Four days had passed and during these four days, Alexander had not ceased his dedication to awaken his second heart. Day and night, and obviously without progress, for a task that takes months, a few days would be nothing, day and night straining the muscles of the chest and abdomen—it was good exercise, but what he sought was not the strengthening of the body, although even if it is not so defined, the body of a boy who grew up doing manual labor in the fields is not lacking in strength. Seated with his back against a tree, his eyes closed, breathing evenly, even doing the same things for hours on end, tensing the muscles of the chest and abdomen for a few seconds and finally relaxing, repeating this cycle for hours and hours, every day.
Alexander opened his eyes, the system's message box right in front of him.
[!!!Quest: The Player must learn to cultivate!!!]
-"Quest"... Quests usually reward players after they are completed, what will I gain?-
The words in the message window changed quickly.
[Upon completing the Quest "the Player must learn to cultivate" the Player will receive:]
[temporary XP multiplier]
[XP]
[Active Skill "Combat Aura: when invoking his Aura the Player will gain an automatic increase in all combat attributes, the increase ends when the aura is undone]
[Passive Skill "Second Breath": upon awakening his second heart, the Player will gain the ability to cultivate just by breathing, the amount of strength and XP gained is lesser than if cultivating consciously.]
-Those seem like some great rewards, but still, why must I learn to cultivate before I have access to combat tutorials? They have been locked since Inoue spoke to me that night.
Another message appeared.
[Cultivating is essential for the Player's progress and safety, if the Player enters combat without his Aura awakened, it could result in the Player's elimination.]
-So the Aura is more important than I imagined… If I manage to evolve and reach a high aura, what can happen?-
[The Aura Mechanic applies both to the Player and to NPCs and MOBs, the more colorful a warrior's Aura the more powerful he is. Having a high-level Aura unlocks useful mechanics such as Forge, Diplomacy, and Guild Creation. Some NPCs and MOBs will interact with the Player based on the color of his Aura and the level of his power.]
-NPCs and MOBs, it is like a videogame. What happens if I enter combat with someone with a higher Aura level than mine?
[While Combats are uncertain, if the Player enters into a Combat with a very high and unfavorable power difference, whether against NPCs or MOBs, the outcome can be fatal]
-After all, it's a race against time, thanks for clarifying.-
[You're welcome, Player]
Alexander smiled, and returned to his position of concentration, once again tensing and relaxing the muscles of the chest, but something seemed to bother him, coming from the distance when he heard someone running towards him.
-Shura…Shura!- It was Inoue, she ran desperately and knelt in front of him. -Shura! In the fields...Mother, father… they're being attacked!-
-Attacked? What do you mean attacked?- Alexander said perplexed.
-They came from the woods, they're attacking the other farmers...-
-They? What do you mean they?
-Demons!-
-Demons? What do you mean demons?- Alexander clenched his teeth, remembering the system's words. He stood up quickly. -Show me where!-
In the distance, screams could be heard, by both men and women, in the middle of the rice fields there was a crowd, that seemed to try to ward off the danger, armed only with scythes, shovels, and forks. All with frightened expressions on their faces, all pointing their tools at the creatures that had emerged from the woods. The skins of a cadaveric blue color, seven of them were the same size as normal people, but the faces were nefarious, teeth pointed like a dog's and the tusks jutting out, the mouth forged into a nefarious smile, the eyes shining golden. In their hands, they carried weapons, clubs that seemed to be made of bones and stones tied together.
On the ground lay the body of two demons with a hoe stuck in their head and a fork piercing their heart, but next to them lay two bodies of farmers torn apart.
-There are seven of them… We can win!- One of the farmers shouted, even with a frightened voice he managed to inspire his companions. They really seemed excited, but such energy ceased in a few moments when they heard the trees shake, the sound of something heavy approaching. The remaining demons began to laugh, their faces covered by a huge black beard with immense horns protruding from the forehead.
Alexander and Inoue ran through the woods, leading the way and pulling him by the wrist trying to show the path. They seemed to hasten their step, yet even in the distance, the ferocious screams of battle and fear could be heard, one scream in particular stood out from the others.
-That voice… it's daddy!- Inoue said with a worried voice.
A strange sensation arose in Alexander's body, like a shock in the center of his chest, he let go of Inoue and started running faster leaving her behind.
What is this… Why did I let go of her…
Running as if there was no tomorrow, dodging the obstacles of the forest until he reached the rice fields. There he stopped, when he saw the demons laughing frenetically, on the ground the bodies of 3 farmers were shattered, the blood mixed with the earth, near them, Alexander's father, Seki, had a visibly broken leg, the bones exposed tearing through the flesh. In front of him a huge demon, two or three times larger than a normal person, he laughed nonstop in his hand a huge club covered in blood.
Alexander looked at that scene in silence, his face in shock at seeing so much blood, but something changed when he saw that immense demon lift that weapon, looking at the father of the body he now possessed with those cursed golden eyes.
-Dad…-
Some athletes call it the "Zone", it is a state of flow where athletes experience intense focus, total immersion, and elevated performance, characterized by sharp concentration, control, and distortion of the perception of time, sometimes your body moves on its own before the brain can even comprehend what happened, that's what happened here.
Before he could understand what happened, Alexander was with his father in his arms, having taken him a few meters away from the demons, he placed him on the ground carefully. Looking at his hand that trembled strangely, a strong heat in the chest.
This feeling, it's as if the owner of this body is trying to tell me something…
He was about to stand up when his father grabbed his wrist, a frightened but also concerned look on his face.
-Shura… Don't go, son, take your mother and your brothers and run...- He said with a voice trembling from the pain.
The feeling again, burning in his chest.
I understand… This feeling
I get it…This feeling is you want to protect your family, right?
Alexander stood up with a smile on his face as he looked at his father, he then left him there, going over to the farmers' bodies and picking up two of the hoes that were there.
We can consider this an exchange then, you lend me your body and I will protect your family!