Ryan's back was pressed against the cold, rough concrete wall, gasping heavily.
The lobby of the office building was filled with the stale smell of dust and mold, and light slanted through the cracks in the collapsed ceiling like a few silent blades.
It's safe for now, but his heart beat hasn't fully recovered.
Half of it was because of the life-or-death escape just now, and the other half was because this... What kind of a ghost is it?
The female shadow, formed by the light blue magical glow, was floating in front of him, her hands folded over her breasts.
There was an unabashed sense of criticalness and scrutiny on her beautiful face.
Long silvery hair danced without the wind, long pointed ears quivered slightly, and purple eyes sharply scanned him back and forth as if to see him from inside out.
"A rookie?" Ryan took a deep breath, trying to hold back the waves in his heart and force himself to calm down.
In the end, anything beyond understanding can be a fatal trap, but it can also be an opportunity to reverse it."What heck are you? Part of that'system'?"
"Something?" In Ryan's mind, a name came to life - Alicia.
Her long eyebrows were raised high, and the resentment in her voice was almost solid."Pay attention to your wording, indentured! I'm Alicia Moonshadow, a purveyor of the Way of Oz, and I'm not an appendage to the cold'system' you call it!"
She waved her hand gracefully (though only as a translucent shadow) as if she were brushing away dust that did not exist.
"As for why I'm here, that's what I should have asked you!" Her voice rose suddenly, with a hint of anger."I was performing a crucial experiment in my magical tower when I was suddenly pulled by a violent force and then with your soul... It's tied up."
When she spoke of "binding," she showed an expression of disgust that was too obvious to be obvious. "It looks like your strange'system' took me for a giveaway."
Ryan's brain was racing, digesting the information.
The system suggests "high-dimensional data soul fluctuations," "data life forms." Could the characters in his game really become independent in some form and be captured by the system?
"You said... Contractors?"Ryan caught another key word that stuck with him.
"Of course." Alicia pointed her fingertips at the position of her temples in a gesture of pride."I can feel the faint and... Crude soul links, but it does exist. According to the Universal Law, you provide the 'anchor' and necessary energy for my existence, and I, at the beginning of your path to the magic, provide a little... Little guidance."
She bit the word "insignificant" very hard, making it clear she was saying the opposite.
"Guidance?" Ryan's heart moved as though he had seized a life saving straw.
What he lacks most now is an understanding of his own abilities and of this changing world."What can you guide me? What about this'space-time wizard system'? What about magic?"
"Magic?" Alicia gave a crisp laugh, completely ironic."The way the energy runs inside your body is a mess and a mess, like a bunch of drunk gnomes banging in underground pipes. First of all, you don't even know the most basic'meditation'. There is a treasure empty of, but you don' know how to open it."
She drifted closer, and even though she was a shadow, Ryan felt an invisible, heavy sense of oppression that almost made him breathless.
"The one you just used... The little trick of turning back time consumes your own mental and vital power. If you don't have the right guidance, use it a few times more without the enemy, and you will run out of oil first, you know?"
A cold sweat erupted behind Ryan's back, and the hairs stood up.
He did feel a moment of weakness after the use of the time, which he had thought was a normal response to the disappearance of the adrenal gland, but now it seemed to have been a close encounter.
"So what am I going to do?" Ryan asked eagerly.
"Close your eyes, fool!" Alicia commanded, her tone unquestionable."Try to calm down and feel the energy elements flowing around you... Well, in terms you can understand, it's'magic' or'spirit'. Then, follow the path I guide, build cycles inside the body!"
Ryan told him to close his eyes.
At first, there was only darkness and the noise inherent in the ruined city.
But as he tried to get rid of his distractions and focus on "feeling," gradually he "saw" something unusual.
Countless tiny dots of light began to appear in the darkness, like stars in the distant universe.
They are colorful, red hot, blue cold, green life, silver space, and an extremely thin, undetectable pale gold that seems to be bound to time.
