Body Cultivation Hurts - Chapter 2

He felt a sudden sharp pain in his temples. Nathan opened his eyes to make sure his little sister wasn’t clawing at his face or something equally as psychotic to wake him up. The light came in fuzzy, but he could confirm that there wasn’t a goblin princess attacking him. It was just a headache. A harsh one. He didn’t get headaches…

Everything rushed back to him. About his rebirth, fighting off the monster wave his Kyle and local law enforcement. It had gone better than he hoped.

Blinking his eyes a few times, he rolled over to push himself up. He jumped to his feet, feeling his headache intensify from the sudden rush of blood. He noticed he’d been lying on the ground. Glancing back, he saw his sheet and comforter. Even the pillows were his own. What wasn’t his were the mats. They were the same kind that covered the floor at his mixed martial arts gym. The entire room was covered in them.

The room wasn’t just like an MMA gym, it was an MMA gym. It was identical to his personal chambers in the tower during his first life here. The walls were lined with matting that was as tall as he was. There were a variety of heavy bags lining one side of the room, and even a weight training area behind it.

When he spun to face the side of the room he’d been sleeping on, he found the kitchen and bathroom where it should be.

His headache was fading, but he headed to the kitchen to grab some water. Seeing the Genetic Modification Fluid was the only thing in the fridge, he took it. He had no intention of delaying the process.

As soon as he stepped off the mat to the kitchen, his vision was filled with floating texted. Initiation had begun.

He’d already read it the first time in his first life, but he scanned it as he downed the fluid.

~Good morning, Nathaniel Kane,

I am called Father Wei. I surpassed my limits, reaching Divine Monarch, the highest realm of the heavens, tens of thousands of years ago. I’m a peak existence in this space you call the universe. I assure you that I mean you no harm. It is I who am responsible for bringing you to this place. ~

A smile slowly spread across his face. The text disappeared when he finished reading it to be replaced by more. He already knew what he would do next, but he wanted to see what kind of points the system would reward him for fighting off the portal’s horde.

~Regrettably, I have been forced to bring you here against your will, along with every human begin between ages of eighteen and fifty-five. There are exceptions. The age of adulthood varies by culture, and those with fight training between the ages of fifty-six and seventy-five will also join you. Those with children that have yet to reach adulthood will be exempt at this time. Families will be kept together. My purpose is a desperate one, but I am not cruel. The universe is at war.

Do not worry about your families that haven’t accompanied you. I have taken this opportunity to cleanse and regenerate the bodies of the elderly that have remained behind. In most cases, their lifespans have been extended by decades and every disease has been purged. The younger generations have also been cleansed. Basic breathing techniques will be provided to all, and I’ve taken the initiative to begin developing your world’s natural qi production. The younger generation will be joining you when you reach the appropriate age followed by their parents.

Your cell phones have been taken and integrated into the system. You will later be able to unlock the ability to contact your friends and family. Social media will take on a new face, with new limitations, but also new features. ~

Nothing had changed. He sat back down on the mat and continued to read.

~The war I speak of isn’t one comparable to what you might consider war. In the early stages of progression, firearms, heavy artillery, and explosives will still be deadly, but eventually not even your atomic weapons will be enough to harm you. As devastating as your technology has become, it is still limited by the heavens. In joining me against our common enemy, you will be called to defy them both.

I have spent some time sifting through your fiction, myths, and fantasy. It is from them that I’ve pulled inspiration. My special area of expertise is what you call genetics. Instead of asking you to cultivate for millennia as is normally necessary, I have taken liberty to create a system that will modify your body so that you’ll advance at the fastest rate possible. I only wish it could be faster.

Unlike your fiction, the system I’ve designed isn’t for your entertainment or to force you into challenges that are nearly impossible to complete. I’ve designed it with your benefit in mind. However, there is no advancement without the threat of violence, disfigurement, and death. You will find Training Centers where you can practice your skills without fear once you enter the tower, but to defy the heavens is to push yourself mentally and physically beyond what is normally possible. Many of you will likely die, and for that I’m sorry.

Your fiction speaks of demigods, monsters, superheroes, and cultivators. If you can imagine it, my Divine Genetic Modification Program makes it possible. However, power is always achieved through progress—not all at once. If you’ve dreamed of flying, you’ll fly. Super strength? You will be able to crush boulders with your bare hands. What you call magic, regardless of how your culture envisions it, will be at your fingertips. My only advice is, dream bigger. Your concept of power is inadequate.

Which begs the question, why? The enemy of which I speak isn’t simply a personal enemy of mine or my people. There is a concept of demon amongst nearly every culture in your world. Our enemy is the worst of these depictions personified. They have waged war with our kind since time before memory. They seek one thing, to subjugate. To use you as feed and fuel. To combat this evil is why I’ve come. Necessity has been thrust upon us. You must grow stronger. This region of your universe is in peril. In a matter of centuries, if not decades, we may not be able to hold them back any longer. Your galaxy is in the crosshairs. Without intervention, Earth as you know it will become a crumbling husk.

There is a common genre in popular fiction where the protagonist is given a ‘system’ that mimics that of role-playing games. I have designed something similar since it will require little explanation and will streamline your progression. This training system will help you advance. However, unlike fiction, the system will only have observational access to your body’s evolution. It will not become a direct part of you. Depending on your choices as you progress, your genetic structure will be constantly in flux. This means you will have to return to this, your Personal Chamber, visit a System Terminal, or purchase a system specific card jade to access it. There will be public and private terminals outside of this space. Now, take a look.

Status

Name: Nathaniel Kane

Age: 19

Cultivation: NA

Talent: G

Physique: F

Strength: G+

Agility: G+

Stamina: E

Energy: NA

Spirit: G

Abilities: NA

Skills:

Grappling – Rank D

Boxing – Rank E

Muay Thai – Rank E

Judo – Rank F+

Wrestling – Rank E

Overall Assessment: You have been training in martial arts for approximately six years, developing your skill, mind, and body. You are better physically developed than average for your age. Compared to the most elite athletes of your realm, your body is slightly underdeveloped. You measure among the top four percent of total population. Your skill level measures among the top two percent. The exception is your grappling. You are among the top one percent of your race.

Note: Earth’s population is currently 8.41 billion. ~

His status was also identical to what it had been in his first life. No surprise. He’d been working on his stamina the last week, but it simply wasn’t enough to make any overall changes.

The ranking system was simple enough. The bottom rank was G and it progressed upward to F, E, D, C, B, then A. After that, it would use S, SS, etc. for any higher ranks. His physique had reached rank A in the past, which had been amongst the highest in the tower.

Then he saw a blinking line at the bottom.

The percentages sounded good but were deceiving. One percent of eight billion people was still 80,000,000.

~You have already drunk the Genetic Modification Fluid. It is time to choose where you’ll begin.

Note: You can mix and match different abilities and skills. Depending on your choice, some abilities and paths may become unavailable to you if the genetic change necessary to make it a reality would cause you harm or death.

To make this painfully clear, the Progression System will now prepare your body for initial evolution. ~

A countdown timer began at thirty seconds.

Nathan smirked. He just sat there and let it come.

~The pain will only last a few minutes. ~

The piercing pain didn’t start at any one place. It was like his organs were all trying to claw their way out of him while readying to explode. There were places he didn’t even know had nerve endings that hurt. He’d heard of white searing pain, but his vision didn’t go white at all. It was like he was drowning in red.