Tribulations were meant to check the worthiness of a person; that is what people of this world knew. Even with all the studies done by many scholars and enlightened individuals, they still had no answer as to why people were subjected to tribulations. The only explanation they came up with was that tribulations were an exam that must be completed if one wanted to reach the pinnacle.
"That means, I can advance my elemental magic just by using it? Is there any other way to increase the level outside of just using?" Rudra asked as he changed the topic. He wanted to focus on the ways he could get stronger.
[Yes, you will need to increase your understanding of the element itself, so that you can increase your skill level. Currently, you are very low level, which is why your skill level can increase because of your usage. However, the stronger your skill gets, you will be required to have an in-depth understanding of the element itself. In some cases, if you level your skill too fast and you lack the understanding, your growth will halt. That is why it is highly recommended for you to grow your understanding of the element first.]
"Can you help me understand the elements?" Rudra asked hopefully.
[Unfortunately, I cannot. Understanding is something you will have to increase on your own. I can only guide you; however, most of the work will have to be done by you.]
"Alright, tell me how I can do that," Rudra asked. He wasn't disappointed; he was more motivated to learn than ever. He was sure that he would be able to do anything if he just put his mind to it. That's how he had lived so far, that's why he was not afraid of any challenges.
[First, you need to connect with the element. Just like what you did the first time when you first acquired the skill, you will have to understand how the element itself is formed and how it works.]
"Sounds simple enough..." Rudra said as he activated his nether eyes, he wanted to give it a try right then and there.
Knock Knock. "I am coming in," someone declared. The door of the room Rudra was in slowly opened up after the declaration. From outside the door came in a woman in her mid-20s. She was wearing the traditional maid outfit, just like the ones that were worn back on Earth. She was holding onto a tray, on the tray there was a bowl of soup, still steaming.
"Grasp! You woke up?" When the maid saw Rudra, who was standing beside the bed, she was totally shocked. "Careful, it's gonna fall." Rudra, who saw the bowl shake, jumped forward trying to prevent the bowl from falling from the tray. He didn't want the beautiful carpet that decorated the room to get damaged by the soup.
"Ah... I am really sorry, I was really shocked when I saw you wake up so soon. At first, I thought you were some intruder. I am really sorry, and thank you; if you hadn't stopped the bowl from falling, I would have gotten a lot of scolding. Hehehe," Maid chuckled, seeing her laugh. Rudra couldn't help but smile as well. "It's fine. But why were you so surprised when you saw me?" he asked in confusion.
"Oh, a healer came by a few hours ago, he said you are in good condition. However, your spiritual pathways are in quite a bad shape, so he said it might take a few days for you to wake up." Answered the maid honestly.
"Oh, so that's why..." Rudra muttered as if he had understood. 'Hey, system, how are my spiritual pathways damaged? Why did I not feel anything? When did this happen?' He started a barrage of questions in a panic as he truly had no idea how he was hurt. From what he knew, if one's spiritual pathways are damaged even a little, they would have a very difficult time when refining spiritual power. This meant, if true, Rudra had a huge problem in his hand.
[Yes, you have a severely damaged spiritual pathway. This will very negatively affect your mana growth. However, for your other questions, I do not know how it happened. When I fused with your body, your spiritual pathways were already severely damaged. The damage seemed to have happened just a little time before we fused.]
'Wait, does that mean, when I tried to absorb the spiritual power inside those chains. They damaged my spiritual pathways?' Rudra questioned himself as he was left in disbelief because of the situation he was in. He didn't have a constitution, and now, on top of that, his spiritual pathways were damaged as well. It was as if he had won the lottery for misfortune.
'This means I will have 3-4 times more difficulty getting stronger than an average person.' Rudra thought as the color started draining from his face. "Hey, are you okay? DO you need to sit down?" The maid asked in panic as she was alarmed after seeing Rudra. His face suddenly turned pale, and she felt as if he would fall any minute because of that.
"It's fine, I am totally okay.. hehe" Rudra assured the maid with a fake chuckle. The maid seemed to be really worried. 'Is there any way to repair the path?' Rudra questioned.
[You will either need a potent healer with the knowledge of spiritual pathways to heal you, or find an elixir that has the property of strengthening spiritual pathways.]
Both of the options you provided are very difficult; finding a powerful healer is difficult enough. Even if by a miracle I find a healer who meets the requirement, I do not have anything that I have to offer as a price for helping me. On the other hand, how can I find such a rare elixir? From what I know, finding those kinds of elixirs is nearly impossible for someone as weak as me.' Rudra mused, he was very distraught. He knew that healing his spiritual path wouldn't be very easy; he would need to stumble upon a treasure if he wanted to heal himself.
[Unfortunately, those are the only two options you have right now, if you want to heal your spiritual path. With your amount of strength you have right now, I have decided that other options are very risky, and the chances of you succeeding are below 0.]
"Here, maybe you are hungry, have some food. I am sure once you eat, you will go back to normal." Maid said as she offered a spoonful of soup to Rudra, who was still lost in his thoughts.
"Ah... It's okay, give that to me. I am totally fine, I can eat by myself." Rudra said in embarrassment, he had never had someone feed him before. So, he felt a little embarrassed by the situation.
"If you say so. I will be taking my leave then. Take care, you should take some rest. You still seem weak. However, this is great, you woke up before Maria left, I must report about your condition to her right now. She will be able to leave with peace in mind if she finds out you are awake." Maid said as she turned around, about to leave.
"Wait, what do you mean? Maria is leaving, where? Also, where am I right now?" Rudra asked in panic.