chapter 1 - Counting

"One…two…three…"

A boy was staring at a tree, completely focused on his senseless quest. The tree stood tall, shaking gently as the soft breeze blew.

"Twenty-seven…twenty-eight…twenty-nine…"

His finger was following his gaze, pointing at the head of the tree. Neither the chirping birds or the jumpy squirrels stole his attention. He wasn't counting the budding flowers nor the number of branches on the tree.

"One hundred and two…one hundred and three…one hundred and four…"

A leaf fell, "two hundred and six, wait, is it two hundred and five now?" He was counting the leaves on the tree. The flat, green parts of the tree that uses light for growth. A tree has many leaves, a bigger tree will have more leaves. He was curious.

"Does losing a leaf mean that it loses growth? If it needs leaves to grow, why are leaves falling off? Doesn't it want to grow taller? A taller tree is always better!"

Stumped on this nonsensical issue, he loses concentration and forgets which leaves he has already counted. He walks to the trunk of the tree and gives it a light pat.

"Hmm, whatever. As the tallest tree, I think that your level is a million."

His short body looked smaller as he stood next to the tree. A kid, almost reaching ten years of age. He was proud of his assessment, thinking that the number of leaves is an indicator of a tree's level.

He was wrong, but there was no one there to tell him otherwise. Alone, he sat at the base of the tree, leaning his back against the trunk. Looking up at the tree, he wondered if he would also grow tall. Would he reach this height if he also got to level a million?

Shaking his head, he realised that was ridiculous. He wouldn't be able to live at home if he was that big. Being tall enough to reach the branches would make him happy.

He hated being short. Every other kid he knows was a head taller than him. Some jerks would use his head to rest their arms. At this thought, he couldn't stop him self from starting a short tantrum. Stomping the ground and throwing the fallen leaves into the air.

"Do they want me to stay short? Hate those jerks!"

After venting his frustration, he felt peaceful again. These small problems would go away once he becomes taller. His mind wandered, free from anger, experiencing the nature that surrounded him. The sound of the swaying leaves tickled his ears, the gentle wind brushed against his messy, dirt-colored hair.

The world around him was big, and he wanted to stand tall in this big world. He looked towards the direction that he came from, thinking about the upcoming event that would change his life forever.

The Record Ceremony. He, and many other kids, would receive their first record template. Instead of losing his efforts and experiences to the world, they would be kept in his record. He would finally know his level, and the numbers that sum up his level. He would receive profound clarity about his abilities, and plan a clear path to achieve his goals. He will become the tallest tree!

Unable to sit still any longer, he stood up to leave. The sun was starting to sink in the sky, so he quickly ran back home. Excitement filled his mind as he wanted to prepare for the Record Ceremony.

"Cale! Sort yourself out and prepare the table!"

"In a minute, mom"

Taking off his shoes, he went to his room to change his clothes. A clean shirt and clean pants. Tossing his previous clothes into the laundry bin, he went to the dining table. Before setting the plates, he washed his hands. After the plates were set, he placed a spoon, fork and knife next to each plate. Then, fill the empty water jug and place cups.

The table was ready, and his parents moved the food to the table. It was dinner time. Beef strips cooked into a sweet and salty dark sauce, sliced carrots and chopped cabbage mixed in too. As always, rice on the side.

While eating his food, his parents were discussing something. From what Cale heard, they were talking about him.

"Dear, is Cale ready for the Record Ceremony?"

"Honey, don't worry too much. No matter what he sees on his record, he has our support."

"Dear, you know how competitive he is. He hates it when he is losing. My friend is always talking about how feisty he is compared to their child."

"Isn't that good? It shows that he has grit! A lesson that we all need to learn."

"Dear…"

"Okay, okay. I'll give him a prep talk before he sleeps."

Cale wasn't too focused on their conversation. He was thinking about the records that changed the world. Unparalleled strength, unmatched intelligence, undeniable charisma. Their numbers must be in the billions, maybe trillions.