Broken

Michael started to slowly get out of the pool with a lifeless expression, his thoughts running wildly opposite to his expression.

'What did I do wrong? What happened?... Did I not train enough? No, I trained as hard as physically possible. Then, What's the issue?! What am I missing?! I have a system that grants me supernatural rewards, yet I still lose to people who have none of that? Am I that trash?'

Michael as if just hearing the funniest joke, laughed like a complete maniac, earning him a couple of weirded stares. But people just thought he was celebrating his improvement, so they just ignored him.

'Of course, how could I forget? I'm just not talented. Not even this system can carry my talent, It's all useless.'

Michael suddenly remembering something, stopped laughing and felt himself start to panic.

'I'm going to die! failing the mission means death... My mom, how will she feel if I die? She is probably going to completely breakdown.'

'But what can I do?! I have 48 hours before I die.'

'Why even care about life? I've tried to end it before. I'll just enjoy what's left of my time here, sorry mom.'

After taking a shower and changing into his clothes, Michael walked out of the entrance. But there he saw Kai waiting for him.

'This b*tch.' Looking at Kai, Michael felt extreme irrational hatred and envy. He had everything he wanted, Both parents alive, and most importantly incredible short distance swimming talent. He broke a 50m world record at merely 22.

'What does he do that I don't?! I deserve his talent, not him.'

Seeing Michael, Kai started to walk up to him, hoping to congratulate him about his improvements and ask him what happened last time, was met yet again with unreasonable hostility.

"F*ck you Kai, don't even come near me." Michael spat coldly with a furious expression on his face, and directly went away from Kai.

Kai on the other hand, felt very confused and hurt. Why would his best friend say such things? He hadn't done anything deserving of such treatment.

Still trying to make things up between them, Kai got out his phone and started to call someone.

'Hopefully this will work, I don't know what happened to you, Michael. But I don't plan on giving up, something must have happened to you.'

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At Michael's apartment, Michael could be seen laying on his bed. With his entire room looking like an earthquake of extreme magnitude had happened.

For the past few hours of him laying in his room, he has felt constant extreme mood shifts. Going from being extremely frustrated, angry and desperately wanting to punch something, to being depressed about his life ending and barely holding back his tears.

'I'm not going to cry, crying has never helped before, it won't help now.' Michael when he was young remembered himself crying all night when he heard his dad had died. But when he finished crying, it didn't do anything to help. It only made him feel worse and disgusted.

'I need a distraction.' Michael thought to himself.

'I have barely eaten today, food should be a good distraction.'

Michael spent the rest of the day desperately trying to distract himself of his impending death, by eating food, playing video games, and even searching up math and science problems to solve. Eventually, it reached nighttime and he could finally sleep.

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Slowly opening his eyes, Michael had a carefree and happy expression on his face, Until he remembered what had happened yesterday. His expression immediately shifted into a lifeless one.

'Just don't think about it, do whatever you can do distract yourself.' Michael decided to go do his warm-up in the swimming pool.

After finishing his warm-up and changing back into his clothes, Michael looked at the time. It read 9AM.

'Great, 25 hours left.' Trying to not think about how much time was left, Michael decided that as his last day left, he would eat to his heart's content at Benny's.

After going to his apartment and dropping off his backpack, Michael took his credit card and immediately headed to Benny's.

After taking a table on the second floor, Michael ordered the top 5 most expensive dishes, hoping they would taste good enough to make him forget or at least have a moment of peace.

He couldn't order any type of alcoholic drink as alcohol is banned in Egypt because it is a Muslim country.

After 15 minutes, A waitress walked up to him and delivered all his orders.

Looking at all the dishes and smelling their delicious aroma, with Michael already being hungry from not having eaten since he woke up. He immediately started to wolf down the food.

Without noticing it, he had momentarily stopped thinking about his impending death and what would happen to his mother. As a consequence, a tear dropped from one his eyes.

Suddenly feeling someone's presence beside him, Michael looked to his left only to see a familiar face.

Looking at his slightly reddened eyes, and still lifeless expression on his face. "What kind of mess have you gotten yourself into?" Rose said with a slight frown on her face.