0012. Power of will and ASD screen

Jessica's eyes blazed with frustration as she glared at the boy sitting before her. Her voice was sharp as she demanded, "So, do you get it now? Why you should never, ever take a pledge on a whim?"

Nile, trembling slightly, wiped his eyes as tears threatened to fall. His voice was shaky but earnest. "Because… if we do, we'll be marked by the will of nature. And if we break it, we'll be… targeted by the will and obliterated."

Maya, who had been watching the exchange, stepped in to defuse the tension. "Calm down, Jessica. He's just an idiot, not a criminal. Besides, the town island's will can only target those below level 4. He's safe—for now."

Jessica crossed her arms, her irritation unabated. "Fortunately, that's the case. But listen to me, you idiot—never take a vow lightly!" She clenched her fists, clearly itching to knock some sense into him.

Maya placed a hand on Jessica's shoulder, her voice soothing yet firm. "Alright, Jessica, enough. He gets it. Right, Nile?" She turned to him expectantly.

Nile nodded quickly, his head bobbing like a frightened chick.

Maya gave a small smile and continued, "Why don't you start with the transfer? It'll help him understand the real do's and don'ts of the cultivation world."

Jessica exhaled sharply, glaring at Nile one last time. "I seriously underestimated your common sense," she muttered. "I need to add more data packets for you."

With that, she fiddled with her watch, its interface glowing faintly as she made adjustments.

Taking a deep breath, Jessica steadied herself and looked at Nile. "Now listen carefully, Nile. Be very careful and follow my instructions to the letter."

She reached for his hand, their watches clanking together.

"Hey, what was that for?" Nile asked, instinctively checking his ASD for any damage.

"Relax," Jessica replied, her tone sharp but patient. "I just sent information packets to your ASD. See those twelve green dots beside the numbers? Those are the packets. It'll take your ASD about 7 to 15 minutes to process each one, but you can't absorb them back-to-back. I've placed them in slots so you'll absorb them one at a time, with an hour gap between each."

Nile nodded, curiosity replacing his earlier alarm. Closing his eyes, he waited for further instructions.

Jessica's voice took on a commanding tone. "Take a deep breath, clear your mind of all random thoughts, and focus on the center of your forehead. What do you see?"

"Nothing. How can I see anything with my eyes closed?" Nile responded, his tone dripping with confusion.

Jessica pinched the bridge of her nose, resisting the urge to snap. "I'm not talking about seeing with your eyes. Do you see the darkness?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Keep focusing on that darkness. Let me know the moment you see a green dot of light appear in your vision, similar to the dot at the center of your watch. Don't just wait for it to grow bigger. As soon as you see it, report to me," she warned.

"Okay," Nile agreed hesitantly, closing his eyes again.

Jessica released another sigh and muttered under her breath, "Teaching is such a hassle."

Maya chuckled softly. "Especially when teaching someone so... innocent."

"Innocent? He's just an outright idiot," Jessica snapped.

"Hey, who are you calling an idiot?" Nile quibbled, opening his eyes in protest.

Jessica's sharp glare silenced him instantly, and he obediently resumed meditating. Watching his timid reaction, Maya laughed silently to herself.

Minutes passed in focused silence until Nile's voice suddenly broke through. "Jessica! I saw it—I saw it! It's growing bigger!"

Jessica's expression softened slightly as she clarified, "It's not growing bigger; it's getting closer. When it looks about 3mm in size, will it to stop moving closer. At the same time, think of it staying in that exact spot."

"Got it," Nile replied, concentrating again.

He focused on the dot as it transformed from a point into a sphere. He could somehow sense its growth—from a radius of 1mm to 1.5mm, then 2mm. When it reached approximately 3mm, he followed Jessica's instructions, willing it to remain in place. Miraculously, he understood its size in this virtual state, despite having no means to measure it physically.

As the sphere stabilized, Jessica's voice came again. "Now, keep focusing on it until the green color changes to something else, and the sphere breaks to reveal a screen. Even if the color doesn't change, you'll know when the process is complete—the screen will appear on its own."

Nile nodded silently, his focus unwavering as he waited for the sphere to transform.

As Nile concentrated on the sphere, he began to feel a faint but distinct connection, similar to the bond he had felt with his ASD earlier. Realization dawned on him. So this is how the ASD works.

Gradually, the green hue of the sphere faded, leaving it transparent. Without warning, it burst into shimmering particles that quickly reassembled into a rectangular screen with something written on it.

Before Nile could read the text, a sharp pain shot through his head. He groaned, opening his eyes instinctively. The screen and the darkness vanished instantly, leaving him disoriented.

Jessica's voice broke the silence. "Good. That's enough for now," she said, her tone steady. "The first time opening the ASD screen takes a lot of your spirit energy. Once it stabilizes, it'll become as easy as flipping your hand."

She gave him a moment before continuing, "Now, listen carefully. That green dot you saw was a spirit egg. It's formed from your spirit energy, which I drew out last time. But since I was involved, some of my imprints got mixed into it. That's why I told you to will it to stop. If you had allowed it to get closer, it would have been absorbed into your spirit sea, where my imprints could act like poison."

Jessica paused, letting her words sink in before adding, "From now on, the information packets I've sent to your ASD will be stored and processed. When the color of these packets changes to match your attribute, you can safely absorb them. Understood?"

"Okay," Nile replied hesitantly.

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "If you have questions, ask them. Don't worry—I'm not going to beat you for asking."

Encouraged, Nile hesitated only briefly before speaking. "When I woke up after binding the ASD, I saw some numbers marked as important in my mind…"

Before he could finish, Jessica stood up from the mat, cutting him off. "Oh, those numbers? You'll understand them once you read the screen." She stretched her arms, her tone shifting to one of urgency. "But for now, we need to prepare. Since we'll have to go through the town's entry checks, I'll leave it to Maya to teach you about those."

She gestured toward Maya