I Can Extract Game Items

Across the table, Celeste let out a scoff as she finally looked up from her phone. "Pfft. Your 'dream man' probably can't even hold a candle to Aleman." Her eyes gleamed slightly as she leaned back with a smug smile on her face. "Now that's a real man."

Madeline whipped her head around and shot her sister a glare. "Aleman? The guy with the weird helmet? You don't even know what he looks like!"

Celeste's expression turned dreamy as her fingers brushed against her cheek. "I don't need to. The way he saved me from that assassination attempt? The confidence, the power… Ugh, he's definitely handsome under that helmet. Probably mysterious and brooding too."

Mr. Montgomery sighed heavily while pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're both being ridiculous. Aleman or August, I don't care. You girls need to focus on your futures, not—"

"Oh, please, Father," Celeste cut in sharply with a sarcastic tone. "You're only annoyed because Aleman makes you feel irrelevant. He literally saved my life, while your security team stood around like statues."

The temperature at the table seemed to drop by ten degrees. Even the bodyguards shifted uncomfortably.

Mr. Montgomery's gaze turned intense as his knuckles whitened around his coffee cup. "You're forbidden from visiting that so-called AM Coven again. That place put your life in danger."

Celeste narrowed her eyes before slamming her cup down. "Wrong. You put me in danger because you have enemies. AM Coven didn't shoot at me—your political rivals did. If anything, Aleman saved me from your mess."

The room went deathly silent. Mrs. Montgomery's spoon froze mid-stir in her teacup.

Mr. Montgomery opened his mouth to retort, but no words came out. He simply grunted and returned to his coffee with a glare dark enough to wilt flowers.

Madeline broke the silence with an obnoxious laugh. "Ha! You're just mad because I'm right. August is way better than Aleman anyway."

Celeste glared daggers at Madeline. "Impossible. Aleman is a hero. August is probably just some scrawny schoolboy who thinks he's cool because he's tall."

"Take that back!" Madeline shrieked while standing up dramatically.

"Make me." Celeste's chair scraped loudly against the floor as she stood sharply.

Mrs. Montgomery slammed her hand on the table with a look of annoyance. "Enough!"

Both girls froze mid-bicker with their mouths still half-open.

Mrs. Montgomery shot them both a deadly glare. "Madeline, get your things and head to school. Celeste, if I hear one more word about Aleman today, I swear I'll have your credit cards frozen."

Both girls groaned in unison but scrambled to their feet.

As Madeline grabbed her bag, she muttered under her breath, "August is still hotter."

Celeste who was already halfway out the door, whipped around. "Says the girl who couldn't even get his number."

"Ugh, shut up!"

Mrs. Montgomery massaged her temples with a look of frustration as the front door slammed behind them. "I don't know which is worse—teenage hormones or your political scandals."

Mr. Montgomery muttered into his coffee, "At least my scandals don't yell back."

Dennis who had been silent the whole time, finally chimed in smugly, "I think I'm the best-looking person in this family."

Both parents stared at him.

Mrs. Montgomery sighed again. "I need stronger tea."

-----

Madeline strutted through Asterisk High School with her designer bag slung over one shoulder after getting out of the car.

She spotted Sophia sitting alone under a tree, flipping through a textbook.

Madeline marched straight up to her and planted her hands on her hips. "Hey, Sophia. I'm not here to fight, okay? Just give me your brother's number, and we'll be cool."

Sophia didn't even look up. "No."

Madeline groaned dramatically. "Why are you like this? Don't you want your brother to find love?"

Sophia finally glanced up with a flat expression. "With you? Not particularly."

Madeline gasped as if mortally wounded. "Wow. Rude."

Sophia smirked slightly before flipping a page. "I'm just being honest."

Madeline stomped her foot. "Fine! But you'll see. One day, he'll be mine, and you'll regret being such a brat."

Sophia's smirk widened. "Sure. Right after pigs fly."

Madeline stormed off, fuming, while Sophia chuckled softly to herself.

...

...

August emerged from his gaming pod, stretching with his joints making satisfying pop sounds.

The cool, sterile air of his room greeted him, but what truly caught his attention was the translucent notification hovering right in front of his face.

[ +10% Increase In Level Of Overall Power ]

[ 40% Overall Stats Integration With Real World Avatar ]

His eyes widened in confusion.

"What the hell…?"

