Tonight's visit with his family had only fueled Damon's determination to grow stronger. Seeing the healthy faces of citizens had made him realize just how weak and sickly his parents and sister looked.
According to Asharaa's research, there were two ways he could obtain honorary citizenship for his family:
- Earn 30,000 Gold Credits
- Achieve the rank of Centurion in the military, which would grant his family honorary citizenship as a reward
Both were equally difficult, but Damon was certain that becoming a Centurion would be easier for him than gathering 30,000 Gold Credits.
After returning to his apartment and eating some of the food Asharaa had forcibly ordered for him, he decided to train in the technique, Heaven and Earth Absorption.
He removed his shirt and stepped onto his balcony.
Following the instructions imprinted into his mind and body by the system, he assumed a horse stance, lowering himself until his knees formed a perfect 90-degree angle.
He regulated his breathing, closed his eyes, and asked Asharaa to help him sense Ka energy.
For a few moments, there was only darkness.
Then, gradually, he began to perceive tiny blue specks of light floating around him.
As the glowing particles appeared, a strange heat formed at the back of his neck, just below where the Soul Gate had been implanted.
And as the warmth intensified, he realized that the Ka particles around him were slowly drifting toward that spot, being absorbed into his body.
With every particle he absorbed, the heat spread further.
After half an hour, the heat had engulfed his entire torso, slowly creeping into his head, arms, and legs.
Throughout it all, Damon remained in a half-conscious state, completely unaware of his surroundings—his entire focus locked onto the sensation of Ka spreading through him.
But then, when the warmth covered his entire body, he instinctively knew—his cells had absorbed as much Ka as they could. Any more, and he'd damage himself.
So, he stopped the absorption and moved on to the second phase of the technique—condensing all the energy into his heart.
As the heat gathered into his chest, a brief but sharp pain flared through his heart.
Then, as it faded, Damon slowly opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and rose from his horse stance.
+ "I still don't fully understand how the system works. If someone asked me right now how I managed to absorb the Ka particles… or how I knew when to stop… I wouldn't be able to explain it. I just… knew, Like some kind of instinct."
++ "I told you before," Asharaa responded.
++ "These techniques and skills were created for the Symbiote to guide humans. In the past, before Symbiotes were invented, humans had already lost nearly 90% of their ability to sense Ka.
The Symbiotes were made to compensate for that loss—to detect Ka on behalf of humans and make it visible to them.
That's why these techniques and skills were designed so precisely—so the Symbiote could fully comprehend and execute them without issue.
Now, the system has implanted all that knowledge into your mind and body as if they were memories.
There's no point overthinking it. Just remember—our 'mental quality' is still too Low to fully grasp the mechanics behind this."
The Heaven and Earth Absorption technique had three stages:
Absorption. Condensing the energy into the heart. Circulating the energy through the bloodstream before returning it to the heart.
But due to his low physical quality and KA, Damon could only manage the first two stages.
Based on his own estimations, he would need at least twice his current Ka capacity before attempting the third phase.
After a hot, relaxing shower, he flopped onto his soft, new bed—without even bothering to dry off or get dressed—and immediately sank into a deep sleep.
At exactly 8:00 AM, Damon was jolted awake by Asharaa's energetic, girlish voice echoing in his head.
++ "Good morning, sleepyhead~!"
+ "Morning to you too, partner."
After getting dressed in his uniform and eating a light breakfast, Damon grabbed his training clothes and hailed a taxi to the nearest dojo, Asharaa had found on the map.
The dojo was a massive, twenty-story building with an elegant, spacious lobby.
Damon approached the android receptionist, a young woman with striking features, standing behind the front desk.
"Good morning, miss. I'd like to rent a private dojo and a sparring partner for the entire day."
The android, smiled and glanced at the black identification plate on Damon's chest.
"Good morning, Mr. Grey. We're honored that you chose our dojo to train before your exam.
Dojo No. 18 and Instructor Jax will be at your disposal for the entire day."
A payment notification was sent to his Soul Gate, but it didn't open.
++ "She sent us the payment receipt," Asharaa informed him. "But I blocked it from opening.
The cost for a private dojo is 5 Silver Credits, plus 5 more for the instructor. I already paid."
After confirming the payment, Damon received a building map and the route to Dojo No. 18, which Asharaa immediately processed for him.
The dojo itself was a rectangular, 100-square-meter training space with polished wooden flooring.
Its walls were lined with an arsenal of weapons—swords, staffs, daggers, and more.
At the center stood an android instructor—a tall, broad-shouldered man with blond hair, wearing a gray sports tracksuit.
Damon stepped into the locker room, swapped his uniform for his black training attire, and walked onto the green mat.
Facing Jax, he took his stance.
"Hey, Damon. I'm Instructor Jax. How do you want to start?"
As he loosened his muscles with slow, controlled stretches, Damon replied between breaths:
"I think… hand-to-hand combat… would be a good start…"
Jax simply gave a short smile before raising his fists in a combat stance, waiting for Damon to finish warming up.
Seeing Jax ready, Damon quickened his pace, ending his stretches before assuming his own fighting stance.
Without thinking, Damon's mind immediately began analyzing the possible attacks Jax could throw at him—and how to counter each one.
It was as if his body had already memorized these movements.
Even so, his first instinct wasn't to fight unarmed—it was to grab a sword from the wall to his left.
—Looks like my swordsmanship takes priority over Hapkido in my muscle memory…—
But he shook off the thought.
— I need to focus on Hapkido first. If the exam is being monitored, I don't have a valid reason to explain why I possess such high-level sword techniques. —
So, he focused entirely on his footwork, hands, and Hapkido techniques.
Jax closed the distance between them in two quick steps and threw a straight punch aimed directly at Damon's face.
But Damon—without even thinking—tilted his head left, stepped forward, and countered with a right hook aimed at Jax's jaw.
His unexpected reaction momentarily surprised damon—but Jax was quick to exploit the opening.
Pulling his head back, Jax dodged the hook, sidestepped to his left, and launched a right hook of his own—landing it square on Damon's face.