M-Ma... My name is Rahshir Strhahek. I... I... I... Have been imprisoned for my... my 9th year right now. Well... Imprisoned is one word for it, but the whole experience has changed my life. From the food, the treatment, everything here is far above what I could afford back... outside. Whenever I tell them that, the guards would simply chuckle, saying that a lot has changed over the past 9 years. They would then mention the unfairness of my case and such, but I always told them that it was like this back when I was arrested. And... Th... That. That... I was partly at fault anyway.

To-- to... Too... Day... NOIM was launched and I... I... I... We... Prisoners were allowed to access it. They told us to try our best, even giving advice on where the good starting locations were. They told us to cherish the new found freedom. And even advised me to use the opportunity to help finally get rid of this... This... This... Speech impediment. Something... Sosososomething that I pipi-pipipicked up after the event that led to my imprisonment.

The overall experience here... It's beyond me... I know that I'm repeating myself but really... Not only did they try to help me establish myself both physically and mentally, every day they sent me to trainings, and helped me find things that I actually excel in. They helped me figure out what things I can do to help the community. They helped me develop a mindset that would allow me to thrive outside, and even secured a job right off the bat after I serve my time here in the prison. I know that because the business owner himself is the one that trains me. He even gives me freedom to propose recipes for the coffee shop that will later on take me in, after seeing that I have the freedom to select my schedule here.

They will help me select activities so I won't be idle, but they have been more than supportive here, when it comes to preparing myself for life outside.

The they couldn't find a cure for the speech disability though. Whenever I try to talk, even just mentally to myself, I stutter. They told me that my brain altered itself to cope with the situation. Freezing. Stuttering. My thought process freezes back and forth every now and then whenever I attempt to form words. They told me that they were sorry that they couldn't fully cure me. But that was fine. They taught me how to take care of myself, to dress myself, carry myself... I am more established now compared to ever before. For me, it was simply a trade-off.

Then NOIM came. Logging in, and selecting Asgard as my starting location. I was immediately sent to the trial ground after choosing a weapon. I almost died immediately as soon as I respawned, if not for the training that the world government gave me. They taught me how to choose. When to run, when to protect, when to stall, when to subjugate and why I should simply try to talk my situation...a.a.a..aalll possible scenarios so I'd.... Id... I'd... be able to handle the situation better.

The game did help. It helped me see what 'defending' yourself truly looks like. And that the mistake I had made... 'to kill' when defending yourself and your loved ones, it wasn't violent like those corrupt judges said in court... It is a... A. A... Natural. Thing. To defend your loved ones.

It introduced me to a whole new world. Fighting... It... Made me... Realize that I was so weak. And I... I... I... Couldn't help out that much. I wowowowould almost die everytime I engaged someone, and had to run away for a bit due to e-e-e-exhaustion. I realized how weak I was. But thththtat was the appeal of the game... I had... To llelelelevel up to contribute more.

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The Se-se-second Wave.

"Incoming!"

Our acting leleleleader shouted as large spells flew from the skies, trying his best to rerereaeange the army to minimize our loses. Using my ability to blend in the background, I tiptoed behind an unsuspecting archer bebe be before gutting out his throat, using scan whenever it was in cooldown to select more ffffffeagggigihile targets.

That's when I saw him first. Hehehe hehe he-would come with the girl from the Zhao Clan, coordinating seamlessly in order to clear numbers faster.

The bababbaatle continued on for all of us and after a while, I encountered the young man again. Ththththis time, he was alone, recklessly charging in wwwwawway too deep beyond multiple enemy lines.

I.. I i i i ii wanted to scream to the young man that it was dangerous, but I gogogoogogt caught in mymymy words. They got tied up. Trying my best, I fofofolllowee The young man. Watching him from behind. It didn't take me a while to rerrrealize that he didn't really need my help but by that time, we were already half way through the enemy territory line so I continued to follow. Using my stealth ability as well as the young man's reckless charge to hide myself.

The ooooothers tried to do so, but without ththththe ability to hide themselves, they failed utterly. He-- hehhe- was a lot stronger compared to the others. More brutal e-ege-e-e-even. I doubt there were others that could do what he just did.

It didn't tototootook long after thththththe young man saw the last group of enemies waiting from afar. They were a ggggg-group of 21 people, all ranging from 14 to 18, with the leader being level 22. All of them wearing armor, far beyond any enemy we had encountered so far.

Just when I thought the young man was about to retreat, he hehehe-- charged in, circulating an amount of mana to his body that wowowowould have been fatal to myseseelf or the others. The properties of his mana seemingly far more dominant than anyone in the tutorial.

Then boom.

The man charged in. Easily killing one archer, taking a short while to recuperate before charging in again. This time easily killing 3 guardians using an abnormally large GreatSword. The GreatSword cleanly cutting off the three guardians wearing plate armor and what not. Only for him to be caught by the four fighters who seem to be skilled in stalling stronger opponents. In the background I see the other enemies already launching their attacks completely coordinated, not hitting any of the fighters stalling the young man.

The situation made me think of trying to help even though I'd simply die myself, but that soon changed as soon as I saw the face of the young man. He was calm. Almost too calm.

Slowly he circulated even more mana. Too much. Too- much. Too much! If it had been me, my bones would've been crushed along with my veins. But strangely it didn't affect the young man as he continued to circulate and circulate even more mana. The fighters sensing this, leaped out of the way. The whole party focusing on disabling, the young man. Entrapping him in both fissures of earth as well as strong and thick vines.

I wanted to scream at that time as the strong young man, unable to move, got bombarded by spells of destruction. The only thing he could do was circulate more mana as he somehow extended his mana to a shield he raised. Probably something he picked up along the battlefield.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions rang in as guilt spread through me. Could I have saved the young man? Would it have made a difference? I wished I had more power than ever then, clenching my fists too hard for my own good to handle, only to stop as a large shield came in from the ashes, directly killing one of the backlines. Before the young man, Un.... Unscathed... Emerged out of the fog and started slaying all of the enemies one by one.

What in the world...

It was then that I realized that a woman. The same woman as earlier, was watching right beside me. Her blade was already next to me. Her eyes... Cold... So cold... It scared me. As if my soul would sink every time I glanced at it. So much that it held me frozen.

She seemed to have found me by using scan. Which I had long stopped doing after getting too caught up in watching the fight. Seeing that she doesn't really mean harm, I simply returned to watching.

By this time the young man had already killed more than half of the enemy party, and was now chasing the leader, forcibly canceling his Teleportation as he forcefully rushed towards the enemy leader. The others seeing this canceled their Teleportation scrolls and jumped onto the young man.

'He's baiting them.'

Kicking the enemy leader afar, the young man happily engaged the remaining followers. Easily slaughtering them one by one, Angering the leader even further, his screams becoming louder and louder until there wasn't any scream anymore. The young man after, walked towards the now kneeling leader, the leader saying something inaudible from our range, before engaging the young man in a death duel.

The young man didn't even need to overload his mana this time as he easily killed the leader, ending the fight after a single series of movements with him directly holding the leader up by the neck and crushing it.

He looked somehow... disappointed by the fight. Unscathed not even breathing heavily. As if he was the final boss instead of the leader he just killed.

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To be continued.