Master of the System

Chapter 129

Michael sighed as he stared at the screen in front of him. He was lying on a bed, one of his feet suspended in the air by a cast. His hands were wrapped in casts as well, and there was an older woman sitting by his side, ready to take care of all his needs. With broken hands, he couldnt feed himself. With broken hands, he couldnt use the bathroom properly either. He had been in this state for over three months now, bordering on four. His dreams of attending the Bread Games had been shattered along with his hands and foot by the deceptively heavy weight within the gym. Perhaps it was a metaphor for how he wasnt strong enough to handle the pressure that came with being a champion. Perhaps it was the worlds way of fucking with him. Either way, Michael didnt appreciate it, and he let his displeasure be known by jetting out another sigh.

The woman by his side lowered her phone, the one she had been mindlessly staring at while occasionally flicking with her finger. Do you have to pee again?

No, I dont have to pee again, Michael said, his expression darkening. The intergalactic society was obviously an advanced one. Their regenerative care was also topnotch. However, if that was the case, then why was he stuck in bed for four months waiting for his bones to heal when miracle elixirs existed? The answer was simple. He was too poor! Although he received compensation from the old man and woman who had indirectly caused him to become crippled, he had more practical uses for that money. Instead of buying bone-restoring pills that couldve fixed him in an hour, he bought a house for his aging mother and purchased a cheaper alternative medicine that would soothe the pain and accelerate his healing but not fast enough to participate in the Bread Games. As for the company that signed him, upon hearing about the accident and discovering the old mans freakish strength, they immediately terminated Michaels contract, paid him the fees, and recruited the old man.

Now, all Michael could do was lie in bed and watch the old man through a screen. Unlike his previous conjectures, the old man was not, in fact, a retired champion. He was an active athlete, and he was currently representing the Moon Lotus World in every one of its categoriesthe ones for men, at least. Michael didnt want to root for the old man; it wasnt because his arms and foot had been broken because of him; it was because of the image that had been burned into his brain that one time he opened the door to the locker room. However, no matter how badly Michael hoped for the old mans failure, the old man was like the main character of a novel, overcoming every challenge with ease.

Elder Vremya is truly impressive, isnt he? the older woman on the side said. Hes not bad-looking either.

Mom, Michael said. He didnt know what else to say. His mother was single and aging. At least, if she fell for an old man, it wouldnt be weird. No, it would still be weird, but not as weird as it could be. Michaels expression dimmed as he watched the old man throw a boulder so hard that it became a dot in the sky. When the boulder landed, it was determined that the old man hadonce againbroken another intergalactic record. This was the seventh intergalactic record he had broken, and there had only been seven games so far! At this rate, wouldnt this old man become the most famous Bread athlete of all time?

The boulder-tossing game ended with the old man being the winner by a long shot. Michael didnt understand how it was possible. The old mans body wasnt physically imposing. It was impressive, but it wasnt as impressive as the runner-up, who had the figure of a gorilla. How did the smaller build throw the rock further? It simply didnt add up. Technique could only take one so far; it wasnt enough to overcome physical limitations. Multiple people from all over had been asking the same question as Michael, spamming social media websites until everyone had heard of Grandpa Vremyas name. However, the host planet of the Bread Games guaranteed the trials were fair and the old man was passing them legitimately.

As the winner, Grandpa Vremya was sat in front of a desk with microphones pointed at his expressionless face. It wasnt the face a winner would make. It was the face of someone washing the dishes or taking out the trash. It was as if the old man treated winning in the Bread Games as something mundane as everyday chores.

Is there anything youd like to say? a reported asked. What are your thoughts on setting a seventh intergalactic record?

The elderly man grabbed the microphone, bringing it closer to his face. His expression turned serious, and he cleared his throat. As you can see, I am the greatest of all time. Theres not much more that needs to be said. With that mind-blowingly arrogant response, Grandpa Vremya returned the microphone to the stunned reporter and waited for more questions.

Arent you afraid of the public backlash youll be facing for your comments?

The opinion of the public is worthless to me, Grandpa Vremya said. Does an eagle consider the feelings of an ant?

Youre competing in gymnastics next. What do you think about the four-time gold medalist, Ivan, Son of Ivan?

Never heard of him.

Is there any athlete here that youre wary of?

No.

Some people have been questioning your background. Since you come from the Moon Lotus World, a place where nearly all drugs arent illegal, they wonder if youve taken anything to boost your performance. Is there anything youd like to say in response to these allegations?

Some people are morons. I have nothing to say to them.

With such a domineering attitude, arent you afraid of losing your sponsorship with Victory? One cant help but think this is a publicity stunt meant to bring in revenue for your sponsor. Do you have any comments about why youre acting so arrogantly?

Only people worthy of my respect will receive it. If you think Im acting arrogantly towards you, then that simply means youre not worthy.

Michael couldnt stand the old mans responses anymore. It infuriated him. This was exactly the type of personality hed suspect someone who flaunted their family jewels in the locker room would have. However, Michael didnt have any unbroken fingers to operate the remote. Can you change the channel?

The older woman glanced at her son. Werent you always obsessed with the Bread Games? she asked. I remember you used to beg me to extend your bedtime whenever the games would continue late in the night. Lets watch a little more. This Elder Vremya really is quite the charmer, isnt he?

Michael leaned back, flattening his pillow. His eyes stared up at the ceiling while he did his best to ignore the reporters questions and the old mans answers. For some reason, everything felt so unfair. Why was the universe so unjust?

***

Pravos sighed and stopped sending her divine energy into her computer. It powered off not long after. Sometimes, watching the things Vremyas avatar did made Pravos feel like squishing him. However, if she did that, then she would get sent a billion years into the future or something equally as terrible. Justice really wouldnt exist if that were to happen! As such, the only thing Pravos could do was turn a blind eye towards the injustice that was happening for the greater good of all the lower dimensions.

Huh, so thats what they mean when they say justice is blind, Karta said, always keen on bullying Pravos whenever an opening showed itself.

Pravos snorted. After spending so many days trapped in the black hole with the naked old man and the naked dog, Pravos was beginning to develop an immunity towards their antics. She hoped her mindset wasnt being altered forever, but she wasnt quite sure anymore. The circumstance she was in was slowly driving her crazy.

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