Jack POV:

Looking towards my daintain, the once almost consolidated mass of light was gone. Instead, any free Qi was immediately sucked into my dantain and circulated throughout my body. It's weird when I first saw the ball. It felt so natural at first to layer it on my dantain. With this new method, I feel better not just physically but also mentally looking back when the globins drugged me. Everything I felt was right but exaggerated to the extreme; I could sense my animalistic side flourish. The rush that it gave me was nothing I could experience back home. The memory of that night with the bark viper came into focus. No matter how much I improve, my entire being is corrupted. How far can I go before there's no return? Shaking my head, I focused. One thing at a time right now, I need to get these bracelets off.

Moving my astral body to my hands, I could see the outline of the two bracelets. Both had a blue outline on them. I could see my Qi being sucked into them and be stored into a compressed green sphere on the left of both bracelets. After 5 minutes of watching the globe slowly fill, it Dispersed into the environment. Moving towards my soul plane, I did the same thing. This time a blue sphere filled up on the right side. Taking the same amount of time as the Qi to disperse. Using {Astral Projection}, I left my inner world and looked from outside. I tried to use the Qi technique to enhance my eye to see the disbursement of Qi. It almost as if there was a blockage, no more of no connection to my dantain, to begin with. My astral form must have limitations to what can and cannot be used. I'll figure out that workaround later. My only option was mana infusion. Using the same process as before, I used {Corrupted Mana Manipulation} to overlay my eyes. As I looked around, I could see all the ambient energy surround me. Even being pulled towards my entire body, slowly being absorbed and assimilated into me. This must be what regen really is. Nothing comes free, I see.

I could barely make out the outline of my body because of the density of the energy. I had to isolate and control the ongoing and out of my environment. Just as sneak and danger sense taught me, my skills are tools using {Corrupted Mana Manuipulatoon} is my only choice for my skill selection limitation. This time I wanted to move the outer world to my will. I could only guess this to be mana with the tier system being Qi to Mana, then finally Psy, with that being how it's converted. I focused on one strand of red mana following my body with my affinity towards the fire. I could combine the two to help the process. I concentrated on that strand, activating the skills, and I bent it to my will to form a thin outer shell. I could feel my astral body wane as the focus of using the multiple combinations of skills took its toll on my mind.

If I ran from adversity at every chance, I wouldn't be here right now. For every problem, there is a solution. Qi Deviation taught me that, and this is no different. I activated Meditation and channeled the mana towards my astral body. With me as a vocal point, I again bent the energy to my will. With a clear connection, the exercise was more comfortable. An hour passed as I slowly formed the oddly colored bubbled around my body, including my astral form, not accidentally cutting myself off from my source. Now here's the hard part, shrinking the bubble until it layered evenly all across my body. Multiple thin layers on top of each other made it look like my body was wrapped in film.

With one shield to stop any more foreign mana from entering my area, I finally had a clear field to see, looking towards my bracelets. I could see the absorbed energy collide with the shield from the inside, then slowly drift towards me to be absorbed back into my body. Step one was done. I returned to my inner world. Ever since I first arrived atherion, I always wondered how any of this was possible. Is the system just a guide or the master to the powers that I've attained? A quote from back home sparked the answer to my question "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

No matter how you look at them, these bracelets are some form of technology running off a form of energy. The fantasy races I have in my head are all real, and just like humans, they must have developed a society similar to ours, progressing at faster or slower rates than humanity. So I ask myself at what point did" magic" and" science" become two separate concepts instead of two sides to a whole.

This a world where all possibilities exist, and with that, a reason why must exist with it. Do or die, I have one chance at this. Activating {Qi Construct}, I connected the two bracelets with the green sphere being the point of connection. Next was the entry point, using the blue stream leading towards my soul as a template. I created a tube leading towards my dantain towards the middle of the first construct.

Taking the path of least resistance, the two green spheres instead of colliding with the barrier. Merged and traveled upstream towards my dantain. With this chance, I rushed inside the green tube traveling towards my right hand first. Just as I entered my soul realm, why couldn't I do the same for this? If I can't break them, the only thing left to do is to decipher the code. As I entered the device, I could feel myself be cut off from the source of who I am and be replaced with whatever skill this was. Imagine who you are, everything from your ticks to what makes your smile, from everything you learned, be replaced with the most exact order of negating, storing, and transferring. It was the same feeling of skill transfer; instead of assimilating into who I am, it took me over.

"No, I am Jack Talbot!!" I screamed those words repeatedly into the overwhelming light that was doing it's best to consume me.

I needed to find the original order. This is my world, my will. None shall control me, definitely not a piece of scrap metal. I injected my will into my mana, with a calmest in my voice of absolute reassurance. I told it to release me from its restraints. As I slowly pushed the light away and carved my own space into it. I could feel my astral body start to fade. I was running on fumes. I was too close to give up and surrender. Activating {Meditation}, I pulled in all the energy I could, for this was mine and mine to control. As I did so, the bracelet sucked more from my body to fuel its order. This fight continued for what felt like hours. It was a constant force coming from all sides. Trying it best to find the slightest weakness in my defense to penetrate and overwhelm me. This wasn't a fight I could lose and one it could never win. My command to release finally reached the edges of the bracelet, devouring the light that came with it. Replacing it with a blue glow resembling my flame. I could feel the tight embrace loosen. Exiting from my self-made entrance, I was exhausted, and never have I had to push my mind this far to take off a piece of jewelry. Taking a breather and waiting for my Qi and Mana to regen. I did the same for the left bracelet.

With the experience from the right bracelet, it was much quicker to overtake this one. If it wasn't for the bracelets using my own energy to fuel its command. I genuinely don't believe I could have done this. The feeling of having my soul fade and almost be consumed scared me more than the Qi deviation deeper than any primal fear millions of years of evolution could instill into me. This was something more significant than I could comprehend, and even that instill into me a form of cosmic horror I just couldn't accept at the moment.

Opening my eyes and leaving the trance state, I lifted my arms, and the two copper bracelets finally fell to the wayside. Looking over my body, I was soaking wet, with sweat dripping from my fingertips to the ground below. I need to learn to {Purify} asap. This can't go on for much longer.

Looking to my side, I could see the dwarf and elf duo craft my gear with the green blueish orb from before taking centerpiece on top of some ornament. Just what is that thing?

Nevertheless, it's been too long since I've seen my status; now, it's time to see the fruits of my labor.