It was not the first time Victor had run multiple laps circling the village walls, but it was definitely the happiest he had ever been doing it.
Ever since yesterday, running had been Victor’s favorite exercise. Not because it felt good or anything; he just liked it because it meant he would soon meet Norm.
Sure, talking to Norm felt like he was surrounded by traps his mom had made, but it was still enjoyable to him nonetheless. Besides, Norm made it particularly easy to level up his [Rival]Class. Abyss, he was already level four in it, and it had only been two days since he got it. He had three new Skills from it, [Sense His Insecurity], [Comforting Voice], and [A Bit of Courage].
Accepting the Class was the best decision Victor ever made.
If he hadn’t taken the [Rival] Class and gotten the Skill [Sense His Insecurity], he didn’t think he’d have survived talking to Norm.
My dad would not like me taking another Class, but who cares what he thinks.
Victor only had the Class for two days, and he already liked it way more than his other Class—[Vengeful Disciple]—which had been his only Class until two days ago.
He never told anyone about his Class, not even Norm. It was not a Red Class, but he felt like it would put his parents on edge, and he didn’t want that. More importantly, Victor didn’t want Norm involved in his problem; he wanted Norm to live happily without any worry.
If Norm found out, who knows what he would do.
So it was nice to have a Class that he could openly talk about with Norm.
When the system message popped up, refusal was not an option for him. It was the Class he had been wanting to get for a long time.
Well, Victor would have preferred [Best Friend] or [Brother]; even [Friend] and [Ally] would have been better than [Rival], but beggars can’t be choosers.
A relationship Class required both parties to want it. You couldn’t force it. Not with threats, bribes, Skills, or magic. Nothing would work. It had to be genuine.
While Victor didn’t exactly see Norm as a rival, he didn’t mind being one if it meant getting close to him.
No, that’s not true, is it? I always wanted to be like him, maybe even surpass him. I guess the system saw it as enough to give me the [Rival] Class, which… wasn’t exactly inaccurate.
Ever since he was a kid, Victor had always wanted to have the [Best Friend] Class with Norm. However, he didn’t have the courage to ask him about it, which he really regretted.
Victor didn’t even realize until now that Norm had grown to hate him. That kind of situation wouldn’t have been possible if he had gotten any kind of relationship Class with Norm. He obviously knew Norm was jealous of him, but he didn’t think Norm would hate him for it.
It was obvious in hindsight that Norm was avoiding him, but he… was too afraid to confirm it.
I mean, it’s not that obvious. But how could I have missed that he thinks we’re not close anymore? Wait, when was—
Even though Norm was a terrible liar, Victor wasn’t sure even now that Norm “hated” him.
Norm was still the one who looked after him the most, and he was the only one who cared about his well-being.
So, when Norm said that he hated him, it took every ounce of his willpower not to cry right there and then.
If I had [Sense His Insecurity], things wouldn’t have been this bad.
Not only would their relationship have been better, but Victor would also have realized much more quickly that there was something wrong with Norm when he met him, and maybe this whole mess about spirit wouldn’t have happened.
Victor had been way too busy training and hadn’t even known what was happening before it was too late.
I was a fucking idiot.
Norm was always there for him when he needed him, yet he couldn’t even do the same to him.
This past month, he had been trying to make the people in this village shut their fucking mouths. But when he realized that his efforts weren't working, he… started beating them up. Victor regretted that he hadn’t done it sooner; it was so much more effective.
His reputation certainly took a big hit because of it, but he really didn’t care about the opinion of someone who insulted Norm.
The gold-rankers all said what Norm was saying was impossible, but Victor knew more than anyone else how fucking stupid they were, so their words meant nothing to him.
It caused a lot of arguments with his parents, because they were both also among those stupid gold rankers, but Victor never liked them anyways, so it was alright.
In the distance, Victor saw Norm doing jumping jacks, smiling from ear to ear.
He looks so fucking goofy.
There wasn’t any flaw that Victor could see. Yet, looking at him, Victor really wanted to laugh.
No, I don’t even need [Sense His Insecurity] to know how bad of a fucking idea that is.
The reason Norm looked silly doing jumping jacks was probably because of his expression and short stature—both of those things always triggered [Sense His Insecurity] whenever the topic came up.
“Yo.”
