Bon and Tian Bu Ru looked at the majestic corpse of the Wolf King silently. Tian Bu Ru was the first to snap out of his daze.

“Quickly, gather the loot.”

Bon picked up the green sphere first. It was a dagger. Finally, he would be able to skin and cut things without so much effort. There was a second green sphere. It was a leather armor chest piece. There was also twenty gold coins, and a wolf tooth necklace in gray spheres. Bon immediately wore the armor, and attached the dagger to his belt. It had come with a sheath. He wore the necklace but didn’t notice any change. It must have had some effect or it wouldn’t have dropped.

“Tian Bu Ru,” Bon turned to the spirit man. “How does the Tutorial Tower create items? There should only be a few Jimi Hendrix signed guitars in the world. Does it steal these items?”

“Steal?” the old man chortled. “No. Whenever an item is created that surpasses its intrinsic function, a template is created in the universe. Your guitar, for example, does not simply play sounds. The vibrations it creates are special. It has surpassed its original purpose through fine craftsmanship and talented use. The Tower creates a replica based on these Universal Templates.”

“Oh, then –”

“Enough talk,” Tian Bu Ru said urgently. “Find the exit portal before it disappears. I don’t know how long they last.”

Bon quickly scaled the cliff and started combing through the forest. After a few hours of frantic searching he finally found the wolf’s lair. The portal was shining within a cave. Bon took a deep breath and stepped into the portal and was teleported to the next level. One boss down, a gazillion to go.

The next level was a winter forest, with tall pines and cedars. Snow blanketed the ground. As always there was a small pool of water in the safe zone. Bon took a few cautious sips from the pool. The water was warmer than he had expected. The sunlight was very subdued, making everything look very gloomy. The level was depressing. Bon sighed heavily. He hated winter.

“I remember this level,” said Tian Bu Ru. “This boss is easy as long as you have reach, which you do with your spear. Just go and kill it.”

“Are you sure?” asked Bon. “We don’t have to train for weeks and months continuously before I’m ready?”

“You can if you want. There’s no harm in a little more training, but you don’t need it to clear this level. You should probably brush up on your dodging skills though.”

“Stop being cryptic and tell me what the boss is.”

“You already know all you have to know,” said Tian Bu Ru. “It will be no fun if I tell you everything.”

“Fun?” Bon sputtered. What did the old man think this was? Some pleasant excursion? A weekend picnic? Was Bon some form of entertainment to him? “Dying is no fun either.”

“You won’t die as long as you’re strong and fast. Circulate your qi at all times. It will help keep you warm.”

There were many rabbits in the forest. Bon wouldn’t have a problem finding food to eat, just in case he had to stay here longer than expected. The wind was biting cold and carried with it the scent of junipers. Bon circulated his qi with greater vigor. He was almost there—the middle layer of Qi Condensation. He spotted a few voles. Whoever had designed these environments had done a good job. It was not as half-assed as Tian Bu Ru made it out to be. There was a pond in the distance. Ice was floating on the surface.

“Soak in that pond,” said Tian Bu Ru. “You will gain some Cold Resistance.”

Bon soaked in the pond, his teeth chattering as he circulated his qi. He stayed there until the cold didn’t bother him.

Cold Resistance has leveled up to LVL 7

He eventually came to the shore line, beyond which there was ocean for as far as the eye could see. On the sea ice sat a gigantic walrus, watching Bon with eyes red with rage.

Discovered (BOSS) Ice Walrus

As the first player to discover this Boss you have gained some stats and skill points

STR +7

AGI +3

CON +7

INT +2

WIS +1

SP +2

“That blubbering fool is in for it this time,” Tian Bu Ru laughed while he rubbed his hands together.

“You’ve had dealings with it before?”

“These creatures irritated me in the real world.”

“So all these bosses exist for real?”

“Of course they do.”

The walrus came charging at Bon, putting an end to his conversation. It was quite fast, but clumsy. Bon pointed his spear at the walrus and waited for it to come in range. As soon as it did, he attacked, backing away when the walrus moved forward. He kept thrusting at the walrus’ big body, drawing blood. It was an easy target. The walrus tried to ram its head into him, but Bon was always one step ahead.

