"What time is it now?"
"Around nine in the evening, I guess… not exactly sure."
Haizaki Shogo slept for nearly five hours. His mind felt unusually clear, and his body seemed to have undergone some subtle, unknown change.
"How's it feel? Only two more days and we can head back. Any thoughts?"
"Not much… just made some money and spent a month living primitively."
Shogo could sense that Nash's words revealed glimpses of his past life. It wasn't the carefree happiness one might imagine—rather, it spoke of hardships endured, of trials faced.
"Shogo, earlier today… you were terrifying."
"When hunting the lion?"
"Yeah!"
In truth, Shogo hadn't felt terror. Not fear—just exhaustion. Really exhausted.
"Shogo, are you into streetball or underground games? If so, you can contact me."
"Uh, not for now."
Nash, a native-born American, had a difficult life despite his white skin. He'd grown up constantly entangled in rough neighborhoods and experienced far more darkness and cruelty than most.
Though gifted, he had to chase money, participate in countless streetball exhibitions, challenge games, and underground matches just to make ends meet.
Looking at the sleeping Falke, Shogo made a bold guess.
"Falke has potential… haven't you thought of recruiting him?"
"Falke?"
Nash shook his head, a little surprised.
"No need. Falke's already well-known in Europe. I bet a professional team will approach him soon."
"Really?"
"Yeah!"
Shogo felt a pang of admiration. He hadn't realized—this big guy, Falke, was quietly already ahead of both him and Nash in the game.
"Didn't you notice? With Falke's height, as long as he's not terrible, he could be a great center. Plus, his skills are solid—don't be fooled by his goofy appearance."
Hearing Nash call him "goofy," Shogo chuckled softly.
But at that moment, the goofy voice suddenly rang out.
"Hehe!! Brothers, don't talk bad about a goofy guy behind his back, okay?"
Shogo froze, a little embarrassed. Being caught talking behind someone's back was awkward.
"Were we talking badly? We were praising you and admiring you, Falke."
Nash quickly smoothed things over.
"Hahaha! Then I'll just thank my brothers for the compliments."
The three casually chatted under the sweltering night sky, talking about basketball, teams, professional matches, and even underground games Nash knew about.
Shogo's eyes opened wider with each story, gaining a whole new understanding of the basketball world.
Outside the camp, the night was quiet. Probably, a distant pack of hyenas were feeding on the lion's carcass, leaving the area around the camp undisturbed.
The hyenas had no interest in the three humans, so the night passed peacefully.
Three days later, an armored SUV arrived at the camp and picked up Shogo, Nash, and Falke.
Back in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, at a standard hotel run by the organizers.
Shogo, who hadn't bathed for a month, spent a full two hours scrubbing himself clean.
In front of the mirror, staring at his long hair, he grabbed scissors and cut it short—turning from long, silver-gray locks into a cropped style.
Looking at his dark skin and short gray hair, realization struck him.
Wait… in the anime, wasn't this the period when my hair changed too?
How did anime-Shogo go from long, silver-gray hair to a head full of black dreadlocks later on?
What must he have gone through to change so drastically?
Shaking off the distant memory, Shogo put on fresh clothes and walked out of the hotel.
In the restaurant, the three sat around a table piled high with food.
They ate heartily—without a care for calories. Their energy consumption and metabolism were extraordinary.
After the meal, they wandered through Nairobi together, a final farewell, marking the end of their time together.
Two days later, on a flight back to Japan.
Shogo gazed at the vast, cotton-like clouds below and smiled.
He also checked the virtual data panel he hadn't looked at in a long time—and it thrilled him.
Name: Haizaki Shogo
Height: 191 cm (still growing)
Weight: 78 kg (still growing)
Position: Small Forward (developing)
Number: None
Strength: Top-tier
Agility: Top-tier
Endurance: Top-tier
Jump: Top-tier
Explosiveness: Extreme
Special Skill 1: Pillage
Description: "Steal" someone else's skill and convert it to your own style and rhythm, forcing the opponent's unconscious breakdown and preventing them from using the same technique again.
Special Skill 2: Zone (Stage Two)
Description: Entering "Zone" consumes a large amount of stamina but boosts all abilities to peak and expands vision. The second stage of Zone reduces stamina consumption significantly.
Special Skill 3: Ferocity
Description: A skill forged through life-and-death trials in a survival-of-the-fittest world. Grants explosive power, strength, instinct, speed, and vision of an ancient beast, ignoring intimidation.
Special Skill 4: Devour (Advanced Soul Fusion)
Description: Absorb others' skills, turning them into permanent abilities. Each absorption consumes 1 Devour point.
Energy Points: 2
Very strong. Very powerful.
Shogo's original goal had been to test himself, to stimulate his body in extreme survival, to see if he could awaken Wildness.
Wildness did not awaken—but a far stronger Ferocity did.
At this moment, Shogo was ecstatic. The second stage of his Zone had been forcibly activated in a new way.
He believed this was his true Zone. He had never felt this confident.
He had once longed to absorb Nash's Belial Eyes—but now it was unnecessary.
After activating Zone, does he still need Devour?
Not at all. Pillage alone was enough.
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