Celestial Speed: Legacy-Chapter 52: Quest Notice

Henry opened his eyes to a new surrounding, one very different from the place he’d expect to wake up. He was in a small room filled that didn’t have much in it, just the bed on which he laid and a small machine that displayed his vital signs sitting next to it and a large holographic screen on the wall just in front of him.

Henry got an idea of where he was and sighed in relief, he laid back comfortably in the bed when another thought suddenly entered his mind.

"Wait! How did I get here?" he exclaimed, before swiftly sitting up on the bed and checking the room well to see if he’d recognize it. He was no doubt in q kind of hospital ward, but he didn’t know how he got there. Last time he checked, he had fallen unconscious into a pit.

"Where the fuck am i? Did someone find me in the hunting ground?" Henry pondered and tried to stand up from the bed when the system popped up with various messages.

[Host has been healed by multiple healing serums]

[Protocol NHL has been deactivated, All bodily organs would now resume their respective functions]

Henry stared at the messages for a while before his eyes widened, all the memories of before he passed out rushed into his mind.

"The serum, the system did something... No it took something in exchange for stopping my heart. System what exactly happened before I passed out?" he asked with a curious expression.

[Host was going into cardiac arrest which could have lead to your death and the system responded by activating on of the <Immortal> protocols set up by the creator]

[The NHL was selected because host wasn’t about to die as a result of losing exp, it was an instant death. So the protocol was activated to willingly stop the heart rhythm by putting host in an eternal sleep]

[Note that this skill will only occur once. It won’t be activated again]

Henry went through the content with understanding, the system had done something similar on the day he arrived in the world. But what really bothered him was

"Why did the serum cause an heart attack?" Henry voiced out in concern. He remembered that the system said it was due to the serum.

[Host suffered an attack due to multiple intake of the toxic substance at once(overdose)]

[Please note that the ’Velocity Serum’ was never compatible for the host due to it’s nature to boost the speed ability. Host defenses were strong enough to defy it’s toxicity, which is why it increased Host’s speed without any repercussions. But not anymore]

[Host is advised to never use the substance known as ’Velocity Serum’ again. And to maintain this decree, certain measures have been put in place]

"Wait. What!" Henry was dumbfounded. He read through the information carefully but didn’t really understand it. But what caught his attention was the system told him not to use the heavenly serum again.

"What do you mean by ’Never compatible? Wasn’t it supposed to boost speed abilities in the first instance?" Henry asked impatiently, the system wasn’t making any sense.

[Host is not categorized as someone with the speed ability]

Henry was shocked with the system response, this was literally the god of speed system so how is speed not his ability. He was about to question the system again when a thought suddenly entered his mind.

"Come to think of it, that’s true. Speed was never placed under the ability option in the status. And I do remember that the first time i took the serum, the system said it was an unknown substance with various effects." Henry held his chin in realization.

"But if speed is not an ability then what is it?" he asked but the system didn’t respond. But Henry didn’t think too much on it, as long as he could still run very fast, he didn’t care if it was an ability or not.

He sighed. "Back to the classified information huh? Reminds me of Miley. But tell me what you meant by certain measures," he said. He knew that anytime the system took measures, they weren’t so lenient.

[To make sure that Host complies with the No velocity serum rule, the system has activated a max defense that will negate all effects of the serum, including the speed and agility boost so as to prevent any further casualties]

[Note, this effect can never be deactivated]

Henry’s jaw dropped wide open, the system had just killed his dreams. He had so many things planned with the velocity serum, including having a company that created it specially for him, but now that was all destroyed.

He wouldn’t go faster by threefolds or more, if he takes the serum, it would have no effect in his body, it’ll be like taking a regular liquid. He couldn’t use the serum anymore, never again.

"This cannot be happening... I can’t live without them," he muttered. "I had so much planned already... Hahaha i should have known, nothing good last for long. A boost like that was too good to be true without having a catch," Henry laughed like a maniac, he had an expression similar to a drug addict that was on rehabilitative probation and couldn’t take the usual dose of narcotics.

"Hahaha! Fucking system and your fucking antics! Just when I thought I’d become an addict, but sadly that can’t happen anymore," he mused, sounding like he was really looking forward to becoming obsessed with the velocity serum.

"But it’s probably for the best, I’d have become mad. Selling everything just to purchase them and even trad..." Henry paused as he thought of those words. ’Trade’

"Hold on a sec!" he exclaimed as he recollected another set of information, one that the system had clearly stated before he passed out.

"System, earlier before the protocol was activated, what did you mean by trade successful?" he asked

[For the protocol to be activated, it required an equivalent exchange and since Host was on the brink of losing consciousness, an automatic trade was processed and done]

The system explained but Henry already knew what it meant, he knew what trade meant. What he didn’t know was

"What exactly did you trade?" he asked in anxiety already fearing of the worst. "But what exactly could the system have traded? I don’t think I had anything valuable... Except for..." he pondered in his mind before pausing, as the system responded, confirming his suspicions.

[All beast cores(25) and 50 exp have been traded for the NHL protocol]

[You have no beast core left]

[Exp: 0/200]

Henry almost spat blood, the system had taken every single thing he had earned, everything he had taken the serum for, it was all pointless. And to top it all, he had lost the right to use the said serum. He wanted to speak but no words could explain how angry and depressed he was, it was just so unfortunate.

"I should have known, this system doesn’t just give, it takes. I have been receiving sweet rewards for almost a month without any bad luck, or complications. Guess that luck finally ran out. Sigh* I better choose my paths carefully from now on," he sighed before laying back on the bed, defeated. He didn’t even consider the fact that the system had saved his life with the trade.

