Waking up feeling all of sorts was getting a bit too common for my liking, but I guess that’s par far the course in this new reality. Although I was bit out of it mentally upon waking up, it didn’t take long for it to go away and I immediately felt the difference in my body.
I was strong. Very strong. While my actual body didn’t change very much, I could feel it even my fingertips that I have gotten significantly stronger. I don’t really have much of a comparison but if before this I could pierce through the chest of a Goblin, now I feel like I could completely split it in half with a swing of my spear.
So, this is Body Tempering then? Neither the cultivation book nor the manual explicitly specified what the levels in the Body Tempering Realm were called, so I’ll just call this Body Tempering Rank 1 until I know better.
Something else to note was that once again I was fully healed. The manual stated it would take months to heal without resources, but I’m confided I haven’t consumed any of those resources. So that means I probably healed in my sleep, right? This is something I really needed to confirm with Greja. Is the Tutorial healing me or am I healing myself.
Anyway.
Thinking about to Body Tempering, I assumed I have to wait a while to advance through the realm, just sleeping healed me up pretty nice, I really hoped I hadn’t slept the full day away again, but my status…oh wait yeah, my status screen. It should have changed right?
Name – Raizen;
Age – 19
Race – Infernal
Cultivation – Body Tempering (1st Cycle)
Your Task is to Survive.
Run, Hide, Fight. Survive.
Time Remaining – 57 Days
Ah, well there goes my plan of calling it Rank 1. Instead, I’m currently a 1st Cycle Body Tempering Cultivator. That sounded really strong for some reason, but I knew I was only bottom of the barrel. Either way, I wonder if I could advance again. I think I’m fully healed, and that entire process was entirely painless despite all the wounds that showed up on my body.
And despite the deep sleep I was in, it was still day 4 so I didn’t even sleep for a full day. Does this mean I could blaze through the Body Tempering realm in a few days?
Something about that felt wrong.
Hmm decisions decisions…alright I’ve decided. I’ve been a non-cultivating human for 19 straight years and now all of a sudden, I’m black flame spewing 1st Cycle Body Tempering Infernal. This is a big change, so I won’t attempt to advance for now while I get used to my current body. I can feel how strong I am, but I don’t exactly know what that meant. It would be dumb to continue when I barely even understand my current state.
Moving on.
So, what are my steps? I took a look at everything I needed to read, I cultivated and advanced, I learned from my dumb mistakes in trying to kite Goblins, and I even managed to use the black flames again. There’s a lot of answers I need but sitting here won’t help me in that regard. I need to visit Greja, cash my orbs in, buy new clothes and ask her a few questions I had on my mind. I quickly got dressed in my now dry pair of prized underwear, my tattered clothes, ripped boots, the pouch tied to my waist filled with orbs, my house pass tucked in there, and of course my trusty spear which could use some love and my way outside.
Huh, would you look at that, its evening time. The sun is almost fully set with the last embers of light barely covering the Outpost. So, while I didn’t sleep for an entire day, I most definitely slept a lot longer than I thought. Not having windows in the house had downsides after all. Anyway, to the shop! Wait I wonder if it’s closed? Did it even close? Guess, I’ll find out soon.
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As carefully placed torches lit up the surroundings, I slowly made my way over to the central building. When I got to the building, I noticed something a bit odd. People. Two of them in fact. Standing...guard? At least that’s what it looked like. Two men in what appeared to be business casual clothing you would expect to find in an office setting, except for the fact it was ripped and covered in dirt, were standing on either side of the door to the shop. Neither of them had weapons though, well at least none I could see?
Very weird.
Anyway, they noticed me as I approached, of course I wasn’t hiding or anything so that was to be expected.
One of them eventually spoke to me.
“Hey there. I don’t recognize you, but you’ve clearly been spending the orbs and it seems you have a lot more on you. Richard wanted us to consolidate our gains so that we could provide for the entire group, didn’t you hear?”
He wasn’t necessarily rude, but he said that in an admonishing tone, and even the man beside him had a frown on his face.
He said a lot there that I didn’t understand, consolidate our gains? An entire group? Being recognized? But most of all, who the fuck was Richard?
This is getting weirder. Anyway, I calmy responded to the obviously confused man.
“I don’t know a Richard. Nor do I know you. If you’ll excuse me, I have some shopping to do.”
Yep, that should defuse the situation and clear up any confusion between us. They don’t know me; I don’t know them or this Richard person. No need for further interaction right? We could now go our separate ways, or at least I could since they seemed to content with standing still at the door. Weird.
Though It seemed I was wrong after all. The man decided to continue interacting, even going out of his to hold his hand out in front of me to stop me from entering the shop. Hmm I don’t like that.
As I tightened my grip on my spear the man spoke some more. Though for some reason the more he spoke the more I continued disliking the whole thing.
“Wait what? You don’t know Richard? Who are you? Everyone in the group knows Richard. Could you by any chance be the person that was already here before the group showed up? If so, please wait here, Richard is currently inside and he would like to speak to you.”
Again, the man wasn’t rude per se. But he spoke as if I had to listen to him. Something deep inside me is getting very annoyed at this interaction. Something else I can’t explain but for some reason the way this man is speaking to me is making it a little harder to remain calm as I usually do. Either way, I’m going into the shop, why should I listen to person? And again, who the fuck was Richard?
“One more time. I don’t know you and you don’t know me, please move.” Surely this time they will get the idea and move aside, right? I’m really annoyed right now and would like to end this conversation here while I try to figure out why this interaction is making me feel so irritated.
Of course, the man didn’t move. In fact, his friend also stepped forward to block my path.
Ah…now I’m upset. Not even the Goblins managed to make me upset, but of course it was my own race that managed to do so. The man started to say something again, but I no longer wanted to hear him.
“I really think…-”
Before the man could finish whatever, he wanted to see I simply took my off hand and slapped him. I knew I was stronger than what a regular human was so my only intension was simple to lightly slap him to the ground and have him reflect on his actions, but instead on falling on his backside like I intended he quickly went sprawling to the ground in a heap and was completely unconscious. It of course made a lot of noise.
I stared at my hand a little wide eyed, that was supposed to be a light slap. What would have happened if I punched him for real? Okay it was a good decision not to try and advance again. I need to get used to this.
“You...!”
Oh yeah there was the other man. Would I have to slap him too? I really don’t want to.
Though he didn’t give me a chance to, instead he looked at me a little fearfully and bent down to tend to his friend. Well, he’ll probably have a nasty headache, but he should be fine. Of course after slapping the man, the irritated feeling began to go away, and I felt calm once more. Now I can finally go shopping.
Of course, something ruined that too.
Before I could open the door, two more men rushed out in a flush. Ah, this is going to get more annoying before It got better didn’t it.