Chapter 6: Muscle Refinement and Aincrad

Two years passed and Damien was now eight years old. Many things happened in the past two years.

The Chase family welcomed a new member, Damien's little sister, Rosalind. She was seven years younger than him and she was the cutest little thing with crimson hair and hazel eyes.

He met Noah, Julia, and Dean; talented Awakened kids who were recruited in the guild. They were a year older than him. Noah and Dean were both Psychers. Julia on the other hand, was an Elemantalist with a perfect Blood Affinity.

When an Awakened with a perfect Blood Affinity had been reported, his grandfather instantly wanted to meet her. Blood Elemantalists were very rare, so rare that his grandfather had only known one other but she was dead. His grandfather accepted her as his disciple and according to him her affinity with the Blood Element was even better than his own.

The four of them became inseparable. Damien even refused the special admission notice that he received from the World Nexus Academy and decided to attend it together with them. He also took up the study of human and monster anatomy. His mother advised him to do so because it would help him in the later stages of the Fatal Painforged Rebirth Technique. After some thought, Julia also decided to join him in his endeavour.

Noah and Dean introduced him to the vast world of web novels, webtoons, anime and video games. Before they were just a means of entertainment, but now, they were an important source of inspiration. People began trying to replicate abilities from fantasy anime and web novels and many succeeded including his father.

Currently, Damien was in a laboratory with Julia and they were dissecting a Rock Salamander. After they were done, they cleaned up and joined Noah and Dean for lunch. Damien had some important news that he wanted to share with them.

"So guys, I have a feeling that I will break through to Tier 2 in the next few days." Noah, Dean, and Julia paused simultaneously.

"Seriously?"x2

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll inform Dad today and attempt a breakthrough after two days," Damien replied, not shocked by their outburst.

The three of them congratulated him. Noah and Dean said "We also have some news to share. We are also very close to a breakthrough. We believe that we will be able to become Tier 1 Psychers pretty soon."

Julia had already become a Tier 1 Elementalist a few weeks back. They finished their food and Damien went to his father's office. He told him that he was ready to break through to the Muscle Refinement stage of the Fatal Painforged Rebirth.

For the next two days, all Damien did was eat Tier 2 monster meat. It was Arnold who suggested this. He had a very deep understanding of the human body and knew that such a significant transformation would require a lot of energy to support it.

Finally, it was time for him to break through. His father had a special room built for him because he knew how messy his last breakthrough was. He sat down in the centre of the room and initiated the second stage of the technique.

With a profound understanding of his physiology, Damien visualized the intricate network of muscle fibres and the biomechanics that govern movement. He connected with the potential hidden within his young body. As he advanced, searing pain pierced every fibre of his being.

It was as if a thousand red-hot blades were slicing through his muscles and sinews. The initial moments were brutal, and the eight-year-old bit down on his trembling lip, determined not to cry out.

The room echoed with the sound of his anguish, yet Damien remained steadfast. He couldn't afford to fail. The unknown disease had left him with no other choice but to endure this trial.

As time passed, the pain evolved, becoming not only physical but a test of Damien's mental resilience. Doubt, fear, and despair threatened to overtake him, but his unyielding spirit held fast. He knew that this ordeal was not just about becoming stronger; it was about survival itself. The muscles that were being forged in this crucible of torment would not only shape his future but also save his life.

After what felt like an eternity, Damien's self-guided process ceased. The pain gradually receded, leaving him panting and drenched in sweat. He rose to his feet, shaky but resolute. He was covered with a black sticky substance and immediately started vomiting.

Weirdly, the vomit was pitch black and smelled horrendous. After he was done he quickly rushed to the bathroom connected to the room and took a long relaxing bath. After he was done, he exited the room and pushed the button outside it. Flamethrowers emerged from the walls of the room and incinerated all the impurities inside.

He informed his family that he had succeeded in his breakthrough and they held a small celebration. A week later, Noah and Dean also broke through and became Tier 1 Psychers. Noah was an Illusionist and Dean was a Beast Tamer. They were subcategories of the Psycher type Awakened and pretty rare ones at that.

Just like Elementalists had an affinity to different elements, and Enhancers could enhance certain aspects of their physical bodies, Pyschers also had different subcategories that would awaken after they broke through to Tier 1. They all went to the WAA branch in Washington, DC. Noah and Dean registered themselves while Damien upgraded his Tier to Tier 2. His badge transformed from an iron to copper.

Sam told him that he had a surprise for Damien waiting for him at home. Damien was very curious about it and couldn't wait to reach home. After they returned, he couldn't wait and asked Sam about the surprise.

Sam replied, "First let me tell you a story. About 300 years ago, there was a man named Kawahara Reki. He wrote a light novel series with the name Sword Art Online. In that novel, he wrote of a virtual reality. About 220 years later, one of his descendants, Kawahara Ryu, became a Tier 9 Illusionist.

His illusions had reached a point where they could subtly influence reality. He and a team of Peak Tier 8 Psychers took inspiration from his ancestor's light novel and sought to create a similar virtual reality. It took them about forty years but they succeeded in creating an algorithm that would be able to simulate the real world with almost zero errors but something was missing. They had no way to implement something that grand without a core stabilizing it.

To achieve their dream, they sacrificed their lives. Kawahara Ryu became the core with his illusions becoming the skeleton of the virtual reality. The other members of the team also sacrificed their lives and became sub-cores, each using their abilities to perfect the virtual world. Their personalities were almost erased and they became one single entity.

Only one member of the team was left. To commemorate her leader, she named the virtual world Aincrad after the first virtual world. She named the entity The Cardinal System, Cardinal for short.

Illusionists can learn how to create and design world seeds that once planted in Aincrad, can bloom into complete worlds based on the skill and Tier of its creator. There are currently about one million virtual worlds that are open to eligible users.

Tier 2 and above Awakened can buy Neuro Links and connect to Aincrad to explore these worlds, train their abilities, conduct experiments, or just hang out. I got you a Neuro Link, now that you are Tier 2."

Sam handed Damien a pair of lenses and told him about the instructions for use. Damien went through the calibration process and asked "Now what?"

Sam replied, "Just close your eyes and say the magic words."

Damien closed his eyes and shouted, "LINK START!"

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Author's Note:

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