“Lure it away from the shore,” Tian Bu Ru shouted.

Bon kept backing away, and the walrus kept inching forward. After some time, it let loose a breath of fine mist. The mist hit him, making his movements slower. He could see ice beginning to form on his spear’s haft.

“Circulate your qi,” Tian Bu Ru instructed. “Before you freeze.”

Bon did as instructed and kept striking the walrus. The freezing cloud had no affect on him, though it did affect the balance of his spear with the weight of all the ice that was forming on it. The ground below him became more slippery as well, so he had to be careful in his movements. He kept whittling away at the Walrus, watching its HP bar drain.

As Bon fought he realized something. The Bosses’ health points and his were not the same. His health points acted more like a barrier around him than an indication of his physical health. When he had been clawed at and bitten by the wolf he didn’t bleed, or get hurt much. Every time Bon hit the Walrus he was drawing blood.

The Walrus sent out two more sprays of its Freeze Mist, but they didn’t affect Bon at all. Eventually, after what Bon estimated to be a few hours, he managed to succeed.

You have killed (BOSS) Ice Walrus You have leveled up

X5

This Ice Walrus hadn’t given him as many level ups as the previous bosses. The level ups were useless anyway, since he couldn’t assign his stats yet. There may have been hidden stats that were increasing with his level though.

Title has leveled up to LVL2

“Show title: Boss Slayer.”

Boss Slayer LVL2

Increases damage to Boss monsters by 7.5%

Increases all stats by 7.5%

A 2.5% increase. That wasn’t bad. Bon went to pick up the loot. One green sphere contained a set of ten ice shurikens. Another one contained an ice short sword. There were the usual gold coins, twenty of them. Lastly, there was a fur cloak. Bon wore it over his leather armor.

A blue portal had appeared on the sea ice.

“I told you it would be easy,” Tian Bu Ru smirked.

“It’s all thanks to qi,” said Bon. Without it he would have been frozen into an ice sculpture.

“And to me, your great master.”

“Yes, and to you Mr. Tian Bu Ru,” Bon conceded. The old man might have seemed shady but he had been a big help. Bon would have been helpless without him.

“Onward we go,” Tian Bu Ru sang, looking very happy.

In the next level, he spawned in a massive cavern. Oh great! Another sunless level. Bon drank some water from the pool and began to explore the cavern. This time the Boss was very close. Two twists in the tunnel ahead he came across a giant spider.

Discovered (BOSS) Arachnid Queen

As the first player to discover this Boss you have gained some stats and skill points

STR +3

AGI +10

CON +3

INT +5

WIS +3

SP +2

The Arachnid Queen shot a web at him as soon as she spotted him. Bon let go of his spear and pulled out his dagger, managing to cut himself loose from the sticky web. The spider scuttled towards him from the ceiling, shooting webs at him continuously. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, but it was no use. One of the webs hit his legs, making him fall to the ground. The spider raised one of its legs above Bon’s head and then it squashed him like a bug.

You have died

When Bon resurrected, Tian Bu Ru sighed.

“You don’t stand a chance,” he said.

“Practice your guitar and reach the peak of Qi Condensation. That’s the only way.”

Bon began to train in a frenzy. Trying to remember the guitar lessons he had taken as a kid, about scales and modes, strumming patterns and the different chords. After all, this was a matter of life and death. He learned quickly. He also reached the peak of Qi Condensation. He died continuously of hunger. He felt like he was going mad with the need for food constantly on his mind, but he remained persistent. Then one day, he felt his music take on a form of its own. He could feel it in the air like a tangible object. It was like syrup. The guitar became like a part of his body. He played a discordant chord, concentrating qi onto his fingers, and a few nearby rocks in the cavern exploded.

“Your qi is resonating with the sound,” Tian Bu Ru said, circling around him in excitement. “The vibrations are drawing even more qi from heaven and earth. You have done it at long last.”

