NOVEL SIMPLE 0054 – It’s Decided, Take a Little Trip!
February 6th, 9:00 AM
After a morning workout at the park, Zoe returned to Wingsgone New Village, her body still full of energy. Instead of heading home, she made her way to the rookie station beside the community garden. There, using the pickup code, she retrieved a package containing weights she had ordered earlier.
The weights consisted of leg guards and a vest, neither of which looked particularly heavy or cumbersome. Together, they weighed precisely 10 kilograms. For Zoe, this wasn’t particularly heavy; it didn’t provide the same resistance as when she trained with the massive golden hammers.
Zoe sighed quietly, feeling a bit disappointed. The weights, even though custom-made online, weren’t as heavy as she had hoped. They were better than nothing, but far from what she needed.
Just as she was about to head home with the package, Zoe paused. Her heightened senses, a result of her advanced mental training, alerted her to the presence of a familiar person approaching.
"Fancy meeting you here, Miss. Gambler."
The crisp voice of a woman reached her ears. Turning towards the source, Zoe recognized the familiar face from her recent poker game.
"Gambler, huh? Didn't Benny tell you my name?" Zoe smiled wryly. A few days ago, she had thoroughly trounced both Benny and this woman at poker, earning her the somewhat embarrassing nickname.
"Sorry about that, Miss Zoe," the woman apologized immediately, scratching her head. Although she knew her name from Benny, Zoe’s remarkable performance at the poker table had left such a strong impression that the nickname slipped out.
"No worries," Zoe replied. "Are you here to see Benny today, Ms. Lynette?"
The woman before her was Lynette Sagran, the owner of a bookstore. Though her store was on the major street, not too far from here, it wasn’t exactly close either.
"Yes, we had plans to enjoy some wine and read together," Lynette Sagran explained. "But when I arrived, I found he wasn’t home, and his phone was off. So, I decided to take a walk around the garden."
She pursed her lips, clearly a bit disappointed but quickly accepting the situation. She had come to understand Benny's erratic nature over the past few days.
Zoe remained silent. She knew why Benny wasn’t home. Early this morning, after a night out, she had received a message from Benny: "I'm going for a big score. If I don’t make it back tonight, please bail me out from the police station."
The backstory was somewhat ridiculous. The owner of a tutoring institution, who had previously crossed Benny, recently enrolled more students than ever. Elated by his newfound success of creating wealth, the owner had posted a triumphant update on his social media: "The money tree is dead, but now I’m just making money."
Seeing this post, Benny had been furious. He had immediately ordered a type of paint reputed never to fade and, at the crack of dawn, set off to the tutoring center with a can of it.
Knowing this, Zoe decided it was best to keep quiet. Benny was clearly up to no good, and there was no need to involve Lynette Sagran in it.
After a bit more polite conversation with Lynette Sagran, Zoe was about to head home when Lynette stopped her again.
"Um... can I ask, what kind of girls does Benny like?"
Lynette Sagran looked at Zoe, hesitating briefly before resolutely asking her question.
Over the past few days, Lynette had noticed that Benny’s social circle was limited almost exclusively to Zoe, so she felt her only way to learn more about Benny was through her- proclaimed as his only bestfriend in the community.
Zoe was momentarily taken aback by her inquiry.
Seriously... someone actually likes Benny?
Even though she had suspected Lynette Sagran’s feelings for Benny during their previous poker games, having it confirmed now left her feeling incredulous. Benny, of all people, had someone interested in him.
After a moment of internal grumbling, Zoe finally addressed Lynette Sagran, “Use less floral perfume and more fruit or oak scents. Benny loves his red wine. Also, brush up on famous quotes so you can keep up with his conversations. Benny hated modern toxicity. Since you both enjoy reading and drinking, you’ll find it easy to connect with him.”
Back at home, Zoe casually used her telekinetic powers to make a tissue float in the air, playfully entertaining her little dog, Platinum, as she made her way to her computer desk. Her encounter with Lynette Sagran at the rookie station was just a brief interlude, and after giving her a few pieces of advice, she had returned home.
Glancing at the clock, which now read 9:30 AM, Zoe chose not to follow her Short-term Plan 3.0 that suggested she should relax and enjoy some leisure time. Instead, she turned on her computer and began searching for remote mountains near Sun City.
Earlier that morning, she had returned home and meticulously recorded the data from the previous day’s experiments.
Sixteenth Record: February 5th, 2024
- New Training Method: Whole body muscle high-frequency spontaneous tremors, dual training of mind and body. Current duration: 9.7 seconds.
- New Discovery: Combining mental power with killing intent allows control of killing intent to form a tangible shape. Can externalize and solidify the killing intent for one minute. Killing intent can enchant weapons, enhancing the pain felt by the target.
- Plan to train in remote mountains: Investigate why training in the mountains excites me more.
Her current search for remote mountains was directly related to the third point from yesterday’s findings. It seemed that training in the mountains heightened her senses and excitement.
Early that morning, unable to resist, she had run into a tree with such force that she, with nearly a ton of power, snapped the tree in half and shredded her shirt in the process.
Zoe couldn’t understand the reason behind this reaction. Perhaps it was a subconscious yearning for activities outside the urban lifestyle she had grown accustomed to, or maybe it was not excitement but a sense of liberation from societal constraints.
Regardless, she wanted to explore this further. Whether it was truly the mountains that had an effect or simply a psychological reaction to being outdoors after a long time indoors needed investigation. It didn’t have to be limited to Sun City; it could be anywhere in Hamilton Province.
With this in mind, Zoe quickly sifted through possible destinations on her computer. The option of Mount Lawrence in Yukull province caught her eye. It was not too far, sufficiently primitive, and vast enough for her needs.
Satisfied, Zoe nodded and began planning her trip.
