Over the next week, Jason and Rosha would spend most of the day up on the roof.
It only took Jason the first full day to figure out which exercises and motions would work for Rosha. The rest of the week was spent on optimization and cutting away unneeded parts. The end result of this is a leap-heavy kata that can loop. As in, after the thirty moves, if done right, you end up back where you started.
At first, this was anything but the case for Rosha. The main problem is overshooting or undershooting the ten jumps. Which, fair enough. Unless you’re into parkour, most people aren’t as skilled at jumping as they might think they are. Also, a big hit to Rosha’s usual skill at jumping is that she’s not allowed to use Mana actively during the kata.
It was worth the effort.
While NeoRealm was pretty free-form when it came to letting you develop yourself. There were recognized major paths known to lead directly to the top. Not a guarantee of the top, but at least you won’t be held back by your Mana or Qi.
This custom kata was directing Rosha right into one of those recognized ways to develop Mana. Categorized as “The Centrifuge”, it was a path of purity and physicality. Basic idea? You chose where your core was going to be if you didn’t already have one, then spin your Mana centered on that spot.
As hinted at by the name, this would throw off bits of your Mana, separating it for you. The Mana you most align with stays behind, Air in Rosha’s case, and the thrown-off Mana tempers the body. Which at least for Rosha, shows up as a Talent bonus.
Wind-Swept Physique - Agility is slightly more effective for maneuvering and provides a slight bonus to Defense against glancing damage
Rosha had more than a few complaints. “What does ‘slightly’ mean!? And it uses the word twice? Also, what counts as glancing damage? Does that mean literally or any attack that slips? Nevermind the fact that everything is being affected by Agility and Agility is more effective for specific tasks. So. How does that stack?”
Jason laughs, “I thought you’d complain about it taking away your choice of where to put your core?”
Rosha shrugs, “Eh, as above, so below. Or rather, as irl, so NeoRealm. Placing the core where the dantian is seems sensible.”
Jason nods, “At least there’s less mental space being devoted to it. Now, I’ll check up on you to keep you honest, but I think it is time for me to start my own training.”
Rosha rolls her eyes, “So you get to have fun exploring the city?”
Jason snorts, “That’s one way to see it. I’m going to be out there lifting heavy things and dodging stuff. Occasionally I won’t be dodging things. All while keeping to non-combat activities to reduce my experience gain.”
Rosha, “I know you said that, but don’t non-combatants get experience from their daily lives?”
Behind them, Courtney claps her hands, “Sorry to interrupt, but it’s lunchtime.”
Jason nods, “Will do, I’ll just answer the question right quick.
“Simply put? The System divides combatants and non-combatants. You get better experience for the corresponding tasks. There is a bit of weirdness here and there, but isn’t there always?”
Rosha hops down the stairs as she answers, “I guess that’s fair?”
Courtney, “Remember, where we have to delve dungeons and such to break through bottlenecks, they can display proficiency in an appropriate skill.”
After that, they settled in for their lunch of a bread that almost seemed more diced nuts than not, a salad of snap peas and radishes, as well as a small bowl of soup which was almost more for dipping the bread than for eating on its own.
Courtney taps the table, “So, Jason, what do you plan to do? Not in the specifics, but more the general outline.”
Jason shrugs, “I wanted to do odd jobs, but I’ve realized that might not be viable. Someone isn’t going to let me carry around boxes at the edge of my Strength to carry. They want someone who can lift a box easily, so the person can move more boxes instead of taking too much time to stumble under the weight of a single box.”
Courtney nods, “That does make sense. What is your solution?”
Jason shrugs, “The city provides. There are make-work projects. Not for money, but the sake of work itself.”
Courtney frowns, “What? Isn’t makework usually the realm of unneeded jobs to provide incomes for those who don’t currently have work?”
Jason, “Yeah, it’s strange. As I understand it, they don’t need the classic type because there’s a deity to any and every profession in the city. Which means everyone can get a meal if they’re desperate.
“Instead, the makework is for worship purposes. Crafts that produce goods are easy enough to handle. You just provide them with raw materials and then trade away the finished goods for more raw materials. But what about jobs that aren’t locally needed or you don’t need as many as there are locals doing them?
“Well, this is the answer. No local mines? There’s a stone cliff for them to dig tunnels into and quarry blocks out of. Then, once completely handled, mages come in and stone shape everything back into place. Yeah, I know this one specifically because it’s what I need.
“Not the mining aspect, or even the quarrying. Rather, someone needs to move the rocks around. Both the mined-out ores and the blocks. Which is where I come in.”
Rosha, “But don’t they still want quick work? I assume that they don’t want things piling up.”
Jason shakes his head, “Nah, since this isn’t meant to be quick work, rather work as a show of devotion, they focus on perfecting the craft. The miners aren’t swinging their picks non-stop, and those in the quarry aren’t rushing to pump out blocks that are fine.
“Rather, it is a matter of slow and steady. To judge each action and reach for a better outcome. For a swing of their pick to break off just enough. For each block to have sharp edges and corners that come to a point. Not that there are any masters doing this.
“Journeyman at best because once you’re skilled enough, the idea is that you praise one’s deity better by going out and using your mastery for actual work. Not that there isn’t infinite work to do out there. What with NeoRealm constantly expanding and the Deep Wilds an infinite land of resources to exploit.”