Neither money nor barter was the world’s first currency. Izo would answer that it was a living thing’s energy. To complete any task an organism must pay in energy.

Here in the training camp, points were most important but it’s directly traded for one’s energy.

‘Economy of a Warrior’s Energy.’

Izo thought of his future guide on how one must spend their time as an explorer. He might know only a few things but it’ll certainly help a newbie.

He was currently drinking a protein shake and food that were easy to digest yet packed lots of energy. Izo had just been massaged by Sung Soo to facilitate muscle rest.

The experienced soldier and exercise expert knew just which body parts to target. The old man was such an expert that Izo fought his instinct to purr as the ministrations calibrated his growing muscles like a machine. Making them precise for the continuous functions they would be subjected to for the next day.

The Spirit Printer earned 4350 points and his 12-hour arena diving netted 1411 points. In addition to his prior 1878 then minus his other expenses, Izo was sitting at 7,110 points. If he continued in this pace, he could reach 20,000 in 3 days at the earliest.

Unfortunately, Izo didn’t get a special battle. Not that it was likely since in his 11-day stint he only had two instances. One where they were first come first serve with the steel knight and with the giant on day six.

On the flip side, Jae hadn’t gotten them either.

‘That woman is scary.’

Whenever Izo felt proud of his hard work and gathers confidence, it would be destroyed by the #1 candidate with her near robotic work ethic and easy smile. It felt like no matter what the challenges in her way, it would be overcome. Izo was sure that this type of foe was most scary.

‘Not only talented but also relentlessly industrious.’

Thankfully, Izo didn’t have to fight her as her abilities was near impossible to beat. One of Jae’s abilities was prescience, knowing what would happen in advance in a certain radius around her. Another was being able to perceive danger and nefarious thoughts against her.

The small but athletic Jae was dangerous in close combat and versatile as a minx. She had no weaknesses.

He felt great fear so why would he keep fighting? It wasn’t out of bravery or heroism.

Izo was a gambler who had risked high, now getting the start of his pay out and the casino was telling him the rest of his winnings could be someone else’s.

Indignant with a naked vagrant’s fury in a public parking lot, he would push forth. It didn’t matter if thousands see his privates, he was arrested and marked as a sexual deviant. The unclothed wildman will fight with the greatest fight his dumpster fed self could muster.

‘Ok. That’s funny.’

“Young man, are you finished?”

“Oh, yes.”

Sung Soo was lying face down, waiting for his turn to be massaged.

Izo wasn’t a masseuse but he knew the basics. His hands targeted the ligaments and made sure to be fast yet not hurt Sung Soo.

“I wish you didn’t match our pace so stubbornly dad.”

Sun Hee was browsing the Nexusnet lazily sitting on a crude chair.

“You’re so old already. Rest is very important too.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Sung Soo however let the words linger in his ear lobe but never let them enter. He instead was exhaling in relief and instructing Izo where to focus the massage.

‘Sung Soo seemed strong and acted strong, making me forget how old he truly is. Man, this sucks.’

Izo felt bad for the old man who helped fight in the arenas throughout the day.

This was his race with Jae to begin with but it was funded by the two’s generosity. When they let Izo borrow points, their progress was slowed no matter how he looked at it.

The hot feeling in his heart due to their help warred with self-hatred and revulsion for asking for help. Izo felt a bit torn.

‘Especially with Sung Soo’s guidance.’

Sun Hee’s help was enough for fighting but Sung Soo still accompanied him and gave him tips. Like leaving a round in the chamber then insert a full magazine. It maybe a single shot added but it was enough to change a fight’s trajectory.

This and a lot of general soldiering tips that really helped, the old man shared. Izo will never be able to repay Sung Soo’s goodwill.

So, he tried to be disciplined and push harder to match the man’s efforts.

Even the occasional hallucination was nothing much to him now. He could logic the false and real.

That’s why it hurt Izo when a thought passed through his mind earlier in the day. The prize of this race, the Mk. 8 Life Booster, would he give it to Sung Soo? It would revert him to a 20 year old.

“Focus on my lower back area.”

“Ok.”

He furthered the thought as he continued the massage.

‘Would I give it to my father?’

Like a database, he parsed through all the people in his life with the same parameter. All his classmates. The teachers. Relatives then all the people he met here.

Sun Hee laughed clutching her belly.

“Listen to this Izo. ‘Lee Sun Hee was born from a hard-working family, happy in their modesty. Raised smart and possessing a brilliant future, she is a fairy meant for celestial wellness. Married to a rich and kind man. That’s why I petition for Izo Shelley to be removed from the Future Greatness training program. He is a taint to not only Lee Sun Hee but to all other candidates. Remove the tumor, save the soul.”

She had to wipe tears from her eyes as she spoke between laughs.

“Do you know how many people signed this petition? 200 million. The thing that makes this funnier is the creator of this has me as his profile picture. ‘Lee Sun Hee’s protector since now’. Listen to that quote. Puhahaha!”

Izo can’t help but swallow saliva. He didn’t visit the Nexusnet much out of tiredness and disinterest but now it was mixed with nervousness.

“What feeling scared?”

Sun Hee turned off the floating screen and got close to Izo.

“Such small things, how can you let it get to you. I think you did the right thing. We would have to kill them in the end anyway and you blinded those orcs with anger that it made it way safer for us to clear them.”

Izo knew she believed what she said was true but he couldn’t remove the image of Sun Hee looking over the assorted meat that were the orc young.

‘Lee Sun Hee. In this case, I agree I made the correct decision. I only wonder what would you think of me. As I won’t give your father the Life Booster if I could.’

Izo wouldn’t. Even if it was Sung Soo the man who helped him much, he wouldn’t. Sung Soo still had a long enough life still. Instead, he would use the Mk.8 Life Booster as a springboard to succeed here. Snowball his power and only when the cost wouldn’t hurt him too much in the future would Izo buy another for Sung Soo.

“Done.”

“I feel brand new. Ah, this feels amazing.”

“Don’t move so much and break your back now dad.”

“I’m going back to my hut. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight young man.”

“Night.”

Izo’s journey home was short. All his tasks were done so he just laid down and his bodies naturally tiredness lulled him to sleep.

*

The next day after three arenas. Izo, Sun Hee and Sung Soo were fighting long limbed tree men. Their common attack was whipping through the air with their vine weapons. It excelled in penetration of unarmored body parts and since the three were holding shields, they were having an easy time.

The tree men were hard to kill with gunfire so the wait for them clump before a grenade was thrown at them was being employed.

“Nade out.”

Izo threw an incendiary bomb. The Eyepopper shotgun also had incendiary rounds but it was still less economical than a grenade.

It bursts into black liquid fog and in the middle of the ignition process, one of the tree men vine whipped. The liquid that that was already got set on fire was flicked onto Sun Hee’s left leg.

“Sun Hee!”

Promethium fire wasn’t easy to extinguish so it was very dangerous when it sticks to skin. Sun Hee however reacted fast and removed her pants and threw them away. With her great reflex action, it didn’t get to her skin.

She still suffered burns though and she was pushing air through her mouth in pain. Sung Soo applied the Theocracy holy water as first aid.

[ Arena Completed! ]

Izo didn’t even pay attention to the points reward and with Sung Soo carried Sun Hee out of the arena.

"I'm fine. Putting my weight on it hurts but I'll be fine."

After a minute of confirming that she was fine. It was decided that Sun Hee would rest for a while and since Sung Soo’s was feeling tired anyways, Izo resolved to return to the arenas on his own,

“Mind teaming up?”

Petro on top of his steel warrior horse asked.