Below Average

After taking the car out for a test drive and confirming that everything was in good condition, I paid for the vehicle.

I could see unrestrained glee on the salesman's face as if he had reached his monthly sales quota, but I didn't care. 

I only wanted to finish the process so I could get home early before Mom and Emily returned from their program.

I filled out some documents and got the car registered after double-checking the papers to ensure everything was in order. I quickly entered my new vehicle and drove home as fast as I could— but not too fast; I didn't want to get a speeding ticket right after purchasing a new car.

As I approached my house, I felt relieved to see that no lights were on. "Seems like Mom and Emily aren't back yet. I'll just park the car behind the house, go up to my room, and pretend to be asleep."

"If I'm lucky, they won't wake me up. But how will I explain it when I eventually do wake up?"

"Well, I'm sure my future self will handle it perfectly."

But immediately after that thought, as if my future self had conspired with the universe to mess things up, my mom and sister returned home from their program—and, to make matters worse, they were facing my direction.

"Damn, I'm so screwed."

*****************************

I barely made it through the front door before I was met with two pairs of narrowed eyes. 'You guys should take it easy; you're almost emitting the same pressure as Mr. Alex,' I thought silently, instinctively swallowing to ease my nerves.

Mom's arms were crossed, her lips pressed into a tight line, while my sister's eyebrows were raised so high they might disappear into her hairline. 

"You bought a car?" Mom's voice was calm—too calm, the kind that usually comes before a storm.

'I should have just stayed the night at Michael's place. Now I have to deal with this. Way to go, past me.'

I noticed my mom's gaze fixed on my hand and instinctively glanced at the keys I was holding. 'I should have left the keys in the car.'

Regret began to wash over me as my mom didn't allow me to think before asking again, "Well? Did you buy that car parked outside?"

I briefly considered lying and claiming the car wasn't mine, that a friend had lent it to me for the day, but I immediately realized that would be a bad idea. 

So, I told the truth: "Yes, I bought it."

"With what money?" my sister asked, lifting her head. She already knew. They both did. They just wanted to hear me say it.

I sighed and shifted on my feet. "From my job."

Mom scoffed. "I thought it was a startup, and you haven't even worked there for a day." She paused, then continued, "So explain to me how someone who hasn't even worked for a day can afford a brand-new car?"

She had a point, but just as she was about to corner me, my mouth went into autopilot.

"It's not brand-new," I instinctively defended myself, even though I knew it was.

To make my case more believable, I added, "And I've been saving up to buy a car."

Mom exhaled sharply, her fingers tapping against her arm. "Tell us the truth: what kind of job is this?"

It seemed my excuse had failed.

"It is not exactly a startup," I admitted carefully. "It's just—better than I thought it would be."

Mom's eyes narrowed further. "Better how?"

I shrugged. "Better pay, and it's more stable than I expected." Technically, that wasn't a lie.

Emily folded her arms. "How much better?"

"Well, enough for me to buy a car."

Mom's expression softened, but only a little. "We just don't want you getting mixed up in something illegal."

"I'm not," I said firmly. "It's legit. I promise."

Silence stretched between us as Mom studied my face, searching for cracks. My sister remained skeptical; she's always been the stubborn one.

Finally, Mom sighed. "You're sure it's nothing illegal?"

"Positive." Though it was dangerous, she didn't have to know that.

She exhaled, glancing at my sister before finally letting the matter go.

I guessed deep down that Mom knew I wouldn't do anything against the law, especially if it could affect my family.

'Next time I meet Mr. Alex, I need to ask him to help with this situation,' I made sure to take a mental note.

*******************

**In the Collective**

A vast, empty land stretched wide under the open sky, with nothing to disrupt its solitude except for the wind. Dry earth met patches of stubborn grass, and in the distance, a lone tree stood, its shadow small against the vastness. The air was still, and the silence was profound.

"I can't tell the difference between the real thing and this place," I said while observing the area where I would begin my training.

"Well, that's the uniqueness of the Collective; no one can fathom the depth of its power," Mr. Alex replied, almost fanatically.

'That's strange. It's as if he treats the Collective like a god,' I reasoned.

'But why would a god need humans to defend it?' I paused, feeling apprehensive about where my thoughts might lead.

"We will start your training today. Before we begin, I want you to pull up your template and tell me your stat values."

I clicked my left molar, and a screen appeared before me.

**CROXER: LUCAS DOUGLAS** 

**RANK: NONE** 

**ENERGY: 1** 

**BUOYANCY: 5** 

**CHARGE: 6** 

**WHISPERS: NONE** 

I scrutinized my stats, wondering how they compared with Mr. Alex's.

'I'm sure the difference is quite substantial,'

I then disclosed each of my stats to Him.

"Your stats are really below average," he remarked bluntly.

Below average? Does that mean I have no talent? 

I had thought I was the protagonist of a story, and when Mr. Alex checked my stats, he would be astonished by my abilities. 

It appears that this is not the situation.

But it doesn't matter. What I lack in talent, I will make up for with hard work.

"Well, you might be below average, but with enough training, you'll be able to catch up with the rest of your peers," he added.

"How long do you think that will take?"

"Well, it depends on you and your determination."

I was fully prepared for whatever it would take to rank up as quickly as possible. *I can't remain this weak forever; I need to get strong fast so I can defend myself in case of a crisis.*

"So, Lucas," he called my name without addressing me with a title. This must be serious. "What do you think is the most important thing a Croxer needs when battling an encroacher?"

The answer instinctively came to me. "Power."

"Yes, but it's not just power; it's tremendous power," he corrected me.

"Encroachers are beings of destruction and chaos. They know how to push and the intelligent ones know when to push, but the outcome is the same nonetheless."

"So to fight back, we have to push back a hundred times harder."

"And if a hundred times doesn't work, make it a thousand times," he added.

I was taken aback by the barbaric nature of how Croxers battled, but I could understand it nonetheless.

*So instead of going around the wall, just break through it with greater force,* I thought to myself.

Mr. Alex continued, "But this power doesn't come from thin air. No, the power comes from you and how you interact with the Collective."

"Interact with the Collective?" Mr. Alex could see the confusion on my face, but instead of clarifying, he chose to ask me a question.

"What do you understand by buoyancy?"

I was curious about what that stat meant, but by the name alone, I had a rough idea.

"It's the force that opposes the presence of the Croxers in the Collective," I answered confidently.

"Yes, that's correct," he then continued. "You can think of the Collective as a large body of water, with Croxers as vessels in that water."

"The higher the buoyancy, the more the opposition, making one less grounded in the Collective, which increases their speed and reaction time."

"The reverse is true as well: a lower buoyancy reduces the opposition one faces within the Collective, making them more grounded and increasing their strength and endurance."

"The buoyancy stat is a numerical value that determines how much one can increase or decrease their buoyancy."

"So that means I can increase and decrease my buoyancy by 5?"

"Yes, but you have to train to gain control over it."

"So how do we train it?"

"Don't be in a hurry; that's what I was coming to."

I waited patiently for Mr. Alex to explain the method of training buoyancy.

"to increase your level of buoyancy you must first master how to control it"

"If you can achieve that you will be done with 99% of the process"

I curiously asked what the remaining 1% was

It seemed Mr. Alex didn't fancy my question as he replied "You have not even learned to crawl and you are already asking how to fly better be careful lest you fly too close to the sun"

I was immediately scared 'it seems someone has taken the place of Mr. Alex and is now posing as him" I laugh inwardly at my sense of humor.