BXBX NOVEL Chapter 152: Ritchie's Current Situation
"It seems like it\'s time to check on Ritchie\'s situation."
Jeremy thought that since he had already handled the most pressing matters, it was only natural to visit his good brother Ritchie and see how he was doing.
When Jeremy arrived at the door of Ritchie\'s place in Flip-Flop Community, he was surprised to see Claire.
"Why aren\'t you resting at home?" Jeremy believed that Claire should take some time to rest after the ordeal in The Iron Lair instance.
Claire responded with a smile on her face.
"I didn\'t encounter too many difficulties in the instance, and even when I did face some danger, you and Bonnie provided me with significant help.
Besides, Ritchie\'s injuries haven\'t fully healed yet. So I felt it was necessary for me to offer him some assistance. You came here to check on Ritchie as well, didn\'t you?"
Jeremy nodded in agreement.
Given that the two of them had coincidentally met here, it made perfect sense for them to visit Ritchie together.
Upon facing the joint arrival of Jeremy and Claire, Ritchie, as always, couldn\'t resist making a playful remark about Jeremy.
"You actually came to visit me with Claire. It seems that my previous remarks were indeed spot on. You are focusing almost all your energy on women."
Facing Ritchie\'s comment, Jeremy felt only mildly embarrassed. Claire, on the other hand, experienced a much higher level of awkwardness.
"I didn\'t come to visit you with him." Claire clarified hastily, her tone tinged with unease. "I just happened to bump into Jeremy downstairs at your place. We didn\'t plan this in advance to come together."
Claire muttered a few words in her defense, her voice barely above a whisper.
At this moment, Jeremy wrapped his arm around Claire and said, "There\'s no need to explain ourselves. He\'s just jealous because he still hasn\'t found a girlfriend."
Upon hearing Jeremy\'s words, Ritchie feigned an expression of deep anguish, theatrically clutching his chest with one hand.
"My heart aches so much! Did you really come here just to visit me?" he exclaimed, his voice dripping with mock distress. "Or did you come here to drive me to my grave?"
Ritchie, with a look of exaggerated agony, posed a rhetorical question to Jeremy.
In response to Ritchie\'s dramatic inquiry, Jeremy, wearing a faint smile, replied, "Of course, I came to visit you. But who can blame me for jesting when you still manage to tease me in such a situation?"
After saying that, Jeremy\'s expression turned more serious than before.
In a solemn tone, he asked Ritchie, "How are you really doing now? How much longer will it take for you to recover fully? Your combat strength is crucial to us."
Among Jeremy\'s group, Emma and Claire were the weakest in terms of combat power. During battles, they could hardly provide much assistance.
While Bonnie\'s combat prowess was undoubtedly strong, she couldn\'t always accompany Jeremy and the others. The only one who could meet the combat requirements and also consistently be with Jeremy was, of course, Ritchie.
Upon hearing Jeremy\'s question, a trace of worry finally appeared on Ritchie\'s face.
"Actually, the supplies Emma provided have almost healed my injuries. But I suddenly realized that I can\'t use my skills as flexibly as before.
Kean\'s attack seems to have sealed my abilities. This means that in the upcoming battles, my performance will be significantly reduced compared to before."
Ritchie\'s words sparked a thought in Jeremy\'s mind.
Jeremy\'s skills were sealed during the battle with "The Sun." Ritchie\'s skills were sealed during his fight with Kean.
Other than these two, who could seal abilities, Jeremy hadn\'t encountered anyone else with such a power. Could this imply a close connection between Kean and "The Sun"?
Even if Kean wasn\'t collaborating with "The Sun." his ability to seal skills likely came from an instance related to "The Sun."
Thinking this, Jeremy\'s hatred for Kean intensified even further.
"It seems that his grudge against me is not merely because of a divine artifact. It\'s more likely that he has already allied himself with the planners of the apocalypse game. His ability to seal opponents\' skills must have come from the hands of those planners."
