Three hours later, when night descended upon them, Sho ventured through the forest onto the nearby waterway.
It was already the promised hour.
He observed the people around and gained new knowledge every time. He took note of many things but he was keenly observing Hana. He refused to think she had changed when it was less than a year. Even if she didn't exude any bitchiness, he trusted his instinct. She acted kind and caring to everyone but Sho was still on high alert. The main reason was because the girl didn't say sorry to Sho after what happened between them. She acted as if nothing happened.
If someone had truly changed, they should accept what they did. And if she felt any guilt at all, she should have said sorry to Sho even if she didn't know Sho heard her dissing him with his fake friends. Owning one's fault was key to change.
While walking towards the waterway, Sho saw some patrol and when asked, he told them he would be on the waterway. He knew that the patrol asked that in case he didn't come back, they knew where he was last seen.
It was one of the precautions Alpha told their group.
A moment when he was walking towards the waterway, Sho inevitably noticed the tranquil atmosphere. If not for the danger of the Super Phenomena, he would think that this was paradise. The Waning Gibbous moon was shining brightly and was adorned with the sparkling starry sky. There was not even a cloud up above the sky.
It was a breathtaking sight that wouldn't normally be seen in the city. The only reason they were able to witness such a serene scene was because the city disappeared and was replaced with the forest. It was ironic that they could only enjoy this scene after an apocalyptic event.
The only thing that was missing in the peaceful view was the cricket sound or any bird sounds that would create a musical atmosphere. It felt like no insects or animals were living in the forest. Because of that, it became eerie after quite some time of inactivity.
Upon reaching the waterway, he saw the shadowy figure of Alpha near a bonfire. He was sitting there intently, as if meditating. It was a weird view considering the era they are in in this world. He only knew priests and religious groups practicing meditation. Or maybe there were those who did yoga. But he never thought someone who came from the military would actually meditate.
*Isn't meditation on the army quite… weird? Someone who wields a gun then meditates…*
It was an unusual site.
Sho made sure to make his step louder as he was coming close. He didn't want to spook Alpha if he came near him too quietly. He is afraid that the veteran would think of him as an enemy ambushing him. Won't he suffer if that happened?
With only moonlight and fire lighting the surroundings, if Alpha failed to recognize Sho, he might get beat up before Alpha noticed that he wasn't there to assassinate him.
*You and Sho's imagination seems to get along quite well.* He jested himself.
"Being a gentleman sometimes is not necessary on a battlefield."
"But you are not my enemy." Sho explained his intention. Alpha opened his almost black colored eyes, thanks to the evening light. Somehow, he looked different than earlier. It felt like he knew a lot of things. There was something about him that he couldn't point out.
*Was it really meditation? Did he reach nirvana?*
"It's good to know that. But not everyone would also be your friend. There are people just keen on using you, then leaving you behind when you don't have any use for them anymore."
He gave a wry smile. "I know that all too well." He laced his voice with humor. His first thought was Hana who was with them.
He somehow felt lucky to have Sho's memory. If he didn't have any memory at all, wouldn't it be bad? He would enter a battlefield with almost no knowledge and just following his instinct. He didn't even want to think of the outcome after that.
Alpha looked intently on his eyes, it was as if he saw inside him. Sho started to feel unsettled. It wasn't because Hana did the same to the original Sho. It was because he was afraid of being seen through as someone who took over Sho's body. In spite of the fact that he didn't know anything, he couldn't deny that it was him that entered Sho's living body and then took over control of the poor kid's body.
"You've been through a lot. I was not wrong. Enough chatter," as he said he picked a stick nearby and stood up. "Pick a weapon."
"W-what?"
*Does he want to fight me? What's going on? Did he see through me? Does he know that I'm not Sho?*
He started to panic.
"I'll teach you how to survive. Pick a weapon."
Sho was more than shocked. He was stupefied. He didn't know what was going inside Alpha's mind. But before he could ask, Alpha swayed the stick he was holding and slashed it to Sho. Even though he was still surprised, he lifted his arms in front of his chest and face to guard from the incoming stick. But the stick didn't land on his arms, instead, he felt a pain in his stomach.
The next moment, he gasped as he was holding his stomach that got smacked by the stick.
He instinctively knew he would be hit nonetheless, but being hit altogether felt different.
*My body is so slow…*
"Good reaction. But you're still lacking experience. If an enemy sees your open stomach, he or she won't hesitate to poke you there. Again."
Sho's jaw dropped. But he wasn't given any moment to protest or ask for a break. Once more, Alpha swung the stick towards him. Sho took two steps back and picked up the stick he saw before approaching Alpha earlier.
He wasn't merely leisurely admiring the scenery earlier. Truth was, he was looking at every detail. And thanks to Sho's sharp memory, he remembered every detail his eyes laid upon. He remembered where sticks of fallen branches were readily available and which branches could be used as weapons.
Although he had the Soul Crusher attached to his belt, he didn't dare pull out the weapon. He knew Alpha had no intention of killing him. He just wanted to train Sho.
"Good observation. Observation gives you an advantage. If you are aware of your surroundings, then everything can be your weapon." But after saying that, Alpha smacked the stick away from Sho's hand.
*I thought I should pick a weapon?* He grumbled in his mind. He didn't have enough energy to spare in talking.
He realized how unhealthy Sho's body was. He had limited speed, strength and stamina! He was already gasping hard even when everything happened in less than a minute. It was the intensity of the Alpha's movement and Sho's thinking. Everything felt slow in his mind, but his body really couldn't keep up.
