With current events, not many people probably thought to train. Yet, Stephen found there were quite a few in the Darkmoon Guild.

There were enough rooms though, so he avoided the others and secured himself his own space, while Richard, Alex, and Gawain went to another room to spar. 

Realistically, the men should have been too tired to do such things, but Stephen realized that Richard had done something to everyone. It was the type of rejuvenating magic that paladins and priests used.

It explained why Stephen’s fatigue had seemingly lessened. It wasn’t just the power of Sophia’s soft shoulders, after all. 

Alone in the spacious interior, Stephen’s anxiety grew and he uttered two words. 

“Open Status.” 

Interpreting Stephen’s intent, the System displayed an interactable and holographic menu that contained the information that he wanted to see. 

 

Stephen circled energy throughout his body once and then sighed. 

There were two foreign substances residing in his body. They seemed to rest somewhere in his abdomen. He wasn’t bitten to his knowledge; at least, there were no marks he could find on his body. 

One of the slivers of energy was golden and the other was pure black. It was like both day and night coexisted inside his body. The golden energy should have been from the ‘deathsworn contract’ that bound him to Mel. 

However, Stephen was not aware of any golden energy residing in his body before the System reset. He felt that if he could know when the golden energy appeared then he could answer several questions. However, he simply didn’t know that crucial detail, so he could only speculate about various matters. 

For example, he wondered if the black energy, presumably the demonic energy of the Sixth Demon Lord, had caused a mutation in the deathsworn contract. 

If so then why?

If that wasn’t the case, then did the black energy only reveal its presence? Or was it just an effect of the System reset? 

The third option is the most probable. 

The cold voice that occasionally offered some words had returned. 

Musing over the potential revelation, Stephen wondered if the System reset had indeed exposed a long held lie. 

‘What did Mel really do to my body?’

Stephen clenched and unclenched his fists, shook his legs, and did all kinds of random movements to try and get a better appraisal of his own body. 

With inconclusive results, he merely sighed; however, at the very least, it seemed he was not currently under the influence of a deathsworn contract. 

‘Does that mean that I’m free?’ 

He wondered if he should be thankful to Mel. His life was no longer bound to Alex. Still, it now seemed his body was the plaything for multiple entities. 

Stephen internally groaned and then switched his focus back to the black energy. 

‘Half elf…’ 

Although it didn’t exactly mean much in the modern world, Stephen’s ancestral bloodline could be traced back to the eleven kingdoms. Now, part of that ancestry was overwritten. This wasn’t actually strange either; inheriting bloodlines was common. Sophia’s doglike traits and Mel’s reptilian traits were both examples of such phenomenon.

It was known that corrupted elves, like ones who contracted with demons, could become dark elves. Stephen felt like that was the trajectory that he was going. 

‘Should I swear allegiance to the new Sixth Demon Lord?’ 

Despite the cruel experiments that Stephen suffered, he was a deep loyalist of the State government. His hands were dyed red countless times in his faith towards the Fatherland.

His facial muscles stiffened. If he wasn’t used to wearing a mask, then Stephen would have given a subconscious, self-deprecating laugh. Alex had died and potentially came back to life as a demonspawn, Gawain had connections to vampires, and he himself possessed a sliver of the Demon Lord’s energy in his body. 

Stephen thought of another option. He could also leave the World of Paradise and seek a new life on another world. The contracts would become void the second he left the world. This opportunity had always existed. 

‘It doesn’t matter.’ 

Just because Stephen could escape the troubles of his current life didn’t mean he should.

Stephen felt it was often the tribulations that gave life its meaning. Even though utopian worlds existed, there were many reasons countless battle junkies, daredevils, and thrill seekers existed in the universe. 

Stephen closed his eyes and clenched his fists and refocused his thoughts. The world had reset and with it so had the starting line. He wasn’t foolish enough to think the playing field had truly been equalized, but an impossible gap had become passable. A bit of greed swelled up inside him. 

Assuming that the Heroes of the Past Generations were still around, the crafty old fuckers probably had some hidden trump cards to cheat the System. They also had more experience than himself.

He only had the ‘gifts’ given to him by the State. 

‘That is enough...’

The military-industrial complex that was the Radiant Dawn Country had the potential to create monsters that could rival the Heroes of old. So what if some people were Chosen and deemed special by the world?

‘Training: the one thing I had the freedom to do. I’ll show them. The little man can bite back.’

The Imperial Bloodline might have fled, but there were sure to be countless powers that had stayed behind in this new world. Stephen would be able to compete with them. The allure of revenge lingered at the back of his mind. 

Stephen didn’t indulge in the emotion though. He turned his thoughts back to training. 

Although killing monsters gave experience points, so did training. He would make the most of his time before the ‘tutorial’ ended.

If he had anything going for him, it was that his cultivation method was not completely terrible. It was one of the standardized models used by the military, and even among them, it was a higher tier.

Originally trained as a deathsworn guard, there was little fear that he would expose any secrets. 

The contract ensured that was an impossibility. However, even with this fact, the arrogance of the elite existed. Thus, compared to the sons and daughters of the nobility, the cultivation method was still subpar. 

