“Tell me your skill levels.”
Still reeling from the abrupt slap, I tell the wannabe warlock what he wants to know without leaving anything out. Just like before, he does not react to my words and just continues doing something with the item in his hands.
“Can I ask a question?”
“You just did.”
“Can I ask multiple questions then?”
“You just did.”
“How did you make that mana chair?”
“Don’t speak unless I say so.”
What an asshole.
Biting my lip, I withhold all of the hundred other questions I would like to ask and instead stand quietly in my birthday suit like a glorified mannequin. A few more minutes pass like this until Lirin finally puts down the sheet of metal and opens the door.
“Put your clothes back on and follow me.”
I do as he asks before falling into step behind him as he strides across the room to another wooden door. This one has some sort of inscription on a stone tablet next to it, and I watch as he waves his hand in a complicated pattern before the door opens itself. As we walk in, I notice that the room is ridiculously long and has a raised ceiling multiple times the height of myself. I quietly wonder how big this basement is to be able to hold such a large room plus the main area we just walked out of. Other than the size, the room itself is more like an arena than anything, as there is no visible furniture or devices like in the main room. It is mostly just comprised of metal panels that line the floor, walls, and ceiling.
“This is the testing room. You will receive access to this room after I finish quantifying your abilities. You will not, however, receive access to any of the arrays. Now, go stand over there and begin cycling your mana.”
Various parts of that sentence make no sense to me, but I do my best to comply as I walk over to the spot in the middle of the room and begin moving mana through my [Mana Foundation]. After fiddling with a complicated looking device on the wall next to the door, Lirin slots the piece of metal he had been toting around on to the machine and then heads over to where I am standing.
“What are you doing. I said to begin cycling your mana.”
I just stare at him blankly while continuing to move mana through my inner network.
“Speak.”
“I don’t know what you mean by ‘cycle mana’.”
The asshole-warlock pinches his fingers on his nose before smoothing back his shoulder-length silver hair.
“Where did you come from again? Garf said you all were stray Fallens they found at the gate. Those that come from beyond the Veil should know the basics.”
“I came from Floor One of The Pillar. I literally have no idea what the majority of what you are saying even means.”
The man’s severe expression turns slack for a moment, and I wonder for a moment if he is having an aneurysm or something. Only a beat later, the man resumes talking but for some reason he sounds stiff and scripted.
“I see. You are another Fallen that was put here by… the gods.”
After he practically spits out that sentence, his expression returns to normal and he continues speaking like nothing had happened.
“So, it seems you are completely clueless about even the basics of the System. No matter, as long as you do as instructed, I believe I can work around your horrible ignorance.”
Lirin walks back to the device on the wall and messes with a few of the various gems that line the rectangular shaped machine. Afterward, he takes off his robe to reveal a black tunic that reaches up his neck and a pair of linen pants and simple shoes. I wonder why the man seems to be getting so serious all of the sudden given his previous displeasure with me being left in his care.
He walks back over to me in a supermodel-like cadence, which just annoys me even more for some reason.
“Now, pay close attention to the way I move my mana, and copy me. This is a simple technique to cycle your mana, which is used to show basic proficiency in .”
…
For the twenty-ninth time, I push as hard as I can and begin to move my mana as delicately as possible through my mana network in a gentle pattern that should circle around my chest and spine while evenly distributing mana through my limbs in a constant rhythm.
Unfortunately for me, my mana does not like to adhere to this cycling tactic, and as soon as I try to circle the aforementioned area, my mana fights against me and turns the circle into a sporadic ellipse that sends random, uneven bursts of mana through my body which bursts several blood vessels and causes my muscles to cramp horribly.
Another slap quickly throws me out of my concentration and makes my head buzz and cheek sting.
“Wrong. Do as I do.”
I stem my growing rage at getting slapped every two seconds and instead transfer my full attention to the glowing blue lines in front of me. The asshole-wannabe-warlock has created a full body diagram of my [Mana Foundation] from the notes he jotted down on the metal sheet. Now, he uses his mana as a 3-D example for me, and I watch as he moves the mana through the entire network with fluid ease and forms an oscillating circuit that delivers powerful waves of mana through the rest of the channel for better efficiency and higher mana output whenever it is called upon. After he completes the display, he lets the diagram hang in the air for my reference, and I begin my efforts anew.
Another slap knocks me out of my focus.
“Wrong. Copy this.”
I try again.
Slap.
“Wrong. Think of it as a circle.”
Another attempt.
My neck creaks as a palm hits me in the exact same spot as the last thirty times.
“Wrong. Think of your mana as another limb.”
This pattern continues for what feels like hours. It doesn’t matter though, I do not get any better, and the consistent assaults on my person have turned the right half of my face into a balloon.
