"Stop the mechanisms!"
With a simple shout of command, the gears and instruments of the traps began to slowly stop, bringing an end to an onslaught inside the room.
"Yoichi, you can come out now!"
Motoyasu was exceptionally happy. He noticed that Yoichi revealed a shocking talent, remarkable perception, and was adept at controlling his body like a puppeteer.
For a while, the eyes outside the door stared deeply at the emerging figure, who was disheveled and beyond recognition. Yoichi's body looked like thrashed with small injuries over his limbs, heavily damaged clothes, and sweat constantly sliding over his physique.
In over 30 minutes, he managed to survive with minimal lacerations. Other children went over and asked him about the trials while some of them were envious of his successful return without any severe wounds.
Still, Yoichi knew his own condition very well.
His mind and body were overexhausted to the brink of collapse since the coordination of his body and mind wasn't instant when it comes to reactive training.
Furthermore, the laid props and traps were intricately designed for someone without any prior training towards the Trial of Perception.
His Qi blood remained superficial and even if he took some of the traps effectively, it wouldn't be too long for him to survive without the blessing of passives and Qi-Blood.
Now, Yoichi slowly understands that experience was still the best teacher and was humbled by his own complacency.
"Did I fail?" Yoichi asked, feeling tired and needing to adjust his mentality for the future rough times.
"No, you passed! I saw all those movements and decision-making through my perception. It was great!"
"Thanks for the appreciation, Motoyasu-sama..." Then, Yoichi became muddled, mulling things over such as his mentality and the earlier sequences inside the room.
"Now that you've won, I'll obviously agree on our proposition terms. As an extra reward, I'll give you a training room above this tower. Remember, you must still do the other trials, or else I'll be put in a tough spot."
"Thank you so much, Sir Motoyasu!"
Soon, Yoichi's negative thoughts were washed up and bowed slightly, feeling overjoyed inwardly. As a result of his efforts and gamble, he gained an essential breathing space for his Martial Arts Proficiency.
It was solely a gamble since the trial of perception was unknown to him but his bold courage definitely made the impossible possible.
As for Motoyasu, he instructed a shinobi nearby and let Yoichi be escorted above the room amidst the envious gazes of the children.
"It's so unfair! How come he has all the benefits!"
"Go on and talk... Maybe Motoyasu could hear you and throw you next in that abyssal room!"
"But still, that Yoichi was incredible! He actually survived in that space for 30 minutes! Did you ask him for any kind of advice?"
As the children cast their jealousy, one by one, they were thrown into the dark room including Haruhiko and Hikari.
"It's amazing, no? He can endure such a scary room!" Instead of being jealous, Haruhiko decided to ride on Yoichi's trailblazing reputation and connection, a sneaky yet effective way to survive.
"Hmm... Actually, he could survive in that room for 3 days!" Hikari replied.
"What? Tell me, did something similar happen like this?" Haruhiko's eyes shone as the two waited for their turn and talked about their leader.
...
Above the tower.
"Remember, you can only stay here for 4 hours every night. Your time starts now."
As the shinobi stated his leader's orders, Yoichi said, "Please, tell Motoyasu-sama that I will do my best to pass these trials successfully."
"Understood." The shinobi left with a faint smile on his face.
While the silhouette of the shinobi disappeared, Yoichi took a deep breath. His words earlier sounded like a sycophant, he ought to let the leaders be assured about their risky decision of supporting him.
He planned to use every other means even if it implies that he could also be capitalized on by the other party. This was a trade offer in a win-win situation.
'I need to find my mother and leave this wretched place without this Curse Seal. For now, let's stack some tickets and be on the good side of these officials.'
After his deep thoughts, Yoichi began practicing his proficiency with focus and excitement on his face.
The process was arduous and monotonous yet each movement towards strength was always worthwhile in his mind.
「Heavenly Demon Posture EXP +1」
「Heavenly Demon Posture EXP +1」
「Heavenly Demon Posture EXP +1」
...
"Hey, time's up!"
As the shinobi arrived, Yoichi slowly stopped and took a deep breath. Then, after several criss-crosses along the wooden hallways, Yoichi soon returned to the sleeping quarters with a monumental improvement.
In 4 hours, he acquired 20 points of mastery and felt his Qi Blood thickened in each heartbeat of his anomalous two hearts.
Normally, the posture method required 1 hour to be completed since stability, concentration, and vigorous energy were the fundamental aspects of the Initiation Stage.
Rigorous exercises like stances draw out Qi Blood from the organs, muscles, and other types of resources such as nourishing foods and Heavenly Treasures with tremendous amounts of nutritional content.
Therefore, Yoichi turned sideways and went into the bathroom, summoning his savings of meals in his Interspatial Pouch. After silently consuming his food, Yoichi retreats to his own rattan bed and takes his time to evaluate his day.
Yoichi checked his sleeping friends until he felt a scalding sensation in Hikari's body. Looking at Hikari's pale face and shivering figure, Yoichi immediately put a hand on her forehead as his eyes widened from her unusual condition.
"Hey! Wake up! Are you alright?"
At this point, Hikari's situation became clearer in his eyes. It was a fever, one of the common diseases but it was also one of the symptoms of deadly illnesses.
'Fuck! What happened earlier when I was gone?!'
Snuggling her trembling body in his warm embrace, Yoichi saw multiple bruises on her torso and quickly understood the situation with his mind, finding other ways to solve the problem.
"Don't die on me, Hikari..." His eyes felt moist. His friends were one of his anchors to this world and as a man who took the original owner's burden, the responsibility for his friends became important in his heart. If he has a cheat, then he could save them with logical thinking.
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(Current Progress)
[Heavenly Demon Posture: (Small Success) 183/300]
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It felt dramatic towards the end and it felt like their friendship and cohesion were still shallow. Now that the situation is dire, it will also be the MC's motivator for strength.
Thanks for reading the chapters and bookmarking the novel. See ya! XDD!