Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

Chapter 25: Ki

[AN: 'Inner Breath Mastery' will now be referred to as 'Ki Mastery', it's cause the latter is easier to type. Also, 'Sword Breath' will now be referred to as 'Sword Ki'. That's all, enjoy the chapter.]

***

Swoosh!

The wind whistled as Cedric swung his sword. His body was drenched his sweat as he freely went through each motion with machine-like precision. His Training Sword gleamed with a very faint white light but make no mistake. Although this was all but faint, this light possessed a power that elevated Cedric's attacks to the next level.

As his figure blurred through the training grounds, he left behind a trail of silvery light which flowed fluidly like water. His sword never faced any resistance no matter how much he swung it. Each move he did was trained to perfection, all are connected as well, making it look like he was dancing.

After finishing his 101st cycle of swordsmanship, Cedric released a breath which kicked up a cloud of dust. Then he straightened his back, placed the sword away, and wiped the sweat on his face. He sat under the shade of a tree and rested his aching body.

It's been a few days since the group of Incriptionists left the Risk Management Center. Normalcy returned to the place, well...at least the level of normal that fits this place.

They didn't have a single second longer here. As soon as they were done, they immediately cleared their logs and expressed their desire to leave this place as soon as possible. They didn't even rest at all. They were determined to get as far away as possible from this place. It seems that what happened to them left some scars behind, and Cedric truly couldn't fault them for that.

On another note though, Cedric received a gift from Gustavio. 50,000 Demon Souls, given to him as thanks for saving Fallon and the rest from their predicament, it's also compensation for Fallon's offense. Of course, Cedric graciously received it. After all, who was he to refuse that kind of offer? He might've earned a lot from his previous run in Hell but he certainly wouldn't mind earning more, especially if all he had to do was to lift a finger.

Following that, nothing really changed in Cedric's routine. He's still practicing his skills day and night. Not needing to sleep allowed him to have more time on his hands to use for training.

He most practiced his Ki Circulation at night though. It's not because he needed a quiet environment or anything, he could focus on his cultivation despite the noise because of his 『Multitasking』 skill. He just finds it more comfortable to do it at night since he's supposed to be sleeping anyway, but since can't, he could just spend time meditating after circulating his Ki.

Cedric then practices his Swordsmanship under the glare of sunlight. He liked the warmth of the day, it made him feel more active and energetic. He's not entirely fond of sweating but he's used to it.

'It's already almost time for another Hell Dive.' He muttered to himself as he stared at the sky.

Yes, this month was already in its 2nd week. Meaning that another Hell Dive was bound to happen. Cedric summoned the System to check the details about his Hell Dive.

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[Mandatory Task:]

: Hell Dive - Survive the Endless Undead Horde for 3 hours.

: Rewards - 100% Demon Soul gain, Clearance Streak +1

: Punishment for Failure - Failure Streak +1.

: Record: Clear Streak - 0, Failure Streak - 0

*

'It's still the same.' Cedric sighed.

The contents of his Mandatory Service remained the same as the previous ones. Still, Cedric couldn't help but feel skeptical, and this was his 『Intuition』 speaking to him. For some reason, even though the contents were the same, he was not convinced that his encounters inside would go exactly as it was previously.

And since Cedric now trusts his senses more than ever, he's inclined to believe that they'd be right this time as well.

'That's to be expected, I guess...' Cedric mused. 'Even though I'm not leveling up or advancing my Tier, I am getting stronger. That has always been the trend anyway.'

He knew that the challenges of his Mandatory Service would increase in difficulty. That's just how it is for everybody. This was Acala's way of humbling the Superhumans, preventing them from being complacent and arrogant.

Of course, Cedric still felt a little bitter about his situation. Now, he could say with full confidence that his Mandatory Service was truly unreasonable. He'd be surprised if there were other people out there still alive after receiving this kind of task.

It was simply pushing one to the absolute precipice of despair. This was a very unique task and he's the unlucky one who received it.

How he wished that he had gotten something easier. Wouldn't he have a more relaxed time then?

That being said, having this has some advantages too. On the premise that he succeeds, of course, he would receive a hefty amount of Demon Souls. Imagine earning nearly a million Demon Souls after just one successful hunt at Tier 1 Lv.1! Not many people could earn that much within a month, not to mention overnight.

But again, that's under the premise that he clears the task. That in itself was the main problem. But like they always do, the bigger the risk, the bigger the rewards. And Cedric was a different man now.

If someone of his caliber couldn't clear this task, he doubted that anybody could, to be honest.

Releasing another breath, Cedric closed his eyes briefly to sense his Ki.

With his sharp senses, he could almost see his internal body. He could vividly sense his Ki forming a circle on his heart, like a ring. When he was just starting, his Ki was only a faint wisp. Barely visible and felt.

Now, however, it formed a discernable ring around his heart. It almost looked like a pure white halo circling his heart. Now and then, tiny threads of Ki were absorbed by his heart, allowing the pure energy to pump throughout his body, nourishing and strengthening him passively.

Still, even with this much progress, this doesn't count as him stepping on the first stage of the [White Lotus Core Technique].

Only when he accumulates enough Ki to form the shell of a Hollow Core would it be considered as him successfully entering the first stage of the technique?

The [White Lotus Core Technique] is divided into the following stages: Hollow Core, Solid Core, Glazed Core, Core Seed, Sprouting, Blooming, and Atavism Stages.

From this chart, it's clear that he still has a very long way to go. But Cedric wasn't in a hurry. He knows that he couldn't rush this process at all. Besides, even though his progress was minimal, his accumulation was steadily giving him benefits, so it wasn't that bad.

After confirming that his Ki reserves were replenished, Cedric wasted no time and went back to his practice. He summoned his sword once more and swung it vigorously with a machine-like precision.

The cycle then continues. Cedric would train until he exhausted his Ki, rest or maybe eat until he recovered his reserves, and practice again. Come night time, he will return to his room, enjoy his dinner, browse through forum posts online to keep up with the latest news, practice his Ki circulation after that, and once his body can't circulate anymore, he will meditate through the rest of the night.

Of course, sometimes he would break his routine. He would look for Harold and join him to talk about pretty much anything that interests them. Cedric was aware that he needs rest from time to time and since he's longer feeling that desperate, he intends to listen to his body's needs.

If there's anything that's missing in his current life, it would be sex, but considering where he's at, he would rather not have it all.

Cedric would admit that the dry spell was causing him some pain, but he's not that desperate for it. Even back then when he was at his lowest, he didn't become desperate so how could he now?

It'd be nice to experience sex again, Cedric reckons, but it's not a necessity. Plus, all women here have a few screws loose, and he's not really into that. Emilia would be a prime example of this.

He's also not looking for a relationship either. He simply has no time for that. It would just get in his way and honestly, nobody here was his type.

Additionally, he's been stuck in this awful place for far too long and he has already forgotten how normal romantic relationships work. He never had any before being admitted here. He also never looked for any since he was too focused on trying to survive.

And just because he now has the capital to survive, it doesn't mean that he's free to do so either. Most of his time nowadays is focused on strengthening himself to meet the rising threat to his life.

In short, Cedric was just too damn busy to enter a relationship, that's he never bothered in the first place.