24 Gear

The morning of the next day…

Micheal yawned as he came to, stretching comfortably in bed. He blinked a few times, gradually sitting up. He cast his gaze around his bedroom.

The same sink, desk, doorstop holding up the door, everything around him was in its place.

He jumped up out of bed, humming to himself. He went over and brushed his teeth, getting ready for the day.

"Teeth brushed, all shaved…" He walked out of the bathroom, wearing only a pair of gym shorts and his Spatial Ring, revealing a muscular figure that would make models and some bodybuilders jealous. A set of lean abs, biceps, pecs, his entire physique was incredibly built and powerful.

As his Ki Cultivation Ability enhanced his body, Michael made sure to train every single day, without fail. He worked himself out to the bone, hard enough to nearly kill himself, every morning.

"Time to practice." He tapped on his Spatial Ring.

Immediately, a pair of large, 300-pound (136kg) weights appeared, tools he'd purchased from the Shop. He snagged them out of the air, grunting slightly.

"Hup!" His entire body strained as he held the two heavy lumps of metal, his muscles visibly flexing and bulging.

He then began to work out.

Some of his exercises were simple bicep curls or squats. Others involved him sticking an arm all the way out and then slowly raising and lowering the 300-pound weight. He had one set where he would do a set of push-ups with the weights both tied to his chest.

He had a few smaller weights he would add in or change, depending on the exercise.

By the time he finished, his body felt incredibly sore. In the beginning, he often damaged his muscles so much from the extended practice they would fail. In the normal world, such damage would require weeks, if not months, of recovery.

For Micheal, it was as simple as a snap of his fingers.

"Ahhh." As he finished working out, his body drenched in sweat, Micheal fell to the floor, feeling almost stunned. His head was woozy from the extreme work out session.

It wasn't that he was exhausted. The intense work out was hard on his body, but he had more than enough energy to spare. It was simply the fact that the exercises pushed his body to the absolute limit, training him, but also injuring him.

Without hesitation, he shattered a Life Orb.

WHOOSH

His entire body morphed, all of his injuries recovering as the world around him flashed. Micheal felt cool energy sift in and comfortably repair his body, leaving him in perfect condition, if slightly tired and ravenous.

At the same time, a new Life Orb formed, bringing his total back up to three. He could form a new Orb every day, but only hold a maximum of three. In his eyes, that was a God-given gift that he absolutely would take full advantage of.

'Status.'

— - Status — -

Name: Micheal Care

Points: 25,820

Race: Human

Physique: 1 Star

Age: 18

- Stats -

Strength - 50 -> 51

Endurance - 36 -> 37

Recovery - 34 -> 35

Soul - 13

Abilities - (4/7)

Life Orb Master

Ki Cultivator (Mortal Tier - Late)

Grandmaster Sword Mastery (1/5)

Impact Release

.

"Oh? My Strength, Recovery, and Endurance all increased by 1!" As he noted the changes, he clenched his fists, his earlier grin deepening.

"The training is seeing results, though my 1 Star Physique might be playing into it." Even if they were only minor right now, every increase would have a huge impact on him in the future. The changes he was getting were a result of the Ki in his body melding with his more powerful Physique as his body healed, going beyond the limits of a regular, No Starred Physique human.

"Alright. Enough of that." He looked down at his sweat-drenched body in distaste, smiling wryly.

"Let's shower and clean up, and then eat breakfast."

.. .. .. .. .. ..

"…♪ Earth Angel, Earth Angel ♪…"

"…♪ Will you be mine? ♪…"

Micheal let the soft music wash over him from a record player as he chowed down on a set of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon, wolfing the food down. He buttoned up his shirt as he ate, getting dressed.

"Gulp!" He swallowed down a glass of water as he checked himself in the mirror.

His short brown hair was combed and his face cleanshaven, revealing his strong chin. His deep blue eyes glimmered in the mirror as he looked at the black suit and tie he was donning.

"Looking good." He pointed finger guns at himself.

"Hahaha, I'm Shin." He muttered, feeling childish. He shook the thought from his mind as he finished eating, strapping his Ashari Blade to his waist in lieu of storing it. It would complete his image to have the weapon at his side.

In no time at all, the room was cleaned up and everything stored away. Micheal's eyes turned and looked at himself in the mirror once more.

He wore a theater mask on his face, once more resuming his identity of Heron. He looked outside after a moment, noting the early morning light.

