Grasping the crystal tightly, I remain against the wall, on my butt. "Let's see here..." Focusing, nothing happens. Moving it around doesn't seem to be the answer.
Inspecting it, I don't find anything either...
I scratch my head at the puzzle, but give Qi a shot. However, I can't manifest or sense anything below the knees. Thinking it through, I let go and watch it dissipate. Scared, I look back at the prompt, where I find a plus symbol. Selecting it, the crystal reappears. Not quite what I had hoped for, but it's better than losing it.
Taking hold of my pickaxe, I ready myself for a few more hours of digging.
.
.
.
As dusk falls, reminding me of the baron, I sit on my bed. Due to only being three in total, we have plenty of room to live in. Each of us have a private cell or room, whatever I should call it. There's even a window... that faces a wall. It's underground after all.
I must compliment the ventilation system though, quite impressive. I almost feel the freshness of the air I breathe.
On the bed, I take the crystal and put it on my shin as I sit cross-legged. I let go of it and watch it stay put. Expected it to disappear to be honest.
With it, I almost close my eyes while relaxing my muscles, feeling Qi. Just as they are about to close I widen them suddenly. I'm... somewhere else?
It's all dark grey with drifting black clouds. The perfectly flat ground isn't reflective at all, if anything, it absorbs light too much.
Reverse? Did I land in the opposite world of whiteness? Looks like it.
Dark golden words appear above my head, taking me a moment to read them.
[The training will commence...]
A tale of yesterday, a puff of smoke forms on the ground. The dark shade comes with a hint of red this time around. No need to peer upward, I already know what it's about to say. I won't get caught off guard like last time.
[The training has begun.]
Second status!
[Training Puppet Lv.0]
Age : 0
Immortal Cultivation : Qi Sensing Realm (Qi Ruling)
Immortal Title : None
HP | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (8.41 / 8.41)
DT | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (8.41 / 8.41)
STR : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
SPD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
END : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
SEN : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
SOUL : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ N
WISD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
LUCK : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ N
Skill : Crimson Arts - Lv.3
About to piss my pants at it being eight times my stats, I watch the shadow remain far away. Not able to move from the mental pressure, I stand still while it gets closer. Bit by bit, step by step, until it stops three meters away.
Sweating by now, it then makes its move, only to not aim it at me.
Graceful and delicate, yet exploding with scarlet flames and blazing crimson glows. Punches, kicks, elbows, knees, so many different move sets. Combinations, fatal strikes, prodding reaches and probing haste.
Up and down, domineering yet defining elegance. I stand there, mesmerized. I can finally witness what brought me to my knees the last few attempts.
So this is the Crimson Arts... Do I have to learn then? Since it's not fighting... I guess I have to follow. When it resets, I imitate the stance to the best of my current abilities and try to become its carbon copy.
From the get go, I'm left in the dust. The very first move, a simple punch, goes past my own instantaneously. "Wait!" Raising a brow, I see it stop in its tracks. A piercing glare freezes my heart before gently waving at me.
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It takes its stance back, and repeat the pattern, except much slower.
Nodding, I'm left speechless by the warm approach. "I see... that's..."
"Thanks."
.
.
.
Crouched next to the puppet, I have no idea how long it's been, probably a couple hours already. If I my stamina didn't regenerate endlessly in this place, I would be a sweaty rag on the floor. Despite being slower than even myself, the shadow demands impeccable precision, or else it will reset back.
I have yet to complete the third or maybe fourth move, which is a left kick after a left knee strike. Not only am I not flexible enough, I'm off balance on this side as well.
But I will make it to the end one day. Not today though, I'm not delusional. I just don't want to feel that pressure again. These evolved puppets are complete monsters.
Those glowing eyes... urh... I shiver. The murderous aura from their predatory glares are... unique. But to fear them and not death... did the training mess up my head already?
Done with the small break, I stand back up, preparing myself for another hour, after which I'll go to sleep.
.
.
.
Slowly but surely, I sort of master the first two moves. They are identical, but lack that crimson flame effect. Obvious from my expression, I notice the shadowy puppet try to grab my attention. So, of course, I give it.
"What?" It's pointing at me, then back to its eyes with its fingers. "Eyes? Are your eyes the answer?" It rattles its head, dejected by my apparent stupidity. "No? What? I don't get it." After a couple more attempts, the puppet's glow dissipate. Did it close its eyes? Does it even have eyes? Never looked closely...
