Chapter 2
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Beta slowly stood up and followed his mother. They walked along the all too well-known corridor and stopped once they reached the training field. On the opposite side of the training field appeared a new door. Beta couldn't help but wonder how a door could just appear overnight, but he didn't get the chance to dwell on it for long because his mother slowly opened the door and entered the room. When Beta followed her in, he was stunned speechless. A giant field of plants was in front of him. He saw more colors than he has ever seen in his books before, not to talk about his own experiences. Just like in the training room, there's an artificial sun on the ceiling which lets you feel a certain warmth.
"These plants are only the most basic ones, there's no need to be stunned. All the really good plants can't grow in conditions like that, surrounded by plants from all sides, and there are several other reasons you will learn later on."
When Beta listened to his mother's words, he forced himself to calm down. Knowing that these plants are only basic materials didn't make him less stunned though. On the contrary, he was even more stunned, because it means that there are many, many more plants. "I wonder if I will ever see them..." Beta mused. Suddenly his mother stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Beta. Although his mother was a very beautiful woman it didn't make her less scary. When he looked at her cold, frozen smile and her calculating eyes, he felt like his very soul turned into a block of ice. He couldn't say what's scarier though, seeing his brother's warm smile while getting beaten up or his mom's freezing aura.
"Beta, I'm going to teach you about medicine, stimulants and poison. Today we'll start with medicine and stimulants, but let me tell you the basics first. For all plants there are three main ways to process, namely: chewing, brewing and pill forging. For now, I'll show you a few herbs that can be simply chewed.".
Just when his mother said that, she started going to one of the herbs at the side and carefully uprooted a green plant with red marks on it.
"This is a Blood Aloe Vera. It's a very good herb for burns, cuts and skin infections. You simply have to chew it and apply it to your wound. It will stop the bleeding and help you recover faster.".
Beta looked at the plant carefully, making sure to memorize it in detail. When he was done, he looked at his mother and nodded. As if she had been waiting for it, she started to dig out another herb. This one is green with a reddish blossom.
"This is Helichrysum. It's processed the same way as the one earlier, but this herb is used for bruises.".
Beta once more memorized the new herb. But he didn't just memorize it this time, he took the herb, chewed on it, and applied it on the bruises he got from his martial arts training. It didn't take long for him to feel an effect. The pain lessened and he felt a cool sensation on his skin. That made him realize just how important medicine and the knowledge behind it. Now with even more vigor, he started to learn about herbs with his full concentration. His mother showed him another few herbs and how to dig them out properly before she talked about the conditions the herbs have to be in in order to grow properly.
"Beta, the next three days will be your days off. All of the facilities are free for you to use, but what you do in the end is up to you. I'll take my leave now.".
After his mother left, Beta didn't directly go to his room. "If I just dawdle around in my free time I'll definitely lose on the next arena day... I have to get stronger! If I lose any more matches my body will be completely swapped out with weak body parts and I'll never be able to win!". He started imagining his brother with his harmless, warm smile just looking at him and suddenly throwing a punch. Beta tried to dodge it to the best of his abilities, but he was still hit. Beta's eyes started twitching, "Even in my imagination I can't dodge it... I have to try harder!". And with that horrifying memory of his, he continued training for another 20 minutes until he got tired.
He went to the herb garden and dug out one of the herbs his mother showed him beforehand, chewed on it and then smeared the paste on his temples. After a few seconds he already noticed that he got revitalized so he went back to the training area and continued what he was doing earlier. Only when he was completely exhausted did he finally stop and slowly went to bed, with his body aching all over. He quickly fell asleep. When he woke up the next morning he thought up a schedule in order to maximize his efficiency.
He started by going to training field and continued trying to come up with ways to dodge his brother's punch. Sometime later, when he was completely exhausted, it has become a hobby for him to go to the herb garden to revitalize himself. He started to study the herbs he already knew even more. Beta tried everything he could think of, like digging the herbs out and looking at its root close up. He also inspected the tiny hairs on their leaves and smelled their beguiling fragrance. After awhile of repeated observation and experimentation, Beta realized that he was acting like how his parents are when working at their lab. Scratching his head, he left the herb garden and proceeded to the operation room.
