Reader Mage 15-Depth And Solace

rlin kept no secrets from Nora. It was physically impossible for him to do so. He always told her everything he had on his mind, every ti, which now included his reason for not wanting to train at a regular boxing gym, but instead with soone close by. And that was because of the structure of rules he believed he would have to follow, the ti, and, most importantly, the future.

Basically, he wanted to be able to coordinate himself and decide when and where he could practice, and, if possible, continue even later on—if he got into Prestige Academy.

That was also true for his System. Nora knew about every single thing going on with it, its Quests, and, of course, his constant failures with ditation. That was why she had been able to help get him the ditation classes he’d needed from Sunny.

It was not like rlin hadn’t had any plans on that front, but his had just been the direct approach of asking, and, most likely, paying if Sunny had requested for a fee. Nora’s thod had been more effective, though—and frugal, too—and he had no problems with that.

Now, he was seated opposite Sunny, cross-legged, and trying to fall into a deep state of trance.

“No,” Sunny voiced, frustration bubbling in his tone. “Not a trance. You’re trying to ditate.”

rlin was not exactly sure what the difference was. ditating put one in a half-conscious state, didn’t it? If all his years of school hadn’t deceived him, then wasn’t that what a trance did as well?

“Why is this so hard for you to get?” Sunny sighed, rubbing his hand over his forehead.

They had been at it for almost an hour. Janeth was long gone now, with the claim that she had sowhere important to be—rlin had hoped that it was not a date with soone else—while Nora had succumbed to sitting on the floor at a corner of the studio-shrine, headsets on, and phone horizontal.

Honestly, rlin was getting exhausted about this whole thing. It was infuriating. He could be using this ti to do sothing else that could favor him, like working on leveling up his other Attributes.

rlin wondered what Attributes ditating pertained to, but since the whole Quest schtick had not been in Singularity Mage, it was hard for him to figure that out. However, he’d guessed that it was probably related to Perception, since they were both…mind induced? If he was to add one more Attribute, that would be Intelligence. But, unlike Perception, which was related with sensation as a whole, Intelligence didn’t share any particular similarities with ditation.

He could be wrong, though. But, he would have to get sothing out of this for him to find that out. Which was one of the reasons why he was yet to give up.

“I’m not really understanding you,” said rlin. “I’m doing everything right, aren’t I? If I’m falling into a trance, then doesn’t that an the thod is wrong, not ?”

Sunny looked so frustrated that it almost seed like he would rip off the headband tied around his forehead. rlin had a feeling that it was not because he kept falling into a trance, but because of the money the man had missed out on snatching from them. It was really eating into him, wasn’t it? And rlin not being a fast learner wasn’t exactly helping.

“Alright. Let explain this slowly for you.” Sunny beca animated, moving his hands around with every word uttered. “Trance and ditation do seem similar at first glance, I understand, I really do. But they aren’t the sa, okay? Don’t make that mistake. Yes, they both involve altered states of consciousness; trance, though, is characterized by deep relaxation and focused attention, allowing one to access deeper levels of their consciousness. So basically, it is what soone falls into when they’re hypnotized. Get it?”

Well, that made things easier on that front. This was what a detailed explanation could do. rlin nodded.

Sunny sighed and continued, still animated, “ditation, on the other hand, is aid at achieving ntal clarity and a deeper connection with oneself and the world around us. In essence, trance allows for exploration of the subconscious mind—your inner being. While ditation promotes ntal clarity and pushes you to beco one with nature.” He pulled his palms apart. “Depth and solace.”

I see…

“So, basically, trance is internal, while ditation is external?” said rlin with a slight bob of his head.

Sunny was taken aback, perhaps because of the way all his explanations had been dumbed down to just those two things.

“Uhm…I guess? If you put it like that. Anyways, the point is, trance and ditation are two different concepts. You don’t go about them the sa way.”

“That much I understand now,” replied rlin. “I’ll give it a crack one more ti.”

