Hesitating about what to do since the challenge was done, the surroundings began to spin. The reality spiral changed colors until the cell came back into view.
Clenching my fist, I frowned due to the uncomfortable weakness I experienced. Checking the status window, I wasn't sure.
"Is the crystal meant for the first status or the second? The one from Tech Eye number two." This time, the wait was short lived.
[The first status.]
Shit! Massaging my face for a bit, I was only the more disappointed. But after double checking, saw something new on the first panel.
[Jack Heltros]
Age : 26
Class : Immortal
Title : Immortal Initiate
HP | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (215 / 215)
MP | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (215 / 215)
STR (G) : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
SPD (G) : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
END (G) : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
MND (B) : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
LCK (E) : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
Skills : Tech Eye - lv.2 [+], Crimson Arts - lv.1 [+], Qi Manifestation - lv.7 [+]
Let me see...
[Qi Manifestation (B)]
>Strengthen areas of your body with Mana.
>When in use : STR (Strength), SPD (Speed) and END (Endurance) will be upgraded to a higher rank for the strengthened area.
>Maximum Mana consumption (based on strengthening level) :
>Strengthening lv.1 : H-Rank (10 MP/s - 14.9 MP/s)
>Strengthening lv.2 : G-Rank (15.0 MP/s - 29.9 MP/s)
>Strengthening lv.3 : F-Rank (30.0 MP/s - 99.9 MP/s)
>Strengthening lv.4 : E-Rank (100 MP/s - 224 MP/s)
>Strengthening lv.5 : D-Rank (225 MP/s - 499 MP/s)
>Strengthening lv.6 : C-Rank (500 MP/s - 999 MP/s)
>Strengthening lv.7 : B-Rank (1 000 MP/s - 9 999 MP/s)
That's busted! Holy! You can upgrade your stats?! For some Mana?? How overpowered is this!? Wait, shouldn't I not have Mana anymore? What about the other status though? Status two.
Alright let me see, I press here~ bip bap boop I'm a rob- E+?! And what do you mean massively reduced!?
Qi Manifestation (E-)
(Due to only being a fraction of the skill [Qi Mastery (E+)], its effects are massively reduced.)
>Helped by the system, you can Imitate a higher level by forcibly manipulating Qi without a proper cultivation. (The system is not responsible for any sustained injuries.)
>When in use : STR (Strength), SPD (Speed) and END (Endurance) will be upgraded to a higher rank for the strengthened area.
>Maximum Qi (DT) consumption (based on strengthening level) :
>Strengthening lv.1 : F- (0.100 Qi/s - 0.149 Qi/s)
>Strengthening lv.2 : F- (0.150 Qi/s - 0.299 Qi/s)
>Strengthening lv.3 : F- (0.300 Qi/s - 0.999 Qi/s)
>Strengthening lv.4 : F (1.00 Qi/s - 2.24 Qi/s)
>Strengthening lv.5 : F (2.25 Qi/s - 4.99 Qi/s)
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>Strengthening lv.6 : F+ (5.00 Qi/s - 9.99 Qi/s)
>Strengthening lv.7 : E- (10.0 Qi/s - 99.9 Qi/s)
>Strengthening lv.8 : E (100.0 Qi/s - 999.9 Qi/s) (LOCKED)
>Strengthening lv.9 : E+ (1 000 Qi/s - 3 999 Qi/s) (LOCKED)
>Strengthening lv.10 : E+ (4 000 Qi/s - 10 000 Qi/s) (LOCKED)
>Can be upgraded.
According to this, it goes up one rank each time, and on the other side, it goes to level ten... By that concept...
Are you kidding me?! S+ Rank is motherfucking E+?? That's it?! That's fucking peak of humanity right there! There's no way, I have to be wrong!
This cultivation shit smells like planetary level bullshit... Damn.
Still though, why are these locked? Pressing on the lock a few times, I get a quick response.
[Skill upgrade required.]
Well, should've seen that one coming. But still, with enough MP to spare I could get up to B-Rank for while, which is pure insanity. And that reminds me again that I still shouldn't have Mana in the first place.
System! Why... what does it do if I don't have Mana?
[Mana has been cleared from your being, and must not be used internally for future growth. Skills requiring Mana will be fake and equipment requiring Mana will be replaced or altered.]
Fake..? I guess... that's fine? I mean I already got the Qi one, so it shouldn't change anything. I understand it as being similar to my luck stat situation. Nothing to obsess over.
Getting up, I go out of my open cell and walk through the tunnels before finding the hall filled with pillars. The end of the giant room has its wall replaced with metal bars. On the opposite side's lonely chair sleeps a guard.
I approach him and rattle the bars a little. Before I start using up my MP and DT, might as well help myself to some props.
"...Gnuh... huh?! What... what's making all that...? Let me sleep Elise, just five more-" "Bro! Wake up!" I shout, watching him squirm on the crappy chair with a cap over his eyes.
"Huh!? Oh, emergency! Oh wait, it's just you, for fuck's sake man, don't wake me up like this... what do you want?" He looks at me half-asleep, seemingly but rightfully pissed off. "You've got a job to do, no? So what if I wake you up? I just need to buy some things."
He sighs heavily, glaring at me from underneath his adjusted hat. His crossed arms remain there, barely acknowledging me. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. What is it? Do I need to write it down?" I shrug, which pisses him off even more. "Dude..." "I don't know, depends on you, I wanted to buy measuring devices. Or at least anything close enough. Anything that can test physical fitness, like for the grip, the pushing and pulling forces, stuff like that. Has to be strong though. And also high quality, I want it to give me a rank approximation."
