by Pegaz
“How... did…?”
“How did I know?” John smirked down at his opponent. “You’re spouting crap about how ‘all life is valuable’ like some kind of child. That’s not how real life works. And to boot, you’ve got the technique, sure, but no real combat experience. If my guess is right, I’d say you were some kind of princess or a member of nobility. Am I right?”
The fallen fighter tensed up, eyes staring daggers into John’s face. Bingo.
John walked up to the woman and crouched down. The tension in the air grew, and the anti-assassin knew her end was near. Her mind raced as she prepared to make a last-ditch attempt to fight for her life. John’s hand reached out to her head.
He’s going to snap my neck.
She braced herself for death.
John flicked her forehead.
“This is my only warning,” He scolded her as if she was a child. “Don’t get in my way again. Next time, I’ll kill you for trying to protect people like Matthew Mu. And if you don’t believe he deserved to have been killed, do a little investigating.”
The anti-assassin was completely frozen, her breath caught somewhere in her chest. John stood up, nonchalant in his movements.
“Really, I should kill you now,” he pondered aloud. “When you do get some combat experience, you’ll probably come after me again. But I’m not the type to kill those who don’t deserve it.” He paused in recollection. “You know, we’re not so different.”
Satisfied, John turned to leave. As he strode away, the woman felt the tension slowly seep from her shoulders, and she slumped back onto the ground in a defeated posture.
“Who are you?!”
Her words came pouring out of her mouth, voice sharp with avarice but weighed down by the shame of her defeat.
John stopped mid-stride.
After a moment of consideration, he took out the decapitated head of his target and held it up proudly. He tilted his chin back at the anti-assassin and recalled the lyrics of a song he once knew.
“I’m the reason why people like this should run.”
Chapter 11
Master
Without another word, John continued to walk away.
System, find Michael.
Within seconds, John was directed to where Michael was on the map. Turning Life Vision back on, he could see that Michael was still engaged in combat with his foe. Not wanting to disturb the fight, John decided to wait for Michael back at the tavern. He shifted his clothing back into civilian-wear, making sure no one could see him when he did.
He headed back to the tavern, keeping an eye on his ally. If the blonde didn’t meet back up with him, John would have no ride back to the teleportation hub. Alone, it would take a few weeks to get back by foot. He had no choice but to wait—even if he tried helping Michael in battle, the opponent, a Rank 4 immortal, could kill him with a mere sneeze. What else could he do?
John approached the bartender and bought a keg of ale. He sat down at an empty table in the corner and sipped on his drink.
Time passed, and eventually, Michael arrived at their meeting place. As the older blonde entered the bar, he scanned the tables for his comrade. Spotting John with his half-empty keg, a smile erupted on his face.
“You’re alive!” The assassin took a seat alongside John.
“She was a rookie,” John responded. “I don’t think she’d been in a real fight before. I let her live. Maybe, she’ll learn what the real world is like and switch sides.” He took another sip before adding, “What about on your end?”
Michael shook his head slightly. “He was a tough one. We were almost equal in strength, but he must have been close to levelling up. I managed to injure him heavily, but he managed to escape.”
John looked around to make sure no one was listening in. “What now? Go back, or rest up somewhere?”
“First and foremost,” Michael stretched, casually signalling the bartender, “I need a drink.”
“It’s on me then.” John tossed a coin into the air, which Michael snatched with a toothy grin.
“You’re growing on me, kid.”
John smiled across the table as Michael received his drink. “I never asked, but what’s your position inside the sect?”
“Oh, right, we never did discuss things, did we?” The blonde took a long chug from his mug before speaking again. “I’m a Grand Elder, but I hardly ever go out. I like my privacy, and I like sitting back to relax.”
“Ah,” John’s smile turned a bit playful. “If you’re a Grand Elder, then I’m allowed to tell you this.”
He leaned in close, desperately wanting to see Michael’s reaction.
“I’m the new disciple of Sect Head Jamie Cooper.”
Michael choked on his drink, dropping his mug onto the floor.
John burst into side-splitting laughter, clutching onto his ribs and throwing his head back. Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes, which he wiped with his free hand.
“Damn kid, you know how to shock people!” Michael tried to regain his composure though he was still visibly flustered. “I’ve got to warn you, though, not everyone in the sect is friendly towards your master.”
At this, John’s laughter died off, his curiosity peaked.
“There’s even a faction inside the sect that’s trying to replace the Head,” Michael continued. “Do be careful when throwing the name around, yeah?”
“So,” John spoke slowly, “does that mean they’ll go after me? To try to use me to threaten my master?”
Michael shook his head. “No, everyone has a blood oath not to knowingly threaten or kill members of the sect.”
“Knowingly?” John tilted his head. “So that means if they figure out a way to do it without knowing, they can make a move, right?”
Michael shrugged, unsure of how to address this broken logic. “I don’t make the rules, and I sure as hell can’t fix them.”
“There are always loopholes like this,” John sighed. “Someone’s going to take advantage of it.”