It has a complete wall filled with morgue freezers that radiated a cold steam off them that makes people feel uncomfortable. Beta went to the lowest one, which at the moment is the only place where he could reach, and looked inside it. There he found a small boy around his age. He pulled him out and used all his strength to put him onto the table, after which he started to dissect him and compare it to the information and guidance his father gave him before. He started cutting him in several areas to check the locations of the organs, muscles, sinews and bones. Once he finished observing the boy's corpse, feeling satisfied with his discovery, he cleaned himself up and decided to go to the martial arts area again, continuing his practice. This routine continued on and on for the next few days.
Beta trained, studied herbs, and dissected corpses repeatedly. Even with all that preparation, he became nervous when it was finally arena day again. He wasn't surprised once he was called into the arena, but still, every step he made towards the arena was a heavy one. The door to the arena opened and he saw the same familiar room again, but this time there was a girl instead of a boy standing there, waiting for him. He walked up to stand in front of her, just separated by three to four meters. When he reached that position, he noticed another change. There were two daggers on the ground in front of them. This time Beta noticed the countdown. It's his father's voice that counted down from 10 downwards. He decided to try what he experienced himself. He put up a warm smile and simply looked at the girl who seemed to be around the same age as him. She stared at his warm smile in confusion, preparing for the upcoming fight.
Once the countdown reached zero, Beta started his attack. He doesn't know whether his opponent knows how to fight with a dagger or not and since he definitely doesn't know how to use it yet, he simply started attacking as fast as possible so that the girl won't be able to pick up a dagger. Due to Beta's unexpected warm smile, the girl hesitated for a second which turned out to be a fatal mistake. Beta hit her head as hard as he could and followed up with another hit to her kidneys. Before he could land his second hit though, the girl already grabbed his shoulder and pulled him hard, while putting her foot before his, intending to make him fall. Beta noticed what she was trying to do and quickly avoided her foot. And yet, he still couldn't help but stumble forward. The girl used that opportunity and quickly grabbed a dagger, glaring at Beta menacingly. Beta couldn't help but feel helpless seeing that. The thing he wanted to prevent the most happened at the very beginning of the match, which just shows his inexperience in battles.
Suddenly the girl ran up to him, stabbing forward with her dagger. Beta narrowly dodged the attack and tackled her. They both fell on the ground heavily. Beta was delighted. His dodging practice paid off and he was even able to make the girl lose her knife in the process. He sat up on her and started punching her furiously. The girl still didn't give up though. She slowly moved one of her hands towards the knife, almost reaching it. Beta started punching her harder and harder, hoping to make her pass out. But sometimes life isn't that easy. The girl reached the dagger and slashed it at Beta's face. He quickly jumped away but sadly he was too slow. A horrifyingly big gash opened up on his face, bleeding profusely. Beta felt the pulsing pain on his face and couldn't help but shout out loudly. The girl didn't wait for him to calm down and directly went forward to make another slash but even though he was in pain, Beta still anticipated her move and jumped to the side, running quickly towards the other dagger in the room. The girl freaked out when she realized what Beta is up to and quickly followed him, trying to catch him before he could get it. However, her aching body didn't allow her to catch him. Beta successfully grabbed the dagger and jumped forward barely dodging the girl's slash. Now it was his time to attack.
As he got up and mustered all his strength, he ran to up to the girl as fast as he could, swatting away her dagger with his left arm unhinderedly. Without hesitation, he stabbed forth his dagger, successfully stabbing her throat. She let her dagger fall down and gripped the hole in her throat, trying to keep her blood inside her body. Beta looked at that scene coldly. He slowly lowered his gaze to his left arm which had a big gaping wound on it and only looked up when he heard a thud. The girl fell down on the ground, staining it with her blood.