He frowns with narrowed eyes, taking off his hat. "Sure... I'll go check on the net, but can you afford- never mind." A chuckle escapes my mouth, teasing him. "Are you still asleep? With how much I mine-" "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll go check, but don't wake me up like this next time! Or I'll spit in your meal!" I shudder, watching him with disgust. "Jeremy, you wouldn't be so gross, would you? That's not very hygienic of you. What if the Baron hears-" "Bro shut the fuck up alright?! I said I'll go check! You piss me off sometimes."
Seeing him walk away into the dark tunnels further ahead, I snicker. "Sometimes?" I only get a momentary glare back and graceful middle finger before he runs off. Good old Jeremy.
Several hours later I'm back inside my cell, checking the prompt history. I missed some again? I'm mentally exhausted by this mess. So many things to keep track of, yet the benefits only grow my greed. Not only that, but both my mental and physical strengths are improving day after day, albeit slightly.
Let's see... this one I saw, this one too, oh!
Preparations
Preparations - 06 [+]
>Objective : Train while you can. Press the [+] symbol above when you have spare time.
>Time remaining : 714:37:29
>Difficulty : Fated
>Mission Difficulty : None
>Mission Failure Penalty : None.
>Managing to defeat level 10 before the time runs out will grant : Rank Boost Crystal (E) x1, Rank Boost Crystal (F) x4, Sensory Pill (F-) x1
The reward changed... at least there's one. But did it say defeat before?
In any case, what should be done first and foremost?
Of course, it's to...
"Use this damn crystal at once! First status." Back to the cell, I hold a small piece of dark meteorite. Its surface sparkles a little bit, but mostly remains black. "Now, which stat should I upgrade? I would go with speed but..." Speed is the best for both offense and defense. It would make this an obvious choice.
"But it's also as easy to grow as most stats. Should I go with luck? I can't upgrade it with cultivation I believe, and the rest I can I think. Soul maybe? Can I? I don't know... heck, for what it's worth honestly, I can't really make a bad choice. Let's try luck."
"..."
"What am I supposed to do again?"
[Your SEN (Sense) stat has improved.]
"......."
"Okay? That doesn't help? I just want to break it honestl- ah. Does sense increase instinct? Wait, is increase the right word? You can increase instinct? No, you can better it. Why do I even care?" With a forceful clench of my hand, the dark meteorite shatters with surprising ease. "Wasn't that hard in the end... Also it doesn't look like a crystal now that I think about it." Watching the status screen, I see all stats blink with dark lights. "Is that how it works?" Shrugging it off, I press on the luck stat.
[Error. Your LUCK stat is missing.]
[Due to the FATE stat's lock, such upgrades are unavailable.]
"I can't?" The stats are still blinking, even the luck one. "Whatever, speed it is then? Maybe mind? I kind of want an A-Rank stat just for the sake of it."
"Ah! I don't know! Let's do a coinflip." Searching in my pockets, I don't find anything. "Of course, I'm stupid. Hum..." Scratching my head, I take a look around, finally settling on the pickaxe. "Guess it'll do. But I need to mark a side."
"Hmm..."
"Spit... nah, that's nasty. Wouldn't really work much either. Wait, actually it would. Screw it, whatever." I lick my thumb and coat one side before frowning. "Wait, if I throw it, I should... not put saliva there." Since I was trying to smear it on one side of the head, instead of one pick, it wouldn't have done anything. "Why am I here struggling to do a coinflip in the middle of an underground cell with a motherfucking pickaxe. What am I doing with my life..." With an existential sigh, I decide to just remove a sock and tie it to one of the picks. But it's too small and falls off, not able to tie it enough to stay put. "Fuck it I'll just put it there... good."
I hold the pickaxe into the air, the sock slid like a sheath to one of the picks. "Let's just hope it stays there. Alright, sock is head, the other is tail." With a toss, the pickaxe spins a little before falling down. "Wait!" I facepalm and rush to grab it, but it's too late. With a soft echo into the dirt, I bite my lower lip as I watch it land on the sock side. "My sock... I'm so fucking dumb." With hope, I remove the pickaxe and slide the sock back. "Mother-" Lashing my arms as I want to slap myself, I hold my now ruined sock, a big hole in it. "What am I doing with my life man!"
Crouching, I hold my head in lament. "Fuck me brother..." I simply question myself. What's my IQ? Is it negative? Are my parents proud of what I've become? With nothing better to do, I grieve my sock and remember. "Wait, it landed on head, but don't you need to turn it over when it's on the wrist?"
Pondering, I decide to follow the rules and say it's tail. But then grimace as I remember that I didn't say what head or tail meant. "You've got to be... BROTHER!"
"What am I doing?! Fuck me man!" Even massaging my temples doesn't help, slowly sliding the sock back onto the pick. "It's ruined anyway, might as well squeeze everything I can out of it." I grumble, repeat myself - "Sock is head, which is speed. Mind is tail." - and throw it back. My eyes follow the spinning pickaxe as it reaches its peak and falls back down. As it goes along its trajectory, soon landing, I notice something to be in the way. My eyes widen and I shout. "Noooo!!!" I scream and throw myself at it, but don't really want to impale myself by accident, so it's half-assed and too short. My body slides across the dirt as I watch the pickaxe impale my bed in agony. "How could you! Pickaxe! You were my best friend here!!"
I immediately crawl and hug the bed. "No! Please! Stay with me!" I sniffle, clutching the childish bedsheets close to my cheeks as tears roll down. At the same moment, hearing something, I look up to see Jenna at the cell's doorway, looking at me with near disgust. "I... heard you shout. So I came here, and..."
Ignoring the complicated scenario, I lash out. "Don't look at me like this! You can never understand my pain!"
She just stands there, judging me before slowly retreating. "Yeah... I certainly don't have a habit of mining my own bed... I'm gonna go, alright? Catch you later."
Throughout the tunnel, woes ring out for hours to come.