To the Depth of Abyss
Chapter 7: Cultivate

"Dude! Can't you wait for a few more days?!"

Ars can't wait for himself to recover. He has to push-ups at least 50x to waste time.

[Cultivate - Passive Buff: Increases Experience gained by 25%]

[Time Limit: 643 Hours 12 Minutes 43 Seconds]

Last night, Ars realized that he got a new skill which was very useful.

In that realistic game world, there was no such thing as a level system like in the world of fictional games. But Hunters can measure their strength with [Combat Power] and [Magic Power] systems in the Guild.

There is [Power System Info] in personal info on the Hunter Bracelet.

When he first registered as a Hunter, Ars got a bad score in [Combat Power].

[Combat Power: 430]

That is Ars' [Combat Power] number now.

[Power System] is also a benchmark for Hunter ranking:

Bronze: Combat Power <1000

Silver: Combat Power 1000 ~ 2500

Gold: Combat Power 2500 ~ 5000

Ars didn't know exactly what [Skill Passive: Cultivate] was doing. One thing is certain, Ars must not waste this skill which has a month limit.

The next day Ars raised the push-up portion and added crunches to train his weak legs.

When his wounds seemed to heal faster, Yin finally started training him.

Yin trained him outdoors. Yin watched him with a sword at his waist. Be careful if there are monsters that roam around the house.

In the middle of training, Ars suddenly stopped moving.

"What's the matter, young man?! Are you getting tired?!"

Ars is tired, but that's not it. "I've been training this hard for a week, but I didn't earn a trophy."

A week earlier, when Ars lifted the 50kg Silver Rock on his back, he earned a Trophy. But that time he didn't get any, even though he had moved so much.

Does Trophy only can be earn when you do something as a Hunter?

Even though that is quite disappointing, Ars still had [Cultivate]. He had even felt the effect of the 25% increase in experience gained.

For example, if he does 100 push-ups, he will get 25x bonus push-ups. If he gets a power increase of 100, then there will be a 25 point bonus because of that passive skill [Cultivate].

As the days passed, the portion of Ars' physical exercise increased. Especially in his weakest part, which is stamina.

~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks passed, Ars' training method changed.

"Raising adrenaline is a quick way to train stamina."

"You didn't tell me shit about this!"

Ars is running around the house while being chased by two Giant Bull Hornets. Horned stingers are twice the size of an adult human and have a rapier needle as big as a rapier. Getting one prick is the same as dying. That, of course, scared the shit out of Ars.

Yin provoked the two Bull Hornets and made them chase Ars who covered in honey liquid.

"Just how long are you going to make me do this!? I'm dying right here!"

Ars has circled around the house for over 50 rounds. It's the same as running 10 km, plus the uneven terrain makes running more difficult.

"You can run to me for help if you want!"

Yin slightly underestimated him when he is literally running for his life.

It upset Ars. He turned down Yin's offer and turned 10 times before running toward Yin.

However, before Ars could reach Yin, he lost his balance and fell forward, with two Bull Hornets still chasing him behind.

"It's fine if you want to cross the line. But it's better if you are wise and know your limits. So you can avoid instant death that might come your way."

Yin approached Ars right when Ars fell. Drawing his sword, Yin killed the two Bull Hornets in two quick slashes.

"I think the strength and agility you have are enough for now. Time to train you on how to fight. "

~~~~~~~~

Yin trained Ars to fight, to actually fight, with no initial training or preliminary teachings.

"I've never experienced being a teacher, and you were the first person I being taught. So I don't have a manual or steps for you to follow. But as the saying goes, 'experience is the best teacher'. Therefore, I will continue to beat you up and let you realize what you have to develop."

Yin beat Ars in a one-on-one battle. Using the only hand he has, Yin beat Ars to the ground on the first day of training.

On the second day, Ars with a face that still battered got beaten again. But this time, Ars could withstand a few Yin's blow.

"Don't forget that humans can use all parts of their bodies as weapons, young man."

On the third day, Yin used his feet to beat Ars. The battered on Ars' body is increasing because of Yin's kicks.

Three days continued getting beaten by old man Yin, Ars emotions increasingly piled up. The emotion made Ars unable to sleep and kept thinking about ways, remembering the movements and stimulating his body to not only survive but also searching for a way to counterattack.

"Your eyes are getting better the more I beat you up, good."

It's true, Ars had a grudge against the man who called himself his master. But the grudge did not lead to hatred, but led Ars to become better every day.

"Letting myself let my guard down and strike back at my weak side. Looks like this method is good enough for someone like you, young man. "

Unable to sleep overnight produced results.

Fighting exercises last for a week, just like physical exercise. In the third week, Yin changed Ars' training to combat training using weapons.

"But you sure you don't want to take a day off, young man."

"Are you starting to feel tired because three weeks non-stop continuing on training me, old man?"

"Hey, don't underestimate me. It took a full month to open the path to Silver Steel Mountain, and during that time we continued to fight against the Landlord."

[Landlord are monsters that can be found when you first open the Floor. From the data available, the Landlord monster on the 1st Floor was once a large group of Goblins, several orcs, and the Floor Boss, Lord Goblin.]

"Well, that time was so hard. I even lost almost all of my comrades in that fight."

Yin did not tell it directly, but only heard a piece of complaint from a legend, Ars know how hard it is to open a floor.

"Then don't waste time with your complaints. I still need to be stronger so I can pierce all the floors."

Another factor is because [Cultivate] is still active. That's why Ars can't waste one second of his time.

"You need not hurry. Great power that gets in a short time will only give greed in a person."

Greed, Ars told nothing about the incident in Fafnir's lair. However, when Fafnir gave a curse of greed to Ars, Ars could not stop but continued to want to become stronger.

[The Dragon's Greed]

It was a [Trophy] that Ars got directly from Fafnir. There is no explanation to explain the use of the [Trophy]. But it doesn't matter, even if the [Trophy] is just a decoration, it won't stop Ars from getting stronger.