*Do read the author's note.*

Not in the mood for any other encounters, the group decided to call it that for the day. With that they all left Elizabeth's virtual home. The rest of the day passed quickly as Eldrian mostly stared at the immersion chair with great apprehension. It containing his hopes for progress, but seemingly being a trap for torturing him.

He knew if he couldn't use it tomorrow, he wouldn't be able to actually do what he wanted. He wanted to fully dive into learning Tier 2 spells. To forward, but if he could only use the headset then Gengxin would most likely going to forbid him from doing that.

Just a few minutes later Joren came and told Eldrian what he had discovered. Eldrian not knowing if he should be thankful for the news he received, or curse the system and the developers who made it.

"What do you mean, I have to go through that again?

" Eldrian stared Joren straight in the eyes as he asked this, causing the latter to fumble a little before apologizing.

"This isn't ideal I know, but through doing this the system says it will be able to keep accommodating you. In fact, many issues we have been having with 99% affinity and higher might also be solved by this.

"

"Then why don't you go and do it!?

" Eldrian threw back, not willing. Totally not willing.

"We can't, your case is special. I don't really understand why, but your the only one who can do it.

"

"But... That's just too much.

" Eldrian mumbled as he looked at the chair, his hair all standing up, telling him to run away.

"If you really don't want to, you can continue using the headset. But then you have to keep following Gengxin's advice, if you don't we can't guarantee that your body won't be damaged. In this case, we can at least confirm that.

"

"Aren't you afraid I will become traumatized?

" Eldrian questioned as his mind replayed what Joren had asked him to do. It didn't sound too outrageous. Until you realized that there would be no pain reduction.

"With what you have gone through, you should already have quite a number of traumas. Yet you are still functioning fine, and in fact, we don't think you have any. So just keep pressing forward, keeping in mind the reason you are doing this.

"

Why am I even considering this? Eldrian asked as soon as Joren brought that up. He found he didn't really know. He wanted to help those in the game, to keep those he had grown close to alive. Yet why he didn't really know. With the weeks of not being in the game, he had slowly grown to become distant from that world.

I can't just let it end like this... He tried to gather his motivation, I am too fascinated with magic, and if... Eldrian paused, recalling how hard it had hit him when he first heard that Sabrea had died. I can't... I must... Quickly Eldrian became more composed.

"Are you sure this will work?

" He asked softly, his mind still recollecting from the pain that had hit him in recalling that failure.

"Of course not. I am sure that the system is telling the truth though. We do have ways to force the AI to do our bidding.

"

"Why don't you...

"

"Why don't we just get them to tell us everything? We tried, in this case, the system was willing to budge. While it wanted to do things on its own, it recognized my authority. This isn't always the case, such as with magic. In any case, are you ready?

"

"Yeah...

" Eldrian mumbled in reply, his voice barely leaving as he steeled himself for what was to come.

"How long again?

"

"The longer the better. You should know it is not certain.

"

"How long?

" Eldrian repeated, wanting something to aim for.

"Try surviving at least thirty minutes to an hour.

"

"How many?

"

Joren sighed before answering,

"At least five times...

"

Hearing this Eldrian nodded and closed his eyes. Truly not looking forward to what was to come. The only silver lining he felt was that he might be able to master his time dilation ability, possibly even figuring out how it actually worked.

Laying back onto the chair, Eldrian cursed the system and Joren in his heart. A simple way to vent as he woke in the darkroom and was quickly charged by a hologram. No voice rang out signaling the beginning.

Reacting quickly Eldrian found himself quickly suppressed by the hologram, instantly forced into a corner. He recalled how he had reacted when time had slowed down. He recalled what he had done to reach out to the essence. Yet nothing happened and he soon found himself spitting out imaginary blood as a spear pierced his stomach.

Again there was no wound, but the pain could totally trick him into feeling blood dripping out of his mouth.

"No good. User must last at least five minutes for the calibration to even start. Reset.

" The cold female voice rang through the air, Eldrian's anger quickly flaring as he heard what it said.

It took Eldrian five painful near deaths before he finally managed to hold out long enough, though he still failed to recall that essence. That feeling. This then continued for another hour, with Eldrian's anger and hate growing more and more.

It quickly overcame the pain he constantly felt, almost blinding him. He only managed to stay sane thanks to memories. Memories he had mostly forgotten, but now resurfaced in his mind. A smile blossoming as he recalled all he had gone through, and why he actually cared so much for the game.

He first recalled his first meeting with Old Sword, how he had no way to even know who was an NPC and who were players. He recalled how he started learning, feeling like laughing at all the things he had thought so important back then. Back when he knew basically nothing about fighting, yet somehow he had managed.

Managed might be too strong a word, he had survived. He felt like laughing as he recalled how he first met Vivian. How her emeraldic eyes had captured him right away. Her beauty had left him without words. Yet soon he lost himself in the food, Eldrian smirked as he recalled this. Jumping to the side to dodge the attack of the hologram.

That food had changed things... Eldrian thought, realizing if not for it completely making him forget about everyone and everything. If not for it, he would have been incapable of talking with Vivian, simply kept at bay by his own insecurities.

Instead, it had pulled down the walls he normally lived by, even organizing a tour with Vivian. How? How did I act so normal around her? He wondered and could only attribute it to the food.

Swiveling to the left Eldrian grabbed the spear of the hologram, quickly dropping his spear and summoning a dagger in his left hand. With that he struck forward, killing his first hologram.

He did not even realize what he had accomplished, his mind still in a different place and his body acting on its own. Now his memories went to the first real quest he joined, and how disastrous it had gone.

As he recalled this he also recalled the sparring sessions he had with Vivian and how they had pulled down even more walls he normally kept up. How he started seeing her not as a girl, but just as a friend, a sparring partner.

Until that mission, where he truly considered her his partner in combat. One of his closest friends, even though he had not talked all that much with her. Often their talks just about improving and fighting.

I was so sure of myself, can't believe I got her into following me against a Beta. Eldrian's smile grew even more as he recalled just saying they must avoid getting hit. Of course, that was the core of fighting, but it was truly dumb to say it as if it was something one could control. Yet they had managed. Somehow.

His mood quickly dropped, and with it so did he. Diving under the attack of a hologram he aimed for between its legs and kicked so hard that its feet lifted off the ground. Eldrian quickly moving around and snapping its neck.

That's... He then recalled the heavy atmosphere surrounding the entire battlefield after, as the dead were collected and placed on pyres. Recalling this Eldrian realized again why he felt so attached to that world, as well as why Vivian kept pushing herself so hard.

She must feel like me. Wishing to save those close to her, those she calls friends... He thought as he recalled the night they stood side by side and watched the dancing flames.

I... I need to open up to her more. Eldrian thought as his thoughts started moving faster. Recalling the night where he got drunk in-game with Vivian, of how he set out to save her when just joining the Taurus Relief Mission. Of how he met the alicorns, and the others he had already lost. I can't let this little pain stop me from that.

With that Eldrian suddenly felt that essence burning inside his chest, quickly snapping his attention to it. His anger and hate dissipating into it as his memories faded again.

"I won't let you win!

" He shouted, not caring for the fact that the system was just trying to gather data. It felt to him like it was trying to destroy his resolve, instead, he had found it. Stronger than ever.

With his shout, everything also slowed down, and Eldrian quickly managed to defeat the hologram he was facing with ease.