A one-track mind will never be Tetsu’s strong suit, but the dream world operates on a mysterious concept of time. In dreams, a person could run for hours, yet only a minute or an hour might pass in real time. So, in theory, if Tetsu compelled himself to focus on recovery until he is healed, by the time he woke up, he should be recovered—or at the very least, in a much better state than before.
Unfortunately, the system did not grasp the concept Tetsu explored or deemed him unworthy of wielding such power, as it never offered him the skill. Without the system’s assistance, Tetsu had to rely on luck for a chance at success.
He attempted it several times, achieving a full recovery once, halfway thrice, and ending up in a worse state in the remaining trials. For Tetsu, who was accustomed to aiming for passing grades, even this modest success was enough to fuel his dreams of grandeur. It was akin to the time he commented on an idol’s social media to marry him, and she replied with a blushing emoji. Since then, he had married her in his mind and rejected every lure or temptation that came his way.
In a strange and peculiar manner, following a single remarkable success, Tetsu made a solemn vow to continue training until the skill “slumber recovery” fell into his lap. He believed that relying on a skill is essential in this case, as expecting an overthinker to concentrate is a fool’s bet.
Perhaps it threaded back to Adam’s manipulation of the luck stat or the inherent nature of enigmatic luck, but since receiving that boon, Tetsu’s luck had remained at a baseline of forty-four points. It never decreased, enhancing Tetsu’s fortune in escaping danger, finding resources, scouting enemy territory, and in every other aspect of his journey.
It was this very luck that enabled Tetsu to function like a black hole within the enemy’s base, siphoning energy from everything in his domain to refill the mana pool.
The gods’ decision to include the [Identify] skill in the starter pack for Bonds infuriated Tetsu. He deemed it unfair and unsportsmanlike of the gods. In his opinion, gathering knowledge comprised three-quarters of one’s journey.
Knowledge is indeed almighty, and the [Identify] skill proves invaluable in gathering information, evading danger, and serving as an overall boon. However, the fact that others received it as a starter pack while Tetsu had to endure near-death experiences to gain a weaker version of the skill felt unjust.
What was the system thinking when it offered fewer opportunities to defiers like Tetsu compared to those who sold their souls for power?
When Tetsu contemplated the notion of selling one’s soul, he understood the tradeoff, but he was determined to prove the superiority of his rune. With a brief prayer to the Sain warriors, he adjusted his focus and concentrated on unlocking the healer class.
None of them could delve deeper into each other’s status, leading Tetsu to assume that the system intended to keep such information hidden. Upon reflection, it made sense; classes, titles, and individual stats were one’s secret weapons capable of altering the tide of battle.
With this realization, Tetsu offered his mana pool as fuel for the rune to utilize. The strength of the secret determined the charge required by the rune to reveal the information. Attempting to coax the information out with incremental bribes might take an eternity or never yield results, but with an unlimited offering, the rune worked with fewer constraints, unleashing its full potential.
More than half of his mana pool vanished in an instant as Hana’s classes were revealed:
{Human: Hana. Classes: Medic, Whisperer, Aidfor.}
“My bitchen bitches won,” Tetsu snickered, but his victory dance would have to wait, as Fatigue, the harbinger of exhaustion—the deva of bitches, claimed him.
To add to his previous victory, Tetsu activated the devour rune on his tongue and looped it to drain the world of its mana reserves.
Dreams have to be big, otherwise, one will lose interest in their pursuit. Aim for a meal, and once your stomach is full, you will be devoid of purpose. But aim to feed the world, and thus your journey begins. You might end up feeding an individual, a village, a town, a city, or fulfill your goal by satisfying the world’s hunger.
In any case, one’s life will be filled with purpose, a goal, a journey, which in turn becomes their pursuit of happiness, their answer to the meaning of life.
Tetsu didn’t give a rat’s ass about any of that, since he and Kile had solved the equation as kids. He only incorporated that knowledge into the [slumber recovery] technique for a better rate of success.
As the adage goes; aim for the stars, and you will at least end up on the moon. Aim for the moon, and you’re doomed to wander in the mortal realm.
— — —|*|— — —
Tina and Hanna watched Tetsu sleep for twelve hours straight. As time passed, suspicion crept in, and Tina pointed an accusing finger at Hanna, holding her responsible for entertaining such an absurd notion.
What kind of infiltrator lounges in the enemy’s stronghold, snoring away for a solid twelve hours?
