"Up."
That word alone caused Jin to wake up despite the heavy eyelids and groggy state of mind. The surroundings were as cold as ever and the strain from waking up caused his neck to feel very uncomfortable. He tried to push his muscles to move but they seemed weary and numb.
"Come now, don't waste any more time. Or your trial will only get harder."
Jin tried to comply by pulling his arms to rub his eyes. All the rheum or eye booger was being removed from the slow but continuous movement. There he saw that it was not the person who he thought would be talking to him.
It was the Turtle of the North, Genbu staring right in front of him despite Jin knowing that he was currently at the top of the mountain because of the surrounding view and the bench he was sitting on. Yet, this turtle's head was now as large- no, possibly bigger than he could ever recall. It stared at him above the top of the mountain and its presence was so immense that his body might go numb further from the fright he got.
"Did you climb out of that valley? I do not remember your head being this big." Jin spoke while trying to remain calm. There was no way he could defeat such a turtle with his sword or current chi capability. At the same time, he felt the aura was somewhat similar to Ming though Jin could eventually feel the slight alterations in its presence until a gigantic serpent head emerged from the side of the cliff to where he was sitting.
"We did not climb out of the valley. Hisss Hissss. We merely outgrew that space." The serpent said as it twirls around the tip of the mountain as if blocking Jin's from ever descending from the only path down the mountain.
"How did you even get so big?" Jin asked as he discerned it was no longer plausible to fight it on par that he might as well try to talk to it.
"Who knows? Your ever growing achievements?" The turtle replied with a slow smile.
"You mean his ever growing procrastinations." The serpent hissed while drawing its tongue out close enough to Jin to threaten him.
"Or his ever growing workload." Both turtle and serpent chuckled at their own speech leaving Jin rather speechless.
"Might I add his growing audacity to take on the whole world?" Ming suddenly emerged from the blocked path and waved at Genbu. "But despite him growing, something continued to hinder him."
"His lack of motivation." The serpent answered.
"His attitude." The turtle added.
"His impatience." Once again they both said at the same time and Jin could not deny any of it. As much as he wanted things to go well for the Dungeon Supplier store, those were the issues he had with himself. But because every day is a busy day, he always used that as an excuse to ignore them.
"Sometimes, I honestly hoped you had changed for the better. But it seems that you had lost your purpose, your drive. Have you forgotten what the System did to you? To us?" Ming questioned and Jin sighed for a moment.
"There is no issue with the System at all. It can be quite accommodating if you pressed the right buttons." Jin said as he placed his hand at the side of the bench and found that his sword Bam was still right beside him.
He picked it up and raised Bam right in front of his grandfather. "You said people change, and yet you who were quite supportive of the idea of the System suddenly want to turn it against me. Are you even the real Ming or is this the real you?"
"Internal strife." The serpent hissed.
"Like his heart." The Turtle bellowed.
"And yet, he finally knows what's best for himself." Both of them echoed and suddenly Ming who was in front of Jin disintegrated into a pool of sludge. The serpent uncoiled itself from the mountain and Jin could feel the cold wind gushing right into his face.
"His fate, broken." The Serpent's voice got softer with the sound of the cold winds.
"His reality, harsh." The Turtle's head retracted as well and the winds got even stronger. Yet, Jin stood on his ground with whatever chi he could gather.
"But he remained unwavering. A change which we both wished to see more." They both echoed again and that was when Jin realised that the mountain itself was the shell of the turtle.
He could not believe it at first but when he finally saw a glimpse of the turtle's head facing forward and the serpent's entire body at the back. Jin knew that he was on Genbu itself. That theory was further cemented when the mountain started to rumble and with each step (or waddle) the turtle took, it felt like an earthquake tremor. Using a fake Ming to get to provoke Jin could also be one of its tactics since Genbu could be associated with yin energy, the origin of darkness.
"Do I have to defeat you to move on? I feel like I have gained some insight through you. Even though you seemed unbeatable since the first time I saw you."
"Young boy wishes to yield." The serpent laughed and the winter winds got even harsher.
"Wisdom gained through defeat." The turtle chuckled as the snow got heavier and the atmosphere.
"But fight you must. So that the mountain would be yours truly." Once more both spoke in unison. "Just as how the West had pledged its allegiance to you through trial of battle."
"Damn. If you said it that way…" Jin could feel the cold winter winds get even more piercing than ever as Genbu continued to move forth. But like what the Turtle of the North said, Jin was not alone as a bolt of blue lightning struck at a spot right beside the bench and Byakko emerged right from it, waiting for Jin to give him his orders.
"Are you willing to pin your hopes on this useless Dungeon Supplier?" Jin asked once more and the Tiger sneered at him before charging his fur with electricity. His roar was nonetheless electrifying and somehow provided a barrier where the snow and wind could not enter. While Jin continued to feel terribly cold, it at least gave him a breather to think better.
"Hahaha, less talk, more action? Fine!" Jin said as he let go of Bam and released the chi that allowed him to secure his footing. Instead of staying in the comfortable barrier that Byakko created, he charged out of it and allowed the icy cold winds to blow him off the mountain.
"If old man Genbu wants me to fight, then I will gladly give him one! This time around, you better watch out!" Jin said but the winds were not giving a chance to do anything. Instead, it started to whirl like a hurricane causing him to be moving in circles around the top of the mountain.
His hands and legs were also getting frostbites but Jin continued to let the Turtle of the North have his way. For Jin knows that this is his subconsciousness at work and he would not allow it to beat him up this easily. It's time for the master of his own subconscious realm to throw some payback.
