บท 75: Dao Heart of Promised Victory (Fixed)
Pure Mana was only rare because it was the manifestation of the self and reality simultaneously.
Internal Qi might be supplemented and fed External Energies, but it was always psychological.
Every practitioner, no matter how similar their cultivation technique was, would always manifest a different flavour of 'Qi'. Emotions, intellect, beliefs, and ideals would constantly alter the state of it.
On the other hand, 'Mana' was purely on external principles and concepts. A part of reality itself.
Even when cultivated independently, 'Magic' itself had tended to change and overwhelm the user.
One could say the latter was less useful.
However, as Sebastian had demonstrated, there were ways to overcome that aspect of magic.
And as Kang Hyuk demonstrated: Although Qi was useful, it needed time and devotion to cultivate.
Both routes had their strength and weaknesses…
So what's did that leave Pure Mana?
Not entirely external in nature, while also not being independent. It was like a regular human being.
Susceptible to changing over time.
Maturing, growing… All depending on the user.
While it seemed 'pure' like a blank slate when it first came into the world, experiences would allow the energy to evolve. Whether that be for the best or worst was entirely up to whoever cultivated it.
In the midst of enlightenment, Adam found himself breathing in a particular way as if by his instincts.
The 'Cursed Tools' in his possession seemed to sense vulnerability, thus entering his psyche.
The Light Saber, Battle Baton. Blazing Knife, and Riot Shield collectively reanimated themselves.
In the darkness that was his internal world, two Heart Devils banded together with their new sibling. Thanks to the inherent instability of the Breath Circulation art, a true 'Devil' was born.
['Whispering Devil' is looking at you maliciously.]
['Whispering Devil' says you should have accepted his proposal. The consequences shall follow.]
Simon was still in his meditative posture as a new Heart Devil was being born from his negativity.
All the 'weakness' he had accumulated had become the greatest Heart Devil to ever exist.
['Whispering Devil' is imparting the mythical dark muse of Adam. A tale twisted by interpretation.]
[If the first man, Adam, indeed ate the Forbidden Fruits for the sake of his lover, then he must be equal to a devil. Thus, humans are born demons. It is in their nature. And he the ancestral devil.]
At first, it took on his appearance. The creature stood between Solaris and Lumina's nemeses.
Looking exactly like Adam Graham.
Perhaps due to the influence of Pure Mana and the Whispering Devil, it started to grow much larger.
The Dao Heart it was born from was different from those based on Qi. It was influenced externally.
The two Heart Devils beside the newly born creature of negativity started to back away slowly.
Their mouths hanging while looking at the monster.
It engulfed the darkness of his dreamworld and became much more dangerous than anyone else.
Its head was held as high as the heavens…
The formerly prideful Heart Devils looked like specs of dust in front of the monster's sheer mass.
Then… they started shaking in fear for their lives.
Its all-encompassing jaw opened up and sucked in the two demons, not even giving them time to scream. They became nutrients that fed their natural superior. Dying without making a sound.
The two eyes of the creature of darkness had eyes that glowed the colour of Yin and Yang together.
['Whispering Devil' orders its creation to finish the man who dared slight the king of demonic hearts.]
The demonic entity affirmed this red screen's text.
It looked down on the meditating figure, speaking:
"I wonder why you live. Give up. Your obsessive hunger for other's affection could never be sated."
The monster continued with a monologue:
"You are a pitiful creature."
"Out of all the beings in the world, why were you chosen to ascend? Your previous life was ruined."
"You had a mother who made sandwiches all the time because she was bad at cooking, but you never appreciated how she deeply cared about your health. Doing all she could to raise you well."
"Your father was a busy man with a business to take care of, but he always made time to talk to you. Always there to listen, even if he wasn't physically there to be by your side all the time."
"Your older brother sometimes stuck his nose where it didn't belong. Him protecting you and getting hurt sometimes damaged your reputation at school, but he had always wanted your safety."
"They wanted you to be well and wished you all the joys of the world, but how did you repay them?"
"Ignorance. Neglect."
"You sunk your head into gaming and shut yourself from people. Becoming an outcast of society."
"Living… but not with pride."
"You jumped at the chance for anything that could bring you out of your boredom. Well… how was it?"
"Hatred. Loneliness. Apathy. Paranoia. There's a full list, but one thing is fully clear among them."
"You'll never achieve anything."
"A loser in life. Someone who is better off never have existed, so… Give that 'existence' to me."
"Make a Geisha with me. I'll bring you out of your hellhole and make you more than just a gamer."
"I can make you complete." The massive entity didn't attack, but whispered the sharpest words.
Cursing Adam's soul into oblivion…
He waited for the miracle gamer to respond. Maybe even lash out at him like the many times before.
Except… the eyes that had opened were serene.
Not positive, not negative… It was the tranquility of someone who was thinking about the devil's offer.
The temptation wasn't bad.
Except, his gaze suddenly turned to the sky past the giant body of the devil… that only he sensed.
Two stars that weren't supposed to be in his dreamworld were there. They had illusionary glows.
Here, but also not here.
