The exhaustion accumulated from overworking his body and mind for weeks affected Zayn hard now that he was one step closer to his goal.
He returned to a small town near Emberfall and chose to go offline. Once the Olympus Pod pulled him out of Forgotten Lands, Zayn heaved his body out of the gaming capsule. His head thumped badly, but Zayn decided it was not worth his attention.
Zayn left his little room and walked into the living room, where he saw his brothers working on the Boss Hunt compilation and guides. A short clip showed Zayn’s crazed expression as he shoved the verdant saber into a Gigantum Serpent’s eye repeatedly. A terrifying roar reverberated through the surroundings, shaking the drone thoroughly. However, Zayn was unaffected and continued to thrust the saber blade into his enemy’s eyes. He twisted the blade and used his Cards over and over again to weaken the Gigantum Serpent.
The Gigantum Serpent hurled Zayn through the surroundings. He crashed into a tree with tremendous force, breaking several bones in his body. However, instead of being incapacitated, Zayn got up and continued to fight. He didn’t slow down; instead, it was almost like the pain pushed him further. He reached his limit and crossed the threshold to accelerate even further. His movements grew sharper and deadlier.
Percy’s editing skills revealed Zayn’s greatest moves, his unbending will, and the scariest moments in the battle. He showed several near-death situations and highlighted Zayn’s greatness for being able to defeat a Regional Boss while he was merely a Classless Card Holder.
Zayn loved it.
“Great work. You did a good job there,” He praised his brother, who snickered.
“I can do better. Just wait for the final result!”
Nicolas looked up to stare at the screen for a few seconds. He imagined his chance to emerge victorious against the Gigantum Serpent and sighed deeply.
“I don’t know how you did it, but your tactical understanding and territorial awareness are pretty amazing,” He mumbled, not even glancing at Zayn, “I doubt that I have to tell you that you’re crazy. I have yet to see someone wield his Heart Deck as if its part of his body. But you… you’re acting like you were born with a Heart Deck.”
Nicolas had much more to say, but Zayn slapped his brother.
“You might as well acknowledge that I’m a genius!” He teased his oldest brother, who returned a few curses in a whisper before returning his attention to work.
“I’ll train a bit. If something happens, call me.”
Zayn emptied a cup of cold water in the kitchen before he returned to his room. He changed his clothes and left the house. After several weeks of training, Zayn’s physique improved a lot. He wasn’t bulky, but his muscles were firm and strong. His athletic build hid the strength residing within his body.
That was partially thanks to the Nutrition Serums Zayn had been consuming daily for the last few weeks. However, it was also due to the assimilation of his Foundation Orbit. The descend of Gods’ domains was still far away, but his physique was already stimulated by the changes of his Foundation Orbit in Forgotten Lands.
The Olympus Pod’s effect, alongside the Nutrition Solution’s potency, was much better than Zayn could have hoped for. It was only a matter of time before he reached an acceptable standard. His physique would be muscular enough to overcome the incoming dangers, such as his Foundation Orbit's complete assimilation and the Heart Deck's awakening.
‘Will three months be enough?’ Zayn wondered, hoping he wouldn’t have to adjust his plans further.
He accelerated a little and let his thoughts run wild in his mind.
It didn’t take long for him to reach the Dragon Lair Gym. He greeted the staff and stopped to chat with Leonard Ritheon. Leonard wasn’t in the gym to work today; instead, it was his workout day.
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“Hey Zayn, what’s up?” Leonard asked.
“Not much. I want to let off some steam,” Zayn replied lightly.
He greeted a few other gym members, only to hear Leonard complaining loudly to his gym partner.
“Forgotten Lands is so difficult. Even experts are having difficulty killing Elite Monsters. The only reason they’re managing is because of their equipment. Their Cards are crazy strong, and their Classes…let’s not discuss that. It’s depressing.”
Zayn chuckled inwardly. Leonard saw his response from the corner of his eye and turned to him.
