Chapter 17: Beta Training

Trint woke feeling good again.The pain had passed as his ribs must have finished healing.The sun remained as it was, not changing in the instance.Trint took a full breath, appreciating the lack of pain in his side.

The Exp from this instance was leaps and bounds beyond the i11 ones.

‘I know I leveled up, but how many times?’ Trint tried to remember, but his focus during combat was too intense to register if that same pulse hit him. ‘And, Pneuma, how long did I sleep?’ Trint asked.

‘You slept for 5 hours.’ Pneuma answered. ‘Less than the last couple of times you passed out. Likely due to the increased Mana density and the higher level you now have. You are still on day one of the week. I will give you in i10. Take a look at your stats and how many points you can assign.

Trinten Atlas Henderson

Stats (Detailed)

Level 16: 11%

Stat Pools

Health: HP - 1600/1600 (Regen 140/min)

Stamina: SP- 1600/1600 (Regen 533/min)

Mana: MP- 1600/1600 (Regen 160/min)

Spirit: SpP- 100/100 (Regen 25/min) (Error: Updates not available at this time)

Soul: SoP- 100/100 ( Regen 1/min) (Error: Updates not available at this time)

Unassigned Points: Body (0.6), Mind (0.6), Spirit (???), Soul (???)

Body

-Strength: 2.4

-Agility: 2.4

-Vitality: 2.4

Mind

-Memory: 2.4

-Wisdom: 2.4

-Adaptability: 2.4

‘The free stats will take you to 2.6 evenly assigned. Would you like me to assign them now?’ Pneuma offered.

‘Great, yes, do that now.’ Trint excitedly thought to Pneuma.

‘You should have noticed that you leveled twice. Did you sense anything like the pulse of Spirit this time?’ Pneuma questioned, ‘I did not, but I believe it may have had something to do with how your stats are unique. Last time you also crossed the 2.0 average from 1.75 per stat category to 2.4. Maybe it had to do with doubling your average from your rebirth stats.’ Pneuma was still just making an educated guess.

‘I want you to rerun this instance,’ Pneuma suggested. ‘You will continue to get exp until you hit level 18. You won’t get as much Exp per kill, but you should find it easier to kill, and I hope to see you get more efficient since you know the enemy that awaits you.’

‘Seriously, you want me to do that again, and I suppose you have some other challenge for me?’ Trint was aware Pneuma wanted to push him. He just wasn’t looking forward to the pain of this grind. ‘Pneuma, I was wondering, what do you call our combined form or transformation.’

‘Yes, I’m serious. Reset and complete the instance again. It is great practice,’ Pneuma encouraged. ‘You did well, and with your knowledge, you can repeat this without needing our form. If the boss fight gets too hard, we will transform. Since these forms are new to us both, you can come up with a name for it if it helps you.’

‘Ok, not happy about rerunning this, but I see the advantage. And I suppose they will only get harder.’ Trint confessed. ‘And I do want to get better and better understand how my increasing stats impact my motion and ability to fight. I’ll have to give some thought to naming these forms. It needs to describe the fluid nature and dangerous power it brings. You did mention hunting at first. The form does lend itself to killing, no matter how it looks. I like predators, but that was used a lot in my world. Oh, I know. Apex. As in Apex Predator. Short and easy and accurate.’

‘Sounds appropriate. ’ Pneuma agreed. ‘But know that the forms you’ve seen are not the apex of what we will be capable of.Please claim your rewards for the instance. After you change clothes.’ Pneuma dropped a pair of pants, a shirt, and a new set of boots from the ring.

‘Store your rags in the ring,’ Pneuma instructed. ‘They might be able to repair themselves given enough time. I want you to exit and reenter. Look outside to ensure others aren’t watching or trying to surprise you. It’s good practice to continue training your spiritual senses, to remain cautious and vigilant.

Trint did as suggested and ran the instance on repeat for the rest of the day. He paused only to catch his breath after the boss fights. After a few tries, he could defeat the boss without help from the Apex forms or Pneuma. With the completion of his fifth and best run through the instance, Pneuma gave him a rest.

‘Trint, that was a good run. You decreased the time and didn’t use the extent of our power. Your skill use has improved.’ Pneuma praised. ‘I assigned your stats just now as you hit level 18 after the boss died,’ Pneuma said.

