Despite the risks, I pulled the new book from my inventory the moment I was sure Marana wouldn't return for an emergency and positioned myself so that I wouldn't be easily observed from outside.

Risky, but the temptation to browse the new martial arts that I had received as a result of that extreme return was too tempting. Especially with a war that was going on. It could prove decisive. With my martial talent, I expected it to be deciphered in an hour or so, then I could destroy the book.

It didn't work that easily.

Four hours later, I barely managed to scratch the surface, and learned the full set of Initiate punches, and one Muscle Reinforcement technique. But, for both, my understanding was still on a surface level.

The difference was like basic algebra and advanced calculus.

It was hard to assess without direct comparison, but at most, I was scratching the surface of the Minor Familiarity for Initiate Realm, and for the Muscle Refinement punch, I was still firmly at the Beginner stage.

Considering how quick my talents turned things around, the slow learning speed was certainly shocking. Still, I was glad to take the risk of pulling the book. It gave me another chance to push things forward.

Not to mention, it was potent. My punches hit harder, and my essence boiled with a sense of wild oppression, giving me a sense of superiority. I felt like an actual tiger as I delivered the punches. Raging and aggressive, yet patient enough to wait for the opportunity. I couldn't wait until the blood of my enemies —

"Okay, timeout," I muttered to myself as I stopped practicing, and hid the book behind one of the shelves temporarily. That last feeling, I didn't like. I had been very conscious about killing due to the casual attitude of the locals, which forced me to reexamine my own stance again and again.

Suddenly changing it due to a punching routine was hardly normal.

Black Tiger Onslaught was far better compared to Tiger Fist and the other techniques I collected. I had no doubt that, even an ordinary practitioner of it could fight across major realms, which was an incredible achievement.

Yet, it seemed that the side effects were no joke.

Even now, my heart was thumping wildly and my hands were twitching like a drug addict, asking me to go find an enemy to sate my bloodlust.

I needed to calm down. I would have used the secret entrance and gone for a walk … but a civil war was hardly the ideal circumstance for that.

I started looking around the room, hoping to find something that could distract me. A book, a toy, anything not a weapon. Unfortunately, the room I was in was essentially a guest room that was not prepared for a guest.

Luckily, there was a small desk, and there, I found some paper and a brush, ideal for writing letters.

I decided to practice my writing. It was the calmest activity I could come up with under the circumstances. I used the papers to write some poems about sunshine, calm waves, spring gardens, and anything calm I could focus on, trying to imagine myself there.

It helped. An hour after I started, my wild heartbeat finally calmed down. It had been an unpleasant experience.

"Now, what to do with you," I said as I looked at my writing. They looked like they were written by a bored six-year-old.

Calligraphy was something I desperately needed to practice. The language jade had given me the knowledge to write … but not the ability of it. I didn't have the best handwriting, and trying to write those complicated letters with a brush was even harder. My martial talent didn't help with writing, which made practicing torture as well.

Worse, culturally, the locals put a lot of importance on writing. And, with my fake identity as a homeless scholar, asking for help was difficult. Even with Elsana, I failed to swindle a lesson without blowing my whole cover. Pearyin might have helped, but she didn't know how to read and write either.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

I looked at the door thoughtfully, and then a smirk appeared on my face. Why not receive the help of my current hostess?

I ripped every single poem I had written, but dumped them on the floor. Then, I continued to add onto the pile, but toward the top, I made sure to leave the poems intact enough to show their complexity, contrasting with the horrible writing quality.

Then, once I prepared the scene, I turned my attention back to the Black Tiger Onslaught. This time, rather than practicing, I just pondered on the changes it had made in the essence. I was reluctant to practice it … but if I could learn how to focus Intent like that, I might empower the other martial abilities significantly.

Not only Forest Dance, but also Volcano Hammer and Snow Blossom.

When Marana finally returned, she found me sitting on the desk, the floor filled with terrible writing, and a desolate expression on my face. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"M-my apologies. I just discovered another side effect of the pills and lost my composure. It won't happen again," I said.

