Time Skip?

-The next day

I woke up feeling energized and determined to improve myself. I got up a bit earlier than usual and headed to the top-notch training facility located conveniently close to the hotel.

Even though access was free with an identity card, I was pleasantly surprised to find the facility empty and spotlessly clean.

I began my workout routine with some warm-up exercises and stretches to prepare my body for the intense training ahead.

Moving on to weight training, I started with lighter weights, paying close attention to my form and technique.

With each set, I increased the weights, challenging myself to reach new heights.

After completing my weight training, I transitioned to cardio. Running on the treadmill, I pushed myself to the limit, sweat pouring down my face, and my heart pounding.

I knew that cardio was essential for improving my overall strength and stamina.

Before starting my workout, I used the bracelet to measure my stats.

Strength: 07

Constitution: 05

Dexterity: 06

Intelligence: 11

Wisdom: 03

Charisma: 06

…

-A week later

…

After finishing my intense workout, I returned to my hotel room to find my food ration waiting for me. The portions were becoming smaller and smaller, a clear indication that it was time to start contributing to society. I took a refreshing shower and changed into fresh clothes before preparing my breakfast.

For breakfast, I cooked some protein-rich meat and prepared a refreshing fruit salad to fuel my body for the day ahead. While enjoying my meal, I checked my stats using the bracelet:

Strength: 08

Constitution: 07

Dexterity: 06

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 04

Charisma: 07

…

-Another week later

…

After a nutritious breakfast, I headed down to the reception where Clara was working her shift. We exchanged friendly greetings before I made my way to the nearby library. Access was free with an identity card, but contrary to the gym, the library was bustling with smart people who had high intelligence and wisdom stats.

I, on the other hand, had my highest stat in intelligence, but my focus for the day was on martial arts.

Brook had recommended that I learn wushu and aikido, and I had decided to follow his advice.

I made my way to the martial arts section of the library and started reading the fifth volume of the fundamentals of wushu. The more I read, the more I became fascinated with the fluidity and precis of the movements.

After completing my reading, I decided to check my stats again.

Strength: 11

Constitution: 8

Dexterity: 10

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 7

Charisma: 8

I was thrilled to see that my strength, constitution, and dexterity had all improved due to my daily wushu training. My intelligence stat had also increased, likely due to the hardest exercise in existence … reading a book.

-A month later

…

As I finished the last volume of the Wushu fundamentals, I felt a sense of accomplishment wash over me.

I checked the time and realized that I needed to head to work soon. Clara, who was working at the reception desk, had found me a job at a nearby restaurant.

It seemed that everyone was working these days, as the food rations continued to decrease. Some were working at the construction site, while others were training at elemental training grounds.

I knew that I wasn't cut out for manual labour or battles, so I was grateful for the job at the cafeteria.

The owner, Sebastian, was a vampire who had once been an alchemist. He had decided to open the cafeteria to be close to his family. I sometimes noticed him acting suspicious around me, but he was a nice guy in general. He made a special tea for me that helped with my concentration and performance. Every morning at around 6 AM, Liam and Ruby would appear through a shadow gate to have some snacks after their daily training. They would grumble about how tough it was to train under the elves, but we would all share a laugh and catch up on our lives.

At around 9 AM, Liam and Ruby would leave for their respective residences, and I would clean up the cafeteria. Today was the day I received my salary from Sebastian, which was 30 silver coins or around 300 dollars. Clara met me outside the cafeteria, and we headed to the market to buy some groceries. While shopping, I checked my stats and was surprised to see how much they had improved:

Strength: 16

Constitution: 12

Dexterity: 20

Intelligence: 28

Wisdom: 16

Charisma: 12

…

-Another 2 weeks later

…

After finishing my shopping, I parted ways with Clara and headed back home to put away the groceries. Then, I changed into my tracksuit and headed to the training facility to practice what I had learned from the latest volume of the Wushu book. I was making remarkable progress in my Wushu skills in such a short amount of time.

As for Aikido, I had just started reading a book about it. However, the training foundation I had gained from Wushu was proving to be very helpful in my Aikido training. Wushu is a traditional Chinese martial art that involves a wide range of stances, techniques, forms, and weapon training. It also includes internal training such as Qi Gong, and emphasizes philosophy that balances yin and yang, discipline, and the pursuit of inner peace and harmony. By mastering these fundamentals, practitioners can develop strength, agility, and discipline while gaining a deeper understanding of Chinese martial arts and philosophy.

Just a few days ago, I began training with spears and combined it with Wushu to create my ultimate fighting style that perfectly complemented my body constitution. The training facility closes at 12 AM, so I headed home before that time, took a shower, and prepared dinner. Before digging in, I checked my stats:

Strength: 19

Constitution: 16

Dexterity: 22

Intelligence: 30

Wisdom: 22

Charisma: 15

My stats were slowly increasing, and it seems that I was nearing my limits as a starless.

…

-Ugh Another month …

…

As I finished my dinner and washed the dishes, I felt a sense of exhaustion overcome me. I decided to lay down on my bed, and as I did, I noticed the letters swirling and jumping around me once again. It had become a regular occurrence for me, but this time, I decided to experiment with them.

I focused on the letters and spoke random words aloud - fire, ice, food, chicken breast, Clara is cute, Lebron Jame- no not this - but as I spoke each word, the letters would combine to spell it out before shattering into a million pieces and returning to their original state.

It was then that I remembered what Miss Ophelia had told me about the hypothesis of words being the main component of matter, and I realized that I might be able to understand the nature of matter and even create it by simply speaking the words. But there was still something missing, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. I hoped that Brook would return soon and explain what was happening to me in more detail.

.

.

.

I opened my eyes to find myself in a vast, white void space. Letters and words floated around me, creating a strange and mesmerizing sight. But as I looked around, I noticed a man sitting on a throne made of hollow corpses. He had grey hair and brown eyes that looked straight at me with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. I couldn't see the end of the void space, but the man and his throne were the only things that seemed solid and real.

As I stood there, I realized that this was a dream, or a vision, or something beyond my understanding. But strangely, I didn't feel afraid or confused. Instead, I was curious and intrigued by the man on the throne.

He spoke, his voice echoing around the void space. "Welcome, pretty boy!" he said, gesturing with his hand. "I've wanted to meet you a bit later, but it seems like you're in a hurry."

This voice is somehow familiar.

A voice I have been longing to hear in the past three months

The man stood up from his throne, and I realized that it was made of hundreds of hollow corpses, all stacked on top of each other.

The sight would have made a creature fall into madness, but I had no reaction since I saw something similar before.

"How was your synchronization" I teased as I turned around waiting for a chair to appear out of nowhere.

"Marvellous, fantastic, great …" spoke the man, Brook.

"So, where is this place?" I entreated waiting for an answer.

Brook the book was holding a book … just saying it is weird.

The man then closed a book that was resting on his lap and placed it on a huge shelf that seemed to stretch on endlessly.

As I looked out to see its limit, I was greeted by a thick fog that obscured my vision.

"How about we name this space "the Void", where I exist as the Guardian of the Path, and I have graciously invited your soul to join me here"

"… momentarily."