037

I was let go the morning of the next day.

I was still a little fatigued but other than that I was fine. I headed straight for the hotel. On my way there, I picked up something to eat now that there were a lot of smaller stalls around.

After the battle yesterday, not many of the shops and businesses have opened but quite a few of them have. I can also see repair work going on in some places and the streets are being cleaned.

The beasts and monsters yesterday did quite the damage.

Returning to my room, I did nothing but slam my face down on bed and did not get up before the evening.

…

I can’t believe I slept this long…

I couldn’t help but say after looking at the warm orange glow that filled up my room.

It was still time before dinner and I had no intention of going outside. It is at times like this that I miss my old world a lot. If I had my smartphone with me, I could’ve passed the time easily.

Then, like a light bulb being lit in my head, I recalled something.

Since I was going to check this later anyway, so why not now.

Lv.9 [2/4 Condition Satisfied]

Name: Grant Steele

Rank 0 – Qi Fighter

HP: 512/512

QI: 580/580 [0.4/sec]

WE: 1/1

DEF: 160

Skills:

[Unique]

A Mortal’s Tenacity

[General]

Sprint Lv.6, Quick Dash Lv.-, Qi Manipulation Lv.5, Cold Resistance Lv.3, Qi Regeneration Lv.4, Awareness Lv.3, Magic Resistance Lv.1, Stone Skin Lv.3, Weight Control Lv.3

[Blessings]

Blessing of Understanding

[Rank Up Conditions]

Forming of an Essence Core - 0/1 Cultivation of World Essence - 1/1000 Cultivation of Qi - 580/500 Cultivation of Body – 512/500

Ok.

At least I’ve crossed out two of the four conditions.

I have a feeling that Essence Core and World Essence is related in some way. And I also think that I may have to complete the second condition before I can think of moving to the first.

The essence has got something to do with World Essence.

I cannot help but think that.

Yesterday, after everyone left, I tried asking Rachael some questions regarding this. Since she is the only one who knows of my different status, I could only ask her.

Although I did ask her about Worldly Essence, I didn’t tell her anything about it appearing in my status. I just said that I was browsing the storage of the union and I found a few books with those in the title, that’s why.

She bought it completely seeing as she probably knew about me visiting the storage room from Lara.

According to her, although she said that she didn’t know much about it since this wasn’t her area of expertise, she said, that it was the basis of all energy in the world.

Magical energy and Battle Aura is an energy that is said to be derived from the world’s essence.

World’s Essence is all around us but it cannot be manipulated directly. At least not by people. So that’s why they have Magical Energy and Battle Aura granted by the Immortal Growth System which can convert the World’s Essence into something their bodies can actually use.

All skills are basically constructs responsible for moving the derived energy in a certain way.

She said if I needed more answers I should probably hear it from a Magic Craftsmen.

Although not many, there were a few of them in East Green.

I think I understood what she was trying to say, but what does it means for me?

Although I have the stat of WE, I don’t actually know how to use it. I mean, are there skills related to WE?

There must be, but I don’t have any idea on how I should move to get them.

I doubt I would get lucky like last time where I got those two scrolls. So I focused my attention on the stat itself.

Rachael said that World Essence is something that is all around us at all times.

If I can assume it to be some kind of energy similar to Qi, then I should be able to sense it somehow.

But that’s easier said than done. When I sensed Qi for the first time, I was able to do so only because I already had a skill that could help me understand it.

Like [Sprint], the moment I use it, the change in my body is so sudden and apparent that it is difficult not being able to recognize it. But I can’t say the same for something like [Stone Skin].

The reason I know what [Stone Skin] does to my body is because I was able to sense it with [Qi Manipulation], if it weren’t for that, who knows how long it would’ve been before I found out.

I guess I really should be thankful for getting a skill like that so early. I have absolute faith that I wouldn’t have survived this long without it.

But if I think like this, then I’m back to square one.

Wait…

Although roughly, the status shows me the condition of my body. Then that simple 1 point in WE should have some value to it, right?

But how do I sense something that is completely foreign to me?

If only I could still level up, it would’ve increased on its own. I mean, a single point in something is too little. I honestly think that I probably wouldn’t be able to accurately sense Qi if it was only a single point, then how do I do this?

