Reader Mage 137-Friends Don’t Keep Secrets

Chima and Hakyun’s reactions were justified. rlin had no right to say that they were overreacting by staring wide-eyed in confusion and being unable to utter any words, because if he had been in their position, he would have been the sa way as well.

However, he couldn’t stand watching them being silent any more than he already had. It was high ti they said sothing.

“Guys,” rlin pushed, and that did the work.

“Is that a…” Hakyun started but didn’t finish. He shook his head and wiped his eyes. “No. I must be dreaming.” He turned to rlin. “Tell I’m dreaming. Right now.”

rlin shook his head. “I’m afraid you’re not.”

Hakyun jerked back slightly and scratched the back of his head. “I don’t understand. What’s going on? Really?” He pointed at Blue. “Is that what I think it is, rlin?”

rlin pursed his lips and shifted slightly into the room, putting so distance between himself and his roommates. Then he nodded.

“Yes,” he said. “It’s a dragon.”

“What the actual fuck?!” Hakyun voiced and shrank back.

rlin was unsure if the lad was excited or angry. rlin hoped it would be the forr like Hakyun had been when he had told them of his ability to use anti-magic. But with every second that passed with Hakyun pacing about, he slowly lost hope in that.

Hakyun turned back to rlin.

“What’s this, rlin?” he asked, pulling at his hair. “There’s no way a…dragon just appeared in your bedroom. How long? No. How exactly did you get a dragon? What’s going on here?” Before rlin could have the chance to explain, he turned to Chima. “Are you just gonna stand there and stare all day? Say sothing?”

“Shut up, four eyes,” Chima clicked his tongue. He looked at rlin. “Does Nora know?”

rlin nodded. “She does.”

Chima exhaled. “So? What is it? What’s going on here? Spill it.”

rlin took a glance at Hakyun who was tapping his feet and nudging his glasses impatiently, and heaved out a sigh.

“It’s complicated,” he began. “So, I’ll start with this.”

rlin pulled out his phone, brought up his User Interface, and handed it to Chima and Hakyun. Chima received the phone, and Hakyun peered over his shoulder to look at it. They both furrowed their brows at the sight of the System, and only after a few seconds had passed did they turn back to him.

Hakyun was the first to hit the nail on its head.

“Don’t tell …” He swallowed. “You have a…System?”

Being asked that question was weird. rlin knew the answer, but for a mont, it felt like he didn’t. He cald his heart and nodded, saying, “Yes.”

Hakyun paled. He grabbed on to Chima as a ans to stabilize himself from taking steps backward.

Chima, on the other hand, looked as though he had just been told a secret he had long known. His complexion didn’t change, and he had the sa look of curiosity as he had had ever since rlin had revealed Blue to them.

“This is why you’re able to use anti-magic, isn’t it?” he asked, taking one more glance at rlin’s phone. “This ‘Reader Mage’ thing?”

rlin nodded. “Yes. It’s nothing as simple as Deficient Mages not being studied fully, I just have a boon no one else has.”

rlin wished he could read the thoughts of his roommates at this mont. He was split in two parts in himself, confused as to whether he had made the right decision or firm that he had. But he had no such power, and all he could do was wait for them to reveal what they thought about the whole situation.

“And you kept this a secret from us all this while?” Hakyun asked, his tone bearing none of the usual playfulness it had. “Really, rlin?”

“Stop it, four-eyes,” Chima chid in. “We don’t have the right to tell him what he should tell us and what he shouldn’t.”

Hakyun clicked his tongue and shoved Chima. “That’s where you’re wrong, brute,” he argued. “We’re not just any roommates,” He turned to rlin, “we’re friends. Friends don’t keep secrets from one another.”

rlin bit his lower lip.

“It’s been five months, rlin,” Hakyun continued. “Five months since we beca friends. You know all about , my family, how I was bullied by Sangook. I have never for once kept a single secret from you. And you didn’t think we were trustworthy enough for sothing so important?” He paused, heaving. “Why?”

rlin couldn’t say he didn’t trust them, because that wasn’t it. He did trust them. Not at first, but he ca around quickly enough. He just hadn’t brought telling them about the System to the forefront. But if he put it like that, it would only make Hakyun even more annoyed. So he kept quiet.