The dots of light drifted slowly around him, as if there were life.
[Detects that the host enters a state of depth perception, conforming to the basic teaching method.]]
[Would you like to receive your own meditation: The Sky View Thoughts: Introduction?]
The system prompt sounds in due course.
"Accept." Ryan thought in silence, without hesitation.
An impressive stream of information flooded into my mind: a complex diagram of the motions of the stars, clearly mapping the paths of energy through specific channels in the body.
Almost at the same time, Alicia's cold voice echoed in his ear:"Well, your'system' does have some vision and gives you a fairly sophisticated gateway. Notice, follow my guidance and don't freak out unless you want to short-circuit your energy circuits!"
A cool thought gently touched Rayne's spirit, guiding his consciousness, like a red paint, to begin moving slowly along the path of the Stargazing Ideas.
He tried to capture the dots around him, especially the silver dots of space and the pale golden dots of time, and carefully introduced them into his body into a tiny, newly opened cycle of energy.
The process was slow and difficult, and each step was like trudging through the mud.
But after each cycle, Wren felt a faint but true warmth rising from the Dantian (or energy core), dissipating some of the fatigue, the spirit became more Pure Brightness, and the vision seemed to be broadened.
Not knowing how long it took, perhaps ten minutes, perhaps an hour, Ryan suddenly emerged from that mysterious state.
When he opened his eyes, the world seemed much clearer, and even the searching shouts of vulture gang members in the distance became more tangible.
And in Alicia's eyes, the shadow seemed to solidify a little, no longer so elusive.
"It's a fool's errand, but at last it's not so stupid as to be hopeless." Alicia commented, but there was a faint hint of surprise and appreciation in her eyes.
The first meditation was successful in attracting energy, especially to rare elements of space-time, a gift that was remarkable, even a little demonic, in her world.
[Ding!He successfully completed a basic cycle of the Astrospheric Thoughts, and his mental strength improved slightly, and his space-time affinity improved slically.]
[Newbie Mission Released: The Power of Familiarity]
[Mission Objective: To absorb a'space-time crystal' (0 / 1).]
[Mission Description: Weak energy fluctuations in space-time were detected in the Central Park area of the city, and there appeared to be crystal formation.Getting it will accelerate your growth.]
[Teacher rewards: Time backtracking skills a small reduction in cooling time, and unlock new skills: Time acceleration (beginner).]
The system interface popped up again, with clear goals and attractive rewards that made Ryan breathe a few more pounds.
"A crystallization of space-time?" Ryan's eyebrows tightened.
Central Park? It's now the nest of mutant plants and powerful monsters, and the danger is more than one level higher than here!
"A crystallization of space-time?" Alicia also saw the system interface, and her shadow drifted forward, her eyes flashing with interest."It's a good thing indeed. It stabilizes and expands your perception of the forces of space and time, which is beneficial to both you and me. But what's the difference between going there with your power now and dying?"
She drifted to the window and glanced out at the sun, which was turning westward. It was beginning to darken.
"The priority is to give your 'chronology apprentice' a little ability to protect yourself first. For example, learn how to attach energy to a weapon or execute the simplest of a magical missile, you moron."
Ryan followed her gaze and saw two members of the vulture gang scolding about for his tracks.
Little by little his eyes grew cold and firm, like a silent volcano about to erupt.
He bent down to pick up the piece of rusty steel that had been used as a defense against him on the ground, his palms clenched, his knuckles white.
"The theory class is over, Alicia Tutor." His deep voice bore an unmistakable ferocity."Now, it's time for real-world lessons. Let's start with these two'sessions'!"
For the first time, Alicia's lips lit up a smile that was almost real, with a slightly bloodthirsty anticipation.
"That's just a bit like that. Remember the main points of the energy operation, concentrate, and imagine that your power is coursing through your body... Oh, yeah, don't hit your face. it's too ugly."
(End of this chapter)