“How long did it take me?” Bon was tired. He had finally done it. He could rest now.

“Fifteen years.”

“How many times did I die?”

“Too many to count.”

It still hurt when he died. He thought that he would become numb to the pain as time passed, but that wasn’t the case.

“I’m going to sleep.”

He died in his sleep as his hunger/satiety level reached zero. When he revived, he felt ready at last to leave the horrible cavern. He walked towards where the spider had made its lair. He threw rocks at it from a distance, until it spotted him. He then ran as fast as his legs could carry him, towards the golden circle of the safe zone, which became ever brighter as he moved towards it. Just ten more seconds until he would reach it! One of the spider webs hit his legs, but he cut it off immediately with his dagger. Five seconds! More webs came his way, which he dodged. And then he was in the safe zone.

The Arachnid Queen tried to pass through the golden circle but an invisible barrier kept her away. Bon took out his guitar and immediately began playing a song. The spider screeched as he shaved away its HP. He wasn’t doing much damage, but the spider’s health regeneration rate couldn’t keep up. The spider refused to move away, hitting the barrier with all its might without pause.

Hours turned to days, to weeks, to months. Bon played until his fingers were a bloody mess. He meditated every now and then, not disturbed by the screeches of the spider at all. And then:

You have killed (BOSS) Arachnid Queen You have leveled up

X8

Bon gained his first blue equipment, a bracer that could shoot spider webs. There was also a gray quality shield and twenty gold coins. He hadn’t found much use for a shield yet, but he kept it anyway. His inventory still had a lot of empty space.

“Finally,” Tian Bu Ru said with glee, “Level Five, here we come.”

Bon went to the spider’s lair and entered the portal. The next level was a mountain valley, with abundant wildlife. Bon saw a wild chicken wandering near the safe zone and killed it with a shuriken. It had been so long since he had eaten chicken that he hardly remembered the taste. It had been a long time since he had eaten anything. Bon’s mouth drooled as he went to look for tinder and fire wood.

“You can eat later,” said Tian Bu Ru. “Find my stash first.”

“No,” Bon said adamantly. “That can wait. It’s not going anywhere.”

“Neither is the chicken.”

“I’m close to dying of hunger.”

“Fine, fine,” the old man said, waving his hand up magnanimously.

Bon roasted the chicken and savored every bite. After that he crafted a fire bow, ignoring the old man’s complaining. He decided he was going to stay on this level a while. He wanted to eat until his stomach burst.

“You’ve wasted enough time. Let’s go,” Tian Bu Ru led the way forward.

They traveled up the base of a mountain and found a cave. Within the cave were wall paintings depicting the same images as the first cave where Bon had found Tian Bu Ru’s necklace. On a rock by the paintings lay a plain looking brown leather pouch.

“Spatial storage bag,” said Tian Bu Ru. “It hasn’t been assigned an owner, so you can use it. Circulate your qi and look within the bag. Find the red pills, shaped like little roses.

“Got it,” said Bon. As soon as he opened the bag, his mind entered a black space. There were a few shining items within the space. Bon found a vial of red rose pills and retracted his qi. His mind returned to the cave.

“What was that?” asked Bon. “Astral projection?”

“No! It’s more complicated than that. The mysteries of the Space Dao are too complex for me to understand. Eat one of the pills.”

Bon swallowed one of them, and felt his dantian explode with new energy. His qi was going on a rampage inside, heating up his body.

“Sit down and calm your mind,” said Tian Bu Ru. “Circulate the qi just like before. Your body can handle it.” After a few minutes, Bon felt the extreme heat disappear. “Eat another pill,” said Tian Bu Ru.

Bon swallowed another pill, and felt his dantian output massive amounts of energy once again. Bon soon finished the bottle of pills. He could feel a qualitative change in his qi. It was like a hot river passing through his body, and his dantian was like an ocean.

“Good,” Tian Bu Ru clapped his hands, with a big wide smile on his face. “Your qi has turned into liquid form. Congratulations on reaching the Foundation Building Stage.”