It Arrives...
[Congratulations, Host has defeated a total of 20 Robots at the Core stage of the Plane of Ascensions.]
[Host has earned a total of 3200 EXP!]
[WARNING!]
[If Host wants to survive tomorrow, the system will, for the third time, call for Host to call it a day and rest!]
The system notification flashed before Ryuk’s gaze.
He knelt once more in the middle of the training room, beneath him a pool of blood filling the chasm he was in, and around him the disfigured remains of the robots scattered all across the room.
"Tell me, system, what could the time be?" Ryuk’s hoarse and scary voice rang through the room.
[By the system’s estimation, Host has been going non-stop at it for exactly 13 hours now, and it is currently 9 PM in the dark of night,] the system said.
Ryuk nodded, remaining in his position, waiting for all his drained blood to return back to his body and his nanobots to regenerate, before finally rising back to his feet.
Perhaps, it was truly time to call it a day. If he injured himself too much, he might end up unable to fight during the test, defeating the purpose of all his training.
"I’ll stop now and rest," Ryuk said as he rose up from the chasm.
Tapping on the holographics, all the robots began retreating back into the walls, soon leaving him as the only dirty organism present.
Immediately, a bit of ice and snow erupted from Ryuk, wiping off the dust. Moments later, a fresh set of clothes appeared in his hands, which he quickly donned.
In less than a few seconds, he was completely clean once more.
Ryuk headed out of the training room.
Just like yesterday, he couldn’t help but notice how hollow the training area was.
Nobody came at all.
Many of the geniuses, like Quinn, had packed up their bags and prepared to leave, having already given up hope.
Somehow, this only made the hearts of those still willing to fight feel even more steely.
Ryuk, however, paid this very little mind as he made his way to the cultivation room next.
He sighted the Fallen Lady he had met on his first day here.
Over time, the woman had grown used to his presence, and she no longer bothered him or said anything as he walked past her.
This time, however, she had a word for him.
"You can use the rooms labelled 1 to 5 if you want. They’ve been doing nothing but collecting dust from disuse anyway," the woman said.
Ryuk turned to look at her before bowing respectfully and entering the cultivation room.
After he left, the woman turned to look at the spot he had occupied before sighing.
"While I might despise those puny things called humans, I can’t help but admit that your will and drive are amazing. You’re the only human who has managed to enter my good graces."
---
Ryuk chose room number one.
The moment he entered, he was shocked by the concentration of mana. It was at an unbelievably high level. Immediately, he sat down on a futon and began his meditation.
While it would have normally taken him close to 30 minutes for the Ice Apex energy to begin flowing to him, in this room, it took nothing more than 10 minutes.
Soon, the room was completely cold, and the frigid Ice Apex Energy began infiltrating his body.
Every touch of the cold made him feel incredibly alive, washing away all his injuries and pain. A small smile of peace appeared on Ryuk’s face.
"Finally," Ryuk mused after five hours of repeated mana absorption.
Rising to his feet, his hair had somehow turned an even paler shade of snowy white, and his lips had a frigid hue.
From his previous height of 1.6 meters, he had grown to 1.8 meters—a remarkable increase due to his evolution.
His body had also become more toned and muscular, a stark contrast to his formerly lean physique.
Clenching his fists, the air around his grasp rumbled as if under compressed force. Veins lined Ryuk’s arms as he smiled.
"Now, I feel like I’m ready for the test!"
"Activate stats tab," he suddenly ordered in the frigid, cold room.
[Stats]
[Strength: 100]
[Agility: 100]
[Endurance: 100]
[Charisma: 11]
[Luck: Knull]
[Mana: 50]
{Attribute Points: 0}
Through the day’s intense training, Ryuk had finally managed to push most of his attribute points to the 100 mark.
The power difference he felt was monumental compared to when he had been at 95.
It was almost as though he had fundamentally doubled in strength.
Now, Ryuk was perfectly healed and in his best shape to fight. Only now could he feel his previously hammering heart calm to nothing.
Immediately, he made his way out of the special cultivation room. Instead of returning to his dorm room to sleep, Ryuk stopped before a large gate.
Suddenly, he tapped his leg on the ground, soaring straight 10 meters into the air and landing atop the skyscraper in a single leap.
Such a feat would have been incomprehensible for the previous Ryuk. Yet, for the current Ryuk, there wasn’t even a change in his expression after performing it.
Sitting at the top of the dorm skyscraper, Ryuk did nothing but stare into the starry night sky, which occasionally dazzled with shooting stars blazing across the heavens. The sight gave the entire night sky an otherworldly aura of beauty.
The air gently blew across the top of the skyscraper, ruffling Ryuk’s snow-white hair.
"Hey, system..." Ryuk suddenly called out as the blue light at the corner of his eyes magnified.
[What is it, Host?]
"Just how weak am I?" he asked jokingly.
He recalled his first training session with the Fallen Geniuses and how easily he had been left behind. Back then, when he asked the system how weak he was, the reply had been: "Host really is weak."
But now...
[Host has grown stronger. A lot stronger.]