Morning was slowly dawning over Tbilisi, the sky was cloudy, and the sound of the first minibus on the street was heard. Saba could already feel the pain in his body before he opened his eyes. His hands were heavy, his shoulders seemed to be filled with concrete. Yesterday's training was already evident from the very first day. Tea and a slice of bread in the kitchen, such a simple morning, but it felt like a new stage for him. He looked at himself in the mirror:
"This is how it begins…"
He went to the gym early in the morning. Tengo was already there in the boxing gym. Eight o'clock in the morning, but he walked as if he had spent the whole night there.
- Well, Baramidze, did you survive last night? - Tengo laughed.
- Barely - Saba answered and dropped his bag.
- My hands felt heavy, but I couldn't bear it, I wanted to come here again.
- That's good, - said Tengo
- But know that too much passion destroys the mind. Keep your balance, otherwise, you'll burn out.
Tengo's voice seemed to say a little more than just advice on training. Saba started his training.
The blows: first lightly, then rhythmically. Tengo reminded him from time to time:
- "Don't rush. Boxing is not about strength, boxing is about timing."
But the moment Saba repeated one movement too precisely, the system started up again, the noise in his mind sounded more clearly, as if someone inside the room was talking:
[Form Detected: "Basic Combo A"]
Accuracy: 87%
+2 Dexterity
Skill Unlocked: "Flow State (LvL . 1)
Saba took a step back and looked up into the air. His eyes widened. Tengo looked at him, as if sensing his confusion.
- Boy, what's wrong? Did you lose your mind?
- No, no... I just... heard something... he spoke recklessly
Tengo paused for a moment. A strange silence fell on his face, and then he seemed to smile at an old memory:
- Sometimes the gym speaks. The main thing is to listen carefully.
He did the rest of the training as if he were in another world. Every blow seemed to overshadow something, that voice, that power that lived in his head. In the evening, when everyone had left and the gym had emptied, Saba sat on the floor. He closed his eyes.
In the silence, a distant sound was heard again, like an electronic whisper.
[System Link: Stable]
[Warning: Emotional Overload Detected]
[Subroutine: Dream Synchronization — ACTIVE]
Saba couldn't hear anything. He only felt the cold wind blowing through the gym window. When he woke up, he was lying in his own bed, but the room looked different.
On the wall, near the mirror, a red light was flashing, the same as when he had hit. Saba reached out, and at that moment a small window flashed in his sight:
[Training Log — Dream Mode Simulation Ready]
And it was as if another space had opened up before his eyes, a semi-transparent boxing ring,
And in the middle stood his silhouette. It was already a dream, but so real that he couldn't control his breathing. On the ring, his "dream self" was moving perfectly, every punch was exactly as it should have been. Saba watched and nodded, as if he had come to terms with himself for the first time in his life.
[Simulation Start: Round 1]
At that very moment, everything changed in an instant. A sound was heard from behind the court —
Someone's heavy footsteps and a low cough.
- I told you, all players wake up in their own time.
Saba jumped. He couldn't see who it was, just a silhouette, against a dark background. But he recognized the voice. It was Tengo's.
[Simulation Ended: Forced Exit]
Saba woke up sweating. He was sitting on the bed, his breathing quickened. Outside, the morning light was already peeking through the curtains. He received a message on his phone from Tengo:
"Come early today. I have something to tell you."
Saba grabbed the phone and spoke quietly:
"He was talking to me in a dream… or am I just imagining it?"
Somewhere inside, that voice spoke again:
[Path Unlocked: The Mentor's Secret]
[Quest Progress: 18%]