The Grand Duelist

After paying every debt that he had, Joseph went to a local wet market where he sourced most of his food since his parents died.

Back before the tragedy happened. Joseph had everything that he wanted.

Even though they weren't rich to the extent that they could purchase private islands and have private jets...

Joseph didn't have the issue of money. Only the issue of availability existed for him.

From food down to his education, Joseph had the best that the city had to offer.

But after that tragedy. Everything crashed down so suddenly that Joseph didn't know what to do.

Both relatives of his parents didn't want him, thinking that Joseph was just a spoiled child that would never get used to living as an average human being. But in fact, they were wrong. Very wrong...

Although Joseph struggled at first. Humans still were the best when it comes to adapting, and Joseph wasn't an exception to that evolutionary trait that enabled humans to reach where they were right now.

Joseph's strategy included skimping everything that he could, but since he was still used to his life as someone who had everything ever since he was a child. He never skimped on food and would buy whatever that he wanted with quality, yet at a reasonable price.

Quality meals included vegetables, chicken skin, some powdered stock that he could boil back in his house and some meat so that he could create a balanced meal.

But there existed a particular store that he frequented within the wet market. That store sold all sorts of meat such a Liempo, Rotisserie Chicken, and Chicken Skin. Although he always bought Chicken Skin from them, he had never bought their Rotisserie Chicken even once all these years.

Joseph always thought that they were somewhat extravagant due to their extraordinary cost.

But since he could see a long line of customers in front of the store, he reckoned that their Rotisserie Chicken should be good enough that once you've tasted it, you'd always want it.

"Ma'am, can I get a whole chicken?" Joseph approached the stall and the elderly woman behind the stall sweetly smiled when she saw Joseph.

"Oh? You want a whole chicken now?" She asked in a delighted voice. Joseph was one of the loyal customers of her stores, yet this was the first time that Joseph actually bought a whole Rotisserie Chicken. She had a face full of smiles when she saw Joseph ordering a whole chicken.

"Yes, I want a whole one."

"How about the Crispy Chicken Skin that you absolutely like?" She asked. Crispy Chicken Skin was always a staple of Joseph whenever he visited their store.

Joseph nodded again, but this time. A smile hung on his lips as he replied: "Give me a whole Chicken Rotisserie and three packs of Crispy Chicken Skin."

His smile looked ordinary and calm, yet Joseph could feel his heart, beat faster than ever. Ever since that fateful day, Joseph could only afford a single pack of Crispy Chicken Skin that he had to ration for the whole day and a multivitamin to make sure that he had his nutrition covered.

"Hahaha, way blema na. Come again, okay?" The old lady handed over five packs of Crispy Chicken Skin.

Joseph looked visibly stunned when he saw what happened: 'Did she not hear my order correctly?'

"This..." He mumbled in a somewhat confused manner and nervous: "Ermm, excuse me but there's a mistake in my order." Joseph suddenly realized at the end of his sentence that his nervousness came from the prejudice that he didn't have enough money that could satisfy the payment for this order.

"Just take it. Now that you have the capability to buy a whole Chicken Rotisserie without looking so pale and miserable at the prices alone, don't you want to celebrate? Just take these extra Chicken Skin and celebrate for me!"

The old lady sweetly smiled once again, and Joseph was so moved with her gesture that he had to pretend that dust entered his eyes as he turned around and rubbed the tears that welled within his eyelids.

Handing over his payment, Joseph turned around and swiftly escaped. Afraid that he might burst to tears if he stayed there even further.

"Wait, the change!" The old lady cried out when she saw that Joseph gave her a thousand Peso bill. But Joseph pretended that he didn't hear anything as he continued his run towards his next destination.

"That young man, he finally found a lucky break... I think he may not come to our stall anymore."

She turned to look at her husband that also had a gentle and amiable smile on his face. All this time, he didn't say anything when he saw her wife's conversation with Joseph. He merely stood at the side and kept on smiling.

He nodded his head to what his wife said before he replied: "Well, of course, a healthy young man as him shouldn't really eat what we sell every day... This is what they call, you know? Putok-Batok. Hahaha."

"Hahaha..." The old lady lightly chuckled and the two continued on their job.

Joseph's next stop was a local bakery that sold really good and soft bread at a reasonable price.