"It's go time."

He left his room, going down the hall. Before he reached the other end, another masked figure emerged, wearing a long, green dress. Sophia, with a gun strapped to a holster, visible on the side of her chest.

"All set, Crane?" He spoke aloud, waving at her in a friendly manner.

"You know it!" She returned, her words carrying rather loudly in the hallway. She instinctively covered the mouth on her mask in surprise for a moment. Micheal would've bet money she was blushing.

"Let's go!" He gave her a thumbs up, grinning behind his mask as he shook his head.

.. .. .. .. .. ..

The duo set off, leaving their skyscraper for a designated meeting point. The place they were headed to was located just outside of the territory of the Godfather Organization, though not the same skyscraper that the battle with the Black Flag Pirates had taken place at.

As they rushed from skyscraper to skyscraper, crossing bridge after bridge, Micheal's mind flashed back, going over the recent past.

Several weeks had flown by in an instant after the battle with the Black Flag Pirates ended.

In that time, many things had taken place.

Micheal had gained a better understanding of how his 1 Star Physique affected his body and his cultivation. The lines of energy that ran in his body became more durable and stronger, raw power enhancing his strength.

He went from just barely entering the Middle Stage of Ki Cultivation to reaching well into the Late Stage of Ki Cultivation, closing in on the final Peak Stage.

Cultivation of this speed was unheard of for most humans. Even Sophia, who now had the same 1 Star Physique, was still only halfway through the Middle Stage. She would achieve the Late Stage by the time the month ended, roughly half the time it would take most people.

Micheal's previous experience in cultivating his Ki was incredibly helpful, making everything clear. He had no questions about how to cultivate or how each part should feel, having personally felt everything once before.

Apart from the increase in Ki Cultivation, Micheal had spent a large number of Points, as well as gained quite a few, from hunting Morenkai. The Godfather Organization had joined in on hunting Golden Morenkai, lessening the gains he and Sophia made.

It wasn't a major issue, since he had already achieved most of what he wanted, apart from a few extremely expensive Artifacts. They would gain a ton of points once they reached the Main Cluster, resolving that issue.

He hadn't spent any of the Points he'd stocked up on Abilities, however.

As it stood now, even if he achieved 100,000 Points, there was nothing in the Shop that he desired within this Points range. Using Points to upgrade one's Ki Cultivation was generally considered a waste for talented people, giving worse returns than training it naturally. Despite having multiple open slots, there simply wasn't anything left to fill them with that he saw as worth it.

Certain Abilities, like his Impact Release Ability, could be removed later on, through various means. Most Abilities, however, could not.

None of the Abilities that could be removed and cost below 100,000 Points entered Micheal's eyes at all. His goals stood far higher, on Abilities that cost more. He would have to pick them up in the later Layers.

With that said, it wasn't as if he could buy nothing.

Instead, he invested his Points into Artifacts.

Apart from buying the Ashari Blade, which greatly increased his attack power, and a few minor Healing Artifacts or other supplies, Micheal had purchased one other expensive Artifact.

A set of what was known as Cloud Stepping Shoes for 25,800 Points.

"Hup." Micheal grunted out loud as he jumped into the air, flipping over a Morenkai that was blocking his path. They had just encountered the shambling creature randomly when they were crossing one of the large, sturdy wooden bridges.

The Morenkai lunged upward, a large fist smashing towards Micheal's leg.

In the instant before it hit, Micheal did the impossible.

He jumped again, while in mid-air.

"Hup!" In a smooth motion, his body jerked to the side as his right arm blurred.

A second later, the body of the Morenkai split into two, acidic black blood splattering out as he and Sophia moved quickly past it. He ignored the Points notification that popped up, glancing down at his shoes with a smile.

A pair of black dress shoes were visible, gleaming faintly. The shoes fit snugly around his feet, looking like a pair of regular black dress shoes, not expensive Artifacts. The magical shoes would morph to whatever image of a shoe he wished, giving him rather free options.

His Cloud Stepping Shoes had a very unique function.

They allowed him to step on thin air.

The Artifact, just like his Spatial Ring, was linked to his soul. He could innately feel a connection with the shoe, one that was magical in nature.

With a single thought, the Cloud Stepping Shoe would cause an invisible platform to form for a fraction of a second. This platform could sustain a weight of several thousand pounds, more than enough for him to step on.

