Chapter 10: Hyperfocus

"Ok… I'm starting to regret saying I would figure this out today," Magnus muttered to himself, his voice tinged with frustration. He was still in the same room where he had been left earlier, and evening had given way to night.

Outside, the darkness of space enveloped the sky, with the peculiar yet mesmerizing moon climbing higher. For what felt like hours, Magnus had been wrestling with the Command Console, attempting to figure out its functionality, yet all he seemed to receive in return were errors.

[Command Console]

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Users:Magnus_Wright:\> /help

[ERROR]: '/help' is not a valid statement.

Users:Magnus_Wright:\> /list

[ERROR]: '/list' is not a valid statement.

Users:Magnus_Wright:\> /commands

[ERROR]: '/commands' is not a valid statement.

Users:Magnus_Wright:\> print ("Hello, World")

[ERROR]: 'print ("Hello, World")' is not a valid statement.

Users:Magnus_Wright:\> console.log("Hello, World")

[ERROR]: 'console.log("Hello, World")' is not a valid statement.

Users:Magnus_Wright:\>

[ERROR]: '' is not a valid statement.

Users:Magnus_Wright:\> int main()

{

return 0;

}

[ERROR]: 'int main()

{

return 0;

}

↓…

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Users:Magnus_Wright:\>

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He had tried everything that usually works in games: help commands, for example, as well as different print functions across multiple programming languages, and even some random lines he faintly recalled from when he was browsing the internet.

Some of these he had already attempted to use when he was frantically trying to use the console while hiding from those two bandits, and some were entirely new methods that he had just remembered since he was straight. Still, it didn't really matter; all his efforts only resulted in turning the Command Console's output window into a blur of white and red errors.

If one were to scroll down to see the other things he tried, it ended up looking like some weird two-phase disco ball.

"Why can't I use you!?" Magnus yelled at the Command Console as he collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. If stern looks could affect two-dimensional systems, Magnus's glare would have mastered the system ages ago.

I swear, if this turns out to be one of those cheats that only work in near-death scenarios, I'm going to cry. If that really is the case, I might as well just give up on this thing and hope I can learn magic or something.

Letting out a sigh at that possibility, he was about to give it another go when he suddenly heard a knock at the door.

"Hmm?" Getting up and heading to the door, his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit hallway, where candles flickered against the darkness. The moon's soft light merged with the candlelight, creating an ethereal glow that illuminated the figure before him.

"Mia?" He said, his voice carrying a trace of surprise. Up until now, Mia had always been in her armor, the very image of a soldier, but here she stood, seemingly transformed. Freed from the confines of her gear and dressed a lot more casually, it seemed to accentuate her appearance. He hardly recognized her within the first few seconds of seeing her.

"Hmm, is there something wrong?" Mia's voice snapped Magnus back to the present, noticing his prolonged staring.

"Huh, no, it's just… I'm not used to seeing you without your armor; it caught me off guard, is all." Mia was stunned for a brief moment before it gave way to amusement, her laughter echoing through the hall.

"Believe it or not, you're not the first person to tell me that. Every time people see me off-duty, they always seem so shocked. You should have seen how my men reacted the first few times they saw me at after-mission parties—a bunch of idiots, I swear. Though I guess it's just the difference in how I present myself."

Mia's fond recollection was tinged with nostalgia; her sigh at the end betrayed the mixed emotions tied to such memories. Magnus, sensing the shift in mood, decided to ask her about why she decided to visit.

"Oh, right, sorry, may I come in?" With Magnus's nod, Mia entered and sat on the bed, gesturing for Magnus to join her. As he sat down, Magnus also ended up asking about where Marcos and Gerald had gone.

"Hmm, well, Gerald is probably at a tavern or something, drinking with some of his old war buddies. As for Marcos, I can never be too sure; he has a knack for vanishing in cities until we need him for something." Mia's explanation painted Marcos as a bit anti-social, which, honestly, Magnus felt was obvious.

Shifting the topic, Mia started to talk about why she was here, which was to outline the arrangements they had made for Magnus.

"After talking with the Major General, we've decided it's probably best for you to stay here for the time being, given your unique situation and abilities. You'll get to keep this room, and we'll assign a maid to you to ensure you have everything you need. We're still figuring out the best way to handle things, so there'll also be some restrictions for now."

Magnus's disappointment was clear at the mention of restrictions.

"Restricted, as in confined to this room?" His concern prompted Mia to clarify.

"What? Oh, of course not. You're free to move around the manor as much as you want, but you won't be allowed to leave them just yet." While Magnus felt slightly relieved hearing that, the fact that he had limitations on what he could do was still far from ideal.

