Inside his room, Cedric could be seen sitting on his bed. His eyes were closed and his expression was serene.
His chest expanded as he took a deep breath which then later deflated as he breaths out. This has been happening since the day started for him. It was clear that currently, Cedric was in a deep meditative state.
As his senses extended and covered the vast majority of the Risk Management Center including the area within its walls, Cedric could clearly feel the tension in the air.
At times like this, the RMC becomes unusually quiet. All convicts preferred to stay within their rooms; planning, and strategizing, and some even started praying for luck to be on their side so that they could complete their Monthly Mandatory Service.
It is currently the first of the month's final week. And it's during this time that most convicts start their Hell Dives. The same could be said for Cedric of course, but he hasn't done it yet.
For some reason, something compels Cedric to wait. And thanks to his obscenely sharp senses, he relented to his instinct and just sat in his room, meditating.
He really doesn't understand why and currently, he doesn't particularly care. All he knows is that he can trust his senses since it has never failed him so far.
Obstructions are proven useless to the extent of what his senses have grown to. As a result, even at the confines of his room, Cedric could tell what was happening all over the center.
He had seen convicts like him disappear out of thin air, then reappeared 30 minutes later. Whenever they returned from their Hell Dive, they would express varying expressions according to the result of their experience.
First of all, no matter what kind of task Acala gives to an individual, no matter how long or short it takes them to complete the task, only 30 minutes will pass in the real world. This is something that has been established ever since the dawn of the Superhuman Era.
Additionally, Mandatory Task evaluation always ends at 12:00mn at the last day of each month. So whether one passes it or not, it'll be decided by then.
As soon as the clock hits 00:01, signaling the start of a new month, the Mandatory Task will be updated by Acala. People could start their attempts as early as that too.
If they succeed, then congrats to them. If they fail, well, they still have the rest of the month to make up for it. That's how it usually works. However, it is very rare for people to attempt a Hell Dive on the first day of each month.
Most people do it in the middle of the month or even in the last week of the month, using the previous weeks to increase their strength as much as possible to maintain or increase their chances of clearing them. After all, the Mandatory Service would only turn more difficult the stronger they get so they need to make consistent progress or else they'd be left behind.
From his observations, the majority of his fellow convicts who made their attempt today managed to pass their Mandatory Service just fine. Of course, others despaired at their failure.
Cedric saw a few of those who failed to go nearly mad. He had seen the way how their monitoring chips, the ones implanted on their napes, turned crimson red and blinked multiple times.
That was then followed by wardens appearing in their room, forcefully dragging those people and taking them to the 'Judgement Room'. From here on out, Cedric refused to watch since their endings were already obvious to him.
By the end of the month, the number of convicts here would lessen. Some would lose friends or companions. They would most likely feel depressed after that. New people would come in within the first week of the next month. He'd be surprised if there were no new people actually.
And then, the cycle continues...
This is how it goes here in the Risk Management Center. Cedric would even dare say that this happens to all RMCs out there.
He already knew this beforehand. Yet, seeing it with his own eyes just drove the idea even further to his brain.
Cedric couldn't help but feel frustration welling up from his chest. He was no saint at all, but life like this just dulls the colors of this world. It's miserable, demoralizing, and pathetic. Yet, even if hates it so much, there's nothing he can do to change it.
He could only harden his heart, close it to their suffering. There's a voice telling him to help them out but he ruthlessly squashed it.
Cedric couldn't afford to babysit anyone. He knows this too. Despite the blessing he got, he's not completely out of the woods yet. In fact, he hasn't even started yet.
It was ridiculously unfair though. Not having sufficient strength to control your life, that is. This has always been the thing that vexed him the most. Yet he's utterly helpless against it.
For this is how this world works. It's merciless, uncaring, and unspeakably cold to those who do not have power.
A shiver ran through his spine and Cedric's eyes jolted open. His gaze was filled with fierce intent and determined glint for survival. A cooling sensation appeared in his head, dousing the heat from his eyes.
The world then turned unspeakably clear for Cedric. It's as if he just inherited this pair of eyes all over again.
Through this, Cedric only felt serenity. This time, he no longer felt angry, sad, or heated. His expression was blank at best as if he was a dead piece of wood.
Releasing the breath he's unknowingly holding, Cedric did a last-minute check on his person.
He checked his inventory to see if he had everything he needed. After confirming that, he then paid attention to his equipment.
'This sword will probably be destroyed after this.' He mused to himself as he looked at the worn-out sword in his Inventory.
Next to it was the Training Sword that's still in pristine condition. He planned on using his old sword first until it broke to maximize its value before switching to the new one.
Aside from the common convict clothes he wore, along with military-grade boots, and a very worn-out vest, he had nothing else.
He was initially saving up to buy new equipment, but that changed due to the unique opportunity he got. Still, despite not having any new equipment to use, Cedric could clearly tell that his chances were way higher compared to his previous attempts.
Finally, he opened up his Profile to see just how much he changed during the past month...
*
[Profile]
Name: Cedric Stormrider
Age: 21
Race: Human
Class: Tier 1 - Swordsman
Level: 2
Aptitude:
Body: B-
Energy: B
Spirit: (S) - Locked. Tier 2 req.
Final rating: B
Skills:
Actives: Fencing Lv.9, Kickboxing Lv.5
Passives: Vision (M), Learning (M), Breathing Lv.8, Smell lv.8, Multitasking Lv.7, Taste Lv.7, Touch Lv.7, Listening Lv.8, Footwork Lv.8, Recovery Lv.8
Mandatory Task:
Hell Dive: Survive the Endless Undead Horde for 3 Hours. Current Record: 12 minutes
Rewards: 100% Demon Soul gain.
Failure: +1 Strike. Current Strike Counter: 1/3
*
In the end, he didn't manage to master the 『Fencing』 skill, but that's perfectly fine. He's close to doing it anyway.
Compared to his Profile last month, Cedric had certainly grown a lot. It brought a comprehensive evolution not only in his physical state but also in his mental state.
The current Cedric was a far cry from the old one. The old one wouldn't even be able to touch the hem of his current self's clothes.
Clenching his fists, Cedric stood up and felt that he was completely ready. He could feel every inch of his body raring to go.
He's alert, prepared, and sufficiently warmed up.
Shaking the last bits of jitters off from his body, Cedric turned his attention to the System and said:
"Commence Hell Dive."
[User Cedric's Monthly Mandatory Task initiating in 3...2...1]
[Warping the User to Purgatory!]
Fwoosh!
Cedric's body then disappeared from his room.
Thanks to his heightened sense, he could feel the transfer in crisp clarity and detail. He felt how the space around him warped, rolling off and crumpling thanks to the mysterious influence that probably came from Acala.
It's times like this that his heightened senses backfire because he felt the sensation so clearly that he felt nauseous. Thanks to 『Recovery』 though, he adjusted pretty quickly.
Regaining his bearings, Cedric opened his eyes only to be greeted by the awful surroundings of Purgatory.
The foul stench in the air, the dark gloomy clouds that loomed above, the absence of any celestial bodies, the thick killing intent and corruption surrounding him...
Cedric took all of this in, feeling strangely familiar with it despite not wanting to. In front of his heightened senses though, this place just became even worse than he remembered it.
"Great, and here I thought I couldn't hate this place anymore than I already do." He grumbled softly as he summoned his worn-out sword.
"Either way...time to begin, I guess."