I mine and mine, right next to Jenna and Rick. We are all grouped up in one tunnel, chatting away the boredom. Each taking turns, we surprisingly dig out more than prior tenants. I have only a week left before the debuff wears out and the quest is gone. "Today." I blurt out by accident.
"Today what?" Jenna looks at me as her pickaxe comes down. "Nothing. I was just thinking about something." She throws a cheeky smile as she nudges at my belly. "Jerking off or something?" Rick chuckles while I sigh. "Wish I had the privacy for that. It's been years since I've had any action you know. If we didn't have all walks of life where I was before, I would've gone crazy. Age does help, I learned a lot from people back then."
Jenna smiles at my nostalgia. "You know they don't actually watch the cameras most of the time, right? I don't think there even is more than five guards here." Before I get the chance to agree, Rick does. "Ha! Tell you what guys, since the time I've been here, I haven't seen a third one!" I nod but can't help speaking on it. "That's for the ones we see, who says there aren't others that just don't have to come here?"
I sense a gaze and look back down at Jenna, resting her arms onto the pickaxe. "Do we even count them? If we don't see them, I don't count them." Rick shrugs as I look back. "Whatever, I still count them."
Jenna doesn't seem satisfied with my stubborn opinion. "What? Are you saying that cause you want to get out of here?" She leans forward, hushing loudly at my ear. "Are you planning an escape?"
Rick just laughs it off while I pout. "It's always the same. Wish I could." To be fair, I would actually escape if my stats were much higher. But staying here does help. Can't really be worse than living like a homeless guy underneath a dusty bridge. I might've died from a falling piece of rotting lumber.
Hunger... no, dehydration would've gotten me first.
Our discussions are light hearted as dusk comes around. I've trained but can't seem to make much progress. It's been a couple days since I gave up on the extra feature. There simply is no possible way I can climb so many levels in a week's time.
Stretching my soreness away, I hold a crystal. The brown and grey cell vanishes into deep loneliness. But not for long, as a puppet forms in front of me.
I use this dark place to warm up and prepare myself for what's to come. Today is the deadline I set for myself. One not made from randomness, but from confidence.
I stand there, watching the usual dance from the puppet, sparking crimson and red flames all around itself. A vague sense of relaxation finds my brain. The eyes that should keep my vision steady almost fall till slumber comes. Arrogance. Confidence.
Imaginary perfection.
My right hand is first to move, slowly and elegantly swung higher. At the tip of my arm, in the core of my palm, a faint orb illuminates the darkness with blazing colors. Like so, the next ten minutes are filled with small, brilliant explosions.
Bowing my head in direction of the puppet, which ignores me promptly, I point my palm at my very own head. My eyes don't falter as darkness finally consumes me.
Back into the cell, I tighten my fist and finally press onto the doom symbol.
A polar opposite, whiteness all around. Extremely dark, slightly blue fumes are birthed some distance away. A humanoid figure soon glares at me, glowing red eyes peering into my flesh.
My mind shivers, hairs standing on end, as I look down.
[Evolved Training Puppet Lv.4]
Age : 0
Mortal Cultivation : Martial Rookie (Second Rate)
Mortal Title : Second Rate Martial Artist
HP | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (0.35 / 0.35)
DT | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (0.70 / 0.70)
STR : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
SPD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
END : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
SEN : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
SOUL : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ N
WISD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
LUCK : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ N
Skills : Magnitude Blast - Lv.5, Crimson Arts - Lv.1 [+]
A mental swipe later, the panel is flung to the side, another popping up as I mentally call out another command.
[Jack Heltros]
Age : 26
Immortal Cultivation : Qi Sensing Realm (Qi Absorption)
Immortal Title : None
HP | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (2.03 / 2.03)
Stolen story; please report.
DT | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (2.03 / 2.03)
STR : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
SPD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
END : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
SEN : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
SOUL : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
WISD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-
FATE : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ ?? (LOCKED)
Skills : Tech Eye - lv.2 [+], Crimson Arts - Lv.1 [+]
A small breath escapes my quivering lips. But not to be confused for fear, clear from my widening eyes and apparent grin, I am filled to the brim with anticipation. I look down at my own reflection, watching my eyes radiate heat.
Without the need to see, I am aware of the puppet's stealthy rush. A powerful energy is pulsing across my body, peaking in heat down into my feet. "..." I open my mouth, but no word comes out. There isn't a need to talk anymore. I will let my fists do it in my stead.
Instinctively, I take a step back, before taking another. My eyes remain lowered, gazing back at my own. Status two.
A panel reappears, ignoring the blazing inferno exploding a couple steps away.
