Entering The Tribulation Training Ground and Pleading

Hendrix woke up an hour later and smiled, feeling safe in Priya's embrace, and clung to her.

"How did you sleep, Hendrix?" Priya whispered while rubbing his back.

"I feel better. Thank you for holding me while I slept." Hendrix replied in a muffled tone.

"Your welcome, Hendrix." Priya replied.

'I want to check my tribulation training ground skill.' Hendrix thought.

[Is your body in a safe area? If not, find one.]

'Why is this?'

[Your soul will transfer to a new body in the skill. However, this one is exactly like your old one. Additionally, you will be absent from your original body for an hour in the Crown World, no matter your time here.]

'I see. Transfer me.'

[Acknowledged]

"Priya, I'll see you later. I'm entering the Tribulation Training Ground." Hendrix whispered.

Priya nodded.

[Commencing Soul Transfer in 3...2...1]

[Soul Transfer has begun]

Subsequently, Hendrix felt his soul and consciousness forcefully pulled from his body and almost immediately woke up in the old structure he built in his Tribulation.

'I'm back in my Tribulation?' Hendrix thought before looking around. It felt so long since he was here.

[Yes, however, you're not allowed to leave until 125 years have passed. You can do whatever you want here, and gains from training in techniques and non-body stats will all transfer back with you at the end of the skill's duration.]

'If I invent something here, will I get a soul-bound version if it is physical?'

[You can, but you are limited to creating one invention in this training ground per stage, so choose wisely. However, it may be possible to increase the amount per stage if you upgrade the skill. But no matter how much you upgrade this skill in the future, your body's stats you gain from training here will never return with you.]

[Additionally, if you die here, you can save manually and respawn at your save]

'Alright, I won't try that then.' Hendrix thought realizing physical strengthening was pointless here.

{Hello Hendrix. How are you}

'I'm doing better, and you?'

{I'm alright. So what are you going to do for this century and a quarter?}

'Perhaps I'll meander about this training ground with one of my vehicles and explore the whole thing. After that, I'll see the Necromechanical Terror. I want to communicate with its controllers, or at least attempt to.' Hendrix thought.

{I suggest you reconsider that, they will be hostile to you.}

'Oh, okay. Guide, is there a way for me to communicate with the intelligent varmints and the ancient Kalackas sentients?'

[Not currently, but it may be possible In future skill upgrades. None of the other intelligent life can speak in this skill.]

'At least I can use this skill once a day. Hmm, maybe I should use this time to learn a way to calm myself down. After all, I freeze up when in fear.' Hendrix thought before he sat up in his old bed and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. However, as he tried to empty his mind, new thoughts appeared almost immediately, replacing the old ones instantly.

Hendrix didn't stop and continued to try this for six hours, but alas, his efforts were fruitless.

'I wonder what could be causing my thoughts to continue to replace themselves while I try to remove them.' Hendrix thought while he opened his eyes.

{It may be your curse of the unforgettable. Since you are not allowed to forget, thoughts will bombard your mind.}

'Your theory seems very probable, yet sad. Oh well, I'll try to empty my mind until the skill's duration ends.'

{Are you sure you want to try this Hendrix?}

'Yes, I feel like I must brute force it, and hopefully, persistence, patience, and my efforts prevail.'

{I hope so too, Hendrix.}

One hundred twenty-five years passed, and during this duration, Hendrix focused on clearing his mind. However, his efforts were in vain as his thoughts continued returning no matter what he tried. After this duration ended, he returned to his real body.

[You have returned to your original body.]

'Oh well.' Hendrix thought before sighing and experiencing a nostalgic feeling like he was here so long ago.

"Hendrix, are you okay?" Priya asked while she patted Hendrix's back.

"Yes, I am. Thanks for protecting my old body." Hendrix replied.

"You're welcome, Hendrix. So what do you want to do today?" Priya questioned.

"Maybe eat something. I haven't eaten a lot lately." Hendrix responded.

"Okay, I understand. Let's head to the guest cafeteria Mr. Regillus talked about." Priya expressed before getting up, picking Hendrix up, and smiling.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?" Kiannah asked while hurriedly getting up and approaching Priya and Hendrix.

