Chapter 76 Major Level up!
Hugo grinned as he opened the door for the pizza deliveryman, the delicious aroma of melted cheese and pepperoni wafting through the air.
The deliveryman was a sight to behold: a gangly guy with a mop of bright orange hair that looked like it hadn't seen a comb in years.
His uniform was slightly too tight, showing off his bony elbows that jutted out like weapons, and he wore mismatched socks with his sneakers—one had pineapples, the other llamas.
"Here's your pizza," the man said, thrusting the box into Hugo's hands like it weighed a ton. Then he leaned in slightly, his face dead serious. "But remember, man: life is like a pizza. If you don't eat it while it's hot, it's just sad bread."
Hugo blinked, trying to process the wisdom—or insanity—he had just been handed. "Uh… thanks?"
The deliveryman gave him a wink that lasted a beat too long. "Think about it," he said ominously before Hugo could even respond, turning on his heel and walking off into the hallway like some kind of pizza prophet.
Hugo stood frozen in the doorway, clutching his pizza. "What the hell just happened?" he muttered. Shaking his head, he shut the door and turned around, ready to forget the bizarre encounter.
But as soon as he did, his heart nearly leapt out of his chest. Collins was standing there, just a few feet away, staring at the pizza like it was a chest of gold.
His eyes were wide and glassy, his lips slightly parted, and he was breathing heavily, his nostrils flaring like he could sniff every ingredient through the box. If hunger had a human form, this was it.
"Uh… can I help you?" Hugo asked, clutching the pizza box protectively.
"Come on, man," Collins didn't blink. "Just one slice," he said in a low, gravelly voice, like some kind of pizza addict who hadn't had a fix in weeks.
Hugo clutched the box tighter. "No way. You told me not to talk to you, remember? Something about 'needing silence to heal your soul' after Sanchez made us clean up that disaster."
"That was before I smelled pizza!" Collins cried, his voice cracking. "Come on, Hugo. I cleaned toilets. Toilets! I deserve at least one slice."
Hugo shook his head, already backing toward his room. "Should've ordered your own."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Hugo, don't do this," Collins said, following him like a predator stalking its prey. "You're better than this. Sharing is caring."
"Not when it's pizza!" Hugo yelled, spinning around and sprinting toward his room. Collins lunged after him, but Hugo was faster, slamming the door shut and locking it just as Collins smacked against it.
"HUGO, YOU TRAITOR!" Collins bellowed from the hallway, pounding on the door. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!"
"Love you too, buddy!" Hugo shouted back, already setting the pizza box on his bed.
Collins continued his tirade outside, yelling things like, "I HOPE YOU GET PINEAPPLE ON EVERY PIZZA YOU EVER ORDER! I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON A CHEESE STRING!" and "I'M GONNA TELL YOUR MOM!" But Hugo ignored him, gleefully devouring slice after slice.
When the box was empty and his stomach was full, Hugo let out a loud, satisfied burp. "Ah, worth every bite," he said, wiping his hands on a napkin.
But the real excitement was just beginning. He opened the System interface, eager to see his new rewards from leveling up.
[Level-Up Rewards!]
[Host has received;
A Bottle of Plate Unlock Pills {2 Pills}
Aura Duration Increased to 2 Minutes
500 System Credits
New Ability: Emotion Highlights]
Hugo's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. "This is insane!" he whispered, barely able to contain his excitement.
The Plate Unlock Pills were a game-changer. "More plates mean more height!" he muttered, thinking about how much his legs had grown after the last round of pills. "I'll probably look like a NBA prospect after these."
With increased height, not only would his confidence as a man increase, his overall appeal to women would be boosted significantly!
No more short king consolation, Hugo was about to be a 6'5 Greek god!
But the Aura Duration Increase was what really caught his attention. "Two minutes?" he whispered in awe.
"That's double the time! I can be an alpha and not have to worry about timing it so perfectly anymore. Lisa's definitely gonna notice this!"
The 500 Credits were a nice bonus, too. He'd finally have enough to explore the System store properly. "Maybe I'll get something fancy. Or something to help with the stupid bike race."
And lastly, the new ability: Emotion Highlights. His excitement peaked as he read the description:
[Emotion Highlights:
(Thrice per day.) Allows the host to see the current emotion of any target.]
Hugo's jaw dropped. "No way," he whispered. "I'll be able to see what people are feeling? That's… that's genius!" His mind raced with possibilities.
He imagined using it during class to avoid annoying the professors, with Lisa to figure out exactly what she wanted, or even during arguments to see if someone was bluffing.
"This is next-level flirting material," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "I'll always know if a girl's into me. No more guesswork!" Experience new tales on empire
He lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling with a dreamy smile. "With these rewards, I'm unstoppable. Lisa, get ready, because I'm about to—"
His phone buzzed, snapping him out of his fantasies. He grabbed it and saw a notification from the class group chat.
{Reminder: Impromptu test tomorrow. No excuses. Be prepared.}
Hugo's jaw dropped. "A test?! Tomorrow?! What kind of evil professor does that?" He groaned, smacking his forehead. "Why can't I just enjoy my level-up in peace?"
And with that, Hugo scrambled off his bed, already regretting every single life choice that had led him to this point.
Power stone Goal!
50 PS - 1 Bonus chapter
100 PS - 2 Bonus chapter
200 PS (Quite an achievement as of now) - 3 Bonus chapters.
Castle - 20 Bonus Chapters!