"Beta wins. Leave the room to the right side."
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Beta slowly stood up and followed his mother. They walked along the all too well-known corridor and stopped once they reached the training field. On the opposite side of the training field appeared a new door. Beta couldn't help but wonder how a door could just appear overnight, but he didn't get the chance to dwell on it for long because his mother slowly opened the door and entered the room. When Beta followed her in, he was stunned speechless. A giant field of plants was in front of him. He saw more colors than he has ever seen in his books before, not to talk about his own experiences. Just like in the training room, there's an artificial sun on the ceiling which lets you feel a certain warmth.
"These plants are only the most basic ones, there's no need to be stunned. All the really good plants can't grow in conditions like that, surrounded by plants from all sides, and there are several other reasons you will learn later on."
When Beta listened to his mother's words, he forced himself to calm down. Knowing that these plants are only basic materials didn't make him less stunned though. On the contrary, he was even more stunned, because it means that there are many, many more plants. "I wonder if I will ever see them..." Beta mused. Suddenly his mother stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Beta. Although his mother was a very beautiful woman it didn't make her less scary. When he looked at her cold, frozen smile and her calculating eyes, he felt like his very soul turned into a block of ice. He couldn't say what's scarier though, seeing his brother's warm smile while getting beaten up or his mom's freezing aura.
"Beta, I'm going to teach you about medicine, stimulants and poison. Today we'll start with medicine and stimulants, but let me tell you the basics first. For all plants there are three main ways to process, namely: chewing, brewing and pill forging. For now, I'll show you a few herbs that can be simply chewed.".
Just when his mother said that, she started going to one of the herbs at the side and carefully uprooted a green plant with red marks on it.
"This is a Blood Aloe Vera. It's a very good herb for burns, cuts and skin infections. You simply have to chew it and apply it to your wound. It will stop the bleeding and help you recover faster.".
Beta looked at the plant carefully, making sure to memorize it in detail. When he was done, he looked at his mother and nodded. As if she had been waiting for it, she started to dig out another herb. This one is green with a reddish blossom.
"This is Helichrysum. It's processed the same way as the one earlier, but this herb is used for bruises.".
Beta once more memorized the new herb. But he didn't just memorize it this time, he took the herb, chewed on it, and applied it on the bruises he got from his martial arts training. It didn't take long for him to feel an effect. The pain lessened and he felt a cool sensation on his skin. That made him realize just how important medicine and the knowledge behind it. Now with even more vigor, he started to learn about herbs with his full concentration. His mother showed him another few herbs and how to dig them out properly before she talked about the conditions the herbs have to be in in order to grow properly.
"Beta, the next three days will be your days off. All of the facilities are free for you to use, but what you do in the end is up to you. I'll take my leave now.".
After his mother left, Beta didn't directly go to his room. "If I just dawdle around in my free time I'll definitely lose on the next arena day... I have to get stronger! If I lose any more matches my body will be completely swapped out with weak body parts and I'll never be able to win!". He started imagining his brother with his harmless, warm smile just looking at him and suddenly throwing a punch. Beta tried to dodge it to the best of his abilities, but he was still hit. Beta's eyes started twitching, "Even in my imagination I can't dodge it... I have to try harder!". And with that horrifying memory of his, he continued training for another 20 minutes until he got tired.
He went to the herb garden and dug out one of the herbs his mother showed him beforehand, chewed on it and then smeared the paste on his temples. After a few seconds he already noticed that he got revitalized so he went back to the training area and continued what he was doing earlier. Only when he was completely exhausted did he finally stop and slowly went to bed, with his body aching all over. He quickly fell asleep. When he woke up the next morning he thought up a schedule in order to maximize his efficiency.
He started by going to training field and continued trying to come up with ways to dodge his brother's punch. Sometime later, when he was completely exhausted, it has become a hobby for him to go to the herb garden to revitalize himself. He started to study the herbs he already knew even more. Beta tried everything he could think of, like digging the herbs out and looking at its root close up. He also inspected the tiny hairs on their leaves and smelled their beguiling fragrance. After awhile of repeated observation and experimentation, Beta realized that he was acting like how his parents are when working at their lab. Scratching his head, he left the herb garden and proceeded to the operation room.
