Unchained Potential (The Whispering Crystals: A LitRPG Series Book 4), page 24
Any doubts I had about the effectiveness of Goddess’ method of banishment are gone. How the hell am I supposed to get through that and maintain my focus?
As I lie there, lost and confused and with tears drying on my cheeks, I ache to be in Kaitlynn’s arms more than ever.
It takes three days before I muster up the courage for another attempt. My toy boat is apparently really popular, because it’s somehow still intact.
I’m once again pulled completely into the life of the being I ended, and am once again left a crying mess by the end of it. At least Suri doesn’t ask for another explanation.
When I go to sleep that night, I’m pretty much ready to give up.
However, after I finish another Skilldream the next day, I come out to find the following notification.
Well... that is interesting.
Moreover, it’s suspicious.
By now, I’ve become sensitive enough to the build-up of the odd kind of pressure associated with nearing the improvement of a stat, that I can easily recognise and distinguish between all the different stats.
The physical stats are easiest of course, with Strength building up mostly in my muscles, agility in my major nerves and Toughness kind of all over. The mental stats are a little trickier to distinguish, but by now I’ve effectively determined what corner of my mind houses what stat.
And the thing is, I don’t remember any pressure building up before the Skilldream. Moreover, this was only half a Skilldream for Lavi Font level 3. It took no more than three hours, while even my ten-hour Skilldream for Warp didn’t net any results like this.
It just doesn’t seem feasible that I’ve—
I barely stop myself from reacting when the thought pops into my head.
What if my Mental Fortitude didn’t go up during that Skilldream at all? What if it actually happened last night, from experiencing that restriction Goddess placed in me again?! Wait, that’s it, her restriction is a form of mind control, so trying to resist it should help improve my Mental Fortitude!
Suri must have hidden the increase, most likely to avoid raising questions from her supervisors.
I can totally imagine her doing something like that. She’s not about to get me disqualified days before the final tournament, after all. She clearly has something riding on me finishing, perhaps even winning.
But this is big... Not only can I use it to improve my Mental Fortitude, I could even try to figure out how to actively use my Espir against Mind Control!
Actually, there might be more information I can glean from the memories themselves as well. For example, I’m starting to get the suspicion that the bird I accidentally Erased started its life as a flower somehow.
That certainly ties into my theory that Raindrop was once a bird as well, and probably a flower before that as well...
As thoughts rush through my mind, I yawn and stretch, trying to give no indication that I find anything unusual about the message.
All I remark before I wave it away is, “Cool!”
[Quite,] Suri chimes.
Is it just me, or did she sound a little frustrated there?
I shrug and get back to training, vowing to brave the mental barrage once more tonight, no matter how much I hate the prospect of going through it again, and especially while alone.
Ugh, I’m going to be doing this over and over, aren’t I? Sorry, Goddess, I guess I’ll be using your restriction to train myself...
At least she can rest assured that I’ll be suffering from it plenty.
CHAPTER 32
The final countdown
As the end of the twenty-fourth day nears, I restlessly pace the floor of my bedroom, staring at the vertical teleportation pod like a hungry, caged lioness might stare at a particularly plump tourist.
I’ve only entered it once before, when I paid for an Electric Energy tempering, but I didn’t get to see any other contestants at the shallow pool it sent me to. Other than that, I haven’t set foot outside of this place in the near month I’ve been here.
I restlessly check the straps holding my weapons for the fourth time. They’re still fine. Obviously.
My crystal spear and Alec’s trident cross each other on my back. They also both cross over the Darksteel spear I purchased, which sticks straight up.
Having three weapons strapped to my back is a bit clunky—especially considering the weight of the Darksteel—but I have my reasons.
At least I’m not carrying my backpack. It wasn’t until I was almost done packing it yesterday, that Suri thought to inform me that I would have the option of returning and even inviting people back here if I made it through the first round.
That inspired a manic fit of cleaning, though truth be told, there wasn’t much to clean.
I did stash away my collection of homebrewn zirot wine.
I was in dire need of a hobby, and the zirots were free, okay?
Anyway, I didn’t drink any of it, just bought and emptied some waterskins and made the stuff, adding my very own Addling Toxic Energy. Not like it would have affected me much anyway.
Especially now.
“Time?” I ask, finally unable to hold the question any longer.
[739 seconds remaining, only 83 less than last you asked,] Suri chimes with only a bit of snark.
I roll my eye. “Sorry. I’m just so ready to leave this place.”
[That’s nice, dear, but do me a favour and calm down. You need to be in an optimal mental state when you enter the first arena.]
“Oh, I’m ready to fight all right,” I mumble, but I cease pacing. “Fine, show me the Status Window, please.”
Maybe a distraction will help.
Man, but I’ve made some gains. I abused the conversion cycle technique like crazy, using it to both increase my Qi Pool and my Toxic Tolerance to their current levels.
It’s not a complicated trick I used, just painful. First, I fill up my Qi Pool and Toxic Energy to their respective limits. Then I convert all of my Qi to Toxic Energy, pushing myself way over my limit. I wait for my Lavi Pool to almost run out, then reconvert all of my Toxic Energy into Qi, bringing that pool over its maximum capacity.
