I have to say this sitting in a yoga position inside a cave in god knows where can actually be very relaxing. After I discovered that my core was running empty I had to fill it with qi.

Which wasn't hard. Apparently, what I had to do was try to catch the specks of white light in front of me. The white lights which my memories tell me are qi particles come in contact with my body. Later on, these qi particles infuse themselves with one of the closest threads that run all over my body.

At that point, the qi particles become part of me. They slowly travel their way up to the core. That's how I can refill my core.

Now it sounds easy and it is. The hardest part was deciphering what was written in the book.

All that nonsense about clearing your mind and closing your eyes.

That was misleading.

Maybe that is how humans cultivate but not golems. Firstly I have to keep my eyes open. Otherwise, I won't be able to see the qi particles.

Secondly, my mind doesn't need to be cleared. What it needs to do is to actively get involved in drawing the qi particles closer to my body.

Filling my core with qi it's a long exhausting process. A process in which I have to stay in the yoga position no matter what. I tried to cultivate while moving but it doesn't work. The white particles just go away from my vision.

As I cultivate the intensity with which my core glows changes. In the beginning, it was this pale white color while now it's a brighter white. That was my only indication that the core was being filled.

Yeah, I say was in past tense because things have changed. As I was trying to assess how much the core was filled with qi, a window appeared in my view.

The reason why it came up now? I don't know. It could be the fact that I started taking in qi or it could be because I was trying to examine how much qi my core had.

Regardless, the reason why it showed up now, it's not important. Not at the moment.

What's important right now is the information that is providing. The window is similar to how you see the status of a character in a video game with only a few minor changes.

The biggest difference I can spot is that the window is greyed out. Unlike the character sheet in a video game, I can do no change here. The second biggest difference, in my opinion, is the fact that there are no individual attributes like strength, agility, and such.

#Golem Overview#

Structural integrity – 100%

Core integrity – 100%

Qi reserve – 76%

#Basic Qi Skills#

None

#Advanced Qi Skills#

None

#Talents#

Qi sight

Qi sense

Regeneration

Golem modification.

That's all that this so-called golem overview offers. No, explanation. Nothing. The only explanation I get is the one that is offered by these scattered memories I have.

I don't know how much I can trust these foreign memories in my head but they haven't steered me wrong until now.

So structural integrity refers to the state of my physical body. It shows how much damage my physical body has sustained.

The same thing goes for core integrity. It indicates the state of my core and will tell me if it has taken any damage.

Qi reserve is even easier to understand. It shows how much qi is stored in my core.

My understanding of qi skills is pretty limited. My memories don't have much information about them. All I know is that these skills require qi to execute.

And the last tab. The talents. Supposedly talents are things that you are born with. Unlike skills, they can not be learned.

Here one of the biggest mysteries, since I opened my eyes, is solved. How am I able to see?

The answer, qi sight. According to my memories what qi sight does is uses qi to enable someone to see. How exactly does it do that? I don't know.

Also, I discovered the reason why I am able to see qi particles while I am cultivating. Qi sense. Just like the name would suggest it allows me to sense qi.

Lastly, I meet my most hateful enemy. The self-healing mechanism. This hateful opponent is trying to deceive me by changing his name. I won't be fooled. Yeah, I recognize you regeneration, or should I say self-healing mechanism.

Man, staying by yourself in a cave does a number on your mental state. It's no wonder people start giving names to objects when they are trapped on an island in the middle of the ocean.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

No, talking to objects is fine. Not healthy but fine. The point in which I should start getting worried is when regeneration starts talking back. Now that would be worrisome.

As for my final talent golem modification, I have no idea what does it do. I can start speculating based on the name but without evidence, I don't believe I would learn anything useful.

I wonder why my memories aren't giving me any information on golem modification. Could it be because I haven't used it? The other talents in my golem overview I have used them one way or the other. The only thing I haven't used is golem modification.

If this talent stays true to its name then I can look forward to fingers. That would make my stay here a bit more bearable.

As I continue to study my golem overview I notice that my core is full. Finally, I am free to try my escape plan.

So imagine the horror I experienced when unconsciously my teddy bear hands tried to change the page of the book that was standing in front of me.

I must be cursed with bad luck by some God because I successfully changed the page on my first try. How is that even possible without fingers?

=======

There is a saying: time awaits no one. I feel that I understand this saying now more than ever. I don't know how much time has passed since I woke up. It could have been hours, days, or even weeks.

