"Who are you?" Alex muttered in disbelief as he stared at the reflection in the mirror, the boy looking back at him was in such a state that he did not know how to put into words. And it was even harder to believe that the boy reflected in that mirror was Alex himself.
His long flowing hair, which reached to the back of his middle neck, was all tangled and twisted against itself, falling across his face and spilling everywhere. His cheeks were puffed, not from fat but from the swollenness that came from being beaten by Eldric and the others. His azure eyes trembled, struggling to hold the gaze of the reflection any longer. His tie was crooked and hung lazily against his collar, the white shirt's collar was askew, and the coat was deformed and crumpled in ways that made it look like it had been dragged through wet floor, the yellow lapel fluttering to one side and refusing to sit properly in place. The sleeves at the ends of the coat were dishevelled, and there were stains of wetness and dirt ground into the fabric of his suit.
Alex had half expected the sight but had not known that he would feel such disgust, such a stomach-churning revulsion looking at it. He had already anticipated that he was not in a proper state, having glanced at the mirror in the restroom where Eldric and his minions had attacked him, but Alex, not being in the right mind at that time, had thoroughly underestimated just how bad it truly was. He had not been in any state to tend to himself back then, but now that he was looking, he tightened his fist. How could I have entered class looking like this?
He did not know the answer, and he felt his skin prickling as he stared at those puffed cheeks. He reached out and touched his face, moving his fingers slowly across it, feeling what was there beneath the surface. There were some unseen bruises and tightened muscles around his jaw and cheeks that did not show to the eye but that Alex felt clearly while pressing against them.
The potion that Eldric had made Alex drink had done its fair share in healing and concealing any lethal wounds, but it had not been potent enough to heal him completely. Whether Eldric had deliberately given Alex a potion that would only mask external injuries and tend to wounds without fully closing them, or had only managed to sneak in a potion that was simply too weak, was something Alex did not know.
"Haah." Alex exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself. The blood moved rapidly past his veins just from thinking of Eldric, and he felt restless, could almost hear his own blood rushing through his hands, which was something he had never experienced before in all his life.
Alex drank the potion that the old man had given him and felt himself rejuvenating with energy. It was not a healing potion but a stamina potion, meant to give him the energy to not look like the drooping mess he currently resembled. He put the empty vial back into his dimensional storage and felt the tight muscles around his cheeks and jaw release and relax.
His shoulders, which had been raised like he was still bracing for a blow, slumped down to their natural position. The muscles around his thighs and legs loosened, and he felt instantly reinvigorated. The stamina potion did not give him only stamina but also calmed him and eased him, and Alex wondered whether some part of a healing potion or something else had been mixed into it. He did not linger on the thought and instead began to smooth his suit and adjust his tie and collar.
He pulled his hair back and drew out a ribbon from his dimensional storage, tying it into a small ponytail at the back of his head.
Time went by as he returned himself to some semblance of his usual appearance. Well, that was what he would have liked to say, but his face still looked sullen and downcast. There was no smile, nothing. His eyes still looked as though the very light had left them. He did not know how to return to his usual self, or so he might have told someone, but in truth he knew the reason behind all of these problems. He knew what he needed to achieve in order to get back his smile.
I need to find a way to level up. Alex clenched his fist tightly. He had to find a way at any cost, and even if he had to knock on the door of death itself, I will do it. He would not back down. He had to find his path to leveling up and he would find it. Otherwise, there is no point in... He did not finish the sentence. He did not dare to think about what he would do, or what would become of him, if he could not find a way.
***
Alex came to a stop before the desk of the old man. He tapped lightly on the wooden surface behind which the old man sat lazily in a comfortable chair, reading a book with such deep concentration that he did not seem to notice Alex had returned.
Tap. Tap.
Alex continued tapping his fingers against the brown wooden desk, producing a quiet, rhythmic sound. He did not dare to be any louder, fearing he would disturb the readers inside the library.
The old man lifted his head from his book. His weathered face looked back at Alex, and his black eyes twitched slightly. For a moment the old man gauged Alex from head to toe, then set the book down on the desk. Alex instantly raised his hands over his head to shield himself from any attack, the kind the old man seemed to deliver as though it were nothing at all.
The old man smiled, and Alex felt a bitterness rise in him seeing that the action had clearly been done with intention, just to play with him. Alex held back his irritation from showing on his face. Knowing how the old man had given him that stamina potion only moments before, he drew out the empty vial from his dimensional storage and slid it across the desk toward him.
"Thank you," Alex said, bowing his head. Before he could lift it again and attend to his duties of volunteering in the library, shelving books and the like, his stomach growled loudly. The sound was like a wave moving through water, deep and rolling.
Alex pressed his hands against his belly hoping it would muffle the noise, but it only made things worse and the growl thundered out even louder than before.
"Boy, lift your head," the old man ordered.
Alex raised his head, his hands still pressed tightly to his stomach, silently willing it to stop. The walls of his empty stomach were pressing against each other in the absence of food, producing sound enough to fill the room.
"Have you not eaten anything?" the old man asked, eyeing Alex more closely than Alex was entirely comfortable with.
"I... I have eaten," Alex answered, and the lie was caught the instant it left his mouth, his stomach growling again as if informing the world that its owner was not to be trusted. The old man's eyebrows rose. "Boy, there is no need to lie," he said.
Alex gave a small nod of his head. "Sorry. I did not eat anything during recess," he admitted. He had been so deep in his own stupor and thoughts, and had so little energy left for anything, that he had not gone to the canteen at all. This was despite having received a golden bracelet loaded with enough points that he could have bought any dish he desired, and yet he had not gone. He wanted to tell himself that the reason was simply that he had no energy and had been too lost in thought to go to the canteen, but deep down he knew the truth. He had feared meeting the princess and causing her to worry, which she surely would have done had she seen him in this state. And having now seen himself properly in the mirror, he had to admit he had been right not to go. But that did not mean he was not hungry. He was hungry. Extremely hungry, and had it not been for the stamina potion he might have fainted by now, or soon would have.
"Haah!" Old Wan sighed and rubbed his temples. "Boy, go and stand to the side. I will have someone bring you food."
Alex nodded, thanked the old man again, and moved to stand beside the old man's desk. He had neither the courage nor the wish to refuse the offer, and he would have been a fool to turn away such generosity.
***
Alex finished the food and at the end let out a burp, which he quickly smothered behind his hands. He was seated across an empty desk, and before him sat Old Wan, busy once again with his book.
The old man set the book down and looked at Alex again, examining his face for a moment before his gaze drifted downward to Alex's stomach, which was bulging out faintly. Alex noticed this at once and sucked his stomach inward, doing his best to conceal what the meal had done to his belly. He had eaten two full plates of food. On any other day, a single plate was enough to fill him completely, but for some reason, as though a demon had taken up residence in his stomach, he had found himself unable to stop until both plates were empty.
"Do you want another plate?" Old Wan asked, raising a brow.
"No," Alex replied quickly, shaking his head.
Old Wan nodded and was already beginning to rise from his chair to return to his usual seat when Alex reached out quickly. "Wait," he said. "I have something I wish to ask of you."
The old man looked toward him. He had already risen to his feet and was leaning toward the book he had just placed back on the table. "What is it that you want to know?" he asked, his eyes settling on Alex with patient attention.
"Do you know anything about a status abnormality that prevents someone from leveling up?" Alex asked, holding the old man's gaze steadily as he spoke.
***
On Patreon, you can read 50 chapters ahead. Your support would greatly help me continue working toward completing the story.
Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/imissmysun