True, he may be heavy, but the boys could hoist him and confine him in a cell or carry out a silent execution while he remained in blissful slumber.
Hana treated every single person in the camp, which is one reason she has the highest level. Yet she never saw a single case where the rescued person slept a wink since their rescue. It takes days for a normal human to trust another, perhaps even a lifetime, yet one might never recover from their current predicament.
Even now, none of them can enjoy a peaceful hour of sleep, gripped by the persistent fear of an impending eternal slumber. Yet their new member appeared unaffected by such trivial concerns, sleeping as if burdened by no worries at all. His serene slumber even had a calming effect on Tina, lulling her into a blissful sleep for the first time.
Hana tried and failed to suppress a smile as she joined the couple, relishing her first tension-free four hours of slumber. They were soon forced awake as Tetsu’s snores reached a new crescendo.
“Seriously! Him?” Tina’s stare bore into Hana, questioning her sanity.
“I might be wrong,” Hana cringed back.
“Might?” Tina’s gaze darted between Tetsu and Hana. “MIGHT?”
“Where is the newcomer sleeping—” Xania’s sentence trailed off as she gaped at the girls positioned above the newcomer, far closer than what was within her comfort zone.
Hana sighed in relief, but before she could respond, Xania cast them a disgusted look. “Why is he here?” Xania confirmed she was indeed in the healer’s tent before continuing. “Did you two sleep here too...?”
“Never heard of a threesome?” Tina quipped, pulling Xania down to the floor. “Want to make it four…?” She delicately brushed Xania’s cheek with her fingers, causing her to jolt up and exit the tent. “Ah!” Tina pouted before erupting into laughter.
“You do know how to play people,” Hana chuckles.
“Yes, I do," Tina giggled in response. “So trust me on this, he’s harmless.” She reassured Hana with a pat on Tetsu’s shoulder. Hana nodded with reluctance as they grabbed spare clothes and headed towards the bath.
A nearby stream served as the bathing spot for the men, while the earth mages constructed a closed bathhouse for the women. The bathhouse boasted a large tub meant to accommodate everyone, but after Tetsu’s entry, Tina unceremoniously pushed him in and enlisted a friend to scrub him clean with a bleach skill. From that point onward, the water in the bathhouse was promptly ordered to be discarded.
No one even entertained the notion of recycling the water or repurposing it for any other use. This decree required no formal votes, and people only voted for Tetsu to handle the heavy lifting. However, due to his oblivious slumber, the elite members were compelled to transport the water to a distant location, with scouts monitoring to ensure they didn’t dispose of it near their base.
Tetsu awoke with a sore throat and a numbed lower half. “I need to find some night pants,” he mumbled, yawning as he followed the crowd to the section of the mountain designated for cooking.
Although Tetsu initially offered to assist, his involvement was short-lived. After witnessing him consume rations equivalent to the combined portions of forty people in one sitting, the chef kicked him out of the kitchen.
The chef chose not to report the incident because Tetsu devoured the stock that was on the verge of spoiling, even consuming raw vegetables and partially cooked meat, which he prepared himself. In response, he showered the chef with compliments, declaring it the best meal he had tasted in eons.
Despite the chef being a burly man, he blushed with embarrassment, soaking in the compliments before kicking Tetsu out of the kitchen.
Tetsu managed to smuggle a few kilos of meat as a snack, but before the chef could catch up to him, the meat vanished into his muscular belly.
The chef refused to believe that Tetsu had consumed the smuggled rations mere minutes after devouring an enormous meal. Enraged and hoping to teach the brat a lesson or perhaps wishing he would learn to hunt his own meals, he decides to send Tetsu with the elites to gather some food.
Although the base comprised several factions, each responsible for maintaining its operations, only the elites were permitted to venture outside.
The people were okay with it and encouraged the idea to stay hidden, so Chef hesitated to punish a kid, but Tetsu assured him and vowed to bring back enough rations to last a week.
In an unexpected show of approval, Chef patted Tetsu with such force that he almost tripped, then handed him his knife for safety.
“God, you’re strong,” Tetsu remarked, rubbing his back.
“These beasts are tough to carve, brat,” Chef bellowed.
Tetsu smiled and extended his hand. “I’m Koel. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You forgot my name... again, didn’t you?” Chef asked with a mix of irritation and amusement.
