Chapter 30

Normally, Dan was certain he would have just watched the cars pass by as his Uber drove him home. In fact, at first, that was exactly what had happened. The Uber drive had his address, exchanged niceties with him, and then they were on their way. The way home. Which meant Dan was going to have to face his father, and the fact he was leaving again.

However, just as that thought rose to mind, it was chased away. Dan played through everything that had happened during the past week, ever since he’d come to his new school, ever since his life had been turned upside down. And then his mind went further back, to everything else that had occurred to his entire life ever since the accident…

And yet, for the first time in as long as he could remember, he didn’t sink into depression. For the first time, the loneliness that threatened to overcome him, was staved off. For the first time, he was able to pull himself from the cliff of despair.

+5 Mental Fortitude (11)

Mental Fortitude Bonus Unlocked

+5 Mental Health (105) +1 Charisma (50) +1 Happiness (60)

Charisma Bonus Unlocked

+25% to relationship interactions +25% boost to relationships

The status updates crossed his vision quickly, his eyes scanning over them. They’d actually startled him so much he’d let out an audible gasp, which had caused the Uber driver to shoot a rather concerned glance back towards him. Dan quickly laughed it off though, and pulled out his cell phone, acting like he was checking a message. The truth though was, he was trying to process what was going on. And, he’d realized he’d finally gotten the Charisma Bonus he’d been chasing…and it made little to no sense to him. After all, so far he wasn’t even certain what relationship interactions were, nor how they actually worked. But he did have a basic idea, thanks to Syn, and figured he would have to play around with it, in order to figure it out even more.

That being said, the boost to his skills had also reminded him of well…his skills. Pulling himself away from depression had thrust him forward, and so he made the most of the trip home. He only had a little time left with his dad, before he was going to head off for his job, and Dan figured with his newfound powers, he could at the very least, make the best of the situation for the two of them.

With that thought, Dan had pulled up his father’s information. He already had an excellent relationship with his dad, which he figured was kind of a given. That being said, now that his powers were Rank 2, and with his father’s status at excellent, Dan had access to a decent amount of information on him. Such as the fact his father’s favorite foods, in order, were Filet Mignon (medium rare), Meat Lover’s Pizza, and Oven baked chicken. Additionally, his favorite movies were Heartbreak Ridge, Space Balls, and Avatar. Which…Dan confirmed via his powers, was the one with the blue aliens…not the one about the air bender.

Additionally, Dan had information on his father’s favorite colors, objects, smells, and so on. In short, he had access to the type of information you could abuse in a dating sim, in order to greatly improve your relationship with someone. Because this was his dad he was talking about, it just meant he could use his powers to try and make the best of their time together, and create good, happy memories.

A quick text message to Peter later, and a word with the Uber driver, and he was making a quick detour. On the way home, Dan picked up dinner for his father and himself, and also secured a copy of Space Balls on his Amazon account, for their viewing pleasure. He was tempted to choose Heartbreak Ridge, which looked like a war movie, but Dan felt like given the position the military had in their relationship, it was a poor choice. Space Balls, on the other hand, seemed like it would be a rather funny movie to watch together.

With dinner and movie in tow, Dan’s Uber brought him home, and he was able to surprise his father. It also occurred to Dan, as he walked into the door, and saw his dad’s reaction…that he’d not done something like this for his father. In fact, no one had done something like this for his father in a long time…

That, he figured, would need to change. He made a mental note to try and be more perceptive, perhaps…less reliant and selfish? On his father. His dad gave him the world, and it was only right that Dan do his best to show his dad some level of appreciation. Sure, he was a freshman in high school, and he had no doubt they would clash along the way…but at the very least, on matters outside of either of their control, Dan realized he needed to be more understanding. A thought that, surprisingly, caused his happiness, self-esteem, and compassion to increase. The day, which had started out as one Dan was dreading, seemed to have been one filled with growth. Both actual, considering how much experience he was certain he’d gained in his practice with Peter, and mental… His character, after today, was going to change, to improve, to grow.

That much, Dan was certain of. And after his dad left, as he laid in bed, going through his stats, checking out his skills, and wondering just how much his stats would improve the next day, he made another decision. The first week was done with his powers. Now, it was time for him to see just how far he could push them, and to really start to discover how much he could grow. As he went to bed, knowing full well that his next day was going to be another day full of training with Peter, Dan made a resolution. It was time, in gamer terms, to see about power leveling.