"Is that… you two?" When Adam finally spoke, the monster also noticed the stars hanging in the sky.
But he wasn't bothered by then at all.
"This is your new Divinity… called 'Bond'. They are only the slight connection to those who abandoned you. Their glows merely mean that they're still looking at you." Its words rippled the man's heart.
"They're… watching?"
"Yeah, hard to believe… right? They dare to look down on you after abandoning you to despair."
"They're… watching..." Adam repeated, feeling like the misconception he had all this time vanished.
Whispering Devil watched the events closely…
…and the gamer disappointed him.
He breathed with the 'Geisha Hell Gamer Mentality' and reflected on himself, finding his state pathetic.
The former landlord arose to his feet…
He remembered all the hardships he had in this world, and found that his thoughts were valid.
There was only one new element to this equation.
'I do not exist alone.' Just like Pure Mana, he was the result of his environment and his own actions.
Therefore, he needed to take responsibility for it.
The person he'd grown into…
"I know who you are." Adam knew of him. Simon had forewarned the coming of this Heart Devil.
The former tyrant himself a result of losing to this.
"Then who am I?" The gigantic creature looked like it didn't know how he was able to stand back up.
"You're… 'regret'."
"Even if you know that, what does that change?"
The creature looked down on his scrawny figure. It held the miracle gamer in the palm of its hand.
"Knowing you changes everything." These words had somehow struck the Heart Devil with fear.
"You've reflected."
"Yeah."
"Haha, right~ Hahahaha~~~!" A boisterous laugh escaped the titan's massive mouth in enjoyment.
It continued with a smirk:
"There are many who reflect on themselves, but how many can actually use what they've learned?"
"I will… because I'm no longer alone."
"You are. You're just denying your reality." The laughter didn't stop, it was getting under his skin.
However, Adam didn't show retaliation.
Instead, he showed his resolve with one act.
An action that silenced the gigantic figure.
[Genre Switch- Real Life]
"…" The two different colour eyes of the devil widened, and silence became part of the world.
['Whispering Devil' says to stop him now!]
The massive hand tried to reach out, but it was unable to move faster than the speed of a 'spec'.
Adam opened his hand, the Pure Mana circulating through his body was used in tandem with Divinity.
[Your Divinity is using your decimated Sea of Consciousness as a basis for a new dimension.]
[What would you like to call it?]
'Eden…' The wasteland that was once his Sea of Consciousness was engulfed by a new world.
One that was affected by the name given to it.
Becoming much more greener.
As if affected by the new world's logic, the giant Heart Devil suddenly became tiny when entering it.
Returning to the same size as its originator.
This time, it was Adam's time to speak. There was animosity in the eyes of the weakened inner devil.
['Whispering Devil' says to kill!]
It followed the orders of its master and attacked the originator. Even without its size, they were the same. Therefore, the Heart Devil had all the abilities of Adam Graham… and much more.
[Genre Switch- Fighting Game]
The Heart Devil momentarily changed its own Taboo System's settings. Fighting with a vigour.
It attacked its opponent, a fist flew through the air and was about to hit the opponent leaning into him.
Adam walked up to the dark figure, then…
…gave the Heart Devil a calculated embrace.
Simultaneously dodging and stopping the blow with what boxer's would call a tactical 'clinch'.
"Huh?" The devil was confused. It couldn't even begin to fathom where this warmth came from.
Why was he being hugged!?!
"We have too many thoughts." Even though the creature talked about Adam's dark past, the gamer saw the reality of the situation. This wasn't a battle between good and evil… It was between himself.
And he was sick of beating himself up.
Even with this overwhelming negativity the devil, it was still his own emotions. A part of himself.
If he rejected it, he'd reject his past.
Something he wasn't willing to do anymore.
"You're going to reject me…" The Heart Devil didn't fall for it. These were the hypocrisy all humans had.
They would always reject their sadness and pursue happiness. Leaving behind their regrets in the past.
All humans did this.
They were all hypocrites that never learned…
"I'm not. It's true… We had a hard time. If I could go back in time, I'd give my past self a tight slap."
"But since you can't, you're going to abandon me."
"I'm not! Believe me… Come on, don't turn your eyes away." He fixed the devil's head towards him.
It looked at that face, and knew that this was another one of Adam's many 'enlightenments'.m
Such a fickle mindset…
"Foolish…" A terrifying voice resounded from the Heart Devil while digging its fingers into his arm.
"…" Adam frowned while looking down, but didn't react much. It didn't seem to bother him much.
Seeing the lack of emotion, the creature stopped trying to give him pain. Such things were useless.
Nothing would cause the gamer 'pain' anymore.
The monster was a dark reflection, meaning it had the suspicions the original would after hearing this.
…No, the Heart Devil understood more than that.
"This is just like that time with Terran. You keep on coming to conclusions about yourself and acting like it's insight. Do you think you've seen through life and death because you meditated once?"
"I never said that."
"You have many memories of being taught by Kang Hyuk. He taught you how to meditate by yourself."
"How is this relevant?"
"Meditating is just a form of self-justification. Do you know how a Martial Artist gains enough 'enlightenment' to cultivate their Qi? They justify their actions hard enough to bend reality itself."