I almost doubled my DT with Internal Combustion active? This first art certainly is overpowered, however it can only aide in dire situations. Each moment is sapping away at my health. Yet, after checking my opponent, it seems immune to it.
That's not very fair...
Such ease in my footwork, peace in my mind, transparency in our paths.
Like the opening of another world. In combat, this art certainly manifests itself. With a proper comparison, I am beyond impressed, beyond arrogant.
I effortlessly take each step backward, never missing the blossoming lights exploding into the reflection. Despite its obviously higher mastery of movement, the sheer difference in stats only makes the chasm more apparent.
I don't even feel like the same person. Strange in many ways. But the fun and petty revenge has to someday end. I look back at the puppet, teasing it openly for once. Looking into my eyes? Are you trying to read my moves?
I grin and look back down.
Good luck with that.
I have trained for days, but the results will speak for themselves.
I refuse to lose this one. My stats are higher, my martial mastery almost identical, and my mind clear as day. The puppet is going down.
Sparks flow around, before loud explosions burn my feet to a crisp. The reflection, depicting us both, watches our vessels grow closer. A single move to close the gap in an instant. At the cost of my soles, a price I'm more than willing to pay.
Because, as I relent, letting my eyes drift upward.
I admit to myself, wildly punching down.
This is personal!
Bang.
Motionless, I stand there, facing the puppet. My right fist, bloodied and burned, is unusable. My mouth remains closed, my grin evaporated as the execution is over.
That's right. The execution is done.
But.
"I..."
Looking back at it only signaled the fight's true beginning.
I am shocked, remembering how the puppet read my move the moment I peered back into its glowing orbs of eyes. And now, I can almost see a smile.
The kind I don't like to see.
Savagery.
Will I let my own arrogance be the cause of my downfall? Can I never get it right? Either too scared or too confident. Zealous of my potential achievement tonight, did I take the recklessness too far?
"No!"
"Fucking die!!"
This is a simulation, right?
So what if I destroy myself!?
I focus and relax my entire body, keeping myself straight as Qi fills my entire being. Maximizing Internal Combustion into my right arm, barely dodged by the puppet's still close head, a violent heatwave radiates from it. The strange, ethereal grin that should not be there does not leave the puppet's face as my right arm combusts like mere fuel before the ensuing massive explosion blinds me awake.
I huff and puff, gasping for breath. Innate fear, obvious inferiority. How does the puppet crush me with only a gaze?
Did I do it?
Searching for prompts in the history tab, I found a new one. A reward soon presented.
"Another..." I gently squeeze my palm before popping a brown pill into my mouth. A powerful sensation overcomes me, drowning my senses as the very foundation of my martial understanding is forcefully pushed higher. A gasp of relief this time, widening my arms to accept the small world around.
[Congratulations. Your martial proficiency reached Second Rate.]
In the end, was I truly overconfident? Or would I have lost if my drive wasn't so high? But it's not over yet. I finally managed to win over this puppet, but I still can't see myself getting to the tenth level in time.
The quest was updated, my finger running across the familiar symbol.
I sigh, looking up at the infinite whiteness. Is there a ceiling? Or is there a sky? None? I simply wanted to take a peek at the next level. But also get more accustomed with my own. As usual, a puff of smoke soon turns into a humanoid figure.
However this time the size is almost doubled. "What?" I can't hide my innate terror, feeling dread overwhelm me. It should have nothing to do with its size, so what...
"First uh no, second status! Second!" In a fit of panic I look down and pale. No wonder.
Its powerful presence rises until its crowned helm reaches for the skies. Another set of glowing eyes, golden this time, as I'm left dazed. Smoky armor fills every crack in its exposed stance, sturdy from a glance.
Compared with mine, this fifth leveled puppet seems to be pretty special. It doesn't even have a level in the first place.
[Stone King's Shadow]
Age : 0
Mortal Cultivation : Martial Rookie (First Rate)↓
Mortal Titles : Profundity Bearer's Shadow, Mortal Legend's Shadow, Draconic Realm Martial Artist
HP↓ | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (0.49 / 0.49)
DT↓ | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (0.49 / 0.49)
STR : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-↓
SPD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-↓
END : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-↓
SEN : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ F-↓
SOUL : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ N
WISD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ E+
LUCK : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ N
Skills : Greater Might - lv.1 (Sealed), Crimson Arts - lv.8 (Sealed) [+], Mortal Swordsmanship - lv.5, ... [+]
[You have encountered a legendary opponent!]
[Despite his failure, the original Stone King once grazed the threshold of Martial God. Due to the spike in difficulty, skills beyond the allowed scope are sealed, while stats and cultivation level will be lowered appropriately.]
I'm not sure it's gonna help much...