chapter 20: Sync Surge — 100% Bond Attained
POV: Zai
The remainder of the school week?
Chill.
No surprise attacks. No odd system bugs. No Deshawn trying to play alpha again. Only tension, side-eyes, and the random whisper that died whenever me and Marcus entered a room.
I needed that.
Because I had something now—not only leveling up, not only surviving.
I wanted to get 100% Sync with Mac-Zero.
I had no idea what was gonna happen, you know, but something in my stomach—and the system—told me that when we hit full sync, something huge was gonna give.
So I started grinding.
Every day after school, we went to Rock Creek Park.
Same spot.
Elevator woods. Wide trails. Open clearings where no one would bother us.
Marcus and I drilled until sundown—sparring, dodging, movement in unison, parries on the beat, mirror combinations. I was learning to read his rhythm. No longer did he follow orders—he anticipated them. Replied with me. To me.
Every movement, every strike, every dodge…
We were sharpening an edge.
[SYNC BOND WITH MAC-ZERO: 74% → 88% → 95%]
Saturday morning came, and we trained harder.
I used all my active skills until I felt my stamina aflame, technique stats going up step by step with each chain of combos. He trained me like a CPU level 9 who would never give up—and I kept up.
Squeakingly.
But I did.
And then this:
The finishing blow.
We clashed fists in an airborne crash, launching from opposing trees. Our auras matched. Copying movements.
I swung hard, slid back over the earth, and stood gasping.
Then—
PING.
[SYNCING BOND WITH MAC-ZERO: 100% COMPLETE]
[UNLEASHING FULL SUBORDINATE POWER.]
[PROCESSING USER-DATA FEEDBACK LOOP.]
[MUTUAL UPGRADE PROCEDURE INITIATED]
Then the barrage arrived.
BZZZZT—
My brain flashed like a slot machine on max jackpot setting.
Panels, numbers, beeps—too many alarms.
They stacked in front of my vision like a command center falling apart.
[PASSIVE SKILL ACTIVATED – Shared Will: ZAI/MAC-ZERO]
Enhanced reaction sync, combo speed, and multi-target combat efficiency.
[COMMAND TREE UPDATED – Vocal + Mental Sync Available]
[MAC-ZERO RECEIVED NEW FORM – EVO STAGE: V1 ARMOR UNLOCKED (LOCKED UNTIL USER LEVEL 10)]
[NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: SYSTEM CPU LINK — BOND SKILL PATHS ENABLED]
[MAC-ZERO IS NOW CLASSIFIED AS A CORE UNIT]
[BOND RANK: S]
[EXP REWARD GRANTED – USER LEVEL UP CHALLENGE AVAILABLE]
I stumbled, holding my head.
It felt like my skull flashbanged and data-dumped at the same time.
Marcus caught me before I fell over. "Master Zai—hold on. The sync remained steady. You only need to catch your breath."
I swayed. "I'm. I'm fine. Just—shit."
Time slowed again in my mind. The flashing HUD settled. The air felt cleaner in some way.
[SYSTEM PROMPT]
Level-Up Challenge Unlocked: "Prove Your Link"
Battle a Mirror Match CPU Duel: Mac-Zero vs You (CPU Lv. 7, Full Moveset)
Arena: Final Destination – Nightfall Variant
Victory Condition: Win with over 50% HP remaining.
I blinked.
"Wait—you want me to spar a copy of Mac-Zero with my set of skills?"
Marcus nodded. "Right. The CPU will replicate your current stats, tendencies, and moves. This is less about strength. it's about control."
I grinned.
"Alright then."
"Let's see what Level 6 Zai can really do."