Chapter 24: One Punch
It was a few days later. I couldn't say whether it was a good or a bad day, it just was.
I slowly made my way through the Ancient Ironbark Timberland, the massive forest stretching across the Myriad Beast Sect's territory. With a stack of parchment papers in one hand and the glaive in the other, I slowly advanced through the bush.
It was one of the tasks I picked up, gathering herbs.
Now, don't get me wrong, it wasn't my first choice, but when I saw it was a task by the Snow Lilly's Heavenly Pills, I decided to take it. Establishing friendly relations and all that.
Now, some would say, "But Gerald, doesn't the Sect grow its own herbs?" Well, yes and no. While it is true that many plants are grown en mass here, such as the Spirit Lilly, as I have learned from my buddy Alyx, many still get picked up in the wild.
It's mostly because they aren't used all that much and are as such in low demand and not worth much, making them unprofitable to grow. That's where these tasks come in. Gather some herbs on the list and get a few SSS for your efforts. I was running low on money, so I had to pick something to do.
It was the second time I was doing this task. Herbs, flowers, roots, tree bark, lichen… There are many ingredients to pick and I am paid by the weight. 5 SSS for a kilogram of goods. While that might be seen as a lot, the stuff I'm looking for is super light. Probably at least a few hundred plants to make up the weight. Tree bark is a bit easier, but they don't need much of that, just a fistful. Not to mention that I haven't seen many trees except for the Ironbarks, so that was probably the hardest one to get.
Oh, would you look at that! A mushroom! It was a tiny little thing, barely enough for a single bite. But did I know if it was poisonous? No, no I didn't. That's why I left it there, under a tree. It was not on my list anyway. Right? I checked the parchment again. Nope, wasn't there.
I was in a good mood, but then I suddenly stubbed my toe on a sharp rock as I was reading and not paying attention, lost my balance, and fell flat on my face.
[Ow! Son of a…] I wiped the dirt and dry leaves off my face and then held my big toe in pain.
[Stupid mushroom.] The pain was severe, and I checked in case I broke a toenail. I didn't, luckily. Still hurt like a bitch though. No matter how many times I got hurt, no matter how many bones I broke or wounds I sustained, it never got any easier. Now I could just keep going for longer while in pain. What a great achievement.
I snorted. Hopefully, the Turtle Breathing Technique would soon be able to get rid of these undesirable aches.
I noticed an animal looking at me as I massaged my foot on the ground. It looked like some kind of badger, only it was much bigger, about a meter tall at the shoulder.
[What you looking at, huh?!] I was annoyed right now, the last thing I needed was a curious animal laughing at me.
[Piss off!] I released my Aura to the peak and then pushed it beyond, inflating it past my rank momentarily.
The badger got spooked and nearly pissed itself, running away as fast as it could and leaving a trail of dust behind it. [That's right, run as fast as you can!] Such a funny creature. I laughed but then suddenly froze.
A warm wind blew across my neck.
I snapped my head around, Qi filling my fingers as I prepared to blast my most powerful magic yet. Even if it costs me my hand I'll-!
There was nothing.
Nothing, not a single soul. Did I imagine things? I did a double-take. I could swear there was a dangerous beast behind me. I jumped back on my feet and carefully scanned the forest with Magic Eyes. The coast was clear. Odd.
For some inexplicable reason, I half expected to have some monster standing right behind me after scaring the living shit out of that badger. Was I just getting paranoid after getting sneak attacked by the damn Howler so many times? Or perhaps I was starting to lose my marbles after being alone all the time…
Hmm. Let's just get this task over with and return to the Sect. A few more flowers and herbs and I'll be done.
With the help of Telekinesis and Magic Eyes, I quickly gathered the few last remaining ingredients for Senior Sister Lilly and stuffed them inside my pouch.
The clay I reshaped in the morning and now it was back at home drying out. A few more days and I could fire it up to make it into a ceramic. A toilet! It has been almost a year since I sat on one. And now, my long wish would become reality!
Hey, don't judge me. If I don't celebrate after achieving some mundane victories, I'll go nuts. It's way better to have these simple problems than have to fight for your life all the fucking time. Small victories are what keeps us motivated, what makes us want to get up in the morning. It's what a human needs to keep going during hard days. Small victories.
I double-checked the list. Everything was gathered in appropriate amounts. [Good! Now back to the Sect!]
***
"Oh, hey, Gerald."
[Hello, Senior Sister Lilly.] I was back at the Snow Lilly's Heavenly Pills, finishing my task. I placed the parcel with the herbs and stuff on the counter that was at my shoulder height. Damn, I hated being small. I had to strain my neck just to look at Lilly. I bet I really look like a child right about now.
She took the parcel with a smile and opened it up. I then handed over the parchment papers and she examined the herbs one by one. It took a few minutes and after confirming the goods, she weighed them and then handed over 6 SSS. I good bit of change for a few hours of work.
[Um, is Senior Ren Kong around here?] I asked politely.
"Oh, yes! I believe he is in the back, sorting herbs. Would you like me to call him?"
[Please.] On the road back I suddenly got an idea. It was probably a terrible idea, but I was curious…
Senior Sister Lilly went to the back to get her man and soon I heard the cheerful laugh of the big guy coming around the corner.
"Hoho, Junior! Collecting more flowers?" He slapped me on the shoulder in a friendly manner. This man's hands were like that of a bear. Massive and extremely heavy. Perhaps I should rethink… Nah. I'm here already.
[Yes, Senior Brother, always happy to help.] It was true. These two always put me in a good mood whenever we spoke. It was probably Ren Kong's cheerful nature that was so infectious.