Trint pulled up his stat screen, eager to see how they looked.

Trinten Atlas Henderson

Stats (Detailed)

Level 18: 5%

Stat Pools

Health: HP - 1800/1800 (Regen 180/min)

Stamina: SP- 1024/1800 (Regen 540/min)

Mana: MP- 1450/1800 (Regen 180/min)

Spirit: SpP- 100/100 (Regen 25/min) (Error: Updates not available at this time)

Soul: SoP- 100/100 ( Regen 1/min) (Error: Updates not available at this time)

Unassigned Points: Body (0.0), Mind (0.0), Spirit (???), Soul (???)

Body

-Strength: 2.8

-Agility: 2.8

-Vitality: 2.8

Mind

-Memory: 2.8

-Wisdom: 2.8

-Adaptability: 2.8

He was hoping Pneuma was ready to move on to a higher-level instance. His week-long time limit was still far off, but Pneuma said leveling is easier with higher-level challenges. Fighting below his level would be a waste at this point. At least he hoped Pneuma saw it this way. The leveling and gaining power and efficiency became a drug he continually wanted to take. With the added safety net of the Apex form and Pneuma’s help, Trint had a massive advantage over everyone in i10 and probably even a few more iterations above that.

‘Pneuma, can we find another challenge?’ Trint asked.

Trint pulled up the iteration level and lifespan chart. He was wondering what the next couple of iterations would offer. This one was another small step in difficulty but not by too much.

I10: Levels 1-20 (1-year life span starting at arrival)

I9: Levels 21-30 (10 years life span starting at arrival)

I8: Levels 31-100 (100-year life span starting at arrival)

I7: Levels 101-200 (1,000-year life span starting at arrival)

‘It is weird to start thinking about life spans beyond 1,000 years. That was ancient in my world before all this.’ Trint considered. ‘Am I ready to begin cultivating Spirit and Soul?’

‘No, I’ve decided to wait till i7. We will try to meet a family friend and prepare you for cultivation.’ Pneuma explained. ‘Ok, rest if you can. You will probably feel too excited and energized to rest. When you are done resting, I want you to scout out one instance for every remaining level till you hit the minimum level of 21 for i9. I will try to keep quiet and let you run them without assistance. You may use Apex forms only if you need to. You get one run per instance and then move on.’

Trint followed most of those instructions. But instead of going one instance for 19, 20, and 21, he skipped 20 and found a level 21 instance. The last one proved a challenge, and Trint used the Apex form. When he transitioned to the form, he felt more connected to it and could move and fight more effectively. Increased stats in his human form translated to a more potent combined form—in power, movement, and adaptability. After finishing the level 21 instance boss, Trint stopped to rest inside near the exit.

‘Trint, that was better.’ Pneuma encouraged.

‘Pneuma, why don’t you let me take the instance rewards?’ Trint complained. ‘You said they are just trinkets, but I want to see what they are, and there’s plenty of room in the storage ring.’

‘There is plenty of room, but why fill it up with trash.’ Pneuma was firm in his decision. ’Soon, I will let you take rewards, but not till you can receive cultivation resources for Spirit and Soul. The rest is garbage. We will buy you a good sword.’

When you are ready, I want you to return to the city. Of course, after you change into new clothes. You also smell, so splash water over yourself before you change; your spell works best after you get the grime off.’

Trint hadn’t noticed the smell but realized he had been ignoring it; as he took a whiff of his armpit, it was terrible.He realized he missed deodorant.Trint stepped to the water’s edge of a stream that ran next to the boss area. He happily stripped down and washed off while watching for any leeches.Those might give him nightmares if he ever got to sleep.

Blood and filth scrubbed and washed away; Trint used [Cleanse] then added his free stat points. He added his stats for the first time since he finished level 15. Although his resource pools increased at each level, Pneuma told him to wait till now to increase the stats. They finally would take him over the 3.0 threshold.

As Trint finalized the allocation, as predicted, a shockwave of Spirit radiated from his chest and pulsed out. Trint sensed the pulse as it went, and his Spirit perception followed it for hundreds of yards.

