The Fat God System

Hugh and the others continued their path towards the exit. They were blocked off by multiple bald men in suits, but they were not a problem with the kind of power they had.

While Hugh and the others were fighting off the bald men, someone was watching them from the side.

This was the same person that had noticed Hugh and the others when they first entered the underground caves. His name was Curt.

"Sir, please help us! The vanguards are the only ones who can fight against a group of chosen," a panic-stricken bald man said as he talked to Curt.

Curt did not speak and continued to observe the fight from a distance. He did not have any angry expression on his face, just a calm and collected attitude.

"No," Curt stated. "It's not worth it. Let them leave."

The bald man was surprised by what Curt said. He thought that Curt would be the angriest one in here because a group of Chosen just brazenly walked into their building and stole a prisoner.

"But why sir?"

"We only stand to lose more people if we fight this battle," Curt replied.

Seeing the anxiousness in the bald man's face, Curt turned towards him and flashed a creepy smile.

"Don't worry. We will lose this battle, but we will win the war."

The bald man did not know what Curt was talking about, but he believed him either way. Curt was one of the strongest people he had ever met, and he would trust every word coming out of his mouth.

——————

Hugh looked around the building as he kept punching bald men out of the way. Although guards were swarming towards them, no one had been a threat so far.

They were only a few steps away from the door, and it had been far too easy. He expected stronger people to come out and fight him, but no one came.

Hugh did not know why, but he had a bad feeling in his stomach. It was as if someone was stalking and glancing at him from afar.

Feeling a cold breeze on his neck, Hugh turned his head towards an empty wall to the left. For some reason, he could feel that a person was staring right back at him.

Curt was surprised to see Hugh turn his head towards him. They both made eye contact, but Hugh only glanced for a few seconds until he continued his fight.

"Strange. I thought he could see me," Curt said to himself.

"What was that, sir?" the bald man asked. Curt did not know that the bald man was still next to him, so the bald man thought Curt was talking to him.

"Nothing, just talking to myself."

——————

Hugh and the others finally reached the end of the line. With one push, they were met with the eve of the night. They were finally outside to freedom.

For Mia, this was the first time she had smelled fresh air in a while, so she stopped in her tracks and savored the moment.

With Aric carrying Jane, and Serena escorting Mia and Miser, they all made their way out of the outskirts of the Shark Loan building.

Once they reached an appropriate place out of reach from the bald men, they stopped and took a rest.

They had no tents or anything ready for camping, so they had to endure the cold breeze of the night. It was easy for the students with Desires since they had power coursing through their bodies, but it was hard for normal people like Miser and Mia.

Hugh broke off a few branches from the trees and a few leaves and set them on the ground. Then, he lit it on fire with the power that he acquired from Aric.

Miser and Mia were comforted with the warmth of the campfire. They snuggled together to conserve heat, and it was also an opportunity to catch up to each other.

"I don't know how to thank you all," lamented Miser.

Even though they had helped Miser from his problem, he did not have anything of value to give them. All he could give them are his genuine thanks and his vow to help them in this lifetime.

"No thanks necessary. It's our job," Serena said as she flashed a proud smile.

Miser did not take Serena's words to heart. He decided to find a way to repay them for their kind gesture some other time.

After a good hour of rest, the group continued their journey to safety. Miser offered his house as a home for the night, and Hugh did not reject the offer.

After a long journey back, they were finally back at the small town where Hugh and the others started. It was the dead of night, and no one could be seen wandering around.

It was a quiet part of the neighborhood as they entered Miser's abode.

"Finally home!" Mia exclaimed as she launched herself to the couch.

"Please excuse the state of my house. I had to sell some furniture to try and pay off my debt, but wasn't enough," Miser said as he scratched his head.

"Don't worry about it," Serena said even though she had an uncomfortable smile on her face.

Miser quickly ruffled through his cabinet and brought out blankets that the group could use to sleep on.

"I will sleep on the floor and my bed can only occupy one person," Miser stated.

The bed looked decent enough to sleep on, and it truly was small enough just for one person. Hugh was sure that the bed would break if he tried to sleep on it.

"Let's put Jane there," Serena said.

They all unanimously agreed with the decision. Jane had exhausted herself saving everyone from dying in a horrible explosion underground. It was the least they could do.

"Um…," Mia said. "You can also sleep on my bed."

"No," Hugh replied for the group. "You sleep there, you had been in a tough spot."

Serena also physically agreed, but she was mad in her mind. She wanted to sleep comfortably at least in a bed, but Hugh already rejected Mia's offer.

If Serena tried to take the bed, then she would seem like a petty person. Thankfully enough, she was given the couch to sleep on.

Miser, Hugh, Aric slept on the ground with just a thin blanket on their backs. It was cold hard ground, but Hugh and Aric both had affinities to fire, so they were fine.

It was a night out, and most of the group was already asleep. However, Miser and Hugh were still wide awake.

Hugh noticed this and he spoke with a soft voice.

"What's keeping you up?"

Miser had a melancholic face as he stared at the ceiling, but as soon as Hugh asked him, he forced himself to smile.

"It's nothing."

Hugh did not believe Miser's fake smile. So he asked once again.

"Tell me. It's the least you can do."

Miser seemed burdened once Hugh pulled out the savior card. Now, he had no choice but to spill the secrets to Hugh.

"Let's talk outside."

Hugh and Miser both got up from their blankets and stood out looking at the backyard.

The town was quiet, and the star was twinkling, but Miser's head was filled with worry. After a few seconds of silence, Miser finally spoke out.

"Mia is no ordinary girl."

Hugh furrowed his eyebrows as he listened to Miser's story.

It turned out that Mia's mother was of noble descent, and not just any noble, but a desolate queen.

The story was that Mia's mother was exiled from a kingdom far away due to unknown reasons. She wandered the streets looking alone without any help until she met Miser.

Things escalated, and a fiery passion burned in both of them, and the product of that passion was Mia.

Years passed, and eventually, Mia's mother was tracked down by the kingdom. They came to her to take her back since there was not anyone that can take the throne.

All of her blood relatives mysteriously vanished or died, leaving only her as the only living blood of the royal family.

However, there was an opposing faction that denied Mia's mother of her throne. They ambushed her and killed her in cold blood.

Now, that throne was taken by the general of the opposing faction. He had a strict hand and would do anything to keep his throne.

If that king knew that Mia, a woman with royal blood, was alive, then his throne would be threatened.

With Mia being imprisoned, her records would be brought out to the public. It was only a matter of time until the king catches wind of this and ordered Mia's execution.

——————

Hugh sighed as he heard Miser's story. It was a tragic case that Miser was powerless to solve. They would have to go against a whole kingdom to have a chance to live.

"I'm planning to desert this place and disappear into some random place," Miser said. "However, I don't know if Mia would accept this."

"She doesn't know?" Hugh asked.

"No, and I don't plan to. Royal blood or not, she's still my dear daughter."