1

“Alright, time to burn all of this,” Kilian said, standing up from his chair and looking at the clock on the wall. “Yeah, come on, let’s go. We have been here for more than an hour.”

All are groaning from a slight food coma. Yeah, this is a long while after having a meal like this. Kilian shook his head and chuckled before leaving them alone, and headed downstairs. Mei snapped out of the food laziness and saw his head slightly above the floor while descending. She got out of her seat, following him. “Hey, wait up!” she exclaimed as she sped down the stairs.

“Oh, ha. You better keep up, I need a reality check for these new knees,” Kilian said, insisting Mei start sprinting with him as he stepped first out of the cafeteria hall. “Ready?”

“I don’t know if I could go that-”

Footsteps vibrate through the hallway as Kilian swarms away.

Mei sighs but can’t help his urge. She articulates both of her feet, feeling more comfortable. Her hands are less sore and numb, and she faces the direction Kilian sprinted off. Clenching her firsts and pulling potential energy to her foot, a mini shockwave fell leaving her feet followed by a light banging sound. Letting go of her build-up, she blasted away into the distance, finding Kilian’s dissipating tracks.

Mei’s eyes go left and right simultaneously. Finding the sharp intersection, she skidded to the left, feeling the pressure on her calves and ankles. “Ooh. That leaves a mark,” she muttered.

Eventually, she leaves the pathway, recognizing the rear lot of the palace where the training site is. She pushed further, finally reaching nearly the same time as Kilian, who saw her arriving and signaled her to turn to the side, exerting out the legs and imitating the brakes. The friction generated from his feet created the hot trails of smoke.

Crack.

Kilian felt a pop in both of his knees before coming to a complete stop. He watches Mei exerting her legs towards the ground, working well halfway before a mishap causing her to trip. Oh crap.

He dashed in front of her with his arms out, bracing her from falling to the floor. He felt the same energy from when he borrowed her power. Same as he got electrocuted from the hat, with Multiple purple bolts zapping at his hands. “It is you,” he said, lifting her.

||[Electrocution countered: Optimizing energy source.]

Level 1 hasn’t been clicked by the user. Recommendation to proceed?||

No, not the time. Kilian refused as he wanted to wait till this was over to find out.

“You did not believe me?!” she yelled.

“I had to make sure,” Kilian said, letting go of his arms, feeling a sensation from the purple bolts. “This is strange. Your bolts are lingering longer than before,” Kilian muttered.

The purple bolts sparked out of his forearms. He clenched his fist and tried to overwhelm it with his qi. He squeezed his fists multiple times, confirming it dissipated. His forearms grew purple like a bruise. Very rashy and hot by touch but non debilitating. Relaxing the tension within his fists and forearms, the bolts sparked again. Kilian turned to Mei, who was not comprehending the situation currently. “New plan then,” he muttered, firing a blast from his palm. The blast shaped like a ball sped through. It landed right towards the incline of the hill.

Flashing white light overwhelms both of their eyes momentarily, revealing the purple smoke in the air. The purple bot flashed from the smoke like a thundercloud with lightning flashing from within. No time for terror but was more curious, returning his eyes directly to Mei. “I guess we both have work to do.” Each of his upper fingers and fingernails glows purple, effectively recognizing it’s generating more than intentionally, leaving the risk of exploding limbs. Both gathered in position, purple bolt sparks from their burning hands.

The two simultaneously fired bolts of current against each other, clashing at halfway. A jolt of electricity zaps around the clash, striking the ground floor. Both applied more pressure toward their hands, forcing more of the current to branch outward. Kilian draws his sword, piercing it through the clash. Uh oh. The slight pressure of shock from the current due to the overload in his blade sent both distanced from each other. Kilian landed head down, dragging the dirt along the friction of his head.

His sore head lingers while getting himself up. His sword is laid on the new crater, exhaling plumes of smoke circling it. To his surprise Mei recovered quickly, and sprinted to the crater, standing above the sword.