"Your enemy won't always give you a chance to prepare yourself. Everyone is dirty. And in a situation of life and death, everyone would do anything to survive. Everything to survive"
Once again, Sho was shocked.
*What did Alpha go through? Was it from the army? Did he go through war? Why does it feel like he adjusted quickly with our situation? Did he also go through the hidden mission? Did he also see how horrible these missions can be?*
Numerous questions spurred in his mind. But he didn't have time to think anymore as he felt a whip in the side of his stomach.
"Ahh!" Sho inhaled sharply from the pain coming from his sides.
He knew Alpha didn't use much strength, but damn, Sho's body was too fragile! He was hurt so easily! He even wondered how he survived the Murlocs' Zone with his fragile body.
He was just damned lucky!
"It's nice to think, but distraction won't help you. Put aside things that won't help you at the moment. Focus your attention on the present. Wandering mind creates turmoil in the soul. In combat, whoever has the cleanest soul would generate the best combat abilities. Even talentless individuals could emerge victorious!
"Your will is very important. Keep your thoughts on the present. On everything related right now. On our battle. Think about what I do. What I'll do. Think about my essence. Think about the surroundings and how you can use it."
Each sentence Alpha said was punctuated with a slash or whip of the branch. Sho tried his best to defend or hide in the trees but everything was useless. He was too weak. He knew that if Alpha got serious, he could kill him with just one attack.
But having seen how weak he was, he became determined to become stronger. He refused to continue on being weakling!
He instinctively knew that Super Phenomena was just the start. With what Gabriel had said, survival would be the only choice!
"Are you done?" There was mockery in Alpha's voice but his eyes shone with encouragement.
"N-n-no!" He hissed. This wasn't his limit! Even when he was weak, he knew he could still go on!
Alpha nodded in approval. "Again! Continue! Pick up your weapon!"
*Man, what do you want me to do?! You're telling me to pick a weapon but you slap my hand!* As soon as Sho picked his weapon Alpha would always whip his hand making him drop his weapon instead.
"An enemy wouldn't give you any chance to hold your weapon properly! Use your mind! Think on how you can make sure you will be able to hold your weapon!"
He hated to admit it, Alpha was right. Did the murloc really wait for him? No. On the contrary, when they noticed someone was a threat, they would attack relentlessly. Although Alpha's teachings were rough, he was absolutely correct.
"Good. That's the spirit. Keep that look in your eyes. It's the way to survive. Now, pick your weapon!"
It took countless tries before Sho was able to get his weapon without being slapped away by Alpha. He felt very accomplished when he finally did hold his weapon. It made him cherish his weapon more than usual.
It was uncanny considering his current weapon was a branch.
"You have a good attitude. Now that you know how to care for your weapon, we would proceed to the next step. Balance!"
"T-t-t-that… *pant* f-fast?" He asked while gasping for air. He instantly knew how balance was important in a fight. Even movies, animes or books would indicate as such.
"I would love to start with the basics. But sadly, we don't have leisure time. We need to do a crash course now."
Sho wanted to ask Alpha what he meant. He was talking profoundly, as if he knew what would come next. That this kind of peace wouldn't last. But before he could ask, he was beaten senselessly about his balance.
And with that, Sho's night was full of pain, hardship and lessons.
Somehow, he felt lucky that Alpha was keen on teaching him. To be honest, he was not confident in a fight. And with Sho's memory, he was not a fighter at all. The role that was suitable with him was support or someone who would be at the back of the group, thinking and strategizing.
But he knew Alpha was right on teaching him.
If he wanted to strategize, he would be prone to attacks. Smart people would always go after the brain. And if he, the brain, would be a weakling. Then, it would be easy-peasy to take down any group he would lead.
As from what the original Sho had read before, in war, Decapitation Strategy would work in certain scenarios. Decapitation Strategy is severing the head of the group to seize the group. And in those scenarios, if a head was smart but weak and the group was not as organized as the current government structure, Decapitation Strategy was very useful to eliminate the group.
And even without taking into consideration the Decapitation Strategy, politicians or people who want power would still target him if they want to hold on to leadership. It was simple survival of the fittest rule. Since he was too weak, it was easier to dispatch him to take hold of the possible power he held.
As what Alpha said, being a capable lead knew how to see their own limit, and push through that to improve themselves.
On that note, he saw a lot of his own weaknesses throughout the hour spent with Alpha.
The first and foremost is that his body couldn't keep up with his mind. Although he could think what Alpha wanted to do, he lacked the ability to retaliate. For that, he planned to at least do a routine exercise in the morning. He would do that after resting because Alpha asked him to train again with him when the timer hits 147 hours.
They couldn't tell the current time because every gadget they have stopped working. Even watches which had a simple mechanical structure didn't work anymore. That's why they used the timer set with their mission window as a base of the current time. Having no contact outside, they do not know if this weird circumstance is just inside their zone or even outside the zone.
Sho slumped on the hard floor layered with leaves. His makeshift tent consists of many other people. Some were fast asleep, while others were silently chattering because they couldn't sleep at all.
Having been too tired from the beating–-sparring, Sho immediately fell asleep. He couldn't mind any of the low chatter or the hard bed. He just felt bliss when he finally had a chance to sleep and rest.
That night, Sho dreamt of becoming a protagonist who just got accepted by his master. He chuckled in his sleep unaware of the weird stares he got from his fellow tent-mates.