Even though he was excused, Daniel felt the atmosphere was shallow despite everyone having left, leaving him with Thora and Victoria once again. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, bandaging his forehead while Thora was simultaneously measuring his arms. From the circumstances that just happened, the occupants of Raal quickly figured out what happened to him. Disorder was the last word to come to Daniel’s mind and Thora gave him a debrief.
Safe to say, he was the first from Earth to show such symptoms. Not to mention, he was the first with a peak physique.
“You make it sound as if it was nice and unique because I’m different from the previous cases,” Daniel said with an eerie tone.
“When did you last have this?” Thora asked, giving the tape measure to Victoria.
“At least a month ago,” Daniel replied. “…that was my second time experiencing it. Not as bad as the first time but such a miniscule compared to today.”
“One moment,” Thora said. She turned to Victoria, explaining to her ear. Upon that, she strolled to the door and then waved before departing off. Daniel rechecked his entire body, making sure nothing felt it was internally damaged or various cosmetic systems.
“Feeling any better?” Thora questioned.
Daniel nodded with a nudge. “Eighty percent.”
Thora checked one more time before continuing what she was about to say. She revealed the potential drain of lifespan as all prior cases have been a reduced livelihood due to this disorder. Most still lived longer than half of the average life expectancy. Daniel stood and walked in circles as she continued to elaborate.
He ignored her further elaborations without intent. “Why are you helping me?”
“Pardon?”
Daniel stopped, leaning beside the wall which borders the kitchen. “First time I’ve ever been treated like an unexpected special guest.” He paused, rubbing his mouth and chin. “And my blood. Y’all were concerningly observing it as if it was peculiar.”
Thora stood up, articulating her cloak as if she was ready to leave. “Follow me,” She muttered, heading to the door first.
“Where are we going?” Daniel questioned, grabbing his overcoat.
Thora turned her face around, nudging the door away. “The place where your questions will be answered.”
He followed her out of the room at a reasonable pace and quickly went down the stairs. As he descended each step, he saw the people downstairs strolling the lobby react back. Their direct eye contact was different. Some would stop and greet him like a celebrity or an acquaintance in part of a town.
Thora carefully directed him out of the hotel and did not stop to greet anyone. His truck was piled by a crowd of curious individuals, studying all over the vehicle. A couple of each took spots standing on the running boards, viewing through the window.
What are they doing? Daniel jogged at a calm pace, barging through the outskirts of the crowd. Thora broke away from his arm, diverging to his left. The presence naturally made others move for him to pass. It was much bigger than he could picture. Many ordinary pedestrians came through just to view his pickup, much to his annoyance once they dispersed.
The strangest thing was they either acted like he was literally not nearby, or they were too attentive, ignoring the surroundings. He thrust his hand into the pocket, reaching for his key fob. Clicking on the engine button, the engine revved signified by the roaring noise. They reacted in startle slightly covering their ears.
Finally, they regained their sense of personal space, visibly stricken by his towering presence. He passively gestured to the few remaining on the running board to leap off.
“Everyone, back up!” Thora commanded.
Daniel swiftly opened the door wide enough to slide inside. He locked his doors and glaring to the passenger side, Thora had to levitate as masses of the crowd at her side refused to budge. He lowered the passenger window for her just to glide in.
Clank!
“This is nice,” Thora commented on the comfy seat.
“How far is the destination per se?”
“Around twenty minutes…By flying.”
Jesus, how big is this underground city?!
17.2
Holy crap! Daniel’s verdict of the civilization underground. He reluctantly admitted that he wasn’t even listening while he was in the truck following her after first arriving underground. Having a whole lesson to himself simmered the boredom of going through the heavy foot traffic throughout. The hotel was not even in downtown or the center of Kriegshan city.
Kriegshan city still exists and despite being underground there was no reason to alter the name. And the conflict has been around for more than a decade, it was only recently when everyone took refuge underground. Thanks to the Kampfyin system, the entire renovation from a traditional area into a humongous civilization took seven years at most, leaving three years of transition.
