Chapter 11: 30th Day (2)

[Controlled Breathing has leveled up.]

[Controlled Breathing LV.16 Intermediate]

Thadius just finished his last climb up the stairs, and was headed back to the compound at a brisk pace. He was surprised to find Corban waiting for him when he walked through the front entrance.

"Finished?" Corban smiled.

"Yes sir."

"Good, I wish to test your cooking skills immediately." Corban was seated on the ground, surrounded by five large bags filled to the brim with ingredients and spices. Thadius looked through a few of them and took one to the kitchen.

There was a small kitchen in the back of the residential side. There was a wood burning stove that Thadius had initial hoped was magical, and could somehow provide the whole building with heat. He had been mistaken that day.

He lit a fire and began to prepare his ingredients while he waited for it to heat up. He tasted every spice to determine how he would use them.

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There were staple spices like salt and sugar, but there were also spices he'd never even heard of. After the seventh taste test, he received a message.

[Your attempt to verify various herbs and spices has unlocked a new skill.]

[Herb Identification LV 1 Novice

Used to verify herbs and there properties. More information will be available for identified items as proficiency increases. Success rate will increase with proficiency.]

"Identify."

[Failed.]

[Failed.]

[Sugar

A substance that adds sweetness to a dish.]

[Pous

A herb with restorative properties. Has a bitter taste. ]

He identified the rest of the ingredients that he could and began to cook after the stove had heated to an acceptable temperature.

"It's Cookin' Time! Today's dish is homemade mashed potatoes, asparagus, and breaded baked chicken."

Thadius enjoyed cooking for his imaginary audience. When he entered the kitchen, he became the host of his favorite show, 'Cookin' Time'.

He started by peeling the potatoes, ignoring the prompts and guiding systems that popped up. After he peeled the potatoes, he started on the chicken.

He washed it, seasoned it, and coated it with a layer of his own breading and popped it into the oven.

He mashed the potatoes while he boiled the asparagus to kill any germs. It may be a game, but Thadius wasn't taking any chances.

He purposefully kept chunks of potatoes mixed into the mash and heated them up after throwing in some butter. He kept time with an hourglass while he tried as best as he could to keep a constant temperature in the oven.

After an hour of preparation and an hour of cooking, the meal was ready. Thadius arranged the plates with some culinary artistry and was ready to present the meal when...

[Your wonderful meal has unlocked the cooking skill. You're prior knowledge of the skill has awarded you a boost in the skill's level and rank.]

[Cooking LV.15 Intermediate

Enhances the taste of meals.

+Beneficial effects are increased by 22.5% ]

"It's always nice to have my skills recognized."Thadius smiled to himself as he walked into the dining room.

Corban almost jumped out of his seat as the smell reached his nose.

Thadius set the plate down with a smile. "Enjoy."

Corban wasted no time to begin onslaught. Thadius dug in too, and they ate in silence as they devoured the food.

After they were done, Corban was in high spirits. "Now that was a meal. Superb Thadius!"

"Thank you."

"Now we can begin to prepare you for combat training." Corban rose from the table, gesturing Thadius to leave the plates as he headed for the business side.

Outside the supply room was more pieces of the stone armor. Corban picked them up and handed the pile to him. "That's the lower portion of the armor."

Thadius put it on and it was promptly locked in place. The stone reshaped to fit his legs just as the upper portion had done.

"Now in preparation for combat training, you'll be mastering your presence. I could teach you the 'Dragon's Path' sword style, but I'm afraid it would hinder your progress unless you learned this first."

"What do I need to do?" Thadius asked eagerly.

"Put this on." Corban smiled slyly and handed him another piece of stone.

Unlike the previous slabs, it was a helmet. The only alarming feature was that there were no spaces for the eyes to see.

"I think I can understand how this will help me sense the presence of others, but what about walls or other objects?" Thadius frown at the helmet.

"You'll be using your Fighting Aura to hone your spatial awareness."

"That sounds fine too, but I'm still concerned about the stairs..." Thadius hated stairs, the bane of his existence. He could tolerate it for his training, but this was on another level.

"There are weeds growing all over the stairs. They'll help you along, you'll see." Corban's smile widened until his eyes practically wrinkled over.

Thadius sighed and put on the helmet. It immediately molded to his head and sealed his vision.

"Now instead of just using your Fighting Aura, let it flow from you. Imagine it spreading out of you to envelop the surroundings." Corban instructed.

Thadius did as he was told. His control of his Fighting Aura had improved, allowing him to move it freely. Though it was a little more difficult spreading it outside his body.

He let it stretch out to the limit, which was a few feet at best. Then he focused on giving it shape, letting his Aura form a dome around him.

After a few seconds, he felt something close to him. It was similar to knowing where your hands and feet were with your eyes closed. He just felt it. He knew where the wall was and the general area where Corban was standing. The wall cut into his dome while there was a space where Corban was standing. It was impossible to make out minor details, but he was successful.

"Do you feel it?"

"Yes." Thadius smiled. The feeling the skill gave him a truly mystical feeling.

"Good. I want you to sense my presence now. Fill in the gap of your Aura. Fill it with the sound of my heart, the heat of my blood, and the energy of my life. Use all your available senses to create another."

'Easier said than done!' Thadius thought desperately, trying with all his might to find something within the gap of his Aura.

After a minute of struggling, Corban's voice could be heard grumbling in the darkness. "Hmm, I am partially hiding my presence. So it might prove a tad bit difficult. Hold a moment."

As soon as the sentence was finished, Thadius sensed a huge difference. Corban's presence was suddenly too hard to ignore. All his senses were drawn towards him, as if he had his own gravitational pull.

Thadius thought he was successful, and was patiently waiting for the signature sound. Just then, goosebumps appeared on his arms, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. An intense heat was coming from behind him. It was strange to think of it in terms of temperature, but that was exactly what it felt like.

He turned around in an irrational panic, only to hear his master chuckling.

"You've adapted to my pressure, but when you feel my presence you panic? Ha!"

"When did you get there!?" Thadius called out, trying to calm down.

"It's no fun having everything explained to you. You'll learn how it's done in due time."

[You've learned how to feel the energy of life around you. A new skill has been unlocked.]

[Sense Presence LV.1 Novice

Sense the life energy of living things. Range and clarity increase with level. Mana use decreases with level. Sense all life within a 10ft(3m) radius for 1 mana per second.]

"This skill uses mana. Is it possible to have it use my Fighting Aura instead?" Thadius stared at the windows that suddenly popped up in his vision.

"So eager this pupil of mine!" Corban laughed,"Of course it's possible Thadius. Use it the way I just taught you. Sense the presences within the gaps of your Aura. Once you've done that for a while, it'll happen on its own. For this phase of your training you'll be spending most of your time at the pool, sensing the presence of the fish and leveling your skills. That's after you do your stairs of course."

Thadius nodded. He wasn't going to neglect his physical training.

At some point, Corban can come closer to pat him on the shoulder. "Now it still noon, so go to the pool now. I'll fetch you later."

"Yes sir."

"Oh, one more thing Thadius," Thadius had started to walk off, testing the new weight of his armor, when Corban stopped him."You be using the entire staircase from now on. No more pleasant walks to the pool."

Having just been told that he would have to climb up and down the mountain with his eyes closed, Thadius exclaimed, "Master!? Have mercy!"

"Mercy is for the weak." Corban's cold retort sounded out from deeper in the compound.

Thadius sighed as best as he could manage with his rock armor. His schedule had tripled in difficulty in a single day, and he had only been here for a month.