NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 23 – Thinking about the future (Part 1)
*OLIVIA’S POV*
*tiriring~ tiriring~*
I suddenly open my eyes as soon as the alarms started sounding. I sit on my bed while turning it off. Looking at the hour, it’s 4:00 AM. I stand up and immediately look for my training clothes. I don’t have any time to lose.
Once changed, I grab a bag I always leave close to the door and run out of the dorms, towards the training center. Every second, every minute is important. I just have a little more than 3 weeks.
I put my smartwatch on the scanner, and the door immediately opens.
[Rank 400, Olivia V. Ruiz, Confirmed.]
With the machine confirming my identity, I pass through and leave my bag on the locker, taking out just a towel and a bottle of water, the same bottle of water that asshole gave me the first time I talked to him.
Once ready, I walk directly to one of the gravity chambers and stop in front of its door. I hate this machine. But sadly, it’s the only way I can increase my speed and stamina, at least if what the asshole said was true. And even if I want to find faults in anything he says, I know myself that it does works… I’ve been feeling it recently.
{I just hope that it will let me become fast and durable enough to shut his mouth… But… A month… That’s just too little time… You fucker…}
Without time to think, I enter. From inside I can see the control system. I automatically configure it for this training session.
[Difficulty level: 4]
[Number of enemies: 0]
[Enemies difficulty: 0]
[Type of training: Running]
{To think that I’ve barely increased the difficulty level to 4… I need to keep going. C’mon Olivia. You need to do it.}
While thinking that, I start the gravity chamber, and immediately, a small circular running circuit lights up while the gravity around me suddenly increased, making it difficult for me to move at a normal speed. After that, I start doing my laps around the illuminated path, without using mana. {This time I have to resist as much time as I can.}-I thought while running.
*CRISTOPHER’S POV*
I woke up, ready for another day of boring classes. Last Monday was the only one with a training course, so the next one will be tomorrow Tuesday, also Wednesday and Thursday.
Standing up from the bed I go to take a shower. Yesterday was something of a weird day. I thought that the monsters would be something harder to fight. But… If the monster that brought them to the city was only an intermediate rank 1 Beast Inciter, I could see why they were so weak...
{Well, gladly this time there were not so many injures, and no deads. I don’t want to assume things by myself, but somehow, I can imagine that one of those that ended up dead in the original novel was Fran or someone else from the orphanage, trying to lead the wolves away. Those wolves went directly there, and with their good olfactory sense, it wouldn’t be impossible for them to find the basement.}
While thinking about what could have happened, I step out of the shower and go to put on my cadet uniform, ready to go to classes.
“Hey.”-I salute Hajin as soon as I sit down.
“Hey…”-He says, almost murmuring with a somewhat long face.
“Why almost every time that I see you you have that long-face?”
“…”-He didn’t say anything and just pointed with his pen to my front.
I look in front and can see Chae Nayun. She’s giving some serious anger vibes there.
“Oh, it was that…”-I said, finally understanding. The next thing I do is write in my notebook a few words.
*Sad that the girl you like is angry at you?*
“Wha-!! She’s not-”-Hajin suddenly loses his composture, almost screaming. But realize it and stopped screaming.
“She’s not the girl I like…”-He murmurs to me. But sadly, someone already heard the noise and turned to look at us, well, at him, with glaring eyes. Chae Nayun.
“Could you shut up? You’re noisy.”-She says before, turning to the front again.
“Ha! Yeah, Hajin, shut up man. Even the rowdy girl tells you so.”-I say, not caring for the side-way glare Chae Nayun is giving me now.
I then write in my notebook again.
*Sad that the girl you like is asking you to shut up?*
“…*sigh…*Stop, dude…”-Says Hajin with a tired face.
“Why? Don’t want someone to know you like Chae Nayun?”- I murmur this time.
“Is this all about Olivia being your girlfriend?”-He suddenly asks out of the blue.
“50/50, for one, yes. I’ve told you a million times she’s not. And for two, I’m having fun.”-I said to him.
“…”-He just stares at me directly with a blank face.
“Fine, fine, I’ll stop.”- I said as the teacher entered the classroom.
The rest of the day just wen without any eventuality, but something was on my mind constantly.
