“For the last time, Jett, I don’t care if I’m 50 levels above you. I don’t like fighting.”

  “Oh, come on, Izzy, have you even tried it? You would love the rush of a good fight. Tell her, Jay,” Jett said, looking in Jay’s direction with pleading eyes.

  “Tell her what?”

  “You know. How fun fighting can be.”

  Jay rubbed the back of his neck. “Uhh, I guess it was pretty fun to test myself in a situation where I could go all out without the worry of killing someone or getting killed.”

  “See?” Jett yelled, spreading his arms wide. “Just try it, Izzy!”

  Isabella sighed. “No, Jett. I’m glad you found another person who enjoys it, but I don’t. No, I haven’t tried it–”

  “Then–”

  “Let me finish… No, I haven’t tried it, but I don’t have to to know that I hate violence. Jett, I absolutely hate it.”

  “But you defend that library all the time.”

  “That’s different. First, if someone can be convinced with words, then I do that. Second, I’m not fighting alone in those situations. I’m just combining my power with everyone else in the library to drive people who think we are easy pickings away.”

  Jett rubbed his chin in thought for a moment when a spark flashed in his eyes.

  “Don’t you dare,” Isabella said with a stern look.

  Jett looked between her and the library a few times before sighing. “I won’t. I may not understand your lack of wanting a good spar, but I can respect what you're doing. Even if it's not something I think is important, I wouldn’t put your work in danger just for a selfish fight. We are still friends, after all.”

  Isabella sighed and visibly deflated. “Thank you, Jett. I appreciate everything that you have done for me, but please. Go find people who can not only challenge you, but also want to fight.”

  “Fine, Izzy, but if you ever change your mind--”

  “I won’t.”

  “But if you do--”

  Isabella laughed. “You don’t know when to give up, do you?”

  “Nope!” Jett exclaimed proudly. “Welp, I guess we can go again if you're ready, Jay.”

  Jay nodded, cracking his fists. “Yeah, let's do this.”

  Jett smiled, and a duel notification appeared.

  “Not in front of my library, you don’t!” Isabella yelled.

  Jett’s shoulders slumped. “Oh, yeah, right. Sorry, Izzy. Let's go find a nice open area, shall we?”

  Jay nodded, smiling. “Sounds great. Nice meeting you, by the way, Izzy.”

  “Isabella.”

  “What?”

  “My name is Isabella. That meathead just insists on that nickname, and I've grown tired of correcting him. So, if you would be so kind, please call me Isabella.”

  “Yeah. Sorry about that, Isabella. Anyway, it was nice meeting you.”

  “Same to you,” the tall woman said with a warm expression.

  “Let's go already!” Jett yelled.

  “You're the one who dragged me here…”

  “And now I'm dragging you away, so let's gooo.”

  Jay sighed. “Fine, lead the way.”

  They walked for almost twenty minutes until they reached the park Jay had rested in the other day. Two more dungeons had popped up during that time--one meant for Level 13 that Jay planned to dive into after this spar, and another that was meant for Level 20.

  “Is this spot good with you?” Jett asked.

  Jay looked around the park quickly, making sure it was clear, before nodding. He checked his Spirit.

  Spirit: 563/1100

  “Let's do this.”

  The request popped up once more. They both selected the same options as last time and waited for the countdown to end.

  **1**

  The pair lunged at each other, clashing once more. They exchanged a flurry of blows.Jay chose to focus on his dagger and hand-to-hand combat, leaving his revolver in its holster. The battle was entertaining once again. Jay felt like he was going to lose a few times, but when it came down to deciding a winner, the fight became much more dull. Jett landed a few hits. They hurt like hell, but it was nothing Jay couldn’t take. Jay tried to return the favor but couldn’t even scratch the man. It was obvious who the better fighter was, but that still didn’t let Jett land a decisive blow before both their Spirit reserves ran low.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  **Skill level increased: Defiance 2 - 3**

  Jett’s boosts ran out. Jay’s did not.The fight was decided when Jett, exhausted and no longer able to dodge, took a dagger to the lung. Before the blade could fully penetrate, Jay found himself back in his starting position. Jett was standing across from him with a small gash on his chest.

  “How the fuck are you not-- Hey, Jay!”

  He had won, but Defiance had deactivated, and it seemed like the skill didn’t like being used often. He had used it far less than last time, but the backlash was much worse. The last thing he saw before his vision faded completely was Jett running towards him.

  ***

  Jay weakly opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar room on an unfamiliar bed. He groaned and pushed himself up, fumbling around until he found a light switch and flicked it on. He had to shield his eyes for a moment before he finally adjusted. Slowly looking around the room. He found it filled with posters with random motivational quotes hanging on the wall--often underlined, but with an image of someone in a boxing ring or lifting a large amount of weight. An old TV sat poorly propped up on a cardboard box that sagged under the weight, causing it to lean to one side. Several more cardboard boxes sat around the small room, with everything from loose clothes to old board games filling them.

