Chapter 74: A Step Forward (1)
Coming back home, Christian first had to deal with his sister, just as he had expected. She asked him a couple of questions about what had happened and why he had stayed behind again, but he brushed her off for now.
As While he felt happy about getting Eva's phone number, whether she was actually taking him seriously, and if there was any real possibility for further development, was an entirely different matter after all.
Now in his room, he started thinking things through again, reflecting on his encounter with Eva.
When he left the restaurant, Christian had initially deliberated whether he should wait for her until she was ready to go, and leave together, but since it was their first encounter, he decided that maybe taking the safer approach was the better option this time.
Most importantly, he felt that if he had stayed, the atmosphere would have become awkward since he didn't have many topics in mind that he could bring up.
He could have asked her some leading questions that would get her to start talking more about herself, which could have opened up many other things to talk about afterward.
But the feeling he got while talking to her was that she didn't seem to want to talk about herself that much, which influenced his choice.
After all, based on his previous knowledge, he thought that in this kind of situation, the best approach was to be a good listener and let her take control of the conversation, or steer the direction a little, but still leave her to talk more. The most important point was still to be attentive after all in his thought.
But in the end, he changed his mind and decided to improvise as the situation required.
Anyway, aside from how their meeting ended, Christian reflected more on her attitude. She seemed a little different from the image he initially had in his mind—especially with how she appeared playful? Or was it just a little playful?
He couldn't be sure after just one meeting, and aside from this characteristic, Christian had initially thought that his chances with her, despite his changes, were a bit slimmer. However, from what he observed during this encounter, it seemed that wasn't the case. He had expected her to be much less interested after all, believing there would be an impregnable wall around her.
Of course, he couldn't say that she was fawning over him or had that enormous interest, nothing like that at all. But still, he felt that the responses he received were much more positive than he had expected. At the same time, reflecting on the later parts of their conversation, aside from when it began with school and Olivia, he also sensed some kind of invisible barrier.
So, Christian's assessment was that her responses seemed somewhat vague?
In the end, he still can't be sure again.
While he wasn't sure how to rate this meeting accurately, Christian shifted the gears of his thoughts. At least he now felt he had no regrets, regardless of the outcome. He had talked with her, and the abysmal result he had feared could be one of the possible outcomes after their conversation had not materialized.
So, all he could do now was try his best.
Now that he had finished reflecting on his encounter with Eva, Christian turned his attention to his Idle system, as he still had not received today's Idle Practicing accumulation.
So, while hoping that his constitution would reach ten today, he received them all at once.
[You have received 240 Experience]
[You have received 1240 Experience]
Enjoy new chapters from m-v l'e|m,p-y r
[You have received 700 Experience]
[The skill Basic AI Creation had become Lv.9(30%)]
[The skill Advanced Program Hacking had become Lv.2(5%)]
[The skill Intermediate Kinetix Body Building had become Lv.1(7%)]
While he was now accustomed to receiving information from his Idle System and the changes happening to his body, Christian still took some time to digest everything, especially when it came to the physical changes.
After a few minutes, once he had finished digesting everything, Christian opened his eyes and turned his attention to his body. He realized that he had actually started sweating less recently.
But not worrying too much about these things, Christian opened his status window. He knew he wouldn't receive a notification from his Idle System about the increase in his constitution after all, which was exactly what he desperately wanted to check. He felt it was high time for his constitution to rise, especially considering how strong his body had become.
[Idle System]
Host: Christian White
Level: 19 (EXP: 12.500/30.000)
Age: 18
Constitution: 10
Comprehension: 46
Unassigned Points: 6
Skills: Advanced Trading Lv.2(8%) , Passion Reader Lv.- , Advanced Program Hacking Lv.2(5%) , Intermediate Kinetix Body Building Lv.1(7%) , High School Knowledge Lv.10(Max) , Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Lv.3(87%) , Basic AI Creation Lv.9(30%)
Idle practicing slots:(0/3)
Christian immediately directed his gaze to his constitution, and upon seeing the number ten, he couldn't be happier, with a smile naturally adorning his face.
'Finally!'
He felt like it really took its sweet time.
Taking a couple of moments to celebrate all the good things that had happened to him today, Christian felt a sense of gratitude wash over him. From finishing the exams of his high school to meeting Eva, and finally seeing his constitution rise, each event filled him with a satisfaction.
He couldn't help but smile as he reflected on how these moments had come together, making him feel like he was finally on the right path.
It was a day that reminded him of the potential for growth and change, leaving him with a renewed sense of hope and excitement for what lay ahead, despite the many things still hidden beneath the surface of the world.
Pulling himself back from his celebratory thoughts, Christian turned his attention to his Program Hacking skill, which had actually reached level two since yesterday.
Unlike before, when his skills were only basic or intermediate, the increase in his abilities after each level in advanced skills was tremendous. However, Christian had delayed making the decision to hack the police database again or to wait instead until his skill reached level three or higher yesterday.
So, now contemplating carefully, Christian, despite knowing he could likely discover something new with this attempt, still chose to wait until his skill reached at least level three.
After all, while he would likely discover something new, it's just that, and it still might not be enough to learn everything he wanted. He wanted to be more confident in his skills or, at the very least, have his AI (Iris) ready to assist him in this attempt.
Christian still wanted to identify the perpetrator responsible for killing his parents as soon as possible, and it wasn't that he had forgotten about it after meeting Eva today; rather, after calming down over the past few days since discovering the previous information, he understood he really couldn't be in a hurry.
As while the world seemed peaceful, it was actually quite dangerous. Most importantly, the person responsible for his parents' deaths was likely someone he couldn't confront with his current skills. Therefore, rushing into things would be futile. He needed to proceed with caution, care, and certainty.
Finally making his decision, Christian closed his status window and opened his third Idle Practicing slot.
[Third Slot - Perfect body - 00:10:25/24:00:00]
Looking at the word "Perfect" beside "Body" in the system window in front of him, Christian felt a mix of emotions. He would have liked to continue researching and pursuing his ambitious skill through Idle Practice, but recalling the vast amount of knowledge about human biology he had been receiving from it lately, he knew he couldn't continue any longer.
After all, he needed to build some strength for now. While martial arts might not be particularly useful against something supernatural, it was still better than nothing. Especially since he could use his unassigned points, any small increase in his ability to utilize his strength then could make a difference.
Of course, he would try his best to avoid putting himself in any dangerous situations, but one still needed to be cautious.
Having affirmed his decision, Christian finally willed his Idle System in his mind to change the skill for Idle Practicing.
[You have received 2 Experience]
[The skill Intermediate Kinetix Body Building had become Lv.1(7%)]
[The Idle Practice at the Third slot, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has started]
As Christian looked at the new system messages appearing in front of him, he hoped that by the time he reached level twenty, he would unlock a fourth Idle slot.
After all, he still planned to put human biology on Idle Practicing. His ultimate goal of gaining more strength had also not changed, especially with the desire to study the abomination he had seen in the police database, if he got the chance, as it was crucial for him to understand the exact reason behind its existence.
No matter what he did, it should prove useful.