Part-31

  Lily, who had been perched on the edge of his bed, spoke up, her voice ced with a hint of suspi. "Mom," she said, "there's something weird here. Look at this." She gestured towards a er of the room where his makeshift pung bag – the pillow tethered to the rope – y discarded.

  James groaned internally. Of course, Lily would notibsp; His mother approached the pillow, examining it with a puzzled frown.

  "What is this?" she asked, pig it up and turning it over in her hands.

  "It's… uh… just a pillow," James stammered, his face flushing red.

  Lily snorted. "Right, a pillow you've somehow mao tie up in a sailor's knot. And why is it all… lumpy?"

  James wihe pillow did indeed look worse for wear, the stuffing unevenly distributed after his onsught of thundercps.

  Before he could think of another lie, his maze met his. Her brown eyes, so simir to his own, held a mixture of and uanding.

  "James, honey," she said gently, "you know you tell us anything, right?"

  James' mind raced, desperately searg for an expnation that wouldn't nd him in a psych ward. fessing the existence of the Bully System and his bizarre trainihod was out of the questioammered, "Uh, I, uh... I just... I wao get in shape, you know? Like, buff up a little?"

  His voice cked vi, and a deep blush crept up his nebsp; His mother's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Lily, however, let out a snort of ughter, the tension dissipating slightly.

  "Oh honey," his mother said, her voice ced with amusement, "you're perfectly fihe way you are. You don't o be a bodybuilder."

  Lily chimed in, rolling her eyes pyfully. "Yeah, James. Looks like every male goes through this 'buff phase' at some point. Trust me, it's usually a short-lived obsession."

  James felt a surge of relief. They were buying it! He wasn't sure how much longer he could maintain the charade, but for now, it was enough.

  "Yeah," he mumbled, f a smile, "I guess I just got carried away."

  His mother reached out and patted his haly. "Well, carried away or not, be careful, okay? Don't hurt yourself trying to be someone you're not." Her words held a hint of worry, but also a flicker of pride. Perhaps, she saw this as a sign of James finally ing out of his shell, even if the method was a little unorthodox.

  As his mother and sister tio chat, James focused on his shallow breaths, willing his body to recover. He knew he'd narrowly escaped disaster. He couldn't risk pushing himself to the point of unsciousness again. But the experience had also ignited a spark of determination within him. He had to find a safer, more sustainable way to train, to trol his power.

  Later that night, as his mother and sister tucked him into bed, a new message flickered on the blue window:

  **Warning: Low Stamina Level. Further use of Thundercp Skill may result in System Shutdown.**

  James swallowed hard. The sequences of ign the system were clear. He had a lot to learn, not just about his newfound abilities, but also about his own limitations. He closed his eyes, the exhaustion finally g him. Tomorrow, he would start again, but this time, he would be smarter, and more cautious.