"Up."
That word alone caused Jin to wake up despite the heavy eyelids and groggy state of mind. The surroundings were as cold as ever and the strain from waking up caused his neck to feel very uncomfortable. He tried to push his muscles to move but they seemed weary and numb.
"Come now, don't waste any more time. Or your trial will only get harder."
Jin tried to comply by pulling his arms to rub his eyes. All the rheum or eye booger was being removed from the slow but continuous movement. There he saw that it was not the person who he thought would be talking to him.
It was the Turtle of the North, Genbu staring right in front of him despite Jin knowing that he was currently at the top of the mountain because of the surrounding view and the bench he was sitting on. Yet, this turtle's head was now as large- no, possibly bigger than he could ever recall. It stared at him above the top of the mountain and its presence was so immense that his body might go numb further from the fright he got.
"Did you climb out of that valley? I do not remember your head being this big." Jin spoke while trying to remain calm. There was no way he could defeat such a turtle with his sword or current chi capability. At the same time, he felt the aura was somewhat similar to Ming though Jin could eventually feel the slight alterations in its presence until a gigantic serpent head emerged from the side of the cliff to where he was sitting.
"We did not climb out of the valley. Hisss Hissss. We merely outgrew that space." The serpent said as it twirls around the tip of the mountain as if blocking Jin's from ever descending from the only path down the mountain.
"How did you even get so big?" Jin asked as he discerned it was no longer plausible to fight it on par that he might as well try to talk to it.
"Who knows? Your ever growing achievements?" The turtle replied with a slow smile.
"You mean his ever growing procrastinations." The serpent hissed while drawing its tongue out close enough to Jin to threaten him.
"Or his ever growing workload." Both turtle and serpent chuckled at their own speech leaving Jin rather speechless.
"Might I add his growing audacity to take on the whole world?" Ming suddenly emerged from the blocked path and waved at Genbu. "But despite him growing, something continued to hinder him."
"His lack of motivation." The serpent answered.
"His attitude." The turtle added.
"His impatience." Once again they both said at the same time and Jin could not deny any of it. As much as he wanted things to go well for the Dungeon Supplier store, those were the issues he had with himself. But because every day is a busy day, he always used that as an excuse to ignore them.
"Sometimes, I honestly hoped you had changed for the better. But it seems that you had lost your purpose, your drive. Have you forgotten what the System did to you? To us?" Ming questioned and Jin sighed for a moment.
"There is no issue with the System at all. It can be quite accommodating if you pressed the right buttons." Jin said as he placed his hand at the side of the bench and found that his sword Bam was still right beside him.
He picked it up and raised Bam right in front of his grandfather. "You said people change, and yet you who were quite supportive of the idea of the System suddenly want to turn it against me. Are you even the real Ming or is this the real you?"
"Internal strife." The serpent hissed.
"Like his heart." The Turtle bellowed.
"And yet, he finally knows what's best for himself." Both of them echoed and suddenly Ming who was in front of Jin disintegrated into a pool of sludge. The serpent uncoiled itself from the mountain and Jin could feel the cold wind gushing right into his face.
"His fate, broken." The Serpent's voice got softer with the sound of the cold winds.
"His reality, harsh." The Turtle's head retracted as well and the winds got even stronger. Yet, Jin stood on his ground with whatever chi he could gather.
"But he remained unwavering. A change which we both wished to see more." They both echoed again and that was when Jin realised that the mountain itself was the shell of the turtle.
He could not believe it at first but when he finally saw a glimpse of the turtle's head facing forward and the serpent's entire body at the back. Jin knew that he was on Genbu itself. That theory was further cemented when the mountain started to rumble and with each step (or waddle) the turtle took, it felt like an earthquake tremor. Using a fake Ming to get to provoke Jin could also be one of its tactics since Genbu could be associated with yin energy, the origin of darkness.
"Do I have to defeat you to move on? I feel like I have gained some insight through you. Even though you seemed unbeatable since the first time I saw you."
"Young boy wishes to yield." The serpent laughed and the winter winds got even harsher.
"Wisdom gained through defeat." The turtle chuckled as the snow got heavier and the atmosphere.
"But fight you must. So that the mountain would be yours truly." Once more both spoke in unison. "Just as how the West had pledged its allegiance to you through trial of battle."
"Damn. If you said it that way…" Jin could feel the cold winter winds get even more piercing than ever as Genbu continued to move forth. But like what the Turtle of the North said, Jin was not alone as a bolt of blue lightning struck at a spot right beside the bench and Byakko emerged right from it, waiting for Jin to give him his orders.
"Are you willing to pin your hopes on this useless Dungeon Supplier?" Jin asked once more and the Tiger sneered at him before charging his fur with electricity. His roar was nonetheless electrifying and somehow provided a barrier where the snow and wind could not enter. While Jin continued to feel terribly cold, it at least gave him a breather to think better.
"Hahaha, less talk, more action? Fine!" Jin said as he let go of Bam and released the chi that allowed him to secure his footing. Instead of staying in the comfortable barrier that Byakko created, he charged out of it and allowed the icy cold winds to blow him off the mountain.
"If old man Genbu wants me to fight, then I will gladly give him one! This time around, you better watch out!" Jin said but the winds were not giving a chance to do anything. Instead, it started to whirl like a hurricane causing him to be moving in circles around the top of the mountain.
His hands and legs were also getting frostbites but Jin continued to let the Turtle of the North have his way. For Jin knows that this is his subconsciousness at work and he would not allow it to beat him up this easily. It's time for the master of his own subconscious realm to throw some payback.
