While I was running around, I watched siblings fought each other. The mock battle was interesting enough to keep me away from boredom. It seemed that they weren't farmers but martial art maniacs. The term cultivation is meant for cultivating qi, some kind of inner energy in martial arts novels.

I couldn't judge how well a person was fighting, but from the past few days, both of them were at least a level of a trained mercenary.

To prevent my thoughts from going wild while running, observing how twins fought and thinking along about how they made decisions in a battle became my new hobby. 

At first, I couldn't follow along, but I had improved quite a bit.

Understanding what was the best decision in combat required quick decision-making and tons of experience. For a person who had a habit of thinking too much and no experiences, this was considerably challenging to think and process along. However, as I considered myself more or less an engineer and scientist, observation was one of the best ways to learn.

The twins held a wooden sword. Al has a long sword and Elle has a shorter one. Both weapons had pros and cons.

In normal circumstances, a long sword was superior to a short sword. With better reach and momentum, as long as the wielder maintained an effective distance. This also applied to something like spear vs sword as well.

On the other hand, a short sword had more mobility and flexibility. When another hand was free, the wielder could choose to hold a shield or incorporate hand combat. Getting close to the opponent and punishing their wider movement is the key to reduce the opponent's force.

Both goals were simple, gaining advantages while making an opponent at disadvantages.

Neither of them made a move yet. They were staring at each other for a while.

Al took initiative by lunge forward. She stepped to the side and swing her sword back.

I didn't expect it was a feint, Elle neither. Because the stab was fake, Al parried the incoming attack.

Clash!

The impact was loud enough to be heard even this far. I understood that you should put effort into training, but wasn't that too much? Sounded like it could crack a skull open.

That parry was pretty good. After Elle's sword got pushed, Al should be able to take advantage of this opening.

Al pulled back the blade and aimed for the left side of his sister. With the sword being held in the right hand, and more importantly, it was bounced off from the impact, it should be hard to block.

The trajectory was upward diagonal and the tip would reach on the right shoulder. What would she respond?

She wouldn't be able to block in time. It was also hard to dodge to the sides. If I were in the same position, I would get hit right away before I could think.

She took half a step back. Losing the chance to counterattack was better than taking a hit.

However, Al didn't stop. He pressed the attack with a stab. It was a beautiful fluid chain attack.

Elle turned counterclockwise. She avoided and returned a hip-level horizontal slash.

Al barely deflected. The short sword went along the edge of another one.

This should throw Elle off-balance, but the girl didn't stop spinning. She maintained the angular momentum and give her brother a low kick swipe. 

Her body flexibility and acrobatics were amazing.

With a sudden change of verticality, Al couldn't dodge and the kick landed on the ankle, but...

It's not very effective... If this was PocketMon.

The twins had similar body build. With a kick this low and hitting with such power, Al should fell down. What did Al do?

At this point, I stopped running to focus watching.

The was a small change in the lower part of his stance. Al widened his legs and embraced the incoming attack.

He took damage, but he gained opportunity. Firstly, he kept his balance and readied to launch a counterattack. Secondly, Elle was in a position that was hard to move.

Al left foot should be hurt, so he might not return a kick. The only choice would be striking diagonal downward. But Elle's response was quicker. She already rolled away and stood up in time before Al could launch another attack.

After that, the twins displayed swordplay that I couldn't catch up with as if an action movie. 

There was no combat assistance. It meant they should be capable of fighting like this in real life if their physiques were up for it.

Technically, they might be able to do it because their level shouldn't exceed 5. Did the twins get fighting experience from another game? Who knew.

It was like a top 10 anime battle video, without superpowers. I wondered how would high level players fight— Kaijus battle?

Shit. I was spacing out and the fight ended. Elle somehow disarmed her brother. She pointed the wooden sword at the throat.

"Hmm. These kids are talented."

Jesus!— I almost swore out loud. Dorian approached me from behind and suddenly spoke. More importantly, he was stroking his chin as if he was a wise old man, but... he didn't give that vibe at all. 

"Don't worry, You will be like them in no time! Hahaha!" The muscle man laughed.

