Endurance System

Help From a Friend

Elric was silent for quite a while.

He processed what he had heard.

His expression showed clear confusion.

But Amaris clarified loudly. "I like you. Don't you know? I did that so you wouldn't have a job. Elric, I can support you financially. You can depend on me."

Elric's brow immediately furrowed deeply.

His gaze toward Amaris turned strange. He stared at her intently, then cursed and walked away. "You're crazy."

"Elric!" Amaris shouted, but didn't chase after him.

However, Elric was already feeling terrified, so he quickened his pace.

For several days after that, Elric's life felt peaceful because he didn't meet anyone who caused conflict. He just worked at the minimarket and the market, then went home to sleep. Every day was like that.

Unfortunately, that peace seemed to come to an end today.

While he was manning the cash register, a customer who was about to pay suddenly grabbed Elric's hand with wide eyes.

This startled him, and he spontaneously pulled his hand away. "What are you doing?"

"You're that man, right?" asked the female customer enthusiastically. "Yes, it's you. You're my savior."

At that moment, Elric looked closely at her face and immediately realized that the girl in front of him was the girl he had helped fight off the Thief.

"Ah, no. You've got the wrong person," Eric said, looking down.

"No way. I know you very well. I remember your face very well. It's you." The girl became even more enthusiastic. She even held out her hand. "I'm Caelia."

Elric glanced at her small hand and said awkwardly, "Thank you for shopping here."

After that, he pretended to tidy up the cash register, trying to ignore Caelia, who continued to stare at him with a bright smile.

"Elric!" 

In the midst of a situation that was very uncomfortable for Elric, a sudden shout came from the direction of the door.

He immediately turned his head and found his two friends staring at him with expressions that were complicated.

He was clearly surprised, but he didn't react beyond greeting them softly, "Hi. Why are you here?"

"I heard that you were working here," replied one of them as he walked closer. "I couldn't believe it. But it's true."

The other man, named Jasper, looked at the figure that had changed since the last time he saw him and asked, "Why are you suddenly working here? Didn't you tell us a month ago that you wanted to confess your love to Evelyn? She can't just stand by and let you work like this, right?"

"Wait." Theo raised his right hand to stop him from asking more questions when he noticed someone else was there.

He looked at Caelia and smiled briefly, then asked Elric, "Can we go outside to talk?"

Elric immediately nodded.

The three of them walked to the rest area in front of the store. Meanwhile, Caelia could only dwell on her own thoughts.

"What happened? You wouldn't suddenly start working here if nothing had happened, right?" Theo asked immediately after they sat down.

Elric was silent for a moment before answering, "That's right."

He sighed softly before continuing, "I no longer work at the Voss company. I'm also no longer Evelyn's fiancé."

"Why?" Theo and Jasper asked in unison, surprising Elric for a moment.

But he then replied calmly, "Because that's just how it is."

"Hey, can't you explain it properly?" Jasper exclaimed irritably. "I know you very well. You've never been this resigned. And you're not the type of person who can accept fate with an open heart, as if you were a person without emotions."

"Elric, we came because we were worried about you. Just tell us the truth, we might be able to help you," Theo continued.

Upon hearing this, Elric immediately remembered the system's warning that forbade him from accepting help from people who knew his past.

He immediately sat up straight and chuckled softly as he patted Theo's shoulder gently. "Relax, bro. I'm fine."

"Evelyn and I were not on the same level, so it's only natural that we ended up not being together. As for my job, I was fired," he explained calmly.

However, this surprised Theo and Jasper. "Why were you fired?"

For two years, Elric had worked diligently. He always did everything well. Even when he had to face criminals at that time, he did so bravely without regard for his own safety.

"Elric, how can you still smile like this when you've been mistreated? No, this cannot be allowed. Come on! I'll go with you to get revenge on them!" Jasper stood up passionately, ready to destroy the people who had hurt Elric.

He didn't even hesitate to pull Elric up to stand with him. "They can't be allowed to get away with this. Just because they have wealth and power doesn't mean they can trample on us as they please. Come on! Let's get back at them! Let's avenge you for being mistreated!"

Theo nodded in agreement.

Just as they were about to take a step, a man wearing a worn T-shirt and a beard on his face ran towards Elric and hit him hard, causing him to fall and crash into a table.

Theo and Jasper were shocked.

But Elric was even more shocked. He held his face and stared at the man who had just hit him while standing upright. "Hey, who are you? Why did you hit me?"

"Don't play dumb, kid! Tell me, where is my sister!" The bearded man grabbed Elric's clothes and held him tightly. "You can't just throw her away like that after you stopped loving her!"

Elric's brow furrowed spontaneously. "Who is your sister?"

"Bastard!" 

Before the man could hit Elric again, Caelia ran out shouting loudly, "Stop!"

She hurriedly approached. "If you hit him again, I'll report you to the police."

The bearded man turned his head. His gaze was fierce. And when he saw the petite figure of Caelia, a crooked smile appeared on his face.

Elric quickly pulled her back and said, "I don't know you. So you'd better tell me clearly who your sister is."

"Amaris." The man looked back at Elric. "Where are you taking her, huh?! Damn it, I'll kill you if anything happens to her!"

"Amaris?" Elric muttered.

"Why are you asking me? She works at the Voss family's house, so go there," said Elric, confused.

"She was fired, and her whereabouts are unknown!" Amaris's brother snapped. "You made her leave! You betrayed her and abandoned her just for a young lady from the Voss family."

"So what now? She abandoned you, too, huh?" He smiled contemptuously when he saw Elric's appearance, which did not show his status as an upper-class person.

Elric was even more confused. "What betrayal and abandonment? I don't understand what you mean."

"You can pretend to be stupid now, but just wait. I'll be back and destroy you," threatened Amaris's brother before walking away with long strides.

After he left, Theo and Jasper immediately approached Elric and looked at him with concern.

"What exactly happened to you?" Theo asked softly.

But Elric didn't answer.

His mind wandered aimlessly, trying to process what had actually happened.

"Who is Amaris?" Caelia asked hesitantly.

Elric blinked and replied, "No one."

"You don't need to do things like that. It could put you in danger," he continued.

Silence enveloped them.

Until Theo said, "Shouldn't you just change jobs? I'm worried that man will come back and bother you."

"How about you work at my aunt's place? She just contacted me, saying she needs an employee at her factory. At least it's safer there because they provide accommodation," replied Jasper.