Chapter 25

Exploring the options on the training app's main menu, I came to the conclusion there were four modes. The first mode was an endless stream of gladiator battles. I could choose to battle against game monsters or humanoid AI. The second mode was a platforming game where it grew more complicated with each level I passed. The third mode was a magical mental puzzle game. The final mode was a simple Guidance Hall where I could ask the best NPCs in Aetherscape for guidance.

I found it strange the Guidance Hall came with three sliders ranging from one percent to one hundred and ten percent. The slider's titles were empathy, intensity, and feedback. Since I didn't know what they did, I left them at their default fifty percent.

For some reason, there was also a timer I could set. I checked to see how much longer I had left until it was time to log out for school, then set the timer for an hour. That would give me a few minutes to check some things after my training session.

I was instantly confused once I pressed the button to enter the Guidance Hall. It didn't dump me into a primitive arena like I expected. Instead, I found myself standing in a very modern gym full of very modern training equipment. They even had mechanized training dummies lined up by the sparring mats.

"Welcome to hell, punk," a female voice said from behind me. I cringed and turned around to find a tall, athletic woman standing behind me. Her abs were more defined than mine—she actually had a six pack—which might be why the judgment in her eyes made me cringe again.

She chuckled at the sour expression on my face. "I'm not going to eat you. You set empathy to fifty percent, so there's leeway in how I'll talk to you. If you want a trainer who will act more like a cheer squad, raise the empathy setting higher. If you're an 'M' who gets off on verbal abuse, go ahead and set it lower."

She paused like she was waiting for me to respond, so I nodded and said, "That makes sense. I'll leave it at fifty for now. I prefer moderation. I'm guessing the intensity slider changes the intensity of the training schedule? What does feedback do?"

"It's a pain slider only available for pod users. You should know some version of the saying 'there's no gain without pain'? Well, the more pain you're willing to experience, the more feedback your physical body will receive. If you set the feedback high enough, you might even wake up with muscle aches. Don't worry, though. Even if you set it to a hundred and ten percent, you'll never exceed the safety tolerance level of your world."

"My world?" I latched onto the seemingly throwaway comment.

The trainer's smile grew stiff and she started to say something to distract me, but I cut her off by saying, "I'm an NPC Friend. I don't know how to flash the title here, but I've already been inducted into the game's hidden story. So you're also programmed to think you're from another world?"

Her lips twitched. "You're smarter than some of the other lower-world disciples I've picked up. Yes, I'm from another world. Believe it or not, I'm actually a six hundred-year-old Martial Goddess, so no matter what you want to train in—I can train you. And I'm not only talking about physical training. As a Goddess, I'm pursuing the Dao Path and studying World Law. Whether it's science, magic, art, or combat—I'm well versed in all subjects available in your world. You may call me Master Izzy."

"Master?" I prodded. "Not Mistress?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I almost forgot—your world is full of mortals. Will you be comfortable learning from a woman or would you prefer a male trainer? I don't want to waste my time on someone who'll question me due to my physical gender."

"My mother taught me to respect a woman's strength," I replied. "I'm actually more concerned about your training methods. Normally I love to explore game lore, but right now I'm stuck in a mess. I got dragged into the game's Martial Tournament. I don't care about winning. I just need a simple skill trainer who can help me so I don't make a fool out of myself—not a Goddess from an Eastern cultivation fantasy. Not someone who wants to pump me full of magic drugs made with imaginary ingredients while she tells stories of how I can punch through clouds and slice through mountains. If I want to experience fantasy, I'll log into Aetherscape. That's not what I want when I log into this app. I want to learn the real stuff that I can train in the real world—something I can use as a foundation for further improvement."

Her smile turned sly. "Don't worry, kid. Aetherscape's matching software is top-notch. I'm exactly the trainer you need, even if I'm not the one you might have picked for yourself. But let me make one thing clear upfront—personally, I also hate alchemy. Pill addiction is a problem on many worlds, especially mortal worlds like yours where the bloodlines and celestial veins are weak. We have a long way to go before you reach a point where we need to worry about that, though. You've barely tapped into any of your existing potential, so there's no need to search for ways to increase your limits."

She paused a moment, then continued, "Let's talk about goals. You mentioned the Martial Tournament. You made it to the second round?"

"Yeah, but as I said—I'm not really interested in winning. I just don't want to make a fool out of myself."