“Kampfyin? Xavier never told me anything about that either.”
“Good gracious. He is always like that.”
Daniel turned the wheel to the right, arriving at the entrance pathway that led into Kriegshan’s agora. He abruptly slammed the brakes, stopping right at the gate.
Thora grunted angrily at the closed gate, and she opened the door, running up directly at the gate that was locked. Hmm. There’s no keyhole. Daniel exited.
He went up to the door, immediately sensing a source of qi when he tapped the metal frame. Touching it again gave off a clunking noise as if there was a glass masking over the entire door.
“Darn it,” Thora mumbled. She thought it was going to be open which is unusual for it to be closed when the entire agora was all day and week operation.
Screech!
“I guess this wouldn’t be a problem, will it?”
“What are you doing?!” Thora said panickily. She then locked his right arm down. “You can’t be acting crazy shit around here.”
Daniel checked around him and behind, finding the coast was clear. “No one is here. All are out on the main street. Are we allowed to jump then?”
The two bickered, contradicting each other’s points unnecessarily dragged the interaction far from the end.
“Ahem!”
Behind the front gate, Victoria stood staring at the two with her arms crossed.
How long had she been here? Daniel was astounded, and he forced out right in the middle of a different round of bantering between Thora. She in return took it offensive, mouthing him.
“You two already know each other in such a short time, makes me envy you a little bit,” Victoria directly eyed Thora.
“He started it!”
“Forget it, who starts who. It’s over. Plus, you are authorized to jump over the fence.”
Motherfucker! Daniel took a couple steps back, irritated, and slammed his hands on the hood. “Can you open the door, please?”
“For your sincerity, I will.”
He hopped back into the truck, honking at Thora to move. She headed in first, lifting her middle finger. Daniel cracked a chuckle and drove the truck in. The clanking of the metal door closed, and Victoria glided along in front of him, directing which building to go. Quickly figured to be on the right, he drove behind her and immediately turned right after passing the gate.
While following her, he observed the entire central space. He wondered what the type of architecture they called it here. A true replica of ancient Greek culture.
A Greek-like ethnicity? Daniel thought, after recollecting passing through many districts where each has their unique expression of their culture. And from what he was told, it was only a piece of the underground city he traveled through. Using that reference, Underground Kriegshan would need at least four Tokyo’s to be reasonable.
“The place where your questions will be answered,” Daniel recalled Thora’s words, already having a few questions in his subconscious prepared.
Reaching to the right side of the central park’s perimeter. To his right was a temple. There was a decent number of heavy cloaks doing praying sessions to multiple statues erected behind the lengthy row of pillars that separate the outside from the interior.
Daniel leaned back in his seat while maintaining the distance. Ahead with a slight direction detoured to the right, the building stood tall in front of the city hall. The staircase was as wide as a four-lane road and as high as the upper circle in an auditorium.
On the opposite side of the temple, across the central park was the library with its name imprinted above on the rectangular roof sat on top.
“We’re almost here,” Victoria reminded and took the right detour. Going through the tour revealed the side of the city hall, displaying the grand design with the material of white marble shining through the mimic of the moonlight. This adds another question to the formation of a sky like it never had left the surface.
Passing through the alley, the three arrived in a different part of the agora. A three-way intersection straight ahead was blocked by the concrete wall. He turned left, passing through the city signs, and Victoria descended her feet from the air, now pacing through the street. She then pointed to the sole white building towering over a crowd of uniform townhouses.
Every townhouse on the street is strictly two stories, and each unit serves as a vendor for various services or sales. The pedestrian traffic began to pick up as the closer they reached the building. The first intersection came up and all immediately turned right, arriving at the wide cul-de-sac. A circular decorative garden was at the center of the dead end, and Victoria directed Daniel to park at the entrance of the building.