Both the Lavi Crystals in the ceiling and Lavi Font level 3 were of big help with this method. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the Skill scaled up. Altogether, my average net Lavi Flow right now—without the Lavi Crystals—is at a whopping positive 15.5!
I also trained up my stats a lot—particularly Strength—and of course, gained the cherry on the pie. Warp.
That’s going to be my trump card. Well, one of them. I’ve had a lot of time on my hands.
I only wish I’d gained more Mental Fortitude.
Despite trying a variety of methods, I have yet to manage to maintain my sense of identity and reality through the flood of memories Goddess placed in my mind. At least, not for long enough to actually succeed in entering the Realm of Imagination.
First of all, all of my attempts to somehow harness my Espir against the mental barrage have fared about as well as a house of cards trying to stop a speeding car. My Espir Pool is either far too small, or I’m doing something horribly wrong.
I’ve also tried counting in my head and Meditating, to no avail. I even tried getting angry and blaming the being whose life I accidentally took for being in the wrong place at the wrong time...
No matter what, I always end up losing myself in the memories, forgetting about trying to enter the Realm of Imagination, and coming back to myself with tear tracks on my left cheek.
Still, it seems like I get further with every attempt. It might just be me, but the intensity of the experience seems to be weakening through some other effect than just me growing more resilient. Perhaps the restriction Goddess placed on me is running out of juice. After all, it doesn’t appear to have a source of Espir to feed it...
[It’s time,] Suri eventually chimes. [You have 300 seconds to enter the pod, or you forfeit by default.]
I blink, startled. Guess a distraction really was what I needed.
I take a deep breath, square my shoulders, and stride over to the pod. It grinds open in front of me, and closes behind me as soon as I step inside.
Spatial Energy surrounds me the second it clicks shut. I study the way it sucks me away with great interest.
I appear a few inches above a field of knifegrass, and draw my crystal spear even as I land in a crouch.
I’m in a simple, walled-off, hexagonal garden, with a variety of plants near the edges, a large pond on one side, and knifegrass covering the rest.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the sharp, hardy plant. Somehow it seems to bend more easily under my blue trigot-leather boots than I remember. Well, even if I had been barefoot, it probably wouldn’t really have scratched up my feet all that bad, as it only has a Toughness of 19 or so. It’s actually pretty good footing like this; the sharp points and edges provide a ton of grip.
I’ve landed all the way near one of the walls, at least sixty feet away from the other end.
My opponent doesn’t appear to be here yet, but I don’t lower my guard one bit, listening and watching intently.
They might be using some clever trick to hide, or perhaps I’ve misunderstood something and—
On the other side of the field, a figure is portalled in. He stumbles on the dismount and almost plants his face in the sharp grass.
It’s a young-looking Asian dude, practically a kid, wearing standard leather armour and wielding a Darksteel staff. Surprisingly, he doesn’t have any horns. He does, however, appear to have silvery scales covering most of his exposed skin.
Odd.
I frown, loosening up my stance a bit as I take him in.
He sees me and does the opposite, going rigid and pale-faced as he brandishes his metal rod in what I suppose is meant as a threatening manner. He lifts it with ease, so it seems like at least his Strength is up to par; most Darksteel weapons come with a minimum Strength recommendation of 16, after all.
I lift up a hand in the universal signal for ‘stop’. After a moment, he hesitantly lowers his staff, a questioning look on his face.
“I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen a friendly face in ages,” I start in a calm, conversational tone. “Let’s have a chat before we get to it, hmm? My name’s Emma. Who are you, and, ehm, how old are you exactly?”
He hesitates for a moment, then straightens and gives a short bow. “My name is Ken Yuichi, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” His lips don’t quite match the words as I hear them. That name sounds Japanese... Is that the language he’s speaking? “I was sixteen when I left Earth, though I think my birthday may have already passed since then...”
Shit, he really is a kid... A kid from Japan? The gears in my head start to grind.
“Hey Ken, this may seem like an odd question, but were you participating in a high school sports festival when you got portalled?”
He gapes at me for a moment. “Yeah! How did you know?”
Thought so.
I smile wryly. “It was pretty big news. The media went wild about youths getting targeted and all that. I got portalled only three months later though, so I don’t know much more about what’s going on back there.”
He deflates a little at that, but nods in understanding. Then, he startles as he seems to remember the reason we’re here, and lifts his Darksteel staff again. “Ehm, it’s nothing personal, miss Emma, but I’m not going to hold back against you. We need to determine our relative placement in this society, so let us have an honourable battle.”
I scratch my head with a sigh. “Yeah, about that... I wouldn’t really feel good beating up a kid, so I was actually hoping to convince you to just forfeit.”
He blinks, then his face hardens. “I’m sorry, miss Emma, but I made a—”
“Yeah, no, I don’t think you quite understand, Ken,” I cut him off, while preparing some Qi in my Focus Crystal. “You see, you really have no hope of winning, so the outcome would be the same either way. Let me guess, you took a Greysteel Door?”
