"What's wrong?" Jason asked, resting his palm on Stefan's shoulder as he struggled to speak.
Sighing, Stefan lifted his head. "My mum is ill. She doesn't want to tell me what it is, but I want her to undergo another test. I need to know what's wrong with her."
"Sang-hee is ill!" Jason gasped, nodding after digesting the news.
"I'll book a meeting with our doctor. He should accurately figure out what's wrong with her," Jason assured, patting Stefan's shoulder before walking away.
His haunched back showed Sang-hee's health already weighed heavily on him. 'Did I make a mistake blocking their relationship?' Stefan pondered, staring at Jason until he took a right turn.
Once he shifted his attention to the door, a sigh echoed, 'What now!' Stefan grumbled, eyeing the door that lacked a handle or any possible means of opening it. He also hadn't been given a card.
"How do I find Uncle Jason now?" he hissed, looking up only for a blue beam to illuminate his face, and the door made a 'click' sound.
With a shrug, he walked in and checked the door. There was a handle from the inside but none outside — a great protective measure, which he commended.
'Bigger than I expected,' he thought inwardly, surveying the white room with a bed at the end, sealed off from the rest of the room by a closing door.
The ground, walls, ceiling, desk, and chair matched in color — all white. On the desk were two sealed boxes, a pair of brand new slippers underneath, and a leaflet on a box. In a corner sat a black machine wrapped in transparent synthetic plastic material.
A mischievous light flickered through his eyes, and he quickly exited the room. As he reentered, he witnessed the lights gradually illuminating the room, only to turn off once he left.
Approaching the desk, Stefan scanned through the leaflet, detailing camp information and featuring a map on the back.
At least he wouldn't have to wander around searching for the cafeteria.
With little effort, he opened the first box, finding clothes inside, complete with his name printed on the shoulder.
'How fast is their production?' he gasped. Ever since he received his Phase Venom Bracelet, his room and everything in it had been prepared.
The box contained identical black and red clothes, along with shoes, but Stefan frowned when he didn't find any jerseys.
'Will I also get a suit of armour?' he wondered, excited at the prospect.
Opening the second box, he found virtual reality goggles and a glass red card, bearing his Titan Name.
'What's this for?' Stefan asked himself, referring back to the leaflet. Scanning through it, he discovered a page explaining the virtual reality goggles and card.
'So I need to use that wrapped machine to access the virtual world, and this card is my account, huh. How can this light thing withstand a shot from a plasma gun?' he mused, examining the card with lines running through its frame.
Since he needed to go online to select a useful martial art and technique, Stefan quickly slipped on his slippers, removed the wrap, and settled onto the machine.
It resembled a chair with a long neck that curved and stopped before reaching eye level. Placing the goggles on the rectangular edge, he reclined on the comfy chair and activated it. As the goggles glowed, they leaned closer and covered his eyes.
Stefan jolted and found himself moving through streams of light. After a brief second, he appeared in a white space with a hovering bot before him.
"Hi! I'm Mia," the bot, just a cute round head, introduced itself, to which he nodded. "Stefan."
"A body martial art is pivotal to your career, so please be careful," she advised before displaying a list that hovered mid-air.
[Roaring Tiger: Aggressive and Fierce. Recommended for defenders, Strengthens the bones and tissues generally].
[Roaring Dragon: Coordination and Control between the mind and body. Recommended for goalkeepers, Strengthens the spinal cord].
[Flying Crane: Light body and swift reflex. Recommended for Mid wingers and Midfielders. Lightens the bone structure and makes the tissues more compact].
[Explosive Leopard: Possess a body capable of exploding with powerful strength. Recommended for strikers, Strengthens the tendons and femur].
[Flexible Snake: Highly flexible body. Recommended mainly for female Titans. Softens the bone structure, grants elasticity].
Observing avatars demonstrating each skill, both in cultivating and showcasing their advantages on the pitch, Stefan opted for the Explosive Leopard.
"You can train here. As long as you're in your Cerebral machine, your body would adjust accordingly," Mia explained, and Stefan, with both hands in his pockets, nodded quietly.
Observing the cultivating avatar, his eyes gradually went blank as he entered his Astral space, where several avatars of himself were performing the same actions and then disappearing.
When the session concluded, he had grasped the basics of the martial art's 1st stage.
Slowly mirroring what he had observed, he increased his pace, sweating profusely within minutes.
Balancing his body with one hand, he gradually lowered himself before switching to the other hand, his muscles trembling, and his breath ragged.
After some time, Stefan collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. He sensed a cooling sensation coursing through his fatigued muscles, a familiar sensation.
'Already at the first stage!' he gasped, realizing another advantage from his Cosmic Telepathy. It had heightened his cognitive abilities, turning him into a prodigy at cultivation.
However, to progress to the second stage and eventually enter the continental rank, he needed to repeat the same routine under increased gravity.
But Stefan wasn't prepared to push himself further. His body ached intensely, and he understood that pushing beyond this point would cause more harm than good.