Upon considering this possibility, Jeremy felt an urgent need to accelerate his own power enhancement.
The information provided by Benjamin confirmed that Kean was merely confined by the Lannisters.
For someone like Kean, this was practically equivalent to receiving no punishment at all.
Although Jeremy pondered extensively in his mind, he had no intention of sharing all his thoughts with Ritchie and Claire.
Because, in Jeremy\'s view, divulging this information to others would only increase their burden.
Jeremy needed to resolve these troubles on his own.
"Having your skills sealed is actually not a big deal. As long as your injuries can heal, you still have a chance to unlock your sealed skills in the upcoming battles.
Besides, you might even acquire some other skills during combat. Who knows, the skills you gain later might be more useful than those you had before."
Jeremy\'s words were, in fact, merely an attempt to comfort Ritchie. NovelBin-the-story-platform
Jeremy was acutely aware that his previous skills had been sealed, causing his capabilities to plummet dramatically. Without the gemstone provided by the World, it was virtually impossible for him to triumph over any slightly stronger adversaries.
After hearing Jeremy\'s words, Ritchie forced a faint smile and nodded, outwardly acknowledging Jeremy\'s statement.
However, deep inside, Ritchie still felt that his current situation was quite dire. Not only was he unable to assist Jeremy, but he was also constantly becoming a burden.
Upon noticing the expression on Ritchie\'s face, Jeremy decided it was time to offer some assistance.
Without hesitation, Jeremy pulled out several skill books from his pocket.
These skill books had all been acquired from the Iron Lair instance.
All the rewards from the Iron Lair instance had been handed over to Jeremy by the Mechanical Duke.
Apart from distributing a few skill books suitable for Emma, Claire, and Bonnie, the rest remained in Jeremy\'s possession.
Jeremy had chosen not to learn the skills from these books.
The reason being, the skill levels in these books were far too low, even if Jeremy learned them, they wouldn\'t offer much help in battles.
Moreover, Jeremy needed powerful skills, not a multitude of mediocre ones.
With a look of astonishment on his face, Ritchie couldn\'t help but ask Jeremy, "Did you really manage to acquire so many skill books from the Iron Lair instance?
But I heard you encountered some dangers there. If it weren\'t for the people sent by Ella and Benjamin to meet you at the entrance, you might have been wiped out by the monsters at the entrance of the Iron Lair."
In response to Ritchie\'s query, Jeremy simply replied in a calm tone.
"Our situation wasn\'t as perilous as Ella and Benjamin imagined. Even without their assistance, we could have ensured our own safety."
As Jeremy spoke these words, he turned his gaze towards Claire.
Claire\'s expression remained largely unchanged, as she completely trusted Jeremy\'s words.
"Alright, let\'s cut the chatter. Do you want these skill books or not? If you don\'t, I\'ll trade them all to someone else!"
Although these skill books weren\'t particularly valuable to Jeremy, he could still use them to trade with others who had awakened relevant talents.
Perhaps he could obtain some treasure chests or energy crystals from the trade, which were far more significant to Jeremy than ordinary skill books.
Upon hearing this, Ritchie hurriedly responded.
"My dear brother! Since you\'ve already taken out the skill books, there\'s no reason to put them back. Even if the skills in these books aren\'t exceptionally powerful, the fact that you\'ve selected them means they must be highly compatible with my talents."
Ritchie accepted the skill books, though he currently had no way to learn the skills contained within them.
After all, he needed about one or two more weeks to fully recover his health. Only after a complete recovery, and passing Emma\'s evaluation, could he determine if he was fit to learn new skills.
"It seems you are nearly fully recovered! Once you\'re completely back to health, you\'ll have to join me in action." Jeremy remarked, giving Ritchie a thorough once-over.
Ritchie nodded. "In fact, I\'ve always hoped to act alongside you. During our missions, I will do my utmost to assist you and follow your commands."
Although Ritchie might appear unreliable on the surface, in reality, he was extremely dependable during missions. He would absolutely follow Jeremy\'s orders.