LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 17: Chapter 17
Months had passed since Alex first began pushing the limits of his smart mode, and in that time, he had become more familiar with its intricacies. It had become clear that using the system wasn't just a shortcut to processing information. The mental toll was real, and though it strengthened him over time, the strain was unmistakable. His methodical approach to testing his limits had taught him something important: the path to real growth lay in understanding his mind as much as it did in using the system.
Over time, Alex had experimented with a variety of mental strengthening exercises. He scoured online forums, read research papers, and even watched YouTube videos on everything from meditation to memory enhancement techniques. Some worked better than others, but none had the profound effect he was searching for. He felt like he was missing something. Something bigger.
Then, one night, it hit him.
It had been an unusually clear evening, and Alex found himself sitting on the porch of his family's house, looking up at the stars. The vastness of the night sky had always fascinated him as a kid, but now it resonated with him in a new way. His mind, filled with the knowledge he had absorbed through his system, understood the scientific scope of it all—the sheer magnitude of the universe, the millions of galaxies, black holes, and the cosmic chaos at play.
But it wasn't just that. It was the feeling of being small in a universe so grand, and yet, at the same time, he felt connected to it. It was then that inspiration struck. He closed his eyes, and for the first time, he tried visualizing the cosmos.
The next morning, Alex sat at his desk in his small apartment, quietly contemplating his discovery. Visualizing the universe, the stars, the black holes—all of it—had given him a new mental clarity. It was as though, in imagining the infinite, his mind stretched in ways it never had before. He had felt the strain, but there was something uniquely powerful about visualizing things so far beyond human comprehension. It was humbling and invigorating all at once.
Over the next few weeks, Alex focused on visualization as a mental exercise. He had already been practicing visualizing things in his daily life—tasks, scenarios, conversations—but now he had shifted to something much grander. Every morning, before work, he would sit quietly and focus on imagining the vastness of the cosmos. He thought of the sun, a burning ball of gas so powerful yet so far away. He imagined black holes, warping space and time, and galaxies spinning in the void of the universe.
The effect was immediate, much better than overclocking in smart mode, that always leaves him drained. Each time he finished, he felt a little more mentally sharp, a little more focused. It was as though visualizing the most complex and unimaginable forces in the universe was forcing his mind to adapt, to grow.
One afternoon at work, he was deep in thought about this newfound method when Barry, his ever-complaining colleague, interrupted him. "Hey, Alex, you okay? You've been staring at your screen for like five minutes without moving."
Alex blinked and smiled. "Yeah, just thinking about something."
"Thinking, huh? Must be something important," Barry said with a raised eyebrow. "You've been different lately. Is everything alright?."
Alex shrugged. "yeah, u don't need to worry, am fine"
Barry gave him a curious look but didn't press further. "Well, whatever it is, I like how calm and focused u have become, maybe I will need that as well. This place is driving me nuts."
"Yeah, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve," Alex said, smiling to himself. If only Barry knew how close to the truth he was.
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In the evenings, Alex spent more time with his family. His mom had started noticing a change in him too. During dinner, she commented, "You seem to be in a really good headspace these days, Alex. Everything okay?"
Alex nodded. "Yeah, just learning to manage things better. I guess I'm figuring out some balance."
"Balance is good," his dad chimed in, taking a sip of his drink. "Life's too short to stress about everything. You've got a good head on your shoulders, son."
He smiled at his dad's words. They had no idea what he was really working on in the quiet moments of his day, but their support meant everything.
His sister, Amilia, wasn't quite as subtle. "You're not turning into one of those weird meditation guys, are you?" she teased, stabbing a fork into her salad.
Alex chuckled. "No, no weird rituals. Just trying to stay sane."
"Good, because I don't think I could handle 'zen Alex' around the house," she grinned, the usual sibling banter lightening the mood.
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In the months that followed, Alex continued his routine of visualizing the cosmos, each time pushing himself a little further. He didn't dive headfirst into the mental exercises every day; he took breaks, living his life, hanging out with friends, and going about his work. But every time he revisited the exercise, he felt himself inching closer to something—stronger mental resilience, a deeper understanding of his abilities.
Eventually, Alex began to notice something else. Each time he completed the visualization exercise, he could feel a subtle shift, like his mind was stretching in new ways. And then, one day, as he sat in his apartment visualizing the Milky Way galaxy, he felt it—a clear, undeniable growth. It was as if his mental strength had finally leveled up. The progress bar he had imagined in his mind all those months ago had finally shifted forward.
It wasn't a huge leap, but it was a sign that his efforts were paying off.
Alex smiled to himself, the vastness of space still fresh in his mind. He had been right. Visualization worked. And if it worked for this, who knew what else it could help him achieve?
There was no rush to figure it all out. For now, he would keep moving at his own pace, enjoying the quiet progress and the mental clarity that came with it. But deep down, Alex knew that this was just the beginning.