"To the cafeteria." Priya bluntly stated.

"Can I come with you? I want to talk to you both." Kiannah asked.

"No thanks, Hendrix is afraid of you." Priya replied while shaking her head.

"I'll never harm my benefactor. He saved my life twice." Kiannah explained while tears began falling from her eyes.

"He may have, but he's still scared of you." Priya replied.

"Aww, why is he not scared of you?" Kiannah asked while looking into her eyes.

'I can't tell them about his past or my type of loyalty to him. Hmm, I'll keep it vague.' Priya thought before speaking. "Hendrix just trusts me for a secret reason."

"Please tell me how I can earn his trust. Please!" Kiannah pleaded.

"I'm afraid you can't earn his trust." Priya replied.

Some other people gathered around and knew of Kiannah and her family.

"Why is Kiannah pleading for someone to trust her? Most nobles and clan children don't do that." One person stated.

"Hey, be careful. You don't want her guards to find you so she could punish you." Another person replied.

The first person shivered violently, realizing his words could doom him.

"Hendrix, I've never hurt you. Please give me a chance, please." Kiannah asked while reaching over to pet his head.

Hendrix saw what Kiannah was doing and began to shiver and clung to Priya.

Priya's yellow eyes began to glow after she realized what Kiannah was trying to do. She was tired of people forcefully holding Hendrix when he didn't trust them.

"Stop and don't touch Hendrix. He's terrified of you." Priya bluntly stated.

"I-I mean no harm, Hendrix. Please let me hold you." Kiannah begged while tears fell from her eyes.

"No." Hendrix replied while shaking his head.

The people around looked at Hendrix with envy, realizing two girls debating who could hold him.

"I am a man. And men don't get carried around by those they love." One of the noble students stated with his hands on his hips and puffing his chest out.

"This guy is a mommy's boy who needs protection. While I can stand alone and be the shoulder to lean on by my girlfriend." Another noble student replied while he guffawed at the sight.

Meanwhile, Kiannah was getting more desperate and tried to earn Hendrix's trust.

"Hendrix, I want to show you, you can trust me."

'Kiannah, it's almost impossible to change his mind. His life was a lie. Kendra manipulated him like a puppet on a string for twenty years before breaking him. How do we know you won't do the same?' Priya thought while sighing, knowing the only reason Hendrix trusted her was her loyalty. "Kiannah, stop asking him. He said no, you should give up." Priya bluntly stated.

"No! I don't want to! I want to take care of him too! I want to thank him for saving my life twice!" Kiannah countered.

"Halt." Priya stated as her eyes glowed brighter.

As soon as Priya said that, everyone began having a moderate headache.

"Ah! What's this!?" One of the nobles stated while holding her head for a moment.

The other people in a ten-foot radius winced.

"Priya, please let me!" Kiannah begged while coming closer.

"Halt." Priya stated again as her eye's brightness doubled.

The headache people had became severe, and many held their heads.

"Agh. No, I don't want to. Hendrix, please give me a chance." Kiannah pleaded while clutching her head, gritting her teeth, and approaching.

Hendrix stayed silent.

"I said halt." Priya instructed as her rage began building, and her eyes shone like a mini sun.

Most people in a ten-foot radius fell to the floor while clutching their heads, and when they saw the light in Priya's eyes, they winced and closed them.

"Please..." Kiannah begged while she fell to her knees and looked at Hendrix, and began to cry. She tried to get up, but every time she tried, she felt a shiver of pain in her brain.

Some of the teachers hurried inside to see what was happening, but when they saw the group of teenagers all clutching their heads, Kiannah kneeling, and Priya's shining eyes, their eyes widened.

"What are you doing?!" A teacher asked while yelling at Priya.

Priya didn't answer and stared at Kiannah before she sighed and calmed down. Additionally, her eyes returned to normal.

"We shouldn't mess with that Hendrix fellow. I don't want his protector to cause my brain to become mush." One of the people said while they ran away.

All the other people but Kiannah ran away.

"I won't give up, even if I don't earn Hendrix's trust soon." Kiannah replied before getting up and returning to her bed.

Priya looked on at Kiannah before leaving for the cafeteria.