Level Up The Colony
Chapter 44: Get Together

Chapter 44: Get Together

The recruits must have dissipated overnight, lacking the necessary sustenance.

Yet, Gray, the clingy little creature, remained ever-present.

Checking his phone, Timothy was immediately overwhelmed by a flood of unread messages.

Most were from group chats he had joined for entertainment and the occasional argument.

Now, seeing them all at once, a strange sense of regret settled over him.

With swift efficiency, he archived the unnecessary chats and organized his inbox.

That’s when he noticed a message from Ralph.

A single phone number.

His heart nearly stopped.

He recognized it instantly.

For a brief moment, he sat in disbelief.

He remembered everything, the conversation, how he had initiated it.

But he never thought he’d actually go through with it.

It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision.

The number belonged to his sister.

A pretty poor way to get a girl’s number, but... a win was a win.

Without hesitation, he sent a message.

"Hey, it’s Timothy."

Her reply was almost instant.

"Hey!! Timothy, I thought you’d never message me. Sup?"

Her excitement was evident, and Timothy couldn’t help but smile as he typed back.

It was exactly what he needed to start his day.

Later, he headed off for his usual, mundane D-rank raid.

This time, it was at a private primary school, and the gate teemed with bats of varying sizes and abilities.

The raid team, largely disorganized, pushed through with effort, but Timothy paid them no mind.

His thoughts drifted to Sophia.

Phones lost internet connectivity inside the gates, so whenever he wasn’t actively fighting, he was replaying conversations in his head, imagining what he’d say next, planning how he’d keep things flowing smoothly.

He completed his daily quests absentmindedly, lost in the haze of young infatuation.

A week passed in a swift, uneventful cycle of raids, minor improvements, and the same routine.

A boy struck by love, his world was predictable.

But today was different.

After clearing a raid at a bank premises, Timothy wasted no time.

He rushed home, eager for what came next, a dinner date with her.

She had accepted casually, but to him, it was a moment that deserved effort.

Dressing simply, he opted for a plain white T-shirt and neatly ironed trousers.

Aesthetics weren’t his strong suit, so he skipped accessories, instead choosing a pair of palm sandals, something that balanced casual and semi-formal.

The only dilemma left was his scarf.

It didn’t quite match his outfit this time, so he folded it into a small handkerchief and tucked it away.

With everything in place, he stepped out and set to meet her at the mall, the place where they had first seen each other.

It’s not the fanciest spot in the city, but it’s big and well-known enough.

He hailed a cab and, along the way, decided to text her, asking for her estimated time of arrival.

No response.

He brushed it off, maybe she was still getting ready.

Timothy arrived at exactly 3:30 PM.

As he waited, he noticed passing glances from strangers, but nothing out of the ordinary.

He looked presentable.

That was enough.

Time ticked by.

Thirty minutes later, she was nowhere in sight.

He sent another message.

Still no reply.

Maybe she was running late?

To pass the time, he wandered through the mall, casually browsing.

He even bought himself some deodorant, thinking it might help his appeal, picking up an extra one in case she needed it.

Another thirty minutes.

Nothing.

Growing uneasy, he decided to call her.

He had never called before, but now, he was genuinely concerned.

The call rang twice before disconnecting, unanswered.

A thin thread of hope held him together as he stationed himself on the first floor, watching one of the mall’s entrances. Every girl who passed seemed like her for a fleeting moment until they weren’t.

The day darkened.

And with it, the realization set in.

He had been stood up.

Disappointment weighed heavy as he hailed an Uber home, avoiding public transport, not in the mood for additional frustrations.

Reaching his place, he checked his phone one last time.

No new messages.

The night passed in silence.

By morning, a text appeared.

"Hey, I was occupied. Can we reschedule?"

He ignored it at first and carried on with his routine.

Today’s raid was at an isolated car park, away from settlements and organizations, an easier location to clear.

Each raid brought new teammates and a constant rotation of unfamiliar faces.

His only goal was to build his performance stats on the hunters’ application.

And he was succeeding.

The monsters were centipedes hardly a challenge.

Oddly enough, Timothy’s sour mood triggered his pheromone skill, causing the creatures to instinctively avoid him.

Even the other hunters kept their distance.

It had happened before, with the cliff drakes.

It wasn’t conscious, it just happened.

He finished his daily quest and, only then, considered responding to her message.

Forgiveness wasn’t his style.

Ignoring his feelings entirely seemed the better option.

Hard, but worth trying.

Yet, despite his resolve, doubt lingered.

Would he ever get another chance like this? Partly peer pressure, partly a deep-seated longing, the question nagged at him. freēNovelFire.com

He knew himself as an antisocial, selective person.

Without fate handing him someone on a silver platter, would he ever get one at all?

And just like that, his mind settled on a reschedule, a second chance.

Everyone deserved one.

Deep down, he knew he was just simply, falling hard for her, but he also hoped she didn’t see him as a fool.

He sent a message agreeing to reschedule.

Her response came quickly.

"Same place, same time."

He didn’t bother replying.

Instead, he went home to prepare himself a proper, heartfelt meal.

Before cooking, he calculated his earnings from working as a porter in dungeon raids.

His total came to 400,000 naira (~$266).

His daily expenses were relatively low, so he’d been able to save a decent amount.

Of course, he kept in mind that he also had to take care of his sister’s needs.

He wasn’t broke, at least for now, but there was one problem.

Gray’s appetite had kicked up again.

The little glutton was eating more than ever, but since he only needed to be fed occasionally, it was still manageable.

However, Timothy hadn’t been able to get his hands on any monster carcasses lately not because they were unavailable, but because he was honestly just too lazy to bother.

By now, Gray had grown to the size of a palm, both in width and length.

A long palm.

There was no way he could carry him around casually anymore unless he stuffed him in a bag or something.

But he couldn’t just get any random carcass; he needed quality ones, preferably the boss carcass from the D-rank dungeon gates he had been raiding.

Meanwhile, the new recruits in his group were improving... but only slightly.

They had learned the basics, but nothing beyond that.

It felt like he had hit a wall.

Despite his frustrations, he dressed up in the same outfit as before and went to meet Sophia.

This time, though, he purposely arrived late, showing up at 4 PM instead.

As he arrived, he spotted her stepping out of an Uber, but she wasn’t alone.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Four other girls stepped out with her.

All of them are familiar faces.

From a distance, he watched as they walked to their meeting spot, laughing and chatting in a way that made them look like princesses.

Sophia eventually stopped and glanced around, searching for him.

Timothy approached from behind, his movements silent.

"I apologize for being late," he said, startling her slightly.

He ignored the other girls entirely.

They all attended the same school, but that didn’t mean they were his friends.

"Okay, you’re here now. Let’s go, they’ve been waiting for us," she said with a bright smile, giving him a little push as they hurried inside.

They entered an open lounge on the first floor, and the moment Timothy saw what was in front of him, his face darkened.

Twenty to thirty seats.

All booked.

It only took a glance to realize what was happening.

Every single person in the room was familiar.

Former classmates.

And he had no attachment to them except for hate and vengeance.

Slowly, he turned to look at Sophia.

She still acted innocent.

Or was she?

No.

He had been blinded by his feelings.

Looking at her again, he could tell, she wasn’t innocent.

He was just naive.

Before he could react, a loud voice broke the moment.

"Timothy? The guy who didn’t even graduate with us? Why is he here?"

The voice drew immediate attention to him.

Timothy didn’t need to look to know what was happening.

He was about to be served to the sharks.

"I brought him here because I saw him downstairs," Sophia said lightly.

"He was one of us after all."

No one outright protested, but their faces were filled with irritation only.