“You started playing Forgotten Lands when the game came out, right? Can you handle Elite Monsters? I nearly died facing a Hellhound in the Magma Prairie yesterday.”
‘Magma Prairie?’ Zayn raised one eyebrow.
The Magma Prairie was a unique region near the Emberforge Mountains. It was full of powerful monsters and dangers. A single step was all it took to die there. Of course, powerful monsters and dangers appeared alongside treasures and opportunities.
“Dying itself is not a problem. The bigger issue is that I would lose most of my equipment. Losing my Ranked Staff would be terrifying!” Leonard spurted out.
Even though the young man was known for not being talkative, Leonard couldn’t shut his mouth once he got started, especially when it was about something he liked. And he loved Forgotten Lands.
“Hellhounds have high Agility, Strength, and Perception. It might look like their Vitality and other Foundation Stars are also strong, but that is because of their special trait. They consume the surroundings’ heat to regenerate wounds and can expel the heat accumulated within them in all directions or a compressed blast. However, their special trait creates some weaknesses as well. Hellhounds are generally weaker once the temperature in their proximity decreases. Keep them away from magma, lava, and fire, and you should be fine,” Zayn explained to Leonard, who stared blankly at him.
“Are you in the Magma Prairie as well? You talk like you have some experience fighting Hellhounds,” Leonard’s eyes twinkled.
“I found a few Beastariums and researched some monsters to determine what monsters I should target now. I will head to the Magma Prairie with my brothers these days. Hellhounds are great targets, though. I hope you’ll be lucky enough to procure some powerful Spell Cards!”
Leonard’s twinkling eyes dimmed. He looked to the ground for a moment and smiled wryly. He wanted to say something, but his lips were sealed. Zayn raised one eyebrow, but he didn’t say anything else. He shrugged inwardly and wished Leonard and his gym partner a nice day before he started his customized workout session.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. Zayn saw Leonard leave a while ago but didn’t think about interrupting his exercise.
If Leonard wanted to ask him something, he could do that. There was no need to approach Leonard and ask him what he wanted to ask.
Working out at the Dragon Lair Gym was quite alright. He got to know some people and learned much about the Corporations, Dojos, Gyms, and Workshops that moved to Forgotten Lands to earn a fortune.
Slightly wealthier members of society used the Dragon Lair Gym. That was even more reason for Zayn to listen to their gossip and create a big picture about Forgotten Lands’ situation and its hype.
At first, Zayn doubted that the Dragon Lair Gym would be an excellent spot for gossip, but he quickly realized he had been wrong. The Dragon Lair Gym was even better for gossip, rumors, and news than most forums revolving around Forgotten Lands.
That was also why Zayn was still a member of the Dragon Lair Gym and why he didn’t transform their basement into a full-fledged home gym—at least, it was part of the reason.
Another reason was something entirely different. Well, not entirely. However, it was more about the members of the Dragon Lair Gym than the gym itself.
Zayn finished his exercises and left the gym after he drank a Dragon Breath Nutrition Solution. He felt refreshed and jogged back home to loosen up a bit. Even though he thought that he was in a rush to get stronger and ascend to Tier-1 with the Soul Lord Class Path, Zayn understood the importance of rest. Muscles can only grow properly with the appropriate amount of rest. Nutrition Solutions and the Foundation Orbit's assimilation changed some aspects of his body, strengthening him faster than one would usually grow, but that didn’t mean resting was useless.
Rest was even more critical for Zayn now that he was taking some of the crucial steps toward his final goal. He had to think carefully about every step, after all, he couldn’t afford to fail.
Not again.
Upon returning, he called Percy and Nicolas to enter Forgotten Lands. They uploaded the Boss Hunting Compilation a few minutes ago and were eating when Zayn returned.
His mother called out the brothers for leaving crumbs on their plates, but her attention also flickered to her room. Her VR Gaming Pod was waiting for her to return.
Stephanie was about to move to her room to return to Forgotten Lands, only to halt in her tracks all of a sudden.
“Wait…” She murmured, “Am I turning into an addict?!?”