Quickly his body began to change noticeably.Muscles were condensing, slightly enlarging, filling his frame.Not overly bulky but athletic and strong. His bones began to change, unseen but felt like an incredible itching.The composition of the bones was infused with Mana and some Spirit.A suction force formed in the marrow, and they became something more like carbon fiber after a while. Now lighter, offsetting some of his added bulk, and stronger in every sense.

The muscles settled into something more durable, and his skin was now at the same time soft as before, but he could tell it would be difficult to pierce. As the bones and muscles shifted, he gained some height and width. Settling at 6 foot 7 inches, he was now a much more impressive example of a human. Well beyond the norms of Earth in appearance and especially in the unseen qualities of his figure.

’Trint, that was a lot of Spirit.’ Pneuma exclaimed in wonder. ‘You need to learn to control the explosion of excess Spirit. And from now on, I need you to let me know before you cross the 4.0 average for Body or Mind. Something is happening when you do that. Your accumulated Spirit is not being absorbed and is discharged when you cross the threshold. It is not normal, and I’m concerned others will be as curious as I am about what it means.’ Trint pulled up his stats.

Trinten Atlas Henderson

Stats

Level 21: 11%

Stat Pools

Health: HP - 2100/2100 (Regen 210/min)

Stamina: SP- 1285/2100 (Regen 630/min)

Mana: MP- 1156/2100 (Regen 210/min)

Spirit: SpP- 100/100 (Regen 25/min) (Error: Updates not available at this time)

Soul: SoP- 100/100 ( Regen 1/min) (Error: Updates not available at this time)

Unassigned Points: Body (0.0), Mind (0.0), Spirit (???), Soul (???)

Body

-Strength: 3.1

-Agility: 3.1

-Vitality: 3.1

Mind

-Memory: 3.1

-Wisdom: 3.1

-Adaptability: 3.1

‘Trint, There is fighting over anyone not already in a group, especially in clans, sects, and eventually dynasties.The higher one goes,’ Pneuma began, ‘not many are strong enough to be independent. Those in power often use their power to control those weaker.You will eventually need to find a group and a temporary organization.Limiting the agreements you sign will be necessary since your true allegiances are with your family, and your stats can never be shared.’

‘Unfortunately, you just put a big flashing sign on your back anytime you pass a threshold. There is no telling if that could happen at other times. It alerts others that something powerful is going on with you. Or wasteful. Wastefully powerful. That’s what it is, but it will still get you captured or killed. Probably both. Your leveling speed will eventually draw attention, and your inability to prove you are not affiliated with a party or joined a faction.’ Pneuma warned.

‘Well, we can do what we did this last time.’ Print hoped. ‘Just get out of the city and level till we can hit i8.’

‘You don’t understand what that means.’ Pneuma challenged. ‘The ‘city’ above will be at least ten times larger. The higher up we go, the more worlds that are combined. Each Iteration is separate and like a new universe. Like a multiverse from your world’s stories. The higher iterations have copied pieces of the lower ones, and the system shuffles and combines them. Eventually, the iterations are so vast you can never reach their limits in conventional travel. Sometimes you hit a city that has been combined with many others, and sometimes you land in an area that just has smaller cities spread further apart. Either way, the minimum size is many times larger than the one we arrived in.’

‘The organizations won’t yet have a permanent presence, but there will likely be gangs and local groups fighting for power. They will try to steal and kill weaker people for the Exp. They might have locations they funnel people through in the city. It won’t be as simple as running through.’ Pneuma was anticipating the worst.

‘You can probably get lost in the crowd, then try to blend in and escape the city.’ Pneuma hoped, But we could have to fight our way out.We still can’t risk turning to our Apex forms when others can see us. Not in a city with so many people. Then we will be required to return for ascension.We could discretely enhance your body without taking the entire form, but still, it’s a risk.I think we should call limited augmentations something different.Like, Beta form since it is what I will train you in next. Since the Apex is also the first, therefore the Alpha.Currently, it is your most powerful.Wait till you are in later forms; I’ll call them Omega form.’

‘What’s the Omega form?’ Trint asked, his curiosity spiked. ‘You know I don’t know the Greek alphabet, right?’