She realized it was not the same sword and attempted to lift it. “What the” she grunted, lifting multiple times to minor avail. “It’s too heavy,” she said, seeing Kilian from the distance sliding down towards the center of the crater. “What is this sword of yours?!”

“The katana from before is broken…this black sword is my new replacement,’ Kilian said, observing her arms. “Is it heavy?”

Mei nodded. Kilian nudges her over and proceeds to lift the black sword effortlessly. She was baffled as she observed the sword hanging over his shoulder. Its invisible aura puts the high pressure around the crater as he puts on his shoulder leaving her knees slightly bent. When her eyes are directed at the black blade, the purple outline from the edges flashes. The sounds of the roaring beast vibrate in her head briefly. “Your new sword ain’t having it. Can you put it away?”

Kilian wonders what’s keeping her uncomfortable but withdraws his sword, putting it behind his back. The sword automatically generates its black cloth from the tip. Kilian feels it and glances over his back while it faces Mei. “Oh my…” she observed the black cloth extending outwards and swiftly striking back to the blade, wrapping it around swiftly until it reached a couple of inches away from the hilt. He lets go of his hilt, turning back to Mei, leaving his sword instantly hanging behind him.

“How did you get this sword?”

“Remember the day we stole a cargo before the raid? The barrel of the forbidden mineral was one of the cargo’s contents. Fredrich was willing to build one and took half a barrel for it to succeed. It’s very powerful and fun but difficult as there’s so many things that are uncertain of its true capability.”

“Creepy…I sense a feeling of menace after just staring at it momentarily.”

Mei insisted on primarily focusing on the physical improvements and durability, saving the swords or weapons for last. She was freaked out by Kilian’s new sword but never expressed it out loud. Would rather have the katana back over what he got now. The pressure in the crater drastically reduced once Kilian already put his sword away. The two back jumped out of the crater. Kilian looks around the lot, “We need to expand this whole training site. This ain’t gonna endure much longer the more times everyone trains the site will be out of capacity.”

The two clashed fists, beginning the review, “You seem to have control of the new body better now?”

“Seems like it.” Mei agreed.

Waves shoot outward in between their clashing fists without being willing to withdraw. The waves expanded towards the hill where parts of the tree were pushed to the opposite direction, away from the two. “Let it go,” Kilian said, forcing his forearms towards Mei. “Won’t do,” she replied, forcing it back to him, escalating the intensity of the surroundings. The skies darken around the palace, and rumbling roars through the massive clouds followed episodes of flashing light within.

The clouds brought its own set of cold gusts from the shores of Jinsu, carrying its moisture to the palace. The vocal rumbling sound of thunder and flashes of thunder struck outside of the palace. Doesn’t feel right when the ground shakes as well. Kilian his right peripherals noticed everyone else scrambling in the distance. Not even the food coma can resist the disturbance.

The rain started pouring above the training site, and Kilian raised his left hand into the air, summoning and directing the precipitation toward his palms. He exerted a set of currents on his left arm, mixing with the flowing water. Swarms of electrified water blasted onto Mei’s face and upper torso from his palms extended outwards. The blast broke off the clash sending her flying across near missing Ivermi and the crowd.

The crowd turned in its direction.

BOOM!

The debris distracted the crowd momentarily before they went closer to the debris. Sparkling zaps through the dust instantly. “What in the moly is that?!” Vivien yelled, seeing two purple circles from the smoke of dust. Zikham and Ivermi step in front of the crowd in defense, telling both sides to back away from each other.

Tension rose as the dust followed closer to their feet and the crowd. Sounds of foot walking slowly, flowing through the grass.

“Step back!” Zikham draws his sword. Ivermi is in stance with his fist and claws out. The two were ready to take the lead while others surrounded Klaus’s siblings.