I wonder if I should have gone with a less intense story.

Sensing Magnus's discontent, Mia decided to try and cheer him up.

"Well, try not to think too negatively about it. This whole area used to be one of the Major General's villas. When the decision was made to establish a garrison near the city center, he decided to offer some of the land it was built on. So, rather than demolishing it, they integrated it into the garrison.

It's rarely used to house guests, and without explicit permission, access is restricted. So, you have quite a bit of freedom here. There's a library on the second floor, along with a kitchen and study room, and as I said, the maids are on hand to provide whatever you might need."

The mention of a library sparked a visible interest in Magnus. On Earth, he had a fondness for novels and books, though that fondness was strictly towards stories that interested him, and hardly anything that would help him in school. In his opinion though, learning about this world's background was no different than reading a novel, so he was excited.

"Hmm, well, I guess it's not too bad." Despite the limitations on his freedom, the arrangement wasn't too horrible. He had always preferred to stay at home back on Earth anyway, so it wouldn't be anything new to him. Seeing that he was easing up to the idea, Mia let out a short sigh of relief.

"Oh, by the way, I heard you yelling about something when I arrived. Is everything alright?" Mia's question prompted a short groan from Magnus.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's nothing. I've just been wrestling with my ability, trying to figure out how it works. It always seems to activate on its own, usually at the worst times, like when I'm at death's door, and not being able to figure out why is irritating." Mia listened intently to Magnus's venting, her hand resting thoughtfully on her chin.

"Death's door, huh?" She mused quietly before taking a brief pause, seemingly hesitant to continue.

"Well, I don't know if this will help, but from what I've personally experienced, all sorts of things happen when you think you're about to die. You might get a sudden burst of energy, feel like time is slowing down, or find your senses heightened beyond anything you've ever felt before.

I can't count the times I've been in spots like that. Sadly, those moments don't always save you. But for me, they've been a huge help. It's like the rest of the world fades away, and you're left in this state of hyperfocus, where everything else is just background noise. It's kind of ironic, but we spirit naturalists are actually at our strongest when we're staring death in the face, as if that hanging guillotine unlocks abilities we never knew we had…" Mia's voice trailed off, her gaze wandering into the distance as she spoke.

When she abruptly stopped speaking, Magnus waved his hand in front of her face and called out, snapping her back to reality.

"Huh, oh, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to go off on a tangent. It probably wasn't all that useful, was it?" But Magnus shook his head.

"No, actually, I think you're onto something." His words were genuine. He had almost forgotten, but when he was cornered by the bandits, he experienced something just like she had described. Time seemed to slow, yet his mind was processing information at an incredible speed.

It was like nothing he had ever felt before.

"Well, then I guess it's time for me to head out. It's getting pretty late." Standing, Mia made her way to the door. Magnus offered a casual wave and a farewell, and with a parting smile, she left, closing the door behind her. No sooner than Magnus sat back on his bed, the door cracked open once more, and Mia's head popped back in.

"By the way, the baths are just down the hall, the biggest door to your left. No offense, but you kind of... well, you smell. Anyway, bye!" With that, she closed the door for a second time, truly leaving. A moment passed before Magnus gave himself a sniff, realizing it had been quite some time since he had a chance to wash up.

"Well, I guess a quick bath wouldn't hurt." After pausing briefly, he left his room and glanced both ways, but didn't see anything. Following Mia's directions, he went down the hallway, which was lined with identical doors, until he reached one distinctly large set of wooden double doors.

As he opened them up, a wave of warm air welcomed him.

Woah, so this is what it's like to live rich?

Inside, the wooden flooring transitioned to smooth, peach-colored quartz. No partitions were separating the baths from the entry, save for a shelf stocked with neatly arranged towels. Alongside them, there were peculiar cubes that he assumed were some form of soap.

Huh, even though they don't have any other guests, the maids sure did a good job keeping this place looking nice. Still, what's up with the lack of dividers? Do men and women share or something?

Centered in the room was a large, steaming bath, encircled by four smaller ones for those desiring privacy. Ground-level faucets, carved into various animals, filled the room with the soothing sound of flowing water, hinting at an unseen drainage system.

Stripping down, Magnus eagerly jumped into the large bath, creating a satisfying splash. The warmth of the water enveloped him, causing his entire body to relax.

"Ahh, this feels good." As he got comfortable, his thoughts drifted back to Mia's words.

"Hyperfocus, huh? Well, I might as well give it a shot." Drifting to the bath's edge, he set the soap he'd brought along with him down and proceeded to open the console.

