Chapter 7: The Real Deal (2/2)

Mr. Wannabe sneered at Wang Tong; his eyes were cold and contemptuous. His dismay and discouragement really haven’t made him a great teacher ”Of course not... the human race would have been doomed if that's all that the GN force could do.

What you released a moment ago was merely the power stored inside of your EMF, perhaps there was a trace amount of GN force that resulted from the revolving GN nodes, but the amount was negligible. You won’t be able to use the GN force until you have fully mastered the complete version of the ‘Tactics of the Blade’.”

Despite what Wannabe said, Wang Tong sensed a tinge of approval in his tone. Wannabe had been amazed at Wang Tong’s ability to quickly master the “Tactics of the Blade” which was known for its tremendous difficulty.

For the month that followed, Wang Tong had to live a destitute life in the cave. He had depleted his rations and had started to use plant leaves in the Nutrient Transformer to create nutrient pills in order to survive.

Wang Tong did not mind the horrible tastes of the artificial pills; he had spent most of his attention on practicing the tactics. He had never been so devoted to his training, despite the daily squabbles with Mr. Wannabe. All the while, Charcoal looked after his everyday life attentively. When he wasn't busy cooking or cleaning, he stood quietly in a corner without disturbing Wang Tong’s practice. As long as Charcoal was in sight, Wang Tong never felt lonely. Wang Tong felt that Charcoal had gradually become more than a robotic assistant, he had become a friend.

Wang Tong had now finally completed the “Tactics of the Blade”. He didn't feel the excitement that he thought he would, there were no drum rolls or cheers, it just happened, and it happened almost too easily.

At one time Wang Tong even doubted whether he had indeed completed the tactic, even Wannabe wasn't too sure about it, since he had never practiced the “Tactics of the Blade” himself. Their only indication of his progress was the flickering red dots on the human anatomy diagram. Every time one GN node had been connected by Wang Tong’s soul power, one corresponding red dot would disappear from the diagram, and when Wang Tong had connected the two hundred fifty-sixth GN node, all of the red dots were gone.

The two hundred and fifty-six GN nodes revolved around each other, forming an intricate system of moving energy throughout Wang Tong's body. A full round of the tactics would now take an entire day to finish.

It truly was a pity that no one was there to witness such an unprecedented feat. If Wang Tong had done it in broad daylight instead of the pitch dark cave, the five major houses of the Confederation would have sent their men to track down Wang Tong in order to learn his secrets.

This legendary tactic hadn’t stood the test of time, not only did the original version seem to have been lost in time, but the current version had been dumbed down to a pedestrian level. The only use for the current version of the tactic was to help increase the rate of success in a ”Mind Opening Operation”.

”You did well, lad. The next month we will focus on two things: one, continue your tactic training, and two, real combat. ”

”Real fight? Haha! Awesome! I can't wait to test my power. Will I be able to use my GN force then?”

”Idiot, of course not! What’s the hurry anyway? Haven't you learned about the rules of ‘Tactic first, GN force second’ at school?”

”Umm… I have never attended any military academy. So no, I’ve never learned that before.”

Unknown to Mr. Wannabe, Wang Tong had been struggling to self-fund his ”Mind Opening Operation” just a few months before they met, let alone any academic knowledge seemingly basic to Wannabe.

”Humph, lad, you should thank the gods for the things I have taught you. You would never be able to learn it at any military academy; it is my years of experience as the ...”

”The greatest Einherjar... Blablabla... Yes Mr. Wannabe, I know the rest.” Wang Tong cut him off nonchalantly.

”Fine, now listen, this is important. Real combat is not child's play; it's a situation of life and death. Make sure you strike deadly and true. Do you understand me?”

”Ya Ya, Mr. Wannabe, I have survived many times under the Zerg's attacks, I know what I’m doing.”

Wang Tong had quickly found his first target, another one of the lower tier Zerg that looked like a spider. It took Wang Tong only a single blow before the Zerg wailed and fell to the ground. A rice bowl sized hole appeared on its belly where Wang Tong had struck, revealing colorful innards.

In his apparent triumph, Wang Tong had underestimated the still struggling Zerg. His own belly was struck by a tossing arm and caused a severe wound that was almost fatal.

Wannabe glared at Wang Tong's wound after they returned to the cave, he didn't say much except for one line that underlined the lesson that Wang Tong had paid in his own blood: ”You should only celebrate over dead bodies.”