Master Izzy crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at me. "Do you know what the first-place prize for this round is?"

I shrugged. "It can't be better than the capsule I won in the first round."

"First place gets a time dilation formation for their system lobby, a lifetime supply of Aer Bars, and a fifty thousand dollar scholarship to Aethertech University."

I froze. "Time dilation? You mean something that can make it seem like a few hours has passed when it's only been a few minutes? Isn't that just fantasy? I read that technology wasn't advanced enough to trick people's internal clock like that."

"That's with your low-tech virtual reality that only affects visual perception. Four-dimensional full immersion technology is a lot more complex. If you're interested in how it works, you can study it at Aethertech. All you need to know for now is that time dilation is real, but the use of it is very exclusive. It's so exclusive, the system moderators haven't decided whether they'll release it on your world's market yet. They're afraid of the social impact, so they're only temporarily using it as a prize for marketing purposes."

"But it works?" I asked eagerly. I really wanted to grab her and shake the answer out of her. Ever since I started playing Aetherscape, I haven't found the time to read any of the new releases waiting on my book apps. Being able to fit reading back into my schedule would make me one very happy man.

"You can't use it while you're logged into Aetherscape, but you can use it to stretch time in your system lobby. You can make a minute into an hour or an hour into a whole day. It's a low-grade formation, so I don't think it can stretch it any more than that. But it's still enough for you to enjoy any hobbies you might have been missing out on lately."

I thought about it for a few seconds, then nodded in acceptance. "Okay, you win. I've fallen into your trap and now I'm motivated to win the Tournament. The only question is whether you can make me a decent competitor in less than a week. I won't be happy if you got my hopes up and we discover I never had a chance."

"Are you in the Team Tournament or the Singles Tournament?"

"Singles."

"You have a chance. The regional round is broken up by countries. Your profile says you're in the America country." I looked at her funny. Did she say that in a weird way on purpose? "The America country has a surprisingly low number of singles competitors. I don't see many high-quality challengers on the list. Does your country have something against the individual competition?"

"What are you reading off of?" I asked. She didn't have a clipboard or any type of device.

In answer, she tapped her head. "Virtual holographic document. You have your tricks, we have ours. Now answer my question?"

I scratched the side of my nose, unsure of how to answer without sounding disloyal or unpatriotic. "Game Tournaments like this usually fall under e-sports. Sports usually means teams. Singles competitions aren't as interesting as watching six-versus-six team battles or—"

"Pantheon idolatry," she said in sudden understanding. "You don't have to explain anymore. I suppose, in competitions between mortals, individual battles would be a boring form of entertainment. Even your best fighters can't move faster than the naked eye or thrill onlookers with their techniques. What you can't provide in quality, you fill with quantity. Let me tell you, that changes when the people watching have a more discerning eye."

She started walking a slow circle around me and I could almost see the yardstick in her gaze. She was measuring me. I just didn't know what measurements she was taking.

"The city qualifier round was more of an embarrassing display than they were expecting," Master Izzy said. "The people of your world have a fighting spirit, but most of them have no clue how to use their bodies. Therefore, the regional round will be an obstacle race. The embarrassing competitors can fall out early, leaving only the decent ones to reach the end. So, to reach your goal of first place, what do you think we need to do?"

"I need to run a lot?"

"Not just run. You need to learn how to jump and climb. We'll start with the treadmill. Get on and I'll correct the flaws in your form. A poor running form can drain stamina faster than you might expect."

I stepped onto the treadmill, but she didn't immediately start it. Her instruction began by correcting my standing form instead. Don't slouch. Shoulders back, chin level, and tuck the stomach. Square the hips and lower my center of gravity.

Once she was satisfied, she let me start walking. Again, a wave of corrections came my way. Toes pointed forward, back straight (dammit), quit leaning forward, why are you looking down, suck in your stomach before you get a pot belly—suck it in, you're wasting a chance to train—and widen my pace. The 'widen my pace' part was the hardest. Three steps forward for me was one step for her.

"If you stop looking at the ground, you won't have to worry about tripping over people. Right now, you're scurrying like a timid mouse. Learn to step forward like a lion." Two seconds later, she reached up to smack the back of my head. "I said step forward like a lion. Not prowl like a tomcat!"

I started to understand why Takumi had heard stories about the training app.