Path of the Berserker

I started by building Jei Su Long a prison cell made out of rocks. Busted down to mortal or not, I didn’t want him roaming around free. Shoving him in a corner of the main cavern, I formed the cell around him, leaving enough gaps in the heavy boulders to see what he was doing but with no way for him to squeeze out. He cursed and threatened us the whole time but after a while he eventually got tired and shut the hell up.

I gathered everyone then and set out the training regime we would follow for the next two weeks. My main goal was to increase my Frenzy density and master the [Sacred Soul Shield] technique to make it as potent and efficient as possible. But even with it, my test with Blue Rose had confirmed that their spiritual fortitude would need strengthening just to endure the environment alone.

“What about him?” Wu Liang asked, jerking a thumb towards Jei Su Long’s stone cage. “Won’t he go mad as well and even more so now without a core?”

“We can blindfold him,” Blue Rose said. “Block his ears too. You can’t unhear some of those things either.”

Song De frowned. “Perhaps I should opt for the same. I was never comfortable with seeing those unnerving things.”

“I might join in that,” Wing Pho said with a chuckle.

“Hey, we can’t all be blind out there,” I said. “But I hear you. We can only push as far as your mind will allow. I don’t need you all coming back with no memories.”

“How will we do this?” Wing Pho said. “We don’t have a barrier for protection like we did back at Du Gok Bhong to go in and out of for safety.”

“You and I will be the barrier,” I said. “We expose ourselves to the Bloodmoon each night, starting at midnight when the moon is at its peak. We endure till dawn. I’ll start my own spiritual cultivation then, doing the same but only under the effects of the Cursed Star.”

I nodded to him. “It will be. Especially as I won’t have much in the way of backup.”

That reminded me of something else.

Something that I would do during the nights when I was training the team under the Bloodmoon.

“There may be a way for me to get some though,” I said. “From across the stars.”

Blue Rose looked at me with a furrowed brow. “What?”

I chuckled. “Too hard to explain, but when we’re under the Bloodmoon, I’ll need to slip into meditation for a few minutes every hour to venture through the spirit realm. During that time, I need you all to protect me.”

“Meditate?” Song De was staring at me like I was crazy. “While on the surface a Hell World?”

“It’ll be worth it, trust me,” I said.

Already, I could feel the anxiety of my lack of whereabouts growing back home. I needed to bump into Kelsey to let her know I was alright. The last thing I needed was for Fia and everyone back home to lose hope when they learned by entire deployment was lost.

Much less when they were told Jei Su Long’s lies.

Just the thought of that irk me some more, but I quickly cultivate it away to stay on focus.

“There’s one more thing that I think we’ll need to get across this planet,” I said. “And Wing Pho and Blue Rose, I’m going to need your help to do it.”

They both looked to me quizzically, but intrigued.

“What is it?” Wing Pho asked.

I smiled. “Follow me.”

I led them to the small chunk of aethrite crystal and pointed at it. “I want to see if you two can turn a piece of that into an elixir.”

Wing Pho’s eyes widened. “Aetherite? You must be mad. Or wish to become so.”

I squinted at his response. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.

“What do you mean ‘wish to become so’?”

He laughed. “Please, do not think you are the first to ever have the clever idea to imbibe the power of pure aetherite to cultivate. It is well documented. Many sages have concocted elixirs through various means, but they are all poisonous to one’s mind and soul. It is akin to Demonic Qi poisoning, turning them mad or into demons. We would not progress in the right direction by doing this.”

The smile on my face widened even more. What he’d said was proof positive that the elixir derived from aetehrite would be the same as an elixir derived from a Frenzied Core. In this case, the Frenzied Core of Fhae I’ung. The result would be pure Frenzy. To a normal cultivator, the stuff would indeed act like what would be Demonic Qi to them. Poisoning them and turning them straight to the dark side of the Berserker’s twin soul.

No Struggler, all Demon.

But for me, it would be dog gone lemonade in a can.

“I want to try it anyway,” I said. “But just for me. You guys won’t touch it.”

“Max, you can’t do this,” Blue Rose said, real concern in her voice now. “We’re already doing enough risky things without experimenting like this. You’re strong but you need to listen to Wing Pho. He is a scholar. He knows his histories.”

“And I know me,” I said with [Struggler’s Resolve].

Blue Rose let out a frustrated sigh. “We don’t have the luxury to argue this, Max. What if you’re wrong? If you die or go crazy, how are we going to get home? We’re all relying on you.”

