Darkness clouded the skies of England, and the developer's game characters and NPCs began to rest for the most part. Everyone had gone to sleep in different rooms except for Jack. He had stayed in the living room and continued watching movies on Zack's phone.
His focus slowly drifted from the movie's plot as memories of Amber surfaced in his mind. He thought about her look of despair as he ruthlessly slaughtered her family. Her helpless expression was something Jack vividly recalled. He even remembered the cold, dead expression she had when he blasted her with her father's shotgun.
She's just a weak little brat... Jack thought. A damned nuisance...
The weak Amber that Jack recalled contrasted with his next memories. He now recalled what happened earlier today - a vengeful Amber, wholly determined to end his life. Amber's threats of ending the demon's life replayed in his mind, visibly annoying Jack.
That brat of all people...escaped from my grasp. But on top of that...she threatened me. Jack thought with gritted teeth, indicating his rising anger. That weak little bugger can never threaten me!
Jack loudly sighed before sitting there in silence.
"I have to find that woman," Jack stated. "This itch will keep annoying me the longer I go without killing her!"
* * *
A new day had arrived, and Amber was already up and training with her master, Meu. Her current training contrasted with the spar she had done yesterday with her master. Amber occupied the dojo and was currently performing push-ups with heavy weights resting on her back.
Amber struggled as she hyperventilated and sweated profusely while slowly and sluggishly performing the push-ups. She had activated her blessing, as evident by the slight glow radiating from her body.
"Ugh, I can't...do anymore!" Amber struggled to speak.
"Come on, Amber. I expect a lot from you. These supercompressed metal plates only add up to the weight of a couple of military tanks, and you've only done five hundred push-ups. You can do some more." Meu stated. "You want to defeat Jack, don't you?"
"Ugh...I won't...fail you, master!" Amber stated. Amber experienced a renewed motivation as she quickly performed more push-ups.
"Good. Next, you'll climb up this mountain while carrying those weights."
"W-What?" Amber uttered with shock. I won't get any breaks before doing that!?
"This is all necessary to ensure every aspect of your body becomes stronger," Meu assured. She approached one of her potted cherry blossom trees.
"W-What...ugh, what are you doing...master?" Amber questioned as she continued her push-ups.
"Amber, have you ever wondered what source powers one's blessing?"
"Um, mine comes from...my goddess," Amber responded.
"Fufu, maybe so, but I think there's more to it than that answer. Just like how humans achieve higher physical prowess by building their muscles, I believe there is a source for the power of one's blessing," Meu explained. "And that could be life energy."
"I-I see," Amber responded. It's hard...to concentrate...while doing these... push-ups...
"Life energy is something that all living creatures possess. If you are lucky to receive a blessing, the amount of life energy you possess determines the strength of your abilities. I'm sure you realize that sparring and pushing yourself to the limit put your blessing on a higher level," Meu continued. "Life energy also increases your physical prowess to superhuman levels, which is why blessed humans are naturally stronger even if they don't possess a physical-oriented blessing, than regular people who cannot draw out more life energy than they are born with."
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Meu placed her right hand in front of the cherry blossom tree. Almost immediately, the tree sprung new leaves and even radiated a vibrant pink glow.
"I've done a lot of research, and I've come up with a theory; training does not give a blessed human more life energy than they already have but simply unlocks more of that energy hidden within their soul," Meu stated. "To further prove that theory, I possess a chi blessing. With this, I can release the blockages, which draws out more of someone's hidden life energy through training at a much faster rate."
"W-Wait, you can do that?"
"Yes, but this may cause grave side effects if your body isn't strong enough to handle the sudden surge of energy," Meu said. "If your vessel isn't strong enough, it may 'break.' That's why I must put you under this brutal training."
"I...understand," Amber said.
"Your blessing seems to help your body adapt faster, so not many breaks will be necessary for my strong student," Meu deduced. "You'll become super strong in no time!"
"Y-Yay..."
