Starting With SSS-rank: I Get A New Skill Every Livestream

Chapter 272: Heavy breakfast and guilt

Bzz.

Bzzz.

Bzzzzzzzzz.

"Mm!"

Kyle jolted awake at the relentless buzzing.

His eyes snapped open, slightly red and unfocused. For a brief moment, his mind remained trapped between dreams and reality before everything came rushing back.

Earth.

Montclair.

His home.

Letting out a slow breath, he pushed himself off the bed, only for his legs to buckle beneath him. He stumbled to the side and caught himself before hitting the floor.

It took him a few seconds to steady himself.

Still groggy, he glanced at the clock.

12:08 PM.

His eyes widened.

"What the fuck...?"

He had slept until noon?

Rubbing his aching head, he turned toward the bed.

His phone was still vibrating nonstop.

"Ah..."

Realization struck him like a truck.

He was supposed to spend the day with Amanda.

"Shoot!"

He snatched up the phone, and the moment the screen lit up, his heart nearly stopped.

Thirty-seven messages.

Twelve missed calls.

All from Amanda.

The last message read:

Coming over.

It had been sent barely thirty seconds ago.

Kyle shot to his feet and quickly scanned his room.

The tangled bedsheets and crumpled blanket were enough to tell him he had spent the entire night tossing and turning.

Running a hand through his messy hair, he let out a tired sigh.

"I was really exhausted last night... wasn’t I?"

He quickly typed out a reply.

{Sorry, just woke up. Call me when you get downstairs.}

The message remained unread.

She was probably driving.

Kyle exhaled slowly and sat back on the edge of the bed.

That was when his eyes landed on a neatly folded note resting on the bedside table.

He picked it up and unfolded it.

[Dude, you sleep like a log. I tried waking you up, but you didn’t budge. Anyway, I’m heading back home to talk things out with Dad. Thanks for yesterday, bro. :)]

A gentle smile spread across Kyle’s face as he read the note.

Kyle had completely forgotten that Adam had been sleeping in his room, which was why he had chosen the guest bedroom last night.

"Just how deeply was I asleep?"

He had never been a heavy sleeper before, making it all the more surprising.

[Host, your body was pushed beyond its limits. It endured more strain than at any other point in your life, surpassing even the battle against the special grade.]

The system’s explanation drew a wry smile from Kyle.

Right...

During the Blessed State, his body had gone completely berserk when he used Overlord. He could still remember the violent convulsions and relentless spasms.

Taking a deep breath, he rose to his feet.

He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water.

"My body’s running on empty..."

Glancing down at himself, he frowned.

He felt completely drained, as though every ounce of strength had been squeezed out of him. Even his frame looked a little leaner than before.

That shouldn’t have been possible.

No one burned through that much fat after only a few minutes of intense exertion.

"Right, System?"

[Host... your body underwent a far greater transformation during those few minutes than you realize. You have yet to comprehend how close you came to catastrophe yesterday.]

[Your base attributes are only in the twenties, yet you forced your body to wield power exceeding one hundred points in every attribute. Intelligence alone at that level should have shattered the stability of your mind.]

"But it didn’t," Kyle pointed out.

The system remained silent.

That alone was enough for Kyle to realize he was being unreasonable.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he nodded.

"Okay, I understand. I’ll be more careful from now on."

It wasn’t as though he had another choice last night.

Still, he could tell the system had only been concerned for his well-being.

"Well, first things first. I need something to eat."

His body desperately needed energy.

He grabbed a snack bar from the cabinet to take the edge off his hunger before pulling out a few ingredients to make something sweet and filling.

A frying pan soon sizzled over the stove.

He dropped in a generous knob of butter before laying four thick slices of bread onto the pan, letting them toast until each side turned perfectly crisp and golden.

Once they were done, he stacked the slices neatly and reached for a bottle of milk.

Slowly, he poured it over the bread, making sure every corner soaked it up.

The slices greedily absorbed every last drop until the entire bottle was gone, swelling into a soft, fluffy stack.

Carefully, he lifted the top two slices onto a plate before sliding the remaining pair underneath, forming a towering sandwich of milk-soaked toast.

Next came the honey.

He drizzled it generously across the top, watching the golden syrup cascade down the sides.

No need to hold back today.

Plate in one hand and spoon in the other, he settled at the table and scooped up his first bite.

"Mm... this is good."

His eyes drifted shut as he slowly savored the warm, milky sweetness melting across his tongue.

It had been a long time since he’d eaten something like this.

Before he had become obsessed with eating clean and watching every calorie, this had been his favorite breakfast.

Yes, it was an unusually heavy breakfast.

But honestly?

It was still one of the most satisfying meals he could remember.

As he ate in peace, he unlocked his phone and noticed there hadn’t been a single call from Veronica.

A pang of guilt settled in his chest.

He had left her alone to deal with the aftermath.

Not that he had much of a choice.

The moment he sensed reinforcements arriving, leaving had been the only rational decision. If they had spotted a newbie anywhere near the corpse of a special-grade monster, the questions would have come flooding in.

How was Kyle there?

Why was he involved?

And Veronica wouldn’t have escaped the interrogation either.

There was another problem.

The moment he deactivated Overlord, he became dangerously vulnerable. In that condition, the last thing he wanted was to remain in the open, surrounded by investigators demanding answers.

So, logically...

He had made the right decision.

Emotionally, however, it didn’t sit well with him.

Veronica would have been forced to answer every question herself.

She would need to weave together a believable story explaining how she defeated a special grade on her own while somehow finding the opportunity to call for reinforcements in the middle of it.

Just imagining the pressure she was under made him grimace.

"If there’s any way I can help..."

Without another thought, he scrolled down the screen and dialed her number.

The call connected on the third ring.

"{Hey, Kyle.}"

Her voice sounded groggy, as though he had just woken her up.

"Morning. How are you?" Kyle asked, leaning back in his chair.

"{Good. What happened? Ah... about last night...}"

The slight pause in her voice caught his attention.

It almost sounded as though she had forgotten what happened.

Which was surprising.

After everything that had taken place, last night was hardly something anyone could simply forget.

"{Actually, I was spared from the interrogation... for now. They’re being considerate because they think I’m traumatized after the battle.}"

Kyle blinked in surprise.

Then a wave of relief washed over him.

"Well, that’s good, isn’t it? At least it gives you time to come up with a convincing explanation for how you ended the fight."

"{Yeah... but are you sure you don’t want your name included? I’d be burying myself under guilt if I took all the credit.}"

A wry smile tugged at Kyle’s lips.

"Trust me. It’s better this way. I’d rather not add another giant red flag to my record."

Veronica let out a soft hum.

"{Maybe... but what happened last night was nothing short of unbelievable. You have a lot of questions to answer.}"

Kyle chuckled.

"Yeah. I know."

The conversation continued casually, yet something kept bothering him.

A faint sense of unease settled in the back of his mind.

Was the investigation really proceeding as calmly as Veronica made it sound?