Hmmm? What's... A message? Right now?
[Reminder : Some skills can see through other skills.]
"Skills..? Mine... does peer quite deeply... Ah!"
I look back at the puppet's status and try to press onto the skill name a bunch of times.
Crimson Arts (??)
>Circulating Qi across one's vessel to reach the crimson world.
>First Art : Internal Combustion (No cultivation)
>Second Art : Fiery Outburst (No cultivation)
>Third Art : Ablaze Blossoming (Qi Sensing Realm)
>Fourth Art : Crimson Heart (Qi Sensing Realm)
>Fifth Art : Conversion Blast (Qi Sensing Realm)
>Sixth Art : ????? (???)
>Seventh Art : ????? (???)
>Eighth Art : ????? (???)
>Ninth Art : ????? (???)
>Tenth Art : ????? (???)
>Eleventh Art : ????? (???)
>Twelfth Art : ????? (???)
>Thirteenth Art : ????? (???)
It's full of question marks... even the rank. Got to be good, right? But that doesn't really answer... I see the puppet still point at me and then at its eyes. "Is that not enough? What do you want me to do? Just say it!"
Obviously it cannot speak, otherwise this whole interaction would've been pretty stupid.
I read the skill information a few more times and it clicks. Internal... combustion? Internal... "Do I have to pour Qi into my eyes to see?" At the question, I see it wiggle its hand flat. "Close enough?"
"..."
"I still can't do it!!"
Why the fuck are you asking me to do this when I can't!! What's the point? Train more?! No shit! What do you think I'm doing. And why are you shrugging like this... this damn puppet...
.
.
.
Back to reality, I immediately go to sleep. The sheets aren't too soft, but it'll do.
Opening my eyes to the sound of metal, I see a guard smack his baton onto the cell's bars. Does everyone with a baton do that? Is that the oh great curse of the baton? Why is he even here, usually no one comes.
Grumbling and stretching, I change and make my way across the tunnels. Before long, I stand with a pickaxe in my hand. But instead of mining, the burly man and young woman reach me first. She's first to speak, as I look down at her. "Hey dude, you're pretty good with the pickaxe, so we thought to ask if you could teach us?" My gaze wanders from hers to his. He's apparently awkward, scratching the back of his dark hair. "If that's possible..."
Well. I might be here for a long time, so I think to myself that making friends is better. I look back at her and rest the tool over my shoulder. "Sure, I can do that."
As such, spending time teaching and mining during the daytime, rarely coming across random pieces of crystals and ores, training everything at dusk, the days pile up.
The eighth day since my arrival in this place, sitting cross-legged, I finally managed to let the Qi flow everywhere. The more I trained it, the stronger I became. An exhilarating experience in a world where growth doesn't seem to exist.
Status two.
[Jack Heltros]
Age : 26
Immortal Cultivation : Qi Sensing Realm (Qi Sensing)
Immortal Title : None
HP | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (1.99 / 1.99)
DT | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (1.99 / 1.99)
STR : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
SPD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
END : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
SEN : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
SOUL : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
WISD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
FATE : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ ?? (LOCKED)
Skill : Tech Eye - lv.2 [+]
However, since that day, no matter how long or how hard I relaxed, I couldn't grow any stronger. Currently on the tenth day, I'm left bewildered. I look and look, but no answer comes to mind. As for the two puppets, one I can't follow properly, while the other keeps beating the shit out of me every time. I basically became twice as strong since the reset, almost back to my previous health stat, but can't make the cut. Not only that, but the penalty still applies, despite not showing in numbers.
Pondering on the matter at hand, I gloss over the cultivation level. Wait... wait a minute. Qi Sensing Realm... alright, but it says Qi Sensing in parenthesis... That should be the stage or layer or whatever, right? In which case... why is it still stuck on 'sensing'? Didn't I already control it in my body, shouldn't it be 'Qi Control' or something? Maybe 'Qi Manipulation'? In any case, it should not be that.
Widening my eyes, I look down. But... how do I know if I actually controlled it?
Running my finger across the cultivation level, nothing happens. Since learning about it, I tried to press on every part of the panel, but not much came out. Some explanation about each stat and so on.
Not even a secret button! What disappointing easter eggs.
Maybe I'll get closer when the debuff is gone... how long... around sixteen days left?