I was stunned for a few minutes after entering the courtyard. Several large trees swayed in the breeze, and a large pond reflected the shadows of fish swimming within. Near the pond sat a bench that seemed as if it were carved from marble. To the sides of the entrance, there was a small garden filled with beautiful flowers of unknown origin.
However, what really struck me was the freshness of the air. In my past life I lived in a major city my entire life, so I always scoffed when people spoke about "fresh air." But the air that I was breathing was nearly intoxicating. The breeze was crisp and cool, and the deeper I breathed, the more at ease I felt.
After taking in the sight for a few more minutes, I refocused on my task for the day. In the top left of my vision, I focused on the now-clear box, and my skill menu reappeared. After some quick navigation, the upgrade task was once more in front of me.
[Destroy or break Almighty Rod (Rename?) 10,000 times!]
[Current Progress: 0/10,000]
I noticed that with enough focus I could move the screen around my vision. After positioning the screen in the top left corner of my vision, I couldn't resist smiling. There is a special place in my heart for video games, and with this screen, I felt almost as if I were a character within a video game. That thought alone nearly made me giddy with excitement.
Slowly, I brought myself to the center of the clearing and took a strong grip on both sides of the staff.
'Okay, with every time I break the staff, it grow more durable along with my body.' I took a closer look at the staff. It looked fragile, thin, and easily broken. A part of me wondered if in the grand scheme of things my body was just as fragile.
As long as I break this twenty-eight times a day, I'll be done with this mission in less than a year. A little pain won't kill me.'
I am no stranger to pain, and even doctors told me that I had a high pain tolerance.
"This is going to be easy."
With the enthusiasm of a gaming veteran, I raised my knee and slammed the stick against it. The branch snapped like dry wood with hardly any effort.
As I had suspected, it broke in half with ease. I could feel my smile getting bigger.
'Piece of ca—'
Suddenly, a mind-shattering, all-consuming pain assaulted my senses. My vision swam, and there was a motion that I could not identify due to the pain. Suddenly, I felt the impact from my body hitting the ground, but it hardly registered. It felt like every bone in my body simultaneously shattered into a million pieces. It felt like my bones, muscles, skin, and even my organs were all being set on fire and then broken apart with a hammer at the same time.
I tried to scream, but the muscles surrounding my throat and my abdominal muscles were spasming so badly that only a weak groan made it out. The only thing I could do was whimper and wait for it to come back into focus. My focus drifted away from my senses, and at some point my eyes closed and my surroundings ceased to matter.
Hot tears ran down my face, and I dug my fingers into the earth to steady myself. The pain seemed to only grow worse until suddenly it disappeared, as if it never existed. The sudden change from all-consuming pain to the absence of any pain was jarring. My body slowly started to relax, and the surroundings came back into focus.
I gasped like a fish on dry land trying to fill my lungs with air.
'What the hell was that!'
I lay there gathering my wits as I tried to come to terms with what just happened. I was no stranger to pain, by any means, but this was different. In my last life I suffered from chronic migraines and back pain. There were days when I couldn't leave bed. There were even times where I thought I was going to die right then. The pain I just felt was infinitely worse than any of those times.
Eventually I managed to push myself over to my back and stare at the sky. I do not know how long I stared, but eventually I managed to bring myself back to a sitting position.
I took note of my surroundings. Everything seemed the same except where the broken staff once lay. Where once the broken pieces and splinters lay now sat a completely whole staff.
Quickly I averted my eyes away with fear. I am not ashamed to admit the idea of continuing filled me with dread.
'Maybe I should just give up?'
Once I had this familiar thought, it would not leave. It crept into my mind, and suddenly excuses after excuses echoed throughout my mind.
'Why should I have to do this'
'I have guards; why should I fight? That is simply inefficient.'
'A wise rule knows his weaknesses and maximizes his strengths.'
Every thought sounded like excuses at first before slowly becoming logical facts. I stood up, decision made.
'Let the brutes fight; I'll just develop the city and hire cultivators to fight for me.'
I began to walk back towards the courtyard's exit before something stopped me in my tracks.
Through a window, I saw a sight that took my breath away. Meng Mei was feeding Meng Feng when a gust of wind came by, blowing leaves into the air. Her eyes lovingly stared down at our son while her hair lightly danced in the wind. It was a picturesque scene that instantly cut through any excuses that my mind could generate and replaced it with a single question.
'Am I alright with putting the safety of my family to another?'
At that question, the part of my mind that lived off procrastination once more tried to make excuses. It attempted to justify itself by claiming that I was tired and would complete it tomorrow. Another part made the excuse that it was only the second day, that there was no rush, and that haste makes waste.
However, the question came back again and again. This time the question came along with images.
Some old monster, who deemed my son too talented, is hunting him down like an animal.
Some random young master desiring my wife and breaking my limbs to take her.
Skyfall City was alight with flames, and citizens were hunted down because some kid is on a power trip and decides to exterminate us to the roots.
Once more, like clockwork, the question came through. Scenes that would seem laughable in my previous reality were absolute possibilities in this one.
'Am I alright with putting the safety of my family to another?'
At some point unbeknownst to me, my brow furrowed and my fist tightened. Until, at last, I relaxed and took a breath. I already knew my answer. All the doubts and fears felt muted, and I decided to act.
I exited the courtyard and made my way to a maid stationed nearby. A few minutes later I returned to the courtyard with a kitchen knife. I ignored the staff lying on the ground and walked up to one of the trees and started looking at its many branches.
Looking at the branches, I eventually found one that perfectly suited my needs. I reached up and snapped my chosen branch from the tree. Walking over to the bench, I snapped the branch on each side, leaving a thick piece about the length of my hand.
Using the knife, I trimmed the branch of its bark and smoothed the surface the best I could and blew off any remaining debris.
'This should do the trick.'
I was left with a small and completely smooth wooden stick. Hesitation filled my mind before I took a deep breath and placed the stick horizontally in my mouth. I kept the stick in place by lightly biting down and made my way over to the Absolute Rod.
Taking hold of it, I quickly snapped it over my knee before I could hesitate further. Instantly the pain took over once more. If the pain were any less, I could not tell.
I quickly fell to my knees, and my hand clawed at the earth. I forced myself to look at Meng Mei and Feng despite the temptation to close my eyes. The sight did not dull the pain but allowed me to focus.
'One.'
'Two.'
'Three.'
The counting did not make it much better, but the bite guard did give me a bit of comfort. It still felt like my skeleton and organs shattered like glass, but it wasn't enough to make me quit. Not after I already made my decision.
'Eight.'
'Nine.'
'Ten.'
Like magic, the pain disappeared completely, and slowly strength came back to my limbs. To my left laid the staff, whole once more. Bringing myself back to my feet, I grabbed the staff and repeated my earlier motion before any hesitation or doubt about the sanity of what I was doing could enter my mind. The staff snapped again, and I collapsed again. This time the pain was noticeably less than the first break.
I felt my teeth plunge deeper and deeper into the bite guard until ten seconds passed, and once more the pain disappeared.
Okay, no problem. Just have to do this twenty-five more times
At that thought I let out an audible groan and stood up once more.