Chương 157: Chapter 152

The second Gauntlet Sam participated in was underground. Thanks to the Training Hall being in the capital of the kingdom, they didn't really have conveniently placed empty mines or other locations where they could set up something like this. Thus, they built it underground. After being dragged through the building, the woman, Martha, opened a door and began leading down a set of stairs.

Then a few more until they reached a small house-sized space where there were several benches, a door leading somewhere with the sign saying it was a bathroom. Opposite from where they emerged, there was a giant metal gate. The woman gave him a small rundown about what to expect, naturally without giving any information away about the run he would be going through, had Lucky take a seat next to her, then the gates opened on their own, and before he could react, he was flying through the air.

It took him a moment to realize that Martha simply kicked him through the gate. By the time he landed in a heap on the ground and the gate closed behind him with an almost silent thud, he was still flabbergasted. The Gauntlet he went through was similar to the one in Ironwood, only bigger, harder, and overall more difficult. It started with simple tests measuring his intelligence that he had to solve using his body.

Sam went through basic puzzles, from playing some strange twisted twister on the ground that probably measured his flexibility to simply taking giant weights and carrying them around the rooms he went through. Then, he had to use his own body, thankfully he could use mana to enhance it, to compete with incredibly well-made (and well-muscled) golems that despite being carved out of metal looked like they regularly lifted.

Sam was less clear about the bonus objectives of the second gauntlet, but he knew that completing it without using non-neutral mana skills was applicable to every one of them. Hopefully, doing it without any support would also count here. His Battle Meditation was active, so based on the last one, that would also net him something here too. For the next few hours he ran, jumped, lifted, squatted, did pushups, burpees, and all manner of usual and strange exercises while the rooms and buff golems tried to kill him.

And yes, they tried to kill him. Every time he had to fight in a small arena against golems, they came with lethal weapons, intent on skewering him. Thanks to his practice in the fracture at the museum, he managed to keep up with his own sword arts while at the same time, he tried to improve himself. There was no point wasting an opportunity. During the entire ordeal, he mainly focused on sharpening his physical and neutral skills, trying to master and perfect them.

Although there were a few times he was tempted to use his other skills as the golems fought really annoyingly but, in the end, his clearer thoughts prevailed and he managed to defeat them with only his sword and body. Then, after he was physically, mentally, and even spiritually exhausted, he dragged his body into the last room, where he was met by a very familiar slab. No doubt there was also a runic circle around it.

He stepped forward, took up a stance that had become very familiar to him, closed his eyes, and began focusing on his own mana. Compared to the past, the mana flowed through his system rapidly with almost no disruption. The mana itself was clear and homogenous, feeling like clear liquid flowing through surgical tubes.

For several minutes he just followed the circulation, pushing the mana to become faster and faster, accumulating more and more of it in his fist, then his arm and his entire body, ready to make the punch. But he still waited. The circulation continued, and he kept forcing it into his body, filling up every crevice and making sure that there was no empty space inside his body.

Sometime later, feeling as if he was stuffed, like after a satisfying holiday dinner, and Sam felt that the mana would either erupt from his body, taking his entire concentration to keep it contained, or his body would simply explode, he opened his eyes and stared at the stone slab. Then he released the punch. With but a thought, he unleashed all the stockpiled mana, letting it rush through his body, straight to his punching arm, terminating in his fist right at the moment his fist made contact with the slab.

BAAAAAMMMM There was the sound of the hit and he had to instantly close his eyes as the unleashed mana let out a very bright flash. Opening his eyes, blinking away the spots he took stock of his own body, breathing in relief as his body once again felt like he just came away from a massage. Tired, and a little abused, but much better than at the beginning. The unleashed mana didn't go anywhere.

As previously, it began to swirl around him and the giant stone slab as the first one, then a second concentric runic circle lit up around him and the rock he just tried to punch into the next year. He made sure to step into the exact center of the circle, close his eyes, and relax. However, Sam's Mana Sense was sharply watching the mana move around the room. Slowly, the mana swirling in the air began to sink into the circles which lit up and caused them to pulse with gentle blue light.

Then, after a few seconds, the circles began to discharge the mana they had absorbed, creating a cyclone of very uniform mana with a slight metallic tint. The cyclone began to revolve around him in ever-increasing speeds, which he tried to match with his own mana circulation. It was hard as the cyclone was getting faster and faster, then as he felt he managed to match the rotating phenomenon, another cyclone appeared on the outer runic circle, rotating almost at half the speed of the first cyclone.

Sam frowned a little and thought about it. It was a strange thing, and he wasn't sure what to do, but he felt it was worth an attempt. He kept the mana circulating in his body at the same speed as the inner runic circle, while slowly taking his regenerating mana outside of his body and trying to circulate it there at the same speed as the outer mana cyclone.

For a few long minutes, he struggled, the mental effort almost destroying his concentration before the system seemingly had enough and the cyclones converged on him and began to tear through his body. As he stood there, paralyzed by the stampeding mana and runic circle, the mana simply went through his body, entering and then leaving with something. Every time that happened, he felt just a little lighter, just a little stronger.

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'Man, they're really playing up this Xianxia angle here…' he mused as his body went through a transformation. Fortunately, they only picked up a few things from the genre and he wouldn't need to deal with the more egregious parts of the style. The entire session lasted almost three minutes before the cyclones died down and he regained control over his body. Taking stock, he noticed that he was covered by sweat, dirt, and a disgusting black material that already started to drip down onto the ground.

It also smelled horrible.

'Ugh, they could have at least left that aspect out…' he grumbled to himself while casting a sweeping cleaning spell on himself, removing the gunk and leaving behind an exhausted but sparkling clean body. Sam eagerly raised a hand and looked at his skin. If tropes were to be believed then his skin would turn into a jade-colored silk-like existence. However, to his disappointment, while his skin indeed became clearer and more supple, it was very far from the jade-like existences from those stories.

'Still better than nothing…' Then, without any aplomb, he plopped down on the ground, settling into a comfortable position as he opened his notification screen with great anticipation. The results of the first Gauntlet were enormous, and he couldn't wait to see what the reward would be for the second one. [Congratulations, you have successfully completed the Gauntlet of Body II!] [The quest, 'Self-enlightenment is the path for self-actualization.' is completed!] [Your time was: 06: 59: 03!] [You completed the following bonuses: 1. Go through the Gauntlet of Body II without any help. That means no pets, minions, summons, followers, or anything similar helping you. [You completed the following hidden bonuses: 1. Only use neutral attributed mana skills. 2. Only use one weapon during the entire trial. 3. Complete the Gauntlet while under the influence of a Meditation type of skill!] A little disappointed that he only managed to finish one main objective, Sam turned to the skill gains. He rubbed his hands together and then opened the next screen. [Mana Manipulation is now Level 54!] [Thanks to your amazing control you gained the subskill, Mana Rebirth!] [Mana Rebirth: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) The more mana you are missing, the higher your mana regeneration is. Gain 0, 1 Mana Regeneration for each skill level per missing mana percentage.] [Mana Shield is now Level 94!] [Second Skin is now Level 4!] [Mana Resonance is now Level 10!] [You learned the skill Mana Flux!] [Mana Flux: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) The resonance between your skills is enough that if you cast more than one spell or use more than one skill at the same time, then they may induce each other. This induction allows your mana to gain a unique property. This property allows your spells to slip through magical shielding. Effectiveness depends on the strength differences between you and the target. Your spells gain 1% True Damage per skill level.] [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 69!] [Ethereal Channels is now Level 3!] A good change. Mana Flux was a pretty good skill from what he could figure out from the description. Not even the other Sam heard about it, so Sam was rather excited. This mana thing was getting more and more exciting to him! The effect, True Damage, on spells was, however, not unknown to him. The other Sam knew it, but he also knew that it was 'common' knowledge that it was almost impossible to acquire this effect without specific enchantments on magical focuses or weapons. Though both the past Sam and he suspected that was just because those who got it kept it super secret. After all, it was a rather big advantage over others. [You achieved a breakthrough with Triple Mana Slash!] [Triple Mana Slash is now Level 10!] [Thanks to your skillful use of the skill, you learned the subskill, Accurate Slashes!] [Accurate Slashes: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to your skill and control, your slashes are extremely accurate. Hitting the same spot increases the damage of the next slash by 2% for each skill level.] [You learned Illusionary Mana Slash!] [Illusionary Mana Slash: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) Your mana slashes have become one with your intent. You don't fight with strength but with guile. For every slash you release three illusionary slashes. These slashes don't cause any damage, but are rather distracting.] Weird skill, but Sam rather liked it. It would fit into his repertoire much better than the basic slash skills.' I wonder if I could add Illusionary Runes into the slash skill…' he mused thoughtfully as he reread the skill. [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 92!] [Mana Attuned Body is now Level 5!] [Clean V is now Level 1!] [Battle Meditation is now Level 29!] [For excessive use of the skill, you gained the subskill, Internalized Meditation!] [Internalized Meditation: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You have internalized the practice of meditation so much that some of its effects are increased and always active. Further increased mana and stamina regeneration per skill level.] [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 91!] [You gained the subskill, Durable Armor, thanks to the beating you have taken!] [Durable Armor: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You learned how to roll with the punches. This includes knowing when your armor can take a hit and when it can't. Increased durability for any armor you wear from incoming damage from non-environmental sources.] [Epic Breathing Technique is now Level 9!] [Tranquil Heart is now Level 11!] [Flow is now Level 77!] [You immersed yourself into the flow and the flow took you to a new place. You gained the subskill, Immersed Flow!] [Immersed Flow: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When you start reading the flow a counter starts. After every ten seconds, the effect of the Flow skill increases by 1% for each skill level. Maximum 600 seconds.] [Surprise Strike is now Level 23!] [Parry is now Level 24!] [Adaptive Coordination is now Level 13!] As expected, everything went up, and he gained a lot of useful skills. It was a pity that the breathing skill didn't evolve but he didn't mind that much. Sam already had a plan, but before he commenced it, he wanted to see if he could do it manually. Alas, it was not to be. [Your body has been cleansed for the first time. Thanks to this you gained the skill, Cleansed Body!] [Cleansed Body: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your body has been cleansed of impurities, giving you a more charming aura. NPCs and players will treat you slightly differently depending on their tastes. You can upgrade this skill by further cleansing your body.] Reading the skill, he couldn't help but snort at the description. Body cleansing became a small craze for the people in the future that was never going to be, for people who wanted to look even more beautiful. So, the information about common rituals became rather common. Those would be useless for him, but as he read the skill, he realized something very profound.' I can fucking sell it for enough gold to build a skyscraper! I need to write this shit down…' he grinned to himself as he slowly stood up from his sitting position. He executed a short series of punches and kicks, enjoying how his body felt, then with a pep in his step, Sam headed for the gates. He had a lot to do. He was greeted by a bored-looking Martha who seemed to be playing some kind of fetch game with an excited Lucky. She looked up from the game and gave Sam a look-over before nodding." Good, you didn't disappoint." Lucky ran up to Sam and began sniffing him curiously. Sam reached down and petted the excited shadow wolf on his head while the woman continued." There is nothing more I can say. Come back when you feel you're ready to attempt the next one." She flexed her impressive muscles and grinned." But that is very far away for you. I assume you can find your way out?" Sam bowed his head a little, and Lucky adorably followed along." Yes, Martha. Thank you for your help!" Another flex of her biceps and soon, Sam was left alone. Turning to his loyal companion, he smiled and spent a few minutes just recharging his mental batteries by playing with Lucky to the animal's great joy. Finally, his batteries a little fuller, he straightened out and called out to the wolf." Come on, Lucky. We have a lot to do…"