Game of Higher Hands - A Long Way to Go

17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSizJBE9ukT

I feel good.

Which is strange.

Because yesterday I almost died.

Twice.

Maybe three times.

I didn't count.

I sit on my bed and take out the map again.

The paper is open on my desk.

One symbol still glows.

Another one is faint.

Very faint.

Like a small light far away.

I stare at it.

Then I remember Ethan and his team.

Six people.

One shard.

Two months of work.

I cross my arms.

"...Wait."

Something doesn't make sense.

They said they need sixteen shards.

Sixteen.

A very exact number.

Not fifteen.

Not twenty.

Sixteen.

And they wanted my shard.

A lot.

But…

they didn't try very hard.

They didn't fight me.

They didn't chase me.

They didn't take it by force.

They just talked.

Then let me leave.

I frown.

If the world really depends on sixteen shards…

shouldn't they be more desperate?

I lean back in my chair.

"No… something is wrong."

Maybe sixteen is just a number.

Maybe there are more than sixteen shards.

A lot more.

I suddenly sit up.

Because another thought appears.

The dead city had a shard.

A forbidden zone.

A danger area.

A place created by the world changing.

So…

do all forbidden zones have shards?

I walk to the window.

Thinking.

The government already has a ranking system.

Everybody knows it.

Eight levels.

A+.

Right now, only G, F, and E zones have appeared.

The weak ones.

The beginner levels.

At least that is what people call them.

And even one of those had a shard.

I become quiet.

If a low-level zone has a shard…

what about the higher ones?

A+?

I slowly look back at the map.

"No way…"

If every forbidden zone has shards…

then there could be dozens.

Maybe hundreds.

I sit down again.

Because now I have another problem.

If there are so many shards…

then my plan is terrible.

I wanted to stop them.

I wanted to stop the world from returning to normal.

But if there are hundreds of shards…

then this one tiny piece means almost nothing.

I sigh.

"Great."

Maybe I am not holding the key to saving the world.

Maybe I am holding one small screw from a giant machine.

Then another idea appears.

I look at the map again.

Maybe the shards have levels too.

Small pieces.

Big pieces.

Fragments that combine together.

Maybe sixteen isn't the number of shards.

Maybe it is the number of completed pieces.

I rub my face.

My head hurts.

I need information.

A lot of information.

I look at the glowing symbol.

Then at my phone.

I quickly search the news.

Nothing new.

No new forbidden zones.

No emergency reports.

No strange events.

I check the date.

Then I remember.

According to the government's research, forbidden zones don't appear every day.

Usually once.

Maybe twice.

Per month.

This month already had two.

The dead city was the second one.

I slowly put my phone down.

"...So I have to wait."

No new zones.

No new shards.

No adventure.

Nothing.

I look around my room.

Then at myself.

I still have bruises.

My ribs still hurt.

I almost died.

Actually…

waiting might not be a bad thing.

I think about the boss.

I won because I awakened a second ability.

Not because I was strong.

I was lucky.

Very lucky.

If another boss appears tomorrow…

I might die for real.

I stand up.

Walk to the mirror.

Look at myself.

Messy hair.

Tired face.

A seventeen-year-old boy.

I smile a little.

"You are really weak."

Not an insult.

Just the truth.

I can fight a little.

I trained before.

I did some exercise.

I know basic combat.

But against monsters?

Against people with powers?

Against six trained people?

No chance.

I take a deep breath.

Then nod.

"Okay."

I have a month.

Maybe.

A month to become stronger.

I suddenly feel excited.

Because for the first time in my life…

I actually have a goal.

I grab a notebook.

Open it.

Write one sentence.

Get stronger.

Then I write below it.

Train body.

Train abilities.

Learn about shards.

Do not die.

I look at the last one.

Very important.

I spend the rest of the day testing my abilities.

The speed ability is difficult.

Too much power and I almost hit a wall.

Too little and nothing happens.

After several tries, I finally move across my room smoothly.

Three meters.

Then five.

Then seven.

I grin.

"This is amazing."

Then I accidentally knock over a chair.

"Okay… still needs work."

The second ability is even stranger.

I can influence movement.

Just a little.

Very little.

I throw a pen.

Then make it move slightly.

Just slightly.

It changes direction.

A little.

Then falls.

I stare at it.

"Interesting."

I throw it again.

And again.

By evening, I have pens everywhere.

I am tired.

But happy.

The next morning, I start exercising.

Running.

Push-ups.

Sit-ups.

Stretching.

Basic training.

Then more running.

I almost quit after ten minutes.

"No."

I shake my head.

"Heroes train."

I pause.

"Villains probably train too."

I continue running.

The days pass.

One by one.

Morning.

Exercise.

Afternoon.

Ability practice.

Night.

Research.

Sleep.

Repeat.

It becomes a routine.

A new routine.

But this one feels different.

Because I chose it.

Every day, I become a little faster.

A little stronger.

A little better.

Not enough.

Not even close.

But enough to keep going.

Sometimes I take out the map.

The symbols never change.

No new zones.

No new shards.

Just waiting.

And every time I look at it…

I smile.

Because I know something.

Somewhere out there…

another forbidden zone will appear.

Another shard will wait.

And when that happens—

I will be ready.

I close the map.

Put it into my pocket.

Look at the sky outside.

"A month, huh?"

I smile.

"Then let's use every day."

And so my training begins.

The world is quiet for now.

But I know it won't stay that way forever.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8cLjjcS27

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