But I wasn't here just to chat. [Senior Brother Ren, what Realm are you at, if you don't mind me asking?] Yup, I went there. It was considered taboo to ask someone their Cultivation Realm unless you were close, but I didn't think he would mind. And I was right.
"My Realm? Of course, it's nothing, Junior! I'm at Nascent Soul VIII, why do you ask?"
Nascent Soul Realm VIII? That should be close to that Yung Lin guy that took my life. It was perfect. Now, if only he would agree…
[Wow, Senior Brother is really strong.]
"You bet I am! Haha!"
[Can I request a small favor from you?]
"What is it?" Ren Kong beamed at me, and even Senior Sister Lilly was listening to our conversation with a smile, resting her elbows on the counter.
[Could you punch me?]
Ren's face froze and he turned serious for a moment before bursting out in laughter. "Hahaha! That was a good one! Junior Brother, are you trying to court death?"
He thought I was just joking around. I wasn't. Meanwhile, Senior Sister Lilly's face turned to one of concern.
[I was being serious.]
Ren stopped laughing. "Serious?"
[Yes. I would like to experience the strength of one at the Nascent Soul Realm.] Come on big man, I can take it! Just one punch!
"Junior Brother… You can't take it, you will die."
I wanted to roll my eyes so badly, but I resisted the urge. [I'm not asking for your full power, just something so I can get a taste. I have been training some defensive Martial Arts too.]
"Have you now? Eh, I don't know…" Ren Kong rubbed the back of his head. "A weak punch, huh?" I could see him thinking hard. This guy showed all his emotions clearly on his face. His brows were dancing on his forehead, but it seemed he was coming to a conclusion.
"Well, alri-"
"No, you can't do it! You will hurt him!" Senior Sister Lilly butted in and grabbed Ren's hand, pulling him away from me. The guy had the counter just below the elbow height. Damn giant.
"I'm not going to hurt him, Lilly, you are overreacting. But he is right. He should get a taste of greater power. When I got beat up by someone stronger for the first time it wasn't just one punch. It's a good learning experience."
Yes, sir! Go Senior Brother Ren, you tell her! It's just one punch.
"I don't know…" Senior Sister Lilly looked at me with concern. "Look how small and scrawny he is…"
Hey! I'm still here! No need to throw insults in my face.
"It's fine. I'll hold back, don't worry. I'll just punch him a little."
They went back and forth like that for a while, but we were two against one, and Senior Sister Lilly eventually gave up.
"Just… be careful." She eventually conceded.
"[We will!]" We both answered at the same time and then grinned in an equally reckless way. I was so pumped up for this!
"Alright, how do we do this, Junior?"
I already thought about this, so I quickly explained the plan. I would bolster up my defenses, and Ren would then deliver a good hit to my body, somewhere around the middle. He agreed and took a stance.
"Alright, get ready, I'll use 50%… no, 40%, I mean 30%… 20%?" He kept looking at Lilly who kept shaking her head angrily. Eventually, they settled on 10%, but she still didn't seem completely happy with that.
"Okay, fine, I'll try to do 8%!" He cleared his throat and took a breath. His entire demeanor changed at that moment. He turned towards me and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise up. His entire being gave away a feeling of danger. His smile was gone and his brows furrowed slightly.
I gulped. He looked at me. "Are you ready, Junior Brother Gerald?"
I flexed my muscles, began cycling the Turtle Breathing Technique, and activated the Elemental Avatar, bolstering my defenses to the max. I even focused all my Qi on my chest and stomach as much as I could. I steadied my mind and gritted my teeth. This was it.
[I'm ready!]
"Alright! Here we go then! 3… 2… 1..."
***
I saw nothing, felt nothing, heard nothing. There was blackness.
My mind panicked and I struggled to breathe. Slowly I opened my eyes. I was on the floor, bent over in a fetal position and looking at a blurry sight of Lilly and Ren arguing. Well, more like Lilly screaming at him and gesticulating wildly.
Slowly my hearing returned, first as muffled sounds, and then gradually clearer.
"… could you use your Martial Art on him! He's just a kid!"
"It… It was an accident, I didn't mean to…."
"It's for killing monsters, monsters! Not children!"
"I… I…"
My head was spinning and I suddenly violently turned to the side, vomiting blood.
"He… He's still alive!"
"Junior Brother! I'm so sorry! Hang in there!"
"Don't just stand there, go get him some pills!"
"Right…"
That's approximately when the pain came. My entire body suddenly felt as if it was on fire, especially my chest, it was as if a glowing metal rod had pierced through it. My lungs were filling up with fluid. I couldn't breathe.
I could feel my heart struggling and I puked out blood again. The sweet metallic taste was all I could feel as the warm liquid spilled over my clothes and on the floor.
"Junior, Gerald!" Senior Sister Lilly took me in her hands and placed a hand on my chest. "It's going to be alright, you'll make it."
I could feel some soothing energy pierce my chest, lessening some of the pain. I momentarily activated my Magic Eyes and looked inward. The shock immediately turned them off again.
It was as if someone took a meat grinder and stuffed it inside my chest. A cylindrical shape of my body was completely torn to shreds on the inside. Bones, skin, organs, they were all cracked and shattered, bleeding all over. It was a miracle my heart was still beating with all that damage, but I knew it was just a matter of time before it gave out.
… It sucked.
It was a bad idea after all. I think my teenage body was affecting my thinking a bit.
My sight slowly narrowed. The sounds of Sister Lilly's shouting became muffled again. It was warm and cozy. I didn't even feel the pain anymore. I just wanted to sleep. The last thing I saw was Senior Brother Ren rushing back and kneeling beside me. I didn't care anymore. I let go.
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