The Hero Code

As Zik's mind raced through countless ideas and strategies, he started to notice a strain creeping in. His head felt heavier, his thoughts slower. Super Intelligence, he realized, wasn't an endless boost; it was more like a muscle — one that needed rest after intense use.

His mind was slowing, but one idea solidified in his head before his new ability fully faded: Quests. If his abilities had limits, he'd need to rely on leveling up to improve his stamina and endurance with each one. More levels meant more strength and a longer duration for each ability, making him less vulnerable.

And that's when the core of his plan hit him: I need a reliable way to trigger more quests. Up until now, his quests had come from unpredictable situations, but what if he could create scenarios to force more quests? He started listing ideas in his notebook, working quickly before the clarity of Super Intelligence slipped away.

1. Challenge Routine: If he could find or set up daily challenges at school or the gym, like sparring or learning new techniques, they might trigger small quests for him.

2. Skill Training: Practicing Speed Strike, Regeneration, and his other abilities until they exhausted him might unlock secondary quests tied to endurance or resilience.

3. Social Situations: He'd noticed that interactions, even awkward or confrontational ones, often led to quests. He could approach others intentionally — students, teachers, even strangers — and see if engaging with them triggered more quests.

As his mind began to tire, Zik jotted down one final note in shaky handwriting: Build a routine around quests. If he could fit these triggers into his daily life, he might level up steadily, gaining EXP without needing dangerous encounters every time.

His head grew foggy, and he felt Super Intelligence slip away, leaving him with only his regular thoughts — which now felt oddly sluggish. He could barely keep his eyes open, exhaustion from overusing his mental ability settling in. But despite the haze, he smiled to himself. He had a plan, a structured way forward, and it was the first real roadmap he'd ever had for his abilities.

Tomorrow, he'd put his new approach to the test, building his own quest system one challenge at a time.

Zik had decided, as he lay in bed that night, that his first step toward gaining more EXP would start with something simple — or at least, something that sounded simple: social situations. He reasoned that quests often came from interacting with others, and he'd noticed how even the smallest exchange sometimes brought unexpected challenges. Maybe, just maybe, if he put himself out there a little more, he could trigger more quests naturally.

And there was another reason, one he didn't let himself think about too much. The truth was, Zik had always wanted a friend. He'd grown up watching other kids make friends, laugh together, and have someone by their side, but friendship had always felt as if it were just out of his reach. He was used to being alone, and somehow, trying to make friends seemed harder than mastering his own abilities. How do people just… talk to each other? he wondered.

Still, he figured that if he could gain experience points in the process, it was worth a shot.

---

The next morning, Zik arrived at school with his plan in mind. He forced himself to look around, trying to catch someone's eye, even if just to say hello. The hallways were buzzing with students, all talking and laughing in their little groups. Zik knew some of them — not by name, but by the way they always seemed to have a friend to laugh with, someone to sit with during lunch, and people who backed them up if things got rough. To Zik, it felt almost like a superpower all its own.

He spotted a group of classmates who looked approachable. Taking a deep breath, he decided to give it a try. He walked over, attempting to casually join in the conversation. But he barely got out a greeting before one of them looked him up and down, smirking.

"What do you want, Zik?" the guy asked, his tone less than friendly.

"I… just thought I'd say hey," Zik mumbled, already feeling his resolve falter.

"Right," the guy said, rolling his eyes. "Don't you have, like, a punching bag to be? Or are you just looking for someone new to annoy?"

The words stung, and Zik could feel himself retreating internally, wanting nothing more than to turn and walk away. But as he clenched his fists, fighting the urge to leave, a notification flashed in his vision:

> New Quest: Stand Your Ground

Objective: Respond calmly without backing down.

Reward: +10 EXP

The reward was meager, but it was something. Stand your ground, he thought, feeling a flicker of determination. This was exactly the kind of situation he'd hoped would trigger a quest. With his heart pounding, he held his ground, forcing himself to meet the guy's stare.

"Just trying to talk, that's all," Zik said, keeping his voice even.

The guy shrugged, clearly unimpressed, and turned back to his friends. They ignored Zik entirely, laughing among themselves. Zik felt a surge of frustration but kept his cool, standing there until the notification popped up:

> Quest Complete!

Reward: +10 EXP.

It wasn't much, but it was something. He'd passed his first social "test," and though it felt like a small win, it reminded him he could push through his discomfort. Even as he walked away from the group, he felt a strange satisfaction. He hadn't made any friends, but he'd taken a step forward, no matter how small.

---

Determined to keep trying, Zik spent the rest of the day looking for other chances to engage with people. In gym class, he awkwardly asked a classmate if they wanted to practice together. The guy shrugged and agreed, though he didn't seem particularly enthusiastic. They exchanged a few words as they worked through the drills, but Zik found himself feeling more and more self-conscious. Eventually, his awkwardness seemed to annoy his partner, who muttered something under his breath that Zik didn't quite catch.

After a while, Zik's partner grew irritated, and a few of the other students started making comments. Zik did his best to ignore them, but it wasn't long before one of the more aggressive guys — a burly, upperclassman with an attitude to match — decided to challenge him. The upperclassman sneered at Zik's attempts to talk, eventually provoking him with a shove.

"You're all talk, aren't you, Lowlife?" he taunted. "Trying to make friends now? Didn't think you'd be so desperate."