Back when Joseph lost his budget for the week due to the sudden spike in electricity cost. He found that the bakery had strict quality control regarding their baked goods and a lot of their bread ended up being marked as rejected.

Rejected goods were baked goods that didn't come out from the oven like what the head baker expected.

Joseph had to swallow his pride back then and ask for a single bread from the bakery just so he could satisfy his hunger throughout the day until the next week arrives along with his allowance from his parents' pension.

He would never forget that moment where Reynaldo, who was the head baker and the owner of the bakery at the same time. Welcomed him inside and listened to his story...

This was the first time that Joseph found solace from others and he greatly appreciated Reynaldo's gesture towards him back when he was starving and hopeless.

Not only that, Reynaldo himself became Joseph's supplier of free Rejected bread. Of course, Joseph didn't take a mile after given an inch. Even when Reynaldo repeatedly offered him several additional pieces of bread for his consumption since he was a so-called growing young man by Reynaldo's description.

Joseph always rejected his offer and if he didn't manage on refusing Reynaldo's offer, he would hand over his excess bread towards the needy and poor.

"Joseph! You're right in time, we just finished baking some pandesal and there are a lot of rejected pieces of bread from the furnace." Reynaldo, who looked to be at the age of fifty-years-old smiled when he saw Joseph from afar.

A sour sensation welled up in Joseph's throat and he had to gulp a mouthful of saliva in order to suppress the upheaval of emotions that he was having.

Joseph hurriedly went inside the bakery and found at least several dozens of rejected baked goodies.

Witnessing such a scene, tears welled up in Joseph's eyelids.

"What's wrong? Go on and take some. Don't be embarrassed, we've been doing this for so long. It'd be too late already if you act embarrassed right now." Reynaldo lightly laughed, but then his laugh turned into a dangerous kind of cough as his chest violently heaved.

"Kuya, are you okay?" Joseph once again pretended that dust entered his eyes as he hurriedly rubbed his eyelid before he asked Reynaldo in concern.

[Author Note: Kuya means Brother, but if you are younger than the one you are speaking to, must be male. Then it is used as a sign of respect.]

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine... I just need some water." Reynaldo found a bottle of water, and he drank from it before he continued on what he was saying.

"Like I said, don't be embarrassed. Just take whatever you want, not just what you need. You're a growing young man after all."

"That line again..." Joseph mumbled in a hoarse voice.

"What?" Reynaldo looked visibly confused.

"Kuya, don't you remember saying those lines to me back when I first visited your bakery for some bread?" Joseph whose eyes were now red from tears desperately hid his pathetic expression from Reynaldo. He was afraid that if he turned to look at him right now, he might bawl his eyes out.

"I don't really remember, that was such a long time ago after all. What's going on with you? Why are you being so melodramatic." Reynaldo asked then Joseph replied in a whisper-shout.

"I know about everything! I know that those pieces of bread weren't Rejected breads. You purposely made them like that so that you could use it as a reason so that I wouldn't feel guilty about taking food from your bakery!"

Joseph finally said what he wanted to say as his shoulders violently trembled from the emotional turmoil that he was undergoing.

"You... What are you saying?" Reynaldo's expression turned stern, yet one could see complicated emotions within his eyes.

"I knew it was strange from the start! How could such an expert baker like you that took pride in your title as a head baker, produce so many Rejected Breads?!" Joseph cried out once again.

Seeing Joseph's reddened expression that looked like he was about to cry.

Reynaldo finally sighed in defeat before replying...

"Yes, you're right. I intentionally made them like that... Is it wrong that I did that so that I can give to those that needed them the most?" But Reynaldo's reply was a question.

Still, Joseph had to suppress himself from crying out loud as he replied in a hoarse voice.

"No, you weren't wrong... You weren't wrong, but you are sick! Shouldn't you prioritize profits instead of sacrificing them for the sake of others? Why are you so good at them instead of focusing on yourself?"

When Reynaldo heard Joseph's words, he couldn't help but sigh. He turned to look at the ceiling and replied in a soft voice and in a slow manner.

"It's because I don't have much time left..."

Joseph's eyes widened in shock.

