4 The heartbeat

[Development stage activated]

[You will be provided with a proper cultivation technique when this world rises, but the goal of the host is to be strong enough to control its destiny, in addition to fixing all the faults that it had in the past.]

[The reason why he had to sacrifice his soul is to forget the consequent to the Dao of the Sword because it was totally wrong, the host would never have gone any further. The goal of the development stage is to guide you on the right path. The basis of the Dao of the Sword is the mortal world, and without a good foundation it will not go far, during the time that the planet prepares to ascend, you will have to improve this base. Although the host is not aware, the chances of revenge are extremely small, so be aware of the difficulty.]

[In order for the host to have an idea of its strength and progress, a support system will be added that will be synchronized with the game. When it wants to see its progress in the Dao of the Sword, it only has to think of {Skills} and it will show its progress. The host will receive a fragment of the quintessence of the sword that is compatible with it]

[The road has just begun, the key to success is perseverance.]

Kioh wanted to cry, this damn watch had just told him that his whole life had been a mistake, and he knew that he was right, because the watch was so much more powerful. He knew that he was actually a frog at the bottom of the well, even if he did not admit it. Although it was almost impossible for him to survive the damn missions, the only chance was to keep improving and advancing.

[The only difference between choosing specialties is that a passive will be added for the chosen specialty.]

[Teleporting user to Villa Elric]

[The host has received the next mission]

[Quest: Break a Training Dummy]

[Time limit: 48h]

"I just have to break a simple training dummy? This is the extended difficulty? Maybe the clock was not as scary as I expected ... Well anyway let's look around, you can always ask someone."

Kioh opened his eyes, was located in the central part of a square that had a diameter of 100 meters, there were several stores that sold varied things, the largest building, it seems that it was a blacksmith shop, behind these shops there were large rows of houses. Around the square there were enough people, many were selling objects or equipment, it was a lively sight.

"It seems that I am going to have to inform myself about the operation of the rpg games, to get the most out of my training ... anyway, the first thing is to look for the training doll, the quickest way is to ask someone." Kioh thought.

He quickly chose a girl who carried a five-foot-long bow on her back. A linen suit, stuck to his body, looking pretty, also a symbol of a black cat was stamped on his chest, but Kioh could not care less, in this life was focused on the sword and missions.

"May I ask where the training dummy is?" Kioh asked as he gently touched the girl's shoulder, if not, he was convinced that she would ignore him.

"Hm, it's right behind the smithy, do not bother me more novice, a second of my time is more valuable than your whole life." The girl threw a mocking glance at Kioh when she saw him dressed in beginner clothes, after that he continued walking as if nothing had happened.

Kioh could not care less about the girl's reaction, he did not expect to meet her again and he did not care either. After arriving behind the smithy he saw a small square yard that was no wider than 50 meters, several uniformed soldiers watched some players hit the training dolls.

Seeing that he was looking at the dolls, a soldier with white hair and a cane approached, it seems that he was a retired veteran.

"Young man, do you want to test your skills with the practice dolls? I know that young people nowadays are not too interested in these things, but it will help polish your body control ..." The old man explained softly.

"Kioh salute elder, I would like to polish my skills, can I borrow a senior wooden sword?" Kioh spoke with total respect, he would never despise a person in his old age, it was a moral principle of his family clan, and even if he was a mortal or an entity that does not exist, he could not help it. "Of the thousands of kindness, filial piety is the first" he recalled the words of his grandfather.

"Of course, whenever you need it there are some wooden weapons in that store, it seems that the young people of today are not as bad as they seem." This veteran soldier had seen too many people pass by here, they did not come to practice, only to see how much damage they could do to the dolls with different abilities ...

Kioh went to the warehouse, where he saw an arsenal of wooden weapons, it seems that there were for all specialties. He grabbed a wooden sword, he knew this was not important. He quickly went to the nearest puppet, as he approached a window he quickly unfolded.

[Wooden sword]

[1 ~ 1 Attack Damage]

[Durability 724/1000]

[Training Dummy]

[Level 1]

[Life points 10000/10000]

[The HP regenerates when the succession of blows ends]

"Incredible, I've forgotten everything I knew about the sword, I can not feel the familiarity I had with it, I've even forgotten the basic techniques ... Anyway, let's take a look at the fragment that the system gave me, maybe is interesting. "

Kioh entered the part of his soul where these memories were.

[The art of the sword rests on the 8 basic points of direction, being the horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, in addition to taking advantage of all the advantages of our sword. The path of the sword is direct, fast and relentless. When you attack, your whole being must be in resonance with the blade, feel every inch of your body, the sword being an extension of the body. Speed means power, power means impulse, and momentum, when it is adequate, is unstoppable.