"That's not what I-"
"So you think you're right?!" Driven by the red and black status screen behind it, the devil attacked.
They started to exchange blows, with the devil being on top most the time. Adam was faltering.
"This time is different."
"What's different?! You don't dare make any promises to me. Else you'd know the consequence of breaking a 'Geis' to a Heart Devil!" This wasn't something the gamer could bring himself to deny.
The consequences were too harsh.
If he broke a vow to a Heart Devil, he'd be swallowed up by it. That was the truth.
And it wasn't like the creature was wrong.
He WAS the type to make empty promises that never really impacted him. Not in any real way.
"I'm serious this time." Adam still insisted this.
"I'm sure you are." The opponent believed these words were true, but that didn't change anything.
The gamer always made 'serious' decisions he would take lightly. He was an extreme person.
Some might even say a little bipolar…
The only time the creature stopped attacking was when Adam showed his resolution in his actions.
After they got separated with a push, the immortal decided to show how willing he was to change.
This time… he wasn't messing around anymore.
Adam lifted his hand high before placing it on different meridians around his internal organs.
A message window appeared in front of both of them. One that the Heart Devil couldn't believe.
[You have dispersed your immortality.]
As if to prove these words true, the 'Eden' around them became richer in vegetation and grew trees.
Blood red apples growing on each of them.
"I won't make you any sort of promise…" The devil was displeased, but found itself being surprised when the man continued: "…but I promise I'll try life's game again. Let's start from scratch."
"…Why?" There was greater confusion in its eyes.
It switched back to the 'Real Life' Game Genre…
There was no reason to 'try again'. They've already seen the outcome. They lose… and they lose again.
Whether it be through Lumina and Solaris, through Adamanthea, or through their own resolutions.
They were going to lose.
Especially now that he had done something as reckless and stupid as dispersing his immortality.
Did he not want to live anymore?
No, the Heart Devil knew this was him just taking off the 'cheat'. Permanently making him a mortal.
One that could possibly… die…
"Like you said before. We've played a lot of games in our life, right?" Adam smiled at the Heart Devil.
"And what about it?"
"Whenever we got stuck, we would try again. Not once, not twice… We kept on trying until we won."
"This is completely different."
"It isn't. I admit… We lost. We got lost sometimes in our feelings and threw our controller at times. I remember how our brother would get mad at us for having a bad 'gaming mentality'. He said that we were too immature, and that games are for fun."
It was at that moment he looked up to the stars that were far away. The bond without socialisation.
They were still existing far from him. Even if he wasn't there, Solaris and Lumina would see him.
Whether it'd be his losses or his victories…
"I'll make a promise as a Gies to myself: I'll live and die. Maybe I'll lose in other games, but so long as I'm still breathing… I'll finally 'win' this game of life one day. I'll never give up on my life anymore." The words that came out of his mouth became his core.
[You have stabilised the 'Geisha Hell Gamer Mentality' Skill. Your breath is turning peaceful.]
[You have gained an F Rank Qi Centre.]
[Your foundation of Pure Mana has been affected by the balance of Frigid Yin and Scorching Yang.]
A Qi Centre was formed in his brain…
Adam felt Pure Mana circulating through his meridians, even if it was only at the F Rank.
The Heart Devil seemed satisfied. Cracks of light appeared all over its body when it laughed again.
This time, seeming more pleasant than before.
"…You better keep that promise." Was the last words it spoke before becoming four Cursed Tools.
['Whispering Devil' is displeased with this development. Matters shall be executed itself.]
Portals started to open up from beyond the boundaries of space and time. Eden was invaded.
Skeletal figures crawled out of the tears in space.
Adam sighed at this sight…
He picked up the Light Saber, Battle Baton. Blazing Knife, and Riot Shield in their inactive states.
When he touched them, it felt like the connection between him and the weapons were more clear.
The 'Bond' Divinity was applied.
[You have reached the state of being one with four different weapons. A new Skill has been recorded.]
[You have acquired 'Auto Mastery'.]
Adam swung the baton and knife after activating them, while showed great flexibility in wielding them. Pure Mana gathered in the new world he created, and his new System found its 'home'.
A myriad of skeletons were smashed into dust…
Multiple weapons started to form out of thin air in this world. All of them created by his Pure Mana.
Whispering Devil had no power HIS world.
The laws suited his needs.
The experiences from that traumatic incident with Simon was turned into something useful for him.
He allowed the horrors of his past to refine him into steel. After all, pain wasn't the start and end of life.
There were also good moments throughout it all.
Moments he'd shared with people that weren't all doom and gloom. Times when he felt fortunate.
That's why he could talk with a straight back:
"Fuck off. I don't care if you're a resident of hell or whatever. If I happen to die, you're the first one I'll hunt for sport." He pointed at the faraway red and black screen that seemed to be trembling in fury.
Humiliated by today's events.
It vanished, and Adam enforced his will onto the world to make sure that evil couldn't come again.
His eyes looked at his weapons, then back at the stars in the sky. He waved at them, speaking:
"Well, for now at least… Watch my Let's Play."
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