“MEI!”

||Target Acquired||

The crowd looked up to Selina’s dismay, Kilian roared as he withdrew his sword, forgetting the remarks Mei said at the beginning, and deployed a destructive beam. Zikham clenched his jaw before pushing everyone away from the beam heading down near their location. The beam struck through the debris only for it to be deflected with Mei leaping off from the debris towards Kilian midair, drop kicking his head. He whooshed away head down.

As he was about to crash down, he steered away upon realizing at the last second he was about to crash into Klaus's siblings. His speed was too rapid to slow down barely going over the siblings, crashing to the near end of the training site’s perimeter.

Hugo narrowly missed the edge of the deep trail as his upper head peeked over. He turned to his left, to his horror, witnessing the straight trail with a deep down pitch black below where he couldn’t even see the floor. Vivien and others were distraught from the impact, but she gasped when she saw Hugo, quickly lifting his head above the edge and pulling him away from the trail. She slumped down on her bottom, with her legs giving up.

“You okay?” Markus asked

Vivien shook her head as she couldn't feel her legs, pointing at it, needing help. Markus's rapid heartbeat, seeing Mei in the air now flying downwards back to the ground. Not risking chances, he grabbed Vivien and dragged her further along with Hugo, using all his adrenaline to assist Markus.

Whoosh!

The purple color swarmed by such immense speed passing in front of them, sending Hugo and Markus falling backward. “Now, I’m in desperate need of training. This is what I’m afraid of,” Markus said.

“I’m with you. Damn it, I wished reading books would benefit something…” Hugo frustratingly said. Seemingly safe from the trial, he crawls to his older sister, tapping on her legs. Vivien stared at Hugo blankly, giving the impression she currently could not feel a touch. “Not even one?”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“I can’t move,” she responded.

Hugo tried to hold in his internal uproar as he couldn't do anything. Selina, behind Vivien, helping others up, instructing them to back away from the training site, finds the three. Zikham is reluctant to back away from the training site, bringing fiery insults between the two.

“You let me go, clingy!”

“Irony is you, yourself are. Going after Kilian. Failed leader.”

“Damn you-”

OOF.

Zikham slumped to the ground on his back. He was knocked out fresh to the bone. Ivermi stood alongside Detsu, stomping his arm before lifting him on her shoulders, “I’m sorry. His negligence of jealousy is pretty embarrassing to us two.”

“Take him to the clinic, put him on the empty bed, and don’t let him out of the room,” Selina said, ordering them off. The three head off with Ivermi scolding Benson for being ignorant, yelling at each other as they sprint into the distance.

Kilian, end this quickly. Jinsu won’t last the longer this takes. Selina thought while observing the deep trail, praying the battle to end.

2

“Ow! What the hell was that for,” Killian muttered while lying in pitch black. He can barely see the light from above. No sound from above either. Using his sword, he swirls it around him, marking the territory. Nothing hit the wall as he did another swirl of his sword. He lifted himself from the floor with the tip of his blade pointing upward. Carefully, he stood up till he stood fully and gave his sword a thrust upward.

Nothing blocking it.

||Mei Undetected||

||[Night vision required for visibility]||

Kilian’s left hand pressed at both sides of his temple with his corresponding thumb and index finger.

Crack.

||Minor Temporal Bone Fracture

Pain (5s)

-4% Health||

A crack sound was loud enough that he heard it. He clenched his jaws bearing the throbbing pain around his forehead and temple. He rubbed his eyes before revealing the non-pitch black cave-like path underground. Ahead of him was a seemingly endless path straightforward. Where he stood was a small cavern, with enough space for him to stand and move around with a couple of footsteps.

He heard cracks from behind. He then felt the vibrations from his sword. It lingers from behind as if something is behind him.

The shadow appears from behind slowly, prompting him to turn around. He got a pessimistic feeling that something was lurking from behind him. To his dismay, there was a large beast behind him. As he was about to brace for its attack. It didn't proceed to charge.