Each sword movement is unique, each movement has a personality, a story, a purpose, the sword is a tool to express and create feelings. No sword arts are better or worse, if not adequate. The best sword art is the one that allows you to show your heart to the world.

The swords have been granted so that no one is a slave. The same applies to the art of the sword, it can not be restricted by the user's ideas. A sword that can defy the laws of the world, a sword that rises in the limits of the universe. Do not be afraid to be slow, fear only to stop.]

"What the hell, there's no indication, is it just this?" Kioh was speechless, he does not know anything about the sword and in return, he had won these simple verses ... he seems to have been deceived.

"Ah anyway, I'll just hit those dolls until there's not even a trace of him ..." Kioh grabbed the wooden sword, it was not too long, 20 centimeters of handle and 90 centimeters of blade. With force, he made a diagonal cut towards the doll ...

Two cuts, three cuts, four cuts ... when the 120th hit came, he could not help but stop and rest, when he looked at the doll to see the damage he had done, he wanted to cry ...

[Training Dummy]

[Level 1

HP: 9880/10000

[Life points are completely regenerated in 24-hour cycles]

"What the hell, this is not an increased difficulty, it's sending me to hell without even asking ..." Kioh shouted in his mind. He could not imagine a way to inflict so many hits in a row, how he was going to give 10,000 hits ...?

The worst part is that the game completely simulated resistance and exhaustion, the rise in level could improve the resistance so, that it was as if one were cultivating ki, everything had the purpose of accustoming people to handle a greater force from which they could develop as mortal people.

"There has to be an opportunity, and that's the sword technique that the insufferable clock has given me, there must be the key ... anyway, first I'm going to test the limit of my resistance ..."

Kioh went back to hit the training doll again, with anger, as if he had stolen his fiancée and annihilated his family. All the people who passed through the door of the training camp could not help but stare ... "That madman has hit the training dummy for 30 minutes without stopping ..." "He only plays to unload his fury against the dummy of training?". Some of the passers-by, watching, seeing someone riding such a show against a mannequin was strange ... Normally people tried the attack damage of their new abilities or some weapons, and after a while, they left.

"Damn, I do not understand anything, this mortal body is not capable of holding more than 1000 hits in a row, if I continue like this I will not get anything." I have to understand the fragment left by the clock, I refuse to think it's useless! " He thought to himself, his soul was burning, a stupid wooden doll was going to reap his life, could he die in a more humiliating way?

He was meditating on the fragment of the clock 1 hour, without stopping, but could not find anything in clear, only had a bad feeling in his heart, as if something was not in place, a discomfort, as if not every blow he gave, It was not natural and fluid, something important was missing.

"I feel like I've lost something, as if I was wrong in the most essential of all, it's like the feeling of wearing the clothes of the reverse, it's the same, but wrong ..." he meditated again on the text with a frown He had already spent 2 hours in total, his time was running out.

This time he realized his mistake, [it cannot be restricted by the user's ideas] that part made him feel horrible, he knew he was doing something wrong. Holding the wooden sword he stood up again, closed his eyes. This time he was not watching his body, but his feelings. Little by little he felt that the left part of his body did not exist, it was like a badly made ying yang symbol, one half had suppressed his other half. At this moment he opened his eyes and smiled.

"In fact, my way of the sword was totally wrong, the best sword technique, is the one that is born of oneself, the one that forms one with his person" Kioh knew that he had had a revelation, thanks to the text fragment of the clock had guided him on the right path.

Kioh slowly walked out of the training dolls, this time a feeling of being one with nature could be seen, his movements were fluid, elegant, uniform. Finally, he reached the warehouse where the different weapons were, quickly grabbed another sword with his left hand.

By the time he left the warehouse, eyes closed, with a wooden sword in each hand, he felt a new sensation, one he could never have felt even if he had reached the top of cultivation.

In a low voice, he repeated "every sword movement is unique, every movement has a personality, a story".

Finally, after a long sigh, he opened his eyes. "Each sword represents a destiny, a person, my death as immortal, my life as a mortal."

In the same moment everything changed, all the people in a radius of 100km had their hair bristling, as if they were watching the most comforting scene of their lives, they did not know why. The animals in the same radius, the smarter kowtow in a particular direction, the ones that did not, could only lie on the ground to shake. They all had one thing in common, their heart was beating at a particular rate.

A faint heartbeat echoed in the universe.