So much had happened, from meeting with the principal to the encounter with the strange women at the restaurant.
But the most relevant was...
"Open status," Jayden called out, and the system interface popped up
*Name: Jayden Starrk
*Race: ???
*Level: 1
*Exp: 10/20
*Hp: 100/100
*Ep: 20/20
*Strength: 20
*Speed: 20
*Agility: 20
*Stamina: 20
*Perception: 30
*Defense: 30
*Charm: 10
Stat points: 10
[Heart Rate: 45 Bpm]
*Health Regeneration [Passive]
*Beast Energy Acquisition (Locked)
*Telekinetic Force
Jayden stared intently at the status info, he was pondering about multiple things. "Hmm, looks like I just need 10 more experience points to level up," he muttered, before his shifted towards the stat points.
"Oh, right. I was given stat points. But how do I distribute them?" he pondered. "I have 7 stat attributes and 10 points, which means I can't distribute the points equally,"
Jayden contemplated for a while before coming up with a solution. "If I place all 10 points in one stat, the others will be lacking. So I'll have to prioritise,"
"Defence and perception look good enough, so does agility. And I don't exactly know what the charm stat does, which leaves strength and speed," he muttered, analysing every stat and how useful they are.
After much consideration, Jayden finally decided. "Place 5 points each to speed and strength," he said, deciding to make strength and speed be on the same level,"
[+5 stat points added to speed]
[+5 stat points added to strength]
_____
*Strength: 25
*Strength: 25
*Speed: 25
*Agility: 20
*Stamina: 20
*Perception: 30
*Defense: 30
*Charm: 10
Stat points: 0
_______
Jayden sighed in satisfaction as he saw the notification, and somehow he could feel something... an increase in his strength. It felt euphoric.
Jayden clenched his fist in determination. "I have a feeling this is just the beginning," he chuckled.
Jayden sighed in satisfaction as he saw the notification, and somehow he could feel something... an increase in his strength. It felt euphoric.
Jayden clenched his fist in determination. "I have a feeling this is just the beginning," he chuckled.
******
In the girls room, Tasha and Jessica were on their bed, busy doing their own thing. Tasha was watching comat training videos while Jessica was listening to music with her headphones.
But Tasha didn't seem to be too focused on the videos she was watching, her mind was on something else. To be more precise, her mind was on what Carl had said back in the school.
She would steal glances at Jessica from time to time, wondering how to start a conversation. This was strange because on a normal day, they could start a conversation easily with each other and talk about any topic. But this wasn't a normal day, and it certainly wasn't a normal topic.
Jessica noticed her sister's troubled expression and furrowed her brows, she removed her headphones and faced Tasha.
"Okay, what is it this time?" she asked. "Spill it,"
Tasha yelped at Jessica's sudden question, she was deeply lost in thought. But Jessica had managed to snap her out of it.
"Um... It's nothing?" she muttered with a smile. "Just thinking about the upcoming tournaments, is all,"
Jessica smiled back. "Okay, if you say so," she said softly. She didn't believe Tasha's words, but she decided not to push it further hoping that Tasha would tell her about it whenever she pleased.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" she added, staring at Tasha in worry
Tasha nodded with a smile. "I know," she said, before turning her attention back to the videos.
Jessica chuckled, she stared at Tasha one last time before putting her headphones back on. She also had some things on her mind... things related to a certain boy living with them. But she kept it to herself, in hopes of forgetting about it.