Ichimonji's Strike

Initially, I had planned to head to the Training Ground first, with the Martial Seclusion House as the last stop, just like last time. I wanted to have some time to rest and relax.

But then the thought of meeting Leo again stirred something in me, and I changed my mind.

I decided to stick to the original order and head to the Martial Seclusion House first, for three months of dedicated cultivation.

[1800 Points Available]

"Excitedly, I upgraded the Qi Gathering Array to Level two, boosting my cultivation efficiency after finding out that Points could be exchanged for Spirit Stones.

There's a button for it which I didn't see at first when I first unlocked the upgrades list because I didn't have enough points.

[Qi Gathering Array Lvl 1] => [Qi Gathering Array Lvl 2]

Cultivation Efficiency Increase +10% => Cultivation Efficiency Increase +20%

Cost: 1000 Spirit Stones

[Qi Gathering Array Upgraded]

[1000 Points consumed]

As I activated the array, the abundance of qi doubled in richness, however, I realized that my qi circulation method was lacking, which limit the increase of efficiency to only half of what I had hoped for.

'I need to learn a proper Cultivation Technique. System, do you offer any cultivation techniques?' I asked eagerly, hoping for a positive response but there isn't response from the system.

'Yeah, I thought so. For now, I can only learn Summoning Skills. If I want a cultivation technique, I'll probably have to explore other sources of knowledge,' came the reply.

I even have doubts whether the Magic Tower contain books that could provide knowledge regarding Martial Arts Dimension.

I needed to find out, but there seemed to be no easy way other than waiting and save up enough points.

I considered buying a cultivation technique from the auction house, but it would require money, and I had to wait until my plan with the Wang Family was concluded.

Three months flew by, and I made some progress, reaching Qi Refinement Lvl 6.

I only managed to advance a single level as advancing had become increasingly challenging, as it required more qi than before.

After I completed the daily tasks there, I prepared to head to the Magic Tower for the next phase of my grinding for daily quest.

And... Another three months passed in a flash at the Magic Tower, with only minor improvements in my MAG stats, increasing by a mere 2 points.

Next is The training ground.

I couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Here we go again, I thought, steeling my resolve as I moved forward.

Arriving at the training ground the system immediately greeted me with the Training Quest Screen.

[Training Quest]

[Physical Training Lvl 2]

[Requirements: None]

[Level-up Requirements: Base STR at least 40, Complete Physical Training 100 times]

[Weapon Training Lvl 2]

[Requirements: Base STR at least 40]

[Level-up Requirements: 2 Star Aura User of any type of weapon, Complete Weapon Training 100 times]

"He's not here. I think he's still sleeping. I'll start without him," Augustus muttered.

He had chosen the Physical Training Lvl 2 from the options presented by the system.

As he began his training session, a distant voice screamed in protest, "Ow!! Okay, I'll wake up! Stop! Ow!! You stupid brat! At least tell me when you start the training session."

"I thought you were sleeping, so I didn't want to bother you," Augustus replied, focusing on his push-ups.

"...Next time, wake me up, or at least call me. Okay, go ahead and start push-ups," Leo started grumbling.

Augustus continued his physical training with seemingly unlimited stamina, thanks to the system's assistance. He planned to keep grinding through the training until he grew bored, though he doubted that would ever happen.

[Physical Training Lvl 2 Completed]

[Physical Training Lvl 2 Completed]

[Physical Training Lvl 2 Completed]

…

…

As the days passed, he noticed that the gains in stats from the training diminished, making it harder to acquire even a single stat point.

Despite the lack of immediate results, Augustus found satisfaction in the training sessions. It was no way as painful as the first Physical Training which made Augustus want to do more and more.

"Kid, you seem to enjoy the physical training too much," Leo commented, taunting Augustus.

"How about we push your body to the limit?" Leo suggested. "The system will stop restoring your stamina and vitality until you can't move. That way, you should be able to gain more stats. No need to thank me."

Augustus grinned at the challenge. "Well, I'm not going to complain about it," he thought. "I was just about to say this Physical Training is getting boring, since I don't feel tired or muscle pain from overworking the muscles."

With renewed determination, Augustus continued his training until he pushed his body to the brink of exhaustion, collapsing in fatigue.

[Physical Training Lvl 2 Completed]

[Physical Training Lvl 2 Completed]

[Physical Training Lvl 2 Completed]

…

…

…

'Can I do one more?' Augustus panted heavily, looking haggard. His face had gone paler than usual, and his skin looked unhealthy due to dehydration.

'My head feels so heavy, like I could pass out any moment.'

'Huh?'

Augustus realized his body wasn't responding to his commands anymore, meeting the system's condition where the user couldn't move.

The system restored his stamina and vitality to normal.

His mind was working again, but something felt off. 'Whoa, this is so weird.'

Just moments ago, Augustus had been on the brink of fainting, but now he was wide awake and felt like he could go on. However, everything seemed blurry and overly bright, and he could hear voices more clearly than ever. He even caught the smell of dirt and water in the air.

The sudden surge of vitality had heightened his senses to an abnormal level, and his mind started playing tricks on him with hallucinations.

Feeling the danger, Augustus decided to sit and meditate, circulating qi and mana throughout his body to calm his mind.

"Puhahaha, your mind is overwhelmed by the sudden surge of vitality. I get it, it can feel like a dream when you experience it for the first time." Leo chuckled.

