"Karman, are you serious? Maybe you're just dreaming after waking up," Elder Hartono said worriedly.
"Master, I don't know, but I think that white tiger...."
"Karman, I want to tell you something," Elder Hartono cut off. "But before that, I want to ask you. How long do you hold the golden body?"
"I don't know, because I've never used it to the limit."
"Do it, I will judge your understanding of your technique."
My eyes and hair turned golden yellow. For a moment, Elder Hartono's expression changed, with tears held back in the corners of his eyes.
I maintained this stance for a full three minutes. It seems like a short time. But that short time made Elder Hartono dumbfounded.
"Everything is clear now," Elder Hartono said while looking at the sky. "The user of the Golden Body technique will always be tested by the sky. And.... Even though the heavens are collapsing and destroying the world. I will make sure that you stand tall." Elder Hartono added with a smile. A forced smile, a smile mixed with anxiety and deep secrets.
Our conversation ended awkwardly. Then Elder Hartono taught me at the training ground. I will learn the advanced techniques that I have mastered.
"You've only mastered the initial stage. But, for the size of a newbie who uses the technique, you are the longest."
I was surprised, he said that a short time was the longest. "I would like to ask, how long are you able to use this technique?"
"Hm... Good question. If you ask a previous user or me, the longest time is thirty seconds. But, with your current level, I can kill you in five seconds."
I activated Golden Body and punched. My fist hit Elder Hartono's palm.
Crack!
My wrist broke. The golden light flickered off immediately. I fell back, holding my hand.
"You spread it too thin. Focus it where you need it. Right arm for punching. Left leg for kicking. Not everywhere at once."
He hit me with his bamboo rod.
"Again."
For six hours straight, he made me practice. Activate Golden Body on my right arm. Now left arm. Now legs. Now chest. Every time I failed, he hit me. By sunset, welts covered my body. I could barely walk.
"Now you learn to use it while fighting."
Elder Hartono attacked without warning. I barely blocked with Golden Body on my arms.
Wham!
I flew back and hit the ground hard.
"Too slow."
He kept attacking. I had to make decisions quickly every time. Block or dodge? Where to activate Golden Body? My face got bloodied. My ribs got bruised. But slowly, I got faster at switching the technique around my body.
"Fight until you drop or breakthrough."
Elder Hartono activated three training constructs. They moved fast and hit hard. I fought them using everything I learned. Golden Body kept switching around my body as I blocked, dodged, and attacked.
Twenty minutes in, I was tired.
An hour in, I could barely keep Golden Body active for more than a second.
But I kept going. Then something changed. The golden light suddenly concentrated just in my fist as I punched.
Boom!
The middle construct exploded.
I collapsed on my knees, completely exhausted. Elder Hartono smiled.
"Good. You reached Focused Manifestation."
The training continued until it got dark.
---
Meanwhile, in the dark alleys of the suburbs. Standing two people sharing information.
"So, this time you failed." The masked man said.
"You don't just talk. I have pierced him and let him be a beast's meal." The man in an azure cloud uniform said.
"But what is this?! You are unreliable."
The man dressed in azure cloud smiled instead. "Why don't you just try it yourself?"
"What the hell are you saying?"
"I mean, let's prove. After all, he was just a new disciple."
"Okay, after I killed him, you're next."
"Whatever."
---
After two days of non-stop training, my body is so sore that I couldn't move. I wanted to pee somewhere. When I had found the right place, suddenly a throwing knife pierced through my chest. Fuck!
---
[masked man's pov]
"According to information from Bagong, he should be around here," I said while waiting for a full three hours, while disguising myself in a tree.
Tap tap tap.
"That's the person! How careless is a person who is said to be a genius!" I said to myself as I prepared an ambush.
Stab!
My attack with a throwing knife pierced his chest. "Too easy...." I said as I moved back to the base. But
Bruk!
---
[Karman's pov]
The broken assassin lay at my feet. I looked at the direction from which the knife came. Someone was running away.
I chased. My legs burned with Golden Body as I closed the distance fast. The figure looked back, eyes wide when seeing me alive.
I grabbed her right hand and pulled it until it broke.
"Wait! I can explain!"
I didn't care. I flipped the person over and activated Golden Body in my fist.
Bam!
I punched the face. The mask cracked.
Bam!
Another punch. Blood sprayed.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
I kept hitting until the face was unrecognizable. Teeth scattered on the ground. The skull made cracking sounds. My knuckles were covered in blood.
As I walked away, I noticed my hands weren't shaking. Killing or crippling people didn't bother me at all.