At this very moment, a young boy was sitting by the side of a bed. In the bed, a young girl was lying down. The boy was Nio with his black hair and black eyes, and the girl was 9-0-1 with her white hair and green eyes.
Just as he had promised, he had come to visit her. At the start of his visit, he had mostly apologized and only stopped when she insisted that she didn't hold any grudges from the incident.
Right now, they were leasurly talking about everyday stuff. How the lessons were going, how silent the nurses were, how 9-3-1 was doing, and similar stuff. Mundane stuff.
It had been a week ever since he awakened his bloodline, and this was the fourth time he was visiting 9-0-1. Ever since then, Nio tried to apply his new abilities to various actions.
He tried to play chance games with 9-3-1, but his bloodline only gave him a feel of the probability of the scenarios he could think of or could physically see.
But the best use he could find was by analyzing the changes on his chakra as he controlled it. It greatly boosted his Rasengan training.
It made him keenly aware of the changes he was causing with his own chakra as well as the changes in the chakra itself, allowing Nio to further understand how to proceed further in his training.
He had successfully completed the first step of the training, he mastered the correct way to rotate his chakra in order to resemble the Rasengan. Although it was still a bit far from ideal. It still lacked power and a proper form, dissipating too quickly.
Things were starting to turn brighter.
As he kept going each night to venture in the forest, the number of credits on the System was steadily increasing, according to his calculations, he should be able to buy [Itadori Yuji's Physique] once he was done tonight.
"What got you so excited, Nio?"
His thought process was interrupted by 9-0-1.
"Nothing I was just thinking about something."
"About what?"
Trying to change the subject, he touched on a topic he was hoping to mention recently.
"I was thinking of giving you names, like me."
She paused, looking at Nio with wide eyes.
"Really?"
"Yeah. What do you think your name should be like?"
She shook her head.
"For as long as it's you who chooses it, there is no need for me not to like it."
She said that with a smile, before hesitating slightly and whispering.
"Unless it's a really crappy one."
"Hahaha. Don't worry, I would like you to hear my ideas and then choose the one you like most, what about it?"
"Sure."
They then decided to share ideas for names and how well they liked them.
"Then it's decided. For now on, you are Nero."
Her name had been decided using the last syllables of the first two numbers of her identification, niNE and zeRO, NERO.
Nero smiled, content with her new name. She then extended her arms and hugged Nio tightly.
"Thank you, Nio. You are without a doubt the best friend one could ask for."
"No worries."
Nio found himself a little surprised at Nero's deep affection for having a name, and being able to bring her that joy warmed his heart. To see her so happy made him happy.
'I should brainstorm ideas with 9-3-1 for his name as well.'
************************************************************
Later that day, Nio was walking through the forest, on his way back. Like always, he was practicing his control over chakra and cursed energy while leisurely walking. Chakra strings, around thirty of them, floated around him, feeling the surrounding area. In his left hand, cursed energy was being concentrated before being forced into the air, where it was controlled into being shaped into a sphere. On his right hand, Chakra was steadily rotating.
Practicing chakra control with chakra strings.
Practicing cursed energy control with cursed energy constructs.
And finally, an added step in the Rasengan training.
Now that he had completed the first step of the training, while he was practicing the next step related to power, he also kept performing the Rasengan using only the knowledge of the first step, allowing him to train the amount of time he could keep the chakra rotating.
He was in a good mood, after all, he had finally done it. He had now enough credits to not only buy [Itadori Yuji's Physique] but also [Total Concentration Breathing].
[Credits: 1103]
"Okay, system buy both of the items I had marked."
[Right away, host.]
[Congratulations! You have gained [Itadori Yuji's Physique]]
[Congratulations! You have gained [Total Concentration Physique]]
[You have now 53 credits]
[Do you wish to have [Itadori Yuji's Physique] implemented?]
[Yes] [No]
"Yes"
[Starting implementation.]
[Analyzing experiences of body modification]
[Case 1 : Meridian and Chakra Channel Fusion]
[Case 2 : Bloodline Awakening]
[System's evaluation as deemed that body modifications should be made in a safe place]
[Analyzing surroundings using host's senses and context]
[Area deemed unsafe.]
[Pain Nullification System Activated]
[Conscience Maintenance System Activated]
[Commencing Implementation]
Nio felt his body being washed with power, his body changing once again. Knowledge the he was not aware before flooded his mind.
Without waiting a bit, he said to no one.
"Status."
[
Status:
Name: Nio/Nioo/9-1-1/Alex
Age:7(25)
Cultivation: Body Tempering Stage 0
Bloodline: Mortal Body of Chance and Change
Health: Low level Exhaustion / Overall Good Health
PHY: 30
SPE: 19
END: 34
INT: 28
CON: 25
Credits: 53
]
"Wow! My stats have increased so much! I can feel it, the power coursing through my muscles, it's insane."
Nio was genuinely happy with this outcome. With this, his power would improve greatly.
Once he mastered the Rasengan and a few ways to use Cursed Energy, he was confident to deal with anything inside the forest, allowing him to train and get more credits, allowing him to get stronger.
Not only that, the age at which one started cultivating was approaching, at that time, he could grow even stronger!
Things were going smoothly, and he felt really happy about it.
Soon, he would grow up strong enough to escape the Stygian and Nero clans with Nero, his mother and 9-3-1.
His goals never felt so close!
Of course, his journey wouldn't stop there. There was a lot of stuff to deal with. The Transmigrator Competition was still underway, therefore, he needed to find a way outside this world.
According to the System, this world was a Secret Realm, similar to the ones in cultivation novels he used to read. Since that's the case, there must be an opening and exit, for this secret realm.
For now, his suspicions were in the Eastern Continent and the Central Continent. If it were on the Western Continent, the Eastern forces would surely take control of it after winning the war, and yet, their presence in this continent stems from simple taxes, high exploration of work force, and other things, but they never took control over any territory, so either they didn't find the opening of the secret realm here, or it was not on this continent.
So, after escaping from the Nell clan, he would have to find a way to the Eastern Continent.
But that's for the future, for now he should aim for a smaller goal.
Nio already decided which one.
To defeat either the Black Panther or the strange Rabbit.
Even the System had agreed.
[Congratulations! The System Quest Assignment Program as heard and respects your wishes!]
[You have been assigned a Quest!]
[Large Steps Require Smaller Ones]
[Defeat these Opponents:]
[
Defeat the "Guardian Black Panther" - - - 0/1
Defeat the "Mysterious Horned Rabbit" - - - 0/1
]
[
Rewards:
-> 1000 credits
-> [Water Breathing Style : 1st form - Water Surface Slash] (Scroll Form)
]
Needless to say, the rewards were really tempting. He was already planning to defeat those two beasts as a form of revenge, but now he was going to be paid for it?
'Don't mind if I do.'
1000 credits and a form of Water Breathing were really valuable in the early parts of his journey. In a world of cultivation, surely, a battle style such as Water Breathing would have a lot of potential and could surely be elevated to higher levels, becoming even stronger.
And the credits, the things he could buy with them. Techniques, samples of different power systems, and even transformations, he could do so much with them.
Things were definitely going well.
Once he mastered the Rasengan, he would go and defeat the Black Panther, that was the first stop.
No matter how much time it took, he would defeat it and grow even stronger. There was no other choice in this matter. There was no other future for Nio, he needed strength.
To survive.
To save.
To win.