Late at night.
Locke left Gwen's apartnt just a step before George returned. By chance, as he walked out of the building, he saw George getting out of his car across the street.
Their eyes t.
George glanced at his watch and then at Locke. "Cutting it a bit close to the curfew, aren't you?"
Locke replied smoothly, "I have faith that the NYPD can protect us, George."
"Hmm?"
"Nothing."
Locke opened his mouth, initially wanting to give George a heads-up, but rembering Helen's expression when he left, he just gave George a sympathetic smile. "Helen is still awake."
With that, Locke bid George goodnight, clicked his car remote, hopped into his Audi, and roared away from the street.
George watched Locke's taillights disappear, frowning. 'Helen is still awake?' His heart skipped a beat as realization dawned. He swallowed hard.
'That's not right. I "paid my taxes" yesterday. Why would she be awake? Did the toys run out of batteries? Unlikely, those things in the bedroom are all rechargeable.'
George's mind spiraled into chaos as he walked toward the door.
...
Locke, anwhile, wasn't overthinking things. He parked his car at the Star Tower and headed up to his penthouse.
*Pop!*
He poured himself a glass of bourbon at the bar, took a long sip, then refilled it and headed up to his second-floor study. "System!"
Instantly, the interface appeared in his field of vision.
There was only one week left until school started. Locke pulled a sheet of paper from the printer and began sketching and writing. He treated every school sester as a milestone; usually, he spent a portion of his saved points at these junctions.
As the saying goes: you can't charge into the endga wearing starter gear. This was a ga, but it wasn't one with infinite respawns. One had to be "scientific" about being reckless. Mindless aggression was a death sentence.
Ti to upgrade the Resilience talent.
**[Ding!]**
[Supernatural Talent: Resilience (Red Quality/Level 2) upgrade to Tenacity (Red Quality/Level 3) requires 40,000 Potential Points.]
[Confirm/Cancel]
"Confirm."
**[Ding!]**
[Upgrade Successful!]
[Supernatural Talent: Tenacity (Red Quality/Level 3): Even in the heat of battle, your stamina and energy will be an endless stream, unyielding to exhaustion. Simultaneously, your physical body has been significantly enhanced.]
Locke clenched his fists.
'Power!' He felt the illusion that he could punch straight through a steel plate. After a mont, the initial rush faded, but the sensation remained. He really could punch through steel now—though perhaps not the vault doors of a major bank. He'd just leave a deep fist print on those.
From the beginning, Tenacity had been his anchor. Before he obtained Infinite Energy, Tenacity was his survival foundation. Now, Infinite Energy allowed him to switch to the Witch template and output massive damage, but Tenacity ensured he remained safe.
Tenacity was the Warrior; Infinite Energy was the Mage. Comprehensive developnt was the only way to rule.
He looked at his notes and began a total overhaul. By the ti the sun began to peek over the horizon, Locke's "1.9 update" was complete.
[Current Status Refresh:]
[Na: Locke Broughton (Sole Player)]
[Class: Assassin (Current) (Switchable Witch Template)]
[Achievent Points: 33,000]
[Potential Points: 35,000]
[Supre Talent: Extraordinary (Gold Quality/Level 1): My energy is endless...]
[Supernatural Talent: Tenacity (Red Quality/Level 3): Rapid recovery of stamina even in combat; massive physical enhancent.]
[Supernatural Skill: Gun Kata (Blue Quality/Level 1): Your marksmanship is profound and peerless.]
[Supernatural Skill: Falconry (Advanced): The falcon you train will be your eyes. Your thoughts and its sight are one. (But... where is your falcon?)]
[Supernatural Skill: Stealth (Interdiate): If you are careful, you can pull off a real-life '3-Iron' ghost act.]
[Faction: Land of Light (M78 Nebula)]
[mbers: 1/1 (Though your energy is infinite, you can currently only share it with one person)]
[Na: Carrie White]
[Class: Witch]
...
After a shower and a change of clothes, Locke took his first glass of bourbon to the balcony. He raised the glass to the rising sun, admired his new attributes, and drained it.