It was the closest modern building so far, other than the hotel. It even had its own porte-cochere, and Daniel parked directly under it. He exited the truck and walked to the garden as he noticed a tombstone blended behind the vibrant flowers.
--
David Bergmann – Owner of the Bergmann KC Est. 567
--
“What year is it now?” Daniel asked.
“1010!” Thora responded.
Darn, four hundred and forty-three years in the making. Daniel thought.
The building’s duo door slides open, revealing a tall frail as if he was malnourished. The clothes he wore gave him a broader shoulder, but the rest of his body wasn’t equal in proportion to the shoulders. The man walked out, and Thora greeted him.
He noticed Daniel moving away from the garden.
“Is this the visitor I heard about?” The man hoarsely said. Daniel can hear the roughness grinding through the vocal cords that he almost bit his own mouth.
“Yes…sir,” Daniel muttered, feeling uncomfortable by the voice. He strolled up and offered a handshake. The man grabbed Daniel’s hand. For a guy like him, his handshake was firm.
“Good to meet you, my name’s David Bergmann,” David introduced.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Daniel, it’s a pleasure.”
David invited all three into the building and followed him all the way in. As they passed through the building, they reached the open elevator. No lobby or anything. An empty wide space to walk with the elevator as the sole end of the floor. Daniel stood the furthest with his back leaning against the wall and saw the elevator buttons.
Victoria, who was next to the buttons, pressed the top button of the three available. She exerted her qi blue right onto the button’s surface which initiated a dinging bell sound, automatically closing the door. Daniel heard the metal clanking sound which was directly above him.
David turned around, noticing him curiously startled. “Ah don’t worry about it. Still, a work in progress on the lifting speed of the elevator as it’s mainly powered by qi.”
“Are you a designer or some sort of a crafter businessman?”
He turned around facing Daniel, appearing enthusiastic and less dreadful. “Engineer to be exact. I got brief information from Victoria about your need to manage the unpredictability of a painful episode. Am I correct?”
One way of putting it. Daniel silently nodded and he pointed to his headband. “It led to this.”
“Unflex your arms out and direct them towards me as if you were going to grab me. And open your hand too, bring the palm right to my view.”
Daniel slowly straightened his arm out at him, opening his hand upward. David grabbed his palms. He next used his one thumb, pressuring at one of the pressure points. Strictly right between the thumb and the index finger.
My hands are cold! Daniel reacted, and his arms began to shiver and shake. Thora and Victoria silently stood, watching as if they knew what was happening. He saw a trace of qi leaving the edges of his fingers, flowing right into David’s wrist. Afterward, he let it go from his grasp and apologized.
Ding!
“That might be a strange first impression, but that was how I was able to read what is entirely going on about your qi handling,” David elaborated, turning to the door. “We’re here.”
The elevator door opened. He walked out first followed by Thora and Victoria. Daniel went out, keeping the trail as they went through the living space. He eyed the environment it expels. To be frank, it resembled the high-end apartments and hotels in Manhattan. The lack of technology for all he currently knew made this entire building an impressive feat. Unless it had to do something with the Kampfyin system.
However, the living space isn’t that long of a visual as he reaches into a nearly pitch-black hallway. Once he sauntered in while he could still see them, Daniel heard the ringing of the keys followed by the sound of it inserting into the lock. Immediately, it opened and caused the interior light glare to be expunged out, barely passing the door frame.
Probably the most proportionally wide and tall he has ever seen in a private home. Because the door and the frame together looked like a Bank vault, Daniel’s curiosity went off the roof, wondering what could be built or solved behind those doors. “Am I the first guest?”
David chuckled. “No. But you are one of the first ten.”
“Oh, I’m honored.”
“Welcome to my workshop!” David exclaimed with a more relaxing voice.
The hiss from the steam smoke rampaged the ceiling up high, looking like clouds without context or knowledge. Daniel was admired by the flux of contrasted technology operating in such an environment. From the floors to the open wide space without any items, this is just like a warehouse. There were a couple of chair beds scattered across the area.