  “Did you have a good nap?” Lan asked.

  “What happened?” He asked with a groan as his head pounded.

  “You overused your will.” She paused and let out a sigh. “This is partially my fault. I didn’t think that skill had such an intense, draining effect after you seemed to pop back to normal yesterday, but it seems you’re just used to functioning with low will.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you're used to not having the energy or wanting to get up and continue pushing forward every day, but doing it anyway. Seriously, Jay, how shitty was your life before this?”

  He looked down at his robotic arm, clenching his hand into a fist. I, uh, don’t want to talk about it.

  “Fine, but if you're going to keep using that skill, we are gonna set some ground rules. First, I'm gonna teach you how to accelerate your leveling, and you are going to put every--and I mean every--point until you reach Level 20 into Willpower. Then, you're gonna use this manual to get that skill so you can actually monitor your will. Finally, you're gonna constantly watch it while using that skill. Unless you are going to die if you deactivate it, that skill turns off the second your will drops below 10. Got it?”

  Jay gave a thumbs-up of agreement, letting his aching head rest on his other hand. Why does overusing my will feel this shitty?

  “I would hope it feels that shitty. Your will doesn’t just affect your want to do things. If it drops low enough, your body will start to give up. Your heart will beat more slowly. Your brain will stop thinking ?when it finally reaches zero. You die.”

  “What? How the hell does that even work?”

  Lan sighed. “This isn’t part of the system, Jay. There is a reason you need a skill to even see the value. I'm certain there were people in your world before this who lost the will to live. The elderly man who refused to eat until he finally wasted away. The businessman who lost everything and didn’t have the will to stop his feet from stepping off that ledge. The mother so grief-stricken by the loss of a child that she doesn’t see the point in getting out of bed ever again. This is what happens when you lose what gives you hope, Jay. That skill you have literally burns your will to live to keep you fighting for a few more moments.”

  I… He didn’t know how to respond to that.

  The thought was terrifying. Jay remembered what it had felt like day in and day out, barely finding the courage to get out of bed. He had finally remembered what it felt like to want to wake up tomorrow in that forest. He’d finally felt like there was something more for him out there, and now he was burning that feeling for what? A win in a friendly duel that meant nothing?

  He gripped his hair with both hands and shook his head. What was I thinking?

  “You didn’t know the risks. I should have told you as soon as I saw what your innate class did, but you seemed fine the day after. So I assumed you just gained will back at an accelerated rate. I didn’t even consider the other option, even if it was plain to see after looking back on everything I’ve learned about you. I’m sorry.”

  Jay shook his head. It’s fine. You don’t have to be sorry for making that assumption. I don’t even know if I'm feeling bad half the time, he reassured, pointing at his head and letting out a weak laugh. That chip doesn’t only stop me from acting sad or worried on the outside. It prevents the worst of those thoughts from rearing their heads. Even if I’m at the point where I don’t know why I'm getting up each day, I get up anyway. That damn thing in my brain wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “I’m not sure what to say.”

  You don’t need to say anything. As much as I hate that thing, it probably did keep me alive through the worst parts of my life.

  “If it helps, you will probably be able to remove it after you reach Level 25.”

  His eyes lit up, and he lifted his head slightly. Are you serious?

  “Yes, but it will be painful.”

  I don’t care.

  Lan sighed. “I expected that. When you reach Level 25, your body becomes less responsible for keeping you alive. If you have a strong enough healing skill, even having a large portion of your brain destroyed wouldn’t be an instant death sentence. I think you can understand what I'm getting at.”

  It wouldn’t matter if pulling that thing out would shred my brain.

  “Exactly.”

  Jay sat up fully and pushed himself out of the small bed. Which he only now realized was just a twin mattress and some box springs lying directly on the floor. He stumbled slightly and had to stabilize himself by placing a hand on a nearby wall for a few moments. At least the pain was finally starting to fade. He waited for a few more moments before finally walking to the door and pulling it open. He stumbled into a pitch-black hallway, only illuminated by the light pouring from the room he had just exited. Fumbling around for a moment, he found another switch and flipped it on.

  More cardboard boxes filled the small space, and another door leading to a simple bathroom was located to his left. To his right, the hall continued for a moment before turning into a staircase leading downward. After a quick stop in the first room, he moved toward the staircase, still using the wall to support himself. As he grew closer, a sound like that of a sleeping dragon rumbled from below. Jay stopped and reached for his revolver as the sound subsided. He thumbed the butt of the weapon, calming slightly. He still wasn’t sure where he was, but that at least meant he was probably safe. The sound rumbled through the house once more.

  He drew the weapon, pointing it down the staircase before continuing. Even if he should be safe, that was no reason to take stupid chances.