I felt all of their concern then.

And it was well placed.

Still, they didn’t know what I truly was. And I couldn’t reveal it to them either.

But I had to convince them that my idea was still worth giving a shot.

One more white lie, I thought, and the Struggler groaned with the added burden.

“I know it will work,” I said. “Because I’ve kind of done it already.”

Wing Pho’s eyes widened. “What? How?”

“Well, not ‘done it’ done it,” I said, trying to keep a straight face. “After Jei Su Long abandoned us, what was left of my platoon transformed into demons from the rays of the Cursed Star.”

I paused then as the memories suddenly relived within my mind.

The trauma of having to kill them.

But I wouldn’t share that much.

Not now.

“I had to fight through entire hordes of demons alone,” I said. “I was pretty beat up. When I finally made it to safety down here, I was so weak I could barely move. I tried eating a bit of the crystal to see if it would help me heal. It made me sick like you said, but then, I think, from eating all this demon meat, it kind of balanced me out.”

They all looked stupefied and horrified at the same time.

And for me, it felt shitty as hell lying to them.

But I couldn’t risk them knowing what I truly was.

Especially not in front of Jei Su Long.

“And you want us to eat that crap too?” Blue Rose said incredulously.

“Look, I don’t know if it will work for sure,” I said. “But all I’m saying is being down here and cultivating, my body has changed. I won’t push it, but I’m sure if the likes of you two refined an elixir, rather than me trying to eat it raw, I believe it will aid in my cultivation mastery and help my barrier technique. I mean it only makes sense right? What better way to help strengthen my barrier than by using the source of the natural barrier itself?”

Wing Pho and Blue Rose looked to each other skeptically.

I couldn’t tell if they had totally bought it or not, but I had to push.

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“I’ll take one sip,” I said. “I promise. If I freak out. You throw the rest away.”

I used [Struggler’s Resolve] for the last bit and finally Blue Rose let out a sigh.

“Well, you somehow survived on a Hell World for two weeks, so why not this? What do you think, Wing Pho? We have anything here that we could use to make this?”

He glanced upward thoughtfully. “What aspect would this even be?”

“Earth,” I said. “Definitely earth.”

They both looked at me again.

“Well, it comes from the ground, right?” I said.

“That’s not how it works,” he said. “But you are correct in that the methods for extraction are similar. That means we need a means of dissolving the crystal and then purifying the resulting effluent afterwards.”

I thought about the Spider Bitch, G’hru’julah, and her toxic venom. That shit ate through rocks like nothing. Getting some from her would be impossible, but she clearly had spider like kin on the surface that I could hunt down and extract venom glands from.

“Leave the solvent to me,” I said. “Some of the demons have acidic glands.”

Wing Pho nodded. “Alright. Then to purify we would need some kind of metal to neutralize the acid.”

Blue Rose reached into her robes and produced a couple of copper Wen. “Will this work?”

Wing Pho’s face lit up. “Ah, splendid. It should.”

“Perfect!” I said, getting more excited by the minute.

“Only one thing,” Wing Pho said. “We don’t have any implements to carry all this out. We need glass that won’t be dissolved by the acid.”

Blue Rose frowned. “Don’t look at me. I don’t have that.”

But I merely smiled. “One glass bowl coming up.”

I grabbed another boulder and using the edge of my axe, carved out an impression, making a deep basin. I told everyone to stand back and then blasted it with a burst of [Frenzied Lightning]. The result was a granite sink with a glazed interior.

“Will this work?” I asked.

Wing Pho studied it, feeling the inside, and then quickly snapped his hand back.

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“Still hot,” he said. “But it feels like glass. Should work.”

I smiled. “You two do the math to figure the amounts of materials to use. I’ll go get the acid.”

“Wait,” Blue Rose said. “Isn’t it still daytime up there?”

“Best time to go hunting for this stuff,” I said, but in truth I was just excited to see if this would work. Plus, I needed to get used to the idea of fighting on the surface under the Cursed Star as well as to cultivate and progress my [Sacred Soul Shield] technique. “Be right back.”

* * *

It took me a little over four hours to find the exact kind of demons I was looking for. With my new [Sacred Soul Shield] ability though, plus my breakthrough in conditioning from recovering naturally and with my new insights and advancements from killing G’hru’julah, I was feeling more confident than ever.

Not that it was easy, mind you.