A part of me is still afraid of what might happen if that bolder moves on its own. A small voice inside my head says that it's already too late. I should stop what I am doing. My master will be here in no time and all of this would have been for nothing.

Another voice is saying: why escape? You don't know what lies outside. What if someone forces ownership upon you. Stay here, it's safe. Nothing bad will happen to you here. Perhaps your master has already forgotten about you or died somewhere.

I ignore all these voices. That's just my insecurities speaking. I have to escape and I am finally doing something about it.

This is my only opportunity to escape. I have to take it and I finally have the tools to do so.

Even though I hate this book with all of my existence I have to say right now it is repaying me for the torture that was inflicted upon me.

Don't get me wrong, I still hate the thing. It made me waste so much time. So let's just say I have temporarily postponed my revenge to a later date.

The reason for this sudden change of heart is the content of the page I accidentally opened earlier. It had a qi skill. A basic one but that's enough to enable me to escape.

The qi skill is called [Amplify]. An extremely versatile skill. According to what was written in the book this skill can increase the strength behind an action.

So basically, I can punch harder than before. It uses qi but that is fine. That's what I am doing right now.

Yeah, you guessed it right. I am punching the giant boulder blocking the exit.

Imagine my delight when the punch landed on the giant boulder. Debris went flying everywhere. A decent chunk of the bolder missing.

I have been doing this ever since. However, not everything is going my way. Unfortunately, unlike fantasy books, in real life, it takes a bit longer to learn a skill.

There is no convenient training montage. In order to execute the skill properly, not only do I have to manipulate the qi inside my body in a certain pattern I also have to be mindful of the timing.

If I executive the skill way before my punch connects with the boulder I waste a considerable amount of qi. The reason for that is because I have to keep the skill activated the entire time. And that costs qi.

It's an active skill, for every second it stays active it uses a certain amount of qi. While momentum does carry over, it just hasn't the same impact when the skill is active.

A different problem is if I activated after my punch has landed. The skill doesn't do damage by itself. It amplifies the strength behind actions.

If I activate it after most of my momentum is stopped by the boulder, it won't do much more damage.

Theoretically, the most opportune time to activate the skill is just right before the punch lands on the bolder. The time that I have to keep the skill on is reduced while getting the same amount of damage.

However, doing so isn't easy. Up until now, only one in ten attempts activates properly.

Which also reflects on the golem overview.

#Golem overview

Basic qi skills

[Amplify]– 8% proficiency.

======

Ever since I learned the [amplify] skill, I have been doing the same thing over and over again in a never-ending cycle.

Hit the boulder until my qi reserves go under 20%. Then go back to the room. Sit down in the blue mattresses, and start cultivating. Fill your core with qi. Check if the dents from the previous punching session have healed. The back to the bolder again

I have been repeating this cycle so much, I even started to measure time by it.

Right now I am at the 670th cycle. It is amazing how fast time passes when you get numb by doing the same things over and over again.

Still, mindless work has its benefits. My first ever basic qi skill [amplify] is steadily improving. The proficiency percentage sits on 23%. Roughly two out of ten attempts to activate the skill are successful but I am making progress.

Speaking of progress my skills aren't the only thing that is improving. I started noticing a new trend. After every cultivation session, the number of times I could activate my skills started increasing.

In the beginning, it wasn't that apparent. As time went on the number of times I could activate started increasing. Now the number of times I can active the skill is almost doubled since I started punching the boulder.

Man, I have to say this boulder is really annoying. I have been punching it for a long time now. I have been able to create a sizable hole in it.

The deeper I go the harder to break the bolder becomes. It's not that the boulder itself is harder to break but the area for me to move becomes more restricted.

Punch after punch I continue to pursue my goal. To escape. With every punch, debris fly everywhere. Some even land on me. They don't do much damage just scratches. The vast majority of the damages done to my body comes from the impact of my punch with the boulder but regeneration takes care of it.

Ah, regeneration my old enemy. This talent not only uses qi without my permission, but it also prevents me from accumulating damage over time.

Punch after punch. Like a possessed golem I continue my job, restless in my pursuit. Debris lies all around me. Pieces of rocks that I have managed to separate from the bolder.

For the longest time, nothing happened. Then with one final punch at the 1279th cycle, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, figuratively speaking because I don't see light unless the object is special. Like my mattress.

I have no idea how to describe what I am feeling right now. Finally, after god knows how long I am free. Free at least.

Somewhere outside this stupid cave, my death awaits me. Whether I complete my commands or I die at the hands of an arrogant young master, it's not important.

I have to hurry though. I can't let death waiting for me.