Part-20
The dismissal bell echoed through the halls, a sweet yet bittersweet escape from Principal Byzed's office. James' stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him of the skipped lunch. His head swam with the whirlwind of revetions: Principal Byzed's past, his grandfather's secret history, and the bizarre power the system had bestowed upon him.
As he entered his , a hush fell over the room. All eyes turowards him, a mixture of curiosity and newfound respe their gazes. Even Jahir, the notorious bully, seemed to shrink back slightly in his seat.
"Dude, that ic!" a voice blurted from the back. It was Mark, a quiet boy in James' css, rarely seen participating in chatter. This sudden outburst was a plete surprise.
A girl named Sarah, who usually sat in the front roroached James, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "I wish someone would do something like that for me whenever I'm stu an awkward situation," she admitted, a touch of envy c her voice.
James blinked, overwhelmed by this sudden wave of attention. He was used to being invisible, an afterthought in the vibrant tapestry of high school life. But now, everyone seemed to be looking at him, their gazes filled with a newfound i.
A thought flickered in his mind – could it be the Bully System? Had the increase in his "CHA" stat, a stat he barely uood, somehow altered his social standing?
He brushed the question aside for the moment. The truth was, he still didn't uand what exactly had happened. Standing up to Ryan had felt right, but the "Thundercp Sp" skill and its bizarre effects left him deeply uled.
The rest of the afternoon crawled by. James found it difficult to focus on the droniures, his mind stantly repying the events of the day.
After school, the weight of the detentioled on him. He trudged to the back of the school, where a ed patch of rown weeds awaited their attention. Ryan, looking equally disgruntled, stood beside him, a scowl etched onto his face.
"Ugh, this is so stupid," Ryan grumbled, kig at a clump of dirt.
James ignored him, pig up a discarded garden rake. He wasn't sure what the future held, what other bizarre missions the Bully System might throw at him. But for now, he focused oask at hand, the rhythmic scrape of the rake against the dry earth a strangely calming sound against the chaos swirling within him.
James gruhe rhythmic scrape of the rake against the dry earth a monotonous terpoint to the storm brewing within him. He gnced sideways at Ryan, who was leaning against the school wall, arms crossed and a picture of sullen defiance.
"Seriously, dude?" James couldn't hold bay longer. "We're both going to be here for hours at this rate. Just grab a rake and help out."
Ryan scoffed. "Why should I? You're the one who started this whole mess."
James ched his jaw. He couldn't deny that. However, the thought of sving away all afternoon while Ryan stood around doing nothing fueled a surge of irritation.
Just as he was about to retort, a familiar blue s flickered ience before his eyes. This time, the mission was…