I could only leave the tunnel and go out in short bursts, facing the wailing monstrosities of the Cursed Stars. It was a literal madhouse. Shark headed bears that were hairless and covered in oozing sores, centipedes that crawled into the sky like they were walking on invisible walls.

None of it made sense.

It was like looking into a mixing bowl where everything that was natural was suddenly combined and turned upside down. It did wonders for my spiritual progression, however. I was memorizing everything I saw. Desperate not to unsee it.

For every minute I spent outside the tunnel in the broiling rays of the Cursed Star, I needed to spend nearly double that, just to regain my sanity and recover. That was the time I took to jot down quick sketches of the various demons and monsters I saw. After recovering, I’d then go back at it again. Slowly, I was working my way up with each exposure. Starting with a minute, then two, then three. My Frenzy density could endure far more, but I needed to go slowly.

At five minutes, I took the time to start killing some of the demons, for added [Bloodlust] and to test how my [Sacred Soul Shield] technique held up in combat. I hewed through the howling, screeching monstrosities, with [Frenzied Lightning] and was once again, surprised by how tough they were despite my new upgrades.

Under the influence of the Cursed Star, even the minor demons were what had to be classified as S class monsters back home. The result was a workout for mind, soul and body, with me retreating to the tunnel when the edges of my vision began to darken, and I sensed the presence of my Flame’s master.

The Cleansing Flame of the Cursed Star.

It was the father of I’xol’ukz and all the monstrosities here, but unlike the Herald, its motivation for me seemed different. Where I’xol’ukz saw me as an enemy and traitor to be completely destroyed, this Cleansing Flame wanted me to reunite and become one with it again.

As I sat in the shade of the tunnel contemplating it, I supposed it made sense.

I’xol’ukz and the Frenzied Flame were like brothers, both born of the One True Flame. Which meant the Frenzied Flame was more like a prodigal son, and just like in the Bible story, he was hated and despised by his older brother. I’xol’ukz didn’t want to see his wayward brother reconciled to the father.

He wanted him punished and destroyed.

I felt something open up inside of me as the new truth was revealed.

My Flame brightened.

I was emboldened even further now that I knew where I stood in relation to that Dark God. Before it was simply a monstrosity with motives unknown. But now, it had become my vengeful, jealous uncle who wanted to see me and my dad destroyed.

Which made the Cursed Star grandpa, I guessed.

I laughed at my oversimplification of it all.

But I wasn’t wrong as far as I could tell.

As my time under the Cursed Star got longer, so too did my recovery periods and I used the time to study the other gift I had received from my battled with G’hru’julah.

The new Shuras bequeathed to me by Fhae I’ung.

There was no way I could master them all in the time I had, but of those I saw, I tried to at least master the basics of the ones I found interesting and that could perhaps be useful in trying to get back home. The first was an upgrade to [Frenzied Flame] and one that tied right into the new revelation I had just learned.

[Furious Flame of the Father]

Know thee not, oh kindled one, from whence thy might doth flow? For we who Struggle against, there is no greater strength, but to succumb is annihilation. In times of dire need, one may use the strength of thy progenitor to greatly multiply the effectiveness of thy Flame, but to do so for too long will see it consumed and returned to its origin.

The next ones seemed to be upgrades to my existing abilities, of [My Turn], [Fear the Flame] and [Indifference].

[I Still Live]

When thou doth suffer a fatal blow by thy enemy and through thy strength doeth survive, use this technique to ensure that such kindness is repaid one hundred-fold.

[Torment of the Frenzied Flame]

Use thy Frenzy to strengthen thy words with the power of the Flame itself, for the [Fear of the Flame] is innate. Do so to sharpen thy tongue as a barb, where thy words prick and shatter the very spirit, mind and soul of one’s foe. For the proud and boastful, often fortify themselves with words, creating confidence where there is truly none, for false confidence is no confidence at all.

[Barren Ground]

Thy inner world can be a place of fortification and also peace. Yet take care, oh kindled one, that thy struggles are not overshadowed by one’s loss and grief. In such time, one’s [Indifference] can be harnessed to produce a void of solace. A place where thy cares can be cast down. Yet, where thy cares lie, thou shalt see not one, for thou carest not and all shall be barren ground.

The last one seemed kind of heavy, and I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. I searched further through the Shuras for some more practical manifestation techniques.

