Bully Lord

Part-30

With a grimace, James focused on the blue window, searching for any information about Stamina.  There, tucked away in a corner, he saw the dreaded stat – Stamina (5/130).  Alarm bells clanged in his head.  He barely had any Stamina left!  Panic surged through him. 

What would happen if he depleted it completely?  Would he lose consciousness?  Would his body shut down?  The blue window seemed to offer no answers, but the foreboding silence was deafening.  Despite the growing fear, a stubborn determination flickered within him.  He was so close to upgrading his skill, so close to gaining more power.  Just a few more thunderclaps, he thought, willing his trembling arms to obey.

Ignoring the dull ache in his chest, James raised his hand for another thunderclap.  His vision swam, the edges of the room seeming to distort and waver.  Fueled by a desperate need to reach the upgrade point, he channeled the last vestiges of his strength into his arm. 

As his palm connected with the pillow, a searing pain shot up his arm, momentarily eclipsing the fatigue.  The world spun wildly, the blue window dissolving into a meaningless cascade of colors.  His muscles, finally depleted of all power, gave way beneath him.  With a heavy thud that echoed through the silent room, James collapsed onto the floor, the taste of bile rising in his throat. 

The harsh digital voice of the Bully System seemed to emanate from within his own skull: "Warning: Your body is out of Stamina. Your body will be senseless until you restore your Stamina up to 10."  Darkness crept at the edges of his vision, swallowing the world whole.

A harsh digital voice echoed in the sudden silence of the room.  "Warning: Your body is out of Stamina. Your body will be senseless until you restore your Stamina up to 10."

James lay sprawled on the floor, his vision fading to black.  The taste of defeat was bitter on his tongue.  He'd pushed himself too hard, blinded by the desire for a quick upgrade.  Now, he was left utterly helpless, his training incomplete.

A wave of nausea washed over James as he slowly regained consciousness. His head throbbed like a drum solo, and his body felt as heavy as lead. He blinked, trying to focus his blurry vision. The first thing that registered was the worried frown etched on his mother's face. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, and her eyes were filled with concern.

"James? Honey, can you hear me?"  Her voice was a soothing balm against the chaos in his head.

He tried to mumble a response, but his throat felt like sandpaper. He managed a weak croak, which seemed to satisfy his mother momentarily.

"There you are," his mother sighed in relief. "Lily ran in saying she found you unconscious on the floor. What happened?"

A wave of dizziness hit him as he tried to recall the events leading up to his blackout. He remembered training… the thunderclaps… the overwhelming exhaustion… then nothing.

"I… I don't know," he rasped, his voice barely a whisper. Shame burned in his chest. How could he explain his bizarre training method, or the strange power coursing through him?