‘It is not time to discuss other forms, just know that more awaits you.’ Pneuma closed that topic down. ‘It will only distract from what you need to learn now. And as far as the knowledge, I will eventually help you learn. It will be better to absorb information when you cultivate Spirit and can better divide your Mind. Your Memory, Wisdom, and Adaptability stats are all much higher now. They will help with more than just fighting; you don’t want to mess around in these lower iterations. Densities increase and become more useful later. Everything from Mana, Spirit, and Soul will be more useful and helpful. Just wait; I will guide you when it is time.’

‘We will get through whatever comes.’ Pneuma offered. ‘It might be a little harder going unnoticed in your next ascension. Before we go, let’s have you try the Beta form a little just in case it is needed. Either way, I plan to have you using it frequently in i9 instances.’

After the last runs through the instance, not only had Trint’s clothes been destroyed, but his sword was starting to wear and break down.It would be ideal to find an i9 or higher replacement.He resorted to using the backup and even tried his hammer at the beginning of the last instance.With his added strength, Trint could manipulate the hammer's weight fast enough to crush the enemy beasts, but he was still more proficient and preferred a blade.So he stuck to it for the boss encounters. But there was something satisfying about the crushing power of a hammer.

Other than that, the hits often splattered blood and gore all over. The [Cleanse] spell could only do so much. It didn’t do well with small chunks of flesh—mainly blood, sweat, and grim. Pieces of meat had to be picked or scraped off first, and he hated the leeches so much. He still had PTSD from that water. So washing off the chunks was traumatic each time. Not actually, but he was strongly averse to murky water sources now.

‘Pneuma, I want to use a hammer if I can but seriously hate getting covered in the mess it makes.’ Trint explained his frustration.

‘Yes, you can practice the [Cleanse] spell or find another that will keep you clean,’ Pneuma offered. ‘I will help you find one. You are going to want a stronger hammer, though.The one you have won’t do enough damage without breaking at your current strength and against what you will fight in i9. Any weapon is only good enough to use one iteration above its level.And there is a power disadvantage when you fight above its level.After that, the power you can exert and the beasts you fight will eventually bend or break the metal.

That is why the cities are so populated. Merchants from higher iterations come to sell the necessities. And weapons are a necessity. Unless you get a rare weapon from an instance reward, you will need to buy new gear at the start of a new iteration.’

‘Well, can you just buy me some excellent stuff from the system store, like when you got me the skills?’ Trint hoped.

‘Yes, I have a lot of power that can operate outside the system limitations.I had much broader access while in the tutorial in i11.There the restrictions on my access were less restricted, but I still could not fully use my power.Here and in most of the lower iterations, I need to be in a city and ideally near the pools of ascension to have better system access. But I’d rather you not stand around the pool while I buy you gear when you are Spiritually weak.So don’t jump in the pool till I access the system store and buy what you need.’

‘I still want you to use some vendors who are not associated with a single powerful group.When they work for one master, they are limited to what they can offer outsiders.But you need experience in commerce and talking to others besides me.You might even want to consider the Merchant as a secondary profession.

You often appear to be a tranquil and absent-minded person when you stand around speaking to me.Since you mentally talk with me and yet your expressions mirror your silent communication to me.Your face is twitching too much. You appear more of an absent-minded meth’d out monkey, waiting for your next fix.’

‘You need to be aware of and control that.’ Pneuma scolded. “I know what your thoughts are and feel your communication. Eventually, I will help you shut out some of your thoughts so that you can privately think and not blare all your ideas and thoughts into my mind. For now, you need to learn to keep yourself more relaxed. Yes, less meth, more peace. By the way, your world was creative in their use of mind-altering substances.’

‘Now, I want you to practice moving around in the Beta form,’ Pneuma directed. “I will help there too.’ Pneuma said. ‘You need to be able to do these on your own soon, so don’t rely on me too much.’ Pneuma warned.

‘Why would I not have you to help?’ Trint wondered. ‘Are you going to leave me at some point?’

‘Trint, I will never be far from you.’ Pneuma reassured. ‘But I hope you will learn to fight without me so I can fight alongside you.’

‘What does that even mean? Like when you used the tail, and I controlled the main body?’ Trint was not precisely sure what Pneuma had in mind.

‘Be patient, Trint.’ Pneuma reassured. ‘All of that can wait. Focus on the present and what you need to improve now.’