A smile instantly appeared on Victor’s face.
It was rare for him to smile, but whenever Norm was around, it would always automatically appear on his face.
“Oh, it’s you.”
Norm only gave Victor a single glance before completely ignoring him. After around one minute, Norm stopped and sat down on the ground.
Victor immediately sat next to him.
He obviously knew how much Norm hated it when he got close to him whenever he was covered in sweat, but Victor enjoyed annoying Norm a little.
Maybe it was because Norm could also be a bit annoying.
“Go away, you jerk. You stink.”
Victor put on a show of sniffing around, then he sniffed in Norm’s direction and made a fake gagging noise.
“Says you.”
[Sense His Insecurity] triggered, and Victor immediately activated [Thought Acceleration] to think of a way to save his blunder.
“Stinky but very manly, which is a good thing.”
“For you, maybe. Girls always praise how you smell really good whenever you’re sweaty, and even try to get close to you whenever you rest. But whenever I’m even a bit sweaty, they give me the stink eye, and immediately keep their distance.”
Victor activated [Thought Acceleration] again.
Whoa, he’s such a pain in the ass sometimes. Is he always like this? Maybe what happened this past month affected him more than I thought. No, the past few years he—
Getting closer to Norm, Victor put his arm around Norm’s shoulder.
“Norm, don’t listen to them. From one stinky brother to another, I think you smell awesome. What other smell is greater than the smell of hard work?”
“Don’t call me stinky—”
“Never mind that. I saw you smiling from ear to ear when I arrived. What’s the good news?”
The smile returned to Norm’s face, and he quickly forgot about the topic.
Thank the stars he gets distracted so easily.
“Hehe, I just gained two levels. Now I’m a level 12 [Milk Saint].”
“That fast?”
Happiness flooded through him, and Victor smile grew wider.
“Congrats, man! You’re so fuc—flipping cool! You will surpass me in no time at this rate.”
Norm puffed up his chest.
Victor couldn’t hold it in anymore and gave Norm a good noogie. Norm’s expression was a bit annoying, but it didn’t lessen the happiness Victor felt.
“Don’t get cocky, now. My [Rival] Class already reached level 4, and I doubt your [Rival] Class has leveled up.”
“Stop it, you jerk! I took a long time setting up my hair!”
Before Norm got genuinely angry with him, Victor stopped.
“Hum.”
Norm was frowning, red-faced.
[Sense His Insecurity] triggered, but Victor had no clue what caused it.
He’s such a pain in the ass.
“Wait, you also have the [Rival] Class? And how do you know I also have one?”
Whew, thank the star he immediately gets distracted. I don’t know where to even start handling whatever that was.
“Well, yeah. It is a relationship Class.”
“Relationship Class?”
Norm looked confused, and Victor immediately realized his mistake.
Not everyone got a proper education.
Thankfully, [Sense His Insecurity] didn’t trigger.
“Relationship Class always comes in two at the very least, like [Mom] and [Dad], or [Best Friend] and [Best Friend]. You can’t be someone’s [Best Friend] if the other person doesn’t have the [Best Friend] Class. So, if I have the [Rival] Class then you definitely have it too.”
Norm scratched his non-existent beard, seemingly deep in thought.
Victor knew that Norm always wanted to grow facial hair to make himself look more manly, but the only thing he accomplished was… nothing.
It was a sore spot for Norm, so Victor wisely didn't mention it.
“I see. You already reached level two in [Rival], huh? What Skill—”
“What did you do to gain two levels so fast?”
No way I’m telling him I have [Sense His Insecurity].
“Well...”
Norm then told Victor how Ver talked to him, and when Victor asked what Ver said, Norm was at first hesitant, but after some pushing on Victor’s part, Norm finally told him. Victor then asked why the spirit said that.
It went on and on until Victor finally got the whole story from him.
As Norm told the story, Victor was getting angrier with each passing second. But he stayed silent so he could hear the whole story first.
After Norm finished, Victor couldn’t help but scream his frustration.
“Why didn’t you tell me your dad is sick?!”
His parents had really good potions stashed in case something happened.
If Norm had told him his dad needed them, he would have immediately asked his parents for the potions, and if they didn’t allow it, he could have just stolen them.
“I mean, I don’t have a reason to tell you?”
“No reason?! Are you fucking kidding me?!”
