Reward

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-[Shop]-

Techniques:

[Heavy strikes] (1000E)

[Swift kicks] (1000 E)

[Blade origin] (20,000 E)

[Immovable body] (5,000 E)

[The way of water] (5,000 E)

Strengthening method:

[Abyssal body] (-)

[Void soul] (-)

[??? Energy technique] (-)

Soul space Upgrade:

1/?? (10,000 E)

*Rest of shop yet to be unlocked

*[Heavy strikes] have been gifted to you

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The technique appeared in Xanther's head as soon as he read the message. It surprised him and caused a strong headache.

[This is a prerecorded message to help you through your first technique. The name [Heavy Strikes] might seem very basic and thus you may underestimate the technique, but you should understand, the point of the technique is to strategically add weight by manipulating the nature, path, and amount of energy in a certain area to cause the most damage. Whether you like it or not, this weight affects you, and you are nowhere near being able to handle the full extent of what you are capable of putting on yourself. Your first task will be to get the timing of 10 strikes correct consecutively, you will get a fitting reward when you do succeed.]

[*Usage of the soul space is recommended. To use the soul space, you must focus on your soul and enter it with your consciousness]

"So I get no real instructions on how to even control the timing? Okay. It can't be that hard to just time it well"

Xanther tried to enter his soul space by focusing on the place he felt once Erebus was released. Due to him now having experienced 3 beings staying within his soul space he was forced to be aware of where his soul was and now could roughly keep track of how it was at any time.

Once he started to "enter" it, he felt like he was sinking into a deep slumber before waking up to a dimly lit black space. He could somehow feel that it was 40 square meters within a circular area around him.

He had attempted to use the technique through his fist as per what his memory had shown, but couldn't even get his energy to move well enough to activate it. After practicing with his energy for 3 hours, he could roughly activate the technique 50% of the time.

He decided to practice by striking his fist downwards to imitate some real-life applications of this technique.

"So I start from here, bring it across, condense it, strike, and... AARGH!"

Xanther hadn't been able to retract the technique before his arm had fully outstretched, which had caused his joint to shatter. His current output of the technique's increased gravity acting upon his fist had reached 100 times his Earth's gravity due to his inability to control how much energy went into the strike.

It took a short while for the pain to register, but when it did it felt like his arm had been struck by lightning. His arm had immediately begun repairing itself, but the pain continued. He was thankful that he wasn't using his real body to test this.

He began fervently trying to figure out how to stop the movement of energy within his body so that a case like this would not happen again.

He had eventually found a way to stop the energy soon enough that his arm was able to be healed, albeit with immense pain. Not long after, the 10 consecutive strikes had been completed.

[Congratulations on finally keeping your arm somewhat intact, you must have realized part of the value of this place by now right? You can wreck your body here as much as you want and observe exactly how you've been damaged along with how it can be healed. Now, you must be wondering what your first reward is. It is a Void baptism as I'd like to call it, you will be figuratively and literally bathed in the energies of the void in order to awaken your talent for it, which will most likely be similar to mine due to the effects of my presence on you. Just buy the free option in the shop when you feel ready for it.]

"From the way, this was put, It'd be safer to assume that this means a lot of pain. Haah, why can't there ever be painless methods to get stronger"

[No pain, no gain.]

"Oh shut it. I thought you were meant to be gone or something."

[These are pre-recorded messages you're talking to, I just know you well.]

"I am looking forward to the day I can punch you."

Xanther decided to go through with the process while sitting behind one of the stiff sofas. He didn't have anyone who would look for him in the next few days due to the reclusive life he had led, so there was no better moment than the present. He took off all of his outer clothing and started the process in his underwear just in case.

He told the shop to buy the "Void Baptism" and saw a hole appear above him. It felt as if reality itself had been torn apart. A thin film began to descend from the edges of the hole and wrap around Xanther. He had been wrapped in a thin film of a slightly opaque fluid and was essentially in a cocoon. A black sludge immediately began to flood the cocoon and filled it within a second, he felt as if he was melting down into nothing. The process hurt, but the feeling that this black substance gave him was oddly calming, it was like being home again. The conflicting feelings of pain and comfort continued until Xanther seemed to have no body left to feel anymore, there was only the concept of nothing around him. This concept seemed to be deeper than what he could perceive, it was in conflict with itself. It seemingly created things out of nothing to create more nothingness to balance with the creation, only to consume its creation as fuel to create more nothingness. An infinite loop of nothing. He couldn't wrap his mind around it at all.

Finally, he had begun to feel his body again along with the pain that came along with recreating it. He felt his skeleton, tendons, muscles, blood vessels, eyes, nerves, skin, and even brain being made, however, he never felt any of the large organs in his torso apart from his heart. He felt empty but it also felt oddly right soon enough. The process was complete and the film completely disappeared as if it never existed. All of the fluid seems to have been absorbed into him and his underwear was gone, thankfully, this meant that he had saved himself the trouble of having to find a way back home naked and instead would only have to go commando for today.