Zoser returned to his room exhausted after a grueling day of training under Onar's supervision. His body was worn out, but that only fueled his determination to grow stronger. He collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep within seconds.
---
Zoser woke up at dawn, a strange sense of calm washing over him. He sat cross-legged on the floor and began meditating. His mind was clear, and his body was ready to receive the flow of spiritual energy. He focused on the energy center below his navel, feeling every pulse of power within him. He guided the energy through his body's pathways, and a smile spread across his face as he noticed how his energy circulation speed had nearly doubled. "My training has paid off."
"Let's try activating the Eye of Horus now." His excitement grew as he realized its activation time had increased, and the energy consumption had decreased.
Clenching his fist with determination, he muttered, "Now I understand the importance of training with Onar. Without her, I wouldn't have reached this point."
But then, another thought crossed his mind: "What about the Scarab of Anubis?" he whispered to himself as distant memories of the black scarab he had seen in his dreams returned to him. He began to wonder, "How powerful is it compared to the Eye of Horus?"
---
With renewed curiosity, Zoser resumed meditating, but this time, instead of directing his energy to his eye, he channeled it to his forehead, where the scarab had been implanted by the old woman.
A cold current began to flow from his forehead, and it felt as though the air around him was heavy and charged with mysterious energy. Suddenly, his forehead glowed with a deep violet light, and the chill intensified, piercing through his bones.
Zoser felt the scarab pulling energy from his center. A few days ago, such a pull would have drained him completely, leaving him unconscious. But now, his body could handle the strain.
As the energy continued to flow, he saw violet sparks dancing before his eyes. Then, out of nowhere, a translucent deer appeared in front of him.
The deer looked like it was made of glowing mist. Its body was long and slender, shimmering with a soft glow that shifted between white and silvery gray. Its eyes, despite its transparency, gleamed like two small embers with a cool blue hue. It moved its head slowly, as if observing its surroundings, before locking its gaze on Zoser.
When Zoser raised his hand, he felt an invisible bond form between them, a strong connection that gave him control over the deer's movements.
"Move forward," Zoser commanded softly. The deer obeyed with graceful fluidity. Zoser smiled with excitement. "I must show this to Onar!"
---
Zoser left his room and headed to Onar's quarters. When he arrived, he found her reading an old book at her desk. Smiling enthusiastically, he greeted her, "Good morning, Onar."
Onar smiled back, "Good morning, Zoser. You seem ready. Shall we begin?"
"Yes, but there's something I want to show you first," Zoser replied.
Onar raised an eyebrow. "And what is that?"
Zoser sat on the floor, took a deep breath, and activated the scarab. The violet sparks returned, and the translucent deer appeared before Onar.
When Onar saw the deer, she froze, her expression revealing clear shock.
"How did you do that?" she asked, her voice filled with surprise—the first time Zoser had ever seen her stunned.
"I tried activating the scarab the same way I activate the Eye of Horus, and this appeared. This is the same deer I told you about," Zoser explained.
Onar shook her head slowly. "This is... fascinating. Unfortunately, I can't help you with this. I know very little about the powers of Anubis' scarab, only that it's tied to the dead and the spirits. You'll have to figure it out on your own."
Though Zoser felt slightly disappointed by her answer, his enthusiasm remained. He looked at the deer, then back at Onar, and said with a faint smile, "Alright, I'll discover everything by myself."
Zoser began to adapt to his grueling daily routine under Onar's supervision. His schedule consisted of three main phases:
Morning: Intense training involving gradual weight increases on his suit until it reached five times its normal weight, which had a profound impact on his physical strength.
Afternoon: Relaxation in the therapeutic bath prepared by Onar. The water contained medicinal herbs that helped restore his energy and vitality.
Evening: Intensive meditation sessions to train his Eye of Horus in his room. These sessions helped him enhance his spiritual focus and improve his ability to sense dangers before others could see them.
This routine continued for a month, and by the end of it, notable changes had appeared in his body:
His muscles became tight and strong.
He gained a physique that appeared five years older than his actual age.
His spiritual energy became more stable.
---
One day, when Zoser entered the training room, he found it had transformed into a real battlefield. The floor was covered in sand, and the walls were lined with targets and weapons. Onar stood in front of him with a challenging smile and asked:
"Which weapon do you prefer?"
Zoser thought for a moment, trying to choose the weapon that suited his speed and fighting style. He answered confidently:
"Double daggers."
Onar smiled and said enthusiastically:
"Alright, let's begin."
Onar started teaching Zoser how to use the double daggers, guiding him step by step:
How to hold them properly for maximum precision.
Techniques for fast attacks and defense.
Weak points to target in his enemies.
The training was intense, and Zoser continued learning a variety of techniques. Onar also explained other types of weapons to him, giving him a deeper understanding of how to handle different combat situations.
A year passed, and Zoser found himself at an advanced level of development:
Age: He was now five years and nine months old.
Combat Level: He had reached the peak of the beginner level, on the verge of becoming an apprentice.
Eye of Sight: It had reached its full potential, allowing him to easily detect enemies and deceptions.
As for his spiritual abilities, they had also seen significant improvement:
Anubis Scarab: After killing several creatures, he could now see their souls—something others couldn't do.
Zoser must be close to the creature at the moment of its death to store its soul.
Souls can only be stored if his spiritual energy is strong enough to anchor them inside the scarab.
Storing souls causes temporary fatigue, placing limits on the frequency of using this ability.
Summoned souls can only use 50% of their full strength.
Summoned souls appear as ethereal, semi-transparent beings, giving them a mysterious and terrifying appearance.
Zoser can only store one soul at a time, When he tried to absorb other souls, he discovered he was only allowed one soul at a time. He decided to release the weak gazelle soul and absorb the soul of a flattened-tail scorpion..
He also managed to use the scarab to heal his minor wounds.
Physical Abilities: His body became incredibly strong and flexible. He was now able to face and kill the wild desert camel he and his team had once struggled with, all on his own.
Combat Experience: He gained significant experience through his missions with Lina and Orion, helping him develop battle strategies and increase his financial income.
---
During a dangerous mission with Lina and Orion, the team encountered a giant creature threatening their lives. In that moment, Zoser decided to use the gazelle soul to distract the enemy, which allowed them to escape. Afterward, he chose to store the giant creature's soul, only to be surprised that storing such a powerful soul drained his energy to a dangerous degree. He felt an overwhelming fatigue and realized that using this ability on powerful creatures posed a significant risk to his well-being.
Afterward, he decided to limit himself to storing souls that didn't drain his energy too much. He chose to store the soul of the flattened-tail scorpion.
--