Hello Readers!

I would like to wish a merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate! (Still Christmas for me. 6:40 pm as of this post)

Thank you to all of you readers who have made it this far. Also, if you have any questions that you'd like answered (no spoilers though) I will answer them if you comment or send a personal message. I am inept at using this site, so I apologize in advance if I do not get to your question, and I suck at anything technical, so please forgive me.

Anyways, Enjoy the Chapter!

Chapter 22: Getting Stronger

Is this a serious thing!?

My hands go up to my face. The forest of a thousand trials… is a joke. One large joke from someone who was clearly bored!

I slowly open the book expecting the worst.

As I open the book I realize that it was just a false cover. The real title of the book is, ‘The Truth about the Elements of This Universe’.

This title is normal!

On the inside of the false cover was some writing;

‘I congratulate you on being able to pick up this book despite its false cover. If you are holding this, that means you should have the potential to be as strong as myself, if not stronger. Despite my attempts to make the title of the book more humorous, the contents of the book are quite bland, but greatly informational. If you are still reading this, it means you have too much free time, try and find an exit because you were probably pushed into the abyss by your companions judging by your low rank. Off ya go!’

I sigh. This is not good for me in any way at all.

I’m alone and have no food. None.

I don’t even have a bag to carry this book around with me. I can’t say my memorization skills are too bad, but there is no way I can memorize this book in what little time I have. I’ll just have to improvise.

I look around the room and in a corner there is a tattered curtain that has fallen to the ground.

I lift up the tattered cloth to see a skeleton underneath. The skeleton’s bones are covered in thick layers of dust. It was probably a large and powerful man who was injured judging by the cracks all over his body.

As the tattered cloth is moved away completely the skeleton’s equipment was beside him. There were empty food packages and a small bag. Under the bag was a katana like sword in a sheath. Attached to the handle was a piece of paper.

I debate with myself in my head whether or not I should take this stuff. Damned if I do, damned if I do not.

I decide to take the skeleton’s things despite what my morals are telling me. After taking the bag and the sword I wrap the skeleton the best I can in the tattered cloth.

I bow slightly, “May you rest in peace.”

I take the bag and open it to see if there is anything inside. Inside is empty water bottles and empty tins of food. Not even a crumb of food was left, nor a drop of water. Isn’t that just lovely.

I empty out the bag into the corner of the room and then put the book inside.

I then take a look at the piece of paper attached to the katana like sword.

‘This is a katana. Name: ‘Generic Box Cutter number 1284’.’

…… This again!?

I give up with the creator of the forest of a thousand trials. His very existence drives me insane. Every second I spend here makes me want to kill him more and more.

I unsheathe the sword and inscribed in the blade are the words, ‘Myth Weaver’.

I sigh as I realize that the person who created the forest of a thousand trials is a good person, but just loves to trick people.

I put the sword back into its sheath and tie the sword to my waist using a strip of fabric from the curtain.

I look around the room for any possible exits. As I’m looking around, I notice that the entryway I came in has disappeared. The room’s walls were now smooth, and the pedestal in the center has disappeared.

An old and quiet voice resounded inside my head, “Congratulations on making it this far. From this point on you should be at the third realm, if you aren’t, well, you really should not have survived that fall and should have received an adequate prize from the pedestal. Anyways, to get back to the trial area you must use your internal energy to fill up this container, after that, the door will naturally show itself. You have as much time as you want… but be warned that there is no food or water here, so you should manage your resources well. Until we talk again traveler.”

My face turns dark. I have to be at the third realm to leave this room. Where is this container the voice spoke of?

I look around the room and behind me there was a pedestal that was not there a moment ago. I’m not liking this appearing and disappearing while I’m not looking thing, it makes me feel like I’m in a horror movie.

I sigh as I look at the object on top of the pedestal. It was a small black box that had circular markings all over its surface. I unconsciously reach out for the box and try to grab it, but it is extremely heavy for its size. On the other side of the object was a sheet of paper, on it, it said, ‘This is a heavy box, no lifting.’

I think this is getting old now.

I sigh as I look around the room again, while I wasn’t paying attention the room changed into a small black room. There was a small orb of light on the ceiling that was lighting the small room I had been transported into.

The room had similar markings to the small container on the pedestal. The walls were maybe 20 feet from each other.

I just go with the flow once again as I look at the container to try and figure if I could trick it.

I use my internal energy to inspect the container but my internal energy is stopped before it even goes near the container. I frown. Do I really have to be at the third realm to fill this container? Also, what are these markings? I have never seen them, are they some type of sealing formation, restrictive formation… also, I didn’t know that formations could be this small. Maybe it is one of those things where the inside is larger than the outside.