Furthermore, the technique focused on the short term. It was simplistic and formulaic in nature, limiting its potential to grow. It was also not customized to the user, so there were technical flaws, and in the longer term, it would also damage the body. Tools like Stephen could be discarded after all.

Stephen rotated his energy, ‘At least, it is still generally efficient.’

Stephen didn’t plan on finding a new cultivation method. He was too familiar with it. Of course, that didn’t mean he couldn’t graft his own ideas onto it. There was no one present who could prevent him from doing such things now. 

Stephen thus planned his training regiment. First, he would begin the cultivation process and then he would exercise his body. When his body was tired, he would go back to utilizing the cultivation method to not only regain his energy but increase the gains that the physical training offered.

 

***

 

In the middle of the room, a man wearing only gym shorts was covered in sweat. His eyes were completely closed. A grimace was on his lips. He could feel blood building in his mouth. From his facial muscles to his shoulders to his chest to his legs, every part of his body was tense. 

The cultivation method developed by the State didn’t utilize any complex pathways. There was nothing that could be considered a core: no mana organ, no magic circles, no dantain. It was an open system that used the theories of diffusion. The violent and uncontrolled energy would be sent surging throughout the body like a wave. 

Like a flood current, the crashing momentum would saturate the body before receding and repeating the process. In this manner, the body was tempered like a cliff being eroded away. 

When using this method, it was best if someone could simulate the microtears that muscular fibers might experience during a hard workout.

The sadistic and muscle-headed lab coats were known to say, “Pain. That means it is working!”

The State, especially the research department, loved their tests and theorems. As a guinea pig, Stephen was all too familiar with such things. 

Energy from the air entered Stephen’s body, swelling up and fueling the ceaseless wave that swirled throughout his body. However, if the energy had just come from his surroundings, the wave would never have been that big.

The phenomenon wasn’t fully understood even by the best minds, but the energy had to come from somewhere. The leading theory was that it came from other dimensions, other planes of existence. 

Eventually, Stephen stopped. There was only so far he could go using his current methods without utilizing medicine. The internal situation in his body was a complete mess. 

‘Are they bigger?’ 

Stephen ignored the ravaged state of his body and looked at the gold and black slivers of energy that moved throughout his body. They seemed like they had swelled up after eating a nice meal. 

Unable to do anything about it, Stephen ignored it and sat up. 

He looked at the training weapons provided by the Darkmoon Guild. 

Under the State Doctrine, Stephen was well versed in all kinds of weapons, but he ended up picking a familiar piece of equipment. It was basically a stick with a handle.

Nightstick, baton, tonfa were some of the terms used to describe such weapons. 

The military theorems of the State were endless, compiled in many thick books. To Stephen, the weapon was the best way to synergize his knowledge with his ability. 

Technology changed how the world worked. The staff used by magicians were the perfect example. The ability to encase a spell and fire it had fundamentally changed the way magicians functioned. 

Modern munitions were similar to one-time-use scrolls, but the applications of the two were completely different. In advanced weapons, bullets could travel several kilometers and artillery shells could be fired even further. 

Imagine a fireball moving faster than the speed of sound or imagine thousands of fireballs being rained down onto a battlefield, casted by only a few magicians. 

The application of technology was neverending. It applied to melee weapons as well. Adaptable Weapons was the term that the researchers came up with. 

What if a weapon could shapeshift? 

The vulnerabilities of a weapon changed. 

Martial manuals had to be completely rewritten. Things that would be considered cumbersome and impractical were no longer the case.

For instance, the weapon Stephen used would have a disadvantage if both ends of the stick were pointed. While defending, his weapon could be pushed, causing the point angled inwards to potentially stab himself.

These constraints could disappear. Thus, it became even more important to master multiple types of weapons. A stick could become a club, spear, sword, or shield. 

Stephen gripped the stick tightly, using the base of his thumb and little finger like a fulcrum, allowing him to fix it tightly against his forearm.

It was overall a delicate weapon that required control. 

A gap between the weapon and his forearm would nullify his defense. He had to also position properly so the weapon couldn’t slip.

Stephen proceeded to practice various stances. He used a visualization technique also developed by the State.

The core tenant of combat theorems was simple really: the methodology of applying damage. It was a science. Get rid of the accessory details and focus only on the destructive capabilities. 

In a way, the visualization technique was like a game, but with just one piece that had multiple moves split between actions and reactions. 

The world appeared black. There were no actors. Instead, there were only flashes of white light.

An arc appeared. It was the visualization of an incoming sword swing.

The white light indicated the application of damage. It was like damage was being configured into a vector.

In this case, it was velocity — damage viewed in the forms of speed and direction. 

Stephen could reflect, block, or dodge the attack. He just couldn’t let the arc land on his body, which was also configured as a white light. 

He held his ground and pushed out with his arm. With the motion he pulled the sword away from his body. His other hand thrust forward to strike in the opening that was created. His weapon elongated as he struck, practically turning into a spear tip as it impaled the imaginary enemy. 

Stephen continued this visualization technique. He focused on the basics. 

He didn’t actually move his body. It was already in pain and screaming from the cultivation technique he had used previously. 

In such a manner, Stephen would rotate between cultivating and visual training for quite some time.