Axel's dream could have been a perfect training ground, a place to hone his ability to fight a hundred at once.
But even in dreams, effort felt like work. Sleep was meant for resting, not grinding. During the day, bullets and chaos kept him sharp; dreams were for surviving the Death of daylight, not fighting. Avoiding Death itself was a form of mastery.
Lowering his arm, Axel glanced around. The dream was disturbingly realistic, but who said he couldn't enjoy a proper night's sleep?
The first time he died on the bus, he'd gotten off early. Next time, during the Dimitrov-Sabatino clash, he wouldn't make the same mistake.
Following a small path into a shaded park, Axel chose a tree and stretched out on the grass. Sleeping in a dream was surreal—and surprisingly satisfying. Unconsciously, time passed.
"Buddy, time to wake up. The dream sky has darkened. All my daytime Death hours have passed."
Axel opened his eyes. He was in a Kane Hotel room, sprawled on the large bed. The three women lay asleep on the floor, drool leaking from their gags.
Walking past them, Axel examined himself in the full-length mirror. Before today, he'd been neither fat nor muscular, just balanced. Now, his pectorals and glutes had grown noticeably, muscle lines sharper and more defined.
He tested his strength on the floor, doing push-ups one by one. Before, forty standard push-ups had exhausted him. Now, he counted to two hundred sixty before soreness finally set in. Satisfied, he grinned.
Why fight in dreams when survival alone made him stronger? Reality was already chaos enough.
Showering, Axel dressed, then untied the hairdryer that bound one of the women. She freed the other two, while he discreetly tucked the remaining two thousand Dollars into the masseuses' bras.
"Thank you, Boss. Wishing you and your lady a happy life," they chirped.
"Boss is generous. Jill will be thrilled at eighty!"
The two women packed their things and left, bowing and smiling. Once the elevator doors closed, they hugged each other tightly.
"Scary. That guy is fearless!"
"Yeah. Wires? Really bold."
"Robbery, then massages. And he even orders one for the victim. He's peculiar."
Axel turned back to the expressionless woman on the bed, gun leveled.
"You don't need the gun," she said, resigned. "I thought about it all night. Whatever you want—money or me—I'll comply. Just don't kill me like last night."
She spread herself on the bed.
"I'm right here. Please be gentle; my body is sensitive. If it's money you want, my bag is in the closet—about four thousand Dollars and two Wayne Bank cards. Password is…"
"That's enough." Axel cut her off, approaching calmly. He patted her lightly, then tossed her clothes back at her.
"Get dressed. Then take me to eat. Since you booked a room, the hotel restaurant is closest."
"Fine." She rolled her eyes, dressed quickly, and led him to the Kane restaurant.
At the table, she kept glancing around nervously.
"Relax. They're all here to catch me. Last night, I snuck in; today, I didn't even wear a hat. Security would notice if I weren't supposed to be here," Axel said, munching a croissant.
"But… what about me? Am I your hostage? Are you using me to threaten them later? I… I was tied up all night, served you a meal. Shouldn't you at least…"
She faltered, realizing she'd survived the night intact but still feared humiliation in front of coworkers or worse, the press.
Axel forked a piece of fried egg and fed it to her.
"Is this taking care of you? Haha! Don't overthink it. After this meal, we part ways. Hopefully, you won't get kidnapped again. Other kidnappers wouldn't even spare a night's sleep."
"You didn't sleep with me."
"Huh?"
"Embarrassing, but… you didn't. Don't you like women?"
"Don't be too confident, Buddy. Meal's done. I'm leaving!"
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Milestones
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Power stones = 3 Bonus Chapters
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