Each shoe could form a single invisible platform every couple of seconds. After it formed one, it needed a few seconds to recharge and could not be used continuously.

Each usage would put a small amount of strain on his soul, unnoticeable unless he used it more than 100 times in quick succession.

'The versatility I get from having these will serve wonders.' He smiled. With these, he wouldn't need to depend on his Life Orbs for advanced mobility. There were also no limits on how far or high he could be when he used them, and by wearing these, he could use his Life Orbs for more offensive purposes instead.

In the later Layers, gravity would increase, the worlds becoming harder and harder to move freely in. Especially on the Seventh and final Layer, the air itself had felt unnaturally thick, Micheal's movements like they were weighed down by chains.

'Still, here on the First, it should work quite well.' Very few opponents would have experience in fighting someone on a 3D plane, whether it be Morenkai or other humans.

He'd spent one last chunk of his Points on preparations for the Main Cluster, experimenting and creating several types of Pills that he had tucked away for now, as well as a few unique things, including a carved, hand-sized emblem showing a set of angelic looking wings and a halo that he spent more than a week making.

Several minutes passed as the duo made their way across the Cluster. In the early morning, few teams were out and about. They only encountered a few more regular Morenkai, avoiding any dangerous encounters.

In no time at all, they made it to the meeting skyscraper.

There were already a few people on the rooftop, men wearing all black and armed with machine guns. As Micheal and Sophia arrived, the guards looked at them and then nodded, letting them pass through.

Michael moved forward, Sophia following in tow, as they headed into the bowels of the skyscraper, moving towards a specific room.

As they walked, Micheal's thoughts centered around the big decision that was being made today.

The decision to form the Stardust Coalition. A group that was going on an expedition to the Main Cluster.

Apart from the Godfather Organization, none of the major powers in the Stardust Cluster had any sizable contingent of forces in the Main Cluster. The Saru Group, Tobagin Party, as well as the now defunct Black Flag Pirates, all had scouts that kept tabs on any big events, but for the most part, stayed in the Stardust Cluster.

In the original timeline, a couple of months from now, the Black Flag Pirates would have weathered multiple large battles only to suffer a crushing defeat. The chaos in the Main Cluster had settled down and the Godfather Organization eventually avenged the Stardust Cluster's fallen branch.

After this, eventually, the other major powers recovered. Micheal had still been in the Cluster at the time, training with all his might.

At some point after, the local powers eventually decided on sending a tentative expedition into the Main Cluster. The major battle in the Cluster brought all the various groups together, with the Saru Group and Tobagin Party in particular eager to expand.

No one wanted to be left behind while others grew strong. The Godfather Organization's showing of might convinced both forces that the Main Cluster was where Points could truly be found.

Not only were there plenty of Morenkai, but there were also a variety of unique aspects.

Morenkai Nests existed, where large numbers of Morenkai could be found, with a decent chance of Golden Morenkai appearing. The Main Cluster was known to have many Golden Morenkai, largely due to its sheer size. Everyone knew it was the place to go if you wanted to get Points fast.

Micheal took advantage of the fact that these major groups would eventually want to expand, and sped things along, pulling on every string he had attached.

In particular, he made use of his identity as 'Heron.'

Heron and Crane, in the eyes of the various powers, were members of the Angels Arcadia, something that would come in handy in the future. Boss Shigun confirmed this to the public, helping them form a convincing cover. They were powerful, elite warriors from one of the Main Cluster's Big 3.

Micheal and Sophia were known to be minor, low-level characters in the battle against the Black Flag Pirates, rumors spread by the Godfather Organization at Micheal's request. The duo were known to have joined the Godfather Organization as basic recruits and were off training, but over the past few weeks, had shown nothing special. Their presence gradually faded from the eyes of the public, transforming into mostly normal figures.

Their identities were secured thanks to Boss Shigun's genuine efforts to help them. Micheal had saved his life and essentially his branch of the Godfather Organization. As a result, the man was only too pleased to find a way to help repay that. If nothing else, Boss Shigun was a man of honor.

Soon, they navigated all the way down to their final destination. A lounge on the 25th floor.

As he walked up to the final door, a dark green one made of some type of faded wood, he paused briefly. Just barely, he could hear multiple voices talking and arguing. Behind this door were the heads of multiple organizations, debating their final decisions.

Micheal took a deep breath beneath his mask, a small smile appearing on his face,

'Showtime.'