I look around the room and see that the markings on the wall match up with the container when I look at it from the right angles.

After 2 hours my eyes get heavy as I realize that I haven’t slept recently. I may be at the A rank second realm, but my body is still too weak to go without sleep for longer than an average human. The only reason I could do it in the other world was because it was something I did for so long that my body became used to going without sleep for extended periods of time. It was the same thing with food and water, because I never trained my body in this world to go without food and water for any amount of time, I will have issues without them now that I have nothing to live on.

I slowly lay on the ground and put the bag under my head as a pillow. I have removed the sword from its sheath and placed it beside me. I do this just in case I have to wake up quickly and fight, dying because of something as stupid as not being prepared was absurd.

I slowly close my eyes and drift off into the world of dreams.

---------- Waking Up ----------

I open my eyes and quickly look around the room to see if there is anything that could harm me while I focus on anything else. After looking around the room I see that absolutely nothing has changed since I went to sleep. I don’t know how long I slept, but I do feel refreshed despite the conditions I was sleeping in.

I look back at the container and sigh. How am I supposed to get to the third realm so quickly? It would normally take a least a couple of months for a talented person. I just got to the second realm, so there is almost no chance of me making it in time.

I start to calculate in my head. Since I have lost a large amount of my original organic mass, my body will require less fluids to survive than the average person. Then add the fact that I am in the second realm… I should be able survive roughly 20 days without water. No need for me to calculate food, I will be dead long before I need food if I don’t manage to get any water.

I take a deep breath to calm my thoughts. So how do I get to the third realm as fast as possible?

I slowly think to myself. If I rush it I have a chance for my veins to be destroyed… veins… Spatial energy!

I can start absorbing spatial energy now that I have started practicing my method. I don’t have to worry about it stopping me from starting my technique. I just really hope that it doesn’t kill me when I start practicing with it…

I slowly clam myself. I start to focus on the spatial energy within this room. It seems as if the spatial energy is gathering in this room from the outside.

It is a lot denser than it would normally be. The power of heaven and earth are even denser than anything I have ever seen.

I slowly start to absorb the spatial energy and see if there are spatial veins first as I have no way to tell the correct path without some spatial energy internally.

As I absorb the spatial energy I make an astonishing discovery. The spatial veins actually exist, they run throughout the entire body and connect to the vein I have fused from the heaven and earth veins.

As I absorb more and more spatial energy the veins become less and less distinct as they expand and merge, basically creating a sheet of spatial energy within my body. The sheet of spatial energy is connected to the void space and is slightly expanding it.

The process is not painful at all and it actually feels soothing. My body relaxes as spatial energy flows throughout my entire body.

After what seemed like a short amount of time I open my eyes. I was floating slightly above the ground.

After noticing it I sink to the ground and fall over. My body feels much, much lighter than before I absorbed spatial energy.

It was much easier to stabilize than the power of heaven and earth. Spatial energy flowed in almost out of my control, but it never hurt throughout the entire process.

Does it have a different effect when it is internal compared to external?

I wonder what the effect is. I do not really have time to fool around and test it though.

I start absorbing more spatial energy, it has finally stopped expanding the void space, and has stabilized. The spatial energy is flowing around randomly inside my body and slowly being absorbed into the void space.

I wonder what would happen if I absorbed the power of heaven and earth at the same time as spatial energy? I really hope that it doesn’t collapse my internal organs.

No sense holding back in a situation like this.

I calm my breathing again and sit on the ground while crossing my legs. I move all of my focus onto absorbing both the power of heaven and earth and spatial energy. Spatial energy starts to flow into my body first, then the power of heaven and earth makes its way through the fused vein.

The power of heaven and earth quickly get absorbed into the void space, but instead of collecting in the void space normally, the power of heaven and earth is being absorbed by the void space and is strengthening it. It is making it so that it can hold denser energy within it.

The Spatial energy starts to weave around the heaven and earth vein inside my body. It is making the power of heaven and earth flow faster than before. The spatial energy weaves itself into a lattice type structure even when I try to move it away. The power of heaven and earth is getting absorbed faster and faster by my body. I have almost no control over it as the spatial energy is working without my control.

I just sit with my legs crossed and observe the power of heaven and earth strengthen the void space near my heart. I was expecting this to be complicated… but it goes without me really focusing on it. Maybe it will still go when I am moving around or even sleeping, but for now I will just watch the power of heaven and earth strengthen the void space until it stops.

I cheer a little on the inside about the large amount of strength that my void space has acquired.