Victor stood up and kicked a big rock. It sailed into the air and shattered into a million pieces when it hit a tree. The tree then fell to the ground a second later.
He didn’t mean to use his aura, but it was very hard to control himself right now.
“Do you think I couldn’t help you? Or that I don’t want to help you? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK OF ME, NORM?!”
Since when was he like this? I thought he would still ask me for help if he got a problem, especially one this big, but I guess not.
Anger wasn’t the only thing he was feeling. Victor also felt sad; he felt like Norm had betrayed him.
“I mean… I… don’t…”
Norm was looking at the ground, every word quieter than the last.
I’m going too far.
Victor activated [Steady Breathing]. It usually helped him control his breathing when he was moving around, but he could also use it to help him calm down.
After taking a few deep breaths, his anger was gone, but his sadness remained.
“I’m sorry for screaming at you. But next time, please tell me if you need any help. I would be sad if you were also sad. Isn’t that what you told me all those years ago?”
It was his most cherished memory.
When he was a kid, his dad had forced him to train every single second he was awake, and it wasn’t even pleasant either. He had bruised all over his body, and while his know-it-all dad told him that it wouldn’t be permanent or that it wouldn’t negatively affect him, it still fucking hurt. He was only eight, for fuck’s sake!
His mom was also not any better. She forced him to take that disgusting medicine that supposedly would help him in the future, but he didn’t want to be sick for a week straight. He couldn’t even get out of bed!
Victor hated every single second of it.
He hated his parents and the people who fucking encouraged it, spouting nonsense like, “That was how a warrior lived,” or some outrageous thing like, “You would thank them in the future.” Those fucking cowards should all just die.
Everyone knew, but no one helped him, except for one person: the only one he would call his friend, Norm.
When even grown-ass adults were too afraid to even say anything, a seven-year-old lectured his dad that he was being too mean.
That prick ignored it, but Norm wouldn’t stop; he just kept on shouting.
Even when his dad tried to send Norm away to his parents, Norm just kept on coming back.
The next day, it got worse; Norm got [Loud Voice].
It got so annoying not only for his parents, but for the entire village.
Even at night, Norm still screamed his heart out.
Every single thing the fucking adults could think of failed, and Victor even heard later that some fucking idiot suggested locking Norm up, but they thankfully still had a conscience.
Until finally, Victor was freed.
The training was still harsh, but he at least had time to relax and play.
Ever since that day, Norm promised to always take care of him, and told him that if he was ever feeling sad, he could always count on him to fix it. Because if Victor was sad then it would also make him sad.
Even when Norm supposedly hated him, he still didn’t break his promise.
Well, I’m an adult now, so I don’t really need his help all that much. I also wasn’t always honest with you. You were just a kid back then. If you pushed too hard, I was afraid something would happen to you. I’m sorry. A single gold-rank could easily kill an entire village, let alone two, and my parents are not kind.
“I’m sorry. For some reason, I thought you wouldn’t help me.”
Victor snapped out of his daydream when Norm broke the silence.
[Thought Acceleration] activated without Victor noticing, so only a few seconds had passed.
“Norm, just because you hate me, doesn’t mean I feel the same. Besides, you yourself would still help a person even if you hated them, so why can’t other people do the same?”
“I… I’m sorry. But I think I could heal my dad by myself now. But, thank you Vic.”
Thank you for what? I haven’t even done anything to deserve it.
“I’ll forgive you if you promise me that you will always tell me if you ever have any trouble.”
“Ehhh, even small ones? Like, if I have a stomachache—"
“I know you have a brain. Use it.”
It was maybe too harsh, but he really wasn’t in the mood to play nice or make jokes.
“Okay, I promised.”
“Good.”
Victor believed Norm when he said he could heal his dad, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t prepare for the worst-case scenario. It was always good to have a back-up plan.
I hope I’m strong enough.
[Rival Level 7!]
[Oath Obtained!]
Watching Victor’s retreating back, Norm felt regret for how he had been acting the last few years.
What am I doing? Since when did I turn into this?
When they were kids, they had been quite close, but the whispers that he often overheard—how he didn’t deserve to be Victor’s friend, how ugly he was compared to Victor, how he was such a nuisance, and all the other hurtful things people said about him—made him resent Victor.
