Chapter 24: The Passage of Time, Part 4

June 10, 2012

"Damn, it didn't work, the results are still the same, this method is a bust as well kid," said the master, quite frustrated.

It has been 6 months since I met him and convinced him to train me. Since then, we have tried hundreds of methods to try to break my limits, but no matter what kind of training we try, nothing has worked.

"Don't despair master, we have time and resources, we just need to find another way," I said to him, trying to cheer him up.

He is truly incredible when it comes to training, the methods he came up with were unique and ingenious. If it were just me, it would have taken me longer to even think of and test those ideas. Most of my knowledge about exercise and proper training is self-taught.

In the gyms where I trained, I only learned martial arts, not how to exercise, since my physical levels were already high when I started going, and I did not see the need to train my body there. I only went there to learn martial arts.

"Well, with this, we can discard any normal training method; they simply won't work. We're talking about surpassing human limits, and I was naive to think that normal methods, even if taken to the most extreme limits, would work.

It is time to move on to inhuman and unorthodox methods, but I don't know if you are ready kid. You will have to undergo a hell of pain, and there is no guarantee it will work. It may be that the limits cannot be surpassed no matter what we do," said the master in a serious tone.

"Since I decided to surpass those limits, I have mentally prepared myself for the worst, so as long as you point out a path, I will follow it. I trust in your knowledge and experience, and I know that if there is someone in this world or the other who can help me surpass those limits, it's definitely you," I said as seriously as possible.

In these 6 months, access to the Lost Paradise finally opened up. The master was one of the first invitees; that happened 4 months ago, and since then, he has become more familiar with the supernatural side of things. Since then, we refer to the Lost Paradise as "another world" because the earthlings who go there cannot mention specific names or words related to the Lost Paradise on earth.

If they do, they will suffer the penalties of the contract they signed to go to the other world and will lose all memories from the first day they entered that place until the present.

"Alright, then I won't hold back. We'll go for a method in which I am confident that we will get what you are looking for, but possibly only you with your special abilities will be able to achieve it. However, keep this in mind kid, if this does not work, then it is simply impossible to get what you're looking for," said the master.

"I understand master," I nodded, and we got to work. The idea he came up with was to destroy my body by overexerting it with [Physical Reinforcement] to the point of tearing my muscles, cartilage, and fracturing my bones, and then healing it with my [Self-Healing] and repeating the process until my limits break... If it doesn't work, then discarding the possibility of surpassing human limits would be the only feasible option.

...

6 Months Later

"As much as I see it, it's still hard to believe. You are simply incredible kid," said the master, quite satisfied.

The reason for that is... well, I am currently lifting 700 kilos of weight using nothing but my human capabilities. A couple of months ago, the destruction and healing method worked, and my limits were broken, but breaking them doesn't mean I automatically became stronger and faster; it means it allowed me to continue benefiting from training, and since then, I have spent the last 2 months training my physique, and this is the result.

In strength, I can carry 700 kilos of weight, which is 200 kilos more than the current world record for weightlifting, and that is done by a person who trained specifically to lift weights, that person has huge and bulging muscles, is heavy and physically clumsy, whereas I maintain my compact figure, my muscles are not only strong, they are agile, flexible, and resilient.

My speed measurement is 100 meters in 8.9 seconds, which is 0.68 seconds faster than the speed athlete with the world record. Converted to speed, it translates like this;

The speed of the athlete who has the world record is 37.584 km/h or 10.44 m/s

And my speed is 40.464 km/h or 11.24 m/s. It is not a very big difference, but the same applies as before, I am not only fast but also strong and resilient, I'm simply superior in all areas.

But I have reached a new limit, it seems that even though I broke the first one, it does not mean there aren't more, once again my stats showed that I have reached another limit and I suppose the breaking method will be even more difficult than before.

But I'm quite satisfied, just increasing my base physical capacity makes it so that when I use [Physical Reinforcement], the amount of improvement per reinforcement increases, after all, it is a booster and is based on my base capacity.

With my [Physical Reinforcement] active, I can quadruple my base capacity without suffering much damage from the recoil, and if I push things to the limit, I can quintuple my capacities at the expense of my muscles beginning to tear even with [Self-Healing] active. So trying more than that only brings more harm than benefits, so it doesn't make sense.

But there is still time to continue breaking my limits and keep training, I will reach as high as possible before I have to join Lost Paradise in 2017.

"Yes, I know it's incredible, but I have reached the new limit and I will have to see how long it takes to break this one. I'll take it easy, there's still a year left before I have to go back home and end the service or rather the facade," I said sarcastically.

"Really, young people have no morals anymore, look at you deceiving your family with military service to escape, you're just shameless, if anyone asks, you are not my disciple and I don't know you," said the master, feigning annoyance and disdain.

That only lasted a moment before we both started laughing out loud.

