Rise of the Crusader

73 Dreams Into Reality

“What is it?!”

A second after Melinda’s loud voice rang out, Elisa stepped out of the kitchen. Elisa stared at everyone in the living room before her gaze landed on Melinda.

Meanwhile, Melinda’s eyes twitched, and regardless of how many times she stared at the numbers on the wristwatch, she wasn’t able to believe it.

“He... He is a freak!” Melinda exclaimed as she pointed her hand at Raphael.

When Bane and Aiden heard Melinda, they both nodded their head simultaneously agreeing with what she had just said. That was the only explanation they could give to the figures they laid eyes on.

“Hmm...” Elisa knitted her brows and then walked toward Raphael. As Elisa arrived in front of Raphael, Melinda quickly showed the figures which were on the wristwatch, and just like the others, Elisa’s mouth opened slightly.

“51,390,” Elisa mumbled. “That’s really impressive. Just a little further, and you will become an A-rank metahuman.” The startled look she had on her face soon disappeared, and it turned into a smile as she stared at Raphael.

“I will go get the food ready now.” With that said, and Elisa headed back to the kitchen.

Melinda and Becky couldn’t help but seize Raphael from head to toe before they both headed a deep breath. Their action was in sync with one another, and they both giggled afterward.

.....

Raphael strolled over to the living room, he sat on one of the couches and took hold of one of the books in the area.

“What are the both of you talking about?!” Suddenly, Becky’s voice sounded as she saw Bane and Aiden speaking in a tone that no one apart from the two of them could hear.

Bane shook his head, “Aiden keeps talking about this weird theory of his, and I have told him so many times that something like that can’t possibly exist. But he keeps pestering me about it.”

“Oh, don’t bother anymore,” Becky blurted, and she and Melinda walked over to the living room.

“You know what, here goes nothing.” Bane said as he turned towards Raphael, “Do you possess a system, Raphael?” Bane asked.

While Melinda, Becky, and Camille were left confused by Aiden’s question, Aiden and Devon had eyes fixed on Raphael after Bane spoke. The both of them didn’t even blink and continued to stare at him very much, hoping that they were going to get an answer from him.

A look of puzzlement, however, crossed Raphael’s face when he heard Bane.

“What do you mean by system?” With an eyebrow raised, Raphael asked.

“Let me rephrase my word. Perhaps a voice in your head that ask you to perform different tasks and then rewards you in return.” Bane paused, “Aiden calls it the push-up leveling system, and Devon named it the meta leveling system.”

“Either way, the both of them think you’re a system holder.”

Raphael glanced at Aiden and Devon before saying, “No, I don’t possess a leveling system, and there isn’t any voice giving me tasks and rewards.”

“Come on, Raphael, you can tell us the truth.” Aiden suddenly said. And seeing the expression that Raphael heard on his face when he heard, Aiden shook his head, “Then how do you explain all the stunts you’ve pulled all this while.”

“When you joined the academy you were one of the weakest in class, so how is it possible that in less than two months you went from being one of the weakest into becoming one of the strongest.”

“You went from C-rank to B-rank recently, and now you’re already going to become an A-rank metahuman. I also believe that with your current pace, you would have become an A-rank before the end of this month.”

“It’s either you’re on some insane drugs, or you possess a leveling system. We have weighed both options, and the leveling system is the most logical explanation.” Aiden asserted.

Raphael’s eyes squinted and a second later, he chuckled. “I really don’t possess this leveling system that you speak of, the only reason I’m improving this fast, is because I readjusted the training exercise.”

“You mean push-ups and sit-ups?” Aiden asked.

And Raphael nodded his head, “Yes.” Raphael responded.

“So, you really don’t possess any leveling system, and you mean you’re improving this fast because of the training you do?” Aiden inquired once again.

“Yes, I don’t possess a leveling system,” Raphael answered.

After Raphael spoke, he shifted his gaze away from everyone in the living room and instead buried his head in the book he was holding on to.

Raphael decided not to go into any further detail because doing so might put him in danger. The new training schedule he made would maximize his potential to the fullest, but it came at a huge cost.

