Zane entered the acupuncture clinic, taking off his shoes, and leaving them by the receptionist’s desk. He took a deep breath before entering; it was his first time entering this sort of establishment as he wasn’t the type to believe in something that lacked adequate medical facts. But with him needing to know how to utilize mana in a way different than registered spells, he had no other choice but to give it a go.

A strong scent of herbs and traditional medicine filled the whole corridor before he even reached the examination room. He frowned a bit before controlling himself to a poker face. It would be rude of him to show such a face in front of the one who was about to poke needles into him. And he wouldn’t want any mishap over such trivial things so set his stony face on.

“Good afternoon, I heard this is your first time,” said the Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) doctor, Dr. Lim. He handed over his hand as Zane accepted it with a shake.

The man who killed wolves was now nervous over something he was too unfamiliar with. He heard of it but never had the gal to try it out.

“So how may I help you today?” Dr. Lim asked, smiling.

Oh, shit. What should I say? I didn’t think about it this far, Zane thought. Scrambling his mind for an answer. Does wanting to feel my chi sounds weird? Because I don’t want to be looked at like I’m crazy. Or perhaps this kind-looking old dude was a believer and might unlock my potential to the highest limit, like a limit break or something.

“Oh, about that doc, my body kinda feels fatigued lately, and I’m hoping a few needles would help me out,” Zane said. Fuck, I can’t do it. I can’t tell him that I want to feel the chi coursing in my meridian channels like a total nutjob.

His sane mind stopped him from being labeled the opposite of it.

The doctor gladly accepted his reason as he did a few initial checks like Zane’s pulse and whatnot. After a few explanations about his current condition, the doctor then prompted Zane to the examination bed. Zane was asked to remove his shirt and pants, leaving him only in his boxer. He hesitated at first but seeing the doctor looking so earnest in his job made him comply. Lying down on the bed, he was growing nervous by the second.

“It’s not going to hurt, is it?” he asked. Not like it was going to be that bad like a certain experience of being tortured. But he was still nervous as heck.

“Don’t worry,” said the doctor. “It's just like a little ant bite.”

An ant bite? Doesn’t that hurt like hell? He remembered his childhood days, playing in the playground. It was all fun and games until he stumbled with an anthill. He didn’t even want to remember how painful it was and how long he had to suffer.

“Here I go,” Dr. Lim gave a heads up.

“Wait, wait, wait!” he tried to stop the doctor, but before he knew it the needle was already inside. “Oh.” He barely felt anything, and the embarrassment caught up with him.

The doctor chuckled a bit as his hands moved quickly like a pro. Pricking the needle through his skin, reaching the so-called meridian vessels. After a few minutes, Zane lay there frozen with dozens of needles sticking out from his body.

“Um, doc,” he whispered. “I’ve read something about chi flow before, but do you know anything about it?”

“Ah, the art of the old,” Dr. Lim said. Looking up to the ceiling as if reminiscing an old memory. “I’ve never gotten to know whether such thing a real or not. But my old master did vouch that such a thing is real. He said the key to one’s chi relies solely on how one breathes . . . To me, it isn’t any different from simple meditation. Where you regulate your breathing and calm your mind…”

The doctor kept on talking as if that topic opened up his inner chatterbox. Zane played along, nodding. While deep down, he tried implementing what the doctor mentioned. Closing his eyes, he calmed himself down, slowing his breathing rate. Trying to detect the unseen presence that resided in his body. An hour passed. Yet nothing was happening. His face twitched as his impatience was growing thin.

Another hour passed, and Zane couldn’t handle his frustration, frowning on the bed.

“The treatment is done,” Dr. Lim broke the silence of the room. “You can get up now.”

Zane opened his eyes and feigned a smile. The doctor aided him to prop his upper body up, and he noticed the needles were all gone.

“How is it? Feeling better?” Dr. Lim asked with a gentle smile.

Zane twisted and turned his body. Loosening his shoulders and to his surprise, his body felt lighter than before. “Oh, not gonna lie that feels rather good,” he said. Nodding at the doctor.

He bid farewell to the doctor and left. Even though his major reason for being here wasn’t accomplished, at least the acupuncture did some good to him. But he got a consolation surprise.

[Wondrous of the traditional medicine! Acupuncture has unlocked +1 Vitality for thirty days.]

He smiled ear to ear. As this discovery was worthy to delve further in the future. It seemed there was more to the system than he thought.

Leaving through the lobby, the clinic was packed when compared to when he first got here. He paid his fees at the receptionist's table. But he felt something was odd and he knew what it was. His perception hadn’t failed him as he noticed a pair of eyes staring at him as if they could bore a hole in him. Why is that old man staring at me? He peered at the corner of his eyes. Trying not to meet the eyes of an old man that had a walking stick in his hand. He slid his feet through the floor, heading for the entrance door. But someone grabbed him by the wrist.

Zane looked behind him. The hunching old man stared upwards at Zane, unblinking.

“Dad!” the daughter of the old man tried to get her father away from Zane. “I’m sorry, I’m very sorry,” she bowed and apologized to Zane. She then scolded her father in mandarin, trying her best to take her father’s hand away.

The old man spoke. But the mandarin language sounded gibberish to Zane’s ears. Despite that, Zane kept his eyes on the old man. He didn’t know why, but the old man was kinda making him curious.

“What did your father just say?” he asked the daughter who was close to looking in her forties.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just random words of an old man,” said the daughter. “Sorry about this. He’s almost eighty and his head isn’t as good as it used to.”

“I see,” Zane said. Patting the hand that grabbed his wrist as he flashed a smile. “I wish you good health, sir.”

Zane left as his ears kept hearing the old man muttering the same thing over and over again.

While heading back home, he emptied out his mana, spamming his Force Beat. By the time he got back to the hotel room, the sky had turned dusk. He readied for dinner with Tiz and went out to spend the night with her. Sharing good foods and some good laughs. They even went karaoke, singing their hearts out as Zane played along with his cousin. From how he saw it, Tiz was really venting out her stress from her work through their time together. He even wondered whether she had friends or not. And it kinda worried him a bit.

A Mercedes stopped in front of the hotel's main entrance.

“Thanks for the night,” said Tiz. Smiling brightly like she once was when she was younger. “It’s been a while since my voice is this hoarse. And usually, it was from the screaming in the office.”

“Try not to be an abusive boss,” Zane said. “No one likes that kind of thing.”

“I am not,” she defended herself. Glaring at Zane. “I only screamed because we’re on a deadline, and it’s not that common.”

“Yea, well. Just keep it in mind,” Zane said. “By the way, if you want to hang out tomorrow night, I’m not available, so you don’t have to call me or anything.”

“Another sleepover?” she gave him the eye.

“Yea, kind of,” Zane agreed. It was the simplest excuse of him being gone through the warp.

She narrowed her eyes. “Is she your girlfriend or something?”

“In the making I guess, why?” he played along. Making things up as the conversation went forward.

“Then…” she made a surprise pounce. Hugging Zane by the neck. “Does she know I kissed you?”

“Yea . . . I did tell her,” Zane said. Catching Tiz by surprise.

“And she’s okay with it?”

“I kinda explain to her over whatever you’re planning, and she’s fine with it.”

“Fine then,” she returned back to her seat. Folding her arms across her chest.

He didn’t want to acknowledge it, but he could see Tiz was pouting. “See you later then, good night.” He got out and Tiz went speeding away.

Shaking his head, he thought Tiz was getting stranger by the day. He returned back to his room and packed all the dangerous loot he gathered. When the clock struck eleven, he vanished.