“I’m intrigued, you have a lot of firepower and arsenal in here.”
“You bet. Before the tour, have a seat,” David said, gesturing to the closest one.
“Now?” Daniel was confused by the sudden gesture.
Thora came to his side, holding his hand with the intent of pulling him to it. “This is the part where you answer the questions. David will answer them as we go.”
She tugged until near the seat and rotated around, directly facing herself at him. Subsequently, he lay hard on the chair bed, and David tied the belt around his waist, keeping him in place. He went away from his point of view, and Daniel questioned Thora why he was strapped.
“Uncertain of what might happen the next time, I thought it was the right time to bring you to David. You’re the first to get an entire full technological set to be implemented into your body right at the spot.”
Daniel doesn’t seem to find that pleasant. Right at the spot?! He doesn’t have a good sense of feeling right now thanks to her word of explanation.
“My optimism is right out of the window. What do you mean right at the spot?”
David returned before Thora could answer, pulling out various items from his chest. Inside were pairs of black tactical gloves and three syringes. The syringes appeared to have the same content: a mix of green and blue substances. He handed one to Victoria, who was sitting on Daniel’s left, and he gave the second to Thora.
“Hold still alright…we are giving you access to a new technology that hopefully will keep you stable in the long run. Your eye might glitch for a bit.”
Thora was about to prepare when Daniel lifted his right arm up momentarily. “You better tell me after this whole thing passes.”
“Trust me, you’re going to like it,” David muttered. He then ordered Victoria and Thora to begin injecting first, through the back of each of his hands.
Daniel braced his neck as he felt the pressure slithering from the end of his hands rubbing all the way up to his jaw. The weird feeling transitioned to an extraordinary amount of pain and screamed from the top of his lungs with no hesitation. Thora tossed the syringe back into the chest and firmly gripped his hand. Victoria placed her needle onto the table, holding his shoulder in a clamping manner.
This is the worst I’ve ever felt in all my years! Daniel tried his efforts to brush aside the pain that progressively went up when he felt it was like restructuring or adjusting his bones. His head facial features twitched abnormally: around the mouth and the neck region right under his jaw, letting him facially jerk left and right.
“Heal him!” David yelled at a rapid pace. He tried to keep Daniel lying flat without causing any more agony. Thora, with pure blue eyes, went up to the seat and went on top of him, using her entire body to disperse her qi more quickly.
Get that needle away from my face! Daniel saw the tip of the needle inches close above his left eye.
Thora and Victoria grabbed his arm, embracing him to keep him rendered, and David appeared to not hover the needle away. Only for him to realize he was the last of three injections. No, no, no. Not my fucking eye! Daniel can’t blurt a word as if he was experiencing the hotel episode again.
“It’s gonna sting a little,” David muttered, staring at him for a moment as if he was gauging where to safely inject it.
Frrip!
The lengthy thin piece of metal, many feared during hospital visits, exerted the substance through his eye socket. He saw David’s hand hovering over his left eye followed by the surface of his thumb, holding his eyelids back.
The substance was directed through the center of his brain as he could vividly feel it flowing down there. Unfairly, it attributed to more pain he had to deal with and triggered an intense headache.
David slowly pulled out the needle, and that was it, or so he thought.
Daniel's jaws clenched and biting like a violent beast, spooking the three away from the chair. Help! His mind desperately calls.
<< Go to sleep. >>
He abruptly passed out relieved upon recognizing his katana’s voice.
17.3
--
Systems booting…
--
“Ugh,” Daniel grumbled. He slowly opened his eyes, staring at the bare metal ceiling. When he tilted his head to the right, a sudden throb rubbed around his forehead triggering a few vertigo side effects.
<< You’re a crazy man. I even felt the side effects. >>
Daniel rubbed his eyes and held both sides of his head as he turned around. No one is here. Where’s the damn three at? He checked again and resulted in an absent room. However, the square door was opened all out as if they departed or left him there.
