But that wasn't the end. Their numbers increased to a point beyond what he was capable of blocking or dodging or both. He knew what was required of him and adapted to deliver. He began to utilize the coiling muscle technique to smash the projectiles back. He did it in a way that the projectiles he smashed knocked into incoming projectiles which increased his efficiency.
So now, he added mind calculations necessary to maximize the rebound of the projectiles he smashed. He began to use the knocked-back projectiles to stop not one but two or more other projectiles that he couldn't dodge. This ramped up his efficiency
The part where he had to exploit the knocked-back projectiles would have stomped others due to the complexity it entails. People usually only think about the immediate effect of something and will gloss over its aftermath. It becomes obvious in situations where an individual is already overwhelmed by other matters. It is a bad habit that must be rectified. If we think more about the consequences and how to take advantage of such consequences to solve other problems, immediate or otherwise, we will be able to see numerous solutions that we are previously blind to.
The challenge aims to reinforce the idea that most things in life are usually interrelated. If they are not, we should create a link between them. When we create a link between cause and effect, we then become capable of acting not for the immediate goal but also a greater purpose.
It is a very important lesson to warriors and brutes who like to force their way through a problem. They don't like to think too much about something. They believe that pure power can overwhelm all. What do you do when you can't plow through a hail of hurtful rocks? What would you do when the strength and speed you pride yourself on cannot be used to their full potential because of the situation you're in? What do you do when pure power isn't enough to create a path? You think ahead and you plan. That's what you do.
Too bad it's a lesson he had already learned so he wasn't staggered by the need to think ahead. He completed it in 3 days of relentless progress. It only took that long because while his mind is strong, his body couldn't execute exactly what he had in mind. For example, if his mind wants to knock a projectile into another, his body must then wield the stick such that it must strike the projectile at a perfect angle and with the right amount of force. A slight deviation won't create the expected outcome.
"Only so so." He evaluated the challenge. It wasn't difficult for him so he didn't get that rush of excitement of overcoming his weakness. He left the training and found Wendy faithfully waiting for him at the door.
The vessel for the artificial intelligence sub-system spoke. "Congratulations again Soverick. That's the fourth regimen and another record broken. You have made swift progress across the board. I am impressed."
Soverick waved his hand. "It's nothing. What do you have for me?"
"The fifth regimen, the obstacle course. The memory crystal contains the rules and what to expect. This last regimen can be considered as the exam that qualifies you to advance to the next stage of the training. While unlikely, you would be deemed ready for the stage if you had completed this regimen first. But it is recommended to go through the others first before attempting this one. As always, good luck."
"Thanks," Soverick said and grabbed the last glowing memory crystal. He accepted and digested the knowledge infusion.
The information contained within was short. It stated the rules of the regimen and what was expected of him.
He smirked when he realized that the first rule was that he was allowed to use everything within his arsenal to finish the challenge. If he really did that, then the challenge will become too easy for him. The other interesting information is that the obstacle course is a single large challenge that is made up of a combination of several other challenges within a large and complex world. To pass this challenge, he had to overcome all obstacles and move from the starting line of the course to the finish line.
The most important ability that will be tested in the challenge is perception and decision making. The ability to know what sticky situation you're in and the ability to figure a way out of it. He was also informed that he could spend days at it on a single attempt. This made him have a bad feeling about the entire setup.
"I'm betting this is not going to be easy." He said to Wendy.
Wendy nodded. "It is designed to be difficult. It will push the trainee to become versatile and capable of adapting to adverse situations."
'The other option is to make it easy but I doubt you guys will do that.' He thought to himself.
What would require days for a single attempt? He put away all thoughts from his mind and selected the option for the obstacle course on his keylogger. He swiped it at the door and its blue color changed to green.
"Time to do this." He said to pump himself up.
He entered the training room and found himself in a forest. He realized immediately he was in an illusion array. His soul was much too powerful to be hoodwinked by something of this level but he allowed it because it was harmless. The array was being used to projectile the information of the environment into his mind. It created a realistic scene of a thick forest with trees and vines all over the place.
The training environment in the past had all been dead and silent without life but things were different now. The forest was teeming with life, he could hear animal sounds all around him. He knew that all of what he was experiencing is fake but the activity going on all around him made him very cautious.
He spread out his divine sense to monitor his surroundings. His body had grown stronger, but it still couldn't allow his soul to release more of his strength so his divine sense reached just 20 meters away from him. It might be a small range but nothing could escape this perception within this range.
There was a pointer within his vision that indicated the direction of the finish line. He was wary of traps, if they would set some, odds are that it will probably be along the path of progress. So he changed his direction and walked towards the left.
"There is no rush anyway. I have days to figure this out." He spoke out loudly, then he rushed forward before swiftly ducking behind a tree. He remained still and listened for sounds. He waited for a while but nothing moved around him.
'Nothing huh, seems there's no one following me." He thought before sneaking away.
He was in a forest and had been told to expect anything. He might have been paranoid but he wanted to make sure there was no immediate danger around him or at least not something sensitive to the noise he made earlier.
He was about to dismiss his earlier paranoia when he felt something. He felt a gaze linger on him before disappearing. He didn't change his pace or freeze up. He was very experienced in subterfuge. He pretended he didn't notice that he was being watched and tried to trace back the source of the gaze. But even with all of his efforts, he couldn't determine the source or its direction.
"What is going on? How can someone move so fast? Unless..."
The person or thing spying on him was doing it intermittently and from different directions. He began to think about why he was failing to discover the source of the spy. It was either the watcher was changing its perspective or there is actually more than one of them.
He was contemplating his dilemma and sneaking around trees in other to block certain directions and narrow down his options when he suddenly froze. Multiple gazes locked on to him simultaneously.
"This is bad." He exclaimed silently but then wondered why he bothered to even do so.
Why be quiet when you are being watched by multiple people at the same time? It's not like his silence will help him in staying hidden when he never was.
He stood up from his sneaking position and began running openly. Clearly, his sneaking around wasn't working. He didn't move for long before he faced his first adversary. A vine lashed at him from a blind spot in his vision which he dodged immediately and expertly. He moved slightly such that the attack missed him by inches. He didn't make exaggerated moves in dodging because then he won't be able to react to a follow-up attack. It was the right decision.
NOTICE:
I made an error in the order of that I posted the chapters. Please forgive me for any inconvenience I might have caused you.