The door sealed, the scent of frost and roses the only evidence Seraphina had ever been there. Her vow hung in the sterile air, a shard of psychic ice aimed at his future. "You will find you have no other path..."
Jade stood motionless, the phantom sensation of Lyra's soft hair under his calloused fingers a bizarre counterpoint to the vampire's threat. And beneath it all, the final, cold truth he had acknowledged: He is my chain.
The thought was not one of despair, but of calculation. A chain could be a restraint, or it could be the anchor one uses to pull oneself up from an abyss. To sharpen a blade, one needed a whetstone, and the friction was often violent.
It was time to take stock of the weapon.
With a mental command, the familiar translucent screen flickered before him. But the radiant blue code was gone, replaced by a stark, glacial white text against a dark background.
<< SYSTEM STATUS >>
USER: Jade
TITLE: Self-Conqueror
LEVEL: 6
EXP: 100 / 2,500
RACE: Perfected Human (Evolving)
ATTRIBUTES
VITALITY: 18
STRENGTH: 16
DEXTERITY: 20
AGILITY: 22
MENTAL: 25
DIVINE AFFINITY: 1
<< ATTRIBUTE POINTS AVAILABLE: 5 >>
SKILLS
[RARE] Obliterate Lv. 2 → Lv. 3
A concentrated wave of destructive crimson energy.Effect (Lv. 3): Damage radius increased by 50%. Slight homing effect added. Can be used three times per fight.
[EPIC] Observer's Eye Lv. 2 → Lv. 3
Heightens perception and predicts enemy movements.Effect (Lv. 3): Can now track up to 3 enemy attack patterns simultaneously. Brief glimpse (0.5 sec) into enemy intent.
[UNCOMMON] Pain Tolerance Lv. 3 → Lv. 4
Suppresses neurological response to trauma.Effect (Lv. 4): Body automatically optimizes blood flow to wounded areas. Mental clarity is maintained even when limbs are disabled.
[DIVINE] Neon Heart Lv. 1
Core system overhauled. Operates on [God's Essence].Effect: +100% Mana Regeneration. Stabilizes all other attributes.Note: Further functionalities locked. Await level threshold.
[DIVINE] God's Essence Manipulation Lv. 1
Limited access to divine energy matrix granted.Effect: Imbue weapons with armor-piercing properties.Note: Usable once per 24-hour cycle.
SYSTEM BONDS
[Soul-Bound: Alter-Jade]
Jade's eyes scanned the information. The growth was tangible, but it felt insufficient. It was System-granted power, a scaffold. It was not the unshakable foundation he needed. He needed something that was his alone. He dismissed the screen and sat cross-legged on the floor, closing his eyes. The path was clear.
He plunged inward, into the throne room of his mind.
Alter-Jade lounged on the shadowy throne, inspecting his own nails with theatrical boredom.
"Let me guess," he began without looking up, his voice a lazy drawl. "You're here because you finally realized that while you were busy getting flustered by vampires and giving girls head-pats like a confused grandfather, your dear partner was becoming a master swordsman." He finally looked at Jade, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Tell me, was his shirt off too? Is that what this is about? A little competition?"
Jade's expression remained impassive. "He is proficient."
"Proficient?" Alter-Jade burst out laughing, the sound echoing mockingly through the mental space. "He's a prodigy! The man communes with his sword more than you commune with common sense! He has a named stance, Jade. What do you have? A pat on the head and a confused blush?" He leaned forward, his crimson eyes glinting with malicious amusement. "So, what's the plan? Will you challenge him to a patting contest? I bet you'd win."
"He has mastered the way of the odachi," Jade stated, ignoring the jibes. "It is an extension of his will. This," he summoned his scythe, "is a tool I have not earned."
The laughter died in Alter-Jade's throat, replaced by a sharp, approving glint. "Finally. An ounce of self-awareness. It's a miracle." He flicked his wrist. The throne room vanished, replaced by the misty chasm edge.
"The master swordsman has his thousand cuts. You will have your five hundred... of everything. And we will start by breaking your body until it forgets how to be weak."
The training was immediate and brutal. A massive pillar of solidified shadow materialized.
"Lift it. Overhead. Five hundred times."
The pain was instant. By the one-hundredth rep, Jade's muscles were screaming. By the three-hundredth, they were numb. He finished through sheer will, his arms leaden.
"Now, the blade." His scythe was forced into his hand. "Hold it out. Straight. Until you forget you have an arm."
The tremor began immediately. Sweat stung his eyes. He held it.
"Good. Now, the first cut." Alter-Jade demonstrated a low, sweeping horizontal arc. "Five hundred times. Let your form be perfect, or we start over. The master swordsman has his silence. You will have your sweat and blisters."
The swings were clumsy at first. Alter-Jade circled him, a brutal taskmaster.
"Again! Put your back into it! Or should I get your 'whetstone' to show you how it's done?"
Jade's world dissolved into agony and repetition. His palms blistered and broke. His breath was a ragged gasp. On rep three-hundred-and-something, his legs buckled and he crashed to one knee, the scythe clattering down.
Alter-Jade looked down at him. "Day One. And you haven't quit. A decent start." He made the scythe vanish. "This is your life now. Every day. A month of this, and you might be worthy of not embarrassing yourself in front of the swordmaster."
As Jade knelt, trembling, a translucent blue screen appeared.
<< SYSTEM BROADCAST >>
ALENT: Ascendant Readiness Detected.
Sanctuary Quarantine Lifted.
Initiate Ascent: The Second Floor Awaits Conquest.
All Bound Pairs: Proceed to the Gateway.
Time to Ascent: 01:00:00
The message was a cold shock. The training was over. The test was now.
Jade pushed himself to his feet, his body a symphony of pain. Every fiber screamed in protest, a chorus of agony. But beneath the pain, a new resolve, cold and hard, was forming.
This is the path, he thought, the narrative clear in his own mind for the first time. Not the easy power of the System, not the borrowed strength of a divine core. This. The grind. The repetition that carves skill into your very bones. Let the swordsman have his silence. My strength will be forged in this noise, in this pain. I will do the five hundred lifts, the five hundred swings, every day. If my muscles tear, they will heal stronger. If my bones break, they will reset harder. I will sever the parts of me that are weak, and I will return, always, stronger. This is my path. And I will walk it, even if I have to crawl.
Alter-Jade gave him a sharp-toothed grin. "The foundation is laid. Now, let's see if the master swordsman can tell the difference."
Jade opened his eyes in the real world, the phantom pain a welcome ghost. He stood, his body protesting but obeying. The Gateway awaited. The whetstone was calling.
Let's see if you can sharpen me.