As soon as the three boys left Adam came out from behind the bushes. He took a deep breath.
The air felt cool and safe now. He walked back to the bench and put his backpack and books on it. He was sitting in the same spot where he had been sleeping just a short while ago.
He remembered his past life. A shiver went down his spine. "If I didn't remember that incident" he said softly to himself "I would be getting beaten by them right now." He was grateful for his memories. They had saved him from a lot of pain.
After saying this Adam sat down on the bench. He needed to think. He had to figure out what to do next. He had a new skill but he was still homeless and poor. He also needed to find a way to get food.
The energy drink had given him a quick burst of sugar but it was not real food. His stomach was still empty and he was very hungry.
Then Adam lifted one of his hands. He looked at his own wrist. A new thought entered his mind. "But why am I so scared?" he asked himself. "I have a cheat skill now don't I?"
Thinking this Adam stood up from the bench. He would not just sit here and wait for trouble. He had a power. He had to use it.
Adam left the park. He walked onto the street. He saw a shop nearby. The shop was selling fruits. It also had a machine for making fresh fruit juice. The colorful fruits looked delicious. They were exactly what he needed.
Adam walked up to the front of the shop.
The owner of the shop saw him coming. He was a middle-aged man with a tired face. He looked at Adam's simple clothes and asked "Sir what do you need?"
Adam smiled at him. He tried to act normal. "I was just looking at all this" he said.
The shop owner looked surprised by his answer. He just grunted and turned away to arrange some apples.
Adam's eyes scanned the fruit. He saw a large bunch of green grapes. They looked perfect. He focused his mind on them. He did not say anything out loud. He just thought the word very clearly in his head.
Copy.
The blue system window instantly appeared in his vision. But Adam completely ignored it this time. He knew what it would say. He didn't need to read it. After a moment the window disappeared on its own.
The shopkeeper looked back at Adam. He was getting annoyed. "If you are done looking" the man said in a harsh voice "then go from here."
Adam left the fruit shop. He did not say anything back to the rude owner. He just turned and walked away. He went back to the quiet park and sat down on his familiar bench. He placed his backpack beside him. The park felt safer than the busy street.
He held out one empty hand palm up. He looked at it for a moment. Then he whispered the command.
"Paste."
A soft shimmer of light appeared in his hand for a split second. And then a full bunch of green grapes was sitting in his palm. They were cool to the touch and looked fresh and juicy.
Seeing them made Adam's mouth water. He was so hungry. He immediately began to eat them. He plucked one grape after another and popped them into his mouth.
As he ate his meal of stolen grapes he thought about his new skill. His mind started racing.
"I can copy anything" he thought to himself. "So why am I copying these cheap things? I should copy something that can make me a million dollars in one go. Gold diamonds maybe a bar of platinum." The idea was exciting. He could be rich. He could have anything he wanted.
With that thought he finished the last of the grapes. The small meal did not completely fill him but it was better than nothing. He stood up from the bench. It was time to leave this park for good. He picked up his heavy backpack ready to go.
But then Adam remembered something important. He looked down at his backpack. He recalled the message from the system window. "The system told me I have an inventory" he thought.
He put his backpack down again. He held out his empty hand once more. This time he gave a new command.
"Inventory."
Instantly a new system window opened in front of him. This one was different. It was a large grid made of many empty boxes. Inside each box was the single word [Empty]. It looked like a storage screen from a video game.
Adam looked at his worn-out backpack on the ground. He wondered if it would work. "Can this bag go inside the inventory?" he thought.
He picked up his backpack and moved it toward the glowing blue window. He pushed the bag forward. As soon as the backpack touched the surface of the system window it vanished. It was just gone.
Adam stared in shock. He looked at the inventory screen again. It had updated. The first box was no longer empty. It now showed a small picture of his backpack.
A huge smile spread across Adam's face. This was amazing. It was better than he could have imagined. No more carrying a heavy bag everywhere. He could hide things where no one could ever find them.
He closed the inventory window with a thought. He felt a thrill run through him. This skill was more than just a tool for survival. It was a key.
"It seems" he said to the empty park his voice filled with a new kind of confidence "I will have to conquer this world."