This was the result of a night's worth of tinkering.
He upgraded Tenacity for survivability and defense. He upgraded his "Curve bullet" into Gun Kata, a powerhouse ability that fused physical combat, marksmanship, and swordsmanship into one terrifying offensive package.
He also bumped up the Stealth skill from the Brotherhood. It was a useful utility that allowed him to slip past crowds and security unnoticed—his ultimate escape tool.
As for the Max-Level Falconry when he didn't even own a bird?
Locke felt he'd need it eventually. Better to spend the points now while he had them than to scramble when he actually found a bird.
The rest? He wouldn't touch. He needed to save for a Godhood or bloodline. He wasn't a "live for the mont" spender; this current build would likely last him the rest of the year. A man living alone had to be frugal, after all.
'I really am a saver.'
With a smirk, Locke walked into the living room, grabbed his keys, and headed out.
...
Half an hour later, Locke picked up Gwen and drove toward a reputable restaurant near the harbor.
"So, how was last night?"
"You abandoned ."
"Ahem." Locke coughed, glancing at Gwen in the passenger seat. "I told you I was leaving, and you agreed."
He hadn't wanted to stay and make things awkward while George tried to console Helen. But if Gwen had insisted, he would have stayed. She hadn't.
Gwen looked at him and laughed. "I'm kidding, Locke."
Locke smiled. When they first t, Gwen was a brilliant student who was gentle but guarded against strangers. Now, she had returned from her "Academic Goddess" state to be a gentle, playful girlfriend.
Gwen shrugged. "Dad slept on the sofa last night. And Mom didn't make him breakfast this morning."
'Poor George.' Locke offered a silent prayer for the man. He could swear to God that he hadn't chosen Patty Finn just so George could "interact" with her. That had to be clear. If George and Helen ended up in divorce court, Locke wasn't taking the bla.
Gwen looked at him sideways. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
"You're thinking about whether George and Helen will get a divorce."
"...I am not."
Gwen's eyes crinkled into cute crescents. "It's fine, I thought about it too. But do you know what happened the last ti this happened?"
Locke looked at her curiously.
Gwen giggled. "The last ti Dad slept on the sofa... eleven months later, I had a new little brother."
Locke: "..."
'Holy shit.' Locke was stunned. One fight equals one new brother?
He looked at Gwen with an inquisitive gaze. She nodded. "Yep. My guess? By this ti next year, I'll have another brother or sister on the way."
Locke didn't know what to say. After a long silence, he parked the car at the restaurant and turned off the engine. "Congratulations."
Gwen: "..."
A valet walked up to the Audi R8 and took the keys from Locke.
"Wash it for too, thanks."
"Of course, sir." The valet took the keys along with a crisp hundred-dollar bill and nodded happily. "Thank you, sir!"
Gwen pushed her door open and looked at Locke as he followed her. "Congratulations? That's the best you could co up with?"
Locke shrugged. "What else am I supposed to say?"
Apart from congratulations, what was there? He was a student; his main job was studying.
Gwen paled. "I already have three stinky little brothers."
Heavens. If another one ca, Gwen felt she might lose it. She had finally trained Little George to respect his big sister, was currently working on six-year-old Mark, and hadn't even started on two-year-old Alan yet.
If another one arrived next year? Gwen felt she would go crazy.
Locke spotted Dylan and Maggie already at a table and waved to them. He led Gwen over. "Look on the bright side, maybe it'll be a sister. Haven't you always said you wanted one?"
Gwen rolled her eyes. "I also wish I had a daughter."
Locke grinned. "That might be a bit difficult right now."
"Why?"
"Because if you got pregnant now and it interfered with you going to university, George would definitely take 'hunting.' And I'd be the deer."
"..."
***
Bonus for 300 stones 🎉
Thanks for the support y'all 💕
Let's make the goal 500 stones, if we get them before Sunday reset. I'll post 3 more bonue chapters at once.
***
Read 30 Chapters early on P-atreon/Redestro666
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