( Day 45 )
Day 45 was the halfway point for Rocky's journey within the ancestral chamber and he had already gone through the worst.
On day 40, once he realized that he could never control certain aspects of his life, the delusion washed away and clarity returned to his mind.
Instead of obsessing over why he had lost the right to holding a sword or why he was going through this, he began focusing on why he needed to complete this challenge and what awaited him afterwards.
By the time he would get out of this chamber, he would become a completely new version of himself.
A new race, a new mindset, a different mana capacity-
He would hit the ground running and could build on-top of these advantages at the academy to clinch the top spot.
As the top graduate, not only could he receive a decent amount of rewards from the university, but he could also secure his spot in the inter-university tournament, where incomparable treasures and opportunities would be placed on the line against the pride of institutions.
Securing those treasures and opportunities would catalyze his growth, propelling him to reach the 40th level of the tower in potentially less than two years time if everything went his way.
With his mind idle, Rocky planned every aspect of his future.
What books did he need to read at the academy library?
What doubts he needed to clear with the help of faculties?
What skills were a must learn for him?
What were the aspects that he was still lacking on and could improve with hard work?
As questions like these swirled through Rocky's mind, he found himself feeling more grounded and focused than ever, achieving a state of true indifference towards the things beyond his control—a stark departure from his earlier pretense of detachment that was fake.
With day 45 drawing to a close, Nubi, responsible for his bi-monthly assessment, arrived to transport Rocky from his quarters to the evaluation hall.
"You will no longer be required to take part in daily tasks and will be fed meals by Nubi from time to time.
So what will it be?"
" I accept-" Rocky said, as he took on a fourth penalty, losing his ability to move.
"Great choice climber, I wish you the best" the hall god said, as Rocky was surprised to see it not laugh this time around.
While Rocky did not understand the nuances of this hall, it really wasn't as nefarious as he thought it to be.
When Rocky himself had an unstable mind, the hall god mirrored his internal state. However, now that Rocky had stabilized, so had the hall god's attitude towards him.
Nonetheless, his surprise at the hall god's attitude did not save him from the humiliation of being carried like a sack of potatoes on Nubi's back, as after losing his mobility, Rocky became reliant on Nubi to transport him from place to place.
"So, I've become your nanny for 45 days huh? This is a first....." Nubi said, as she had never heard of the hall gods give out such a penalty before.
She was incharge of cleaning him and feeding him for the 45 days that Rocky had turned into a vegetable.
He could not longer feel his arms or legs anyways, so having lost his sense of movement he truly became like a paralysis patient having lost all senses from the neck down, alongside his vision.
He was literally existing in darkness now, yet despite his grim life, Rocky was happy for what he would gain out of this instead of being sad for what he was suffering at the moment.
For him this penalty was more of a boon than a curse as not only did it mean that he would not be dragged into the torture chamber anymore, but it also meant that Nubi would come and check on him twice or thrice a day.
Rocky preferred talking to Nubi, the gentle and kind snake-woman compared to all the other crazies within the hall as to him this situation was an unexpected gain.
Sure, he had lost his ability to move, however, to him there was not much purpose behind moving anyways.
Although he was slightly embarrassed at having Nubi handle him, seeing him at his unmanly worst, he did not have any schemes of wooing her or fighting for her love, so it was okay.
Trying his best to crack jokes and be funny whenever she was around, Rocky tried his best to lively up her day alongside his own, as he accepted this new penalty with grace and joy, unlike all his previous ones.