I knew he tried to pat my back, but it felt like he was hitting me instead.

 

HP: 5/7

 

That was 2 HP. I smelled the scent of iron inside my mouth. I could only give him back a smile of anger. 

"I'll try my best." Gobbled the blood down, I answered.

"That's the spirit!" He misunderstood again. Did my face look like someone excited about training? Tsk, I should look at my face in the mirror some other time.

I had to get out of here as soon as possible.

 

***

Spending around 2 hours for 10 kilometers, the average pace was 12 minutes. From what I checked in Guugle, my improvement was good enough. It was strange that it wasn't tiring on the 6th day. Maybe because endorphin played a big role.

So, this was what those fitness lovers felt like. To be honest, it wasn't half bad. The only thing I didn't like was sweat.

 

[LVL UP]

 

Pandora

LVL: 2

HP: 16/16

STR: 8 (+5)

DEX: 16

AGI: 9 (+5)

VIT: 7 (+4)

CON: 6(+3)

 

Several days of labor made me considerably stronger. This felt rewarding more than expected. Was my strength at a normal person yet?

If I went to see Dorian he would teach me how to utilize qi. The only thing I knew about qi was the fact that it has many names— Aura in the west, Ki in Japan, Prana in Hinduism, Chakra in Taoism, and more. If I recalled Thai also had a name for qi too, Pran which should come from Prana.

They might be slightly different, but core concepts are the same.

Later, I found the instructor in a building near the camp entrance. He was busy doing paper works. This side of him was unexpected 

"Oh, it seems you're ready to learn about qi— Go wait at the field. I'll be there soon." 

I simply nodded back and headed out. The way he spoke was different, similar to office worker mode.

 

***

Hugging knees was the best sitting posture to cure boredom. Luckily, it was cloudy today. To wait idly in sunny noon wasn't a pleasant experience. 

"Sorry, I was a lot of work” Dorian arrived holding a box full of books “First, you need to feel the qi and understand the nature of it." 

He was It seemed like he was still in calm mode, not rowdy and violent.

"Nature?"

"Everyone's qi is different depending on the body constitution. Some are hot, some are cold. There's also yin and yang.— So many things can describe one's qi. And each person has suitable martial arts to learn."

Boosh!

The red flame enveloped as clenched his fist. I was a little surprised I could feel the heat coming from it. If using qi could create a flame, what's the difference between qi and magic?

"Most scholars conceptualized mana as the essence of nature and qi as the essence of life. But right now, there's no one who understands what qi and mana truly are. Also, creating a flame with qi isn't as convenient as magic." As if he was reading my mind, Dorian answered my thought.

"I see... and how will I know what kind of my qi is?"

"Normally you will feel it while circulating qi. However, for someone who hasn't done martial art training, you need a teacher to guide the circulation.— Sit comfortably and close your eyes."

"Is there a reason why I have to close my eyes?"

"By limiting your senses one can feel qi easier."

Oh. It was like cutting out unnecessary input to your brain. I thought it was a cliche thing— close your eyes and feel the power.— something like that.

I closed my eyes and switched my sitting posture similar to meditation.

I couldn't feel the footsteps of Dorian. His body was big yet there was no shock coming from the ground. Presence is the only thing I could sense. It gave me goosebumps. Imagined, some macho man suddenly appeared behind you. 

"Starting with your breath, breathe slowly.— Are you ready?"

"Yes"

"This is important, don't panic. Your qi will be in chaos causing internal injuries." Dorian said while putting emphasis on the panic part.

I replied with a nod.

After the warning, both palms touched from behind. I could feel warm otherworldly energy entering my body.

"Feel the qi circulating starting from the abdomen. It will flow up from the back and went down in the front."

It was the same feeling when I feel the flow of substance getting pushed from a syringe into my blood vessel. Something was moving inside. I could feel the energy gathered in mainly 3 parts; abdomen, heart, and brain. Breathing was also important. When inhaling, qi went slowly, and in contrast, the stream was fast when I exhaled.

"Focus and remember this feeling. I'll gradually let go of the control. Try to keep it flows." Dorian insisted me to keep my focus. 