"What do you mean that you don't have time left? Are you retiring? Are you going on an extended vacation?" Joseph turned his back towards Reynaldo and pretended that dust once again entered his eyes.

Reynaldo, who heard what Joseph said couldn't help but lightly chuckle.

"Since you're so clever to the point that you already knew about what I did in secret. Shouldn't you know about the answer to that question already?"

Reynaldo seriously said and Joseph finally turned around to face Reynaldo...

His expression looked miserable, his eyes reddened from crying and his cheeks were soaked with his tears. His chest continuously heaved and his throat emanated wheezing sounds as he constantly tried his best on suppressing his tears.

But his efforts were useless and to no avail.

In the end, he couldn't stop his tears and he had no other choice but to cry in front of Reynaldo.

Normally, Reynaldo would mock Joseph at this moment, saying that he shouldn't be such a crybaby.

But right now, his expression remained peaceful and collected. It was as if nothing in this world could bother him anymore.

Witnessing Reynaldo's peaceful expression...

Joseph's crying intensified and he replied with several stammers, in a defiant, yet conflicted voice.

"No... I thought you're just trying out a new diet that's why you're getting thin... as for your cough, I thought that you only missed drinking your cough medicines so that's the reason why it's so persistent..."

"A persistent cough that lasts for two years and makes me lose this much weight? There's no such thing like that." Reynaldo lightly laughed, he sincerely wished that his disease was something like that instead of this dreadful disease.

"No, this can't be true. You're lying right, I mean yeah. You're lying to me again like back then when you said that you're giving me two breads but you gave me five instead. Yeah, I knew it you're lying..."

Joseph entered a trance-like state as he repeatedly mumbled.

In the end, Reynaldo had to fiercely slam his right hand into Joseph's shoulder as he shouted.

"Just accept it already!"

Joseph's eyes widened in shock. His trembling stopped, and more tears came out of his eyes that further drenched his cheeks and chest.

Reynaldo was an adult that was at the twilight of his life, he should have enough strength that he could easily topple a young man like Joseph. But Reynaldo's fierce slam felt as light as a feather. His expression looked like he exerted a lot of strength but in the end. It had no substance behind it.

Joseph's crying further intensified when he saw Reynaldo's skeletal hand. It was the first time that he noticed such an extreme change since Reynaldo frequently covered himself with thick clothing whenever he was in front of the furnace and crafting his baked goods.

But this time, Joseph finally realized.

Does it even make sense to wear such thick clothing before an incomparably hot furnace?

In the end, he couldn't help but run outside and escape from the tight confines of the bakery... He ultimately couldn't face the truth. No- he did not have the courage of facing the truth. At least, not in front of Reynaldo's presence.

Reynaldo didn't follow him outside. Instead, he just stared at the direction where Joseph disappeared.

He just stood there for a long time, as if he was frozen in time...

He, that didn't have any child treated Joseph like he was his precious son. In fact, whenever Joseph visited his bakery for his Rejected bread. The so-called Rejected bread that he gave to Joseph wasn't really Rejected, but bread reinforced with soy protein flour and some moringa leaf powder.

He did this so that the struggling Joseph could grow steadily into a young man without any deficiencies...

Now, several years later. He was faced with a Joseph that had immensely matured compared to the Joseph that he met back then.

He felt gratified that his efforts paid off...

A smile hung on his lips before he turned around to face the furnace of the bakery. His smile felt somewhat bittersweet. It was because he knew that today was most likely the last day that he would see that young man.

But he also felt incomparably good that the struggling young man who had to bring down his pride just to ask for a single rejected bread finally grew up into such a fine young man...

Reynaldo walked towards the shelves of the bakery. And there, he took a glass and filled it with whiskey that he slowly savored as he waited for the passage of time...

But then, his phone's ringtone suddenly rang out.

He took his phone out and what he saw gave him the shock of his life.

[Account 000002301XXXX has sent you $200,000]

[Note: Like a father, you provided for me when I needed it. Now, like a son. It is my turn to help you while you're in need... Use this money wisely Kuya Reynolds! Don't go cockfighting or use this money to buy a lot of alcohol! Hopefully, if God really does exist, I sincerely wish that he extends your life...]

After recovering from his shock, Reynaldo lightly chuckled: "That blasphemous brat."