Jinn’s influence was insidious, creeping into his decisions and actions. John hated it. He hated how Jinn justified his power through the lives he had taken, how he trampled over others in pursuit of strength. The people Jinn destroyed were often misguided, drawn to him like moths to a flame. Could it be that Jinn’s darkness was beginning to take root in him, too?
His connection with Max had grown stronger lately, a comforting tether to something real and grounding. But a question nagged at him: If he built a sanctuary for himself and his friends, a place free from the chaos of the outside world, would he be any better than those he had once opposed? Wasn’t that just another form of selfishness? He’d come to understand that the world was a reflection of what you made of it. But what was he making?
Jinn had only ever seen power as something to be taken—a zero-sum game of winners and losers. John knew there was another way. Helping someone could accomplish far more than stealing from them ever could. Power wasn’t a finite resource to hoard; it was something to share, something to use to lift others up. And yet, the concept of balance eluded him.
How could the darkness understand the light if they never met? How could chaos and order coexist? What did balance even look like? These questions swirled in his mind as he tried to focus. Perhaps the answer was in embracing both sides, finding harmony instead of conflict. For now, he decided to embrace the fisherman he had always been at heart: sometimes, the best way forward was to take a step back.
Jinn’s voice echoed in his thoughts, tempting him to go deeper into the dungeon, to grasp at power with both hands. Twice now, John had nearly succumbed to the ploy. Was it his growing strength, his increased body cultivation, that allowed him to resist? Or was it something else entirely? Mister Time had urged him to focus on spirit cultivation, but that path felt premature. To rush forward now might mean choking on more than he could handle.
Patience, he reminded himself. Growth required nourishment, and nourishment, in this case, meant people. People to teach, to guide, and to support. Jinn lured people with promises of gold and power, but John could offer them something greater: purpose and hope. In his past life, John had read a novel that spoke of helping others as "sending charcoal in winter." That was the kind of aid he wanted to provide. He would wait for Max’s findings on the neighboring cities and guilds. Until then, he would train.
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The spirit world was as treacherous as his old life had been. The traps might be different, but they were no less dangerous. Jinn reminded him of his old job in so many ways—always demanding more, always trying to pull him into the grind. This world, too, had its pitfalls, but John would treat it like his old office: with focus, diligence, and a healthy skepticism. He opened his eyes and looked around his training room, thinking of the sounds of the river's flow. People judged the world with their eyes, he thought. But how could one describe color to the colorblind? How could one explain light to someone who had only known darkness? John rose to his feet, feeling more centered. His path would intersect with others, diverge, and intertwine again. He couldn’t control the journey of those around him, only his own. And so, he walked forward—one step at a time, with purpose and clarity, knowing that the road ahead would be anything but simple.
John was unaware that his new titles, "Silver Heart" and "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing," had shifted his perspective. While reflecting on everything, John realized he had been too harsh on himself, perhaps even shortsighted. Then John called up his stat sheet. Max could review it for him, but he needed to understand it first. Max was incredibly smart, but John felt it was important to establish his own baseline understanding before relying on Max for updates. Now armed with a detailed report of his gains, John focused on staying grounded by fully understanding and experiencing his upgrades. That does work but to have exact info is a good way to understand my strength gains.
John then walked around his home. He really never got the chance, he went straight to the training room. The place was very cool looking but it really didn't feel like a home. John went looking for the kitchen. "Max can you render me a map of this floor and all other floors from here on. also highlight the kitchen" then john had a map displayed in front of him. "John we will have to convert a training room is that ok. we do have a few extra ones." John nodded "that's fine, I also have some plants we gathered while making our way to city. Why don't we have jinn check them out and see if he may know more about them. If not I will go to royal city again to get some books. I want to learn as much as possible, we may never know what we might need the future. This is a whole new world to discover max. So think you can explain to jinn what a kitchen from our old world was like. We should have the extra beast cores right?" "yes we have the beast cores but what we don't have is food, well jinn can make some meat but that's monster meat, you are out of fish." John didn't need to hear anything else he was going to get some supply's. He should ask the girls if they would like to join him on his little outing to the surface. Besides he needed to let max make him his kitchen, plus food always seems to bring people together.
Name: John
Titles: Silver Heart, Silver Tung, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Age:15 Sex: Male Race/Species: ADMIN Class: Unknown Level: 20
Attributes:
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Strength (STR): 12+40+10=62
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Dexterity (DEX): 12+40+10=62
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Constitution (CON): 12+40+20=72
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Intelligence (INT): 12+40+20=72
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Wisdom (WIS): 12+40+20=72
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Charisma (CHA): 12+40+30=82
Hit Points (HP): 12+40+20=72
Magic Points (MP): 12+40+20=72
Skills: Hidden
Abilities/Features: Hidden
Racial Traits: +2 to all stats for each level up.
Soul-Bound Items:
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Max: Fishing AI
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Bamboo Fly-rod: 13-foot fly-rod