“I have no idea how your brain works, but I guess you’re right in this case.” Michael peered into his mug to see if any alcohol was left. “Anyway, let’s go back to the sect. I’ll give you a ride on my sword.”
And with that, the two finished what was left of their drinks and exited the bar. John grabbed a few books from a local book store before running to meet Michael again.
Once on the empty street, Michael took out the same Rogue’s Key that John had. The sword expanded to nine feet long, large enough to fit both of them. After positioning themselves on top of it, the sword went straight up into the air, shooting off like a rocket.
Michael was standing behind John, holding the newbie steady. Once John was accustomed to the speed and balance of this form of travel, he was able to stand on his own. The experience was nothing short of breath-taking—John could only aspire to travel like this on his own someday.
I’ve got to learn how to fly as soon as possible.
Eight hours of flying passed, and the two reached the teleportation hub with no incident. Within a matter of minutes, they were back in the sect. They each handed in their respective proofs of completion and collected their payment. John received his promised Rank 1 Life Stones with a hefty smile on his face.
“So, you going to go back to your home and kick back until your next mandatory mission?” John asked Michael. “When is that for a Grand Elder anyway?”
“Since that was the short mission, I’ve got to do a medium next. That’s in another forty years from now if my math is right.” Michael grinned. “Though, I’ll probably see you around the sect now and then. You need to go visit your master now, I’d imagine.”
John did a martial arts salute. “Thank you for your help. If I am free in forty years time, I’ll come with you.”
“See ya, kid.” And with that, Michael walked away into the crowd.
John went to the teleport rune. His master’s going to be surprised…
; Minutes later, he was inside his master’s place. He approached his master and did a martial arts salute.
“Master, I’m back from my first mission,” John called out to him. “I met Grand Elder Michael, who was also doing a mission. We worked together and were successful. He asked me to greet you before going into rest for the next forty years.”
The Sect Head was still sitting in his throne, his eyes closed as if in a trance. He opened his mouth to speak to John, but upon opening his eyes, he did a double take at John’s long, silver hair.
Jamie lifted his hand up, pointing at John, gaping as if trying to speak.
“You want an explanation, right?” John tried to hide his satisfaction at his master’s reaction.
Jamie just nodded, still shocked and unable to say a word.
“I removed all impurities inside my Life Power, and it reached the white state,” John said slowly. “But then a bit of black colour mixed in, and it became silver. That’s when my hair grew out instantly.”
Jamie’s eyes were bulging out of their sockets. Suddenly, a surge of power swarmed out from him. It was white with a bit of green, but the colour changed and turned completely white. A bit of black came out and changed it once more to the same silver hue as John’s.
The surge of power coming from Jamie started shaking the whole building. It pushed John back about a hundred feet down the hall. Suddenly, the surge stopped and Jamie started laughing aloud.
John was breathing heavy. He had tried to resist his Master’s power with everything he had, but he was unable to do anything.
When he got close, John was shocked. Jamie’s hair now had the same silver hue as his. It reached down to his knees, and even his beard was now silver.
“John, thank you,” Jamie’s voice was sincere and robust. “You helped me make a breakthrough with this information.”
“I don’t understand... How did I help you?”
“What I was aiming for, for all these years, was the white state. It wasn’t until you came along and explained the black colour that I had an epiphany.
“White is nothing, a blank canvas waiting to get coloured in. But we’re human, and Life Power is a force in the universe, so it can’t be blank. The black colour is the human essence: our lives, thoughts, feelings and anything else about us that colours the canvas.
“I’m guessing, if we looked at this silver colour, there would be a tiny hint of green inside of it, but our lives overpower the Life Power we absorb. Otherwise, we would have light green hair and eyes.
“Life Power is what we take from the universe, and it’s what we use to enhance our bodies, but it is not vitality. It is not a measure of our lifespan, but the measure of the force we can use. The reason why our lifespan increases with each rank is that the Life Power regenerates our bodies on a cellular level. We’re not immortal until we turn it into vitality.”
With this long explanation come to an end, Jamie beamed down at John with nothing but pride in his eyes.
“Master,” John spoke up, “I was out on a mission when this happened, so I haven’t had a chance to check. Are my eyes silver as well?”
Jamie nodded. “Yes, the Life Power is mixed into the life essence of us and automatically circulates through all cells.”
John decided to check his master’s strength out.
Jamie Cooper
Rank: ???
Level: ???
So, he’s higher than Rank 7? John decided to ask him since he needed the information.
“Master, I know up to the 7th rank in the immortal’s path, but I need to know everything. I have a specialty that only works if I have information. Grand Elder Michael Jones can testify to that.”
Jamie nodded. “That’s fine, you’ve done me a huge favour. This breakthrough has eluded me for more than 10,000 years. You have no idea how happy I am right now. Ask me for anything you need, disciple. Now is a good a time as any.”
“Master,” John swallowed his reservations, “I need to be stronger.”
Jamie’s smile widened.
“Then, it’s time I tell you everything.”