He blanches as I start to approach in purposeful, measured steps. After a moment, he nods.
“Thought so. I figured they would seed us like that,” I say shaking my head. “Well, I hate to say it, but you drew the short straw.”
With a soft tap, I lift off, weightless within my Spatial Boundary.
He stumbles back, eyes wide, as I float inexorably closer.
His reaction to my attempt at intimidation is pretty strong, which lets me know that the Dreamcloud Energy that I’ve been sneakily exhaling at him is already taking effect, making him more open to being influenced.
I’d feel bad about it, but honestly, it’s for his own good. Plus, it’s harmless.
I need a bit more to finish him off, however, so I steal a page from Goddess’ book.
I conjure an illusion of building darkness in the room and slowly turn my voice grand and terrible, like an army choir. “I will give you to the count of three to surrender. If you do not, be prepared to suffer the consequences. One...”
One of my exhales swirls down and tangles up his legs.
“Two...”
He trips, and lands on his ass as I hover closer and slowly raise my spear.
“THR—”
“I forfeit!” he cries out.
Well. He almost made it.
With a rumble, two hidden doors are revealed in opposite walls, each of them featuring a hideously deformed figure, one in a sort-of victorious pose, the other in a crumpled heap.
I slowly dissipate the threatening atmosphere, then touch down gently and hold out a hand.
He blinks, then sighs and grasps my forearm.
I pull him to his feet. “For what it’s worth, you made the right choice.”
I try to let go, but he holds on, staring at me forlornly. “Please, if you see her, tell Miss Nakamura ‘thanks for everything.’ And—and tell Miyuki... ‘I’m sorry.’ ”
After a moment, I nod, for once making an effort to remember the names. “I will. Good luck out there.”
He finally, reluctantly lets go. We each move towards our clearly designated door, share one last glance, and step through.
The door closes behind me with a slam.
CHAPTER 33
Major Tom to Ground Control
I find myself—predictably—in a small hexagonal room. The only feature of interest, aside from the door I just walked through, is a large stone pod.
I step into the pod unprompted, impatient.
[Congratulations, Emma,] Suri chimes. [That was quite a show you put on.]
As the stone lid begins to grind close behind me, I clear my throat awkwardly, hoping she’s not about to ask where I learnt how to do what I just did, since I liberally copied the methods of Goddess.
“Thanks. I figured he’d fold easily. Kinda feel bad for the kid, though.”
[Well, it’s wise of you to keep your methods hidden for as long as possible.]
That’s... an interesting way of phrasing it. It feels like Suri’s deliberately not telling me what to do. I’m guessing she’s not allowed to give me tips on strategy directly, and is trying to circumvent that by praising my actions instead. Either way, I’m certainly picking up on a strong hint here. “Yeah. Thanks,” I reply after a moment.
[Now, would you like to visit the Final Hub or would you rather return to your suite for some proper post-battle reflection and—]
“Final Hub!” I cry out, my heartbeat accelerating. “Definitely the Final Hub.”
Suri sighs. [Very well.]
She’s barely expressed the sentiment before a cocoon of Spatial Energy whisks me away.
I appear in a large open space, and brace myself for gravity to kick in and drop me on my head or something.
It doesn’t.
Floating in place, I blink.
[Please vacate the portal ring,] Suri chimes.
I find an opaque surface behind me and push off, floating out of the stone ring surrounding me and into the void in front of me.
At least, that’s what it seems like, at first. It takes a moment for me to parse that the Final Hub does, in fact, have walls. And Aether.
Then again, Aether is supposed to be omnipresent in this Realm.
The Hub is shaped like a huge hexagonal prism—which I am inside of—and its only opaque surface is the hexagonal base behind the portal rings that I just pushed off of. Both the other hexagonal base and the six walls connecting the two are entirely transparent and look out into the vastness of space.
Inside the oversized prism, there are six floating discs, like islands without a sea.
Except that islands don’t float, so I guess they’re more like ships? They are landmasses though... Suri’s right. I suck at analogies.
Either way, three of them are lit by the Twinstar, which shines into the Hub from the right, and three are lit by Big Bortha which shines in from the left.
In the centre of the Hub, there’s a relatively small structure of unknown purpose, shaped like a ribbed cone, which points at the transparent, hexagonal front wall.
I dub the opaque wall behind me the back wall, for convenience.
The remaining shapes floating about are, well, other participants. Some cruise around comfortably with the use of Qi-based Skills like Increase Momentum or Boreum Manipulation. Others move... less easily.
I see one poor guy in a suit of Greysteel armour using the breaststroke. He’s not getting anywhere fast. His furry, fox-like tail doesn’t appear to be helping.
A nearby woman with a long, snake-like lower body seems to be doing better, using sinuous movements to displace herself through the Aether.
Must be one of those high-grade Power-Ups... it’s a bold choice, I’ll give her that.
Then again, maybe she just lost a foot or something. I hear it happens.
Either way, I wouldn’t want to get caught in that tail; I feel like it could easily squeeze the life out of someone.
