บท 28: Grinding, Doubts, and a Glimmer of Truth
Sunbeams danced through the ancient stone, dappling Jikirukuto's face as he surveyed the crumbling chamber. He'd conquered the maze, mastered physics and monsters, navigated the whispers of his past. Yet, a disquieting feeling gnawed at him, a question burrowing like a stubborn weed in his mind.
Twelve years old. Three years had elapsed since the reset, three years spent honing his time powers, battling Shadowscales, and unraveling the secrets of the labyrinth. But amidst the victories, amidst the camaraderie with Alepou, a sliver of doubt had taken root.
"What the f...?" Jikirukuto muttered, the question bubbling out like an unexpected sneeze. He was supposed to be rewriting his future, preventing the cataclysm he'd glimpsed. But here he was, knee-deep in dungeon grinds, leveling up, chasing fleeting echoes of forgotten knowledge. Had he strayed? Had he gotten lost in the very game he sought to rewrite?
The image that sprang to mind was him, a random NPC in some outlandish video game, a pixelated figure lost in a side quest, oblivious to the main storyline. Was he just grinding levels, collecting trinkets, while the world hurtled towards oblivion?
A pang of frustration gripped him. All this training, all this fighting, felt inconsequential against the looming shadow of his vision. Was he spinning his wheels in the sand, building sandcastles against the tide of fate?
A grimace contorted his features. Alepou, her eyes full of concern, reached out a hand. "Hey, everything alright?"
He forced a smile, the question tumbling out before he could stop it. "What if... what if all this is pointless? What if I'm just wasting time while the world burns?"
Alepou, the ever-grounded anchor in his storm, squeezed his hand. "We're learning, Jikirukuto. We're getting stronger. Remember why we started this. We can't just jump into the future unprepared."
Her words, though simple, held a kernel of truth. He couldn't charge blindly into the fray, a knight without armor. He needed knowledge, skills, strength. But his doubt lingered, a persistent parasite whispering questions.
Then, a glimmer. As he explored the chamber, a hidden inscription glowed faintly on the wall. He deciphered the ancient text, his heart skipping a beat. It spoke of a gateway, hidden within the depths of the maze, a portal to a realm where time flowed differently, a place where he could glean answers, unravel the tapestry of fate.
Hope flickered in his eyes. This wasn't just another trinket, not another level-up. This was a clue, a path forward. His doubt, though not vanquished, receded in the face of this discovery. He hadn't been wandering aimlessly. He'd been preparing, grinding, not just for personal gain, but for the moment he could truly rewrite his destiny.
He looked at Alepou, a smile breaking through the clouds of his doubt. "We're heading deeper, my friend. The answer to everything might be just beyond the next wall."
Together, they ventured deeper into the maze, the whispers of doubt fading into the echoes of hope. The gateway awaited, and with it, the chance to reclaim his future, not through brute force, but through knowledge, strategy, and the unwavering conviction that even in a preordained game, free will could hold the winning card.
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง