Chương 32: Chapter 31 - Another White Room (VI)

He watched with a mix of amusement and nostalgia as his past self continued practicing. The stances were clumsy, the movements unrefined, but there was a determination that he couldn't help but admire.

"Footwork, buddy, footwork," he muttered.

"You're not trying to stomp grapes." His past self stumbled through another sequence, nearly losing balance. He chuckled.

"Yep, been there. Keep at it, though. You'll get it." As the practice session continued, he allowed himself to relax. The critiques flowed naturally, each one a reminder of the hard-earned lessons that had brought him here. It was strange, seeing himself from this perspective, recognizing both the flaws and the potential.

"Hold the blade steady," he advised, even though he knew his past self couldn't hear him.

"Focus on your center of gravity. You're too top-heavy." The more he watched, the more he realized how far he had come. And sure, most of that progress came from the orbs, but… the orbs were not freely given. And what about right now? It was perhaps the same as the sword, but with the EM waves. At the beginning, he struggled to lift a weightless knife, but then he could lift a cage, surpass a set force of attraction, and now he could even 'paint' in the EM space. It was the same as back then.

Just like in the fights with the creatures in the ring. Each trial harder, demanding more skill. The parallels between his current challenges and past trials were clear. Each step had prepared him for the next, each difficulty a lesson that built upon the last. He saw it now, the pattern of growth and improvement that had brought him to this point.

"Just like those fights in the ring," he said, almost to himself.

"Every time, a little bit harder, a little bit more demanding. And every time, you get a little bit better. But… for what?" What purpose did this all have? He had already understood that, contrary to his initial beliefs, these tests were not meant to torture him, or at least not without purpose. These trials were meant to make him stronger in every possible sense. His will was tempered, his combat capabilities put to the test, and a whole new sensory system integrated into his body.

The orbs had given him this power, and now the trials were pushing him to master it. They were showing him the different ways he could use it and how far he could push. But the question always remained: For what? What goal did these entities, whoever they were—human, alien, or divine—have in putting him to the test and granting him this power? And then, how many people were put through this? Was it him alone? He was nearly 100% sure Pablo had to be here too, right?

Unless he was just teleported inside out of nowhere… well, that was also a possibility. He stared at his past self. It had just finished the practice and was getting ready for a much-needed nap. Would he have to wait for the nap to finish? Should he take one too? Well, no reason not to. He laid his head back and took some rest. As he drifted off, his thoughts continued to churn. The purpose of the trials was elusive, but one thing was clear: they were designed to push him to his limits and beyond.

The power he had gained was not just a gift; there had to be something behind it. Perhaps they were just preparing him for a task, for a job that was in these entities' interest. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The more he pondered, the more questions arose. What task could be so important that it required such rigorous preparation? And why him? Or perhaps it was not just him, but a lot of people?

Heck, it might even be the whole of humanity for all he knew. Thinking that he was special would just end in his overconfidence getting him killed. He took a deep breath, grounding himself in reality. If these trials were being administered on a larger scale, then there were countless others enduring the same challenges, striving for the same growth. It was humbling to consider, and it reinforced his determination to keep pushing forward.

"It's not about being special," he reminded himself.

"It's about rising to the challenge. In other words, it's about surviving." He allowed himself to sleep, his mind finally settling into a state of rest. Time passed, and he gradually became aware of his surroundings again. A faint disturbance in the EM space alerted him, pulling him from his rest. He sensed movements in his domain. His past self had just woken up. He saw how his past self practiced for a bit more, with some noticeable improvement after the rest. After that, it was finally ready. Finally ready for…

"The greatest disappointment in all the trials so far," he grinned as he saw his past self putting everything he had into a powerful slash that severed the creature in half even before it had a chance to move. It had been overkill.

"Makes you wonder if that initial practice was too much," he chuckled. He then saw his past self crouch after some hesitation and absorb the orb. But as he did so, the space froze. He frowned, unsure of what the issue was now. Everything seemed to be in place, right? He stood up and walked to the ring. He was constantly aware of his domain and did not sense anything out of place. The sword was still stable, and there was really nothing missing in the picture. Wait…

He looked at the ring and noticed it was still red. But that was the color it had back then, right? He remembered it only changed after he stepped out. His gaze then went to his past self. The space froze just as he had absorbed the orb. What happened then?

"Hold on… seriously? How am I even gonna know what to write?" But it had to be that, right? The thing that was missing was the prompt he had started to perceive back then, the progress of his Stage 1. He remembered it was here where he sensed it for the first time. So, come to think of it, it had perhaps been this orb that finally made his sensory system ready to perceive the electromagnetic space. But then, did that mean the prompts were EM signals? No kidding? But of course, it made sense now.

Each time he absorbed more orbs, the system became more refined so he could detect these prompts more clearly. These orbs evolved his mind into what it was now, or well, they started the progress.

"Will you look at that," he smiled as the pieces started to fit in. He now understood what was expected of him, but there were still some issues. How should he write it? And what should he write? The signal back then had been too blurry, like a glitch. He had no recollection of his progress at that time. That said, he was sure his purpose was not to scribble just anything there. There was a specific number he had to input. But which one?

The first time he got a clear picture of the stage progress was when he defeated the creature in the purple ring. He remembered his progress was 0. 576% back then. But the progress prompts before that were not that clear. But what about the ones after? It was those four orbs served to him after he finished the trial with the walls, where he had to use his EM for the first time. And come to think of it, those were the only orbs he ever received not coming from killing creatures.

In any case, the numbers back then had been: 0. 598%, 0. 619%, 0. 639%, and 0. 658%. The sequence was quite clear: the difference between them linearly decreased by 0. 001%. If that was the case, and considering this sequence held true for values before it, then the number before the purple ring should be 0. 553%. Considering I killed 5 creatures between the last and first, then the number I should write now should be…