Starting As A Rookie In The Hardest Level

While Alex was lost in his thoughts, Valkarth summoned a battle axe out of nowhere, twisted its side from a sharp hammer claw to a hammerhead, and closed the distance between him and Alex in a matter of seconds. He struck Alex in the stomach, sending him flying at an unprecedented speed.

Alex flipped on the ground over and over, each impact rougher than the last. His elbows struck hard, followed by his knees, and his head smacked the ground, mud splattering across his face. Like a ragdoll, each roll covered a few meters, showing no signs of stopping, until he violently slammed into a tree

Alex was sent almost half a kilometer from the original spot, his face barely recognizable as blood and mud blended across it. Even the tree shuddered violently; the birds quickly fled, all the branches trembled, and leaves fell off from the sudden impact.

It took him several minutes to get up, while Valkarth slowly walked toward Alex with his hands behind his back, unintentionally signaling his lack of care, as if he could kill Alex at any second.

Vitality : 27

[Warning! Once you hit below 20, you will lose control over your body]

Alex breathed heavily, as if he could finally smell death knocking on his door. His hands shook as he gripped the tree and slowly stood up.

Despite the blood covering his body, he stared at Valkarth, who was walking slowly toward him from 100 meters away with a cold expression, still looking down on Alex.

With his hands trembling, Alex stared at his palms, now covered in blood.

___________

It was raining heavily. Alex stood frozen on the highway at night as a bunch of people ran here and there. Alex couldn't hear anything, his mind was completely blank.

The sound of sirens was as loud as it could get, and people were rushing toward the hospital. Alex just stood there, kneeling on the ground with wide-open eyes, showing no signs of movement. Blood covered his face, yet not a single tear fell.

In a rush, they quickly took out the stretcher and rushed the patients in.

Once all the ambulances had left and the place quieted down a bit, Alex felt as though some weight was pressing onto his head. His heart felt burnt as he collapsed to his left side, falling to the ground.

"We were just young teens hanging out in the streets at night, enjoying our youth. Who would have thought this day was going to turn into a tragedy?"

Joshua took out his purse; it was empty, with only one or two coins. He awkwardly grinned at the group, who was eagerly waiting for him near the food stall.

They all raised their eyebrows and crowded around Joshua. With nervous smiles, they looked at him, each second growing more intense. Even the stall owner started to stare at Joshua.

"I knew it. We should have checked before going to the stall," a short, bald guy grumbled, his eyes zombie-like, as if he wanted to tear Joshua apart. Alex held him back with his right hand, trying to stop him from losing his temper.

"Is it true, Joshua?" A tall guy adjusts his glasses with his fingertips as he stares at Joshua.

"I'm sorry, y'all. I gave it to my mother this morning and completely forgot about it," Joshua says, bowing 90 degrees as he closes his eyes.

'I'm prepared to die today. I have practically deceived my friends. It would be an honor to die by the hands of my own friends'

Remo, the tall man, walked towards Joshua with an imposing aura, exuding dark energy. Even the stall owner, who had been upset with Joshua earlier, was now worried.

Remo slowly raised his hands toward Joshua, who kept his eyes closed, preparing to die. But instead, Remo hugged him, tears flooding down. "You gave away your money to pay for your sick mother. Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Joshua stood there, mouth agape, as Remo grabbed his collar and started shaking him.

The bald guy, Kenny, also covered his face with his elbows, slowly crying.

"Guys..." Overwhelmed by their support, Joshua could feel tears welling up in his eyes.

"Are you guys idiots?" Alex sighed as he looked at his hopeless friends.

As Alex takes out his purse, there's nothing inside, just some coins. He puts one into the vending machine and gets a milkshake. Soon, the so-called crying buddies all flock around Alex like puppies waiting to be treated.

He first ignores them and drinks all by himself, but their gazes were so bright, constantly staring at him. "Tch, fine. Here you go," he says, though his purse is empty.

After a good laugh, they start heading back. "It's getting too dark, let's go home."

"It was a very fun day..." Joshua laughs out loud as they all cheer.

'It's night, you idiot,' Alex thinks to himself.

An angry man was slowly creeping up from behind with a stick. As he got closer, all of them could feel the bone chilling ominous presence, even Alex.

"Where are you going without paying for your meal?" The stall owner growled.

"It's already getting dark. You guys should head back quickly." After being scolded for almost 15 minutes, they quietly stared at the old man, who was the reason they were getting even more delayed.

"I'm truly sorry, Uncle Kurt," Joshua bowed repeatedly, turning back to Kurt until he was out of sight.

At the intersection of four roads, all four of them waved their hands and walked in different directions.

Alex was walking back home alone, the entire road was quiet.

A group of five gangsters were gambling on the road, all of them drunk. They were shouting at each other aggressively, accusing one another of cheating. And just like that, a huge fight broke out.

One of them spotted Alex walking slowly from the opposite corner. "Hey, you saw everything, right? That man was cheating, wasn't he? Tell me." His eyes were terrifying, as if staring straight into Alex's soul.

Scared, Alex tried to walk faster. "Hey Bobby, can you catch that brat and bring him here?" In front of Alex, a tall gangster sitting on a bike lit a cigarette.

'What should I do? What should I do? If I say anything stupid, they're gonna kill me.' Alex was terrified, his mind clouded with fear.

"Oh, I forgot to give the book back to Alex," Joshua stops in the middle of the road as he imagines Alex getting scolded for not finishing his homework.