[Trudge]

Combine the strength of ones resolve and indominable will to step forward with a dominance that strikes fear and terror in the hearts of one’s foes. To fly quickly into combat and gain an initiating strike are the tactics of the weak and unsure. Do thou the opposite, for surely, one who marches slowly into the face of battle, or the presence of his foes, will show them no mercy nor weakness. Once initiated, such steps cannot be broken nor stalled. For not even the gates of Heaven nor Hell can withstand the trudge of a Berserker’s iron-willed resolve.

[Focused Fury]

It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Use this technique for one to take a glimpse within thy own. As thy eyes become burning embers of rage and pain, use it to shatter the will of thy foes or to bolster thy allies with hope and resolve.

[Burning Soul]

If thy eyes are yet not good enough, use thy entire body instead. Draw upon the strength of thy Flame to create a burning effigy of thy indominable spirit, terrorizing all.

[Three Fold Frenzy]

An advanced manifestation technique that briefly combines all three of thy forms for a single technique or blow, greatly amplifying one’s strength. Do so sparingly however, for such will greatly tax both body and soul, resulting in an immediate slumber. Be assured then, oh kindled one, that a death blow of one’s foe is assured.

[Fury of the Fallen]

The fall of one’s comrades in battle can be a source of great loss and grief, but also power. Use this technique to channel one’s inner rage and despair, drawing in the very essence of the fallen to aid in retribution and recompence.

I paused contemplating that last one.

It was something I could perhaps have used when I lost my platoon.

But damn it, what a hell of a price.

I feared to think of what that meant now.

The thought of losing Blue.

Hell no, I thought.

That wouldn’t be worth all the Frenzy in the world to me.

Which meant I needed to ensure my plan worked.

That doubled my resolve and thankfully after the next couple of checks onto the surface, I finally found the demons I was looking for. They were spider kin and looked just like miniature versions of G’hru’julah. There were only three of them, and they were nestled within the midst of a massive demon horde.

I wished I had mastered that [Trudge] technique already.

That would definitely come in handy out here.

But for now, I had to do it the old-fashioned way.

I leapt into the fray, chopping and hacking at the demons while watching my Frenzy reserves. My [Steel Skin] and [Steel Lightning] needed upgrading as well, I realized. As teeth claws and all manner of sharp appendages ripped across my skin, they drew blood, which further heightened my pain and rage.

I finally reached the three spider sisters and let loose with an attempt at [Torment of the Frenzied Flame].

“Condolences for killing your mom, bitches!” I shouted, while activating the meridian sequence for the technique. “Old G’hru’julah sends her regards from hell!”

I wasn’t sure if the technique had even worked or not, but all three of them shrieked like banshees as rage spiked within their souls. Then they did what I was hoping for them to do. Streaks of venom spurted from the fangs lining their undercarriages and where they hit the ground, the rock hissed and melted away.

I smiled back at them. “Bingo.”

* * *

It took a bit more time and effort killing all three of them than I first thought. But with an application of [Mark of the Beast] I used my axe techniques at close range to hack off their limbs to cripple their mobility. By the time I was done they were reduced to using the same old bag of tricks as their mom did to survive, only this time, instead of turning into sweet old ladies, they took on the guise of seductive geishas, promising to service me like no human woman ever could.

I let them feel my disgust by giving them a taste of my ‘axe head’ instead.

I had to unleash a volley of [Wrath of a Thousand Slain Souls] to push back the next wave of demons crashing down on top of me, clearing them out before I could get back to butchering the spider women’s corpses to find their venom sacs, while at the same time pocking their demonic cores.

Awakened demons like them were still a rarity and the cores were needed at Du Gok Bhong. I finally returned to the tunnel to find Blue Rose waiting for me at the halfway point.

“Damn it, Max!” she shouted. “Where the hell were you? I was worried sick! It’s been five hours!”

“Yeah sorry,” I said. “I found these three spider ladies out there and they really wanted to suc—”

“Will you stop with the jokes!” she shouted. “Seriously! Now did you get the glands or what?”

I couldn’t suppress my laugh. “Damn, I’ve missed making you mad Blue.”

She rolled her eyes. “Come on. Wing Pho and I have everything ready. I truly hope this doesn’t work, because you don’t need to be doing this crap every day.”

“I kind of do actually,” I retorted, but I didn’t say anything else due to the glare in her eyes.

We went back to the cavern and found Wing Pho had chipped off a thimble worth of aetherite and ground it into a fine dust. Along with it was a single Wen coin.

“This will be enough to balance the reaction,” Wing Pho said.

“How much acid do I add?” I asked.

“Pour it to the height of the mound,” he said.