Finally, after my 142nd try, the masochistic-asshole-wannabe-warlock lets the diagram fade away and goes to put his robe back on.
“That is enough for today. Follow me.”
I groggily arise from my seat on the ground and follow him through the door and back into the main room. When we arrive back at his desk, he grabs a small stone and a dim-red gem about the size of my finger. He holds both for a moment before handing me the gem.
“The crystal is your key to the testing room. Use it as you please when I am not teaching you. Anytime you are using the training materials I give you or are practicing some of the techniques I show you, you will use the testing room.”
Crossing to the other side of the room, Lirin points at a mat on the ground that I had not noticed before.
“You will rest here as needed and only leave for meals. Use the restroom from earlier to deal with your bodily habits.”
He finally hands me the rock he had grabbed from earlier.
“Until you are able to complete the cycle in this mana stone, do not speak to me again unless otherwise directed. I can’t teach someone that can do any less than this.”
With that, the man walks out of the room and heads up the stairs, leaving me standing alone in the large room. I stare at the door he left through for a few more moments, thinking he might come back. He does not.
You got to be kidding me. The guy really just called me a talent less casual and then left.
I hate that it kind of had some aura, though.
Despite the man being a complete and utter asshole, I am happy with my current situation. Glancing at the notifications that have been waiting at the back of my mind, I grin which causes a new shot of pain to run through my cheek.
< Mana Control Lvl. 7 -> Mana Control Lvl. 8 >
< Mana Control Lvl. 8 -> Mana Control Lvl. 9 >
< Mana Control Lvl. 9 -> Mana Control Lvl. 10 >
The painstakingly long exercise didn’t result in nothing. Even though I was not able to replicate the cycling technique that the perfectionist warlock wanted me to, I still made huge progress with my skill. Within that one session, I was able to push all the way up to the place of my highest leveled skill. My efforts seem to have been recognized by the System, even if Lirin doesn’t agree. The entire situation has just made me giddy to try more, as I can only imagine how far I can get my skills with the instruction of someone that actually knows what they are doing.
Another unexpected boon from the exercise shows itself as I check my Status.
[Status of Sebastian Bet]
Pillar Difficulty: Death is Certain
Floor 2: The Silent Castle
Time Used: 09:19:30:44
Time Left: 2180:40:29:16
Level: 11
Body (BDY): 19
Mind (MND): 15
Agility (AGI) : 12
Power (PWR): 29
[Unallocated Points: 0]
Class: Undecided
Form Association: Undecided
Skills:
Emit [Lvl 9]
Polarize [Lvl 1]
Fixation [Lvl 4]
Mana Control [Lvl 10]
Infuse [Lvl 4]
Traits:
Thermal Resistance [Stage 1/3]
Augments:
1. Mana Foundation
2. Undecided
3. Undecided
Condition: Mana Mutation [Permanent]
It would seem that the constant abuse the technique put my body through has resulted in a couple of points to BDY, which I am infinitely glad to see. Furthermore, I guess the System saw the training as some sort of mental exercise as well, so I was able to gain a point in MND.
Vince had mentioned in the barracks that he had gained a stat point in MND from strategizing on Floor One, so the possibility of increasing my stats organically had been on my mind for a while. I’m unsure how much I can push each attribute this way, but the fact that it is an option at all means that I might be able to close the inherent gap I had when I arrived in The Pillar.
This thought motivates me most of all, and I quickly check the stone in my hand. As expected, it is a mirror of the cycling exercise from before, so I pocket the rock and head up the stairs to the mess hall. As it stands now, the only danger I am facing on this floor is the likely possibility of getting slapped multiple times a day. I plan on abusing this temporary state of safety to advance as far as possible.
My new plan starts with me eating as much food as I can shove down my gullet. Evening out the playing field first begins with fixing my physical state. If I can gain weight while continuing to temper my body with the cycling technique I learned from Lirin, then I should be able to maximize my gains in BDY. I might even work in some actual exercise too just to be sure. I’ve never really worked out before, so I will probably have to ask for some advice from Vince on that front.
Fully renewed and ready to start my training arc, I hurriedly grab my heaping plate of miscellaneous food from the mess hall before heading back down to the basement. I don’t even bother sitting at a nearby table to eat and rather go straight to the testing room where I wave the crystal around the inscriptions to make the door open. Heading inside, I find my place in the center of the room and begin absently shoveling food into my mouth while I take out the mana stone from before. I trace the cycling inscriptions with my fingers for a moment to visualize the route my mana should take before stretching out and preparing my skills.
When I am finally ready, I push to focus my concentration entirely on the process of moving a thread of my mana as carefully as possible through the stone and into the pattern that was slapped into my permanent memory.
Suddenly, a small pop echoes out from my hand and the rock turns into dust.
Wha-