6 Gains and Advice
Unbeknownst to Matt, the security around his mother and him increased significantly. The number of patrolling guards around the mansion and the town it ruled over roughly doubled. When Sirzechs or Zeoticus weren't available, there was also at least one member from theirs or Venelana's peerages to watch over her. For Venelana, it was uncomfortable to be watched over on a constant basis, but she was willing to endure any discomfort if it meant the safety of her child.
But, beyond the continuing rumors and speculations, there was no movement from their enemies.
Like that, the time passed quickly for the Gremory family as they waited in excitement for their new family member to arrive.
Meanwhile, in the womb, Matt had nothing else to do than train. It was the most exciting of times. It was the most boring of times. It was exciting because he was energy pool and skills were rising at a good rate, and it was exhilarating to learn something new. It was dreadfully boring because that's all there was to do.
Though he wasn't proud to admit it, he would occasionally kick and press up against his mother's bladder just so he could see her reactions. Needless to say, Venelana had more frequent visits to the restroom than most expecting mothers.
That being said, he spent most of his time training. At the beginning, he trained in the same way he had done when he first awakened his skills. For energy sensing, he simply extended his consciousness into the space around him. Each day he would push the range of his senses just a little further. It was slow work, but diligently increases it centimeter by centimeter. By the end of the next five months, he could sense all energy fluctuations in a ten-meter radius.
As his sensing range extended, he was able to observe how energy moved and functioned as others performed magic. While Venelana refrained from using magic too often during the pregnancy, when she did actually use it, Matt was able to see the changes in the demonic energy's behavior in her dantian and along her meridians. When the magic was executed, he could then see the unique structure of it.
It wasn't just Venelana's magic he saw, either. Daily he would watch on as a maid would massage her and send bits of energy into her muscles to relax and soothe them. There was also the occasional transportation magic circle that would appear within the range of his senses.
Though eidetic memory is considered an aspect of short-term memory, with the boost he got from the gacha, Matt could remember the images of energy flow far more vividly and for a greater length of time than most anyone. After he withdrew his senses, he would then do his best to go over what he saw and commit the images to his long-term memory.
He knew that without the requisite instruction, such images would have little value. However, once he knew how to use his energy to execute magic, he felt that having such images to reflect upon would serve as a great source for study and research.
At the same time, his energy manipulation progressed at a much faster rate. For the first week, he had done just as he had in his first experience by simply bringing enough demonic energy through his meridians and into his dantian that it felt full. He would then practice his manipulation over the energy in his meridians and the surrounding womb until his own energy had been exhausted. By draining his energy to that point, like a muscle being exercised, his dantian would marginally increase in size, thus improving his capacity.
However, while his energy capacity was growing at a steady rate, he nevertheless became impatient and tried pushing too much energy into his energy pool. Upon doing so, he felt the walls of his dantian crack.
Hairline fractures ran all over the interior of his dantian walls.
Matt froze, extremely frightened. He didn't know what would happen should his dantian break, but there was no doubt in his mind that it would be bad.
Time seemed to freeze as he waited for any changes.
He eventually noticed that his demonic energy was being used up and that the cracks were slowly being repaired. Matt gave a mental sigh of relief when he saw this, but still made no movements until his dantian was fully repaired.
Once repaired, he cautiously moved more energy into his dantian to replenish the used resources. Filling it with the same amount of energy that had made it full just shortly prior to this point, he was surprised to learn that he fit even more energy within it without its walls feeling pressured. Though he was nervous, he moved more energy in.
When his dantian finally felt like it wouldn't be safe to hold any more, Matt checked his status and was shocked that his energy capacity had grown as much as it had. It had increased by more than if he had simply used his energy to exhaustion.
It wasn't that the size of his dantian had increased, but rather that its walls and structure had been strengthened, allowing for more energy to be condensed within it. Thinking about it, he reasoned that – just like how muscles were built by repairing small tears – his dantian could consistently be strengthened by repairing a small amount of damage.
Thus began a daily cycle. When training his control, he would first carefully and slowly stuff his dantian until hairline fractures appeared. Leaving some energy so supply the energy to repair it, he would then use up the rest of his energy pool in practicing his control over the surrounding demonic energy fragments. In this way, his skills and his capacity increased by leaps and bounds, the rate at which his energy capacity grew being increased day by day.
At the end of a month-and-a-half of training, he received an announcement from the system.
[Congratulations, energy capacity has reached 500. Mission completed. Three premium gacha tickets have been awarded.]
