MM - Chapter 159 - BHIMA’S CHALLENGE

The sun was high in the sky, though its rays were filtered by the canopy far above. He was tucked within cracked folds of bark that looked more like a cliff face than the base of a massive tree that stretched to the clouds.

The agony of the outside world faded away, replaced by the buzzing of gargantuan insects and the shrieks of those too slow to escape them. The forest was alive with the vicissitudes of predator and prey, a bold reminder that here, in ZionLine, death lurked around every corner. 

Raine yearned to join the hunt but remained focused on what he came for. After a quick glance to ensure his surroundings were secure, he accessed his inventory and withdrew a small, darkly-colored booklet.

[Tome of seventy-seven praises to Bhima: (Marvelous Gold) Once per day a new passage detailing the ultimate wisdom of Bhima shall be revealed. Upon reading each new passage Potency increases by 1 (All accumulated bonuses are lost upon death) (Bonuses become permanent after 77 days and 77 passages) (This item will always drop upon death) (1 use per account)]

Despite the craziness of the last couple outside days, Raine hadn’t missed logging in to read the newly revealed passages. Today marked the tenth of seventy-seven. Before he could open to the newest page, over a hundred notifications strobing within his interface demanded attention. Unsurprisingly, most of them were from an overly concerned Mel. She’d seen the fight up close and knew that Raine had it bad before she was forced to run. Afterward, seeing him bandaged up, hiding his pain from the crowd, must have felt like a blade in her heart.

Rather than respond to the many questions, Raine called her Ncode. She answered immediately. Her pink-haired, dazzling visage appeared in the corner of his HUD. “R-Alaric! Are… are you okay?”

He flicked the option to also reveal his image. Gesturing to his completely healthy avatar, he quirked a brow, “What are you talking about? I’m fine, see?”

“Ha ha, very funny. You know what I meant! You haven’t been answering my messages… I was-am so worried about you. At least let me come over and take care of you.”

“Unnecessary. I’ll be fine in no time.” Raine wore a cheery smile for Mel’s sake. He wasn’t about to let her see him in his current state more than absolutely necessary. It was too easy to recall the torment she’d suffered after opening the stage and finding him broken and bleeding.

She’s strong in more ways than I ever knew, but this isn’t one of them. When someone she cares about is suffering, and she doesn’t have a way to immediately help, she panics. Being around me right now, when there’s nothing to be done but wait will destroy her mentality. Celeste on the other hand… Bet a million creds she takes one look at me and cackles like a madwoman.

Raine reiterated his point. "Don’t you worry about me. I’m going to sleep outside tonight. A good rest, and I’ll be back to 100%. How's everyone’s training? Need anything before I go?”

“No, we don’t need anything. I just…” Mel released a disappointed sigh. After a deep breath, she started over, slightly more upbeat “Progress is slow. We could use some pointers, but your rest is more important. Busy day tomorrow, right?”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll be relying on all of you to guide the new recruits. We’ll meet in Mirror Lake Town, get everyone organized, and then we’ve got an important quest to do. After that, we’ll set off toward Hammer Smith Town in the southern pass to Silverlight. I don’t want to risk bringing everyone through Vile Peak. You and Crimson are the only two who can port to Mirror Lake; make sure the others head that way before noon tomorrow.”

Mel nodded firmly, eyes hard at the prospect of leading tens of thousands of untrained noobs through CronGate (formerly Righteous) territory, “Noon? Okay. I’ll let them know. Anything else?”

“Not from me. You won’t get another chance to train intensely for a while; better make the most of it. Put together a few vods of what each of you is struggling with. I’ll review them as soon as I’m awake.”

Mel’s face lit up with her typical beaming smile, “Thank you! They’ll be thrilled for more pointers.”

Despite her attempted cheer, Raine spotted the crinkling around her eyes and how the left side of her lips didn’t lift as far as usual. “Really, stop worrying. I’ll be fine soon. You should be more concerned about Celeste. She’s going through Genesis. When she wakes up, you better believe she’ll return the beating you gave her over the last few days.”

Mel’s eyes shot open, perfectly matching her gaping mouth. “Oh,” was all she managed, eliciting a chuckle from Raine.

“I’m logging. Talk to you in the morning.”

“Okay! Bye!”

Raine ended the call, still smiling. Interacting with Mel always lifted his spirits. In this new, incredible chance at life, she was thankfully a daily occurrence. He planned to keep it that way. Opening Bhima to the newest page, Raine was met by an unexpected pair of system messages that sprang into existence before his eyes.

[Nascent attribute threshold met]

[Duration requirement met]

Growing excited, he read with a frown that quickly turned to a mimicry of Mel’s flabbergasted expression; the passage was nothing like those that came before.