[Command Console]

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Users:Magnus_Wright:\>

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I've fiddled around with the Command Console by focusing before; that's how I figured out how to type in the input. But no matter how I tried to imagine it, I could never get the Command Console to do anything, so I thought maybe there was something specific I needed to type. But thinking back on it, I guess I was half-assing it, at least compared to the type of focus Mia was talking about—the type of focus you get when you nearly die.

There, submerged in the warmth of the bath, Magnus's thoughts swirled. The mind was a jumbled mess, something that was constantly clashing with itself. It was difficult for someone's mind to go blank for more than a couple of seconds, and even when they did, it didn't take long for them to start thinking about the fact they weren't thinking.

So, with a heavy sigh, Magnus slapped his own face lightly.

Okay, okay, I just need to zero in. Think about what you want to do, and narrow down your attention to that. Try and focus on something familiar and easy, like the three dimensions: x, y, and z. You've got this.

As he started to dial in his thinking, Magnus did his best to push away any stray thoughts as soon as they popped up. Random ideas of the soap burrowing itself through the floor or hilariously smacking him just for the heck of it were quickly dispersed as he tried to reach the epitome of focus. But even more than that, he was trying to replicate that feeling he had when he was faced with those two bandits—that feeling of fear.

He subconsciously played that moment over and over in his mind, using it to tame his chaotic thoughts.

And finally, after what felt like an eternity but was closer to ten minutes, he touched the cusp of that zone. It wasn't in any way comparable to the state he entered when he thought he was about to die, but it was similar. A moment that was so fleeting, that Magnus didn't even realize he reached it, that was how clear his mind was, free from distraction.

His inner voice had gone quiet, with only the thought of moving the soap along its y-axis echoing in the silence.

Then it happened. Lines upon lines, symbols too numerous and complex to make sense of, filled the Command Console's screen, inputting themselves into the system in the blink of an eye.

[Command Console]

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↑…

℡℟ⅎⅎⅆ℃℧ⅰⅳℂⅧ℻ℼↈℶℏ℥Ⅷ⅝ℵⅭ℈ↈℸℸ⅂ℛ℞ↂⅵ℻ⅲⅻℏⅹ⅕ↇℰℳ℮⅁Ⅻℴ℮℗⅁⅊ↀ℈⅑Ⅵⅎↈ℗Ⅻⅳℍ⅋ⅹ℺ⅸⅭℚ™ⅻℇⅲ↋℃ⅷℋℵⅧℓ⅁ⅆ⅋...

ℑ℣℻ⅲↆⅠℸℶℾ℺Ⅲℶℇⅴℑ⅐ⅼ⅛⅙℉ↁℯℵℒⅴ℠℁⅚ℳℐⅆℎ⅙ℷⅺℤ™℧ℋⅲⅥ℔⅗ⅈℸⅿ℔ↇⅅⅴↈ℃℣ⅽↅ⅄⅔ⅮⅡ℥ⅿ℀℀⅏ℊℎ⅔⅄Ⅷ℈ℲⅬℵⅾℒⅱ⅛ⅯℎↇℂℑↀKℕⅅ...

ℌ⅒ℿℼ⅛ⅹⅇℯℙⅪⅼⅸ⅔⅒⅚ℊ⅖⅃ℹ⅝℞ⅬℲℨ⅋ⅯⅳⅤ℉ↃⅫⅧK⅍↊ↆℑℒ℠⅛ⅶℼℒⅬ℣⅊⅔ℯ⅁Ⅰ⅒⅁ℏↂ№ℕℛⅪ℞℃ℙⅹℶⅪⅲⅣↈ⅘↋ΩⅩ℘№ⅆ⅂℄⅄ↂ™ⅰ℘ⅉⅅ...

℄⅔ℾℰ№ℤℙⅿ⅙ⅹⅥ℞ℴ℧ⅣⅯ⅝ⅧⅼℂℍⅢ⅌ℰↂⅽℋⅯℨ℣Ⅲ⅄ℙℒℋℕⅰ℻ↆ™ⅩℱⅩℰↃℝ⅒⅂ⅲ⅌ℽ™Ↄ℞ℚℽ⅌ↂⅸ℄ℍↃⅠℶⅈↈΩ℘⅖ⅫↃ℡ⅥⅬ℉℺ℝⅧↁℸ...

