Could Have Been

Zach pulled the bigger part of another all-nighter, only taking a nap when dawn approached to perk up before classes started. It wasn't because he was overly busy. He just wanted to continue making more and better worms with Material Extraction.

It wasn't just because Alzara wanted and needed more worms and he had trouble saying no to beauties. It wasn't. He also enjoyed fiddling with his skill and feeling himself improve. He could tell that the worm he made was better than the one he made ten attempts ago. And the one he would make in another ten attempts was better than the latest one.

It wasn't the first time Zach felt it, but improving, growing stronger, or just generally becoming better compared to his past self and, most importantly, feeling the change was addictive.