Fifteen minutes later, Sora sat in a corner, watching as Kara lay on the floor, exhausted. She had been mercilessly beaten by their new "boss," her body now refusing to move. Sora had endured it first, taking a brutal beating just minutes before Emily shifted her focus to Kara. For ten long minutes, Kara had been pushed far beyond her limits.
"Well, well, well. That was interesting," Emily said with a smile, clearly amused by their suffering.
"You both had me curious about your talents, and now I’m a fan. Let me properly introduce myself—I’m Emily Frekk, born and raised in South Korea, half German, half American. I founded this guild with Kim Dong, and I’m dedicating everything to making it the best. But I need help, and talented rookies like you are exactly what we need."
Her gaze shifted to Sora. "Ralph, your potential is... terrifying. I’ve never seen someone with a body like yours at this level. The amount of damage resistance you’ve built is ridiculous—it canceled out quite a few of my attacks. I had to push hard to break through. Your body training is an enormous asset, so don’t neglect it. And your techniques—while polished to an incredible level—are still too basic."
"It’s true that basic skills can become deadly when mastered to their extreme, but you’re not there yet. Your mana control, quantity, and regeneration are exceptional, but you’re wasting a lot of energy on moves with low impact."
"The first thing you should do is pick a weapon and commit to mastering it. Let everything else support that. With your body’s strength, it would be a waste not to use it alongside magic. Physical prowess and spells—blend them. And your staff? It’s way too weak for your level. You need something stronger, so go get yourself a decent weapon. The good news is, being an all-rounder will be your most powerful asset in the upcoming event."
Emily then turned to Kara, her expression changing to one of admiration. "Kara, you’re a real surprise. A healer who can summon hundreds of clones with exceptional swordsmanship? I’ve never seen anything like it. Your path is unique, and I respect that. But—and this is a big but—your body is too weak. You have an amazing life force and health pool, but your speed, strength, and resistance? They’re too lacking. You’re much weaker than your summons. A speedster or brute could easily break through your clones and take you down in a minute. Some might even isolate you for a one-on-one duel. You need to either improve your physical defense or find a way to shield yourself while your clones wreak havoc."
Her tone sharpened, critical. "But the biggest problem for both of you? Your mental defense is a disaster. I’ve never seen players over level 100 with such weak mental resistance. It’s concerning, honestly. How are you both so clueless about this?"
Finally, her gaze locked onto Sora—'Ralph'. "There are universal skills everyone can learn. [Meditation] is the most basic one to raise mental power. There are dozens of mental skills, ranging from weak to powerful. These skills were developed through research long before the world ‘updated.’ Some people even exclusively fight using mental power."
Emily shook her head, a hint of exasperation in her voice. "With the whole world pushing limits and experimenting, the least players like us can do is study these findings and learn the basics. Even that girl Rachel didn’t know about [Meditation]. We should really make more tutorials to guide beginners or we'll be doomed in the long run."
"Our levels soared and we did not have the opportunity to train our minds yet." Sora said, aware of such weakness but never taking the time to address it. "It isn't too late, right? Can we work on it before the event?"
"It’s too late to completely solve the problem," Emily shook her head. "Usually, our guild has a way to help. It’s why we’ve managed to keep up with the best in South Korea. Unfortunately, the special place we use for training is currently occupied, so you can’t use it yet. However, I’ll give you these to speed up the process. You can at least get started."
She handed them a few items, and access to the guild skill depository.
[Prayer Carpet: A special tool created by a peerless seamstress to facilitate meditation and prayer.]
[Comfortable Sofa: A special tool created by a peerless seamstress to enhance relaxation.]
[Co-leader Emily Frekk has given you access to [Meditate] in the guild skill depository.]
[Co-leader Emily Frekk has given you access to [Focus] in the guild skill depository.]
[Co-leader Emily Frekk has given you access to [Faith] in the guild skill depository.]
"Each of these costs a hundred million gold," Emily warned. "So don’t damage them. If you put too much strain on them while training or let your mana damage them, they’ll lose their properties."
Sora, who had been planning to bombard his body with elements while meditating, sighed at the news, clearly disappointed.
"Train your minds while you can," Emily continued. "Your foundations in other areas are solid, so you don’t need to train those right now. The Ascension event will push you to your limits and beyond. Players with obvious weaknesses will fall first, so use every opportunity you get to strengthen your mental defense and get the basics at least."
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Curiosity tugged at Sora. "What will the Ascension Event be like?"
