When Miya arrived, the trio quickly ventured into the forest that got mixed with pieces of buildings and roads.
To be honest, Sho was tempted to know the genius' stats with his Overview skill. However, remembering how Alpha reacted when he tried it on him, he shivered. He was successful in getting a glimpse of other people's Character Information aside from Gouki, but the same threat ensured him not to be careless in accessing others' information.
Gouki and Alpha quickly caught him red handed, who knows if Miya could do the same? He deliberately hid his discovery on Alpha's stat but still he knew about it! Making sure that the second training he received intensified three folds.
「 Character Information |
Name: Alpha Bushida |
Age: 45 |
RANK: Gold |
CLASS: Soldier |
STATS: |
Strength: 37 |
Agility: 32 |
Intelligence: 31 |
Dexterity: 30 |
Accuracy: 32 |
Stamina: 35 |
Wisdom: 30 |
Luck: 30 |
Energy: 130 |
Critical Rate %: 1.24% |
Critical Damage %: 1.28% |
GLITCHES: |
Contract : 1% |
Leader U1: Lieutenant : 5% 」
When he saw Alpha's information he was surprised by many things.
First was his rank and class. Seeing as he was able to read the information instead of just a question mark, Gouki was really someone beyond Gold rank. Furthermore, there's the class. His was No Class, but Alpha was Soldier.
Another shocking discovery was how he used Energy instead of Mana. Sho probably was an outlier who doesn't use any of the two. But it was an amazing discovery that he didn't think of before.
Moreover there's the percentage of his Glitches. It was the whole number! It was far cry compared to Sho who only has decimals for his skill increase! It made him realize he probably wasn't using his ability to its fullest.
He looked at Miya…
*You are courting death once again.* He shivered at that thought.
Yep. Never mind. He will just ask her if there would be time or chance. For now, he should cherish his life and not actively seek death.
He once again focused his mind on following Alpha and Miya.
Miya was quick. She was like dancing to a fast beat while leading the way. Even with her movements, Sho could see her pride in her steps. Alpha didn't have a hard time catching up. Sho was at the back of the group, struggling to keep up.
He really was glad he had started jogging earlier. Although he could still feel his muscle ache, it was worth it to be familiar with what kind of layout the Zone has. If he didn't it would be an embarrassment from the beginning. He would surely have stumbled over some rocks or roots.
That would be the worst impression he could give to his teammates.
Surely, Miya would push Sho away if he blundered.
Sho didn't want that. Especially now that Alpha gave him inspiration to observe and learn from Miya's movements.
He wanted to grow stronger. He wanted to be stronger.
Sho was far inferior to the two, which was why he was amazed as he observed the two. He realized that Miya wasn't just a genius in the sense of word. She was really a *genius*. She was barely panting at all, making him come to think that her stamina was beyond normal.
That was something even the original Sho didn't have. Although the guy was smart and could memorize easily. He was too lazy to move. Even when he tried to act normal, he didn't like Physical Education at all. For him, it was a hassle, he would rather read than exert himself.
It was no wonder his body lacked muscles as well as he really does look wimpy.
This made him think of different kinds of geniuses. Miya should be one who excels on physical? He couldn't say for sure for now. But he knew that Sho was a genius in mind and strategies. Though he has a very obvious shortcoming. His laziness.
While following Miya and Alpha, he observed Miya closely.
He was so intent on learning how to become stronger that he almost forgot how his body couldn't keep up.
*I know that this girl is just plain genius. But it would still make sense to use it as reference.for a mortal like me. He jested himself. Isn't it usual that those geniuses like Heinstain, Newtown and all those guys and girls were being referenced even now. So, it's not wrong if I take reference on Miya's movements.*
Sho was surprised to find out every move Miya made was calculated. It was like she had the layout of the road ahead of them with one glance, making her plan five steps ahead. It was very efficient in moving forward. She could avoid uneven roads, random rocks or hidden roots.
Aside from that, what really made him admire Miya was the way she precisely used her muscles. If there was a rock that she couldn't avoid, she would use her toes at the rock pushing more strength and using it to make her go faster. He wouldn't even dare believe it was possible if he didn't see it for himself. As for the uneven roads, her steps were delicate enough to not cause the road to collapse. And then, there's the tree roots, she would cut it making markers so they wouldn't get lost later on. Because they were hidden, only the tree would be able to spot them.
Likewise, there's also the way she handled every random sound she heard. It was dealt with accordingly and beautifully. When she heard something in front of them, she quickly lightened her footstep and shadowed her body beside the trees before signaling to Sho to do the same. There's also that time when she passed him some liquid that made his sweat change the smell. It wasn't husky anymore, instead it became a natural smell–a mix of trees and earth.
*She really is a genius.* Sho thought while slowly copying her example. *While hiding behind a tree, whatever is in front of us would be blinded with it. As long as that person or monster heard us, it would be unable to see us, then it would go the other way to look around. By the time it scanned the whole area, we would be long gone. In addition, since our sweat doesn't smell different anymore, there's only a low chance that we would be discovered.*
Sho slowly showed respect for the genius. He knew he wasn't one–he was not the original Sho after all, he could feel they were different–but his shortcoming was overshadowed by all the random knowledge of the original Sho. Likewise since the original Sho has sharp memories, he was able to recall knowledge if he focused on it.
He felt envy for natural born geniuses like Miya and Sho. But that envy has respect together with admiration.
*I wonder, if I raise my int, would I also be smart? Would I then be classified as a genius? Wasn't that how it was shown in other Game novels?* He internally joked with himself.