═─┈─{═2/2═}─┈─═
A one-track mind will never be Tetsu’s strong suit, but the dream world operates on a mysterious concept of time. In dreams, a person could run for hours, yet only a minute or an hour might pass in real time. So, in theory, if Tetsu compelled himself to focus on recovery until he is healed, by the time he woke up, he should be recovered—or at the very least, in a much better state than before.
Unfortunately, the system did not grasp the concept Tetsu explored or deemed him unworthy of wielding such power, as it never offered him the skill. Without the system’s assistance, Tetsu had to rely on luck for a chance at success.
He attempted it several times, achieving a full recovery once, halfway thrice, and ending up in a worse state in the remaining trials. For Tetsu, who was accustomed to aiming for passing grades, even this modest success was enough to fuel his dreams of grandeur. It was akin to the time he commented on an idol’s social media to marry him, and she replied with a blushing emoji. Since then, he had married her in his mind and rejected every lure or temptation that came his way.
In a strange and peculiar manner, following a single remarkable success, Tetsu made a solemn vow to continue training until the skill “slumber recovery” fell into his lap. He believed that relying on a skill is essential in this case, as expecting an overthinker to concentrate is a fool’s bet.
Perhaps it threaded back to Adam’s manipulation of the luck stat or the inherent nature of enigmatic luck, but since receiving that boon, Tetsu’s luck had remained at a baseline of forty-four points. It never decreased, enhancing Tetsu’s fortune in escaping danger, finding resources, scouting enemy territory, and in every other aspect of his journey.
It was this very luck that enabled Tetsu to function like a black hole within the enemy’s base, siphoning energy from everything in his domain to refill the mana pool.
The gods’ decision to include the [Identify] skill in the starter pack for Bonds infuriated Tetsu. He deemed it unfair and unsportsmanlike of the gods. In his opinion, gathering knowledge comprised three-quarters of one’s journey.
Knowledge is indeed almighty, and the [Identify] skill proves invaluable in gathering information, evading danger, and serving as an overall boon. However, the fact that others received it as a starter pack while Tetsu had to endure near-death experiences to gain a weaker version of the skill felt unjust.
What was the system thinking when it offered fewer opportunities to defiers like Tetsu compared to those who sold their souls for power?
When Tetsu contemplated the notion of selling one’s soul, he understood the tradeoff, but he was determined to prove the superiority of his rune. With a brief prayer to the Sain warriors, he adjusted his focus and concentrated on unlocking the healer class.
None of them could delve deeper into each other’s status, leading Tetsu to assume that the system intended to keep such information hidden. Upon reflection, it made sense; classes, titles, and individual stats were one’s secret weapons capable of altering the tide of battle.
With this realization, Tetsu offered his mana pool as fuel for the rune to utilize. The strength of the secret determined the charge required by the rune to reveal the information. Attempting to coax the information out with incremental bribes might take an eternity or never yield results, but with an unlimited offering, the rune worked with fewer constraints, unleashing its full potential.
More than half of his mana pool vanished in an instant as Hana’s classes were revealed:
{Human: Hana. Classes: Medic, Whisperer, Aidfor.}
“My bitchen bitches won,” Tetsu snickered, but his victory dance would have to wait, as Fatigue, the harbinger of exhaustion—the deva of bitches, claimed him.
To add to his previous victory, Tetsu activated the devour rune on his tongue and looped it to drain the world of its mana reserves.
Dreams have to be big, otherwise, one will lose interest in their pursuit. Aim for a meal, and once your stomach is full, you will be devoid of purpose. But aim to feed the world, and thus your journey begins. You might end up feeding an individual, a village, a town, a city, or fulfill your goal by satisfying the world’s hunger.
In any case, one’s life will be filled with purpose, a goal, a journey, which in turn becomes their pursuit of happiness, their answer to the meaning of life.
Tetsu didn’t give a rat’s ass about any of that, since he and Kile had solved the equation as kids. He only incorporated that knowledge into the [slumber recovery] technique for a better rate of success.
As the adage goes; aim for the stars, and you will at least end up on the moon. Aim for the moon, and you’re doomed to wander in the mortal realm.
— — —|*|— — —
Tina and Hanna watched Tetsu sleep for twelve hours straight. As time passed, suspicion crept in, and Tina pointed an accusing finger at Hanna, holding her responsible for entertaining such an absurd notion.
What kind of infiltrator lounges in the enemy’s stronghold, snoring away for a solid twelve hours?
