Relief

"Hi, mom." With a choked voice, Kael greets his mother. His eyes were teary, and his expression was broken down into full of desperation and terrified. After learning that his family had a high chance to die, his mind reeled on that possibility. He began to picture his family lying motionlessly on the ground from that moment onward. Only by repeatedly asking questions to Clara can he distract and clear his mind a little. He did the same thing to Galagar. However, the moment he entered the library, the image of his parent's death couldn't help but emerge from his mind. The tranquil situation silently took a toll on his body.

Fortunately, the system encyclopedia occupied his mind, thus, preventing his imagination from running wildly. But, that only works temporarily. So when he leaves the library, he tries to harden his mind, creating a wall to keep his emotions untouched/in place, he does not want to let his emotions affect his decision once more.

But alas, it only takes one call for the walls he is struggling to keep intact collapse. The moment his mother calls him, Kael's emotion starts flooding his brain, resulting in tears being pooled from his eyes instantly.

As he didn't want to scare his mother, he tried to act calm but involuntarily ended up but stumble over his words. He hated himself for being weak. He hated it!

"Is everything alright, El?" Sophia asked worriedly. He could tell that her voice is slightly quivering. He hated himself for being the one responsible for that.

Breathing deeply, Kael stared at the view of a beautiful lake in front of him to calm his mind and lied, "Of course, mom. I just choked on my food earlier because your call was unexpected."

He hears his mom sighing in relief before she goes to ask, "So, how's your school?"

"Not bad, though, I could only attain Tier 9 from the test." (For my old readers, I changed some stuff on the earlier chaps. For now, he's Tier 9."

"Well, that's good to hear. A great person usually starts from the bottom." Sophia exclaimed a chuckle left her mouth in the next second.

'That's not true.' Kael subconsciously wants to retort but refrained himself and went along with her joke.

"Did someone bully you?"

"Is your relationship with your roommates good?"

"Are the canteen foods your liking?"

Sophia asked several questions regarding his stuff, while Kael patiently answered them all one by one. It's just like the old times, he thought to himself. During the talk, Kael keeps throwing some small rocks on the lake, earning a bloop sound. Unconsciously, his worry begins to dissipate, as his heart starts to feel warm, and his chaotic mind settling down.

At the end of the call, Kael was smiling the entire time. Sweeping his gaze across the lake, he realized many couples were doing rendezvous at this hour. Taking a deep breath, Kael rose from his position and roared to vent up his feelings, "Aaaah!!"

His roar echoed through the lake, all pairs of eyes present near the lake immediately shifted toward the source of the sound. Because Kael was standing in the dark part, they couldn't perceive his appearance clearly. This makes Kael less embarrassed and quickly retreated from the area as he didn't want to be caught by them and get embarrassed further.

Heading out to his dorm, Kael steps were light, without any burden in contrast to the earlier day. His whole being is now radiating with cheerfulness and determination. At this moment, Kael begun to see the main quest as his fuel for his striving to be better instead of seeing it as terror.

Arriving at his dorm, Kael was greeted by the sight of Tanaka, who looks very lively in comparison to his earlier appearance. His face remains pale, but the weariness no longer exists. In fact, he looks even more energetic than Galagar.

"What's wrong with you?" words came out from his mouth before Kael became aware.

"Nothing happened. I'm always like this." Tanaka shrugged his shoulders before proceeding to say with a tone of gratitude, "Thanks for the meal by the way. I'll return the favor later."

Shaking his head profusely, Kael refused, "No, don't mind it. Just treat it as a gift for the beginning of our friendship."

"Alright then." Tanaka briskly ended the topic.

He hears the bathroom door opened, and Galagar tower's figure emerges from it. With towel draping across his shoulders, as he dried his hair with it.

Spotting Kael sitting on the edge of his own bed, Galagar asked, "You've returned?"

"No," Kael responded curtly.

Galagar was dumbfounded for a moment before getting aware of his obvious question. Gnashing his teeth, Galagar huffed out loudly, Kael grinning at this sight.

They continued to talk until 10 P.M before deciding that it was time for them to sleep because tomorrow is a hectic day for new students. They were required to collect their uniforms and attend classes. This made Kael a bit excited, resulting in him having a hard time sleeping.

As the exciting new day arrives, Kael's eyes are covered in black, making him look like a panda. Ruffling his hair annoyedly, Kael saunters to the lavatory to freshen up.

They start to leave the dorm at exactly 7 A.M the time as other students. The crowd then makes their way toward the same indoor court where they signed up yesterday. As they arrived at the crossroad, they met the girl's crowd. Instantly, Kael felt the surroundings turn quiet and tense. He glanced at his roommates who seemed to have no idea what's happening. He then glances at another group and sees that they are practically staring at the girls intensely to the extent their noses are flaring up.

Shaking his head, Kael muttered under his breath, "What a bunch of simps."

While the girl's group was filled with chattering, giggling, and gossip. Boy's groups were filled with nothing but silence. His eyes just then fell upon a boy with a charming look. Not because he was enchanted by his handsomeness, it was because the boy was slowly moving in the girl's group direction.

With interest, Kael watches the show that's about to lay in front of his eyes.