Technical breakthrough

[You're dead.]

[Simulation being analyzed.]

You have lived for 22 years.

[22 Yxa points rewarded.]

Your reputation in the region where you were born is ordinary and unknown beyond.

[3 Yxa points rewarded].

[Total: 25 Yxa points rewarded.]

Your balance will be credited with 25 Yxa points.

Adam looked curiously at various texts floating in front of him.

"So it's no longer limited to auditory hallucinations, I now have visual hallucinations too."

He laughed lightly at his own joke.

He himself was forced to admit that it all seemed very real.

"Is there any way I can see my sales at any time?" he wondered aloud.

And as if by magic, a translucent blue window appeared before him.

[Status.]

Adam Sylvaeri

Age : 16

Culture : Apprentice warrior1st rank

Technique: Kingdom of Kerya's standard body-forging method (apprenticeship) (0/20)

Talent: Dagger (miserable)

Yxa points balance: 25

Adam completely ignored the qualifier used to describe the quality of his talent, for his own sake.

Instead, he concentrated on more important matters.

"What do the numbers in brackets correspond to?"

[The numbers in brackets respectively represent the number of points needed to improve your technique].

"It's really too strange to have a voice going back and forth like that in your mind."

But at least Adam had the answer to his questions, and he was very excited.

Despite his weak talent that couldn't be changed, he could still train quickly by improving his techniques with the simulator.

From what he'd heard, the more one mastered the body-forging technique, the faster one progressed through the ranks.

Adam inhaled deeply, staring at the numbers floating in front of him. 25 Yxa points. The potential of these numbers made his mind bubble with anticipation.

"All right, let's try this."

As soon as he formulated this thought, a new text appeared.

[Would you like to invest 20 Yxa points to improve your body forging technique?]

[Yes / No]

"Of course I would!" he replied without hesitation.

The world before his eyes literally blurred.

New memories began to appear in his mind.

Precise movements, postures and gestures he recognized very well, since he had studied these images only a few hours before.

But the difference was that this time he was practicing the technique.

In his memory, he was in an empty training room with white walls.

At first, his movements were terribly awkward, so much so that apart from tiring his body, it didn't do anything else.

But as time went by, he made progress while practicing the body-forging method.

It seemed as if a stern voice was echoing, enumerating clear instructions on how to practice and constantly correcting him. He had never experienced these scenes, these gestures, these words.

And yet...

Adam leapt to his feet. His body acted even before his mind understood. His feet spontaneously assumed a stable posture, his arms stretched out at a perfect angle. He began to reproduce the movements of the memories, as if he'd been learning them for years.

All at once, he felt his body boil.

His muscles, like a well-oiled machine, began to work together.

"That's the feeling Professor Arval was describing this afternoon!"

As if recalling the scene from that afternoon in the amphitheater, he seemed to hear the professor's voice again.

"Once you feel the heat coursing through your body, then that's the sign that proves your body is starting to get stronger."

"That's when your martial arts journey really begins."

That's what the teacher had said.

"So my path to the pinnacle of martial arts begins here," Adam murmured, holding his fist tightly and smiling.

At the same time, a new window appeared before him.

[Technique: Kingdom of Kerya standard method of body forging (entry) (0/100)]

"As expected, the teacher had also said that technique masteries could be divided into several stages."

"The stage of learning, entry, small success, great success and finally perfection."

"The time needed to reach each stage depends enormously on the difficulty of the technique itself."

"I wonder how long others must take, or even how long geniuses take?"

"I imagine that even people in Class 1 including Iris Thandrel can't go as fast as I can." thought Adam excitedly.

This power, he was convinced, would definitely change his life and enable him to reach heights as yet unknown.

Adam felt a wave of satisfaction, but also a touch of vertigo.

These memories, these skills, where did they really come from? Was it some kind of information implant?

Or had he, in a way, really experienced these moments?

He closed his eyes, trying to understand. Then suddenly a phrase popped into his mind, clear as if he'd heard it only a second ago:

"The body is the foundation of every warrior. Forge it as you would forge a blade: with care, repetition and discipline."

"Who said that?" murmured Adam, perplexed.

This voice had appeared in his memories and, not knowing why, he immediately remembered.

But no answer came.

"I imagine that simulator's hiding a lot of secrets."

Adam opened his eyes, letting the calm of his mind settle after the effervescence of his memories.

He felt strangely invigorated, as if he'd already spent hours perfecting every movement etched in his memory.

"Let's get on with it. If I really want to make progress, there's no time to lose."

He settled himself in the center of his room, swept away the bulky furniture to clear sufficient space, and began the movements of the body-forging method.

The first gestures required all his concentration: adjusting his posture, controlling his breathing, and above all ensuring that each movement remained fluid.

An hour passed, then two.

The heat was back in her body, more intense this time. His muscles burned, but in the pain was a strange satisfaction.

When he finally stopped, his breath was short and his clothes clung to his sweat-soaked skin.

"At this rate I think I could break through in less than a year."