Chapter 13: Physical Progress (2)
After feeling the changes in his body, Christian turned his attention to his stomach. It felt peculiar, as if it were literally stirring—he was starving!
The process didn't take more than a minute, but Christian still felt a slight change in himself. And after reviewing the information he'd collected, he realized something: normally, it would be impossible to practice high-intensity exercises for fifteen hours straight without breaking down. But with his system, his body had received the benefits of working at high efficiency for that long.
It was a truly joyful discovery.
Opening his eyes, and looking at his hands then his clothes filled with sweat, Christian knew he needed to take a bath immediately. But he was still relieved it wasn't the infamous black goo from Xianxia novels with a terrible smell.
Then, when he looked at the system message, he was surprised: the amount of experience was much higher than he expected, but the skill level was still at zero.
From his previous experience with Program Hacking, Christian knew that level zero was just an introduction to the skill, nothing more, usually cleared quickly with some basic knowledge. However, seeing his current level, he was surprised. Were the information he received still not enough to advance?
As he didn't have a clear answer to this question, christian though about the amount of the experience, and it didn't take much time, as he though of what changed. The previous times had involved only knowledge, but this time there were two changes: information drilling and physical changes. And the skill, being more advanced than his previous ones, likely contributed to this increase.
So he couldn't attribute the experience gain to anything other than these two combined elements.
Deciding he needed to act quickly, Christian first collected the accumulated knowledge from the other two slots.
[You have received 80 Experience]
[You have received 90 Experience]
[The skill High School Knowledge had become Lv.8(15%)]
[The skill Basic Program Hacking had become Lv.7(30%)]
Seeing that the amount of experience points for high school subjects was even less than for program hacking, Christian felt disappointed. However, knowing he could achieve perfection in no more than one week, or even sooner, he decided to bear up with it.
Going to the bathroom and taking a quick shower, Christian finally felt relieved from the sticky feeling.
Christian in nature preferred winter over summer for its cold and the cleaner feeling it brought. The discomfort from sweat during sports and physical activity was also one of the reasons he disliked moving his body too much. So, feeling clean again after his shower brought him a great sense of comfort.
After putting on his school uniform, Christian glanced at the watch and realized how quickly time was passing today. Now he needed to eat quickly if he wanted to make it to his first class on time.
Heading to the dining room, Christian saw that his sister had prepared breakfast and was still eating, having not yet gone to work. He greeted her first.
"Good Morning, Sis"
"Good morning to you too, dear."
Sitting at his chair and starting to eat, Christian couldn't help but rush through the light meal, and knowing it wouldn't be enough. He planned to prepare something more substantial for himself later, not wanting to trouble his sister.
But seeing her brother gobbling up his food as if he was a homeless person who hadn't eaten in a month, Annabelle felt a pang of concern. She wondered if she hadn't provided enough food yesterday and if she should start making more for breakfast. Though neither of them were avid eaters, maybe it was her brother's sport of growth, and he need a lot of nutrient.
Looking at her watch and noting that it was time for her to head out, Annabelle hesitated for a moment but finally said.
"Should I prepare something more for you if this meal isn't enough?"
Seeing his sister trying to be more considerate toward him, even with her strict work schedule, and not knowing what she had been thinking earlier, Christian felt guilty and hurriedly replied.
"No, no, sister. It's just that I have something to do and wanted to finish eating quickly. You should get going already. I'll head out a little later."
Although Annabelle didn't quite buy her brother's excuse, she remembered how she couldn't afford to be late today, especially with the annoying client she had. She decided to set her feelings aside for now and leave. Tonight, after she came home from work, she would prepare much more food for him.
"Okay, I'll get going. And don't forget to lock the door after you leave."
Saying so, Annabelle walked over to her brother, gave him a light kiss on the cheek, and then headed out.
Now alone, Christian felt a bit embarrassed, especially knowing how his sister treated him like a child. However, burying his shame, he comforted himself by reminding himself that once he accumulated more money, he would become the primary provider for the house.
After finishing the meal in front of him, Christian went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, searching for something easy and quick to prepare. Fortunately, he found some leftovers from yesterday.
He took the leftovers out, heated them, and ate quickly. Then after washing his hands, he grabbed his school bag from his room and left the house.
Walking at a fast pace, Christian, already feeling mentally exhausted from the morning, before he even arrived at the school, questioned why he was putting himself through all this trouble for school.
But as he was still grumbling, he arrived near the entrance and spotted Olivia's expensive car. Feeling like god was rewarding him for his hard work, he stopped and looked carefully to see if her older sister was around, only to end up feeling disappointed not finding her.
He started walking again, only to see the car pass by him with its window open. His future girlfriend was looking out, and as their eyes met for an instant, Christian felt time stop, even if just briefly.
He felt a surge of happiness and continued with his day.