If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have been so calm.
But patience. I believe I'll have more chances to return there later. For now, I had something more important to focus on.
I licked my dry lips as I felt some incoherent sensations in my brain.
Sitting on the bed, I closed my eyes and focused my mind. It wandered and soon found a small three-dimensional space. There, I saw several multicolored orbs floating in the void.
It was like opening a little box filled with gemstones of all shapes and sizes.
I believe my mental control is excellent. When I used my mental power to "touch" a small red light orb, it disappeared from the dimension and appeared in my left hand.
Opening my eyes, I saw the small orb in the center of my palm. Strangely, it didn't feel like something made of a foreign energy but rather something more familiar. Yes, it was like chakra, only it emitted a purer energy.
'Will this have some purifying effect on my chakra?' I deduced. 'And maybe, expand my chakra?'
If implementing Grandpa Hashirama's cells could have such a magical effect, even increasing the amount of chakra someone possessed, I feel it's plausible to think these orbs might have a similar effect... No! I believe it will be even better!
It might seem a bit like a fool's hope, but who wouldn't prefer to be optimistic rather than pessimistic?
At least in situations like this, I hope for the best.
Even so, I purposely chose the smallest and dimmest orb. Optimistic but cautious — the best of both worlds. Placing what seemed to be the size of a grain of rice in my mouth, I closed my eyes as I felt the orb melt on my tongue, and the warm flow fused with my body and spread.
It was like flames burning through my body, putting me into a feverish state. Quickly, I used the chakra circulation technique to distribute the powerful pure chakra energy throughout my body.
However, it lasted only two minutes before the flow of pure chakra energy ended.
Opening my eyes, I opened and closed my hands. There wasn't a dramatic difference, but I felt a subtle increase in strength.
'It seems like it's strengthening my body first,' I speculated.
Closing my eyes again, I found myself back in the three-dimensional space filled with orbs. Picking a total of ten of the same size, I opened my eyes to see them appear in my hands.
Leaving eight aside, I placed two in my mouth right away.
Just like the first time, the orbs melted, transforming into a flow of pure chakra energy that spread aimlessly throughout my body.
Using chakra circulation, I helped guide and enhance every part of my body.
In moments, this flow of pure chakra began improving my body. This time, I noticed a more obvious result.
It lasted about five minutes before the effect wore off.
I opened my eyes and saw sweat dripping down my skin.
Of course, it wasn't the classic impurity cleansing seen in Chinese novels. But just to be safe, I decided not to continue doing this in my room and went to the bathroom connected to it.
In the bathroom, I filled my tub with water while taking off my clothes and washing myself in the shower.
Beside the tub, I placed a wooden stool where I positioned all eight faintly glowing red orbs, which resembled small, shiny beans.
Once in the tub, I grabbed three of the eight orbs and placed them in my mouth at once. The moment I did, I entered a feverish state, feeling as if my body was about to catch fire. However, even unintentionally, the water in the tub helped.
I wasted no time using the chakra circulation technique to spread the pure chakra throughout my body. In moments, I began sweating profusely. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the sweat flowing from my body.
But that wasn't all: my body began contracting its muscles, tightening and strengthening them.
Cough, cough…
Three minutes later, I had a coughing fit as I felt intense heartburn, irritating my throat terribly.
'What's happening?' I thought. And then, what didn't come out through my mouth, came out the other end...
Bubbles rose. A lot of bubbles.
Soon, I smelled something so horrible that, even knowing it came from me, I wanted to vomit.
"Ugh! What the hell is that smell!?" I cursed, thinking, 'Am I rotting inside?'
Almost literally, it had a lot to do with... well, crap. But luckily, all I did was fart... Okay, it wasn't just a simple fart. It was almost at the level of a biological weapon!
Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit. Just a bit...
Holding my breath, I wanted to get out, but there was still pure chakra energy left in my body from the faintly glowing red orbs.
Enduring the foul smell, I kept fighting...
After feeling that smell for two minutes, which felt like several hours, I was crying. Tears involuntarily streamed from my eyes, as if I were peeling several onions at once, causing irritation to my eyes.