Zik bristled, his fingers twitching with the urge to activate Super Speed and dodge the guy's punches. But he knew that getting into a full-on fight might lead to trouble, so he held back, hoping to diffuse the situation. Unfortunately, his silence seemed to provoke the guy even more.

Without warning, the upperclassman threw a punch. Zik's instincts kicked in, activating Speed Strike reflexively as he dodged and countered with a quick jab. The upperclassman staggered back, surprised, but his surprise quickly turned to anger.

"You want a real fight, then?" he snarled, launching at Zik again. This time, Zik barely managed to dodge, feeling the impact of the guy's fists as he threw wild, heavy punches. They exchanged blows, with Zik ducking and weaving, but the upperclassman's strength outmatched his own.

Zik activated Regeneration as he took a hit to his shoulder, the pain receding as his body healed itself. His Speed Strike allowed him to land a few solid punches in return, but the guy didn't back down. They continued their back-and-forth, drawing a small crowd of students who seemed all too entertained by the fight.

The notifications were coming in fast now:

> Regeneration leveled up! Now Level 4.

Speed Strike leveled up! Now Level 3.

Just as the fight seemed to reach its peak, the gym teacher's whistle blared, cutting through the noise. The teacher stormed over, separating them and giving them both a lecture before sending them off to opposite sides of the gym. Zik, feeling a mix of relief and exhaustion, glanced at his notifications and felt a sense of satisfaction despite the aching bruises.

He hadn't made a friend — far from it — but he'd leveled up two of his core skills. The social situations might be harder than he'd expected, but if each interaction, even the bad ones, helped him level up, maybe it was worth the effort.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, realizing that friendship might be just as challenging as any skill or ability to unlock. But maybe — just maybe — if he kept pushing through, the struggle would eventually pay off.

Zik had always felt as if he were living inside a dark tunnel, moving forward with no idea where he was going, just hoping there might be a light at the end. It wasn't even about where the light would lead — he just wanted out, anywhere but the shadows that seemed to cling to him. Being stuck in that tunnel, forgotten, left him feeling like he was slowly fading, becoming invisible to everyone around him. He'd heard others talk about death, how it was the end of everything, but for Zik, true death was something worse: it was to be forgotten, to live a life so unremarkable that it would be as if he'd never been there at all.

I just want to go somewhere… anywhere, he thought, gripping his backpack a little tighter as he made his way down the school hallway. The laughter and conversations of his classmates floated past him, voices that never stopped to notice him, faces that would forget him the second he turned away. He wanted to be remembered, even if it was only as a small part of someone else's story. He wanted people to see him, to know that he was there, even if he had to fight every step of the way.

This feeling, this drive to be more than just a background character in his own life, was what kept him going. Every time he took a punch, every time he forced himself to engage in the smallest social interaction, he knew he was stepping a little closer to the light. The bruises and scrapes were reminders that he was fighting, pushing against the walls of that dark tunnel.

He'd come to realize that his powers, his abilities, weren't just tools to make him stronger. They were a lifeline. Each skill he gained, each quest he completed, was a spark in the dark, a flicker of hope that reminded him he was moving forward. Even the cursed yellow shirt, even the bullies, even the endless challenges — they were all part of a journey that might one day bring him out into the open, where he could stand in the light.

Zik's dream was simple but fierce: to be someone worth remembering.

With those thoughts burning in his mind, Zik headed straight for the gym after school. Next time, I'll win, he promised himself. He was done being the kid everyone overlooked, the one others only noticed when they needed a target. That tunnel in his mind — dark, narrow, and endless — suddenly felt just a little wider, lit by a fire he hadn't felt before. He channeled all his frustration, his loneliness, his drive to be seen, into his training. Every punch he threw, every bead of sweat, was another step toward that light he was chasing.

He focused on his skills with a new intensity, working tirelessly to improve. His Power Strike was becoming sharper and more controlled, each hit landing with more force than the last. His Speed Strike combined with Super Speed allowed him to strike faster and more accurately, though it still drained his energy quickly. But he kept at it, refusing to let exhaustion win. Over time, notifications popped up:

> Power Strike leveled up! Now Level 2.

Speed Strike leveled up! Now Level 3.

Yet Zik knew he needed something new. Watching his opponents, he realized he needed a skill that could throw them off balance — something unexpected that didn't rely solely on brute strength or speed. He had no teacher to guide him, no mentor, so he took matters into his own hands. After a short break, he pulled out his phone, scrolling through Online videos in search of a fighting technique that could give him an edge.

He stumbled upon a video demonstrating a move he hadn't considered: the calf kick. It was deceptively simple yet incredibly effective, targeting the lower leg to disrupt an opponent's balance and immobilize them. Zik watched the video closely, committing each step to memory, visualizing himself using it.

Returning to the gym mat, he practiced, drilling the calf kick over and over, adjusting his stance, focusing on the angle and speed he'd need to make it work. The move was different from his usual punches, and at first, he stumbled, but he pushed on, determined to add it to his arsenal.

After hours of repetition, sweat pouring down his face, a notification finally flashed in his vision:

> New Skill Unlocked: Calf Kick

Level 1: A precise, low kick targeting an opponent's leg to disrupt balance.

Zik grinned, feeling a surge of satisfaction. This was his own work, his own discovery. The calf kick wasn't just a new skill — it was a small reminder that he was capable of creating his own strengths, his own path.

With his fists aching but his spirit renewed, Zik walked out of the gym, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead. This time, he'd be prepared to fight back.