He muttered under his breath while swiping at the notification, but it remained stubbornly in place until he dismissed it with an intentional blink.

The realization soon hit him as he realized that this wasn't some random glitch. His power from Enders Light was now more integrated with reality at a much higher rate than ever before.

"Forty percent? That's… insane."

Sure, he'd always felt stronger since consuming the Fruit of Corruption, gaining the extraction ability, and manifesting some of his in-game strength. But now? He could practically feel the substantial increase.

---

Determined to put this newfound strength to the test, August hit the pavement.

The usual jog he did around the block felt laughably easy. His feet barely kissed the ground as his strides devoured distance like a predator.

Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire

He sprinted faster, turning into a bit of a blur as he dashed past startled pedestrians.

Old Man Jenkins, the neighborhood's grumpy dog-walker, nearly dropped his coffee, watching August zoom by like a blur.

"What in the—? That boy's got rockets for legs!"

----

August soon stopped in front of the neighborhood gym and decided to give it a try for once.

The gym was filled with grunts as usual as the faint scent of sweat, metal, and cheap protein bars filled the air.

Upon strolling in, August spotted his neighbor Kane, a broad-shouldered guy with mocha skin, a shaved head, and tribal tattoos running down his biceps like rivers.

Kane was mid-rep, benching a ridiculous amount of weight when he spotted August.

"Yo, August! Thought you were allergic to sunlight, man. You finally crawled outta that cave of yours?" Kane threw a lighthearted friendly jab at him.

August smirked. "Figured I'd give these muscles some fresh air."

Kane's gym buddies, Jaxon and Leo, wandered over. Jaxon had a lean muscular build with a full sleeve tattoo running down his right arm, while Leo was shorter and stockier with a buzz cut.

Jaxon gave August a quick once-over before snorting. "Bro, you don't even look like you lift."

Leo chuckled. "What's the plan? Curling the yoga mats?"

August rolled his eyes while walking past them toward the dumbbell rack. He picked up a pair of 100-pound dumbbells with ease as if they were filled with feathers.

His form was perfect, controlled, and effortless as he started doing clean shoulder presses.

Jaxon's laughter died mid-chuckle. "Wait, what?"

Kane's grin widened. "Alright, August. Let's see what you've got."

They started stacking the weight. August moved from 100s to 120s without breaking a sweat. Then to 150s.

His face remained calm as he breathed steadily.

"Okay, now you're just showing off," Kane muttered with a genuinely impressed expression.

By the time August pressed the 180-pound dumbbells overhead with perfect form, a small crowd had gathered.@@novelbin@@

"Dude… that's 360 pounds combined," someone whispered.

August set the weights down gently, not even breathing hard.

Jaxon's jaw hung open. "No way…"

Leo wiped sweat from his forehead. "Alright, fine. Maybe he does lift."

But Kane wasn't done yet.

Kane led August to the squat rack. "Alright, let's see if that strength holds up under real weight."

Starting with 225 pounds (two 45-pound plates on each side), August squatted it like it was nothing. They added more—315 pounds, then 405.

At 495 pounds, August still showed no signs of struggle.

"Dude, that's nearly 500 pounds!" Kane shouted with a look of disbelief.

August smiled faintly. "Add more."

They loaded the bar up to 585 pounds. August positioned himself, gripped the bar, and squatted—deep, controlled, effortless.

Gasps echoed around the gym.

A loud voice suddenly cut through the commotion. "What's all this noise about?"

Tyrell the gym's self-proclaimed alpha, strutted over.

He was built like a truck, with veins bulging from his arms and a smug grin plastered across his face. His reputation as the strongest lifter in the gym was well-known—and well-fed by his own ego.

Kane smirked. "Hey, Tyrell. Think you've got competition."

Tyrell stared at August like he was an insect. "Him? Please."

August raised an eyebrow. "Wanna put it to the test??"

The gym erupted in cheers and jeers, with bets quickly being placed. Most sided with Tyrell, confident in his record lifts.

"I placed my bets on you man, don't embarrass me..." Kane whispered into August's ear while patting his back encouragingly.

They started with deadlifts. The bar was loaded to 495 pounds—Tyrell's warm-up weight.

Tyrell grunted dramatically as he lifted it with veins popping. He dropped it with a loud clang and flexed for the crowd.

"Yeaaahhhh!"