Hakyun clicked his tongue. “Can’t even say nothing now either.”

“Stop it,” Chima upbraided Hakyun. “He must have had his reasons.”

“Yeah, right,” Hakyun snorted. “Good on him that he didn’t think his friends were good enough to be relied on.” He turned around and walked back into the living room, plopping down on the couch still seething.

Chima turned to rlin and handed back his phone.

“Don’t mind him,” he said. “People handle such things differently. I’m sure he’ll listen to you better when he’s coolheaded.”

rlin sighed, his lips parting with a soft smile. “Thank you.”

“Who else knows besides Nora?” Chima continued.

“The headmaster,” rlin shrugged. “I only told him last week on my return from the Tower raid.”

Chima’s brows twitched. “Hold on. Was that why you were so glum? Does the System have sothing to do with what happened?”

rlin nodded. “There’s this thing called Quests it gives . It tampers with my raids, makes them harder, and in return grants rewards known as Perks.” Chima blinked, the explanation all coming in at once and overwhelming him. “I can explain all about it to you and Hakyun when he’s more settled, if you’d like. As well as how I got it. I just thought it was ti I told you both about it. Because I didn’t want you guys to get hurt.”

“Get hurt?” Hakyun said from behind Chima, drawing rlin’s attention his way. He sighed then, rubbing his forehead. “I’m sorry, okay? I don’t know why I got so angry. No. I do. I just hate it when people close to keep secrets from . It makes , well, feel like I’m not deserving of knowing sothing so important about them. You know?”

rlin smiled and nodded. “I get it,” he said. “And I’m sorry too. I really don’t know why I kept it from you guys for so long. There were tis where I just wanted to say it, but I held myself back. It feels good to finally get it off my chest.”

Hakyun nodded, and moved forward again. “What did you an by us getting hurt?”

“The System,” rlin explained, “isn’t exactly my friend, you see. It keeps on ssing with , my raids, and my attempts at training. Yes, I level up and all that. But it gets riskier the more I make use of it. And…I’m afraid one of these days you guys will get caught in the crossfire. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if that happened, so I decided to do the only thing I could. Tell you both about it.”

Chima and Hakyun remained silent. The existence of a System on its own was already too much of a reveal to bear, and, now, he was making it known to them that it solely existing in soone close to them could result in them being hurt. It was a hard pill to swallow. Even if he was their friend and roommate, he wasn’t expecting them to understand and be cool with it.

“I’ve told the headmaster,” rlin continued. “So if you guys want to change your roommate, then I’m sure we can work things out with him. I even think that’ll be the best of choice. I’ve been waiting for the headmaster to do sothing, but I’m yet to hear back from him. Anyway, I’m sure if we all go to him and you air out your complaints, he’ll be certain to listen. So—”

“What are you talking about?” Hakyun cut in, nudging his glasses as he narrowed his eyes. “Did the System rewire your brain? No way we’re trading you for a new roommate. You’re too cool.”

rlin blinked owlishly.

Chima leaned on the fra of the door and smiled. “You heard the man,” he said. “Now, what we have to do is think about how we get over this hurdle. Together.”

rlin was at a loss for words. He knew right from his first day as a student of Prestige Academy that he had been placed in the sa dorm room with the best people he could ask for, but now he was certain of that. Chima and Hakyun were truly people he could call his friends. And, yet, he wasn’t at ease. The System was dangerous and them staying close to him frightened him.

There had to be sothing he could do to keep them from danger.

Their smartwatches beeped at that mont and their attentions shifted from the reveal of the System and the disasters it could pose to what points they had received.

Hakyun, always so entranced by being first in the Cohorts rankings, was the first to click on his smartwatch and bring up the updated list. His mood instantly crumbled at the sight, his shoulder dropping.

“Dang it!” he voiced. “We’ve lost the first position to Dragon Eye. They now have 580 points to our 565.” He hissed, taking a mont to calculate the allocations. “A hundred points for each team that cleared their Tower. Two of ours lost, and only one of theirs did.” He looked up at rlin and Chima. “We have so catching up to do, boys. We cannot lose in the tournant.”