First Steps

Waking up without a body full of aches was a pleasant surprise. I blinked, flexing my arms and shoulders, expecting to feel yesterday's bruises from my sparring session with Carris. But, nothing—just a weird feeling of lightness. Almost like I'd actually slept well.

'Thanks, system,' I thought, a small grin pulling at my mouth. I had no idea how Battle Replication worked, but if it meant waking up feeling like this, I wasn't complaining.

The memories of last night's strange, dreamlike training replayed in my mind. Every hit, every dodge, all the practice I'd gone through in that dream—or whatever it was—was still sharp in my memory. It was like I'd been given a second chance to train while I slept. And now, it was time to see if all that mental sparring had actually improved anything.

Grabbing my dagger, I headed for the training hall, feeling an odd rush of confidence. Today, I'd test what I could do.

---

When I reached the training hall, it was empty. Perfect. No Eldran, no Carris, just me and the familiar stone walls. I walked over to one of the practice dummies—simple things, really, with enough padding to withstand a few hits but nowhere near as challenging as a real opponent.

"Alright, let's see what you've got," I muttered to myself, gripping the dagger and taking a stance in front of the dummy.

I went through the basic strikes I'd practiced in my battle with Carris, finding the dummy's weak spots. My movements were sharp, each one more precise than the last. I could almost hear Carris's taunts in my mind, feel the rhythm of his attacks, and instinctively, I adjusted my moves.

After a few minutes, it was clear—I wasn't the same Alex from yesterday. My reactions were faster, my strikes landed with better accuracy, and I wasn't second-guessing myself at every turn. It was like all that dream training had imprinted itself into my muscle memory, and I was finally starting to understand how to control my movements.

A faint message appeared in my vision, pulling me out of my thoughts.

[New Quest: Cultivation Exercises – Complete foundational training exercises to earn 5 Origin Points.]

Perfect. I ran through a few more combinations, pushing myself to complete each exercise and feel the improvements settle in. Each strike brought a sharper understanding, each movement faster than before. And with every exercise completed, I felt the Origin Points ticking up.

Just as I finished the last set, a new message blinked into view.

[Cultivation Space Activated]

The world around me blurred, and before I knew it, everything went dark.

---

When the dizziness faded, I found myself standing in… nothing. Just a pitch-black void, stretching in every direction with no walls, no ceiling, no sound. Just emptiness.

'Well, this is… unsettling,' I thought, looking around. "Hello? System?" I called out, but my voice just echoed back to me.

Then, from the darkness, a faint light appeared—a tiny glow that pulsed like a heartbeat, growing brighter and brighter until it took shape before me. It was a symbol, or rather a series of symbols. Runes, each one intricate and ancient, as if carved by a hand that knew secrets beyond this world.

The runes hovered in the air, suspended in the darkness, and the system's voice chimed in my mind.

[50 Runes Detected. Decipher to Progress in Cultivation.]

I squinted at the symbols, feeling a strange pull, like they were calling to me. Each rune was different, more complex than anything I'd ever seen. They seemed to pulse with a hidden energy, and I couldn't shake the feeling that deciphering even one of them would change everything.

"Alright," I muttered, taking a deep breath. "Let's give it a shot."

I focused on the first rune, letting its patterns and curves fill my mind. But every time I thought I understood it, the meaning would slip away, like trying to grasp water in my hand. I concentrated harder, pushing myself to understand, but it was no use. The rune's secrets stayed just out of reach.

'This is impossible,' I thought, frustration building. But then, just as I was about to give up, I felt… something. A presence, faint and distant, like a whisper from across time. It was warm, steady, like the echo of a voice that didn't belong to me.

And then, with a soft push, that presence guided me, showing me the way forward. I could feel it gently directing my focus, urging me to look at the rune from a new angle. Slowly, the patterns began to make sense, the meaning of the rune becoming clearer, as if it were opening itself up to me.

With one final surge of understanding, I felt the rune's message click into place, flooding me with a rush of energy.

[Rune Deciphered. Cultivation Increased.]

I gasped as the power surged through me, filling every inch of my body with a strength I hadn't known before. It was more than just a boost—it was as if my very core had been fortified, my muscles woven tighter, my senses sharpened. I clenched my fists, feeling the energy coursing through my veins, a new vitality humming beneath my skin.

This one rune had changed everything. My strength, my awareness, even my balance felt completely different. If deciphering one rune could do this… what would happen if I managed to unlock them all?

The faint presence lingered, as if watching, but it gave no further guidance. Whoever—or whatever—it was, I knew it had been the reason I'd succeeded. I could feel its influence fading, leaving me alone in the darkness with the other forty-nine runes pulsing around me.

But for now, one was enough.

The world around me shifted, and in a blink, I was back in the training hall, the cold stone floor beneath my feet. I took a slow breath, grounding myself as the weight of my new strength settled in.

The system chimed, giving me a final message before fading.

[Cultivation Insight Gained. Additional Runes Available for Deciphering at Higher Levels.]

I stared at the empty space where the message had been, my mind racing with questions. The system hadn't given me many answers, but I knew one thing for sure—deciphering those runes held the key to power beyond anything I'd imagined. And whoever had helped me, I was sure I'd meet them again.

For now, though, I had new strength, and I couldn't wait to see what I could do with it.