Morgath entered his new plot of land, the crunch of gravel beneath his boots was the only sound in the quiet, open space. He glanced around, taking in the emptiness that stretched before him. The parcel was large, bigger than he remembered, and aside from the occasional tree and some rolling hills in the distance, it was completely barren. Just how he wanted it.
After setting up his tent in the center of the property, he stood still for a moment, scanning the horizon for any signs of neighbors. His gaze lingered on the edges of the land, looking for the distant lights of any nearby homes or movement that might indicate someone else was around. Fortunately, the area seemed as desolate as he had hoped. The solitude would allow him to train in peace, away from prying eyes.
Satisfied with his surroundings, Morgath settled into his tent and pulled up the familiar, invisible interface of the System in his mind. "Alright, System," he began, his voice quiet in the still air, "what should I start with?"
The System responded instantly, its voice clear and direct in his mind. [I suggest beginning by training your perception to the limit of Rank 1, which is 5 stat points. Although this won't grant you immediate strength, it will significantly improve your awareness, which will be crucial for your swordsmanship training.]
Morgath raised an eyebrow. "Swordsmanship?" he asked, intrigued. "Why start with that?"
[Swordsmanship will help you learn the fundamentals of combat and movement. Your perception training will make your actions seem slower, allowing you to notice weaknesses and inefficiencies in your form that you wouldn't normally catch. Additionally, with the spiritual stones becoming available in a few months, there will be a surge in demand for skilled weapon instructors. For now, weapons like swords are considered outdated, but soon they will be essential.]
Morgath nodded, seeing the logic in it. "That makes sense. If I wait too long, hiring someone to teach me will be much more difficult."
[Exactly. Start with perception first. Once that is at its peak for Rank 1, you'll be better equipped to begin your combat training.]
"Got it," Morgath said, shifting his focus to the task at hand. "So, how do I start with perception training? Any advice?"
[The best method would be to use an illusion formation, which can help immerse your senses in a controlled environment designed to heighten perception. However, you do not yet have the time or resources to master setting one up.]
Morgath frowned. "Then what's the next best option?"
[For now, purchasing a virtual reality helmet would be the most practical solution. Many programs are designed to sharpen sensory perception, and with your mana, you can enhance the experience beyond what ordinary users can access. You can channel your mana directly into the device without needing a specific incantation, unlike the healing spell.]
Morgath thought about it for a moment, impressed by the practicality of the suggestion. "A VR helmet, huh? That actually sounds doable."
[Indeed. It will provide a simulated environment where you can train your senses to detect subtle changes in your surroundings, refining your perception without requiring advanced formations. The energy needed to power the helmet will be minimal; with just your intent, your mana will do the rest.]
Morgath's lips curved into a small smile. This new world of cultivation was becoming more interesting by the day. The idea of blending advanced technology with the arcane power of mana felt natural, almost intuitive. "Alright," he said, stretching his arms. "I'll head into town right away to pick one up. Just need to be careful to avoid meeting someone who may know me, as that would provoke too many questions."
He stood at the entrance of his tent, gazing out at the vast, open field. There was a lot of work ahead, but with the guidance of the System and his growing abilities, Morgath felt ready to take on whatever challenges lay in his path.
"Let's do this."
On his way to the city, Morgath constantly kept track of his surroundings, as he fears meeting someone who could recognize him. Since it's a Tuesday, he thinks it's a blessing that most people who knew him were still in high school making his stealth easier. At one point, he almost runs into his neighbor, Mrs. Jenkins, but he quickly ducks into a crowd before she can spot him.
Once he gets the VR helmet, Morgath returns to his new camp and wastes no time setting it up. As he starts training, the immersion feels surreal—the VR program enhances his sensory input in a way he's never experienced before. With his intent powering the helmet, the illusion becomes even sharper, and he's pushed to his limits within the first hour. His mana drains quickly, and when it finally depletes, he's left exhausted, drenched in sweat. The System informs him that his mana will recover at a rate of one point per hour, meaning he'll need to wait 10 hours before his reserves are full again.
The System then explains something crucial: the more proficient his intent becomes, the less mana he'll use for this task. However, with higher perception, the training becomes increasingly demanding, which means progress will slow down. Because of that, training speed will stay more or less the same. That's why it is also recommended that he starts with body tempering instead of common cultivation, gaining stats through training gets progressively harder, while absorbing spiritual stones always yields the same results.
Over the next two days, Morgath begins to notice the subtle, growing impact of heightened perception. His body moves more fluidly, his reflexes sharper, but there's a hunger gnawing at him after each session. On the first day, he relies on the food he brought from home, but by the second day, with his perception heightened by a single point, he manages to hunt a bird. The thrill of catching prey on his own terms gives him a small sense of achievement. He prepares the bird, roasting it over a campfire, grateful that his senses have made even simple survival tasks easier.
As the day progress, Morgath finds himself frustrated with the waiting periods between training sessions. He can only sustain the VR program for less than two hours before his mana depletes again. He asks the System if there's a way to make better use of his time, not wanting to waste hours each day on recovery.
The System offers an alternative: constitution. This would stretch the time it takes to complete his perception training, but it would be more efficient overall. Morgath agrees, knowing that in the long run, his constitution will be just as important as his perception. It's the best if one has a balanced stats, after all, what good is having an insane top speed if you won't be able to react and crash into an obstacle.
For the next week, Morgath shifts his focus entirely to mastering the Vitalyth spell, aiming to maximize his proficiency with it. Once his comprehension of the first tier of Vitalyth is complete, he resumes his perception training. This time, however, he channels most of his mana into the VR helmet, while leaving few drops for healing himself after tempering his constitution. Without the healing effects, the process would be impossible—he resorts to using the flames of a campfire to push his body to its limits during the tempering sessions.
The pain is immense, but Morgath perseveres. After a month of relentless, grueling training, both his perception and constitution are maxed out. His body feels different—stronger, more resilient, and his heightened senses make him hyper-aware of every little movement, every sound. His status reflects his hard-earned progress, and he knows he's finally ready to move on to swordsmanship.
The next day, after his short visit to his parents to brief them about what happened to him in the past month, he stands outside the gym of his swordsmanship instructor. He takes a deep breath, his hand resting on the door handle, feeling the weight of his achievements. His mind drifts to the status screen in his vision—a reminder of how far he's come and how much further he still has to go.
[Status]
-[Name]: Morgath
-[Rank]: 1
--[Level]: 0
-[Stats]
--[Strength]: 0
--[Agility]: 0
--[Dexterity]: 0
--[Constitution]: 5
--[Perception]: 5
--[Health]: 10/10
--[Mana]: 10/10
-[Skills]
--[Vitalyth] {Tier 1} -100% (Spell of healing)