Limits.

I took out some meat from my Storage Feather, and roasted it on the fire . I wasn"t hungry, when I started the process of purifying my blood, but after taking that Blood Purifying Essence and going through so much pain, I was starving . I ate like possessed, then I remembered something . I asked Frosty "Do you want some?", but Frosty shook its head and declined . I was a bit bewildered and asked "What do you eat then?" . Frosty spat out the Water Stone, and pointed at it .

I asked "What if you don"t have those stones? It"s not like, they grow on trees or walk around the wastelands" . Frosty pointed at the stone again, and then at some herbs . I was a bit confused at first, then I realised what it meant . "So, you eat herbs with water element as well?" I asked . Frosty nodded its head, and swallowed back the Water Stone .

I started combing through my memory . I was trying to remember, what herbs possessed the water element . I found about a dozen or so, of such herbs . For one, there were some herbs that grew near a water source, so they had that type of element inside them . "It wouldn"t be a problem, to find such herbs in the Great Forest . Finding them in the Northern Wasteland, is more of a challenge" I thought .

I asked Frosty "What herbs here can you eat?" . Frosty ran off somewhere and collected a few herbs . Frosty brought back couple of varieties, probably all of them contained the water element . I said "Alright . I will collect as many of those herbs as I can . I will also make a purified form from them . This way, you can also avoid some impurities . This is the Northern Wasteland after all" . I wasn"t worried that Water Stones were impure . The water in the Valley, was free from impurities, which was a rare sight in the Wastelands .

Frosty jumped on top of my shoulder, and changed back to a tattoo . I looked at my right arm, and didn"t notice anything wrong with it . "When the burning sensation overwhelmed me, I was a bit worried about my right arm . It seems that the freezing abilities, didn"t disappear" I thought, and continued eating .

When I was full, I laid back and rested . "When I rest enough, I will try and break through the Half Step of my Outer Limit . I myself wonder, how well it will proceed" I thought and fell asleep . There was no sense of time pa.s.sing, in the North . When I woke up, the skies still looked the same . I was full of energy . "Maybe it"s because, my blood got purified?" I thought . I seemed to have much more vigor and strength .

I stood up and decided to test it . I walked in front of a tree and punched . "BOOM!" my first drilled straight through the trunk of the tree . "It seems, that I"m a bit stronger, but not by a lot . It"s probably due to the effect of the Essence . With purer blood, I can better utilise my strength" I said to myself . There was also one more thing that blood was responsible for . "How about my regeneration then? I wonder if my wounds will heal faster, now that my blood is purer" I thought .

There was only one way to find out . I took out a dagger and slashed my hand with it . "This much pain is nothing, compared to what I already experienced" I thought, and examined the wound . I noticed that the bleeding stopped fairly quickly, visibly quicker than in the past . "This is already good . Let"s see how well it will regenerate" I thought .

I waited and waited, and waited some more . The wound was healing slowly, and a scab started to form . "This is not bad . Before I took the essence, it would take much longer than this, for the wound to start scabbing" I thought . With those experiments, I already figured out, that I could better utilise my strength . My regeneration ability, was improved too .

"Time to try and break through that Half Step" I thought . I took out the Earth Strength Essence, and swallowed about ¼ of it . With that done, I a.s.sumed the stance from the 3rd Modified Diagram of the Strength Manual . "My limit was 5 minutes, and not a second more . Let"s see, if I can beat that now!" I thought .

The seconds slowly pa.s.sed and turned into minutes . 1 minute, I didn"t feel much of a stress on my body . 2 minutes, I could still continue, no problem . 3 minutes… then 4 minutes . I already started to have a hard time . My strength started to deplete, but then, a sudden increase in my strength, I felt as if, I could stay in that pose for eternity .

"The Earth Strength Essence probably started to take effect . I should be able to break through my Half Step Outer Limit, no problem" I thought and counted the seconds . 4 and a half minute . My strength was still boundless, I didn"t waver at all . 4 minutes and 55 seconds . I could feel my strength being depleted again, but I could still last more!

5 minutes . The limit of my power . When I reached that stage, my strength started to fall, sharply . I didn"t give up and stayed in the pose . It lasted less than a second but for me, it felt like never ending process . I screamed in my mind "BREAK FOR ME!" . Then "BOOOM!" . Something inside my body exploded and the second pa.s.sed . I now lasted 5 minutes and 1 second .

