Ch 8 - New friend/New skill

What can do an adult in the body of a teenager, and even with an intelligence parameter above 40, in chemistry lessons? Study like hell, study additional materials, or can he prove to others that he has the roundest head in the neighborhood, which also glitters in the sun if you wax it once? Being a child at heart, John did exactly what a child would do, suffered from boredom, learned to turn a pen beautifully between his fingers and drew in a notebook. What else could he do? The memory from a past life plus the memory of this one, we add bonuses from the system and the output is a machine for crushing stone of sciences. In the first five minutes of the lesson, Johnny flipped through the textbook twice, the first time he refreshed what he had already memorized, and the second time he learned everything he had forgotten, so there was nothing for him to do in chemistry lessons until the end of the year.

- "Yeah, in a previous life I would have killed someone for the sake of such a strong memory. "

The remaining minutes of classes dragged on like hours, prompting thoughts of a categorically urgent need for a hobby that could kill time. And there are still 5 such lessons left after that, if something does not come up, then there is a great chance to go to live a third life, a year.

Chemistry is over, mathematics, history, sociology and biology have flown after it, only art remains. John was waiting for this lesson as a sailor for a port call, after a six-month voyage at sea. It was this lesson that he shared with the pretty Pamela, maybe it will be possible to spend it for a fruitful conversation.

In between classes, John tried to avoid the English teacher. Although he had a quest to seduce her, his sixth sense told him that everything with her was not as simple as it seems. Something like the Ara-Ara atmosphere around the woman alarmed the guy, and for a reason in the description of the quest it was said about the possibility of turning from a hunter into a victim. Not knowing what exactly was wrong with her, John decided to postpone the task until better times and focus on earning experience points and training with Vladislav. The first is easy, the second will take time, but it will help with the first. Conclusion, grandfather is a priority. What a secret they don't tell their grandson.

- "Although I have a couple of ideas, if you look closely, the stories of my grandfather always seem strange, the Second World War or as he calls it the Great Patriotic War hmmm. I'll find it out then I'll complete the task, and now it's time for drawing. "

The spacious fine arts classroom greeted students with freely placed chairs, large windows that made the room almost as bright as on the street and a paint-stained floor. The smell of paints, wood and alcohol, which the teacher secretly drink, drove the atmosphere of creation and art into the room. A good art teacher sometimes is an alcoholic, but a great one, almost always high on something, this is the reality of the last decades. Children in schools are becoming more harmful, and the requirements are becoming tougher. In the good old days, you could hit a arrogant student, and now you just touch your finger and here you are without a license, a job and with a high probability freedom. So teachers secretly drink someone more, someone less.

Having entered the classroom just before the bell rang, John was looking for his new acquaintance with his eyes. The girl was sitting on the sidelines with one earphone in her ear, barely paying attention to the teacher or classmates. The bell rang, the old teacher at the beginning of the fifth decade, placed various figures made of wood, several plastic fruits and a huge vase in the center of the classroom . After saying a few words, he retreated to the far corner of the classroom, he clearly didn't care what the children would do. The students did not disappoint the expectations of the old teacher, half did not even take a pencil in their hands, starting to chat with neighbors or stick to the phone. The other half was casually tweeting something in the albums, performing a task for a solid fuck off.

John decided that the best strategy was to try to draw something while communicating with the owner of green nails.

- Hi Pamela, how are you?

- Oh, John, you decided to talk to a classmate after so many years.

The girl squeezed words out. She didn't hold a grudge against him, but out of common decency decided to be a little bitchy.

- Come on, maybe I'm not the most sociable person, but I'm definitely not a jerk deliberately ignoring you. Plus, I've changed, although I still can't call myself sociable.

- Forget Johnny, I was just kidding.

- Deserved.

- Yes, indeed. Did you decide to do nothing in class too?

- Not really. I think I should try to draw at least something, although the old man does not gush with enthusiasm in teaching, but it is necessary to respect him. And there's not much to do.

- I can't disagree with you.

- And you?

- Drawing is my hobby, I will draw everything as the teacher asked.

- Is it going well?

- Relatively, I always get the highest score.

- Then why relatively?

- Then look at the teacher's drawings, they are gathering dust next to his desk.

- OK. And I draw well only various obscenities in textbooks, will you give me a couple of tips?

- And many textbooks have acquired your works?

- Ever book that falls into my hands since the first grade. Don't think about it, I'm not being harmful, it's just that when I stop concentrating, my hands draw everything themselves, including flowers, cubes, circles, various patterns and so on.

- Well, draw for now. As soon as I finish mine, I'll help you.

- Agreed.

Half an hour flew by, John was working hard with a pencil on paper, trying to catch the approximate forms of what he saw. It turned out crooked and dirty. Pamela finished drawing, tore out the sheet, took it to the teacher and received a slight smile and a nod from him, returned to her place, preparing to help the guy.

- Well, show me what you did.

- Please.

- Did you try to dig through the album?

- No.

- Then tip number one, don't put pressure on the pencil, it's not your sworn enemy.

Pamela sat down next to John, took a new piece of paper and began to draw, their shoulders almost touching.

- That's it, a light tap. Don't try to make a clear line at one time, you don't have enough experience for this. Try to draw with strokes, when you get an approximate view, press the pencil a little harder. The line will turn out darker, it works like coloring, only instead of painting over, you draw a darker line between the light ones.

