Chapter 35: New Friends are Better than Old Enemies

The mystery of the Emperor Class Monsters, the world ending, and Jaden's system were only getting deeper.

And Jaden sure didn't want to solve them! He was sick of them! He wanted them not to exist! 

Yet, those damn systems kept following him everywhere. Here was Arthur, creating a world around him just like that disgusting Giuseppe had. 

Ah, only it was useless. 

It transformed the jail cell into another cell, only with workout equipment. Jaden watched Arthur's IQ descend further and further. 

Arthur, an Emperor class monster? It was an impossibility, it had to be. Jaden didn't feel like a monster, but at least he knew his system could be powerful if it had to be. 

But Arthur!? 

"Jaden, move those beanpole arms! A man without muscles is like a dam without mussels!"

Beanpole!? His arms weren't that bad! Even if they were, he was a businessman! No one could expect him to be buff! Jaden was a little insulted, so he didn't answer. 

"Jaden Jaden Jaden Jaden Jaden Jaden Jaden Jaden."

He really, really, didn't want to answer Arthur. He really wanted to ignore him! He seemed to be nice enough, but he was very annoying! Jaden couldn't tell if a word he said was true, or if he was making it all up!!

But Arthur wasn't giving up. He kept repeating Jaden's name.

"What?" Jaden gave up. For all he knew, Arthur might continue to repeat his name for hours. Jaden already felt kind depressed, he didn't want to go insane too!

"So did you make up your mind? What do you say, will you become the latest member of my gang?"

Jaden considered it. He wouldn't mind meeting some people other than Arthur in this place. "What does your gang do exactly? I don't want to fight."

"I promise you never will have to in my game. We are the medical professionals of this prison." Arthur said very seriously.

Jaden…didn't believe it. He wouldn't trust Arthur with his health. "Oh yeah? What do you do, force people into your gym or something?"

Arthur smiled. "No, the gym is life, not medicine. I provide people comfort." With that, he stretched his hands out and the gym scenery began to swirl and disappear. 

Jaden sat up straighter. Perhaps he had judged Arthur too quickly. If he could create scenery other than a gym, like Giuseppe, maybe his power wasn't so bad.

Green leaves bloomed around Arthur, sprouting out of the cracks in the wall and covering the ground. It was almost beautiful, as if the jail cell had become a flourishing jungle. Jaden was sort of impressed.

Then he took a better look at the leaves. They had the unmistakable seven-part spiky leaf. It was clear it could only be one plant. 

Why the hell was he growing marijuana in a jail cell???

"Hey, get that stuff out of here! What are you doing, growing drugs in a prison!?" Jaden panicked, trying to pull out the plants. But every time he uprooted one, another grew in its place.

"Oh, Jaden, you didn't get put in jail for being too smart. It's not a crime to use it for medicine."

To call Jaden stupid was going too far!! As if a hardened criminal was going to use marijuana for medicinal purposes! And damn the law, if the warden found this they would have their sentences increased for centuries!!

"No wonder you got put in jail…" groaned Jaden. 

"I didn't use marijuana to help the Aye-Ayes escape?" Said Arthur, confused.

Jaden gave up. He actually gave up on Arthur's brain entirely. Well, he already kind of did that earlier. But now he had 100% given up. "Please tell me your system can do something else."

"It can!"

"Ok, let's see."

The marijuana plants shrunk into the walls as if they had never been there. Instead, the room transformed into….a gym.

"I meant other than that!!"

Arthur pulled out a weight and started lifting. "Systems never have more than three uses."

Uh, yes they did. It's just Arthur's Useless System that doesn't. 

Just then, there was a knock on the door. It was a firm, consistent knock that wasn't too loud nor too quiet. Jaden suddenly remembered that he was only supposed to stay in this cell until they figured out his system. He couldn't lie, he wouldn't mind having a cellmate who wasn't Arthur.

"All right, Arthur, nice knowing you." Jaden stood up.

Arthur wiped a tear from his eye and emotionally embraced Jaden. "No, the niceness was in me knowing you."

It really wasn't sad. They had known each other, how long? Not even one day? All the same, Jaden couldn't lie. He was slightly, just ever so slightly, touched.

Then the door opened, and Jaden saw the face of the guard who had come to collect him. He staggered backward.

He knew that face. It had greeted him in his nightmares ever since he got to this damn place. It had no makeup, and his hair was white-blonde, not coloured. His outfit was standard-issue and not personalized one bit. But he would never forget that face. 

It was Giuseppe P. Komedy.