All the strength I possess, got drained instantly and I fell onto my a.s.s . "I did it! I broke through the Half Step of my Outer Limit!" I exclaimed out loud . I wasn"t only happy, I was elated . Although I was tired, I could feel my body becoming lighter, st.u.r.dier and more powerful . The feeling was very pleasant . I felt no pain, it was as if my body, started regenerating all my strength back, at an incredible speed .

After a while, the feeling disappeared, and I was no longer tired . I stood up and stretched myself a bit . "It"s time to test my strength . It was only the Half Step of my Outer Limit, but I can still feel the increase in my power" I thought . I decided to test my speed first . I wanted to know, what type of acceleration would I have, when using my full strength .

I bent my legs a bit, to gather all my strength in them . Then released it . "BOOOOOM!" a loud explosion sounded throughout the Valley . The dust and debris flew in all directions, from my sudden acceleration . My speed, was something else . In the past, I could easily travel a short distance in a blink of an eye . But now? I could travel twice if not three times as much, in the same time . "This speed is amazing!" I thought, as I stopped .

Although I was elated and excited about my new strength, there was a problem again . "I will have to adjust to my new strength again . I already have experience with that, and although the increase of my strength was quite substantial, it was not overwhelming" I thought .

I then decided to test my punching strength . I could already destroy the trees in the Valley, so I searched for rocks . I soon found, what I was looking for . "I don"t know if this is a good idea, but h.e.l.l! I have some herbs with me . Even if I break my arm, I can just heal it!" I thought and gathered all the strength in my left hand, then punched . "BOOOOM!" . . . "Crack… . Crack…" . My hand hurt quite a bit, from the impact . But thanks to the gloves I wore, there was no real damage to my fist .

The stone, or rather a boulder, that was the size of a human being, had cracks all over it . It didn"t explode or crumble, but it was nearly there . "My punching strength is also much better now . I will not test my kicking strength on a boulder . I don"t want to break my leg" I thought . Yet, looking at the damage my punch could create, the kick would be even more powerful . "This means, I should be able to destroy a boulder, with my kick" I thought .

