Dawn finally broke after a night of restless tossing and turning.
I knew that Rose Hightower had been sealed by the foxvamp. I could have easily overpowered her even without these new techniques I'd recently acquired.
Yet, I still couldn't sleep with her in the room. I was unaccustomed to sharing my space, let alone my bed, unless she was undressed.
Despite her fanciful claims of martial arts expertise, I was sure she possessed genuine skill.
Can't trust any women. I sighed.
I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep, but I was struggling internally. If I coerced her with force or food, would she surrender some training manuals?
Before the Velvet Pleasure incident, I had intended to help the police conceal the vamp trouble. As long as H.A.R.M. remained ignorant of the fox vampire's deception, I could deal with Rose however I wanted.
But my aspirations had shifted. I now sought to join H.A.R.M., a goal that would be jeopardized if the fox's deception was exposed. I couldn't allow myself to be implicated in such a scandalous affair.
A wave of bitter resentment washed over me. It seemed unfair that I, a budding talent, should bear the burden of others' wrongdoings.
After careful consideration, I concluded that the only viable solution was to chop Rose Hightower up and bury her body. Even if H.A.R.M. discovered anything amiss, I had full deniability, claiming to have been deceived by the foxvamp like everybody else.
Anyway, there was no evidence to prove otherwise, and the added bonus of potentially extracting training knowledge from her before her demise was a tempting prospect.
My fingers grazed the scabbard as I lifted it gently. Bloodshot eyes blinked open as I rose from the bed.
"Is it dawn?" Rose Hightower, leaning at the foot of the bed, opened her eyes in confusion and wiped saliva from the corners of her mouth.
I glanced at her and walked out of the room.
Sensing the intense killing intent behind my casual gaze, Rose instantly became sober. She stammered, "Did I snore or something? Why would he be so angry getting up?"
It didn't take long for me to come back, with a toast hanging from my mouth. A paper bag landed at Rose's feet with a thud.
Ripping it open, she revealed several hot toasts. She swallowed subconsciously. Her eyes gleamed as she took a bite. "Why... no eggs?" she mumbled through a mouthful of bread.
"Short of cash," I retorted, pulling on a clean coat. "With eggs, it's French toast. Make do."
Killing wasn't a problem. I just felt that being forced to kill her like this was unreasonable and foolish.
Besides, there was more than one solution.
If I could kill the foxvamp in Hightower Mansion before H.A.R.M.'s arrival, everything would be fine.
As for Rose… well, out of sight, out of mind.
… …
Rose stopped chewing and looked out the door. A wave of relief washed over her.
She knew how terrifying a warrior's desire for transcendence could be at my level.
But even with a knife to her throat, she wouldn't reveal anything.
This was the rule set above.
Once violated, they both would definitely be hunted down and killed. There could be no good outcome.
Suppressing such an urge, your patience is almost as good as mine.
Rose smelled the aroma of toast, licked her lips, and took another bite.
… …
East Street.
I slowed down and called up the interface.
[Fighting Techniques]
Standard Police Training (Master)
Shadowstrike (Grandmaster): First Realm - Lightstrike
Tempest Strikes (Grandmaster): Boxing Talent
Cobra's Coil (Grandmaster)
First Realm - Astral Fortification Part 1 (Grandmaster)
[Remaining Personal Lifespan: twenty-one years]
[Remaining Absorbed Lifespan: two hundred and twenty-two years]
I sought solitude in a deserted alley, my mind consumed by a singular purpose.
With deliberate intent, I channeled the lifespan into the depths of the Astral Fortification.
The gamble was immense; whether pouring lifespan into already perfected techniques would yield any fruit was unknown. Yet, the allure of a complete exercise regimen capable of propelling me into the First Realm was an irresistible siren song. The cost would undoubtedly be exorbitant. A minor derivative like Lightstrike took twenty-seven years to deduce. But whatever the cost, it paled in comparison to the grand prize.
[In the first year, the Astral Fortification manual was no longer a book, but a part of you. Its wisdom intertwined with the lessons of your life.]
[In the fifth year, the celestial essence had forged your body into a vessel of extraordinary potential. Yet, a plateau had been reached. The familiar paths you'd trodden led to dead ends. It wasn't enough to simply channel the universe's essence; you needed to contain it.]
[In the twentieth year, you withdrew from the world, seeking new ways to capture that elusive essence.]
[In the sixtieth year, you had become intimately acquainted with the celestial essence as if it were an old friend, yet you still couldn't store it. The knife, a constant companion, reflected the dim light of my solitary existence.]
Decades unfurled before my eyes, each year a stark reminder of my fruitless pursuit. I couldn't fully experience the pain of such prolonged stagnation, years passing by without achieving anything. Yet the mere contemplation of it sent shivers down my spine.
[In the eightieth year, a chilling realization struck. Every Lightstrike consumed a fraction of the essence you'd labored to infuse into your tendons, bones, skin and muscle. Your once-strengthened body grew weaker with each strike. ]
[In the ninetieth year, you finally used up all the acquired essence, you transformed back into the ordinary person before practicing Astral Fortification. Yet, you refused to relinquish your knife, each swing draining the life-force you were born with.]
[In the 105th year, your body was spent. You unleashed a final, feeble Lightstrike and collapsed. Your trembling hands felt alien. You closed your eyes, awaiting the inevitable.]
[In the 106th year: a cool touch grazed your skin. A smile finally appeared on your nervous face. You'd been right all along.]
[In the 120th year, after over a decade of a relentless cycle of exhaustion and renewal, you abandoned conscious control and allowed instinct to guide the influx of essence. Gradually, a pattern emerged.]
[In the 146th year, you mastered the process. Your findings filled a notebook, titled "True Explanation of Astral Fortification."]
[Remaining absorbed lifespan: seventy-six years]
A wave of debilitating weakness washed over me, forcing me to brace myself. My breath came in ragged gasps. Yet, the revelation that had just unfolded eclipsed my physical distress. A surge of exhilaration ignited within me.
Three apevamps' lifespans exchanged for the path to transcendence? A colossal profit! Centuries of arduous trial and error condensed into a single, profound truth. You named it "True Explanation of Astral Fortification".
It was no arcane mystery. Instead, it was not a testament to human ingenuity, or rather, to the brute force of persistence.
The human body: a vessel with twelve hidden chambers, each a reservoir of the celestial essence. Through relentless experimentation, I'd unlocked these chambers, harnessing and refining their power.