The Man

Ed realized that the fiery sensation he was feeling in his chest had gone away, but his body was still warm.

"It's gone…? That's weird...what kind of condition would cause this?" Ed pondered.

"Ah whatever it doesn't matter. I'll figure it out in due time. Right now, I have to get me some grub for dinner and complete my quest."

Ed set off towards a convenience store that was close to his house.

His body felt heavier and slower, which made Ed think. "Is it the sun?", but then Ed shook his head at the absurd idea. After all, how could a human get more powerful from the sun without cultivating a sun-related technique? Ed never cultivated before and couldn't due to the school limiting access to that information to second-years and third-years.

"But Rick was able to use an elemental ability…"

That was the difference between an orphan and a noble; martial privilege.

As Ed stepped into the convenience store, he was met with a pleasing and cooling breeze. The air conditioning was on.

"Welcome!" The shopkeeper said with a smile and bowed. Ed bowed back, awkwardly. He could never get used to a shopkeeper's welcoming. Due to him growing up alone, his social skills never developed properly.

He walked over to the cup noodles sections and picked up 2 chicken-flavoured cups. He then walked over to the shopkeeper and set them on the counter.

"That will be 4 credits, thank you."

Ed pulled out his wallet and linked it to the scanner.

"Transfer complete."

The shopkeeper put the cups in a bag and handed them over.

Ed hated interacting with other people. He couldn't stop thinking about what their thoughts were. "Look at his dirty clothes...yuck" "What is this poor filth doing in my store? Hurry up and get out!"

Ed walked out hastily. While Ed's thoughts were one thing, in reality, the shopkeeper wasn't paying much attention and only thought of him as just another customer.

[Anxiety detected.]

[Proceeding to correct error.]

Ed stopped in his tracks right outside the convenience store and stood as still as a stone statue would. A couple of people sitting outside started to stare at him and whispered to each other.

[Operation complete.]

Ed blinked a couple of times and rubbed his forehead with his palm. "What the hell was that?" He looked around and noticed the two people staring at him and whispering.

"Something the matter?" Ed questioned them.

When they noticed that what he said was directed towards them, they bowed in order to apologize for their lack of manners and looked away.

It was as if Ed had completely gotten over his insecurities towards dealing with people. "Staryx...just what are you?"

When Ed reached his apartment, he opened the door, plopped the cups down on the table to the side of the entrance, and closed it behind him.

His apartment was tiny. A mattress in one corner of the room, a small desk was planted across it, along with a small fridge below it, a wardrobe next to it, a table by the entrance, and a door leading to the restroom in front of it. Despite being a very shabby place, Ed didn't mind. After all, this was his home.

"It's time for the rest of the workout" Ed sighed and got to work.

10 slow minutes passed by, and he was dead tired on the floor, breathing heavily. He couldn't finish his push-ups, let alone the squats and sit-ups.

[Zero to Hero]

Push-up, 100x: (23/100)

Squat, 100x: (0/100)

Sit-up, 100x: (0/100)

Running, 10km: (10/10)

***

[Tutorial unlocked: Cultivation]

Ed, seeing this, felt surprised that the system was capable of teaching cultivation, but also angry that it had unlocked only after he'd used up all of his energy.

Ed selected the Cultivation tutorial with his shaky hands, whilst still lying on the ground.

[Transporting to tutorial sub-space]

He was now back in the navy-blue room he was in when he had first smashed the red star.

This time, instead of the man appearing on the screen, he materialized in front of Ed.

"Hey there! Nice to see you again! Oh? You look pretty roughed out!" The man charmingly laughed.

Ed found him to be quite annoying.

"Don't you worry, my child, for you are about to be taught how to cultivate!" The man clapped and cheered for himself. His sarcasm was oozing out of him.

"Just get on with it." Ed grunted.

"Right. Okay, so firstly you…" The man began to explain how to cultivate and the many different techniques that are available out there. However, Ed had already known about this, but the man's explanation seemed to be more detailed and he had many tips and advice to give. Just when it sounded like he was done, he pulled out a book from thin-air and handed it over to Ed.

"What is this?" Asked Ed.

"It's a cultivation technique that suits your mind and body the most. I created it." Said the man with a tone of pride.

Ed inspected the book, and a lot of questions began festering in his mind....

"Who are you?"

"About time you'd ask that question! I was worried you'd never speak up!" The man smiled.

"I'm Staryx. The creator of the red star you smashed to oblivion."

Ed looked down at the ground in guilt.

"Don't sulk you silly child. The only way to unlock the abilities of the star was to infuse your anger onto it with a strike. Your anger towards this world and your determination to change it was worthy."

Ed, hearing this, cheered up and wore a goofy little smile. It was the first time he had ever been complimented.

"Now for the second question...I'm not really the creator, but an AI created from the extraction of his brain's data. He was a great magician and his special ability was that he could materialize things from nothing. However, I can't do that. That book can only exist in the tutorial sub-space, just like me. I hope you're satisfied with that answer." Staryx smiled and patted Ed on the shoulder.