I would have more opportunities, to test out my new strength . I still had to take care of those Tentacle Creatures from the pond .I took out some meat from my Storage Feather, and roasted it on the fire . I wasnt hungry, when I started the process of purifying my blood, but after taking that Blood Purifying Essence and going through so much pain, I was starving . I ate like possessed, then I remembered something . I asked Frosty Do you want some?, but Frosty shook its head and declined . I was a bit bewildered and asked What do you eat then? . Frosty spat out the Water Stone, and pointed at it . I asked What if you dont have those stones? Its not like, they grow on trees or walk around the wastelands . Frosty pointed at the stone again, and then at some herbs . I was a bit confused at first, then I realised what it meant . So, you eat herbs with water element as well? I asked . Frosty nodded its head, and swallowed back the Water Stone . I started combing through my memory . I was trying to remember, what herbs possessed the water element . I found about a dozen or so, of such herbs . For one, there were some herbs that grew near a water source, so they had that type of element inside them . It wouldnt be a problem, to find such herbs in the Great Forest . Finding them in the Northern Wasteland, is more of a challenge I thought . I asked Frosty What herbs here can you eat? . Frosty ran off somewhere and collected a few herbs . Frosty brought back couple of varieties, probably all of them contained the water element . I said Alright . I will collect as many of those herbs as I can . I will also make a purified form from them . This way, you can also avoid some impurities . This is the Northern Wasteland after all . I wasnt worried that Water Stones were impure . The water in the Valley, was free from impurities, which was a rare sight in the Wastelands . Frosty jumped on top of my shoulder, and changed back to a tattoo . I looked at my right arm, and didnt notice anything wrong with it . When the burning sensation overwhelmed me, I was a bit worried about my right arm . It seems that the freezing abilities, didnt disappear I thought, and continued eating . When I was full, I laid back and rested . When I rest enough, I will try and break through the Half Step of my Outer Limit . I myself wonder, how well it will proceed I thought and fell asleep . There was no sense of time pa.s.sing, in the North . When I woke up, the skies still looked the same . I was full of energy . Maybe its because, my blood got purified? I thought . I seemed to have much more vigor and strength . I stood up and decided to test it . I walked in front of a tree and punched . BOOM! my first drilled straight through the trunk of the tree . It seems, that Im a bit stronger, but not by a lot . Its probably due to the effect of the Essence . With purer blood, I can better utilise my strength I said to myself . There was also one more thing that blood was responsible for . How about my regeneration then? I wonder if my wounds will heal faster, now that my blood is purer I thought There was only one way to find out . I took out a dagger and slashed my hand with it . This much pain is nothing, compared to what I already experienced I thought, and examined the wound . I noticed that the bleeding stopped fairly quickly, visibly quicker than in the past . This is already good . Lets see how well it will regenerate I thought . I waited and waited, and waited some more . The wound was healing slowly, and a scab started to form . This is not bad . Before I took the essence, it would take much longer than this, for the wound to start scabbing I thought . With those experiments, I already figured out, that I could better utilise my strength . My regeneration ability, was improved too . Time to try and break through that Half Step I thought . I took out the Earth Strength Essence, and swallowed about ¼ of it . With that done, I a.s.sumed the stance from the 3rd Modified Diagram of the Strength Manual . My limit was 5 minutes, and not a second more . Lets see, if I can beat that now! I thought . The seconds slowly pa.s.sed and turned into minutes . 1 minute, I didnt feel much of a stress on my body . 2 minutes, I could still continue, no problem . 3 minutes… then 4 minutes . I already started to have a hard time . My strength started to deplete, but then, a sudden increase in my strength, I felt as if, I could stay in that pose for eternity . The Earth Strength Essence probably started to take effect . I should be able to break through my Half Step Outer Limit, no problem I thought and counted the seconds . 4 and a half minute . My strength was still boundless, I didnt waver at all . 4 minutes and 55 seconds . I could feel my strength being depleted again, but I could still last more! 5 minutes . The limit of my power . When I reached that stage, my strength started to fall, sharply . I didnt give up and stayed in the pose . It lasted less than a second but for me, it felt like never ending process . I screamed in my mind BREAK FOR ME! . Then BOOOM! . Something inside my body exploded and the second pa.s.sed . I now lasted 5 minutes and 1 second . All the strength I possess, got drained instantly and I fell onto my a.s.s . I did it! I broke through the Half Step of my Outer Limit! I exclaimed out loud . I wasnt only happy, I was elated . Although I was tired, I could feel my body becoming lighter, st.u.r.dier and more powerful . The feeling was very pleasant . I felt no pain, it was as if my body, started regenerating all my strength back, at an incredible speed . After a while, the feeling disappeared, and I was no longer tired . I stood up and stretched myself a bit . Its time to test my strength . It was only the Half Step of my Outer Limit, but I can still feel the increase in my power I thought . I decided to test my speed first . I wanted to know, what type of acceleration would I have, when using my full strength . I bent my legs a bit, to gather all my strength in them . Then released it . BOOOOOM! a loud explosion sounded throughout the Valley . The dust and debris flew in all directions, from my sudden acceleration . My speed, was something else . In the past, I could easily travel a short distance in a blink of an eye . But now? I could travel twice if not three times as much, in the same time . This speed is amazing! I thought, as I stopped . Although I was elated and excited about my new strength, there was a problem again . I will have to adjust to my new strength again . I already have experience with that, and although the increase of my strength was quite substantial, it was not overwhelming I thought . I then decided to test my punching strength . I could already destroy the trees in the Valley, so I searched for rocks . I soon found, what I was looking for . I dont know if this is a good idea, but h.e.l.l! I have some herbs with me . Even if I break my arm, I can just heal it! I thought and gathered all the strength in my left hand, then punched . BOOOOM! . Crack… . Crack… . My hand hurt quite a bit, from the impact . But thanks to the gloves I wore, there was no real damage to my fist . The stone, or rather a boulder, that was the size of a human being, had cracks all over it . It didnt explode or crumble, but it was nearly there . My punching strength is also much better now . I will not test my kicking strength on a boulder . I dont want to break my leg I thought . Yet, looking at the damage my punch could create, the kick would be even more powerful . This means, I should be able to destroy a boulder, with my kick I thought . I would have more opportunities, to test out my new strength . I still had to take care of those Tentacle Creatures from the pond .