System Rebirth: Lucas thrives in the Endless Winter

4. Next course of action

Lucas lay on the bed and let out a huge breath. He spotted a pile of clothes on a chair in a corner. Oliver must have cleaned his room in a haste when Lucas told him he was coming over.

Oliver asked. “So…what happened? They finally chased you out?”

Lucas nodded.

Oliver sighed. “Lucas, listen to me this time. Don't go back. You can stay with me for as long—”

“Yeah, I know. I'm not going back.”

Oliver blinked in surprise. “Are you…are you serious?”

“Why would I stay with them any longer? They clearly don't care about me."

“That’s what I've been trying to tell you for years. Gosh, you finally got some brain cells.”

If only he knew Lucas had to die and be reborn to get said brain cells.

“You can stay here for as long as you need. We'll figure out something. Anything is better than staying with those snakes called family.”

Lucas smiled. “Thank you.”

Why didn't he leave that family long ago? Oliver was more family to him than they could ever be in their lifetime. He cherished the day they became friends.

“I hope the food will be ready soon. I'm starving," Lucas said.

Oliver shook his head. “Nah, you are not eating until you take your bath. I can smell your stench from here.”

Lucas frowned and sniffed his shirt. “It’s not that bad.”

“Yeah, it is. Get your ass off my bed. Use my spare toiletries to clean up.”

By the time Lucas had finished his bath, the pasta and boiled eggs were ready. He wolfed his food down within three minutes and asked for more.

“Feeding you will be expensive,” commented Oliver as he gave Lucas extra. He couldn't blame Lucas, though. The Vales must have starved him.

After swallowing three forkfuls of the pasta, Lucas asked. “So, how did the recruitment go?”

Oliver grinned. “I was among the chosen.”

“Obviously. I'm sure you were the first person they picked.”

Oliver chuckled. “I can't believe it. I'll appear on TV next week.”

Lucas smiled. “You deserve it.”

Oliver had been chosen for a basketball championship hosted by the state, aimed at raising up new basketball stars. He had the ambition of becoming a top basketball player in the country. Most of his time was dedicated to honing his skills, and it was finally paying off. Lucas was proud of him.

Too bad his efforts were paying off when an apocalypse was coming in three days.

He tried to imagine Oliver's reaction if he told him about the apocalypse. Knowing Oliver, he wouldn't believe it unless there was concrete evidence. And that was the problem. Lucas couldn't just tell him he was reborn and had a system.

He just had to keep this secret. For now, at least.

He also didn't tell Oliver about his lottery winning. As much as he trusted Oliver, he couldn't risk someone else finding out about his jackpot and ruining his plans. Oliver would understand.

After eating, Oliver gave Lucas a sleeping bag since the bed wasn't big enough for both of them. They talked for a while before Oliver went to sleep.

Once he confirmed Oliver was asleep, Lucas went to a corner of the room to check some things with the system.

The main interface of the system appeared on his screen. There were four tabs.

[QUESTS]

[SHOP]

[ABILITIES]

[STORAGE SPACE]

There were padlock symbols next to the ‘Storage Space’ and ‘Shop’ tabs

In the top right corner of the screen, there was a coin and energy icon, labeled ‘SP’ and 'Energy,' respectively. They also had numbers attached to them.

SP was 0, while Energy was 100.

“What is an SP?” Lucas asked the system in a low voice.

The system explained.

[SP stands for Survival Points, the currency of this system. It is gained by completing quests. SP can be exchanged for items in the shop. However, the shop is locked for now and will be unlocked as one of Quest #2's rewards.]

Lucas's eyes widened, intrigued. As he opened his mouth to speak again, the system said.

[You can communicate with the system with your thoughts. No need to speak aloud.]

“Oh.”

Why didn't it tell him sooner?

Lucas paused, then thought. ‘What is in th shop?'

The system replied.

[The shops consist of weapons, items and potions, which would help you survive in the apocalypse.]

Weapons? Potions? This made Lucas want to unlock the shop even more.

‘What about Dimensional Storage Space?’ thought Lucas. From the name, he had an idea of what it was, but he wanted to be sure that was it.

[It is one of the features of the system—an infinite space where you can keep things. Time doesn't work in this space, so whatever state or condition you store something comes out the same.]

Lucas blinked. This was great. He could store supplies, and no one would be able to steal them. He had to get this. He had to complete this mission.

He asked a few questions regarding Energy and Abilities. Abilities were extraordinary powers or attributes that would help him survive the apocalypse. Certain abilities needed Energy to work, and the amount of Energy used depended on the kind of ability, the duration for which the ability is used and other circumstances surrounding the situation.

Then came the biggest mystery that had been bugging his mind since his rebirth.

‘Who created you? Or what created you? How were you created? Just tell me your origin.’

The system remained silent.

‘Well?’ Lucas frowned.

Nothing. Just the sound of the ceiling fan blowing in the room and distant honking of vehicles in the traffic outside.

Lucas huffed and went back to the sleeping bag. The system wasn't answering for some reason. Looks like he just had to keep that aside and focus on preparing for the apocalypse. The next step was grabbing his lottery prize and getting a fortified shelter. And he knew where to get one.

Satisfied with his plans, he shut his eyes to sleep, unbeknownst to him, his absence in the Vales mansion made his parents restless.

“Ten o’clock,” Jasmine muttered, checking the clock. “Is he really leaving us?”

“This boy is seriously getting on my nerves,” Dean said in anger.

“Where is he even staying? Does he have any friends in school?” Jasmine asked Brian.

Brian replied. “He has one. Oliver, I think. Lucas has to be living with him. I'll meet Oliver and ask about him.”

“You know what? Don't bother. I don't care what he does with his life anymore. Since he wants to be so stubborn, let him be,” Dean said.

“Dad, come on. He's still your son.”

“He's an adult. He can do whatever he wants.”

“Yes, but let's try to get him back into the family. I'll talk to him at school tomorrow and apologize for everything. I don't want our family to fall apart because of a watch.”

“Oh, Brian. Lucas is lucky to have a brother like you.” Jasmine patted his head. “Lucas will come back. I'll make sure of it.”

“Whatever. Let's go to bed," Dean said.

Brian walked to his room, knowing fully well that he wouldn't be talking to Lucas about coming back.