Chapter 126: WILLIAM: Growing Strength

February 15, 177 HE – William Martin.

William didn’t talk after that. He didn’t explain himself. He didn’t try to defend his actions or contemplate whether they were lies, because deep down, he knew they were true. His soul winced and twisted at the remarks of his inner darkness yet accepted it as the truth.

Around him were men of strength. Around him was a place of cultivating strength. A gym with absurd weights that surpassed the boundaries of human potential. Clang! Clang! Clang!

Deadlifts wracked up to thousands of pounds. Despite this being his second visit, William wasn’t too surprised at the level of power. This was the afterlife with gods and demons—of course Olympic records were seen as a joke.

The gym was owned by the Sapphire Order under the jurisdiction of Spectre 3: Frode. William had never seen him but he must have been rich given the quality of equipment. Here, he was able to let loose. Here, he was able to channel the darkness inside him.

’Why can’t I control myself? Why do I always hurt those close to me? Every damn time.’

Inhale, exhale.

At the eastern side was an area for punching bags. Last time, he was too uncomfortable to go for it. This time, it was different. This time, he had frustrations to punch out.

In a black tank top, William drew in a long breath and pivoted on his heel to launch his right fist forward. THUD. The impact echoed through the gym as his knuckles met the resilient surface of the punching bag. There was a raw intensity in that strike, a release of pent-up energy and emotion.

His muscles tensed with each successive punch. Left. Right. Left again. THUD. THUD. THUD. The bag swayed under the force of his blows. Each punch carried the weight of his resolve, a fierce determination to push beyond limits, to conquer obstacles, to prove something, perhaps even to himself.

’I can control myself! I can! I won’t let this darkness take over! I won’t become like Jack!’

Whoever the hell he was, he was dangerous. He nearly killed Sun-young and Marta, and slaughtered a bunch of Templar Order students. William wasn’t like that. He refused to be. Kazi might have seen darkness in him that resembled Jack but he was not a killer.

If it was just those bullies, he would have been fine. William had no sympathies for pieces of shits like Nash. People who tried to extort from the innocent. No matter how he acted during the trial, David had already revealed his true colours. But Kazi? He nearly killed Kazi! It sounded impossible. Kazi and Sun-young were unbeatable in his eyes. Magically inclined in a way that he was not, yet most of all, they were kind. They never yelled at him or forced him to fight. They never complained about his abilities or him being a teenager. They didn’t deserve to be at risk because he couldn’t control himself.

’I won’t! Let! It! Happen! Again!’

THUD! THUD! THUD!

At the last punch, a flash of energy flew from his fist. Black and invigorating, enough to send the punching bag off its hook and into the wall.

[ Training successful! Strength increased by 1! ]

[ Training successful! Deftness increased by 1! ]

’Open skills.’

William wasn’t as talented as Kazi, Sun-young, or even Marta. He struggled to both envision and encapsulate mana. So how? How did he possess a skill like this?

[ Advanced Flow of Mana Lv. 7

Subtype: Support

Cost: —

Rank: B

The ability to control and manipulate your mana inside your body. In exchange for MP, increase Strength, Agility, and Resilience by up to 170 points. ]

’One hundred and seventy points. Gosh. No wonder Kazi was hesitant to tell me.’ William gulped and stared at his fist. It was there for an instant but he felt it. Darkness escaping from the tiniest point of his thumb. Exhilarating as it was, it shouldn’t have existed. There were other skills too. Skills of the darkness element that he had never heard of.

William wiped the sweat from his brow, taking a moment to catch his breath. Amidst the sounds of the gym, his ears caught snippets of a conversation nearby. A Russian accent, firm but encouraging, drew him in.

“Keep pushing, Dmitri. You’re stronger than you think. Trust in your strength, in your capability.”

The words were spoken by the man named Nikolai. He had seen Nikolai in his last visit and he stood out for his incredible muscles. Biceps, triceps, quads, everything about him was the epitome of gym beauty. Eagerly but discreetly, William listened in on the conversation, absorbing the encouragement like a parched desert soaking up rain.

“Strength is not just in muscle,” Nikolai told Dmitri. “It’s in the fire that burns within, in the steel resolve of your spirit. And if you cannot trust your resolve to keep you going, then trust your muscles. If you cannot trust that, then me. Trust is key. Trust is everything.”

’Trust, huh?’ William stared at the punching bag ahead of him. ’That’s right, trust yourself. You’ve been trusting yourself this whole time, why stop now? You didn’t need the pills for the past two months and you don’t need them now.’

