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Chapter 8: New School, Time to Make Friends. Ryan sat while his back slightly hunched on the floor of his small, dimly lit room. Back pressed against the peeling wallpaper. The afternoon sunlight filtered weakly through the curtains, casting dull stripes across his shaky hands. He stared at the transfer letter which was in front of him. The paper felt like it weighed over a hundred pounds. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺 His breath became a bit shaky as he muttered. ’I...I actually got transferred.’ He wasn’t smiling, his heart wasn’t racing with joy. Instead, there was only a growing pit in his stomach.He clutched his head in both of his hands, fingers digging into his messy hair as the weight of it all pressed him down. "What the hell am I supposed to tell mom? What should I say to her about this?" he panicked as he said that. His voice cracked a bit. "She works double shifts at the convenience store just so that I can attend this average-ass school... and now this of all things?" He swallowed the dry lump of saliva in his throat. ’She’ll ask me multiple questions, she’ll think that I got expelled or something, that I messed up again.’ His thoughts spiraled around his mind. Fear, guilt, shame—all of them crashed into his brain at the same time like a tidal wave of tsunami. ’I can’t... I just can’t let her down again...’ He squeezed his eyes shut, gripping the letter like it might dissolve into something easier. THEN— [DING!] [Host, calm down.] [You may use this to your advantage.] [Say you were transferred due to high academic performance. That your grades made you eligible for a specialized program.] There was a noticeable pause in Ryan’s mind. Then, slowly... a flicker of light broke through the storm clouds. ’Say it’s because of my grades, huh?’ He looked down at the letter again. Then, slowly... There was no detailed reason listed on the note, just a generic form of letter. A shaky smile curled on his lips, even though sweat was still running down his temple. "Yeah...Yeah, this might actually work." He stumbled on his two feet, gently patting down his worn school uniform and reaching to his chest pocket. His fingers were wrapped around the beat-up old phone of his. ’Please pick up, please pick it up...’ he begged silently as it rang. CLICK. "Hello?" his mom’s voice answered from the other side, a bit tired from the fatigue but still gentle and comforting. Ryan inhaled sharply as he said. "Hey, mom. Uh... just wanted to tell you that I got transferred." "Transferred?" she repeated, a little surprised. "To where? And why?" He forced out a laugh. "Because of my grades, mom! They have been moving a few students with top scores to a new school. Better resources and all that kind of stuff." "Oh my God, Ryan! You’re serious? That’s so amazing! I knew my son is so smart! You’re making me so proud, baby." He turned away from the window, eyes glittering with shine of hope. "Yeah, I’ll keep working hard just like this in future too, mom." "You always do, don’t forget to pack your lunch, okay? Text me when you reach the new address too." His mom said, a little bit concerned. "I will, mom. Don’t worry!" He hung up and stared at the screen for a while, his hands still trembling slightly. ’That worked. She... she actually bought it.’ The guilt didn’t disappear off from his face, but it held down for a bit. The Next Morning. [DING!] [Host. Wake up.] [A new school. A new start. A new challenge.] Ryan groaned as he rolled over on his floor, the system’s voice echoed through his ears like an alarm clock from hell. ’You never shut up, do you mf’ [I’m sorry host, but this is the only way to forge your body.] Ryan sighed as he accepted his fate. He sat up and stretched his arms, bones creaking as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His body still ached from the fight. Bruises covered his arms and torso like badges from a war which he barely survived. He stood, moved to the small mirror beside his closet. His face looked a bit angular now, the puffiness was still there but it was a bit different. He felt a little pain but he thought. ’Yeah, I can definitely get used to this like this.’ After a quick shower and the little amount of leftover from his last meal he put on his new school’s uniform. It was a slightly oversized navy blazer with a new emblem stitched on the pocket of it. As he walked towards the school gate, a sudden pop up of system materialized in front of his eyes. [DING!] [New Quest Generated.] [Quest: Communicate and make friends with classmates.] [Reward: Minor growth in Endurance and Stamina stats.] Ryan blinked as he slowly kept taking small steps towards the class. ’Make friends? Me? Really?’ He chuckled softly, a bitter edge in his breath. ’Never in my life I thought that I would make them.’ He glanced up at the towering gates of his new school, polished and fancy. Far better than his old one. ’Alright then, I’ll do it.’ He kept one step into the school gate as he took a deep breath. ’Let’s see what this school is made of.’