Frank could feel his heartbeat slowing down and weakening as the vehicle drove through the wasteland.

'What is this?' He wanted to scream but just didn't have the strength to do that.

"Are you okay?" Arnold turned to him.

He was struggling with his breathing now and was beginning to sweat.

"I don't think I…." His breath was obstructing his speech. "I don't think I… can keep up any longer." That was the last thing he remembered saying before slumping on the car seat.

The teenager woke up to find himself in their tent with his mother sleeping peacefully beside him.

'I'm just glad you are okay.'

[ Heart Energy: 50/100 ]

[ Half of energy restored ]

[ Condition has been stabilized]

Who could tell that his heartbeat and his body as a whole had returned to normal as he was no longer feeling weak?

At first, he had thought everything was a dream when he woke up beside his mother but the system message and his missing necklace were the things that told him otherwise.

'Everything started when that crystal from the necklace sank into my heart.' He thought touching his heart.

He could still see the system tabs while seeing everything around him.

[ Congratulations, you are now level 2 ]

[ +3 stat points received ]

Frank was familiar with these types of things through the role-playing video games that he always played at home so he understood quite clearly how everything worked although he never believed that having something like this would be possible.

[ Profile ]

[ Name: Frank Hart ]

[ Wonder warrior grade: none ]

[ Level: 02 ]

[ 9/12 HP ]

[ 20/200 EXP ]

[ Stats ]

[ Strength: 5 ]

[ Endurance: 4 ]

[ Dexterity: 7 ]

[ Abilities ]

[ Superspeed (Level 1) ]

[ Telekinesis (Level 1) ]

Looking at the messages Frank had a few questions in his mind.

'What's a wonder warrior grade?'

He expected his system to answer that question just like how it worked in the video games but nothing came.

His stats were exactly as he was, the only reason his dexterity had gotten a little higher wasn't because he was fast or that agile, it was because of his reflexes.

His strength was his lowest stat but after killing those bears he had received two stat points in them, he needed explanations as to why both stat points had gone to strength but his system wasn't going to give him any answers.

'It's a shame, I was thinking this was going to be an interactive thing.'

The last thing he needed to check was his abilities, he had used the superspeed to save Lieutenant Roger although it didn't last that long. Telekinesis was new to him although he had come across the word before.

'Isn't that the ability to lift objects with one's mind, didn't scientists say that it could only be achieved by a human with a very great mind?'

He clicked the ability bar to get more information on the abilities.

[ Superspeed ]

[ Level: 1 ]

[ Dexterity buff: (+20) ]

[ Speed points: 50/50 ]

He remembered seeing those speed points, his superspeed had deactivated immediately they dropped to zero but now they were all filled up again.

[ Telekinesis ]

[ Level: 1 ]

[ Telekinetic points: 50/50 ]

'I wonder how this telekinesis works.' He thought as his gaze turned towards the ceramic plate behind his mother.

[ Telekinesis activated ]

Immediately after he received that message he could feel something coming out from his mind like an extra pair of invisible limbs, they lifted the ceramic plate but were struggling to keep it afloat as it would always drop down before it could get high off the ground.

'I think I get how this works now.' Frank thought as he stretched his hands towards what he could describe as invisible pairs of limbs coming out of his mind and just as he thought he felt something in his hands.

With his normal hands now he directed the extra pair of limbs to properly lift the plate off the ground.

"This is awesome," Frank muttered with a cheerful voice.

He was totally submerged and amazed by the newfound powers that he didn't notice when his mother opened her eyes.

"You are awake." She said,

Immediately Frank heard those words, he lost concentration and with that, his extra pair of limbs disappeared.

'No, no, no." Frank panicked in his thoughts as the ceramic plate which he had taken to the height of a standard table came crashing on the floor.

He tried to concentrate again but this time he only managed to get one of the limbs out, that was enough for him as he pushed the plate towards his mother's bag where it landed without causing any noise.

"Yes," Frank said with a relieved voice.

"I can see you were just tired from the task you were forced to do," Jessica said with a warm smile.

"Oh, yeah," Frank said.

Footsteps could be heard approaching their tent now as Jessica turned towards the entrance.

"Mrs. Jessica, is Frank awake?" David asked from outside.

Jessica turned to Frank before answering. "Yes, he's awake."

"Please see me outside Frank, the Lieutenant wants to talk to you."

David chatted with Frank as they both walked through the camp, Frank took notice of how all the women and some of the men were shooting daggers at them with their eyes but he knew those stares were directed at David and he knew why.

The duo finally arrived at the soldiers' part of the camp and walked to the center of the area where the Lieutenant had his camp; he was already waiting for them outside.

"How are you doing boy?" Roger asked as David had already left them.

"Nobody is doing good here sir," Frank answered.

"I get your point," Roger said. "But my question was emphasizing on your health, you freaked the hell out of us by passing out in the car."

"Oh," Frank said. "In that case, I'm okay now."

"Good to know. Why don't you have a seat?" Roger said, tapping the space on the bench.

"You have real guts, Frank." He said after the teenager had taken the seat, Frank just nodded along to what he was saying.

"I know this may sound cruel to you but those kids that died out there deserved it, if they had been like you they would have survived a bit longer."

Frank didn't doubt that they would have survived a bit longer if they had fought with courage but that didn't they wouldn't have still gotten killed by those beasts, the only reason he had survived was because of the system which he had obtained during his dying minute.

"You saved my life Frank and for that, I will be willing to help you with anything you want provided I can do it," Roger said and then reached for something at his back.

"I want you to have this." 

Frank was shocked by what the Lieutenant was giving him, he just couldn't bring himself to accept it.

"Isn't that special to you?" Frank asked.

What the Lieutenant was presenting before him was his Ruger Sr4c which he hardly used except he was in a dire situation.

"It is but this isn't the only Ruger I have."

Maybe in a normal world presenting a child with a weapon like a gun would be condemned but in a world like this with mutated creatures everywhere, it was only the right thing to do.

Hearing that the gun wasn't the only one the Lieutenant had, Frank didn't feel reluctant to take it again.

"Thank you," Frank said as he took the gun off the lieutenant's hand.

"No, thank you kid, that Ruger is going to be useful to you in many ways."

Frank nodded as he stared down at the precious weapon he had in his hands now.

On his way back to the tent which he shared with his mother Frank noticed that he was getting the same stares he was getting when he was walking through here with David.

'Why are they looking at me like that?' He thought.

"We lose all our children and all they do is call this one to congratulate him because he didn't die with them."

"He thinks he's lucky, wait till the next wave of beasts come."

He could hear their words as they were saying them to his hearing probably to provoke him but Frank knew best to keep his mouth shut as he walked past that side of the camp.

"Let's just hope there isn't anything like that wave of beasts again." He muttered as he came to a halt in the area where the soldiers usually shared the chores, the boys used to be here by this time playing their games while chatting but now there was no one here they were all gone.

While in the middle of his thoughts he began to hear footsteps coming from the opening between two tents and when the person came into view he could see that it was Arnold who was pulling the black refuse bag along with him.

'How can they send him to do this after what just happened with the other kids?' Frank thought wondering which soldier would have told him to do this.

***

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