William pretended to occupy himself even though in truth he was listening to Nikolai’s little speech. He didn’t approach him or give him kudos because, well…they were strangers at a gym and the guy seemed much older than him. A sharp jawline, faint scar traced along the edge of his cheek, and short evenly trimmed hair. Nikolai was intimidating, pure and simple, so William kept to himself and stuck to his training regiment. Plus, in general, he was the type to stay alone and avoid strangers.

There was a sudden hush in the gym as a blue window appeared in their faces.

[ Attention players! Gate 9 will open in 25:00 minutes! Please head over to the Heavenly Tower if you wish to participate as soon as possible! ]

William put his trembling hand into a fist. ’I can do this! I can!’

***

“Sorry, I’m late.” William had bought a pair of MMA gloves called the Arcane Enforcer Handguards. The focus of the handguards wasn’t so much on martial arts as it was increasing the strength stat by fifty and enhancing the player’s grip on their weapon. In William’s case, the grip in question belonged to a new double-handed dane axe that cost upwards of sixty thousand points.

If he was going to commit to controlling himself, he required power. Power that would stop him from temptation. He even bought a pair of Viking Trousers that increased his defence by fifty-five. William was left with one-million two hundred thousand points, so it wasn’t as though he was spending every loonie and toonie in his wallet.

He would be okay. He was strong.

“It’s alright,” Kazi replied. He sent him a smile. “You look ready though.”

“I am.”

Sun-young wasn’t coming, citing that her old injury was keeping her down from a full recovery. Therefore, it was William, Kazi, and Marta. Strangely enough, the female mage looked equally as ready as he did.

Out of curiousity, he opened up the party status menu. ’Woah. She’s Level 15 now, she’s gained two whole levels. I wonder what kind of training she did.’

William himself had levelled up to Level 24. He understood the relishing sensation. Every player did, it was like taking Molly and MDMA at the same time and reaping all the benefits and none of the drawbacks in one brief, overwhelming second. Without further ado, the party of four entered Gate 9 and a kaleidoscope of coloured swirled around, their surroundings melting away.

The scent of dust and sand wafted through the air, and the distant echoes of craftsmen’s hammers and traders’ chatter filled their ears. The town bustled with life, its walls standing as a testament to ancient craftsmanship. People clad in tunics and robes moved through the streets, their conversations interspersed with the clinking of coins and the neighing of horses.

As expected, the System window swooped in to explain their circumstances. An air of familiarity came between the trio. This was a story everyone was acquainted with.

[ Gate 9 : Players and the Goliath

Main Objective: Twice a day for forty days, morning and evening, a Philistine will come to the Valley of Elah to challenge King Saul. Defeat one Philistine soldier!

Prize Pool: 15,000 XP, 20,000 PP

SPECIAL OBJECTIVE: Defeat the strongest of the Philistines, Goliath!

SPECIAL PRIZE POOL: 60,000 XP, 40,000 PP ]

**********

“The transition from the Chaotic Era to what we now herald as the Heavenly Era has been a monumental shift in the annals of our history. As I sit in reflection, I am reminded of the goofs of my children and the idiocy of my fellow nobles.

In the days of old, the economy was a turbulent sea of silver, gold, and diamond coins. Each coin held intrinsic value, derived from the precious metals they contained, but they were cumbersome, easily lost, and often a source of conflict. Entire guilds fought over the acquisition of these coins, and their presence in our society bred greed and corruption. Ah, the good old days, when the weight of your wallet was measured in how many muscles you pulled carrying it.

The decision to move away from our beloved coins was not one taken lightly. Especially considering that, at the end of the day, value is derived by the man. If all men deem points useless, then no matter what the gods may say, it is useless. The same way gods are not gods if they are not worshipped.

I refuse to let that happen. I refuse to let our Great Sun fall and I refuse to let this chance slip by me.

I remember the dinner when I proposed to my children that the whole of the Yamato Clan should back the Points System. You should have seen their faces—like I’d suggested replacing their swords with rubber chickens. Actually, that might have been safer given some of their temperaments.

But I pushed and I won. The fellow nobles were easily convinced too. The Plantagenet and the Ynglings were doubly eager for it. They desired loyalty and fast power to counteract I, the Slayer, and the Great Peacekeeper. How many years has it been since then? Almost eight? Seven?

Doesn’t matter. My ambitions came to be.

Now, instead of carrying pouches and lugging around sacks of coins like the Laughing Buddha, transactions are swift, efficient, and, best of all, light as air. But for us at the top, us nobles, it grants us greater power over our subordinates. They can no longer cheat or hide. They must do as they are ordered.

And really, what could be better than that?”

– Excerpt from the private journal of the Eternal Emperor Minamoto, 10 HE

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