*Ah. No, I shouldn't think of useless thoughts like that. My advantage is luck. I should focus on that. The rest would follow as I need everything for ranking up.*
His thought was stopped on track when he saw Miya acting differently. She slowed her pace, as if trying to sense her surroundings. Because the two were getting used to her movements, even when she hadn't given them any sign, Sho and Alpha followed her lead. They also slowed their own pace.
*Is her ability related to that of sensory on surrounding? Like AOE detection?*
Having an Area of Effect detection was godly even in games. It was a skill that was very overpowered to those Martial Arts novels that the original Sho read.
*The logic was simple, if you can detect your enemy, almost no ambush would work with you and you could even bait your enemy to attack you by falling into traps!* Even when he wasn't the one who read those novels, he also wanted such skills.
Too bad, his Overview skill was more of a support.
Before he could think further, Miya stopped. "Enemy nearby." she made the sign they had agreed upon, her brows creased. When the two arrived beside her, she whispered. "They are in a group. Why do they look like they know everything here? It feels like they won't get lost even with this forest at us…"
*Are they from the Savior Gang? If they are, it would be better to avoid them. Our task is to know the strength of their group, not subdue them. I don't even know how we can subdue them, unless we kill them.* Sho shivered at the thought. He never thought of killing a human before. *Are we going to get forced to become murderers with these Zones?*
He felt complicated. Sho's memories have a lot of distrust with humans. But that didn't mean he wanted to kill anyone. And as for the real him… he didn't know. But if given a choice, he didn't want to kill. He didn't want to get used to killing. He didn't want to be a murderer.
He suddenly felt cold. He didn't know why. He *couldn't* know why.
He shook off the thought. He noticed that it only happens whenever he wants to know something about his past… also there's a possibility that the memory wasn't good, that's why his body was giving him warning.
He gulped. *Have I ever killed before? Have I murdered before? Do I regret it?*
"Follow me. I can get us away here without them noticing." Miya's timely distraction brought Sho back to reality.
Alpha continued monitoring Miya. Unlike how he instructed Sho and gave pointers, the way he guided Miya let the genius shine. He would only occasionally give suggestions.
Sho nodded. He decided it wasn't the time to think about his memories. He would get it when his rank was higher. He just needed to take everything one step at a time.
Now, he needed to focus and continue observing Miya. To grow stronger he became more intent on watching Miya as a consequence, he tried to absorb any keypoint he needed to remember.
***
Miya has been too aware of Sho's eyes on her since they set off. She knew he had been observing her, which somehow put a lot of pressure on her. Knowing Alpha was not doing anything either and just letting her lead, she knew two people were intent to see how she would fare.
She was used to this feeling. Ever since people noticed that she was a "genius", everyone just wanted to watch her. It didn't matter if they truly liked her or just envied her and wanted to see her fall. But she knew all too well everyone's eyes that always watched her.
Contrary to everyone's expectation, she wasn't noticed to be born a genius. No one even believed her when she said that. They thought that she was either bragging or joking.
But it was the truth. She wasn't the eye candy of the family before. But when her sister made a mistake, Miya was then recognized by her family as *the* genius. They cast aside her sister, and then become more focused on Miya. She was forced to be perfect. Any act of mistake would lead her to be cast aside. Just like how her sister was casted aside.
And so, with the eyes of two men with her, she became more intent on doing well.
Observing the group, she traversed the forest that had been incorporated with the buildings. She observed the movement of the people, counting them as well as taking note of where they are and where they are going. She used the trees as her cover to make sure they wouldn't cross paths. She was taking every detail in mind so she wouldn't make any mistakes.
She was recognized as a genius because she excelled at everything she did try. And of course, she had to excel on them.
She feared being discarded. That she was not useful enough and would be thrown away like how her sister was casted aside. Being called a genius is both a gift and curse. If one wanted to be in that spot, he or she needed to put effort into maintaining it.
To be honest, Miya was curious about Sho. He doesn't look like someone who should be on the same stage as her or Alpha. In her first opinion on him, he was just some lucky guy who got in the Zone first. But that was it. He looked wimpy to even know how to fight or survive. He even said it himself that he survived thanks to his luck. She could see nothing special in him aside from his luck.
Based on her observation while they were traveling, she could say he doesn't even excel on stamina or speed. He's also not that flexible. Although she was surprised that he didn't randomly stumble and make extra noise, it was still not enough to be on the same spot as them.
She needed to see if he had any extreme value before she accepted him.
For her, he can be replaced by any other human. Also, judging from their camp, there were far more useful skills than this guy that doesn't even have any defense or attack skill.
*This is why people see you as stuck up. Miya, don't ever tell anyone about your thoughts. Or else, you would suffer from humiliation once more.*
"We're safe now–" as soon as she said that, she detected something. She frowned. She was sure they were no more human in their surroundings. They just passed through them. But still, she could feel something alarming.
"We need to move. Something dangerous is approaching us." Shockingly, it was Sho who first said something. It piqued Miya's interest in how he could be calm even with the dangerous aura she could feel. She, herself, felt her knees shake when she felt the strong presence of danger. But she put everything aside and nodded.
She backed in her steps. She felt it was much safer to be seen by the humans than be noticed by this dangerous being. But as soon as she did, her face lost color. Suddenly, she felt them being surrounded by countless beings.
As if mocking them, the dangerous being finally showed itself. It was a wolf with illusionary chains.
She was shocked as she once saw a very similar creature in mythology books. "F-Fenrir…"