"Come on, master, it's not so bad, look, it's not entirely a lie. At the end of next year I will have my certificate of completing the service with honors. It's not my fault that corrupt politicians are such trash that they would sell their family for benefits and didn't even hesitate to sell me the certificate for a bit of money. Look, I added one more favor to the mix and even got permission to go home driving a war tank," I said while laughing a little more.

"Alright, the truth is that it does bother me a bit, but I understand your reasons and I agree with them. I just wish you could go to the other world faster. Seeing you with so much power and potential, and these outstanding young men who work for you, knowing they can't go there to help fills me with helplessness. With you, we could change many things," he said with considerable regret.

"I know. I would like that too, but it's not the time. I told you, the enemy leader has a very broad vision; we can't carelessly enter until the right moment. Thanks to my eyes, I know it is not yet the time, and until that moment comes, it is just better to keep preparing. So continue to support the other world as much as you can, keep hope, and when you feel you can't anymore, take a break. When the time comes, I will join that side and we will turn the tables. I promise you master, I will make them pay for everything," I said solemnly.

"Alright, I'm satisfied with your answer for now. Now that you have an effective training method, you really don't need much of my help. What will you do after your 'mandatory military service' ends?" asked the master.

"I plan to increase my power and influence in the underworld on Earth. Most of the outstanding and capable people who go to the other world belong to the underworld here, and that is because the situation there is war. To endure and thrive in that environment, only people who have had difficult lives here can manage there...

So once I go to the other world and start to jeopardize their business on that side, they will definitely seek to attack me on this one, and I can't allow it. I need to leave this side stable so I can focus on the other," I told the master.

"I understand, although I don't really know what the underworld is like, I have seen the atrocities of human evil on the other side. I just hope you don't let yourself be consumed and lose your way, boy."

"I will keep your words in mind, but as long as I have the people who matter to me safe, I will never lose my way," I told the master.

"Boss, we finally found the person you asked for," said shadow #36.

"Who are you looking for, boy?" the master asked curiously.

To which I smiled and said, "What would you think master, if I told you that on Earth, there is another person with talent as good as mine but with the possibility of going even further than me in a specific field?"

"If someone else told me that, I would think they are crazy and laugh in their face. But if you're the one telling me, then I can only want to meet that person.

Anyone who has a talent like yours is certainly worth meeting. Tell me, does someone like that really exist apart from you? And in what area do you say they can be better than you?" asked the master, quite curious this time.

"Yes, they exist, and now I know where they are. They are superior to me in an area that will be very useful in the future of the other world, in the domain of magic. If someone was born in this world to reign in magic, it's that person. The only pity is that they were born in a world where there is barely any mana."

"It may be that without going to the other world or without meeting me, they would never realize their talent, and that is why I'm going to recruit that person and prepare them. Even though their time to join the other world will be even after mine, it doesn't matter. That person will be an ace up my sleeve to deal a critical blow to the enemy," I replied.

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I left the master to finally go look for the person I mentioned earlier. I tried to get the master to come with me, but the old man got scared when he found out where I'm going to recruit.

So now it's just me alone. Currently, I'm wearing a hooded coat, sunglasses, and a mask, all of which make me look suspicious, but even that is better than someone recognizing me and making a viral photo of me on social networks.

I never thought I would become damn famous and popular; I've hardly done anything to be so, just excelled in studies and sports at school, high school, and college. That, and my parents are now some of the richest people in Korea, I assume that is why I became popular on social networks, some of my aliases are the fault of some crazy fans. Now I understand a bit of the annoyance the younger Uchiha went through in that regard.

I arrived at the most prestigious private girls' high school in Seoul. I still think that humanity in this era is crazy, not only dividing classes by sex in mixed high schools but dividing an entire institution.

With my totally suspicious appearance, they definitely won't let me into this place, so I had no choice but to wait outside. Shadow #23 is my current driver, the rest of the shadows are busy with business or training with the master.

"I need you to go there and deliver this envelope to the target, I will be waiting in the coffee shop across the street," I ordered shadow #23.

"Yes, boss," he said, took the envelope, and got out of the car.

Now, I wonder if the message I wrote in that envelope will be enough to get her attention, or if I will have to look for another method to contact her. Only time will tell.

I went to the cafe and asked for a private room and left instructions that I am expecting a guest. It's one of the the advantage of businesses that are near private institutions; they are much more luxurious and exclusive, as long as you have money to pay, they will give you good service and limited privacy.

After waiting for several minutes, the door to the room finally opened, and a young woman entered. She was a bit surprised because I still had my disguise on. The reason is that if an employee were to accidentally enter and see me, that would be problematic. Not to mention that in these private rooms there are cameras to maintain the security of the clients, and I don't want them to record my face and cause unnecessary problems with scandals on social media.

"Are you Eun Yuri? Please, come in, take a seat, you can order whatever you want," I said calmly.