True, he may be heavy, but the boys could hoist him and confine him in a cell or carry out a silent execution while he remained in blissful slumber.
Hana treated every single person in the camp, which is one reason she has the highest level. Yet she never saw a single case where the rescued person slept a wink since their rescue. It takes days for a normal human to trust another, perhaps even a lifetime, yet one might never recover from their current predicament.
Even now, none of them can enjoy a peaceful hour of sleep, gripped by the persistent fear of an impending eternal slumber. Yet their new member appeared unaffected by such trivial concerns, sleeping as if burdened by no worries at all. His serene slumber even had a calming effect on Tina, lulling her into a blissful sleep for the first time.
Hana tried and failed to suppress a smile as she joined the couple, relishing her first tension-free four hours of slumber. They were soon forced awake as Tetsu’s snores reached a new crescendo.
“Seriously! Him?” Tina’s stare bore into Hana, questioning her sanity.
“I might be wrong,” Hana cringed back.
“Might?” Tina’s gaze darted between Tetsu and Hana. “MIGHT?”
“Where is the newcomer sleeping—” Xania’s sentence trailed off as she gaped at the girls positioned above the newcomer, far closer than what was within her comfort zone.
Hana sighed in relief, but before she could respond, Xania cast them a disgusted look. “Why is he here?” Xania confirmed she was indeed in the healer’s tent before continuing. “Did you two sleep here too...?”
“Never heard of a threesome?” Tina quipped, pulling Xania down to the floor. “Want to make it four…?” She delicately brushed Xania’s cheek with her fingers, causing her to jolt up and exit the tent. “Ah!” Tina pouted before erupting into laughter.
“You do know how to play people,” Hana chuckles.
“Yes, I do," Tina giggled in response. “So trust me on this, he’s harmless.” She reassured Hana with a pat on Tetsu’s shoulder. Hana nodded with reluctance as they grabbed spare clothes and headed towards the bath.
A nearby stream served as the bathing spot for the men, while the earth mages constructed a closed bathhouse for the women. The bathhouse boasted a large tub meant to accommodate everyone, but after Tetsu’s entry, Tina unceremoniously pushed him in and enlisted a friend to scrub him clean with a bleach skill. From that point onward, the water in the bathhouse was promptly ordered to be discarded.
No one even entertained the notion of recycling the water or repurposing it for any other use. This decree required no formal votes, and people only voted for Tetsu to handle the heavy lifting. However, due to his oblivious slumber, the elite members were compelled to transport the water to a distant location, with scouts monitoring to ensure they didn’t dispose of it near their base.
Tetsu awoke with a sore throat and a numbed lower half. “I need to find some night pants,” he mumbled, yawning as he followed the crowd to the section of the mountain designated for cooking.
Although Tetsu initially offered to assist, his involvement was short-lived. After witnessing him consume rations equivalent to the combined portions of forty people in one sitting, the chef kicked him out of the kitchen.
The chef chose not to report the incident because Tetsu devoured the stock that was on the verge of spoiling, even consuming raw vegetables and partially cooked meat, which he prepared himself. In response, he showered the chef with compliments, declaring it the best meal he had tasted in eons.
Despite the chef being a burly man, he blushed with embarrassment, soaking in the compliments before kicking Tetsu out of the kitchen.
Tetsu managed to smuggle a few kilos of meat as a snack, but before the chef could catch up to him, the meat vanished into his muscular belly.
The chef refused to believe that Tetsu had consumed the smuggled rations mere minutes after devouring an enormous meal. Enraged and hoping to teach the brat a lesson or perhaps wishing he would learn to hunt his own meals, he decides to send Tetsu with the elites to gather some food.
Although the base comprised several factions, each responsible for maintaining its operations, only the elites were permitted to venture outside.
The people were okay with it and encouraged the idea to stay hidden, so Chef hesitated to punish a kid, but Tetsu assured him and vowed to bring back enough rations to last a week.
In an unexpected show of approval, Chef patted Tetsu with such force that he almost tripped, then handed him his knife for safety.
“God, you’re strong,” Tetsu remarked, rubbing his back.
“These beasts are tough to carve, brat,” Chef bellowed.
Tetsu smiled and extended his hand. “I’m Koel. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You forgot my name... again, didn’t you?” Chef asked with a mix of irritation and amusement.
═─┈─{═2/2═}─┈─═