It’s not fair to him, though. I’m such an idiot.
The breaking point was when his crush, Elpis, said that she loved Victor. At that moment, he felt that the world wasn’t fair.
And I blamed him for that, for all the things I couldn’t achieve.
Out of all his friends, Victor was always the one who believed in him, the one who always tried to help him, and he repaid that kindness with ugly jealousy.
When something good happened to his friend, why was he feeling resentment, not happiness?
He would always congratulate me whenever something good happened to me. Why couldn’t I do the same?
His appearance wasn’t the only thing that was ugly; his soul probably looked even worse. Meanwhile, Victor's soul probably looked even better than his outward appearance, and Victor was the most handsome person Norm had ever seen!
I’m a horrible friend. I will make it up to you. When my dad is healed, I promise I will make you the best milk in history! It will make you big and strong, and you’ll be the strongest [Swordsman] in the whole world in no time.
A new conviction formed in his heart: not only would he surpass Victor, but he would also become a better friend than Victor.
Then, a thought struck him.
There was another friend that I treated horribly. Ver was the reason my dad would be alright, but I don’t even talk to him all that much.
Norm didn’t know what Ver liked or what he hated, what his favorite food was or if he even needed to eat, and so many other things.
It was only recently that Ver was able to talk with him, but that was no excuse.
Ver understands me, and he can still answer me even if it’s limited. I was so focused on trying to heal my dad that the thought of getting to know him better didn’t even cross my mind. He’s not a tool, you idiot. I’m such a horrible person.
The new Skill he got finally let them communicate properly. Yet, when he got it, Norm felt a bit disappointed.
I need to be better. My friends were all amazing and kind to me, the least I could do was be a good friend to them.
Ver woke up with excitement flooding through him. He was finally able to talk, and that meant he could ask any question he wanted!
“Hey, Ver.”
Not wasting any time, Ver immediately tried using his new Skill, [Verus Albus: Telepathy (Norm)].
(Hello.)
“Wow, I didn’t realize it before, but you sound like an adult.”
(Because I am.)
“I see.”
His inner energy was certainly getting lower and lower, but it was such a small amount that he could basically ignore it.
I should ask Norm what inner energy is really called. No way the name I came up with on the spot is correct.
(What do you call the energy used to activate Skills?)
It was the best way to point out what energy he was talking about. Norm was definitely not a mage, so anything involving mana he probably wouldn’t understand—like creating milk that didn’t exist.
Good thing all three of my Skills used this energy, so it was a safe bet to assume most Skills used this energy. Wait, does [Verus Albus: Share Emotion] use this energy? I didn't feel the drain, but it could also be because the Skill used so little inner energy that I didn't even notice it.
“You mean soul energy?”
(Soul energy, huh. Makes sense.)
Ver knew next to nothing about anything related to the soul. He knew that it existed and was the reason anything was alive, but other than that? Nothing. Yet, the energy being called soul energy made so much sense to him.
The questions kept on coming, but halfway through, Ver suspected Norm wasn’t the most knowledgeable person.
When Ver asked what kind of education Norm received in his school, Norm told him that school only existed in a big city, not a village. Norm got all his education from his parents, who also received their education from their parents.
Wow, that’s such a bad system. But judging from what my sister told me about her school, my world also didn’t have the best education system. At least I’m not as oblivious about this world as I was when I first arrived, which isn’t saying much.
After thirty minutes, Norm stopped his questioning. Not because his soul energy was getting low, but because his mana was slowly getting lower every second he was awake.
(Okay, I’m done now. Let’s create healthy milk before I lose too much mana.)
Norm hesitated, then sighed and went out to grab an empty glass.
What was that all about?
After creating another glass of healthy milk—it was still more than 99% cow’s milk—Ver asked what was bothering Norm.
“It’s nothing. I just thought today I would get to know you better, but it’s fine. It’s not like today is the only time I could talk to you.”
Oh, I didn’t think about asking personal questions. It had been a while since I talked to a new friend, and the first thing I did was ask questions like, ‘Why do you only have two Classes?’ Mom would be disappointed in me.
(I’m sorry, Norm. We could talk tomorrow about normal friend stuff; I’m really sleepy right now, sorry.)
“It's fine, and yeah, I’d like that. Sleep well, Ver, and thank you for everything.”
(You’re welcome.)