The cost was that after every drill he puts himself into, he would become extremely weak. So weak that an F-Rank metahuman would stand a chance to shred him into pieces.

“Raphael, I have one more question?” Aiden suddenly voiced out.

“Let’s say that you really don’t have a leveling system, are you able to create one if you’d like to?” There was a different kind of glow in Aiden’s eyes as he said those words.

And when Devon heard Aiden, he turned towards Raphael with the same expression that Aiden had on his face. Devon was perhaps even more alarming, as he dropped the book and stared at Raphael.

“In comic books, the main character can receive a system that would allow him or her to level up by doing certain tasks. There are also legendary items and power-ups accessible.”

Aiden began to give in more details about all that he knew about systems from the comic books he had read so far. And apart from Aiden, no other person spoke in the living room, they listened attentively to Aiden.

“If a system like that is to exist in the real world, it’s really going to be terrific.” Aiden muttered, “So, what do you say Raphael, Are you able to create one?”

Raphael’s eyebrows were drawn together, and his hand was placed on his chin. “So it’s like an Ai, but it’s on a whole advanced level,” Raphael said.

“I’m going to have to read about it myself to understand it better. But I should be able to create one if I’d like.”

A second after Raphael spoke, a huge smile appeared on the faces of Devon, Aiden, and even Bane, who didn’t seem to be interested in the topic. Aiden was soon unable to contain the excitement and began running across the room, laughing widely.

“Okay, calm down, Aiden. Your dreams are turning into a reality.” Aiden heaved a deep breath.

He walked over to Raphael at a steady pace and said, “Raphael, what is it going to take if you want to create one for me?” Aiden asked.

“Ah-Ahem...” Devon couched.

“I mean, Devon and I.” Aiden.

Aiden had only just spoken when another cough rang out. This time around, the cough came from Bane, and as Aiden stared at Bane, he shook his head. “Bane, Devon, and I,” Aiden muttered.

The atmosphere in the room became even more intense, as Devon, Bane, and Aiden peered deep into Raphael’s eyes. The three of them were hoping and seriously praying that Raphael gives them a positive response.

Suddenly, Raphael shook his head.

“I rather not, but if you really want a system that much I’m going to say, it’s going to cost a fortune.” Raphael blurted.

Surprisingly, Devon, Aiden, and Bane weren’t discouraged in the slightest when they heard Raphael, and instead, they appeared to be even more enthusiastic about it.

“I want you to use the academy points and tell us how much it will cost if you want to create for the three of us.”

“It depends,” Raphael paused, “If you want the best, you’d have to spend close to a trillion points, it might as well be more than that. An average type would be between the range of two hundred billion to five hundred billion points.”

Whether it was Devon, Aiden, Bane, or the three girls in the living room, their mouths opened slightly when they heard Raphael.

Aiden, Bane, and Devon glanced at one another and then gulped. “We will get back to you, Raphael,” Aiden said.

“What do you mean by that? How are we going to come up with an amount like that!” Bane exclaimed a second after Raphael spoke.

“We will have to think of something,” Aiden responded. The three of them soon gathered around and began to discuss among themselves.

Elisa suddenly walked out of the kitchen with two plates in her hands, “You can go take your food to the kitchen,” Elisa said, as she moved toward Raphael.

“Here is your food, Raphael.”

Raphael stared at Elisa, “Thank you,” He replied and then took the food plate she was holding on to.

Everyone in the living room had eyes on Raphael and Elisa, and it was only after a brief minute that they went to the kitchen. And as they stepped out of the kitchen, the six of them were holding a plate in their hand.

An hour went by quickly, and after cleaning up the plates in the kitchen, they soon began to leave the room.

Elisa stood on her toes in front of Raphael, pecked him gently on the cheeks before saying, “Goodbye, and take care of yourself, I will see you tomorrow.”

It took all the strength in her body to make that move, and after she had spoken, she dashed out of the room.

Raphael stood in position with his thought however unknown. He continued to stare at the door and it was only after a few seconds that he headed back to his room.