From Trash to Lord of Thunder: The Rise of the Cursed Extra-Chapter 44: You’re a Jerk

Nora screamed, heart in her throat, as she watched Charles collapse after the lightning strike.

"Rian!"

She ran to him, tunic soaked, face pale with worry.

The ground was wet, the air thick with ozone, tiny sparks still crackling around the lone tree where Charles had fallen.

But as she reached him, something stopped her.

Charles, though bruised and blood dripping from his nose, didn’t seem in agony.

In fact, he was starting to get up, a look of relief on his face that left her baffled.

’What the hell?’ she thought, blinking.

She couldn’t believe her eyes.

Charles rose to his knees, breathing hard, but the pain on his face faded fast.

His bandaged hands, barely mobile before, trembled less, and his skin, still scarred from burns, seemed to regain a healthier tone.

’This... this isn’t normal,’ Nora thought, stepping back.

It was like watching the dead come back to life.

Charles felt a warm current coursing through him.

The exhaustion lingered, a weight in his muscles, but the sharp pain in his hands was gone.

’It’s working... It’s actually working!’ he thought, a mix of awe and excitement.

Feeling his body surge with power was deeply satisfying.

The system’s blue panel appeared, flashing alerts:

[Muscle tissue repair: 85% complete.]

[Peripheral nerve reconnection: 92% complete.]

[Bone regeneration: 78% complete.]

Notifications kept popping up, confirming his organs and tissues were healing at an impossible rate.

But before he could celebrate, a red alert blared:

[Warning: Energy overload detected. Expel excess energy immediately to avoid bodily collapse.]

Charles swallowed, heart racing.

’Seriously, collapse?’ he thought, eyeing his hands.

Wasting no time, he crouched and pressed both palms to the wet ground.

"Come on..." he muttered, focusing on releasing the energy.

There was no visual spectacle, just a faint sizzle in the soil, like tiny electric shocks seeping into the earth.

Nora, about to touch him to help, froze when Charles looked up.

"Don’t touch me!" he shouted, voice urgent.

If Nora touched him now, she’d get badly shocked, and that’d land him in deep trouble.

Nora stepped back, eyes wide.

"Okay, okay, calm down," she said, raising her hands.

But she couldn’t tear her eyes from Charles’s face.

Blood still dripped from his nose, but the superficial wounds from his fall seemed to close before her eyes.

’This makes no sense,’ she thought, frowning as she noticed tiny sparks in the dirt where Charles’s hands rested.

’Is he... discharging the lightning?’ she thought, mind reeling.

In all her time in the clan, she’d never seen anything like it.

Charles let out a long sigh, feeling the pressure in his body ease.

The blue panel flickered again:

[Energy overload successfully averted. Bodily state stabilized.]

[Regeneration complete: 100%. Your hands are fully functional.]

Charles laughed, a low, genuine chuckle, flexing his fingers.

"It worked!" he said, staring at his hands in disbelief.

The pain was completely gone, and though still tired, he felt renewed energy in his veins.

’This ability’s insane—should I call it a passive?’ he thought, still processing what happened.

Nora, however, looked at him like he’d lost it.

’Why’s he laughing?’ she thought, crossing her arms.

"Hey, Rian," she said cautiously. "Tell me what’s nine plus nine."

Charles blinked, thrown by the question.

"Huh? Eighteen," he said, shrugging. "Why?"

Nora narrowed her eyes, her expression half-suspicion, half-tease.

"You’re definitely dumber now," she said dryly. "Nine plus nine is sixteen."

Charles laughed, shaking his head.

"What? No way! Nine plus nine is eighteen," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Everyone knows that!"

Nora frowned, crossing her arms tighter.

"You’re the idiot," she insisted. "You can’t add. Nine plus nine is sixteen."

Charles burst out laughing, unable to hold back.

"Come on, Nora! How the hell is it sixteen?" he said, pointing at her. "Okay, tell me, what’s seven plus seven?"

Nora answered without hesitation.

"Fourteen," she said confidently.

Charles grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Perfect. So what’s eight plus eight?"

Nora opened her mouth, ready to say "sixteen," but stopped short.

"Wait..." she muttered, catching her mistake. "Hey, don’t distract me!" she shouted, jabbing a finger at him. "The real issue is how you’re fine after a lightning strike! What was that? Explain!"

Charles scratched his neck, scrambling for a way out.

’Shit, I can’t tell her about the system,’ he thought, forcing a carefree smile.

"Dunno," he said, shrugging. "Guess I got lucky. The bolt didn’t hit me that hard, you know?"

Nora eyed him skeptically, clearly not buying it.

"Lucky?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow. "No headache? Chest pain? Nothing?"

Charles shook his head, stepping toward her.

"I’m fine, really," he said, more serious.

Then, carefully, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Nora felt a slight tingle, like static, and stepped back.

"What was that?" she asked, rubbing her arm.

Charles locked eyes with her, his expression hard to read.

"Nora," he said, lowering his voice. "Can you keep a secret?"

Nora blinked, caught off guard by his tone.

"A... secret?" she repeated, frowning. "What are you talking about? Why?"

Charles smiled, but there was something calculating in his gaze.

"Lira’s looking for a new assistant," he said, his tone casual but loaded. "Someone to pile tasks on until they’re crushed by exhaustion. And she asked my opinion on who it should be."

Nora narrowed her eyes, confused.

"What’s that got to do with me...?" she asked, a hint of distrust creeping in.

Charles stepped closer, keeping the smile.

"If you pretend you didn’t see anything that happened today..." he said, voice low, "I won’t tell Lira I saw a talented Master-rank sleeping in trees instead of training."

Nora froze, eyes wide.

’Is Rian... blackmailing me?’ she thought, a knot in her stomach.

In all the time she’d known Rian, he’d never acted like this.

He always seemed carefree, even clumsy at times.

But that smile, that cold, calculating look...

’So you are a damn Cole!’ she thought, a mix of awe and irritation.

The idea of Rian, of all people, strong-arming her caught her completely off guard.

"You serious?" she asked, crossing her arms. "You’re blackmailing me?"

Charles laughed, raising his hands in surrender.

"Hey, I’m just saying we can help each other," he said, playful but still serious. "You keep my secret, I keep yours. No one gets hurt, right?"

Nora stared, trying to figure out if he was bluffing.

’This guy’s sharper than I thought,’ she thought, gritting her teeth.

But she also knew Lira Cole wasn’t someone to cross.

If Rian talked, she could end up buried in nonsense tasks for months.

"You’re a dirty bastard," she said, with a bitter laugh. "You know that?"

Charles grinned, shrugging.

"Been called worse," he said, winking. "So, we got a deal?"

Nora sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Fine," she said, resigned. "I didn’t see anything. But if you stab me in the back, Rian, I swear you’ll regret it."

Charles nodded, a satisfied smile spreading.

"Deal," he said, stepping back.

But in his mind, he was still reeling from what just happened.