4 Predation; Yin and Yang
I violently shook my head to clear it from my errant musings about how to skin super tough wolves and if the upcoming destruction and rebuilding cycle can be used like a culiltivator's body refining, and redirect my thoughts to more immediate steps that had to be taken first.
"A proper mindset comes first, then a plan follows" I whispered to myself in the dark and still air of my little cave in the wall of an unknown floor of an unknown lower set of floors of the Orcus dungeon. "I've gotta get my head straight and my borderline sociopathic game face on" I chuckled to myself briefly, then stilled as the truth of my own words hit home like a gut punch. After all, that's why I was talking aloud to myself, the self talk has more impact when heard aloud than when it's just another thought bouncing around my head.
"Tooootaly NOT because I used to spend most of my time alone", I told myself sarcastically, then realize my attention has once again drifted.
" This is a serious problem, my mindset needs to fundamentally change or I am going to get killed geeking out on something inconsequential. Walking around with your head in the clouds may be acceptable at home, work, or school, if only barely. Doing the same here will reduce me to the same status as a piece of lettuce back home, aka future rabbit pellets. This a place where predator and prey are unclear distinctions, where black is white while being all the darker for the bits of light." I monologued like a supervillian to myself, the sibilants echoing oddly off the interior of my small 5m squarish cave room.
I paused, collecting myself, and began.
I first gathered myself, sitting cross legged on the cold and unforgiving floor, then rested my hand palm up on my knee like I had seen in all those martial arts movies.
"I am a predator!" I forcefully spoke out, brows wrinkling a bit as the words resounded oddly back off of the irregular surface of the caves cubical walls.
I began to bend at the waist to press my hand into the floor when I paused, reconsidered, straightened back up and then...i visualized my magic flowing out of my seated position into the surrounding stone to reshape it.
I most assuredly did NOT run into any problems avoiding the mental image of cr@ping out mana, nosiree, none!
As the mana flowed, I split a thread of attention to hold a single tone out loud, and another to listen until it bounced back crisp clear sound.
"I am a predator!" again rang out, this time returning as a commanding tone. Satisfied,my eyes closed and I began my litany.
"I am a predator!
I kill to eat.
I am a monster!
An unstoppable primal force!
No hesitation.
No remorse.
No mercy.
To hunt the hunters.
To prey on the predators!
I am the monster that devours monsters!
I am a predator!..."
The words continued to hammer the still air relentlesy, unceasingly repeated until the litany became second nature.
Once my new life mantra became easy, I began focusing on memories, trying my best to relive the memory as if it was actually happening right now.
Which memories?
Well they were divided into three main groups that got examined in turn, although the time division was nowhere close to even.
One batch was a review of all the abuses that Hajime survived, as this would help fuel determination as well as allowing me to study their behavior patterns like the good prey they were.
The second batch was a review and study of all the combat skills seen so far, with a focus on actual combat.
The memories that topped the playtime list were the few memories of his interactions with the denizens of these lower levels. Studying his potential prey as a predator would, and reliving the feel of being helpless prey. The single memory that revolves at least once per litany, the horror of watching myself (sorta)getting eaten alive...
The darkness of the cave resounded with an ceaseless stream of words whose tone itself seemed a call for revenge...