The qi was starting to jam. I could feel that the amount of energy Dorian released reduced by half. Trying to push a parking car that was on a hand break was the way to describe this struggling.

"Don't contract your muscles! Push them with your breath!!!" He shouted.

It was natural to instinctively control the body with muscles, but the instructor pointed out that my attempt was wrong. 

He was right. It became a hell lotta easier. With slow and stable breath, the qi flowed freely.

"That's right. Keep it going." 

Later I noticed that Dorian was no longer behind me. Instead, his voice was coming in front of me.

 My body started to feel light and calm. It was like chilling on the windy rooftop. To describe this experience more accurately, It was like I took good sleep for a week, going to a spa, and slacking off every day.

 

[You've learned Basic Qi Cultivation Method F]

[While circulating qi, the amount of qi in your body improves slightly. It also recovers your health and stamina.]

[Because the player level is below 5, the system will explain the skill system in Gaia Grand Quest— Most skills are considered achievements. The player has to follow the skill instructions in order to use the skill.]

 

[You've discovered QI. The QI status is unlocked.]

[The amount of qi can be increased from cultivation. The status you obtain from gaining a level cannot increase your qi. Cultivating qi will improve your physical abilities.]

[Your body has become stronger from qi cultivation.]

[AGI + 1]

[VIT + 2]

[CON + 2]

 

[You've earned a title Foundation Stage Martial Artist, STR + 1]

The system announcement was long. I felt like this was a big accomplishment. I should check my status after this.

I understood why the twins said the training would become easier after learning qi. I could regain my stamina from qi circulation anytime I wanted.

"Good!— Let's stop this for now. Slowly weaken the qi flow."

Why did everything have to be done slowly? Was it because I was a newbie and there was a risk of internal injuries?

After I open my eyes, it felt strange. I didn't mean about Dorian standing with a smug, but how my sense expanded. I could feel qi around me, faintly yet I could feel them.

Especially from Dorian, he was like a campfire.

"Hahaha! Everyone makes the same face when they just learned qi!" Dorian was back to his rowdy mode. He didn't forget to pat my shoulder a few times.

"You said that every person has different qi, right? How's mine?" I asked.

"Okay, I'll tell you about your qi— If I borrow terms from the east, your qi was on yin side. Not soft, but also not strong. It was almost a neutral qi or what we called the colorless aura, however, I could feel it's something in between the red aura or the colorless aura. Maybe more on the colorless side."

From what he said, I didn't understand shit...

4 books were brought out from the boxes, namely

Colorless Aura, Introduction to Wind Chakra, Fundamentals of Blade of Northern Tempest, and Wind Pagoda Basic Martial Art.

"Your qi compatible with these 4 martial arts. They may be similar in the core principles, the difference is in utilization. Pick one of these, missy.— Personally, I mostly have knowledge about western qi which is called an aura."

The instructor was surprisingly knowledgeable. This was what they meant don't judge the book by its cover, wasn't it?

"Can I read all of them first?"

"HOHO!!! Take your time!"

We were a meter away. You didn't have to shout like this.

All the books were like a copy of original books. Judging from thickness, each of them had around 200-250 pages. So I skimmed every book quickly.

"Instructor, would you mind if I borrow all of them?"

"Of course! These are just copies. You can have all of them. Just tell me which one do you want to learn once you've decided."

"Thank you."

"I'll excuse myself. There are piles of documents waiting for me. That Viktor bastard didn't do his job properly."

After Dorian left, it was time to check my status and skills.

‘Status. Skill.’

 

Pandora
Titles: Foundation Stage Martial Artist.

 

LVL: 2
HP: 16/16
QI: 8/8

 

STR: 9
DEX: 16
AGI: 10
VIT: 9
CON: 8

 

Skill: Basic Qi Cultivation Method (F).

 

[You don't have the knowledge to determine the qi name.]

 

***

Finishing daily routine became a painless task as if it was a reward from 6 days of in-game suffering. Just 10 minutes of qi circulation could wipe all my fatigue away.

After dinner, I went into my room and lighted the candle.

It was time to binge-read these books.