Chapter 37 - He Awakens

A powerful sensation, like fever passed over Max’s body. It was followed by a surge of power and in the middle of his chest, he could feel some strange energy gathering. It swirled around and started pulsating like a second heart. It was a faint but consistent pulse. From the nexus of energy, Max could feel Mana spreading all over his body, filling him up like a cup. He could feel the power was spread very thin. This must have been due to him being a beginner level Cultivator. Max had an instinctual feeling, that if he advanced on the path of Heavenly Arts, this feeling in his body would grow stronger.

But what really startled him were two things. First was the system message.

Adjusting subject to [Path of Celestial Weapon Cultivation]

Error…

Existing Soulbind detected

???????

???????

[Path of Celestial Weapon Cultivation] rejected.

…Computing…

New Cultivation path discovered

[Path of Divine Soulbond]

What the..?

The second thing that startled Max was the voice.

“Finally!” a voice from seemingly nowhere announced. It was a self-satisfied and dignified voice, not in the least afraid of letting itself be heard. “I thought you might actually shit the bed with this one.”

“Who’s there?”

“They call me ‘The Maverick’,” the voice announced. “An apt name, should I be asked. And I should always be asked.”

In slack-jawed astonishment Max turned the gun in his hand. It looked exactly like it always did. Black with gold ornamentation and a sturdy leather grip, made of fine rough leather.

“Quit that gaping,” Maverick said. “You’re embarrassing us.”

“Nobody can see us,” Max said, shaking his head at the whole situation. “Wait, how the hell can you see?”

“How should I know?” Maverick answered, as if Max was asking a completely stupid question. “Magic. Spiritual Power. Voodoo Shenanigans. Call it whatever.”

“So you talk now?” Max said. “Is this going to be a thing?”

“It is going to be the thing!” Maverick said, exceedingly pleased with himself.

Max rubbed at his face. “Dear Zeus in heavens, please help me…”

“It’s going to be great!” Maverick went on enthusiastically. “You’ll be my sidekick and we will go on epic adventures! We will—”

“Look,” Max cut in sharply. “I’m sure I will grow to appreciate your glib nonchalance, but there’s going to be serious situations coming up. I’m going to say this right out of the gate. When it's a serious situation I want no bullshit from you. Are we clear?”

Maverick was silent for half a beat. There was a grudging respect to his airy voice when he spoke. “Fine. But as long as you recognize your position as the sidekick of this team.”

Max shook his head. “How the hell are you even sentient?”

“I suppose it is a product of my inherent awesomeness,” Maverick said.

Max rubbed at his face.

“You’re no fun, you know that,” Maverick said and somehow huffed. Apparently magical guns don’t need lungs to huff. “I don’t know much more than you do. We’re going to have to wait for our gracious patrons to explain some things. I’ll ask the questions.”

“The hell you will,” Max said.

“Fine,” Maverick said. “We’ll share. But you really should listen to me. I have no idea how you’ve managed to scramble around and keep yourself alive, but it can only be a result of an absolutely divine stroke of luck. As further proof of your miraculous luck, you now have me as a companion.”

“You talk a lot,” Max said glumly.

“One of my numerous gifts to the world.”

“I’m sure the world rejoices…” Max muttered half aloud.

“You just wait!” Maverick said happily. “Your friends are going to love me!”

“I’m sure they won’t be able to contain themselves,” Max said. “But listen. As interesting as all this is, we will have time for this later. We’ll ask Durum or the Zoos what happened. Now I need to get in on this cycling technique.”

“Right,” Maverick said, surprisingly all business-like. “Despite my numerous talents, I’m not sure how to do this, but I am distinctly awesome, so it will not take long to learn.”

“You… What?”

The Maverick sighed. “You are sometimes so slow, Maximillian. If we are to become the best of the best, better than all the rest, we need to work together.”

“But you’re a gun,” Max said.

“And you’re a monkey,” Maverick said. “That didn’t stop you from pulling off miraculous stunts. Now shut up and go over with me how to do the cycling technique, so we can get to work.”

