Suppressed soul

[Usable points: 1] > [Usable points: 1.07]

It was only a small, meaningless change.

I raised my hands up and looked at my palms. They didn't feel any different, meaning, the existence of the system only served to direct its growth, not empower it directly.

My physical stats were lower than one, reflecting my lesser-than-average physique. An obvious result of the near malnutrition I suffered under the loving care of my aunt's family.

On the other hand, the lack of means of entertainment that led me to spend most of my free time on books helped me raise my mental stats slightly above what I considered the average.

'Here's the thing, though,' I thought, a stupid grin slowly creeping up my lips. "I'm more than used to enduring hell!'

My body twitched in excitement and revolted in terror.

Just a second out of the shadow and into the starlight plain, my growth raised by point zero-seven. Sure, it came at a cost of instant recollection of the worst moments of my life…

But I could handle it. If it meant such rapid growth, how could I ever afford to lose such an opportunity?

"Let's risk it for the biscuit," I spoke out while giving a mental command to the system.

[Endurance: 1.5] > [Endurance: 2.57]

[Usable points: 1.07] > [Usable points: 0]

I took a step forward. How could I dare to lose even a second when such an opportunity presented itself before me? And if my guess was correct and the value of one generally reflected the average of a human…

Then how much would raise my endurance to more than twice that help when stepping out into the plain?

I timed out the change to my stats right after I stepped out. And as a wave of depression struck me, I once again had to endure the same hell as before. Yet, after merely a second…

The pressure wavered and noticeably weakened.

So, I took another step, only for my mind to plunge right back into hell.

[Usable points: 0] > [Usable points: 0.23]

I moved one step further, fully exposing my entire body to whatever caused this torture-born growth.

[Usable points: 0.23] > [Usable points: 0.47] > [Usable points: 0.62] > [Usable points: 0.71]

"We will see you there," the voice of my alleged girlfriend's gal friends voiced in my head. "I promise we will find you some stud to knock that loser out of your mind!"

A shiver coursed down my spine. But I could endure reliving this hell.

I already heard those words, back when I stumbled upon the discussion I wasn't supposed to witness. Back when I learned how little my relationship was worth.

My vision changed, turning to the insides of my apartment when, just recently, I received a certain call.

"Oh, and before I forget, I will be busy this weekend, so we will have to move our date to later," the sweet, cheerful voice of my alleged girlfriend filled my ear. The pressure I was under the influence of only augmented the feelings Cass' voice invoked in my guts.

Even if our relationship was just a stupid dare, I really liked her, god damn it! That might been one of the major reasons why I decided against confronting the issue for an entire month!

'Sue me, for fuck's sake. I dare you to claim you wouldn't cling to an adorable girlfriend like Cass yourself!'

I shook my head, calming the inner rant directed at whoever might somehow listen to my thoughts.

[Usable points: 071] > [Usable points: 0.80] > [Usable points: 0.87] > [Usable points: 0.91]

My soul trembled. And how could it not? This was the moment when I received the one emotional scar I always feared gaining.

"Oh, and on that note…

[Usable points: 0.91] > [Usable points: 0.92] > [Usable points: 0.93] > [Usable points: 0.93]

The growth of my stats stalled. And so, I dumped it all into my endurance, again.

[Endurance: 2.57] >[Endurance: 3.5]

[Usable points: 0.93] > [Usable points: 0]

The vision wavered just as I cut the call off, unable to hear what else Cass had to say.

She pushed our date over the party I heard her friends invite her over with the intention of hooking her up with someone. A party that out of our entire class, I was the only one without the invitation.

Hurt by the moment, I simply couldn't handle whatever would come out of Cass' mouth. In my eyes, our relationship was over. And I had no mental strength left to take care of the fallout.

My stats ceased to grow. With my endurance either over triple that of an average human or, at least, considerably better, I could now stand in the Starlight plains with only a sense of general anxiety.

The visions ceased, leaving me back in the state of the distraught that I lived the last five years of my life in.

Looking further, I could see the nearby part when the intensity of the plain's effect grew slightly stronger, potentially allowing some further growth…

But for now, I stepped out.

There was absolutely no reason for me to take this challenge all at once. Doing so would only burn me out and sour the taste of this wonderful growth.

So, I took three steps back, falling into the shadow of the nearby forest.

"Haaa…"

It felt as if a physical burden fell down my shoulders, freeing me from the weight that I carried for the last five years. With my endurance now greatly improved, shouldering the burden of my situation suddenly turned easy… as if I didn't have an influential and powerful aunt who just laid her sticky hands on my inheritance.

"Wonderful…" A whisper escaped my mouth.

The sense of pressure that I grew too accustomed to and thus unable to even notice… was gone. And with it, the life energy that my situation suppressed, finally undid its chains and burst out like a fresh spring.

"Haha… ha…" Broken laughter slipped out of my mouth as an immense sense of relief filled every nook and cranny of my soul.

In the end, it wasn't my body that was entrapped in the prison my aunt created. It was my soul.

And now that it was freed…

"I guess I will level up some more, and then see what else there is to this world!"