CHAPTER 133: BIRTHDAY GIFTS II
Kael watched as Rose walked into the room carrying a simple birthday cake, his friends and, shockingly, even the Principal and Claire trailing behind.
Together, they sang...
"Happy birthday to you!"
"Happy birthday to you!"
"Happy birthday to you, Kael Draven!"
"Happy birthday to you!"
Unable to hold them back anymore, two lines of tears quietly streaked down the sides of his face.
When had he ever celebrated this day with someone else aside from family?
Looking at his little sister, who stood at the forefront with her eyes twinkling like stars in the night sky and a bright smile on her still-chubby face, Kael knew she must have organized all this.
And here he was, still worrying if she would always be the same, not knowing she was as perfect as she could be.
Kael's eyes turned to his friends.
He saw the flicker of surprise flash in Nathan's eyes as he watched the changes to his appearance.
The young senior glanced imperceptibly at Alice before turning back to him and flashing his characteristic handsome smile.
Kael's eyes fell on Natalie next.
The young girl quickly averted her gaze once their eyes met, her face flushing red.
She kept singing with the group but kept her head lowered.
This earned Kael a glare from Nathaniel, making him chuckle inwardly.
When he turned to Claire, he was surprised and inwardly happy to see her show no sign of fear like she had when he got his latest Talent.
As for whether it was the same in her heart, Kael didn't really care.
This gesture alone was enough for him.
Principal Martin nodded gently at him.
Kael noticed the wrinkles on his face had reduced greatly, probably a perk of his breakthrough into the First Order. As for his bald head, nothing seemed to have changed, but the same could not be said for his sky-blue eyes.
They were as gentle as ever, with that amicable smile still plastered on his face.
For someone like the Principal, who already had decades of experience under his belt, the trial couldn't affect the old man much.
Kael's eyes met Alice's purple gems once more.
The young girl had quietly retreated to the back, and while she didn't sing along with the others, she still nodded at him, filling his heart with a squishy feeling.
He quickly averted his gaze back to the front.
Py was looking at him with teary eyes, and Kael quietly mouthed a sorry.
Thankfully, it seemed even Jinx was tactful enough to know when to misbehave and when not to.
Finally, the song ended.
As for the prompt to say his age, Kael shamelessly ignored it.
There was no way he would reveal he was just turning fifteen when he knew Alice had already turned so a few months ago. It had been a hot topic, her being one of the twin beauties of the academy. And, it wasn't hard for her admirers to get such information.
Still, Kael quietly glared at his sister in warning to keep quiet, making her grin in return.
When the others saw he had no intention of saying his age, Ms. Claire finally took it upon herself to speak.
"Make a wish and blow the candles out."
Kael closed his eyes and lingered for a moment, the others not urging him to act quickly.
Finally, his eyes snapped open, and he thought in his heart,
'Dad, Mum... I wish you both are alive and safe. Just wait for me.'
With a soft breath, the candle flames flickered out.
"HOORAY!! 🎉🎉"
The group chatted together, and Kael was even surprised to see Nathan pop open a bottle of champagne, filling the room with even more laughter.
They must have seriously spent some coins to prepare all this.
But what he didn't know was that they weren't finished.
"Big Brother Kael..."
Sophia suddenly walked toward him.
The latter couldn't help but want to lift her up. That was just how adorable the blonde girl was.
"As you know, my strength is not that great. So I don't have many coins..."
Kael started, wondering what the little girl was driving at, only for his eyes to widen when he saw the object she summoned out of her inventory.
It was a green scarf, one that didn't look anything special and even had some imperfections here and there.
But one could still clearly see the patience and hard work the creator had poured into it.
"...So I made this for you. Rose told me your best color is green. I hope you like it."
Reaching the end of her sentence, the little girl stuttered a bit as she looked at him with nervous eyes.
Kael watched this sight for a long while, and just when Nathan was about to prompt him to act, he suddenly smiled.
"Thank you. This is the best gift I've received."
He suddenly bent down, and contrary to what the little girl had been expecting, he lifted her up and drew her into his embrace.
Sophia's eyes widened a bit in panic. Still, she gritted her teeth and wrapped the scarf around Kael's neck before quickly burying her head into his neck, too embarrassed to face the others.
The others also acted at this moment.
Nathan presented him with a set of Elite-rank Kunai.
The Principal and Claire apologized for their lack of gifts. After all, they had spent the majority of their hard-earned coins on the survivors.
But Kael waved them away.
To him, just their presence was more than enough.
What he hadn't expected though were the old man's words.
"You already have the greatest gift any being in the universe would kill for."
The Principal gazed at him deeply, making Kael feel a bit strange.
But when he looked at those around him, he couldn't help but agree with the old man.
It was then his sister placed the cake down for the moment before walking toward him and presenting her own gift.
Despite how long they had lived together, this was the first real gift his sister had ever given him, due to their family's financial circumstances.
And Kael was speechless as he gazed at the sniper rifle before him, its sleek matte-black frame exuding a quiet lethality, and the long barrel and angular body giving it an elegant yet oppressive presence.
But when he grasped the weapon, Kael was shocked to see the system description.
[Nightfall's Whisper (Epic)]
Type: Precision Sniper Rifle
Description:
Forged from mana-infused alloy and refined through the System's authority. This weapon silently gathers ambient mana into each shot, greatly increasing range, penetration, and destructive power. Those marked by its sights shall find escape...difficult.
Effects:
• Increases projectile speed by 50%
• Increases effective range by 100%
• Increases armor penetration by 50%
• Slightly suppresses sound and muzzle flash.
Skills:
Deadeye (Rare):
When aiming at the same target for more than 3 seconds, accuracy is greatly increased and the chance of striking vital points rises significantly.