CH 67

"You can skip school tomorrow as well, so take a rest and get better. It's already handled by the principal so don't worry."

"Thanks Ms. Jessica!" 

"No worries, no worries."

Jessica's voice lingered on Zel's mind. He`s currently watching the surroundings flash by as the car is driving to his home. The few stray cats he was seeing made him remember about that monster he fought earlier. What would happen if those things show up in real life too?

After clearing his mind of random thoughts, Zel then turned his attention towards his phone. He was going to send his friends a message to inform them that he was fine, but then he saw something strange.

'When did I install this?' Staring at the new app on his phone, he thought about this new smartphone thing. He was only given the phone a week ago, just as school was about to start. So the new technological marvel in his hands were totally new to him.

Zel took a look around, checking on his surroundings. Ms. Jessica left when he entered the van so the only person with him was the driver sitting in the front. Seeing as no one can see him, he pressed on the new 'TotallyNormal' app.

[Application cannot be opened unless the user is in an isolated area. Please try again later.]

"Huh?" Zel who was surprised at the notification quickly pressed it again. But it still presented the same message. Having no choice, he placed the phone down while sighing. It seems he needed to talk with the voice again, or he would have a lot of things to find out by himself.

"Hey, kid. Is this the place?" The old driver, Jamie Sanchez, called the boy out. He was pointing at the right side of the van where a beige gate that surrounded a house stood. Zel's home.

"Oh! Thank you, mister." Zel picked up his bag and left the van. He waved his hands before turning around to face his house. The gate was still closed and he didn't see anyone coming.

"No problem, kid. Make sure you take a good rest now." Jamie seemed to care as he didn't just speed up and drive away. Before he left, he waved his hand at Zel's direction. Though it was strangely done too high for it to be for him, so he took a look behind him.

"Son! Hurry and come inside. Your mother's waiting for you." Zel's father, Tommy was already standing by the opened gate when Zel wasn't watching. He took the backpack from the boy while giving him a pat on the head.

"Ok, dad." Zel who had already been thinking about his mother simply nodded before heading in first.

'Kids, eh. So quick to change.' Tommy shook his head at the sight of it. He was so worried about the attitude his son was giving them this morning but now he was back to his cheerful old self. Hopefully the time he had when he left earlier made him forgot his mother's seemingly outrageous treachery what ever happened before.

"Zel! How are you son?" Mel who was preparing dinner walked out of the kitchen when she heard her husband's voice. She quuckly raised her son while holding him tightly.

"I'm fine, mom. I was just tired. The nurse said I just needed rest." Zel gently rubbed his mother's back to comfort her. He even gave her a peck on the cheeks to make her feel better. It always made him feel better when someone does that to him.

"Alright, alright. You go to take a rest first, young man. I'll call you when dinner is ready." Tommy went to his son's side as soon as Mel let him down. Her eyes were already tearing up due to the stress that built up from worry. Thankfully he's fine or she didn't know what she'd do if he wasn't.

Zel only took his phone before he left his bag downstairs, heading to his room. He was very curious about the mysterious app, but he knew it had something to do with the voice in his head.

When he reached his room, he first locked the door before searching his closet for something. Soon afterwards, he took out a small knife that he had kept in case of emergencies. Though it was simply here because he used it as a makeshift screwdriver and forgot to put it back downstairs. Now it serves a new purpose, to be his weapon should the need for it arise.

'Alright! I'm ready!'

Mentally preparing himself, Zel took to his feet. His upright and straight stature evoked seriousness while his free hand was holding his phone. Using the hand that held the knife, he finally pressed on the 'TotallyNormal' app.

[Welcome the System, Ranker! 

- Access the Room

- Check Personal Status

- Check Council Status

- Check Kingdom Status]

"Hmm? What the heck is this?" Zel pressed on the first option, thinking that it might be related to the dream he had earlier. That was a room he was in, after all. Perhaps that means he could now freely go to it whenever he wants.

[Access Denied: Mana too low, try again later.]

"Really? How would I even kn- Oh." Zel then pressed on the second button, having a clue on what he should do next.

[Welcome Zel! The system I have created for you is now in place. In sixty seconds, you will be given a memory link that contains details regarding the 'status' function. Of course, this isn't something done to intentionally harm you, so don't worry about that. Hold on tight and try to keep it in or your parents would probably interrupt the sequence. Though you should probably sit, or even lie down for this. It's going to start in three, two, one.]

"Ah! Shh-" Zel dropped his knife to hold his aching head. He was about to scream when he remembered the warning. His chest feels like it is burning, as if his lungs are getting filled with ice cold water, so much so that his legs had given out as he knelt on the ground. He didn't know when but the pain suddenly stopped. Afterwards, he focused his mind before he finally saw the ceiling.

"I hate this, I don't even know why I'm so curious about it."

Zel almost couldn't stop himself from throwing his phone out the window in anger. Thankfully the pain seemed to have been accompanied by a blessing. Inside his mind right now are details about the functions listed out in the system. He swears he never learned it from anywhere before it suddenly popped up in his brain.

"Status Check!" Zel pumped his fist in the air, watching the air in front of him intently.

"..." The expected short moment turned to minutes but only silence greeted the boy. Zel had kept his raised hand in the air, as if he was waiting for something.

"Status Check! Status Check! Status Check! ..." After trying a few more times, it was time to accept that he was wrong. Choosing to lay down on his bed instead to ease his embarrassment, even though he was the only one in his room.

He could have sworn that it would work. It was only when he remembered to check his phone that he understood. He won't see it in the air, that's what his phone was for.

" Sigh . Such an idiot. Oh? I get it now!" Zel focused his attention on the listed information on his phone screen. Finally, he was getting somewhere in this whole situation.