Leo then walked through the corridor. Though he didn't remember the interior of the house, it didn't take him long to reach the dining hall.
Servants were arranging food. At the center, a man in his mid-forties was seated, a newspaper resting in his hand. At his left sat the same woman, Leo's mother. And on his left, there was another woman of the same age. The three who bullied him were also there.
The man reading the newspaper finally looked up and noticed Leo. "Leo. You're up? That's great. Come, son, sit down and have a meal with us."
Leo nodded and pulled a chair before settling into it.
'So, is this the father? She is my mother. But who is this woman at his left then?' Leo wondered.
Noticing his gaze, the woman on the left also looked up and faced his gaze. "Is there something you want to tell, Leo?" She asked.
"N... No."
"Alright. Let's start with our meal." The man at the center or Leo's supposed to be father said. All started with the meal.
Leo stared at the food before him and also at the cutlery. 'I have to eat with spoons? What happened to chopsticks?'
"Honey, is there something wrong?" Noticing Leo's dilemma, his mother asked.
"Ummmm, it's nothing. I am just not feeling hungry today. Is it possible to skip the meal?"
All looked at him in surprise. "Hmm? What's with this formality, Leo?" The man at the center asked.
Leo didn't say anything. 'It's going out of hand. I wish I could receive the memories without having to accept the system.'
"Maybe he's just feeling guilty. So, acting weird intentionally to skip the blame." One of the boys from earlier said.
"Guilty? For what?" Leo's father asked.
"It's nothing serious. Let's talk about it after dinner." Leo's mother tried to ease the situation, but the woman on the left chimed in. "You didn't know? Leo went to an alchemist to buy pills so that he could awaken his ability. But other than losing the money, nothing good happened." She said in a mocking tone.
Leo's mother clenched her fists.
"Leo, did that really happen?" The father asked.
Leo was at a loss for words. 'What should I say? I don't even remember what actually happened.'
His mother again tried her best. "Honey, you know what he's going through. We can't blame him, can we? What would you have done if you were struck as an ordinary person, everyone looking down on you at all occasions?"
"But that doesn't make him innocent, does it?" The woman at the left added. "Today, he wasted twenty thousand. What if he doesn't stop and keeps losing more money in the future? What if he starts stealing money?" Her hostile tone was impossible to mistake. She sure did hold a grudge against Leo.
Leo's father stayed silent for a while before finally opening his mouth again. "Leo, I never expected you to act so foolishly. You'd better reflect on what you do."
"Yes, father." Leo lowered his head and said.
"Good. Leave now. I will talk to you later."
With that, Leo got up and silently left the place.
After the meal was over, the woman on the left stormed to her room, those two boys and one girl following behind her.
"Judy, how does he still stand alive? Didn't you say everything was planned?" Her expression changed instantly.
"Mother, even I was surprised to see him alive. The person I sent him to is a professional. And as far as I know, he didn't miss a single task in his life." The boy Leo had bumped into earlier said.
"Whatever. Make him disappear quickly. Or controlling your father won't be that easy."
"Mother, do we really have to kill him?" The young girl spoke. "He is no threat to us. But if any evidence later shows we were behind this, the situation will get out of hand. Don't you think?"
"He's no threat? How did I give birth to fools like you. Did you already forget I destroyed his mana core? Whatever your father has should belong only to you three. That witch was the one who came uninvited into our lives. And I am supposed to tolerate that? Never. Not only that boy, but I will also make her suffer as well. For now, just do as I told you to."
"Yes, mother." All three nodded at once.
After that, two days passed in the blink of an eye. Leo was getting familiar with this new modern world. Now he knew what a TV was, what wonders a mobile could do.
Today was the last day. Last day he had a chance to accept the system. If not, it will be home forever. But seeing his relaxed movements as he kept scrolling through the phone, it didn't seem he had any intention of accepting the system.
It was already midnight, and he was still busy with the phone. Just then, he noticed something. Someone moved outside the window.
Leo got up from his bed and walked toward the window. He pushed his head a little farther out to see if anyone was there, and instantly someone struck.
Blarrghhh!
Leo was thrown back, a knife pierced in his throat. His instincts from past life kicked in. Before the intruder could get inside the room through the window, he bolted out of the room and hid behind a furniture.
Other rooms were a bit away from his, and the intruder surely wouldn't allow him to reach for help. Due to the knife piercing his throat, he couldn't shout either.
'Damn it. Is living an ordinary life a sin? Why can't they let me be as I am? Who did I even offend with this pathetic body of mine?' Leo cursed.
The intruder came inside the room already, but didn't find any dead body. But he noticed the trail of blood.
He followed it silently and reached the furniture Leo had hidden behind. His lips curved into a smile. 'Sorry, boy, you offended someone you shouldn't have.' He thought and quickly reached behind the furniture.
But his smile vanished. There was none. The trail of blood had also stopped here. Suddenly, a thought struck his mind. He quickly turned around, but before he could see anything...
Schlk!
A sword used for decoration pierced his heart. And before him stood Leo, holding the sword with both hands.
"Who are you? And why are you trying to kill me?" Leo somehow whispered.
But the man didn't answer. He looked at the wound on his chest. Before Leo could react, he kicked him hard. Leo flew back and hit the wall behind him.
The attacker rushed toward Leo's room and jumped out through the window, not even bothering to bring the sword out from his chest.
Meanwhile, Leo was in no better shape. Blood continued to pour out from his throat. That last kick and his hitting the wall had worsened his condition. His vision started to blur.
But just before everything went black, that familiar panel shimmered into existence.
[You have five minutes left, host. Do you accept the system or deny it for eternity?]
"I.... I accept it."
Right then, a shrill pain spread in his head. He couldn't tolerate it and lost consciousness.
Silence.... Everything went black.
.....
Leo slowly opened his eyes again. His vision was still blurry. He had totally forgotten what had happened. He saw his new mother sitting beside him, tears rolling down her cheeks.
His father was also there. And so were the other family members.
But Leo's eyes fell on something else.
The panel. It showed a notification.
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully bound to the system. Are you ready to accept your reward?]