The young woman in front of me is Eun Yuri, a 17-year-old who is in her last year of high school. She is quite average academically but outstanding in dance. She is the daughter of a wealthy family and has been taking ballet classes from a very young age. She is well-loved and cared for, which is why she is in a private girls' academy, but as a consequence, she hasn't developed her social skills well, and to some extent, some consider her odd.

She is very pretty, with black hair cut to her shoulders, fair skin, and about 168 cm tall, which is quite normal for a girl in this country. Her facial features are quite attractive, but the most striking are her beautiful blue eyes, a very unusual and beautiful sky blue. If I look at them too much, I feel like I could get lost in them, so I didn't.

In the novel, she joins Lost Paradise a year before Seol Jihu, but she does not pass the Trial Zone and dies, so to speak, due to a conspiracy.

Later in the novel, Seol Jihu, thanks to the [Nine Eyes], learns that she is one of the last hopes to save Lost Paradise in an alternate timeline. So he searches for her again on Earth and takes her to Lost Paradise, where it is discovered that she is the most talented person born in this and the other world regarding the domain of magic.

She's a genius in that field, and I'm sure that even I can't compare. While I am good at magic and better than most, I know that even my talent pales in comparison to hers in that field.

She sat awkwardly as far away from me as possible, her caution about the situation and her nervousness due to her lack of habit of interacting with someone of the opposite sex were evident.

"Umm, I read your letter, and I really find it hard to believe the content. The only reason I came is that I don't have much to lose by checking it out.

But if it's a joke or an attempt to do something silly, forget it. I have my bodyguards outside, and if you try anything improper, they will enter immediately.

Having said that, you have one minute to convince me of the content of the message, and if you can't, then I'll leave," she said, feigning bravery she clearly doesn't have.

"I understand. As I mentioned in my letter, I am a person who is gathering talented individuals in the world, people with abilities or potential greater than others.

I myself have several abilities, and thanks to one of them, I was able to learn about you. To demonstrate it, well, it's a bit difficult to do here because there are security cameras. But I can do it, just don't be too surprised."

"Being seated where I am now, I will use one of my abilities to move your hand against your will," I said, and I did just that. Thanks to my mana control, I can move some objects or things without touching them.

I moved her hand, and I could feel the difficulty increase a bit when she began to resist, so I stopped when I saw her start to panic.

She stood up somewhat frightened, but more than fear, I saw excitement and curiosity. "Can you do it again?! I got a little scared, it took me by surprise, but I'm ready, please do it again," she said somewhat eagerly.

So, I moved her hand again and brought it to her head and made her awkwardly scratch her hair. Although I can move things, I don't have enough control for the movements to be quick and refined.

"Incredible! Can I also learn to do something like that? Really?" That is where the shy and nervous young woman disappeared and was replaced by an enthusiastic and lively one. It took me a lot to calm her down so we could continue the conversation.

"That's right, but as I mentioned before, there are not many people with talents and abilities, and each person's talent is different; your talent is different from mine too," I explained a bit about the situation.

"You said you can see talents, right? Tell me, what talent do I have?" Her beautiful blue eyes were looking at me with such intensity and expectation that I couldn't help it. I really wanted to resist the urge, but in the end, I really couldn't.

"You have the talent to hold your breath; you can hold it for more than 10 minutes, I assure you," I said as seriously as possible, but inside I was dying of laughter at the perplexed expression she put on. When I could no longer contain the laughter and she realized I was laughing at her, she jumped to attack me. Seriously, where did the shy young woman go? I wondered.

"Sorry, it was a joke, that's not your talent, but I couldn't help it," I said while still laughing a bit, and I saw her get angry, but she didn't attack me again, she waited for me to answer honestly.

"Your talent is similar to what I showed you; you have the ability to cause physical phenomena with your mind, like moving objects, creating and manipulating water, fire, air, and doing many more things, but your talent is dormant. If you want, I can awaken it, but to awaken it, you have to agree to some things," I told her, and she was super excited from knowing her talent, but she was cautious about the last part, she is a smart and cautious girl.

And I proceeded to explain many things to her, like that she would have to undergo special training to develop and control her abilities and join my organization "The Shadow."

I wouldn't make her do anything outside the law, or anything she doesn't want to, but she has to join Lost Paradise later and help me save it. When she found out that there is another world, one full of what is considered supernatural in this one, and we are going to save it, well, this girl got lost in the fantasy.

After exchanging contacts, we parted ways, and throughout this, I kept my identity hidden from her until the end. Although she was dying to know who I am, I told her that would be for the next meeting when we see each other in a truly private place, and we can awaken her powers, or rather, I use my mana to stimulate hers and help her develop the ability [Mana Circuit Application], as I have done with all the members of my organization "The Shadow."

This was my first encounter with my first disciple, who would later become known as one of the Seven Crazies of Paradise.