Warm Touch

A full grown deathbear appeared in front of Lem's simulated self. It astonished him with its sheer size.

Its head was bigger than the body of a full-grown man, with enormous eyes, a wet nose, and a tongue that was longer than his legs. Even when it was on all fours, he still was barely eye-level with its knees.

As he stared up at the face of death, it moved towards him, and he felt like he was about to be flattened by a mountain.

He punched out with his [Nine Bull Fist], but it was like throwing an egg at a stone.

His fist bounced off of its fur without leaving a mark. The vibration force disappeared instantly.

A split second later, its paw came down. 

Even with his detached perspective, Lem was surprised by the sensation.

The pads of the paw felt warm and comfortable, as they touched him. It was like the warm sun against his skin, or the soothing waters of a hot spring.

Instinctively, he knew that the attack was filled with spiritual energy.

All of the bones in his body were simultaneously breaking, as his skin began to burst and his muscles compressed. 

The feeling of gentle sunlight had quickly risen to scorching levels. The comforting waters of the spring had begun to boil.

Crack!-Crack!-Crack!

Just before he was flattened entirely, the latent energy within him was somehow agitated even further by its interaction with the spiritual paw.

He felt a horrible stirring within him.

His body went from one extreme to another, expanding like a balloon.

The last thing Lem saw was the bear's snout recoiling backwards out of instinct.

Was it surprise?

The next moment, his world was black.

[You are still punching when you see a fully grown deathbear lumber in front of you. It is several times your height, but you have no choice but to engage it in a fight. You punch the deathbear in the leg, but it barely moves.

A moment later, you are crushed by its paw. You die in a massive explosion of spiritual energy. In your last moment, you see the deathbear ducking away, and you think you see fear in its eyes…]

Lem made a different judgment from his simulated self.

He did not believe that the deathbear would be harmed from his explosion.

It was likely only startled by the sequence of events.

[Simulation ends.]

The memories poured into Lem's mind.

[Choose one of three rewards: 

Option 1: peak cultivation from lifetime (Day 8 cultivation)

Option 2: comprehension from lifetime

Option 3: (one spiritual mushroom), or (one spiritual seed), or (one carcass of juvenile tyrant sloth)]