________________________________
[Na: Idle Evolution System]
[Host: Cassius] - [Lvl 1]
[Title: Calorie Chaser (F)]
______________________________
[HP: 100] [MP: 100]
[FATIGUE: 0]. [AP: 0]
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[STRENGTH: 14] (Semi-Athletic)
[AGILITY: 16] (Could be the star of a Track and Field team)
[ENDURANCE: 13] (A woman might feel sothing with this level of endurance, but with what you're packing, good luck with that)
[INTELLIGENCE: 12] (You could pass as a nerd, but not a very smart one)
[PERCEPTION: 9] (You might be able to hear a whistling arrow before it hits you)
[CHARISMA: 10] (Average. Just average.)
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Cassius stared at the numbers, his face a mix of interest and annoyance. The words under each stat still managed to insult him, but at least they weren't as devastating as before.
"Better than when it called a 'Potato Sack on Legs' that one ti," he muttered. Still, his stats showed progress—a fact that filled him with a small, albeit cautious, sense of pride.
"Strength, agility, endurance…" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I guess all those hours of grinding are finally paying off. If only this garbage system would give sothing useful like more of those stats instead of shoving snarky comnts in my face all the ti."
He started to feel a little full of himself until a rough-looking young man barreled into him on the sidewalk. Cassius staggered back, barely keeping himself upright.
"What the hell?" Cassius snapped, glaring at the offender.
"What are you doing standing in my way, you fool!?" the man shot back, spitting on the ground near Cassius's shoes before hurrying after a girl in the distance. "Wait up, Isabella! Don't you realize just how much I love you!?"
"Go away, you loser!" the girl shouted, not even glancing back. "I told you, I'm not dating an F-Rank Awakened!"
"Co on, don't be like that!"
Cassius rolled his eyes.
The hierarchy of Awakened and unawakened individuals was brutal. Only ten percent of the population had the privilege of awakening, and those who didn't might as well have been invisible. Even within the Awakened, rank mattered—high-rank Awakened were practically celebrities, while lower ranks were barely better than the unawakened.
Hoshito, with its middling population, was a perfect breeding ground for this kind of hierarchy. Unless you were wealthy or held an indispensable role in society, unawakened individuals were treated like trash.
Cassius brushed himself off, sighing as he stood back up. The hot pavent burned against his palms, a harsh reminder of where he stood in the world. "Senior year's coming up, and I'm still at the bottom of the barrel," he muttered.
But the weight of years of disdain and dismissal pressed down on him, igniting a fla deep in his chest. "Let's see how long everyone can keep looking down on once I surpass them all."
His hands clenched into fists as he made a silent vow. He didn't know what his system's limits were, or what he'd beco by the end of this journey, but one thing was certain: He would push himself until the world had no choice but to acknowledge him.
For the next week, Cassius trained relentlessly. The streets, parks, and even the small gym he managed to join bore witness to his iron determination. Sit-ups, push-ups, sprints—his body beca a machine of ceaseless motion, driving itself to the edge of collapse.
By the seventh day, his system interface looked like this:
________________________________
[Na: Idle Evolution System]
[Host: Cassius] - [Lvl 1]
[Title: Gym Bro (E)]
______________________________
[HP: 100] [MP: 100]
[FATIGUE: 0]. [AP: 12]
______________________________
[STRENGTH: 22] (Athletic/Bodybuilder)
[AGILITY: 25] (Can outrun a fast Moped)
[ENDURANCE: 21] (You can overco your SDS (Small Dick Syndro) with this level of stamina)
[INTELLIGENCE: 20] (Could beco a Tutor)
[PERCEPTION: 20] (Do your spidey senses tingle yet?)
[CHARISMA: 20] (Pretty handso)
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Sweat dripped off Cassius's shirtless body as he powered through his final set of sit-ups for the day. Each rep brought him closer to his goal, and his body had begun to show the fruits of his labor. Defined muscles rippled with every movent, and his once-average fra now carried an undeniable aura of strength.
He let out a deep breath, the motion crisp and controlled. The system might've been annoying, but it worked.
Just as he wiped himself down with a towel, his stepsister Aya barged into the room.
"Hey, lend ten bucks—" she began, stopping mid-sentence when her gaze landed on him.
Her words faltered as she took in the sight before her. Cassius, still catching his breath, looked up from his towel, his chiseled abs glistening faintly in the room's light. His dium-length jet-black hair clung slightly to his forehead, framing a face that had clearly shed its forr diocrity.
Aya stared, her mind reeling. Was he always… this hot?
"Hmm?" Cassius blinked, finally registering her presence.
Aya jolted, suddenly aware of how obvious her staring had beco. "I-I… need ten dollars…" she stamred, her voice unusually timid.
Cassius raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
"I, uh… my friends and I… We're going out." She averted her gaze, the slightest hint of pink coloring her cheeks.
Cassius considered her request for a mont before shaking his head. "No."
"No?" Aya repeated, taken aback by his bluntness.
"You heard ," he said, tossing his towel aside. "I'm not giving you my money."
Aya fidgeted, her earlier confidence eroding under his straightforward refusal. "I… understand…" she murmured, turning to leave.
But just as she reached the door, Cassius appeared behind her, moving so quietly and swiftly she didn't even hear him.
"Here," he said, placing a small wad of cash on her head. "There's a little over a hundred in there. Use it for sothing nice—for yourself. Not for those so-called friends. And Aya… We're family. If you need sothing, I'll do whatever I can to help."
Aya froze, her fingers curling around the money as she turned to look at him. But by the ti she managed to find her voice, he was already gone, descending the stairs with a calm, confident stride.
She stared at the cash in her hands, warmth spreading through her chest. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as guilt swirled in her heart.
'Why did I say all those horrible things to him before? Why was I so cruel to soone who never deserved it?'
Aya clutched the money tightly, her earlier arrogance replaced by a deep, overwhelming sense of regret. "I don't deserve this…" she whispered, tears finally spilling over.
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