ℤℯⅾ℩⅑ⅅ℀№ⅉ⅙⅙Ω℃ⅡℂⅣⅬℓ⅛ℎⅫⅾℐⅴ⅂ↅⅰ℺ℽ⅏Ωⅶ⅕ⅰⅺⅿℴ⅖ⅩℋⅉℎⅣÅℰↆℰ⅒Å⅂ℊℋⅫⅉⅠↂℳℌΩℽ⅘℮↊⅖ↀⅬ℥ℰ℣⅝℀⅑ⅲℯⅆⅫℋℵ℣ⅧⅪⅆⅥ™⅌...

⅛ℂℳℲ℡↉ⅰ⅐ⅫℵℼℒⅥↄ℡ↈ⅗⅝ℽⅦℸℚⅭⅵⅎ℡ⅭↇℿⅫⅆⅺ⅂ℍℏ⅟℮℀ⅲℌ⅛Ⅎℿ⅔ⅺℬⅩⅷⅹℑⅦⅿ⅐ℏ⅘℈℡⅊ℭ℈℣⅛ↁ⅞℗ⅹℭℭ⅃ℝℇ⅌ⅹℜ℥℅ⅅℶⅺ℠ⅽ℮℠℄ℶ...

ↈⅭ℉ⅩΩ↋ↀↀⅮ℅℀⅒ℶↈℤ⅍ℽↄ⅀Ⅿ⅃⅒⅘ↈⅇ℈℘⅌⅛⅋⅂ⅠⅺⅲⅪℶⅫℙ™Ⅽ⅛⅋ℨⅲ℮ℋ⅍ℵⅈ⅚ⅻⅡℾ⅋ⅪÅↃ℥℡ⅉ⅋Ⅵⅳℶ⅁ℤℰⅡↅⅪℳℐℶⅉℹⅧℷ⅒ℷ⅏ℝⅱ...

ↀℿℿ℁ℜ⅄⅓ⅱⅦℱ℅⅖⅝℁ℼℽℵⅶ⅍K⅃ℛℿℼ⅛ⅹⅇℯℙⅪⅼⅸ⅔⅒⅚ℊ⅖⅃ℹ⅝℞ⅬℲℨ⅋ⅯⅳⅤ℉ↃⅫⅧK⅍↊ↆℑℒ℠⅛ⅶℼℒⅬ℣⅊⅔ℯ⅁Ⅰ⅒⅁ℏↂ№ℕℛⅪ℞℃ℙⅹℶⅪ...

ⅲⅣↈ⅘↋ΩⅩ℘№ⅆ⅂℄⅄ↂ™ⅰ℘ⅉⅅ℄⅔ℾℰ№ℤℙⅿ⅙ⅹⅥ℞ℴ℧ⅣⅯ⅝ⅧⅼℂℍⅢ⅌ℰↂⅽℋⅯℨ℣Ⅲ⅄ℙℒℋℕⅰ℻ↆ™ⅩℱⅩℰↃℝ⅒⅂ⅲ⅌ℽ™Ↄ℞ℚℽ⅌ↂⅸ℄ℍↃⅠℶⅈↈ...

↓…

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Users:Magnus_Wright:\>

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There was neither an error message nor a confirmation prompt. On a normal computer, you could scroll endlessly, for days, weeks, or even months, and never find the beginning or end of the extensive code that had been input.

Yet, the Command Console processed it instantly, without issue.

And because of that, before Magnus's very eyes, the impossible happened. The soap cube in front of him, under the command of his concentrated thoughts, lifted up smoothly, traveling a precise four inches to the right in just two seconds before descending to hit the bath's rim with a satisfying clack.

His eyes locked onto the soap, disbelief giving way to a grin that slowly spread across his face.

"It worked… It actually worked!" In a burst of excitement, he stood up, water cascading off him as he celebrated the moment. This tiny, seemingly insignificant event represented a monumental step forward,

To anyone on the outside, the depth of thought and the intense concentration Magnus had poured into this singular act would be unfathomable. It was more than him just focusing extremely hard. In his head, he had dissected the very concept of two seconds—its duration, its subdivisions, and its relevance—down to its core. He had deconstructed the soap's movements, the exact distance of four inches, delving into centimeters, millimeters, and even finer measurements.

Even the soap's dimensions—its size, shape, volume, and surface area—were meticulously cataloged in his mind. His mind could have never reached a level of clarity like that naturally on its own.

By no means did Magnus consider himself a genius capable of intricate mental gymnastics based on visual cues alone. If there was anyone who found what he had just done odd, it was him. Yet, the answer to how he did it wouldn't change, because he honestly had no clue. It felt instinctive and automatic—an inner process that couldn't be explained or replicated without doing the whole process over again.

Nonetheless, it was recognized and flawlessly executed. His thoughts had managed to change something in the real world.