Chapter 153: Chapter 153 - New Perspective

For several long seconds, Theo simply stood there in silence.

The sudden silence almost felt suffocating to him.

Even now, he could hear the faint cries echoing through the apartment walls.

Finally, he shook his head and glanced down at the floor.

The image of the little boy changing from excited to... that kept replaying over and over in his mind.

’I completely crushed his hope,’ he thought, clenching his fingers into a fist.

An immense wave of guilt, anger, and sadness twisted inside him.

He didn’t blame Daniel or Emily in the slightest. Hell, had it been him in their shoes, he’d have reacted worse.

Instead, he blamed himself and the people that caused all of this to happen.

He clenched his teeth so hard they ground against each other.

’I’m sorry...’ he thought quietly.

Then finally, Theo slowly turned around and began walking away.

Eventually, he pushed through the apartment building entrance again.

His eyes immediately landed on Owen.

The moment Owen noticed him, his expression shifted to a mix of bitterness, guilt, and pity.

For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.

In the end, he just silently nodded once.

Then he turned around and started walking.

’’It gets better, I guess,’’ he muttered quietly.

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

’’Actually, I don’t really know,’’ he admitted. ’’Better to just ignore me.’’

Theo stared at him silently.

Then he slowly shook his head.

"No," he said quietly, glancing up at the cloudy sky above the city. "Thank you."

"That was exactly what I needed right now."

The two walked quietly back towards the luxurious district afterward.

Neither of them spoke much anymore.

Theo especially had completely lost himself inside his own thoughts.

’What can I do to help them?’

Even now, Daniel’s crying still echoed through his mind over and over again.

Especially the last words he’d uttered were firmly planted inside his head.

’’Then... why didn’t he come back with you?’’

Theo shook his head, trying to force it out of his mind.

’I have to offer some kind of support to them,’ he thought, clenching his fist. ’Even if it’s just money...’

Beside him, Owen glanced over several times but ultimately stayed quiet.

Eventually, the two returned to the apartment building they were temporarily staying in.

The moment they entered the lobby, warmth immediately washed over them.

Several exhausted civilians sat around the lounge area while televisions quietly played emergency broadcasts in the background.

Yet unlike before, Theo barely paid attention to any of it.

As the elevator slowly rose up, Owen finally broke the silence again.

’’We’re all leaving for New York tomorrow,’’ he said casually, leaning against the wall.

Theo glanced over at him, snapping out of his thoughts.

He slowly raised an eyebrow.

’’We... all?’’

A small grin immediately spread across Owen’s face again.

This time, it looked a little more genuine.

’’Yep,’’ he nodded. ’’But I’m not ruining that surprise just yet.’’

Theo stared at him for a moment before quietly snorting.

’’What’s all this mystery for?’’ he muttered, shaking his head.

Owen didn’t say anything.

He just stood there, grinning proudly.

Ding!

The elevator doors slowly shifted open.

The two stepped into the hallway before eventually reaching their assigned apartment door.

Owen pushed open the door right away.

Warm light spilled into the hallway together with the smell of food and quiet conversations.

Theo vaguely heard the familiar voices echoing out from inside.

But after everything that had happened today... he no longer had the energy to deal with any of it.

’’Where’s my room?’’ he asked quietly.

Owen pointed at a door immediately.

’’Thank you,’’ Theo said, nodding once. ’’I’m heading to bed first.’’

Owen slowly nodded, closing the door behind him.

’’Sounds good,’’ he said softly.

Without another word, Theo walked past the living room and entered his bedroom.

As the door fell shut behind him, everything went silent around him.

For several long seconds, he simply stood there motionlessly.

Then he slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and lowered his head into his hands.

The memories of everything that’d happened ran through his mind once again.

Theo clenched his eyes shut tightly.

’Fuck...’

After a few minutes, he slowly leaned back into the soft mattress as his eyes locked onto the ceiling.

With everything silent around him, Theo’s mind refused to settle down.

Slowly, images flashed through his head one after another.

’Whether it’s my lightning or water affinity,’ he thought. ’Or even my chaos affinity...’

It all didn’t matter anymore.

Theo closed his eyes for a moment.

At this point, the Calamity Covenant already knew he was abnormal.

They already knew he possessed talent far beyond normal people, even to the point where they sent a specific counter against his water element.

So, after everything that had happened...

’Would continuing to hide things really change anything?’

He’d tried to be careful. He’d hidden his affinities and really tried to avoid attention.

Yet... people died around him anyway.

And the Calamity Covenant would continue to target him regardless.

A long silence filled the room.

Then Theo slowly opened his eyes again.

Instead of being hazy, they’d grown cold and calm.

’...So what?’

If they already wanted him dead... then so be it.

He’d stop holding back completely.

He’d stop limiting his growth and acting weaker than he truly was.

If accepting sponsorships, resources, and attention allowed him to grow stronger faster... then he’d take all of it.

And if that made him an even bigger target?

Theo’s gaze hardened as he clenched his hand into a fist.

’Then they can come.’

As long as he continued becoming stronger, none of it mattered anymore.

’If anything... I’ll just have to grow faster than they can keep up.’

Theo slowly loosened his fist again as he stared silently at the ceiling.

For the first time today, his thoughts no longer felt as chaotic.

Everything had become strangely simple now.

’I’ll start with the Westridge competition,’ he thought firmly. ’After I crush everyone there, I’ll get my summon.’

’And then, I’ll start climbing even higher to become the best hunter in the world.’

For a moment, everything remained silent.

Then—

A translucent window suddenly appeared above him.

[Cooldown: 00:00:00]

Another window instantly popped up right in front of him.

[Would You Ra— Error]

Theo’s eyes widened slightly.

[Silver Core requirement fulfilled.]

[Beginning system upgrade...]

[Estimated completion time: 72:00:00]

[System owes host one extra Would You Rather.]