"But your way of calming your mind is pretty unique. I usually just grab a sword and stab my hand, pain usually wake me up." Leo remarked with a grin.

After a while, Augustus' mind returned to normal. "This is dangerous, what the heck? It's like I'm on some kind of drug."

"Well, that's basically what the System's auto-heal does. The ability to instantly restore your vitality and stamina isn't normal. The closest thing to it is divine power, healing. Ever heard of it?" Leo explained.

"Hmm? I've heard of healing, but I didn't know it could have side effects like this."

"Sure thing, depending on the level of healing, it can sometimes overdo it and affect the person's emotions and mental state."

"They'll feel relief, joy, and overwhelming emotions after being healed, just like you said, it's like a drug." Leo nodded knowingly.

"To the point where one deliberately injures themselves just to experience the exhilaration of healing and the rush of emotions that follow," Leo explained.

It's as if he's describing a common phenomenon in our modern world. But he was right. That's exactly how I felt. I craved more, eager to push myself to the limit and exhaust my body for the treat again.

"You knew all of this, and yet you commanded the system just to let me feel the side-effects more? Are you trying to turn me into a workout maniac?" Augustus demanded incredulously.

Leo chuckled. "What do you mean? It didn't happen just recently. You were already under the effects from the start."

"That's how you were able to overcome the pain from the first training I gave you. You even gained a numbing feeling to pain, didn't you? " Leo was referring to the Pain Resistance skill that I had obtained.

"If you have kept going, you'll unable to feel sadness and crave for happiness plus you won't believe what I say unless I proved it to you anyway."

"You'll keep wanting to do it again and again. Let me ask you, do you know how long have you been repeating this?" Leo questioned, raising an eyebrow.

[29 Days 28 hours]

'What the? Almost a month have passed? It didn't feel like a month?

'Cultivating Qi and Mana don't have such side-effect right?' Augustus starts to even question reality.

"Sword training was fine because I set up the rules, and I asked the system not to heal you during sword training," Leo continued.

"But... I was just trying to train my muscles," I protested.

Leo shook his head. "If you keep relying on auto-heal for the long term, you'll lose your awareness and become dependent on it."

"Just appreciate the warning I gave you. If it's too late even I cannot save you, just so you remember, the system is not sentient, it was just commanded to do something, meaning it's not perfect." Leo said with a note of concern.

"Since you have almost unlimited time, why not rest like a normal person and take advantage of the recovery-boosting spa here?" Leo suggested.

I frowned, still trying to wrap my head around Leo's motives. "Then can you explain why you put me through so much suffering during the first physical training?"

Leo cleared his throat. "Ehem, it was a shortcut. Otherwise, it would have taken years to get to where you are now."

I paused for a moment, taking in Leo's explanation. "Whatever the reason, thanks for telling me."

I hadn't realized until now that Leo could be so kind and thoughtful.

Augustus didn't know that during his absence, Leo had suffered a lot in the this world for almost two years.

-----

"Oi, system, how long until he's back?" Leo suddenly found himself wide awake, no longer in the mood for sleep.

It had been quite some time since Leo had last had so much fun, ever since Augustus arrived in this dimension. Leo didn't realize how enjoyable things were until Augustus left, leaving the dimension eerily quiet to the point where Leo wanted to scream.

Leo eagerly anticipated Augustus' return for more training sessions, and the thought of it made him even more excited. "Damn, why is that brat taking so long?" Leo started to throw fits, destroying everything in sight like a maniac.

The castle kept getting destroyed, only to be instantly restored, as Leo unleashed his frustration. It went on until Leo finally felt tired and collapsed on his bed, repeating the cycle until the present.

----

"Ahem, no problem," Leo said softly, calming down. "Do you want me to continue teaching you the sword technique?"

Augustus felt a bit weirded out by Leo's sudden change in demeanor. "Sure... The Ichimonji Technique?"

"Yeah, let's call it Ichimonji's Strike to honor its name. Okay, watch carefully, I'll do it much slower this time so you can see it." Leo eagerly grabbed a wooden sword from his dimensional storage. "Watch."

This time, Leo explained everything clearly before demonstrating the technique.

"You should stand like this, with a balanced and stable stance, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and weight evenly distributed."

"The lead foot is positioned slightly forward, pointing towards the opponent."

"This technique focuses on using your shoulder muscles. When you perform the strike, you raise your sword above your shoulder and come down in a diagonal slashing motion towards the target, following a straight line."

"The challenging part of this technique is the power and speed, but it also requires accuracy and control. Although it's a simple technique, it's not easy to master."

"If you perfect it, you can unleash unlimited Ichimonji Strikes, with each successive strike building momentum and increasing in power. However, the more powerful it becomes, the more strain it puts on your shoulder muscles."

Augustus, who had been paying close attention, was excited to try and perform the technique. But as soon as he attempted the Ichimonji Strike, Leo's calm and kind nature broke.

Leo was speechless. He had expected Augustus to perform the technique well after explaining it so clearly, but it was even worse than his lowest expectations, which infuriated him.

"How can you be so dense? I explained it to you for so long, and you didn't understand a single word I said, did you?"

"Huh? I did exactly as you said."

"How is it anything like what I said? I even showed it to you in slow motion, but you didn't get a single thing right."

"I'm swinging downward, right? Isn't it the same as a downward strike?"

Leo facepalmed. "If it were the same as a normal downward strike, would I even bother teaching you this technique? If Ichimonji were here, he would've spurted blood everywhere upon hearing his special technique being called a downward strike."