Chapter 19: Tip of the Iceberg.

Titus first meditated the usual way. Moments after that, he opened his eyes per Lee's instructions. Seeing that Titus nodded, they continued to push it and see how far they could go. Titus started doing hand gestures like waving goodbye, clapping, etc. He also started spreading out his legs, stretching and retracting it. Feeling that he was ready to take the next step, Titus slowly got up. He was still able to keep the flow going at a rapid pace.

And now, their experiment has reached its peak. Titus tried to walk. He first took a step, then another, then another, until he was walking perfectly normal! This was a small success, so they've stopped for now and took a step back.

"It's surprisingly easy, it's similar to multitasking like when you're watering the plants with a hose in one hand and using your phone in the other. The only difference is that, as you move, it will affect the flow of energy, hence you need to be more efficient in dividing your attention. It feels awkward and tingly when you try to operate it while moving but it is certainly achievable with practice."

Lee felt rejoice after he heard directly from Titus' mouth that something like that was indeed possible to achieve. This was certainly of great help since they could be doing chores and could still meditate without trying to find an opportunity to sit down and meditate. Of course if they had the time and opportunity, it would still be better to meditate as they used to, since you could focus on it and thoroughly feel the changes in your body. The process itself was gratifying and it certainly added to the psyche.

The two brothers' eventually used up their five minutes daily limit. Having no form of entertainment while waiting for Uncle Brown and Claire to get back 'home', the two agreed to do some training. Well... It was Lee who brought it up with eagerness to be specific. Following his great deal of knowledge from the cultured world of Wuxia and Xianxia novels, they started doing the so-called basic stances like the horse stance. Of course Titus followed suit since there really was no harm in training the body externally despite the mana's benefits. 

They might look like idiots doing weird poses and punching thin air but similar to work-outs like push ups, there were benefits to it. This could also be a way of venting himself out, Lee was being forceful in the way he's performing the exercises currently unlike his usual self that is reserved. Last night was just too awkward!

...

Later in the morning Uncle Brown and Claire returned and they started discussing about the information they gathered at the management office.

It was said that the situation, by far, was 'stable' and travels between cities should be viable. However, as Uncle Brown and Claire went to the registration to get their daily reliefs, the soldiers were not arriving from the outside and was instead armed ready to go outside. Their faces were grave. It seemed that the situation being 'stable' was a cover up to avoid panic in the base.

"—That's why we have to be careful, since they are making it hidden to the public, then the situation is looking bleak. Since we are at Block C and in the periphery of the base, we should always ready ourselves in case some monsters slip through the defenses. And with that said, Claire are you sure you don't want to go to Block A? It's much safer there."

"No, even if I die here, I will not go. Not unless my father is there!"

"Alas..."

Uncle Brown sighed at her response. Since they already have promised to protect her, they would commit to it. They wondered just why was this girl so strongly opposed to going to Block A. It seemed that the 'someone' was her mother, so why?

When the night came, Titus filled Uncle Brown in about the findings he had made with Lee. They then discussed their emergency measures, if Uncle Brown's gut feeling was indeed correct then those soldiers he saw were being sent to mediate the increasing wave of monsters.

Bang!

A gunshot woke everyone up in Block C. As if confirming Uncle Brown's suspicions yesterday, a monster was killed near their camp. They didn't try and get that monster's crystal since it was too risky and what they did before wouldn't work under this circumstance. They instead trained and this time, they tried meditating while doing it.

Surprisingly, the efficacy in meditating doubled! Since their body was being used and was, in turn,  using energy thus their absorption rate of the rapidly flowing mana increased.  What's more was that it didn't reduce the daily limit! It instead increased it by two seconds. It was indeed small but this signified that they were on the right track. 

One have to keep in mind that they are basically groping around in darkness without knowing anything. They have to discover mana, its usage, etc. themselves hence their experiments and tests are crucial for growth. 

It was not an overstatement to say that Lee deserved the most credits despite being the least proficient in it, that's because he was the first one who brought it up thanks to his cultured knowledge.

He was like a pioneer that opened up Titus and Uncle Brown's minds. Especially Titus who was hell bent on coming up new ways to increase their strength. What Uncle Brown guessed was true so he needed to increase their strength and most importantly increase his own strength so that even if it was only him, he could protect his newly found family!

He was like a treasure hunter who found gold but when he finally grabbed it, people wanted to snatch it away from him. How could he not be the most anxious?! Increasing his strength not only to survive but also to protect his 'gold' called family.

He knew he was ahead of the game compared to the majority of people since he was one of the few who discovered the crystal, that was why he wanted to overtake the others by finding the best ways to utilize the crystals and mana! This is what society taught him, to have many cards as much as possible! To be on top! 

Days went by and another 2 days had passed. During their stay in the base, they had formed a routine to gather information not only from the notices on the management office, but also from observing the situation in the base.

Gunshots were getting more and more frequent and unrest was boiling among the survivors in the periphery. Therefore, the management had no choice but to come clean and announced the truth and the current situation. They also took the opportunity to announce their response and their course of action.

The increase in monsters... It seemed that this was only the tip of the iceberg. 

Proofread by: @lynn