{Just what I’m supposed to do.}-I thought while being widespread on the coach. I feel like I’ve been more than half my stay in this world over this coach…
Since coming here, the only significant thing I’ve done is help with the monsters attacking the city. Nothing else. Not even helping Hajin, aside from the fact of giving him someone else to talk to about all this crazy shit.
{Should I keep going like this? I mean… It’s boring…}
While going to Cube, and seeing all that this place has to offer isn’t bad. It isn’t enough. I’m stagnating. I’m not even going to train anymore, as those training machines can’t be of any help to me at this point.
I earlier looked at my laptop, and my Affinity was barely 8%, which means it augmented 2% since the last time. But I still don’t know why it did, nor even what I’m supposed to have Affinity to…
{I mean… I did think about it being somewhat my affinity to good or bad deeds, or even to the good guys or bad guys. But I can’t confirm it unless I go and do some shitty things, just to see if it decreases…}
It could also have something to do with how much I involve with this world as a whole, which could be a reference to my affinity to this world. But. I don’t have anything confirmed.
{That will give me a headache sooner or later…}
“…*sigh…*What can I do?”
*OLIVIA’S POV*
Right now I’m in the training center and it’s 23:00… Almost midnight… But this guy… The bastard… Isn’t here again…
{Just what’s wrong with him? Isn’t he going to train?}
Just while I was thinking that; I see someone doing weights, or well, trying to do weights. He’s the guy I normally see talking with Cristopher.
{Kim Hajin… was it? Well, whatever. I’ll ask him.}- I think before going to where he’s trying to lift some weights.
Once there I wait for him to finish.
“…15...huff…”-Says Hajin while finishing a round of lifting.
{15? With that weight, he sure is weak as fuck…}
-I thought.“Hi!”- I say hi to him smiling after he sits up.
“Huff… huff… huh? Oh, hi?”- He answers after catching his breath.
“I don’t know if you remember seeing me or something?”
“Huh? Oh, aren’t you Cristopher’s girlfri- I mean, friend?”
{Who would be the girlfriend of an asshole like him? I’m not crazy.}
“Yeah! Exactly, I’m his FRIEND. So you do remember me.”-I answer, emphasizing the ‘friend’ part.
“Oh, okay, so…”-he says with a somewhat weirded face.
“Ah, sorry, I’m Olivia by the way!”-I introduce myself while putting my hand up for a handshake.
“Oh, my name’s Kim Hajin!”- He introduces himself while shaking my hand. “And I know you, Cristopher has told me about you.”
{Huh? So that bastard has been speaking ill of me behind my back? Would you look at that!!!}
“Really? And may I know what things has he told you about me? I hope good things right? He can be funny sometimes!”-I answer while beaming a happy smile.
“Ye-yeah… hahaha, good things, only good things... haha…”-Or what I thought was a happy smile; because he somewhat tries to evade my face while giving a stuttering answer that’s obviously a lie.
{I knew it! That asshole has been speaking bad things about me. He’ll see… Next time I see him I’ll make him hear me really well.}
“Oh, then that’s good!”-I answer with a smile again. “By the way, have you heard something from him?”
“Mmm? Something like what?”
“Like why he isn’t coming to train or something?”
“Now that you mention it… He used to come at this hour right?”
“Yeah, but hasn’t been here the last few days. So I was starting to get worried about him, maybe something happened to him?”-I ask him trying to bring out some info.
“Well… He hasn’t told me anything about it, but as far as I know, he doesn’t have any problem.”
“Really? Well, that’s good then. I’ll leave so you can keep training! I also have to train, you see haha”-I say, leaving to the gravity chamber.
“Oh? Okay, good luck.”
“You too!”-I answer while glancing sideways on my way.
{Really, that bastard… Why hasn’t he come here? Is he really just evading me? Is he that petty for not to train just to evade me? Such an asshole…}
I thought while going inside the gravity room and starting it up.
“Well, either way, I still have to train hard.”
*KIM HAJIN’S POV*
I just sit on the lifting bench, watching Olivia entering one of the gravity chambers.
{She’s not half as bad as Cristopher make her be, so why?}
“Well… He’s also weird, maybe he can’t see something I can in her?”
I seriously thought about what just happened. But I can’t find anything.
“Nah, maybe he’s just exaggerating. I would bet anything that he’s the wacko, not her. She seemed like a really nice person. Well, I better keep training. There’s still a little time until midnight. I can keep going.”