I pulled out one of the slimy spider girl sacs and squeezed out a portion of the venom. The vibrant green liquid covered the pile of dust and all of us then gathered about to see what would happen.

“Doesn’t seem to be working,” Song De said.

“Not strong enough?” Blue Rose asked.

“It’s pretty powerful stuff,” I said. “Melts most rocks like nothing.”

I then poured some on the ground to demonstrate, resulting in a small hissing crater on the floor.

“Give it time,” Wing Pho said. “The lattice structure of aetherite is incredibly strong.”

We did just that and true to his prediction, or calculations perhaps, the venom began to fizz. After ten minutes the reaction stopped and there was no powder left at all, with the green venom turning slightly yellowish now.

“The reduction is complete,” Wing Pho said. “Now for the purification.”

He placed a sizable rock into the liquid, but nothing happened.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“A catalyst,” he said. “Something needs to absorb the impurities removed from the solution. There is a mineral in this type of rock that will swap places with the copper once it reacts with the acid.”

“Damn,” I said. “Glad you’re here, Wing Pho. I probably would have tried to drink it just like this.”

Blue Rose shook her head. “Gods, you’re such a chun.”

Wing Pho dropped in the Wen coin, and it began popping and fizzing immediately.

The color then changed, turning from yellow-green to vibrant blue.

“Whoa,” I said. “Pretty just like your name Blue.”

“Shut up,” she snapped. “Did the copper do that, Wing Pho?”

“The rock,” he said. “It is called shíqīng or Blue Stone. The element has traded places with the copper. He lifted out the rock and it was now green.”

“Damn,” I said. “Is it safe to drink now?”

“No,” he said. “Not safe for anyone. But it is now purified, if that’s what you mean. You may attempt to consume it at your own risk. And against my professional advice as a scholar.”

I grinned and scooped a handful of the liquid into my palm.

“One sip!” Blue Rose shouted. “Just taste it.”

“Okay, okay.”

I lifted my hand to my mouth and let a few drops dribble inside.

Warmth spread through by body like fire.

It was like drinking straight moonshine and the metallic taste had my mouth feeling like it was growing crystals inside. But for my soul, the stuff did wonders. New concentrated Frenzy poured into my Dantian, replenishing me with just a couple of drops. The stuff wasn’t just liquid Frenzy, it was super concentrated, like drinking soda syrup.

I hungrily lapped up some more and got another throttling boost of Frenzy.

“Hot damn!” I shouted. “This shit is Blue Lemonade for real!”

Everyone looked at me like I was crazy.

“That’s it!” Blue Rose said. “He’s speaking nonsense! It’s turning him mad!”

“No, wait, wait!” I said, stopping her. “That was just a phrase from my home world. It means its really good. It’s working for me, Wing Pho. Thank you. But none of you can try this. Seriously. It will turn you crazy, like you said.”

Wing Pho adjusted his glasses staring at not my face but my Dantian.

“Unbelievable,” he said. “His Qi density has increased. H-how?”

I merely shrugged. “Like I said. Maybe its being around these demons for so long. Or eating them.”

“I rather eat my own leg, I think,” Wing Pho said, shaking his head.

“You honestly feel alright?” Blue asked, staring into my face as if looking for signs of dementia. “You’re okay?”

“Better than okay,” I said. “With this. I know our plan can work.”

Two weeks of training to perfect [Sacred Soul Shield] and a possibly limitless supply of Frenzy to haul us across half the planet? There was no way we could fail now.

The only thing we needed was more.

“Wing Pho, get working on enough to use up all this venom,” I said, showing him the three sac glands in my hands. I wasn’t sure if there was anything strong enough to dissolve aetherite outside the venom of an Awakened Star Born Demon. Probably not. Which meant I needed not just enough supply to get off the Hell World, but enough to keep in reserve for when I left it as well.

This was truly the equivalent of a Qi Cultivator elixir for me.

And I understood now, why they went so gonzo over the stuff.

With this, I could cultivate enough Frenzy to blast through to the next realm.

“We should get some rest,” Blue Rose said. “It will be night soon and we need to be up at midnight to start our Bloodmoon training as well.”

That reminded me of needing to make contact with Kelsey.

Everything was coming together perfectly.

I had new Shuras to master, a new source of Frenzy to cultivate from, a huge window of opportunity to find Kelsey and a bunch of people to keep me company to boot, even if one of them was the asshole Jei Su Long.

“Sounds good,” I said. “Let’s get some rest. Our training begins in earnest at midnight.”