Matt was extremely pleased with himself, both in having reached such an energy level and in having obtained more gacha tickets.
At the same time, however, it felt like he had an itch he couldn't scratch. He had always hated this point in mobile games that had a gacha system. He was now able to draw the gacha, but he knew he shouldn't. If he could just wait until he had ten tickets then he could get an extra draw for free.
But waiting was so damn hard. He really wanted to see what he would get. Besides, he had no idea when he would fulfill another mission – or potentially missions – and get the seven remaining tickets.
If aspects of a gacha were separated into the seven different levels of hell, he wondered if this situation would fall into the seventh layer. It was true torment.
In the end, to avoid temptations, Matt resolved himself to not even pull up his status and simply continue training.
And so, the next three-and-a-half months passed in more training. Of course, doing the same thing day in, day out was extremely monotonous, and so Matt occasionally took brief breaks. It was during these moments that he would torment his mother by moving around and pressing against the various parts of her womb.
Towards the end of the nine-month pregnancy, he had reached a point where his energy increased by a little over 30 every day. Fortunately, no one was there to tell him that this rate still fell quite a bit short of Sirzechs' daily increase during his pregnancy or else he would have been disheartened.
Regardless, his dantian walls were much thicker and stronger, his sensing and control abilities had made great gains, and his energy capacity had almost reached 2000.
At the moment, Matt knew that he could be born any day now and was thus putting a concerted effort into his training. Once born, he figured that the time available for training would be greatly reduced. Instead of being able to devote all his time to himself, he would soon become part of a family, sharing his life with them. He was excited. Though his orphanage mother had done her best in his past life, he always wondered how it would be to have a real family.
But before he was born, he really wanted to cross that 2000 energy mark. It just felt like a good, round number to start his new life at.
And so, having a 1997 capacity, Matt did one last cycle of cracking his dantian and then exhausting his energy by manipulating dozens of energy fragments around him. Moments later, he finally crossed into the 2000's.
[Congratulations, energy capacity has reached 2000. Hidden mission completed. Seven premium gacha tickets have been awarded.]
(Seriously?!) Matt exclaimed in his head. (I didn't think there be another energy related mission.)
He now had 10 premium tickets! At last, five months since the last time, he could now happily use the gacha. He pulled up his status to verify his gains.
==========
Name: Matthew McKnight (temporary)
Age: Unborn
Race: Pure-blood Devil
Rank: Gremory Clan (Duchy) – High-class Devil
Health: 33/33
Energy: 127/2005
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ABILITIES
Eidetic Memory
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SKILLS
Energy Sensing Lv. 14
Energy Manipulation Lv. 19
Singing Lv. 100
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EQUIPMENT
None
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GACHA TICKETS
Ordinary: 0
Premium: 10
Special: 0
==========
He was elated at his progress and in having a full 10 premium tickets, but the system wasn't done speaking.
[In the case that you managed to accomplish this mission, Lord Chaos has permitted me to counsel you. In your attempts to accomplish the first mission, your efforts in training were superb and you reached a capacity of 500 at a better time than the system had calculated you would. However, upon completing said mission, the system recorded decreased efforts on the host's part. Specifically, based on your first month-and-a-half of efforts, the system calculated that, had you remained diligent, you should have reached a capacity of roughly 2200 energy by now rather than the 2005 the host is currently at. In conclusion, you have only succeeded now due to the efforts you put in when the mission was known to you.]
[The host should attempt put 100% of his effort into what he does, regardless if that is obtaining strength or even casual matters that may pop up in his life. While knowing a mission's parameters may increase the hosts motivation, that only serves to demonstrate a lack of self-control over the direction his life takes. Lord Chaos wants to see what you can accomplish on your own, not by being a slave to the system. Please do your best in the future.]
(Ah…)
When the system was done speaking, he couldn't think of anything to respond with. He knew the system was right. Even though it wasn't by much, the fact remained that he had slacked off. He was a baby who still slept 90% of the day. Even if training was monotonous, that was no excuse for not being able to focus for a measly two-and-a-half hours a day.
(I can do better and will do better. I refuse to end up being a side character.)
He was glad for the lesson and he wouldn't take Lord Chaos's advice – delivered via the system – lightly. Though he might falter at times, he would do his best.
(But first…) Matt grinned. He had ten tickets to use. (System, please spend the ten…)
He never finished that thought. There was movement in the womb and he felt the liquid surrounding him drain away. Venelana's water had broken. Nine months were up and it was time for him to meet his family.
(Scratch that last order) he told the system.
It was time to head towards the light.
