Chapter 56: 56. Decision
'.....'= Thoughts
"....."= Conversations
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Harry nodded, absorbing her words. He knew that her advice came from a place of experience and wisdom. Ancient one continued lecturing him for quite a while while Harry kept listening to her attentively without interrupting her.
As he pondered her advice, he realized that the Ancient One's visit was timely. He needed to balance his ambition and strength with a more measured approach to ensure his growth was sustainable and effective. The quest from the system and his current training were only parts of a larger journey that required careful consideration and preparation.
"Thank you, Ancient One," Harry said sincerely. "I appreciate your guidance. I'll take your advice to heart and work on improving my approach."
The Ancient One raised her eyebrow, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "You don't have to give me that robotic answer. I know how hard it is for a person to change his ways but I am glad that you are atleast willing to listen to me. Embrace the challenges and learn from them. And always remember, I am here to support you in your journey."
With that, the Ancient One stood up and made her way to the door.
"Harry you are not alone," Ancient one muttered loud enough for him to hear and then walked away.
Harry stood up from the bed and reopened the notification of the quest. From the movies he had watched he knew that Tony would be able to defeat Ivan with light injuries. But the only problem was the presence of SHIELD. He also was not sure whether there were Inhumans in this world, as he had no access to that information when the previous owner of the body was in SHIELD.
'What should I do? What should I do?' Harry couldn't help but repeat the question in his mind. Many of his past decisions and choices were not that good and had led to bad results. So he was really confused now as to whether he should take the quest in order to get the points to continue his sealing techniques practice and later to upgrade the system or to let go of this quest and wait till he becomes a chunin level ninja.
To be honest his current strength was almost on par with a peak level Chunin. Though he was far from being comparable to a Special Jounin, he definitely wasn't weak.
"Ahh, f*ck it," Harry punched his bed lightly and finally decided to stay out and wait till he becomes a chunin. As once he becomes a Chunin level ninja, his strength would reach another level and he would have more confidence in fighting any difficulties that would come his way.
As Harry concluded his decision to wait until he reached Chunin level before tackling any more quests, he sensed several people approaching his room. The footsteps were familiar, and soon he heard a knock on the door. Without hesitation, he called out, "Come in."
The door opened, and Sarah, Mark, Wei, and Emma walked in, each holding their phones. Harry raised his eyebrows at their peculiar expressions, which seemed to contain barely suppressed amusement. Suddenly, Sarah burst into laughter as soon as she looked at his face.
Harry tilted his head in confusion. Their behavior was strange, but a sinking feeling in his stomach told him that it was related to Wei's recent prank. Just as Harry was piecing it together, his phone chimed with a notification. Wei, grinning mischievously, urged him to check his phone. Harry clenched his fist, resisting the urge to punch Wei, and unlocked his phone.
Opening the message from Sarah, he found a picture of himself, naked, just before he had transformed his clothes at the training ground. His face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger as he realized they had been sharing the photo amongst themselves.
"You guys..." Harry began, his voice low with a dangerous edge.
Wei held up his hands defensively, still laughing. "Come on, Harry, it was just a bit of fun. No harm done, right?"
Mark and Emma tried to stifle their laughter, but it was clear they found the situation hilarious. Harry sighed deeply, trying to keep his cool.
"Okay, okay, I get it. It was funny," Harry admitted, though his tone indicated he wasn't entirely amused. "But don't think for a second that I'm letting you off the hook for this, Wei. There will be payback."
Wei's grin widened, and he nodded, accepting the challenge. "Bring it on, Harry. I'm looking forward to it."
Sarah finally composed herself enough to speak, trying to act like Ancient One. "We're just glad to see you're taking it in stride, Harry. It's good to have moments of levity amidst all the training and missions."
Harry's mouth twitched as he muttered,"Yeah, I guess it is. Just remember, all of you—payback is coming."
Harry's eyes narrowed as he spoke with a commanding tone, "Alright, fun's over. Delete those photos now."
Sarah, caught off guard, quickly hid her phone behind her back and shouted, "No way!"
Before she could react further, Harry body flickered behind her, attempting to snatch the phone from her hand. Sarah hastily tossed the phone toward Wei. In a synchronized move, Mark and Emma used their mystic arts ropes to hold Harry in place. The magical bindings glowed, restricting his movements just enough to prevent him from catching the phone.
Wei, always quick on his feet, caught Sarah's phone with ease. Without hesitation, he opened a small portal and flung the phone inside, ensuring the photos would be out of Harry's reach. As soon as the phone disappeared through the portal, Mark and Emma released Harry from their bindings.
Harry took a moment to regain his composure, his frustration evident but tempered by a grudging admiration for their teamwork. "Alright," he said, his voice steady but carrying a hint of a warning, "You've had your fun. But remember, I won't forget this."
Wei smiled as he walked over and sat on Harry's bed. "We'll delete your photos if you take us out with you whenever you leave Kamar Taj," he said.
Emma coughed softly, interrupting Wei, and added, "And you have to promise you'll come back to Kamar Taj often."
"Huh?" Harry's frustration turned to confusion and curiosity as he tried to figure out what they were talking about.
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