The training room erupts with petals of shimmering mana as I spin the monk's spade through the final form of Stem and Petal Strike. The mana flowing through me holds steady and obedient, my shins remain unmarked by failure. This is a far cry from my clumsy attempts three weeks ago. A lot has changed over the last few weeks—now, I feel my mana flowing smoothly and with greater purity, and I have made great progress on Blossoming Breath, though I still haven’t reached the level of visualization. I still haven’t gotten a level on any of my skills, but I know that I am getting close. All in all, I am getting stronger, and it’s only a matter of time before I am able to form a party and head out for the portals.

  I lean the monk's spade against the weapon wall as I stretch to avoid any sore muscles. I’ve decided to celebrate with an early meditation session so I can have some extra time to read in the library before sleeping tonight. As I go into the kitchen, I activate Tea Connoisseur, scanning the pantry for a strong, earthy tea—I always go for light calming teas, but I want to try something different today with meditation to see if it helps. From the corner of the pantry, a dark brown glow catches my attention. Sliding a few of the containers out of the way, I find the glow attached to a container labeled Shui Xian Oolong. I start to slide it out of the pantry before a light ding distracts me.

  —Tea Connoisseur:Level 2—

  Yes! I knew I was so close I could just feel it in my soul! With the second success of the day, I finish pulling the tea out of the cabinet and set up the kettle. Activating Tea Service, I am hoping that skill is also close enough to push over the edge. My excitement boils as the water does, before the hot water cascades over the dry leaves, infusing itself with their dark color and heavy flavor. The smell of charred wood and roasted nuts wafts in the steam, and I can feel the anticipation burning in my chest as I await the second notification from the system. As I pour the tea into my cup and deactivate Tea Service, I am slightly disappointed the notification never came, but the disappointment doesn’t linger as I take a sip of the dark tea, surprised by the slight molasses-like bitterness, woody undertones, and a hint of plum lingering on my tongue. The taste differs vastly from the smell—I wasn’t expecting the sweet bitterness playing with my palate.

  I take the cup with me into the meditation room before sitting in lotus pose. I sip on the tea for a few minutes as I center myself in preparation for meditating. Mentally, I activate Meditation, tip the cup back to finish the last bit of liquid, and close my eyes. I work through mental imagery of serene landscapes—picturing short waterfalls flowing into a lily pad-covered pond with the quiet chirping of birds and sporadic croaking of the pond’s frog inhabitants. Element by element, I clear the imagery from my mind—starting with the frogs, lily pads, birds, then the pond, until only the sound of the waterfall sits in my mind. Soon, my mind reaches for my body, and I follow the breathing pattern of Blossoming Breath, feeling the flow of mana through my body. I find the mana from the tea and study its effects, seeing all of the meridians it passes through become more dense and powerful.

  An hour passes before the lingering tea mana dissipates—usually, I end my training here, but I decide to follow my mana for one more circulation before ending my training for the day. As I pass my meridians again, I expect them to retain the hardiness of the tea mana, but I am astonished to see that as my mana flows over them, they begin to open up and take on lightweight, wispy characteristics. I follow the flow to the next meridian, and then the next until I complete the mana cycle, having watched the same thing happen over and over again.

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  Confused, I bring my focus out of my body, slowing the breathing pattern until I fall into my normal breath. I open my eyes slowly and feel my muscles and bones, seeing if I notice anything different. I stretch and flex, finding my muscles to be more dense and elastic—any time I have practiced this method in the past, I have always felt the same—light and more dexterous. Reflecting on the practice, I am able to connect the new tea to the changes of my meridians during practice and my body at its conclusion. But why? Hours pass, and I remain in the meditation room—eyes closed, sitting in lotus pose, reflecting, feeling the changes in myself.

  My eyes flash open. Of course, the Inheritance’s whole purpose is to make long-term buffs for allies, but nowhere does it say I can’t apply those same buffs to myself. By meditating, I am incorporating the tea mana and its properties into myself—until today, I have always been drinking light, calming teas before meditating, so that is why the effect has always been the same. If this is true, then I should be using every tea in the kitchen to explore new effects, that way when I do start traveling with a party, I will know what I need to have on hand for their desired boosts. Excitedly, I jump out of my pose—planning to run to the library and study all the known teas and their corresponding buffs from Tea Service. I am hit by a sudden bout of nausea as the last five hours of sitting catch up to me. I lean against the wall and take deep breaths before I am surprised by the second System chime of the day.

  —Meditation:Level 2—

  Today just keep getting better and better! With the level to my skill, my mind instantly feels lighter, and the nausea fades. I walk to the living space and find a cold dinner plate sitting on the table. The excitement of the skill levels fades away as I’m forced to realize the persistent consequences of how I treated the Old Man. Things with Mallorc have gotten a little better, but there is still a serious tension there. I hope that he sees all the hard work that I am putting in and realizes that I am taking this seriously—I want to be better, and I can recognize that he was right about training down here for a month. I quickly eat the food on the plate, wash and dry it at the sink, and head to the library for a nice study session before bed.

  Over the last few weeks of being trapped down here, I have learned a lot about these rooms, especially the library. The crystal ball that helped me pick my Inheritance can also be used to find any books on a certain topic. All you have to do is feed it some mana while thinking about the topic you are researching. This has made reading so much more efficient, though you have to be careful not to make the topic you’re researching too broad. When I first figured it out, I was thinking about tea and the whole library lit up—who would’ve guessed that a Class called Tea Sage would have anything to do with tea…

  I place my hand on the crystal ball, forcing my mana to flow through it as I think about tea types and their associated buffs. After a few seconds, twenty books light up across the various shelves. Looks like I have a couple of days of reading before me. I smile at the available knowledge sitting at my fingertips.

  I lose track of time, and I have already read deep into the night. I rub sleep from my eyes as I close the third book of the evening. I place the book back on the shelf before going into the living space to get ready for bed. Tomorrow will be just another day of the same routine—not that I’m complaining. It would be nice to get a little variation though. I lie in bed and feel sleep clawing at my mind, feeling my focus slowly drift away. Seconds away from my exhausted slumber, I am jolted awake by a slamming door and the Old Man’s frantic footsteps—something is wrong.