"Blegh!"
Ten minutes later, I vomited.
The flow of pure chakra ended, and as I felt relieved, I could no longer withstand the nausea I was feeling, pouring everything out into the bathroom. This made me even more nauseous, causing me to vomit again until there was nothing left.
--
--
"..."
With the bathroom window open to ventilate, I wore a cloth mask to avoid smelling the bad odor while cleaning the bathroom.
It took longer than I expected, but I managed to clean the bathtub of my own vomit and washed myself in the shower.
At the door, I thought, 'I did my best.'
Even though I had thrown some scented products, there was still the lingering smell of my fart mixed with my vomit in the air.
But, compared to before, it was at least bearable now.
Leaving the bathroom window open, I stepped out and closed the door.
My face contorted when I caught a bit of the smell in my room, but it wasn't as bad as it was in the bathroom.
Still, I had to open the window, even in the middle of the night.
Sitting on a wooden bench outside my room, on the balcony, I had never been so happy to breathe the fresh air of the serene night.
A sense of calmness took over me, making me close my eyes and enjoy the breeze and the fresh air of the night.
Yes, I know. I must look like an old man, right? But who cares?
"Hmmm~"
I let out a quiet sigh as I felt at peace. If I had alcohol, it would be perfect~
If I knew where Oneechan hid the alcohol, I would love to grab at least one bottle... Or two?
'Tsk, why does she act like this, when she started drinking even earlier than I did?' I thought, a bit irritated, but soon calmed down.
I already knew that arguing with someone like Oneechan was pointless. She was exactly the type who proudly proclaimed, "Do as I say, but not as I do!"
But deep down, I know. It's not because she's worried about me, but because she doesn't want me drinking her wine!
Tsk, just because I drank all her stock on my 13th birthday, she started hiding the drinks from me. So petty~
'Okay, enough complaining about Oneechan.' I licked my lips with anticipation, thinking, 'When I reach the third map and get access to the Golden Wine of the Giant Golden Monkeys... It will be a memorable day!'
I still remember how I envied reading about them drinking that wine while reading the novel. If it really is like it was described...
'Damn it, I started salivating...'
Wiping the drool with the back of my right hand, I sighed softly, clearing my mind. I didn't want to get too anxious because I know myself well enough to know that if I overthink, I'll end up searching for Oneechan's drink stash...
--
--
I stayed outside for almost two hours. When I returned, the smell had already disappeared, and I went to the bathroom.
There was a faint, subtle bad smell, but it was tolerable. I went to the stool where the dim red orbs were and grabbed them, putting them into a little wooden box.
Outside, behind my room, there was a flowerbed.
The maids took care of it, so it was well-maintained.
Opening the wooden box, I took one orb, and after putting the box back in my pocket, I squeezed the dim light orb in my hand until it turned to dust.
I saw a kind of light fly away in the wind, but not all was lost. A good portion of the pure chakra remained in the crumbs, and I dug a small hole near the flowerbed, placing some of the crumbs close to the roots.
'Let's see if this brings any unexpected results...'
As long as there's no mutation, I'm fine with it.
And even if it happens, it shouldn't be anything too out of the ordinary. After all, I only used one orb and made sure to spread it well. Even some of it flew away with the wind.
By the way, I felt a pleasant sensation when I breathed that in.
I returned to my room and lay down, but I wasn't sleepy.
My body felt like a child full of energy, wanting to burn it off.
Sitting on the edge of the bed with my head down, I got up, then took off my t-shirt.
Turning on the light, I walked over to the full-length mirror and saw my reflection.
In the mirror's reflection, I noticed my body had become more defined.
Not that I wasn't before. Let's say the contours were more prominent. They became more defined, while the muscle mass, although slightly reduced, became firmer.
I don't have a fetish for male abs, but I had to admit it looked pretty sexy.
'Damn, I'm not a narcissist to want to admire myself in front of a mirror!' Scratching my head, I stepped away from the mirror and went to the bathroom to take a cold shower.