MIGHT AS WELL BE OP-Chapter 1042: Von Bryan-3

Bryan immediately sat upright, his mind focusing, his heart beating violently against his chest like a man whose crush had just texted him, despite knowing fully well that the girl was far out of his league.

After a few seconds of overthinking and internal dilemma, he decided to keep it simple and straightforward like he did in the past, refusing to let his thoughts spiral any further than they already had. His hands danced swiftly across his phone screen as he typed with practiced familiarity, his fingers moving almost instinctively.

{You: Long time, what’s up, man.}

The moment he hit the send button, time seemed to freeze around him as he waited for a reply, his mind flying wildly through what kind of response Anthony would give, his imagination running ceaselessly as countless scenarios played out within his head one after another without pause.

Within an instant, Anthony’s reply came.

{Null Anthony: Indeed, it’s been a long time, hehehe, just remembered your contact existed within my phone, so I decided to text you.}

He read the text, then read it again, then again, each time with a different tone in his head, trying to gauge what tone Anthony himself was texting with. The text seemed casual, too casual in fact, but was Anthony truly being casual or not, he didn’t and couldn’t know, leaving him stuck in a loop of uncertainty and constant interpretation.

Another question slithered into his mind like a devil’s whisper, creeping in silently yet forcefully; what was Anthony’s reason for texting?

Surely, if Anthony had just remembered that he had his contact in his phone, he could have simply ignored it, or even deleted it entirely, as they hadn’t spoken in five years, but instead, the guy had chosen to text him. Bryan couldn’t help but feel that there was a deeper reason for this, something more than mere coincidence or passing thought.

’Does he want to hang out?’ He thought to himself, the idea forming hesitantly within his mind.

But at the same time, the thought seemed utterly outrageous. If Anthony truly wanted to hang out, surely he had made more powerful and talented friends within the military; there would have been absolutely no need for him to reach out personally after so many years of silence.

Besides, it felt ridiculous that someone at that level of power would simply want to "hang out," even his Father had never once mentioned hanging out or doing anything remotely casual like that, making the entire notion feel foreign and unrealistic.

Besides, even if Anthony did want to hang out, could they even still be considered friends with such a massive chasm in power between them? It was well known that powerful and talented individuals usually left their old friends behind due to the overwhelming differences in power and growth; after all, one couldn’t exactly hold themselves back just to accommodate so-called "friends" who might even betray them the very next instant if given the opportunity.

Bryan sighed and decided to stop overthinking and simply reply, but ironically, the more he tried to enforce that decision, the more his thoughts spiraled and overcomplicated everything, refusing to settle down.

{You: Lol, it’s been five years, Mr. Heaven’s Favourite Child. Besides, what made you scroll through your contact list, by the way?}

He replied, deliberately sticking to the same casual tone he had always used with Anthony five years ago. It was a gamble, but one he believed was worth taking. As expected, Anthony’s reply came almost instantly, as though he had already prepared his response and was merely waiting for Bryan’s message to arrive before sending it.

{Null Anthony: Boredom. Pure, unadulterated boredom.}

Anthony didn’t bother hiding his boredom, nor did he feel the need to mask it in any way; there was nothing to conceal, and his blunt honesty remained exactly as Bryan remembered it.

Bryan arched an eyebrow as he stared at the text in silence. All this time, he had been here overthinking endlessly, only for Anthony to have texted him out of sheer boredom. Bryan didn’t know whether to laugh at himself or simply cry, but at the same time, a faint smile inevitably formed on his lips as he stared at the message, because this was exactly the kind of thing the Anthony from five years ago would say without hesitation.

This realization proved that at least Anthony hadn’t completely changed over the years... or at the very least, he still retained parts of his old casual and lazy personality. With that thought, Bryan prepared to reply, but before he could, another message from Anthony appeared on his screen.

{Null Anthony: Was bored, so I logged into my Money God account and spent a few cents, but I got bored after that. Everyone here is in seclusion, everyone training to get stronger, like can’t they take a second to relax and watch the sun rise on a grateful Galaxy.}

Bryan stared at the message, his previously racing heart beginning to steady as uncertainty crept into his thoughts once again. Anthony was complaining that everyone around him had gone into seclusion to train, leaving him alone.

Bryan found himself unsure of how to respond to that. Wasn’t it normal for everyone to strive to become stronger? Why didn’t Anthony simply train as well, or had he already reached a level where further training was unnecessary, perhaps even reaching the peak of his potential or the peak of the Galaxy itself?

He quickly shook his head, forcefully discarding those thoughts. He had already decided not to overthink things any further, so he refused to fall back into that cycle again.

{You: Well, not everyone is as talented and overpowered as you, you know. We all gotta train to catch up one way or the other.}

The moment he sent the message, Anthony replied almost immediately.

{Null Anthony: No need to try catching up, just give up while you can.}

’This is so like him,’ Bryan mused silently as he read the text. To an outsider, the message might seem arrogant or even belittling, but Bryan understood the tone behind it. Having known Anthony in the past, he could easily interpret the underlying humor and casual intent hidden within the words.

Before he could dwell on it any further, his phone beeped again as another message from Anthony appeared.

{Null Anthony: Well, whatever. Since you are replying, I’m guessing you aren’t in seclusion, right?}

Bryan responded instantly, not allowing himself time to hesitate or second-guess.

{You: I’m not in seclusion, just got done with training a few minutes ago, just chilling in my room at the Dragon Domain.}

Although he had initially planned to begin cultivating, he deliberately chose not to mention that. What if Anthony suddenly decided to go offline upon hearing that, thinking he was interrupting Bryan’s training? There was no telling when Anthony would message him again if that happened. It could be days, months, or even another five years.

Even if it seemed like Anthony was simply using him to pass time and alleviate boredom, Bryan wouldn’t care in the slightest. With Anthony’s current level of power and influence, it was far better to remain on his good side. If anything, Bryan would gladly entertain these conversations whenever Anthony desired, regardless of time or circumstance.

{Null Anthony: Perfect, then I’m coming over, I will be there in an hour, see you soon. Over and out.}