It has a complete wall filled with morgue freezers that radiated a cold steam off them that makes people feel uncomfortable. Beta went to the lowest one, which at the moment is the only place where he could reach, and looked inside it. There he found a small boy around his age. He pulled him out and used all his strength to put him onto the table, after which he started to dissect him and compare it to the information and guidance his father gave him before. He started cutting him in several areas to check the locations of the organs, muscles, sinews and bones. Once he finished observing the boy's corpse, feeling satisfied with his discovery, he cleaned himself up and decided to go to the martial arts area again, continuing his practice. This routine continued on and on for the next few days.
Beta trained, studied herbs, and dissected corpses repeatedly. Even with all that preparation, he became nervous when it was finally arena day again. He wasn't surprised once he was called into the arena, but still, every step he made towards the arena was a heavy one. The door to the arena opened and he saw the same familiar room again, but this time there was a girl instead of a boy standing there, waiting for him. He walked up to stand in front of her, just separated by three to four meters. When he reached that position, he noticed another change. There were two daggers on the ground in front of them. This time Beta noticed the countdown. It's his father's voice that counted down from 10 downwards. He decided to try what he experienced himself. He put up a warm smile and simply looked at the girl who seemed to be around the same age as him. She stared at his warm smile in confusion, preparing for the upcoming fight.
Once the countdown reached zero, Beta started his attack. He doesn't know whether his opponent knows how to fight with a dagger or not and since he definitely doesn't know how to use it yet, he simply started attacking as fast as possible so that the girl won't be able to pick up a dagger. Due to Beta's unexpected warm smile, the girl hesitated for a second which turned out to be a fatal mistake. Beta hit her head as hard as he could and followed up with another hit to her kidneys. Before he could land his second hit though, the girl already grabbed his shoulder and pulled him hard, while putting her foot before his, intending to make him fall. Beta noticed what she was trying to do and quickly avoided her foot. And yet, he still couldn't help but stumble forward. The girl used that opportunity and quickly grabbed a dagger, glaring at Beta menacingly. Beta couldn't help but feel helpless seeing that. The thing he wanted to prevent the most happened at the very beginning of the match, which just shows his inexperience in battles.
Suddenly the girl ran up to him, stabbing forward with her dagger. Beta narrowly dodged the attack and tackled her. They both fell on the ground heavily. Beta was delighted. His dodging practice paid off and he was even able to make the girl lose her knife in the process. He sat up on her and started punching her furiously. The girl still didn't give up though. She slowly moved one of her hands towards the knife, almost reaching it. Beta started punching her harder and harder, hoping to make her pass out. But sometimes life isn't that easy. The girl reached the dagger and slashed it at Beta's face. He quickly jumped away but sadly he was too slow. A horrifyingly big gash opened up on his face, bleeding profusely. Beta felt the pulsing pain on his face and couldn't help but shout out loudly. The girl didn't wait for him to calm down and directly went forward to make another slash but even though he was in pain, Beta still anticipated her move and jumped to the side, running quickly towards the other dagger in the room. The girl freaked out when she realized what Beta is up to and quickly followed him, trying to catch him before he could get it. However, her aching body didn't allow her to catch him. Beta successfully grabbed the dagger and jumped forward barely dodging the girl's slash. Now it was his time to attack.
As he got up and mustered all his strength, he ran to up to the girl as fast as he could, swatting away her dagger with his left arm unhinderedly. Without hesitation, he stabbed forth his dagger, successfully stabbing her throat. She let her dagger fall down and gripped the hole in her throat, trying to keep her blood inside her body. Beta looked at that scene coldly. He slowly lowered his gaze to his left arm which had a big gaping wound on it and only looked up when he heard a thud. The girl fell down on the ground, staining it with her blood.