<< Hey, you know we can talk, right? >>
Uh, how do I even do that? Daniel paused. Telepathy is such a brand-new matter, and he isn’t sure how to perform it correctly.
< Does this work? I can hear you, but I didn’t know how to communicate. >> Daniel replied slowly.
<< Phew, finally. The first time a wielder and I communicated. >>
< One question. >
<< Sure. >>
< Can you read my mind at all? >
<< Barely. That would depend on the wielder, which is you. I’m not even sure. You’re the first on pretty much everything now. It will be a learning experience for me too. >>
Daniel was silent for a moment as he got distracted by the words appearing in his point of view.
< Ok, but darn. That would mean you can’t see what I’m seeing. >
<< Like what? >> The katana questioned.
< These words keep hovering in my face as I move my eyes around. >
The katana’s voice came with a deep sigh. << What the heck did that guy even give you? >>
< I don’t know anything other than it was technological. I was supposed to ask the questions prior, but you knocked me out of my misery. So, thanks. You saved me twice from the pain.>
<< Doing whatever I can, and the two of us communicating is a gift of gratitude. >>
< Will talk later, these words are still here. >
Daniel’s head was still throbbing like the rocks constantly thrown at it. He waved right where the words hovered. Swiftly, it went past the bolded letters like he was a ghost.
--
System booted Successfully…
--
Willkommen, User!
Welcome, User!
欢迎 ，网民!
Initiating body optimizations…
--
Daniel didn’t bother waving his hand further, relaxing back on the seat.
--
Body functions normal
Life ailments withdrew.
--
Ah, gosh damn it. So, they were right about it being a disorder. Daniel reflected, now desiring to get out of the chair bed. The head throbbing dissipated after the sentence.
He was still strapped around his waist by the belt. He grabbed the end of the belt and tore it like discarded paper. Daniel stretched his feet before guiding it back to the floor. Gripping the armrest, he braced himself up from the leather and stood amongst the discarded room like surviving alone in the apocalypse.
--
Generating stats 0% -> 100%
Displaying stats ↓
Stamina: 100%
Endurance: Level 1
Durability: Level 1
Power: Level 1
Qi containment: Level 1
Electric Charge: Level 1
Class: N/A
--
Interesting. Qi containment and electric charge. Daniel was curious about those two, hypothesizing that being the focus to keep his body in control.
He observed his hands only to find the right hand being engulfed by black-colored metal. His left hand, unaffected, gave a touch and it reacted like fabric as it could be pulled. The fabric reacted aggressively, returning to its prior spot. This is so weird. I can't even take it off. He saw the end of his wrist was where the black-colored material stopped.
Uncanny, his right-hand looks like the pairs he saw from the chest. He found this bizarre and attempted to poke through it with his pen from his pockets. No effect.
Not wasting any more time, he began heading out of the warehouse-themed open space. Before stepping out through the door, a screen like a hologram appeared in front of his face.
--
Choose a class listed:
***(Each class has different nutritional and functional requirements.) ***
General
Blacksmith
Librarian
Archer
Swordsman
--
With the five options given, his past life experiences benefited him and allowed him to fit in with any of the classes. In turn, Daniel making the decision wasn’t a piece of cake, and his focus should be interpreted based on today and the future ahead.
He stood for a moment longer before a final decision had been made. I guess this will do. He went along picking the General class.
--
Confirm?
--
Yes.
↓
General – A class that is a multitude of studies and actions. Hard work, knowledge, and health are the main objectives. The outcome is case by case and will be up to the user to reach that level. ** General is the only class where the user gets no starting bonuses. **
Daily intake: 0/4000 Cal
--
As the system continued to scroll, Daniel had no interest whatsoever in this room amid it was now more furnished than when he first arrived. He then departed, passing the square door. While walking out and going through the pitch-black hallway, he heard conversations beyond the hallway.
--
(4) skills gained.
Translation LV.1
Conductor LV.1
Regeneration LV.1
Qi Control LV.1
--