He can cycle…? Wait, he does have a nexus of Spiritual Energy inside of him. I can sense it as well as mine. I seem to share a soul with this wacky bastard.

“You do share a soul with me,” Maverick said. “And that means I can hear what you’re thinking.”

Max sighed. “Oh great…”

                                                                   *

Max had taken a [Celestial Illumination Pill] and started working on the cycling technique. It was simple and straightforward, but straining. It involved rhythmic breathing combined with imagining pushing and pulling the Spiritual Energy of his body up from his toes to the top of his head, and repeating that over and over again. Simple, but surprisingly hard.

Maverick had huffed about how difficult it was for the first fifteen minutes, making it hard for Max to focus. He had snapped at the weapon and told him what to do again, and he seemed to have listened this time, since he had been quiet since.

After an hour the pill’s effect waned. It was quite clear the moment it happened. While the cycling had been arduous before, after returning to baseline, it became downright sluggish. It was like trying to push liquid cement up and down his body. Max got up, stretched his limbs and moved around a bit. Then he drank some water, popped another pill and started cycling again. 999 hours left to go.

After a few more hours of (blessedly) silent work, some progress started to happen

Leveled up Quartz-level Cultivator (lesser) to 1

+1 free attribute point

Leveled up Quartz-level Cultivator (lesser) to 2

+1 free attribute point

Okay. We are starting to get somewhere. This is weird, but kind of exciting. I would have definitely been more motivated to meditate on Earth if the gains would have been this tangible.

Max took another break. Maverick was blessedly silent for whatever reason. Max enjoyed a glass of wine the dwarves had brought him an hour ago or so. It was akin to white wine, but pronouncedly green. It tasted pretty vile, truth be told. Max wasn’t much of a wine person to begin with, and the swill that the dwarves made was definitely not designed for human tastes. But he enjoyed the relaxation the alcohol provided, so it was worth it.

Leveled up Quartz-level Cultivator (lesser) to 3

+1 free attribute point

“What the…?” Max turned to look at [The Maverick] whom he had placed on the stone dining table.

“Are all humans this lazy, or do you just have a particularly unfortunate configuration of genes?” Maverick called from the table. “I can’t believe I’m pulling all the work here.”

“Wait, you can actually cycle?” Max asked, deftly striding up to the table. “I thought you were just putting up airs.”

“Of course I can actually cycle,” Maverick huffed. “It wouldn’t do for my pride to make my sidekick do all the work as much as I enjoy the pained scrunch of your face when you try to concentrate.”

“I don’t scrunch my face,” Max protested.

“Ah right, of course you don’t,” Maverick said. “Just like you don’t snore in your sleep.”

“I’ve never snored,” Max said, but with a quiver of uncertainty in his voice.

“Oh Maximillian,” Maverick sighed. “Why lie? You know I don’t sleep.”

“You…” Max said. “What did you say?”

“I said you snore. And that I don’t sleep. Try to keep up, sheesh.”

“So you can use a cycling technique while I’m sleeping?”

“Seems hardly fair for me to exert myself, while you’re snoring,” Maverick huffed. “But theoretically yes.”

“That sounds… Very promising.” Max said, his mind racing with the possibilities. He— they might have gotten very lucky with this path they’ve gotten.

“Mind you, while my awesomeness is everlasting to say the least, this cycling technique does seem to put a strain on me,” Maverick admitted.

“So you won’t be able to cycle through every night?”

“My word,” Maverick huffed. “What am I, a machine?”

“Well, technically…”

“I’ll do what I can, as I’d hate to be left lying around, collecting dust for an eternity if you happen to die,” Maverick said in a high, haughty voice. “ It’d be terribly boring.”

“I can imagine,” Max said in absolute honesty. That sounded like a purgatory of the worst kind. Then he smiled to himself and thought of something. “I guess we’ll just see how impressive you are next morning.”

“Oh, worry not my trusty sidekick,” Maverick said. “You will not be impressed, you will be astounded!”