"Beta wins. Leave the room to the right side."
Beta slowly stood up and followed his mother. They walked along the all too well-known corridor and stopped once they reached the training field. On the opposite side of the training field appeared a new door. Beta couldn't help but wonder how a door could just appear overnight, but he didn't get the chance to dwell on it for long because his mother slowly opened the door and entered the room. When Beta followed her in, he was stunned speechless. A giant field of plants was in front of him. He saw more colors than he has ever seen in his books before, not to talk about his own experiences. Just like in the training room, there's an artificial sun on the ceiling which lets you feel a certain warmth."These plants are only the most basic ones, there's no need to be stunned. All the really good plants can't grow in conditions like that, surrounded by plants from all sides, and there are several other reasons you will learn later on."When Beta listened to his mother's words, he forced himself to calm down. Knowing that these plants are only basic materials didn't make him less stunned though. On the contrary, he was even more stunned, because it means that there are many, many more plants. "I wonder if I will ever see them..." Beta mused. Suddenly his mother stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Beta. Although his mother was a very beautiful woman it didn't make her less scary. When he looked at her cold, frozen smile and her calculating eyes, he felt like his very soul turned into a block of ice. He couldn't say what's scarier though, seeing his brother's warm smile while getting beaten up or his mom's freezing aura."Beta, I'm going to teach you about medicine, stimulants and poison. Today we'll start with medicine and stimulants, but let me tell you the basics first. For all plants there are three main ways to process, namely: chewing, brewing and pill forging. For now, I'll show you a few herbs that can be simply chewed.".Just when his mother said that, she started going to one of the herbs at the side and carefully uprooted a green plant with red marks on it."This is a Blood Aloe Vera. It's a very good herb for burns, cuts and skin infections. You simply have to chew it and apply it to your wound. It will stop the bleeding and help you recover faster.".Beta looked at the plant carefully, making sure to memorize it in detail. When he was done, he looked at his mother and nodded. As if she had been waiting for it, she started to dig out another herb. This one is green with a reddish blossom."This is Helichrysum. It's processed the same way as the one earlier, but this herb is used for bruises.".Beta once more memorized the new herb. But he didn't just memorize it this time, he took the herb, chewed on it, and applied it on the bruises he got from his martial arts training. It didn't take long for him to feel an effect. The pain lessened and he felt a cool sensation on his skin. That made him realize just how important medicine and the knowledge behind it. Now with even more vigor, he started to learn about herbs with his full concentration. His mother showed him another few herbs and how to dig them out properly before she talked about the conditions the herbs have to be in in order to grow properly."Beta, the next three days will be your days off. All of the facilities are free for you to use, but what you do in the end is up to you. I'll take my leave now.".After his mother left, Beta didn't directly go to his room. "If I just dawdle around in my free time I'll definitely lose on the next arena day... I have to get stronger! If I lose any more matches my body will be completely swapped out with weak body parts and I'll never be able to win!". He started imagining his brother with his harmless, warm smile just looking at him and suddenly throwing a punch. Beta tried to dodge it to the best of his abilities, but he was still hit. Beta's eyes started twitching, "Even in my imagination I can't dodge it... I have to try harder!". And with that horrifying memory of his, he continued training for another 20 minutes until he got tired.He went to the herb garden and dug out one of the herbs his mother showed him beforehand, chewed on it and then smeared the paste on his temples. After a few seconds he already noticed that he got revitalized so he went back to the training area and continued what he was doing earlier. Only when he was completely exhausted did he finally stop and slowly went to bed, with his body aching all over. He quickly fell asleep. When he woke up the next morning he thought up a schedule in order to maximize his efficiency.He started by going to training field and continued trying to come up with ways to dodge his brother's punch. Sometime later, when he was completely exhausted, it has become a hobby for him to go to the herb garden to revitalize himself. He started to study the herbs he already knew even more. Beta tried everything he could think of, like digging the herbs out and