Chapter 11: First Steps

Chapter 11: First Steps



The years passed by quickly for Cherry. There were no more strange or interesting new people to distract her from her daily training.

After Robin left she redoubled her efforts, more determined than ever to grow stronger and one day reach the peak of this world, then go further still. Hoping by doing so that she never needs to scurry around like a rat to protect the people she cares about ever again.

A few months after her 15th birthday, she felt her vital energy finally stabilize into its natural peak.

'Good, I was starting to get antsy with all this waiting around. Now I can finally take my first steps on the path to immortality.'

Cherry was sitting cross legged at the top of a tall, steep hill. After Robin's successful escape, the marines had finished scouring most of the island, leaving only the Thorn Wood left over. Rather than search the Thorn Wood, they elected to just burn it down. Cherry was the only one who actually went in there and she had been accounted for, so they saw no reason to go through the trouble.

Cherry focused her mind inwards and began circulating her vital energy in mysterious patterns. She could feel an enormous power surging through her muscles and bones, restructuring them into something better, something stronger.

*POP*

After only 12 hours she felt the first stage complete itself and smiled widely with glee.

'Half a day! Only half a day to complete the first stage of one of the strongest body cultivation methods! All that strength training I've done over the years wasn't a waste after all!' She laughed loudly.

Cherry stood and turned toward a nearby boulder and punched it. Although she didn't do that much damage, she was satisfied.

'As I thought, not much improvement from before. Strength training won't have a multiplicative effect with body cultivation. I've only saved myself a lot of time, but that's fine too. It'd be a bit ridiculous otherwise. At least I can stop wasting my time exercising.'

Cherry went home to the dojo and looked for Grandma Angela.

"Grandma, I've decided to set out to sea to explore the world." Cherry told her decisively.

"Like hell you will! You can't even beat Borke or Slenk yet and you want to go out into that dangerous world full of pirates, sea kings, and worst of all, womanizers?!" Grandma Angela refused, leaving no room for further discussion.

"Oh good, so you'll let me go if I beat those two. Thanks, Grandma!" Cherry gave her a hug and pranced away before she could say anything else.

Although Cherry wasn't as physically powerful as Borke or Slenk, her skill would let her beat them. However she couldn't show off too much swordplay or Grandma Angela would insist she took over the dojo no matter what.

She could wait though. She didn't want to leave the safety of Boulder Island at least until she broke through to the latter stages of the second realm. It shouldn't take longer than a year to reach perfection in the first realm and a couple more years on top of that to reach that level. By then she'll be 18 years old and be more than capable of wiping the floor with Borke and Slenk. Grandma Angela won't be able to nitpick anything to make her stay, then.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

...

*3 years later*

His plan was to use her momentary embarrassment to get a good hit in!

His hand reached his goal and... "Eh, there's nothing?"

Cherry's hand latched around his arm painfully, his bones began to creak as she pulled it away.

The manic smile was gone, now replaced with the indifference of the grim reaper gazing upon

a deceased sinner.

Cherry wasn't at all dissatisfied or embarrassed by her 'less than ample' bosom. It was a

natural result as the women in her family weren't particularly well endowed and her training during her youth certainly didn't help.

However, that didn't mean she'd allow someone to insult her for it. Especially not right after

copping a feel.

"My my my, Slenk. You've gotten quite bold. Unfortunately, whether you felt anything or not, I now need to make absolutely certain you can't remember anything. The best way to do that

is to replace that memory with a painful one. Right, Grandma?" Cherry spoke icily.

Slenk looked to Angela and found her approaching him. "That's right, Cherry. Humans remember traumatic experiences more easily than pleasant ones...'

...

Borke woke up around 20 minutes later and saw Slenk bound, gagged, half-naked, and hanging upside down as Cherry and Angela swatted him with wooden switches. Each swing made a horrible, sharp swish and left a nastly red line across his skin, of which there were

many hundreds already.

*SMACK*

"Are you sorry yet, Slenk?" Cherry asked.

*desperate muffled cries*

"He doesn't sound sorry to me, Cherry." Grandma stated.

*SMACK*

Borke quietly snuck away, not wanting to draw attention to himself.