Emily’s eyes lit up. "It changes every year, but it always tests three things: skills, talents, and mental fortitude. The weakest players are eliminated continuously. Even if you perform poorly in one field, excelling in another might still give you a chance. However, the event always has surprises, and you’ll never know what to expect. After each test, you’ll grow stronger! You'll even compete against players so get ready to fight every four floors!"
Sora frowned slightly. "Do you participate every year? How can newcomers stand a chance if veterans keep coming back?"
Emily laughed. "No, no. Each player can only participate once. This is the first time our guild is sending people. In previous years, only Kim and I could make the cut, but we chose to keep training new recruits and solidifying our foundation. Now, it’s our time to shine."
She ended their discussion. "That’s enough talking for today. You two, train your minds. At least reach basic proficiency in one of the skills."
As Emily left the room, Sora let out a deep sigh. "That’s a lot to take in."
Kara nodded, a slight frown on her face. "So, the Ascension event is going to test us in all fields… so being an all-rounder isn’t such a bad thing after all. I’m so weak in certain areas… I'm jealous."
Sora turned to her, a mischievous glint in his eye. "We can always cheat and train our mental defense your way if we want to stand a chance."
Kara chuckled softly. "Yeah, I don’t think we have much of a choice here."
They left Seoul immediately and opened the skill descriptions once they were inside the [Time Space].
[Meditate : The user trains their mind to remain calm and unshaken in any situation, developing an unmovable mental foundation.
Effect : Resist fear, illusions, charm effects. Clears thoughts]
[Focus : The user strengthens the mind’s ability to narrow its attention and maintain that focus under intense conditions.
Effect : Resist confusion, charm, decoy skills. Increases time perception.]
[Faith : It is the mental strength derived from believing in something. This belief provides confidence and mental fortitude. A change in belief can shake the strength forged through the skill.
Effect : Resist bewitchment, charm, fear, illusions. Increases Charisma]
All three skills seemed to have their uses, with Faith appearing the most powerful, though it seemed harder to train. With the items provided to facilitate meditation, Sora felt that Emily was subtly guiding them toward choosing that path.
'I should start with [Meditate].' Sora thought, summoning a [Prayer Carpet].
'Let's try without the skill first.'
Sora sat down, in the house Kara had prepared for him, legs crossed, his back straight, and closed his eyes. The room around him was quiet, but his mind was not. 'So how do I meditate?' he thought, unsure where to begin.
He knew the basics—relax, focus, clear the mind—but doing it seemed more complicated. The pressure of wanting to achieve a result weighed on him, making it hard to relax.
He took a deep breath and tried to focus on nothing. Just silence. But within moments, thoughts began crowding his mind.
‘What if this doesn’t work?’
‘How long should I do this?’
‘Am I wasting time?’
'Is Hiyoko sleeping above my head right now?'
Frustrated, Sora opened his eyes. "This is harder than I thought," he muttered. But he wasn’t one to give up easily.
He tried again, this time focusing on his breathing. Each inhale, each exhale. He counted the seconds as the air entered and left his lungs. It helped, but his mind kept wandering, and he found himself lost in distractions after a few minutes.
'This isn’t working,' he realized. 'Maybe I’m trying too hard.'
He changed his approach, deciding to let go of the desire to “achieve” something. Instead, he would just sit and observe his thoughts, not forcing them away, but not attaching to them either. His mind still wandered, but each time a thought popped up, he gently acknowledged it and let it go, returning to the rhythm of his breath.
It felt strange at first, like trying to hold onto water that kept slipping through his fingers. Thoughts about Rachel, his battles, and his past struggles kept rising, but instead of fighting them, he let them flow.
Days passed, and something began to change. His mind started to feel lighter. The thoughts didn’t disappear, but they no longer bothered him as much. A sense of calm began to spread, though faint, like a small light flickering in the darkness.
But just as he felt he was getting somewhere, sometimes a wave of impatience hit.
He sighed, realizing that patience was part of the process. 'Okay, don’t rush it. This isn’t about getting it perfect on the first try.'
He sat for days, trial and error guiding his practice. At times, his mind would wander wildly, and at others, he’d find brief moments of calm. Each time he wandered too far, he would gently guide himself back to his breath or just the feeling of being still.
It was during one of these moments—where his thoughts seemed to fade into the background and a silence settled in—that he felt something click within him. It wasn’t loud, just a subtle click in his mind, like a door slightly opening.
Suddenly, a notification flashed in front of him:
[You have unlocked Meditate]