Kilian was bewildered. Ironically, it causes the beast to be confused, too. The brief sound it makes is a duo of a bull and human-like, so it's recognizable to his ears. It got awkward when none of them initiated any action as the two stood still across multiple footsteps. However, he looked at the beast.

Twice of his height while on four legs. Its feet or respectively the paws are significantly large, big as his torso. Prominent muscles were defined across its whole body despite its body hair, the shadows outlined its definition.

The beast's upper canine teeth can be seen protruding out partially of its mouth. Sharp enough that it could handle cut slices of rocks. Square-ish facial structure with a horn at each side, adding up to two. That might sound odd, but what Kilian finds more strange is that it has its weapon on the side of its chest.

Luckily, he is alone because his heartbeat has been soothing for the last minute. Others would faint at first sight. Maybe not Selina though. She probably would like it.

Sighs.

"What in the world would I do with you," Kilian murmured.

"First…human," the beast replied.

That's freaky. Talking is one thing but human language? Kilian took a step back as he was processing what it said.

"How can you understand what I'm muttering?"

"The hell should I know? Our mother's tongue is just the same as yours. We speak the same shit.”

"That explains half of it. Ok time out. First of all, what are you doing under this dark damn cave?"

"You never heard of our species?!" The beast was surprised to the point where it slumped to the floor. Kilian shrugged as he couldn't recall any. Unless it is some legend everyone else knows well he is the outlier. He senses something is unordinary nearby. The beast’s eyes looked up and lifted itself on its four legs.

Realizing the beast can sense qi as well, Kilian went along asking if it ever wanted to explore the outside world. The beast felt reluctant, especially because the outside was so alien. "I'm sure you're alone in here, right? There's not any of you else remaining. Unless there are."

"Never met my parents or understood how I existed," the beast responded.

Kilian opens his OLRS clicking on: ||Unlock Level 1?||

He accepts the unlock, resulting in an abrupt quick glitch, disabling all of his visuals. Hm, that's weird.

"Ok, that settles it," Kilian said, walking right up next to the beast. "What do I call you?"

After asking the visuals immediately appear again:

|| [Updating OLRS V.0 -> V.1][||||| ]

Changing visual layouts…

Installing side indicators…

Leveling system added…

[||||||||] Completed

More V.1 Updates can be found in info tab||

Woah. Kilian reacted to the overhaul of his visuals. To his left he received a speed indicator which is calibrated at zero. His right shows his height, currently at around the negatives in feet. Cool. But Christ, that’s way deeper than I thought. The height indicator revealed to be near a thousand feet below the surface.

That human can't be serious. The human wants to drag me out of here. The beast wasn't entirely sure what Kilian was planning and how even as there was no way out of the cave and cavern. Kilian told his plan, pointing upwards in the direction he came from that led to the cavern.

“Hurry we don’t have much time. Do you want to get out of here or not?” Kilian asked straightforwardly. “This might be even the last you see some other being for a long while if you refuse the offer.” The beast reluctantly accepts but on one condition. Kilian hears his request, prompting it to ask for the food up there.

“Are you a herbivore?” Kilian asked

“I don’t know what that means,” The beast said.

“Does it mean, do you only eat plants?”

“Anything is possible as long as it's edible.”

“Then it’s a deal,” Kilian said with a thumbs up. He walks under in front of the beast before turning around and facing in the direction of the beast. Standing between its front two legs, he exerts his hand under the beast’s torso. “What do I call you?”

“I don’t know,” the beast said, never having a name to begin with.

“Seriously, I really can’t comprehend how your whole life is under darkness, pitch black,” Kilian said. His hands reached to the surface of the beast’s chest preparing to lift it. “You are fucking heavy.” He grunted. He exerted his qi towards his calves. A loud crack came from his neck as he directed himself upward.

||[Qi surge]||

Felt like a pinch in the back of the head, Kilian’s qi burst out of his body forming a larger aura than prior. The beast felt stung from the aura as it was probably roughly scratching his skin. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what just happened but I probably broke a shell trying to lift you.” Kilian apologized in advance before adding it’s gonna be crazy insane from here on. Within his feet, a gust bursts outwards, lifting himself along with the beast. The beast panics as its legs ain’t touching the ground.