- I will try, but I hope you will continue to help me with advice. Recently I was thinking what to do in my free time, drawing is quite suitable.

- Of course, if you take this matter seriously.

- I give you my word.

- Try to draw as I said, just take a clean sheet. You've already destroyed your first drawing, literally. Look at the holes. The method is certainly not very good, but it will do to work out an approximate understanding of transferring things to paper.

- OK.

While John was trying to get an acceptable result, the girl was in the clouds, listening to music and sometimes looking at the newly-made adept of pencil and brush. Pamela was in love with John for a long time before his change in the choice of clothes and music. Teenage first love with no reason or sense , they didn't even talk once, but under the girl's bed there are several thick albums filled with portraits of John. Tonight there will be a couple more drawings in the cache, perhaps the drawings themselves will have erotic content. After such a fleeting thought, Pam turned away, pretending that the window was the most interesting thing in the world.

The lesson was coming to an end, John did not achieve much success , but Pamela's advice help him pass the drawing for B. The teacher smiled at him, noticing with his sharp eyes the strokes made by the hand of his beloved student. After flipping through the class magazine and finding John's first and last name, the old man spoke to him.

- Good for a beginner, Mr. Vic, but try better next time. If you are interested in art, then you can stay after school on Wednesdays and Fridays and I strongly recommend studying with Miss Queen.

- Thank you, Mr. Rockwell. I'll take it into account.

- I hope that for the whole school, only you, Pamela and one teacher, show at least some interest in painting.

After collecting his things, John headed out of the classroom, Pamela was waiting for him at the door.

- What did the teacher say?

- I suggested trying harder.

- Ahaha, he's right, but you still won't get a flattering review of your drawing from him. He is one of those who criticizes well, not praises.

- I don't need praise, rather I want to draw well.

- Then you need accessories for this, there is a store with goods for artists and other cultural figures in the city center.

- Can we go there together? How about tomorrow after school?

- Less than a day has passed since your girlfriend left, and you're already asking someone else out?

- Do you think this is a date?

- It looks like a date.

-But that's not it.

-Then what it is?

- A walk?

- Yeah, a walk with a girl after school, downtown shopping. Sounds like a date.

- No, it's not.

- Why?

- Do you want it to be it?

- Maybe.

- Then it's a date.

- Here you are, Mr. Vic, your diagnosis is "Skirt Hunter".

-You don't wear skirts, and neither does Jessica.

- You don't deny the part with the hunter.

-Are you coming or not?

- Of course I'm coming, you'll choose something lame yourself.

- Are you making excuses?

- Maybe.

A friendly argument with jokes and a pinch of flirting occupied the teenagers on the way to the bus stop. Their houses were on the same route, Pamela left in ten minutes, and John had to wait for the final one.

When he got home, John went to have a snack and do his household chores. Vladislav was in the fields, and Isolde most likely went to the store or is chatting with her neighbors in her literary club. The guy completed his homework in about an hour, he had time before dinner, so, riding Sleipi, John headed to his old place by the lake. The new John was in this significant and secret place for the first time.

- "A wonderful place, despite the fact that it is already October, it is still relatively warm here, I need to start a fire and swim. "

Being a native of Mother Russia, grandfather Vladislav taught his grandson to swim in any weather and temperature, calling this mockery hardening. Even forced to dive into the ice hole several times during the winter. The October cool weather for ordinary children was comfortable for John.

After bathing and warming up by the fire, John decided to deal with the last part of the beginner's package.

- Mara, open the roulette, I hope I have a white hand today.

- <Ok host.>

[3 lottery tickets were used. Congratulations on the purchase:

1- 10 000$

2- 5 tablets for training

3- Random mutation from your world.

All prizes have been placed in the inventory, we are waiting for you again. ]

- Harvest is not bad, everything is clear with money. What are the training pills and mutation?

- < You can read the description in the inventory tab.>

- What is Mara? You don't want to talk to me?

- < The thing is that you are developing the habit of talking to me out loud. You hear my answers, but the people around you may think that you are schizophrenic. >

- Okay, okay, I'll try to communicate mentally, you have to understand how unusual this is for me. Before, there were no voices in my head, much less a system.

# Inventory.

Money: $10,000

X5 Training Tablet - The tablet increases the user's talent in any combat training by 3 times. The duration is 3 hours. It can be used once a day.

Capsule with mutation (random) X1 - After eating the capsule, the user will receive a random mutation of the genome, in this case, the gene (X) will awaken, or will be vaccinated to the user.

- Mara, how random is the mutation?

- < Absolutely random, you can turn into a beast or get telepathy and telekinesis. It all depends on luck.>

- Then I'm glad that I have a very high one.

Taking the capsule out of the inventory, John prayed to the gods of games and randomness, and threw it into his mouth.

[Congratulations on getting the X-gene. Your nervous system has been improved. Reflexes and reaction time improved.

The brain transmits signals faster.]

- Another passive ability. It seems to be good, I think I was lucky after all.

# Name: Jonathan Wilson Vic

Race: Human / Mutant (+)

Class: -

Level: 1-0

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 10

Endurance: 10

Intelligence: 45

Luck: 45

Statistics Points: 10

Store Points: 1000

Skills: Gamer's body; Gamer's mind; Super nerves; Limitless optimization.