Kindergarten moved on.
Adam kept grinding his skills and stats, determined to make progress.
This is ridiculous.
Adam played every day with Rachel, but even his child body couldn't keep up with her.
She really is a brute.
"Huh? Are you already tired?"
Adam looked between his body and Rachel.
"How are you not?"
"Huh? Cause I'm not."
Okay… maybe there's some level of truth to the system's claim of her being a Mutant Brute…
"How do you get tired then?"
"Umm… when my eyes hurt?"
Adam rolled his eyes. "Alright."
He let himself fall back into the grass, catching his breath.
Rachel joined him a moment later.
"You're the only one who tries to keep up with me, Adam…"
"I know. That's because you're a brute."
"The biggest bwute!"
***
At home, Adam spent time handling the toy gun he had gotten from Rachel.
Because of the system's messages, he felt he needed to fix it himself—asking for help didn't feel like an option.
Not if he wanted maximum rewards.
Though a toy gun wasn't all that hard to fix. The hard part was getting tools without his parents getting nosy.
So he started drawing schematics for the gun. It was a skill he carried over from his past life, and without tools, taking it apart wasn't an option.
As his schematics slowly grew more detailed, he was able to pocket a tool or two whenever he could.
When he took it apart, the issue became apparent. The trigger mechanism was bent out of shape.
That small part of plastic ruined the entire toy.
"If it was metal, it could bend back into shape, plastic is weird…"
He could heat it, but with what heat?
Finding a replacement was plausible, but unlikely with his current lack of toys.
"I could try wood? Though I don't know how it would interact in the long term."
But how would he shape the wood?
Adam ran his hand through his hair. *It's easy until the restraints force you to think outside the box.*
I'll just have to go with the most simple solution for now. Risking the plastic breaking as I bend it back to shape.
Adam grabbed a pair of pliers and got to work.
The plastic bit slowly bent itself back into shape, the dark plastic whitening slightly as it threatened to break.
Adam stopped for a moment, testing whether the progress was significant.
When he attached the plastic mechanism back into place and pulled the trigger, there was slight resistance–but overall, Adam felt the gun fire.
[Successfully repaired special item [Plasma Gun] to above break value.]
[Host has gained the skill - Repair!]
[Host has gained the Title - No Resource Repairer!]
[Host's skill - Academics is too low. Locking the Repair Skill.]
Locked…? That made sense.
Over the last few months, Adam had done some testing. Level 0 - 1 was roughly a toddler, level 2 felt like a young teenager, level 3 was probably an actual teenager.
Skills might be different but roughly in the same way as proficiency. Noob to beginner, and up from there.
Though with the system and its grinding, I'll be ahead of the curve.
Though I wonder why the system keeps my Intelligence stat low?
The thought left Adam frustrated. Is the system trolling me or do I have a preteen level of Intelligence?
Whatever the reason, let's look at the title.
Adam pulled up the system and clicked on the [No Resource Repairer] title.
[Title: No Resource Repairer
You have fixed a high level piece of technology using only the tools on your back!
For every level in repair, you gain a 5% increase in resource management when repairing!]
That's.. useful? Not sure how often I'll repair things.
From Adam's curiosity, he also clicked on the title [The Last Human].
[Title: The Last Human
You are the last surviving pure human in the galaxy! You have been granted access to the [Last Human System] to help you survive and thrive!
Your genetic potential has been raised to the maximum allowed for humans! Go out and reclaim what humanity has lost!]
Oh... that's a lot… Maximum potential? So 10 for all stats is technically impossible for normal humans... alright.
If that's the case, what about the individuals that trigger system warnings?
I can imagine Rachel might have potentially natural high levels in Vitality, Agility, and Strength for a human… is that why she's considered a brute type?
Adam sat the gun aside and lay on his bed as he usually did when thinking about system nonsense.
Does it matter? Brute or not, she's just a little girl.
***
I take it back. She's a brute.
Adam felt himself be dragged into the playplace of a fast food joint their parents had brought them to.
"You scared, Adam?~"
Adam looked between Rachel and the death trap for children.
"Of this? Not really. I'm scared of all the gross stuff that other kids brought into it."
"We can just wash our hands afterwards!" Rachel ran into the playplace without waiting.
Adam sighed, quietly following.
[Host has entered a radioactive zone!
Recommended action: Wear appropriate protective measures!]
"At least the system's on my side…"
Adam reluctantly started playing in the playplace with Rachel, making sure to keep them BOTH out of the more questionable zones.
By the time Rachel was bored of it, Adam had marched her over to the restrooms.
"Clean your hands and face. You don't want to bring back cooties."
Rachel's face paled as she bolted into the girls restroom. "Not cooties!!!"
Adam heard a system notification but pushed it aside in favor of also cleaning his hands and face.
"So gross."
[Host has survived prolonged exposure in a radioactive zone! Due to appropriate countermeasures, the host has remained safe from radiation!]
[Host has gained 1% towards Vitality]
A whole percent?! That place must have been absolutely filthy.
Adam looked toward the restroom door, contemplating if he should grind this "Irradiated Zone".
But then decided that first time returns were probably the best and trying again would give a pitiful amount. Probably.
Even if it wasn't, pink eye wasn't on his list to experience.
Adam dried his hands and exited the bathroom, finding Rachel waiting outside.
"You wait long?"
"Yep! I counted to 10!"
"Not that long." Adam took her hand and guided them back to the adults.
As soon as the adults spotted them, both of the Cross parents smiled, Mr. Morgan's brow twitched.
Adam tilted his head at Mr. Morgan.
What's his problem?
Pushing that aside, he led Rachel to sit at the table.
"We're done."
Mr. Morgan sighed. "Already?"
"Adam said there were cooties!!"
The Cross couple laughed.
Mr. Morgan chuckled.
"Well, let's hope you don't bring any home."
"Nope!" Rachel let go of Adam's hand and held both of hers up.
"See? All clean!"
Mr. Morgan smiled as he moved Rachel to his lap. "My little Rae is super clean."
Adam shot a look at his parents who had inched forward to pick him up. The couple froze, looking away–caught in the act.
Adam sighed, moving to sit between them.
The things I do for family…