“Here we go!” Kilian yelled and he boosted through up to the air. He dodges through various stalactites and razor-sharp rocks hanging in all directions. Barely dodging through the openings and spaces he heard a groan from above. “You good?”

“I think I got hit on my back,” The beast responded.

“Shit! We are almost there. Hang on.” Kilian yelled, seeing the sunlight peeking through from above. Sounds of unwrapping came from his back. His sword appeared in front of his eyes, before exerting its red aura surrounding the beast and himself.

||Mei 25 Feet Ahead||

“Oh crap,” he murmured seeing Mei heading towards the two.

||Target Acquired

38% Abdomen

18% Legs

25% Right Arm -> 10% Left Arm||

“Do It!” Kilian yelled. The beast roars out loud, with its sound waves scorching loud it blasts Mei back outside and his sword blasts a horizontal energy slash, striking her abdomen, sending her away. “Ok! Let’s go,” Kilian exclaimed, boosting them out, reaching past the surface, through the trails. He repositions himself as he lands at the training site. Selina’s face was horrified and immediately backed away. Kilian sees Mei lying across the training site and Selina runs to her, putting her on her shoulders.

Gusts dissipate as Kilian’s feet reach closer to the floor before landing with the beast on his back. He leans the beast off his back, giving it a footing on the new floor. The red aura dissipates from the beast and the sword flies in front of him, directing the hilt to his reach. He grabbed the hilt. How are you even capable on your own? What a fascinating sword. He grew fascinated by his black sword and interested in what more could it offer. He returned it to his back and went up to the beast.

“You need a name now that you are out here now.” Kilian patted on his head. “Do you still have pain in your back?”

The beast shook its head. Kilian climbed slowly onto its back with no flesh wound to be seen. He wonders if it connects to the aura the sword generated over him and the beast. "Maybe that sword of mine earlier did the healing. There's no wound anymore."

He jumped off from the beast’s back, returning to ask if he felt any upsurge or energy after gaining the feeling of his sword's aura. The beast nodded in reply, mentioning him blasting soundwaves within his roar, never reaching that magnitude ever. Kilian reflected on the statement, figuring maybe that could benefit not only himself but potentially others. However, he took note of Mei’s frightened expression when she glanced at his black sword for the first time. "The interesting thing is you don't have any fear even when the sword was briefly in front of you. I could only assume currently the reaction between two parties varies per basis."

Kilian sees Selina fleeing while holding Mei on her back. She lands in front of him eye’s distance across. “What on earth is going on here earlier?! And why is there a Tursus behind you?!”

Ah, so that’s what it’s called. His curiosity just keeps piling up. “The sole Tursus remains underground at our training site surprisingly,” he said before pointing at Mei, on Selina’s shoulders. “The soundwaves from his roars unrendered her from sight. The Tursus will be joining us from now on as long as there is food that is not…rocks.”

“Good lord, when will your insanity subside…Keep him company will you? Everyone sustains from injury just because you two are practicing,” Selina said before departing the scene while glancing back, freaking out over the Tursus might come after.

“Tursus. I see. Maybe you're the only one around, how's Tursus then?”

“Cool by me,” Tursus said, accepting the name. “Now what.”

“I guess we just wait…” Kilian said, keeping Tursus company while opening the new updates documentation of his visuals.

|| V.1 Update

Visual Upgrade: Optimized form of Night vision switch.

1,000,000 -> 10,000,000 Storage word count limit

Statistics overhaul: All wildlife and individuals will be displaying health bars on default. **For the purpose of analysis.**

Technology Interaction Unlocked (LV.1)

Improved Depth Analysis

World Map Created

Improved Response time||