"Let's get some sleep. We need to wake up early tomorrow and find a source of income." General Artica said as she closed her eyes, falling asleep immediately as she was exhausted. She had already travelled with her puppets from Ellipster, the capital city of Entropica Kingdom, and reached the border to execute Regriel.
After that, she travelled all the way from the border to Peckle city that was southwest to head further away from the influence of the Entropica Kingdom. She did that to ensure the Queen wouldn't be able to target them that easily.
'Right, why did I hate Regriel for all these years? His only minus point is that he's fat. But even then, he has a charm of his own. Seriously, what was wrong with me before?' This was the final thought that ran through her mind before she fell asleep.
Regriel slowly inched his hand towards her, having slept close to one another on the bed. Slumping his hand over her hip, he smiled in exhilaration when General Artica wrapped her arms around his hand, pulling it into her embrace. The warmth and the feeling of softness he felt caused him to feel like he was in heaven.
'Right, I shouldn't forget about that.' He thought, quickly pulling up the System interface, 'Now, let's see what this Reward does?'
[Body Resurgence (Level 1): Burns the excess fat in the body and converts it into Darlac.]
'System, how long would it take to burn all the excess fat in my body?' Regriel asked in his mind.
[Host, it would take one month to burn all the excess fat. Your affinity towards Darlac would improve as a result and Host's reserve of Darlac would reach 100 units.]
'100 units? A hundred units? Amazing!' Regriel was stunned before his face flushed red from excitement. 'Only veteran soldiers have such a massive amount of Darlac. And I can get that in a month?'
'System, activate Body Resurgence.' He bellowed mentally.
[Activating Body Resurgence (Level 1)]
[Host, brace for the pain]
'Wait…wait, wait, wait!' Regriel screamed mentally when he suddenly noticed that he was unable to move his body or even utter a scream. It was like he had been paralysed. His body was perfectly still while he was enveloped in a feeling of being burned by fire.
'System, stop! Stop! Stop it immediately!' Regriel screamed internally at the top of his mind voice. But in reality, his body was perfectly still as General Artica slept while hugging his hand.
[Host, Body Resurgence (Level 1) cannot be stopped at will. Every time it is activated, it will last for an hour. Fighting~]
'Dammit!' Regriel screamed in pain mentally as he was burned by whatever was happening. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, the pain vanished, now replaced with a gentle, cool sensation.
It took him another hour before Regriel managed to gather his bearing, asking in his mind, 'System, how long do I need to put up with this pain?'
[Replying to Host: Body Resurgence (Level 1) works by consuming the fat in your body to supplement its activation. So, you can keep it activated constantly for a month until the results are displayed.]
'This pain for a month.' Regriel thought, taking in a deep breath as numerous images flashed through his mind. The scene of him being bullied by the other Princes and Princess since childhood, the scorn from the servants, the prostitutes that snickered at his inability to stand up for more than three seconds, and finally, the Queen's poisonous words that tore at his fragile heart.
As the images flashed in his mind one after another, rage filled his mind. The injustice he faced made him grit his teeth as he gazed at the sky (ceiling of the room) and bellowed (in his mind), "Even a dog when cornered would lash out. I'll no longer be bullied. If the heavens wish to make me suffer, I shall shatter it apart. Those that bullied me, I'll make you suffer a fate a thousand times worse."
He then felt the Darlac circulating in his body, noticing that he had slightly trimmed down, looking at General Artica as he thought, 'You've been on my side at my worst. In the future, I'll protect you, Artica.'
With a face filled with resolve, he bellowed in his mind, 'System, activate Body Resurgence.'
<Ding!>
…
"Within a week, Regriel has slimmed down considerably. He even began to train a bit from time to time. Though, it's mostly related to him sleeping with General Artica." Compass Carburettor frowned as he read the report, "As for General Artica, she has been busy heading into the dungeon daily. She didn't display too much strength, only doing the bare minimum needed for them to live in better conditions. Judging by what she had displayed, it seems she plans to gradually show more and more of her strength."
"Other than that, there hasn't been any significant development." Compass Carburettor finished reading through the report, noticing that there was another letter attached at the end. Taking it out, he read as his expression collapsed, "In lieu of her betrayal, the Striker House has been imprisoned."
"Everything's because Regriel forced General Artica to betray the kingdom by enslaving her." He slammed his fist on the desk, "To screw up with a family like that, damn bastard. How are you so quick to do it even if you were given those powers by the System?"
Just when he felt angry, a couple of images flashed in his mind, instantly acting like a bucket of cold water was poured on him. The memory was of a struggling peddler who barely made ends meet by selling bangles on the roadside.
His family made those bangles in a cramped hut where smoke billowed and the darkness of the bangle forge caused their eyesight to deteriorate. But despite everything, they had worked hard to make bangles to sell and bring food to their plates.
But due to the rush of obtaining the Money-Making System, Compass Carburettor had used the Bargain Skill to bargain the price of the already dirt-cheap bangles to below the cost price, forcing the family to go hungry for the entire day.
Due to their hunger, the father of the household was unable to sell any bangles the next day while their family failed to create any more due to their deteriorating health and unbearable hunger. Soon, they starved to their deaths. And even after learning of this incident, Compass Carburettor clearly remembered the statement he had uttered back then, "The business world sure is vicious."
"Fuck," Compass Carburettor slammed his fist into the table, breaking it as his fists bled. Tears streamed out his eyes as he hit his head on the table, "Who the hell am I to criticise someone else? I'm…"
"Even worse."