Doesn’t really matter. Since it is in my body, sooner or later it’ll come out. The best thing I can do right now is try.

So, without wasting any more time, I sat down with my legs crossed and both of my arms rested on my knees.

First, I began by focusing my attention on my breathing. The reason I began here was because I was trying to drown out the sounds from outside a little, so I could focus a little better on what is actually happening inside me.

As I feel my breaths flow, in and out, my mind begins to calm down. I’ve never actually properly meditated before, but I’ve heard this is how you start.

Now that I’m here and started though, I don’t know where to go, so I guess I’ll have to start improvising. I activated my [Qi Manipulation] and sensed the Qi inside my body. I sensed the small flow that it created as it moved around.

Since Qi was something that was only present inside my own body and not the outside, it was very easy to concentrate on it.

It has been some time after I started, I don’t actually know how much time passed.

One thing that I can do tell now is that I’ve gotten a very good understanding of how Qi actually flows in my body.

I tried to not interfere with it too much so I was able to observe it properly.

I was quite mesmerised by the flow, but I didn’t miss details either. One thing I’ve noticed is that Qi, I don’t know if it’s only my Qi or everybody else’s as well, but it doesn’t have a centre point.

I have always thought that it was in my abdomen as that is where I’ve sensed my Qi originating all along, but it isn’t as simple as that.

If I were to describe the Qi in my abdomen, it would be something like a cloud, a mass just floating about, until it is called.

The interesting thing is this that it is connected to the Qi that flows within me. Now I at first thought that this was the centre point as this is where it was gathering around but after carefully studying it deeper, I sense something more.

This is something that is a little hard to describe, but it is similar to a void. The cumulative mass of the Qi circles around this void from all sides.

I try to focus in deeper and I feel nothing. It is terrifyingly empty. That is until you decide to look in deeper. And there you notice it.

Finally got you!

Something that may as well be as small as a speck of dust, or maybe even smaller. It glowed a little. Or maybe it didn’t, all I know that this thing created a beautiful contrast. Making it unable to hide any longer.

I tried to interact with it like I did with my Qi, but not only did it not respond, I felt a strange repelling force that I’ve never sensed before.

Like it doesn’t want me to come near it.

Even though you occupy space in my body, you behave like this? I’ll show you!

I wasn’t talking to anyone in particular, just that I’ve put too much effort into finding this thing.

I’m not backing down without any results.

Since it won’t let me interact with it, I’ll use my Qi. My Qi has always helped me out, and I’m sure it won’t disappoint me this time either.

Or so I would like to think. But for some reason, even my Qi has difficulty moving here.

I tried to directly interacting with the black cloud that surrounds this space. And I’m not using some little Qi either, I use all the energy I have and I try to force my Qi in this space, with enough concentration and patience, finally I get enough to come in here that I can do something with.

Although it is not much but keeping even this little of this Qi is taking all the concentration that I have.

I’m pretty sure I’m gritting my teeth right now. I say pretty sure, because I’ve lost the sensation of my physical body quite a while ago, I actually feel like I’m moving around in this place myself.

Back to the task, I move the Qi and using that, I try to move it, I don’t actually know what I am trying to do with this, but I feel like this is the right thing to do.

Moulding the Qi into something manageable, I cover the small speck. Although the repelling force is still there, it isn’t as strong as it was before, when I tried to interact with it.

As the mass came closer to the speck, it didn’t take long before they made contact, and the moment they did, almost immediately, like lightning going through my body, I felt myself jump a little.

But I got it. I finally got it. This sensation. There is no way that I’m going to forget a sensation like that.

Looks like this indeed was the right thing to do.

[Qi Manipulation is now Level 6]

[Qi has increased by 20]

[Awareness is now Level 4]

[Qi has increased by 5]

QI: 72/605 [0.4/sec]

I was hoping for something like a new skill for WE, but I guess that is too much to ask for. Just looking at the amount of Qi I exhausted while trying to interacting with it scares me.

It is good that I was able to at least sense it.

I heaved a sigh and got up only to see myself covered in sweat and a very empty feeling coming from my belly.

Noticing the awfully quiet streets, I look out the window, only to see all the shops closed and not a single soul out and about.

I watched in horror as I realized that my experiments may have lasted a little too long.

But I’m hungry…