"Atleast i still have some time left to earn those Exp back and level up," Henry muttered to himself before another notification appeared from the system.

[System Notice]

[New event available] (Select to proceed)

[Quest Notice]

[Reach level 10 before the end of the month]

(Status: Not completed)

[1 Day 18hrs left]

[Penalty for failing quest: 50% permanent decrease of current speed rate]

"Yep it’s confirmed, this system would be the cause of my demise," Henry muttered as he read the system’s last notification, not paying much attention to the first.

"How the fuck does it remain only a day? Last i checked, i should have about 9 days left and how come I suddenly have a penalty for failing?" he yelled at the system that just remained in his line of sight, not caring about what Henry had to say, it wasn’t it’s problem.

"This is insane! If I fail this quest, my speed would reduce by half. That is not happening, not being able to use the serum is bad enough. I have to find a way to level up within today and tomorrow, but first, i best get out of here." Henry pondered and quickly stood up for the bed, seemingly about to leave the room.

But just as Henry pushed the button and the door slid open, someone was in front of him also about to come in, and it was someone he’d least expect to see. The long white hair coupled with the serious expression always on her face made her exude an aura of strictness.

She glanced at Henry from head to toe, before gazing back into his eyes. "Where the hell do you think you’re going?" Emily asked in a strict voice, it reminded Henry of his teachers at middle school.

"Why is she here? Damn it!" Henry exclaimed inwardly. Last time he saw Emily was when she came to him for the adoption and he silently wished to not met her again, but that was inevitable.

"Hey! I asked you a question," Emily’s voice snapped Henry out of his thoughts.

"Well... I was looking for the bathroom, and i was also wondering how i got here. I was supposed to be in a..."

"Pit," Emily interrupted Henry and completed his sentence.

Henry’s eyes widened, he had been busted. Seeing Emily here meant that Felicity was involved in his treatment, which also meant she probably found him in the hunting grounds, where he was prohibited from going.

"Shit! They know already, and here i thought i could come up with some kind of lie," he thought.

"That’s right you little brat, you’re in big trouble," Emily continued, flashing a mischievous grin

"I’m supposed to become the little brother of this knock-off Elsa? No fucking way!" Henry declared in his mind.

"I don’t know what you were doing in a hunting ground but I know one thing. You have a lot to account for," she said before tapping on her bracelet and seemingly typed something on the small holographic keyboard that appeared from it.

"I think... I need to get some more rest... Damn I’m still quite beat from the fall, so yeah," Henry quickly said and was about turning back to the bed, he had an idea... No he knew exactly who Emily had messaged, and he wasn’t ready to explain anything to her.

He quickly walked back to the bed and was about to lay back on it, when a voice suddenly ringed out in the entire room.

"Not so fast, young man!" The voice was feminine but was very far from being called thin, Infact it made Henry shiver slightly.

Though Henry didn’t stop, he plopped onto the bed in a hurry but his face displayed a hurtful and shocked expression as his body fell on the ground. The bed was gone and a figure was standing over him, hands crossed, foot tapping and furrowed eyebrow. This was the complete set of expressions for an angry mother.

Henry gulped as he looked up at Felicity, rubbing the back of his head to ease the pain he felt from the fall.

"Hello Mu... Mother," he muttered slowly with a cheeky smile, sitting on the ground comfortably.

"Wait! Why did I call her that? Was i... scared?" he thought

Felicity furrowed her eyebrows before suddenly grabbing him into an embrace, a warm, unexpected embrace.

"Oh I’m so glad you’re awake, you have been income for a week and I was beginning to think you won’t ever wake up," Felicity muttered with a sweet, loving voice.

Henry was shocked, he didn’t understand what was happening. He was sure that Felicity looked like she was going to do something horrible to him, but this was unexpected.

"Um... I’m fine, just a bit tired and weak," he said softly, playing along as the victim of the situation. He was enjoying the looked on Emily’s face, she stood there, her mouth wide open in surprise.

"Oh sorry, sorry," Felicity said, before releasing Henry from her arms, she stared at him with a smile. This made Henry feel a kind of emotion he had not felt in a long time, but he quickly shrugged it off.

"No! Don’t fall for her tricks, it’s all just an act," he muttered inwardly

"Wait! Are you for real mum? I thought you were going to scold him!" Emily finally managed to voice out, with a frown.

Felicity shifted her gaze towards Emily and frowned slightly. "Emily, be nice. He just woke up from a very fatal accident. What kind of elder sister do you want to be? Huh?" she scolded, which made Emily even more shocked.

"What! Now I’m the one at fault here... How?" she voiced out, directing her gaze to Henry, who was smiling mischievously. This made Emily more furious, she sighed angrily before leaving the room.

"That’s right sister, the tables have turned. Did you forget that the youngest child is never at fault. Never!" Henry muttered to himself, knowing that he had automatically gained the right as the favorite child.

"Alright, we should leave the hospital and head home," Felicity said and began walking towards the door. "When we arrive home, we have lots to discuss," she muttered and left the room, her tone wasn’t serious or strict, but it wasn’t soft like before Emily left the room either.

"I knew it was all an act! What home was she talking about anyways?" Henry muttered. He raised the curtains covering the window and stared into the outer surroundings, the buildings, billboards and... Everything else were a bit different from what he remembered, this meant he was probably in another region or... City.

"Crap! It’s been a week since i passed out in the pit which means... My one month grace of freedom is over!" Henry exclaimed as it finally dawned to him.