The Grind Never Stops

Trace woke up slowly, his body feeling like lead. He could barely move his toes, meaning the period of weakness still wasn't over yet. He no longer had a headache though, so that was good.

A System notification appeared before him.

[Node of Martial Arts - Early]: All attributes +5. Dexterity +5%, Endurance +5.

Trace felt a grin, though it came slowly. He was finally able to start to feel his body again, though his body still jerked uncontrollably. When Trace checked, some of Togras' Dao was lodged up in his Essence channels, damaging them. 

Trace would figure out how to remove them, but first, he needed to make it back to his home. There was a lot of skills to explore, quests to look at, and things to practice. 

Trace felt a sharp prick from his index finger. When looking, he saw Va'Kraveah nibbling on his finger, most likely believing he was dead an trying to reap rewards.

About time you died, Trace thought in annoyance, releasing a burst of Power Dao from his finger. The mini explosion caused Va'Kraveah to backpedal, but Trace wasn't done.

Almost subconsciously, Trace manipulated the ambient Power in the air to condense itself around the Beast's neck. The Power responded easily, condensing to the point where it crushed the demon's neck instantly, leaving it dead before it fell to the floor.

How did I- Traces train of thought was interrupted by the headache that threatened to tear his head wide open. It was Pain, with a capital P. Trace let out a scream that bellowed throughout the forest for kilometers, aided by his supernatural lungs.

Trace thought he heard a system notification, but he mentally told it to go away. 

Thankfully, the Essence from the kill was enough to level him up and erase the pain, but Trace still found himself sweating as he slowly and shakily stood.

[You have leveled up to level 31!]

[You have leveled up to level 32!]

[You have leveled up to level 33!]

I think that's enough power leveling for today. Trace thought, surveying the scene of the battle. 

They had absolutely destroyed a good 50 meters of the forest. Trees were toppled, craters were formed, and their respective Daos still lingered in the air. Looking up at the sky, only a few hours had passed, giving him more than enough time to practice his Body Tempering Manual and shore up his foundations.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that while leveling fast was good and all, that wasn't the only avenue to become the strongest. You would be a fool to try everything, but making sure ones foundation could hold the weight of their progression was a necessity. 

Trace started his long walk back home, his thighs buzzing and twitching.

How the hell am I gonna get rid of this guys Dao? Not to mention other things that could be in the nooks and crannies of my body.

It was a weird feeling. It made him feel oily and slimy, as if he hadn't bathed for weeks. He would have to get rid of it as soon as possible. 

Trace decided to look at his skill screen while he walked. 

[Skills]: 

[F] Surging Vitality - Proficiency: Early. Upgradable.

No wound can hold you.

[F] Intrusive Eye - Proficiency: Early. Upgradeable.

Peer into their secrets. 

[F] Fist Meditation - Proficiency: Middle. Upgradable.

Just you and your fist against the world.

[Dao Skills]:

[F] Power Shatter - Proficiency: Early. Upgradable.

Nothing holds you back.

Huh. When did [Fist Meditation] get to Middle Mastery? Did it happen during the fight, or during the Dao Vision? Trace thought as he walked, covering good distance. 

Trace then checked his quest screen for anything new. 

[Active Quests]:

Loamwalker (Unique, Class Quest): Walk 100 kilometers. Reward: F-Grade skill [Shockwave]. (15/100)

Explosive Fist (Unique, Class Quest): Punch something with Essence 100 times. Reward: F-Grade skill [Meteor Fist]. F-Grade skill [Everlasting Punches]. (89/100)

[Dynamic Quests]: 

1. Slayer of Leviathans (Unique, Limited): Close the demonic incursion within 3 months. Reward: 5 E-Grade Nexus Crystals, Free Town Ownership, Status upgraded to Lord. Note: Failure to complete will result in the demonic incursion gaining complete control.

2. King of the Forest (Unique, Limited): Claim the Pseudo D-Grade natural treasure, the Divine Cherry, when it ripens. Reward: Pseudo D-Grade Treasure, Divine Cherry. King title. Time until the fruit ripens: (93:32:24)

3. The Four Behemoths (Unique, Limited): Kill the four Beast Kings of the incursion. Reward: Recommendation to the Felons versus Fellows multiversal show. (1/4)

New quest, huh? I did kill Va'Kraveah, so I guess he counts as a Beast King... But then, where are the other three? If there's a barghest Beast King, there's definitely a gywolli Beast King, and possibly other demonic races. If that's the case then... Trace grinned. More challenges.

And interestingly, Explosive Fist was an 89 out of 100, so he was nearly almost done with that quest. He would be a lot stronger before the [Divine Cherry] ripened, which would give him a definitive edge over the competition.

Trace finally reached his tree, and he quickly entered it. When he did, he noticed that the garpon was back.

It was bloody, it's once pristine hide now torn and shredded. But in its paws, it held a gargantuan silver acorn the size of his head. Trace used [Intrusive Eye], believing that the acorn had to count as a living thing. 

[Celestial Acorn - Level 1]

"[Celestial Acorn]...?"

The Garpon flinched, as if worried he would take it, but Trace didn't care. His cells weren't screaming for him to eat it anyway. 

Trace finally sat in the middle of his tree, cross-legged. He immediately activated [Fist Meditation], and felt his senses to the outside world disappear. It was only him and his fist.

But Trace wasn't focusing on his fist, but instead, his body. Trace finally fully explored his channels, which were crisscrossed in a pattern he couldn't make heads or tails of, even with his increased concentration from [Fist Meditation].

When Trace found most of the damage done, his heart sunk.