Chapter 12
Another Manual Part
“So, you know the 7th Rank, Cell Stage, right?” Jamie’s voice carried through the air, filling the room with a sense of regality. “Well, that’s the last stage which alters the body.
“8th Rank is Soul’s Life. Level 1 to 3, you grow the soul in size. Level 4 to 6, you strengthen the soul. Finally, Level 7 to 9, you compress the soul back to the original size. The soul itself is inside the very centre of the brain, and it’s invisible before Rank 8.
“9th rank is the Immortality Stage, where you take the Life Power inside you and transform part of it into vitality to nourish the soul, organs, and everything else that needs it. At this stage, the only way to die is being chopped up into pieces or to run out of Life Power completely. Level 1 to 3 of this stage refers to the organs. Level 4 to 6 is the body. Level 7 is the soul. Level 8 and 9 are the brain cells.
“There is a stage above that, but knowing about it before reaching it will hinder you, so I will refrain at this time from sharing it.”
John took in all the information and then checked out Jamie’s stats again.
Jamie Cooper
Rank: ???
Level: ???
This result shocked John. His master’s breakthrough must have just pushed him into the ‘stage above’ that he just mentioned.
“Master,” John suddenly remembered something he meant to ask about. “Michael said there are people who are trying to take over the sect. Is this true?”
“Ah.” The smile on Jamie’s face faded a little. “It is true, but now that I’ve made my breakthrough, there’s no need to worry. The person who aspires to usurp my seat is Vice Head Jeremy May. His strength was equal to that of mine, but I’m now much stronger.”
There was a pause, during which the Sect Head stroked his beard.
“Enough of that,” he shook his head as if to free himself from the subject, “here are the techniques I promised you. These texts are not available in the library, so don’t show anyone else, okay?”
Jamie took out six books and gave them over to John, who nodded and expressed his gratitude. However, there was one more thing on John’s mind.
“Master,” he started. “In Life Stage, how much Life Power do you need to enter each level?”
“The human brain holds roughly 100 billion brain cells,” the Head answered with no hesitation. “To complete the Life Stage, you need 1% of the brain cells to be able to hold Life Power.”
John was utterly shocked. After the mission, he now had just over 6,000 units. He needed 100 million to complete this stage?! That would take many years!
“Master, what is the life expectancy in each rank?”
“Rank 1 is 100 years. The number keeps doubling up each rank. Rank 8 is 12,800 years. Rank 9 is immortality as you’ve reached the final rank.”
“Thank you for your guidance, Master.” John did a martial arts salute then turned around and left.
John went to his house, where he sat down in his chair. The system automatically began absorbing the Life Power around him. Not sparing a second, John started reading one of the technique texts.
Even at the full skill levels in Absorption Speed, to get 100 million units would take just over 206 years. As his master explained, 200 years was the maximum lifespan of that stage. He needed to find a way to speed it up.
The book he started with was a technique for absorbing Life Power much quicker, and it took a few hours for him to understand it completely.
‘Ding!’
Congratulations on discovering a way to help the system’s skills. We have increased the level.
Congratulations on killing your first Rank 2 immortal creature. We have rewarded you by completing the skill you were working on.
John checked the system because of the new reward.
Welcome to the Idle system 2.0.
Nam
e: John
Age: 21
Idlers: 135/135
Skill Points: 0
Life Pool: 6,339
Foreign Objects:
Rogue’s Key.
Immortality List:
Absorption Speed - Idlers 0/135, Advanced - 1/3, Peak - 0/3
Purifier - Idlers 0/135, Compact - 1/3, Speed - 0/3
John stood up and tried a few motions. Despite how much he tried, he couldn’t figure out what Compact did. Finally, he put one Life Power into his feet and dashed forward. To his surprise, instead of the ten feet he sprinted last time, the distance was now more than two times as great.
Does this mean that for each Life Power, I can compress it to get better results for the same amount of energy? Or if you wanted the same results, it would cost less Life Power?
John put all of his Idlers into Absorption Speed’s Advanced skill. The timer came up as 6mo 8d 8h.
And so, for the next few months, John read through all the books he could. The system rewarded him five more times total: two more in Absorption Speed, and three times in Purifier’s Speed. That completed both skills. With the Purifier’s Speed completed, there was no more lag between his Life Power and his absorption. He could stop and start it instantaneously.
To John’s surprise, when he tried the absorption method from one of the texts, whatever he manually absorbed was added to whatever the automatic number was. The Idle system is giving him 0.6 per minute. With the Life Power that he was absorbing manually, he was earning 1.2 per minute. That was twice as much as the idle. In total, he was earning 1.8 per minute.
He left his Idlers in the Absorption Speed skill, trying to get to the first level in the Peak. The time that came up was 2y 1mo 5d 12h, which was four times the amount of the advanced skill’s time. John took a mental note of the time needed.
He now had a total of 221,068 Life Power units and all were Silver Grade.
At this rate, he needed another 124 years to complete this stage. That was still too long for him. Perplexed, he had no idea what to do next to reduce the time. He even tried asking his master, but the Head merely said the only way could kill him.