"Tell me," she said, soft and understanding. I might have actually felt guilty if I hadn't saved her life and helped her to make a very important breakthrough.

"I … I think I lost my ability to write," I said. "Somehow, I lost all my coordination. I tried to practice, but it didn't work. Years of practice, gone…"

"I'm sure it's temporary —" she started.

"Can you help me with it," I cut her off. "Maybe, if you help, it might be helpful," I said.

Despite her exhaustion, she pulled a chair next to me, affected by my plight. Luckily, pills had much weirder side effects than just forgetting how to write. "Grab the brush," she said. I did. "Loosen your fingers. You're grabbing the brush too hard. It has to dance on the paper like the autumn wind…"

With that, she gave me a detailed calligraphy lesson that lasted more than an hour, which was a great sacrifice under the circumstances. Also, it was a good sign that things somewhat calmed down outside. No matter how much Marana pitied me, she wouldn't waste her time teaching me how to write if there was any risk of her disciples dying in the process.

Therefore, I didn't even ask any questions about the war, and put my full focus on the lesson, knowing that, the more information she imparted, the better the final effect would be.

To my surprise, even before I triggered the System, my writing abilities increased significantly. My martial talent hadn't improved the speed I could learn, but my cultivation still increased my flexibility as well as my memory. All she needed was to point out a mistake once, and I fixed it.

And, since my expanded language capabilities helped me with the mental aspects of writing, leaving only the practical details to worry about, my progress was already equal to someone requiring months.

"I think that's enough," Marana finally called it. "It's clear that whatever harm his pills created, they are only temporary. You just need to practice more once things calm down," she said, her tone making it clear that there would be no follow-up lesson.

[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 60; Pity Bonus - 30]

[90x Return - Calligraphy, Beginner - Minor Accomplishment]

Once I saw the return I managed to collect, I wasn't particularly torn-up about her decision. Just like that, another major flaw was resolved successfully. I skipped the beginner and familiarity stages in just one lesson.

Incredible.

"Thank you," I said, bowing slightly, then changed the topic. "You look tired."

"Nothing to worry about. It was just a busy day," she said.

"I can massage you. Elsana taught me some essence massage, and she told me that I was a natural. And, since it was helpful despite her incredible cultivation, I'm sure it'll help you as well," I said.

I could see that she wanted to refuse, but I wore my best earnest expression, and soon, she looked happy enough to accede to my wish.

I moved to her back and started massaging her neck and shoulders. My plan was to massage just for a few minutes, to give her a taste of my capabilities. After all, I had already reached perfection, and I didn't need her feedback.

I just wanted to create an excuse for her to keep me near her, but I underestimated the stress she had been carrying. So, rather than using my essence massage abilities to the limit to help her with her cultivation — which would have been minimal — I focused on the ordinary aspects.

"Feel free to comment if you have any problem," I said as I worked on her back.

At first, she didn't say anything, no doubt expecting it to be no help with her current cultivation. To be fair, I didn't expect too much, but the moment I started working on her back, I realized I had been underestimating the stress she was under.

My mistake. It took five minutes for her to bring me to another room and ask for a proper massage.

The boring kind, unfortunately, but she had quite a bit of small corrections nonetheless. She might not be an expert in massaging, but the cultivation difference helped her to catch a lot of details I missed, which made the massage far more effective.

Unfortunately, there was no fun follow-up. "That's enough," she finally said. "Feel free to use the guest room to rest once you check if there's any message," she said.

She was already asleep before I left, not even bothering to go to her bed. I would have been annoyed at her dismissal, but the System rewards arrived, changing my mind.

[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 60; Pampering Bonus Bonus - 85 (Capped)]

[145x Return - Ordinary Massage, Perfection - Minor Immersion]

[145x Return - Essence Massage, Perfection]

Apparently, Perfection was not the limit for skills.