RIP – The Impossible Lotus and Ki Enlightenment
"Agh, that damn floater bastard."
I gritted my teeth and pushed through the training in silence. Trying to cultivate in the army barracks felt like pure torture. In the end, I spent the whole day listening to Geomseong's breathing technique lecture, but I still couldn't grasp ki.
Today's a bust.
I grabbed a shelf, laid out my mat, and covered myself with a blanket. Closing my eyes, memories of my private first class days flooded back.
A short, dumb joke popped into my head unbidden—the idiotic hazing ritual where we'd have to make the seniors laugh at lights out, or we couldn't sleep. Years after discharge, it still haunted me now and then. Probably for life.
"Damn it all."
That night, I dreamed of re-enlisting.
Everything sucked. My back ached, legs numb.
Lotus position. Inhaling made my spine creak; exhaling felt like it would snap. No blood reached my shins or insteps.
How the fuck do you even... in this pose...
Amid the curses, Geomseong's words echoed:
—Breathing is ki.
But my breathing was just torture, not cultivation.
This is impossible short-term.
Geomseong seemed to agree.
He dropped that line and vanished. After that, I silently practiced the breathing and training he'd taught.
A week passed. No progress.
Does lotus have to be mandatory?
lmao I predict min 10 years lmao
"Haa..."
Might as well buy lowest-grade orbs from auction. Boosting physical stats might change things.
Auction showed prices up a bit. Avg bid 36 gold. Instant buy ~40 gold.
Couldn't wait for dips anymore—panic buy. Spent 5,000 gold: 42 red orbs, 40 blue, 43 yellow. Total 125 orbs. No white stock—high demand.
Agh, who the fuck jacked prices sudden! "Leap of the Dead" saying mean nothing? Lowest orbs always spike then crash official-like, why hoard now? Who?
lmao Kim Hogu pulling all shit for ki lmao
Think it'll work? lmaooooooo
I ignored the mockery and swallowed all the orbs.
Insane. Combat power up 500 in one go.
...That's it? Plus, surging 500 so fast made changes brutal. Bones growing from inside. Heart pounding to escape ribs, blood like molten iron racing veins.
"Haa."
Cheaper would've been nice, but whatever. Feeling strength flood my body, I resumed training.
"Fuu."
Blue orbs boosted recovery and elasticity—training eased up. Still, barely any progress. Hit a wall.
I felt ki's existence. Inhaled ki rode breath inside: lungs, heart, sinking slow to dantian spot Geomseong described.
But that's it. Teased pooling, then slipped at the edge. No structure to hold—like water spilling from hands.
Won't accumulate. Won't stagnate...
Like stacking on thin air. Pouring water sans vessel.
Insight would make it easy...
Sigh, undid lotus. Feet hurt too much.
Stretching neck for break—then.
"......"
A mirror caught my eye. Dingy square one on barracks wall. Army always had one—stats showed lower suicide with mirrors.
Laugh bell beside it. Ring it, laugh mandatory. Defense Ministry thought laughter curbed impulses.
Ignoring forced smiles backfire...
Not the point.
"Kinda feels like it'll work."
Stood, faced mirror. Activated Insight.
Vision blurred, focused inward.
And—
...It works.
Internal flows visible. Yes...!
Dropped Insight, inhaled. glimpsed odd lump by heart.
...Nah, imagination.
Propped mirror, resumed lotus. Mirrored body + Insight: different. Watched flows while breathing—ki hit dantian, swirled, evaporated.
No axis, still hard even seeing.
Then it hit:
—Self-twisting coil form.
...Worth a shot.
Inhaled. Controlled power via breath: thin, long, slow, unidirectional. Not plane, line—thinner. Thread-like.
Yes, thread.
Power coiled space inside dantian, self-structuring. Insight enabled it.
—Fuuu.
Threads tangled ring—second, third followed. Rings supported, weaving precise pattern around dantian.
Strands formed.
This... works.
Axis born. Base established. Dispersing power now condensed, lingered, stacked—like thread ball.
My dantian's ki skein held firm, unspooling.
Infusing rapier with ki? Easy. Insight on dantian, unwound skein manually. Focused total, eased to rapier.
...This okay?
Not standard, but functional.
—Fuuuuu.
Formless haze coiled rapier. Inefficient, but best now.
Align. Center...
Aimed canteen, thrust.
Whoosh—
Ki-wrapped rapier shot. Clang! Tip dead-center.
Crunch! Pierced.
Squelch. Through.
—Kieeeek!
Unnamable shriek—canteen split.
Stood rapier down. Key like rifle locker one tumbled out.
"Done."
Pocketed key, posted proof pic to gallery. All lost it.
Now to next floor.
100th: monsters, env level 1. 'Layer Record' said dungeon-like.
To 99th: clear boss room, enter shrine.
Like 103rd. Riskier than 101st obvious.
"Fuu."
But no desire linger army one more min/sec. Breathing alone suffocating.
Escape first.
Unlocked barracks door with canteen key.
—Click.
Charred black ash space. Soot piles, smoke. Air dank, heavy.
Fucking ominous.
Scorched wood smell, lukewarm temp. Like gathered ash remnants.
Real exit, right?
Deep breath, stepped in.
Swish swish—
Gray flakes climbed legs, swallowed body: legs, waist, chest, jaw. Black ash engulfed vision last.
Crack.
Something shattered in ears.
Then—, 100th floor.
Blurry vision.
"...Cough."
First sight: black bricks. Torches flickered hazy between gaps. Cold flames swayed silent.
Checked shadows rippling.
Maze terrain?
No monsters nearby. 100th threats mostly monsters.
"Fuu...."
Layer shift aftereffects: eyes half-shut, body heavy, ears ringing, eyes dry.
Stings.
Tears welled. Rubbed eyes, wiped.
That instant.
Shwick.
Presence—slash sound.
...What.
Sharp grazed nape.
Gulp—.
Hot swallow disgust. Back neck slick, throat stung. Bad feeling...
Vision slid down slow. Tilted.
Eh...?
No voice.
Thud.
Head bounced like ball.
"Odin! Great warrior Orkan offers another to your altar!"
Blackout.
That dumb barbarian guarding 100th ages ago. Still kicking?