"Chop, chop, my student. Hurry up and finish the push-ups so we can move to the next phase for today!" Meu requested.
* * *
It was 8 am, and Nathan had woken up from his slumber. After taking care of his hygiene, Nathan entered the living room. Everyone that should be here was in the living room; everyone except Jack.
"Where did Jack go?" Nathan questioned as he sat beside his dear Lilith, brightening her mood immediately.
"I'm not sure. Jack likely had left earlier," Zack responded. "If I had to guess...he's probably going to find Amber Hoss."
"Heh, figured as much," Nathan responded as he immediately materialized a wrapped hamburger and handed it to Lilith. With a happy smile, she thanked him and took it.
"You're not going to complain about him leaving?" Zack questioned.
"I can't be bothered to complain anymore, Zack," Nathan responded. "Arguing about Jack is like arguing about a brick wall."
"I hope...Jack's okay," Olivia muttered.
* * *
Zack's guess was correct as Jack roamed the streets of England. The ear-piercing screams of civilians running and hiding were audible as Jack was doing what he usually did - kill. He was surrounded by the bloodied corpses of several soldiers. Of course, Jack's clothing was stained with the blood of the ones he had killed.
He was encountered by more soldiers, which made him grin.
"Damn, you monster!" A soldier yelled upon witnessing the sight.
"Good, more of you. Do you buggers know where Amber Hoss is?" Jack questioned.
Completely ignoring Jack's inquiry, the soldiers rushed him. It was apparent they were blessed, as metal and electricity surrounded their arms separately.
Strangely, their point of view switched to upside down. They had not registered what took place as their heads were removed from their bodies. In a pool of blood, their now corpses fell to the ground.
"Tsk, I didn't ask you buggers to attack me," Jack said. "Why is it so hard to find that brat!?"
"Yo, Jack. I see you're having a hard time!" Ryzen's voice was audible as he suddenly appeared before Jack. "You couldn't even let a day pass before you decide to look for her, huh?"
"You!" Jack uttered before pulling his durability negator blades from his coat. "You're the bastard that got in my way yesterday! Perfect timing!"
"Is that so?"
"Tell me where that goddamned brat is at now!" Jack stated with an unhinged smile. "If you do, then I'll kill you painlessly!"
"Aw, how nice of you," Ryzen responded. "We really could be comrades in another life!"
"Quit your disgusting babbling and tell me where she is, mate!" Jack retorted. "I'm not joking. If you waste my time any further, I'll go on a massive rampage, mate!"
"Alright, alright...sheesh. The girl you are looking for is on some mountains," Ryzen finally answered.
"What? Mountains?"
"Yeah, I won't tell you which, but I'm sure you could find her if you search every mountain," Ryzen assumed.
"Are you bloody joking with me, mate?" Jack questioned. "You expect me to believe a damn soldier is up some mountains!?"
"Think about it, Jack. You threatened to murder her friends and instructors. Of course, Amber will want to leave them to assure their safety," Ryzen explained. "Plus, Amber wishes to get stronger so she can kill you, so I brought her to a trusted person who lives in the mountains to give her training. Killing two birds with one stone, ammi right?"
"...Why the hell should I believe you?"
"If you don't want to believe me, then by all means, waste your time interrogating random soldiers who would have no clue of her whereabouts," Ryzen said.
Jack stared at him with contempt.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way," Ryzen said.
"What the...I'm not done with you--" Before Jack could finish, Ryzen teleported away. Annoyed by this, Jack simply clicked his tongue and ran off.
* * *
Ryzen had returned to the Enlightenment Program's campus again without anyone missing his presence.
"I'm sure he's dying to kill her. For someone as impulsive as Jack, I'm sure he'll listen to what I said," Ryzen deduced. "That'll keep him from attempting an attack on the military before we're ready to eliminate him."
But more importantly, I've bought you time to train, Amber. He'll never find you. Ryzen ruminated. No need to thank me, Amber, but you need to repay me...by reaching a 'specific point' that I want to see from you.