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"Sacium? Sacium!"
Linus rushed forward, calling out his name in desperation, his footsteps frantic:
"Sacium! SACIUM!"
Linus: Hey! Where the hell have you been?! Because of you, Ryan and Aaron got into a fight, you know that?!
Sacium turned back, his gaze calm—almost as if he had already known everything.
Sacium: Ah, sorry about that… I won't be around for a while.
Linus, can I ask you to protect everyone in my place?
Linus: I want to… but I don't have any powers...
Sacium: Then… do you wish for it?
Linus: I… do.
Sacium smiled. His voice softened like a breeze.
Sacium: Then you'll have that power soon.
I think I have to go ahead. See ya~
Linus: You better come back soon! Ryan really misses you!
Sacium turned his back without looking back.
"This sadness... what is it?
Why do I feel it when I'm near him?"
"Seriously… Did he ever know how cool he was back in school?
Linus now looked around—he was in a room where words floated freely in the air, amidst a peaceful field.
"Could this be where Sacium was heading?
So serene… but so, so melancholic."
Linus: Heh… Sacium, you really woke me up, didn't you?
From behind, a pure and innocent voice echoed.
???: Hey mister! Is this how adults feel?
Is this that dream world everyone's chasing?
But me? I wanna be a superhero!
Linus turned around and saw… his younger self.
Linus: Heh, you wouldn't understand yet!
He picked up the younger him and gazed at the sunset together.
Young Linus: So what do adults really do?
Linus: A lot…
I once thought I was grown-up, doing things that now seem... foolish.
The younger Linus stared at him curiously, clearly confused.
Linus: Now, I want to protect everyone.
And… I want to protect you, from the cruel world out there.
Young Linus: You promise?
You got this strong because of Sacium, right? Is that why you feel peace now?
Linus: I'm just a normal guy, really.
But yeah… Sacium showed me this world of peace.
Suddenly, the younger Linus began to glow and floated up into the sky.
Young Linus: Then do what feels right!
Protect everyone!
You promised, remember?
I want to grow up to be just like you!
Linus: Wait! Where are you going?!
The younger Linus giggled.
Young Linus: Obviously, I'm giving you the strength to do just that!
Linus stood there in awe.
Young Linus: There's no time!
Go protect them now!
But since this power is new… let me help you a bit!
The boy burst into radiant light, and as Linus opened his eyes, time around him had slowed down. His body began to grow larger—towering over his friends, shielding them. The younger Linus reappeared in the light.
Everything was frozen in time.
Young Linus: You know what material reflects light the best?
Oh, but warning: in this form, you might not be able to move~
As Linus thought of the most reflective material—his body morphed into silver.
The golden light from The Watcher was reflected back at it, instantly turning it into dust.
Ryan, Aaron, and Aiden were stunned to see Linus awaken to his power.
Linus reverted back to his normal form.
Linus: Greetings, comrades~
May I join the battle party~?
Ryan & Aaron: That's more like it!!
Aiden let out a relieved sigh, glad to have another ally to protect the group.
But their joy was short-lived. From behind, another wave of Watcher Entities approached. Jesse shivered at the sight. She pulled up her info board and froze.
The First Wave of Watchers:
Strength: 0 (Eyes), 500 (Nerves)
Endurance: 100 (Eyes), 500 (Nerves)
Speed: 50 km/h
Intelligence: 50 IQ
Status: None
Weakness: Eyes
The Second Wave of Watchers:
Strength: 0 (Eyes), 1000 (Nerves)
Endurance: 300 (Eyes), 1000 (Nerves)
Speed: 80 km/h
Intelligence: 60 IQ
Status: None
Weakness: Eyes
Jesse was shocked. But… was that regret flickering in her eyes?
No. Maybe just exhaustion.
"This is bad.
Really, really bad.
They're just… getting stronger?!"
Jesse: Ryan! The ones behind you are way stronger than the first wave!
Run!
Ryan immediately ran back toward the group.
Ryan: Linus! Inflate again!
Linus obeyed, and Ryan told everyone to climb on. One by one, they scrambled onto Linus's back.
Ryan started pushing the giant Linus forward at 80 km/h.
Rose looked back—where the new Watchers were getting closer.
She said nothing, just smiled vaguely… mysteriously.
Ryan kept dodging their attacks while glancing at the distance display: 1500m.
Excitement surged. He ran even faster—90, 100 km/h—pushing himself beyond the limit.
2000m.
He stopped.
Ryan: Linus! Turn back to normal!
As Linus shrank back, Helen fell straight down, landing on the concrete.
She opened her eyes.
She had arrived somewhere new—a seemingly infinite city filled with towering buildings, stores, and urban landscapes.
A level that mirrored Earth's architecture in uncanny detail.
Level 11
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