looking at its root close up. He also inspected the tiny hairs on their leaves and smelled their beguiling fragrance. After awhile of repeated observation and experimentation, Beta realized that he was acting like how his parents are when working at their lab. Scratching his head, he left the herb garden and proceeded to the operation room.It has a complete wall filled with morgue freezers that radiated a cold steam off them that makes people feel uncomfortable. Beta went to the lowest one, which at the moment is the only place where he could reach, and looked inside it. There he found a small boy around his age. He pulled him out and used all his strength to put him onto the table, after which he started to dissect him and compare it to the information and guidance his father gave him before. He started cutting him in several areas to check the locations of the organs, muscles, sinews and bones. Once he finished observing the boy's corpse, feeling satisfied with his discovery, he cleaned himself up and decided to go to the martial arts area again, continuing his practice. This routine continued on and on for the next few days.Beta trained, studied herbs, and dissected corpses repeatedly. Even with all that preparation, he became nervous when it was finally arena day again. He wasn't surprised once he was called into the arena, but still, every step he made towards the arena was a heavy one. The door to the arena opened and he saw the same familiar room again, but this time there was a girl instead of a boy standing there, waiting for him. He walked up to stand in front of her, just separated by three to four meters. When he reached that position, he noticed another change. There were two daggers on the ground in front of them. This time Beta noticed the countdown. It's his father's voice that counted down from 10 downwards. He decided to try what he experienced himself. He put up a warm smile and simply looked at the girl who seemed to be around the same age as him. She stared at his warm smile in confusion, preparing for the upcoming fight.Once the countdown reached zero, Beta started his attack. He doesn't know whether his opponent knows how to fight with a dagger or not and since he definitely doesn't know how to use it yet, he simply started attacking as fast as possible so that the girl won't be able to pick up a dagger. Due to Beta's unexpected warm smile, the girl hesitated for a second which turned out to be a fatal mistake. Beta hit her head as hard as he could and followed up with another hit to her kidneys. Before he could land his second hit though, the girl already grabbed his shoulder and pulled him hard, while putting her foot before his, intending to make him fall. Beta noticed what she was trying to do and quickly avoided her foot. And yet, he still couldn't help but stumble forward. The girl used that opportunity and quickly grabbed a dagger, glaring at Beta menacingly. Beta couldn't help but feel helpless seeing that. The thing he wanted to prevent the most happened at the very beginning of the match, which just shows his inexperience in battles.Suddenly the girl ran up to him, stabbing forward with her dagger. Beta narrowly dodged the attack and tackled her. They both fell on the ground heavily. Beta was delighted. His dodging practice paid off and he was even able to make the girl lose her knife in the process. He sat up on her and started punching her furiously. The girl still didn't give up though. She slowly moved one of her hands towards the knife, almost reaching it. Beta started punching her harder and harder, hoping to make her pass out. But sometimes life isn't that easy. The girl reached the dagger and slashed it at Beta's face. He quickly jumped away but sadly he was too slow. A horrifyingly big gash opened up on his face, bleeding profusely. Beta felt the pulsing pain on his face and couldn't help but shout out loudly. The girl didn't wait for him to calm down and directly went forward to make another slash but even though he was in pain, Beta still anticipated her move and jumped to the side, running quickly towards the other dagger in the room. The girl freaked out when she realized what Beta is up to and quickly followed him, trying to catch him before he could get it. However, her aching body didn't allow her to catch him. Beta successfully grabbed the dagger and jumped forward barely dodging the girl's slash. Now it was his time to attack.As he got up and mustered all his strength, he ran to up to the girl as fast as he could, swatting away her dagger with his left arm unhinderedly. Without hesitation, he stabbed forth his dagger, successfully stabbing her throat. She let her dagger fall down and gripped the hole in her throat, trying to keep her blood inside her body. Beta looked at that scene coldly. He slowly lowered his gaze to his left arm which had a big gaping wound on it and only looked up when he heard a thud. The girl fell down on the ground, staining it with her blood."Beta wins. Leave the room to the right side."