“Congratulations, seeker of my wisdom. You have survived long enough to reach the second stage. As you well know by now, acquiring the ultimate physical form is a long, arduous path fraught with peril. The first stage—fitness of the body—is merely a start and the easiest of all. Prepared or not, it is time to dive into the immaterial. The following ten passages will reveal the steps necessary for the maturity of the brain, culminating in what is known as Genesis—the moment cognitive prowess, killing intent, and need crystallize into a power capable of dismantling your enemies from within.

The first lesson: the mind does not exist.

There is no anatomical location one can point to and say, this is where the mind is. The brain is not the mind, memories are not the mind, critical thinking is not the mind. The mind is the random firing of synapses triggering memories and thoughts not called forth with purpose… but through lackadaisical inactivity! The mind’s rambling is a symptom of weakness, an attack on oneself both vile and sinister, yet also a fundamental result of evolution. Battling the mind is unavoidable, an intrinsic part of the human process, just as defeating the mind is an integral step down every martial path. So move, breathe, feel the world around you, dive into your senses, and the mind loses its grip, bringing you one step closer to ultimate victory. Hone your thoughts so you may sharpen the mind’s blade. Strive to cut down your mental inadequacies with every breath. Only then will the latent powers within become yours to control.”

[Potency: +1]

Raine’s hands shook as he gazed at the priceless book clutched in his hands. Nothing in the long passage was news to him, but that hardly mattered. The first of Bhima’s pages had contained short phrases that bordered on humorous yet held kernels of profound truths. This tenth passage revealed the tome’s true nature. It was a guide. A guide that the martial clans of the world would do anything to destroy if they knew of its existence.

In the past, many new clans and martial families sprang into being shortly after ZionLine’s debut. The forerunners who delved deep enough somehow discovered the secrets of the masters and grandmasters, then brought those secrets to the outside world. They became powerhouses in both realities, challenging the status quo and rapidly propelling the world’s martial stage to new heights.

In a burst of inspiration, Raine realized where those answers had come from. ZionLine was created with the direct oversight of the Old Monster, Ziegfried. Immortal and all-powerful, yet having reached the loftiest of martial peaks through a path that demanded combat, the man was undoubtedly bored. Like Raine, he sought worthy challenges, and if he could not find them on Earth, he would make them here. It was probable that every secret needed to become his rival was buried inside his creation, inside ZionLine, just waiting to be uncovered.

Raine could feel it; every bone in his body understood that all the answers for progressing to grandmaster were already in his possession. He only had to live long enough to gain access to them. For one death would see the Tome of seventy-seven praises to Bhima lost to him. Suddenly, the growls, buzzing, and dying calls of nearby beasts took on a whole new meaning. In Raine's past, few had lived long enough to leave the Ruptured Chaparral on foot, most awakening in the last bound graveyard after a gruesome end.

Yet that very tension called to Raine’s martial path. With more than ever on the line, his desire to forge ahead only ratcheted higher.

There was more. As though the tome was molding itself to him, becoming a personal guide to his path, a new stipulation appeared in its description.

[Tome of seventy-seven praises to Bhima: (Marvelous Gold) Once per day, a new passage detailing the ultimate wisdom of Bhima shall be revealed. Upon reading each new passage, Potency increases by 1 (Days without worthy combat are not counted) (All accumulated bonuses are lost upon death) (Bonuses become permanent after 77 days and 77 passages) (This item will always drop upon death) (1 use per account)]

Worthy combat, eh? Nothing about level equivalency there. Somehow, I doubt an easy fight, even with a huge level disparity, will satisfy. Hmm. My longest non-death streak was over three hundred days. Another sixty-seven to finish Bhima’s lessons shouldn’t prove a challenge in the least…

Damian of the Everlasting Phoenix Clan

- Southwestern Phoenix Territories -

“Fuck!” Damian screeched, fist burrowing into the wall. He ended the call with the worthless assassin from Origin of Sin, unable to stand looking at the cattle’s broken face another second. Damian didn’t care that only two of the assassins survived the bloodbath at Astra Infernum’s recruitment drive, only that they failed.

Five million creds for nothing! Only one of Astra’s masters was injured, and he was too weak to be Alaric. I should have splurged for a higher-rated organization. I have more funds now, but hiring enough grandmasters to get the job done will bleed me dry. Hmm. If I can convince grandfather that Astra is a threat, I could send Arya. That would ensure their demise no matter how many grandmasters they have, and it won’t cost me a cred!

How to do that? Wait! Alaric is no grandmaster, and two showed up at the event. That means there are at least two monsters in Astra Infernum that make Alaric look weak. All I have to do is push their joke of a guild enough that they’re forced to respond, then let them take what looks like a big win. With the focus grandfather is putting into ZionLine, he won’t allow some upstart guild to cost us any face. He’ll respond with overwhelming force to set an example.

Damian’s smile was tinged with madness as he made another call. The recipient picked up immediately, as was proper for a slave. “Hammer. I have a new job for you. Stay in Carter, but get your ass back into ZionLine. We’ve got some bugs to step on.”