Chapter 22 (Push-ups)

The whole classroom becomes dark again and Y's eyes become wide like large saucers, so this is illusionary art, a technique that is created by the ability of my mind.

"See it's quite easy to do," I say proudly tucking my hands into my pocket.

"How is this possible?" Y stammers and a grin appears on my face, I have never seen it this surprised.

"I just poured out my XO and then..." I feel a sharp pain in my chest, it is as if a double-edged sword stabbed through my heart, I fall to the floor. I begin coughing and I become afraid when I notice that I am coughing out blood.

What is happening?

The technique goes off and the class turns back to normal.

Y begins to laugh, it crouches by my side and says with a big grin on its face, "Looks like someone's body couldn't handle Space Manipulation."

Why is this happening? Why can't this weak body handle it?

"This is what you get from trying to go against the natural laws, your body is still underdeveloped to handle a technique like that."

I try to get on my feet but my legs are wobbly and my vision is blurry. I cough out more blood and I squeeze my hands into fists.

"Screw that. I don't need to train for three months to master this technique I can do that now," I let out resiliently and Y faceplams itself. If I can't handle such a technique, then how can I take on Heremedox, how can I save the universe, if I take on Hermedox presently, I'll be good as dead and I will meet the end of my blissful life faster than I know it.

"You're being stubborn Jayden, if you try to do it again you are going to blackout or," it pauses and its face becomes serious, "you can even die. You're putting a lot of stress on your body and your energy cores. Stress kills!"

Y is right, this technique is way too big for my weak human body to carry, and my XO supply is too small to handle it. Tsk, so I have to keep on training and doing the daily challenge for months before I can get stronger. This isn't like any game or system that has a cheat that'll make things easier, this is reality.

*****

"Your daily challenge today is just a task," Y tell me and I sigh out of relief, I guess today is a lucky day for me, other days my daily challenge could reach up to eight tasks.

"I guess the universe is on my side today," I let out with a mischievous smile on my face.

"You're going to do a thousand pushups before ten minutes," Y pauses and an uncanny smirk appeared on its face, "there is no room for failure."

My face becomes comical and my jaw nearly drops to the ground. This is humanely impossible, a thousand pushups in ten minutes, not even the best bodybuilder in the world can accomplish such a feat.

"What's the consequence if I fail?" I ask still in shock and Y clips its lips with its fingers.

"I'm not going to tell but trust me you don't want to face such consequences."

I grit my teeth I am about to protest about the cruel daily challenge but I decide not to, there is no easy way around this, the time I accepted this fate I made up my mind to face any difficulty or danger without turning back, so I have to do this, I have to try.

I get to the ground and take in a deep breath, I have to try, I need to do this, I need to get stronger!

I begin the push-ups, I start slowly at first to conserve energy and as the seconds pass I increase my pace. My biceps and triceps begin to ache as my pace increases, and as time passes my failure begins to dawn on me.

I have done about 100, my hands are shaking like a jackhammer under me and I was sweating profusely.

I am about to give up but then a brilliant idea comes to my mind. There was something I did when I newly inherited this ability, I was able to give myself some sort of super strength with my imaginative power, I can use my ability to give myself endurance, this task is above the limits of my human body so I have to use my abilities to alter reality temporarily, thereby giving me the endurance and strength to accomplish this task. My ability can alter the reality of an object including myself for some time, as long as I keep thinking about it...with my ability this humanely impossible task will be a piece of cake for me.

With my ability, I'll be the strongest being in this Galactic realm. There is more to this ability, and I am going to find them all, I am going to beat my limits!

"997...998...999...1000." I stand up from the ground, breathing heavily and feeling worn out. Even though I used my ability to make my body stronger and to endure up to a thousand push-ups in ten minutes, I still feel exhausted but I am not as exhausted as I am supposed to be if I didn't use my abilities.

The cool thing about my power is that even though I can only change reality temporarily the effect of it is permanent. Simply put, if I make a pebble as heavy as a boulder and toss that pebble at a car, the pebble will destroy the car. If I stop using my ability on the pebble and it becomes normal, the damaged car remains the same. So the effect and benefits of increasing my body's strength and endurance are permanent.

"Well, you're not that bad, you're quite interesting," Y compliments rubbing its hands together like an evil maniac.

I sit on the ground still breathing heavily and feeling super tired. I stare at my body and I am amazed at how defined my muscles are becoming. I have noticed that for some time now my daily challenge only focuses on the building of my physical body, not my energy levels and my mental strength. I guess being physically fit will help me a lot.

I hear footsteps behind me and I turn around, I see Skylar wearing a crop top with sweatpants approaching me and a lump forms in my throat. I scan her with my eyes, and her exposed cleavage draws my eyes like a magnet.

"What are you doing here?" I stammer, "How do you know that I am here?" I found this place out recently, it was a large abandoned warehouse and I decided to make it my training spot.

She doesn't reply to me and she keeps on walking towards me with her steps echoing throughout the warehouse. Her pace increases and in less than a millisecond she appears in front of me. She swings her arm in the air and I move sideways dodging her punch by a few inches. I skip backwards trying to create distance between me and her so that I can prepare for her next attack.

"What the heck is wrong with you? Why do you keep on attacking me?" I complained with a tint of fear in my eyes.

"If I beat you, you shall be my slave and serve me for eternity," she says and I smirk.

"Well, it won't be fair if I don't also place my reward if I beat you," I assert trying to sound bold but my shaky eyes and quivering lips betray me.

"If I win, you shall tell me who you truly are and I shall be your master, that means that you can't attack me unless I tell you to do so." I grin and her eyebrows furrow. Her body tightens and her foot begins to move on the ground.

"Your failure has been decided a long time ago, " she says through closed teeth and in a flicker of fingers the once peaceful aura of the warehouse becomes filled with rage--by her rage...

Shit.