“Alright.” Sunny sighed. “Geez… All this hard work for so little pay? This is basically exploitation. And she says I was the one planning to exploit. That little devil.” He shot a glare at Nora.

rlin, however, was yet to begin his ditation. After all, sothing had stord his mind in that mont—sothing he couldn’t just push aside.

If being in a trance-like state deals with my subconscious and being in attunent with a deeper level of my internal self, won’t that an falling into that state will help attune with my mana more? Maybe I can progress my Intelligence with that, since it’s connected to mana? His heart rate increased at that mont, but it cald down a second later. Eh… I’m probably reaching. There’s no surety that ditating won’t help with my Intelligence, so why’s my mind wandering towards sothing else? I should just stick to what the System gave . Well, maybe I can take so ti later off tonight to try it out. Wouldn’t hurt.

With his thoughts now settled—all through it, Sunny had still been shooting Nora a glare she didn’t even notice—rlin rested his palms on his thighs and closed his eyes, recalling all Sunny had told him at the start.

ditation proved to be a lot easier when one saw it as a ‘stop’ sign, giving them the permission to pause, breathe, and reset in a busy world.

Sure, rlin had been doing just that all this while, but after Sunny’s expatiation on the concept of ditation and its difference from trance, he’d co to have an inkling of where he had been ssing up. Instead of being consciously aware of his senses, feeling for the sensation of the outside world, he had been focusing on his inner self and his fear of falling asleep, which, of course, made him fall asleep.

Now that he knew what to do, he went a different route.

rlin started by noticing what the mat he was seated upon felt like. It was firm, but slightly cushioned, soft and warm. Then the slightly sweet sll of the incense lingering in the air stord his nose—for so reason, it was thicker this ti—mixed with the woody sll of wax. The taste of his saliva ca to his notice—tallic. He heard breaths, the slightly heavy one of Sunny, the very heavy one of Nora, and…his, which was calm.

rlin breathed in and breathed out. He could feel it. It was working this ti. But this was the most important part. He couldn’t get distracted. For the next twenty minutes, he was to focus on his circular breath, and the simple words of breathe in and breathe out in his head. Nothing more. If it was done correctly, he wouldn’t even notice the passage of ti.

And then ca the challenge. rlin’s mind began to wander. Thoughts of his parents, their cat, Po, recollections of the day of his evaluation and how he had received the System, what would be of him if he failed the Academy’s assessnt exam, and…what Janeth was currently up to, rushed one after the other into his mind, causing ripples in its calmness.

However, that was not a basis to dismiss his attempt as a failure. As long as he didn’t fall asleep, he could still carry on. Nothing was gotten on the first try; everything required practice, most especially clearing the mind.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

rlin brought his mind back to those words whenever it wandered. Again and again. Until…the world inside him slowly muffled out, and his ears opened up.

“Piss off…”

He heard Nora curse under her breath. It was low, but he could hear it. That ga would be the end of her.

“I’m really losing money here. Tsk.”

Sunny’s murmur was louder compared to Nora’s, but that was because he was closer. His love for money was on a whole different level.

rlin then heard the soft chirps of birds close to the window, the horns of cars, and footfalls of people walking on the streets; but those were very, very distant.

He still had a long way to go, obviously, but he was getting closer. And when he finally opened his eyes twenty minutes later, due to Sunny’s tap, he found words hovering before his eyes, confirming that he had finally achieved so sort of progress.

[Blue Quests ongoing (2):

Strengthen your body, rlin Tyrrell. (The strength of a Mage not only lies in their prowess with magic, but also in their physicality. A better body makes a better Mage.)

Be clear of mind and spirit, rlin Tyrrell. (If you are quiet enough, you will hear the flow of the universe. You will feel its rhythm. Go with this flow. ditation is key. A better mind and soul makes a better Mage.)]

[Progress to leveling up Strength: 8.25%/100%]

[Progress to leveling up Agility: 6%/100%]

[Progress to leveling up Intelligence: 5%/100%]

[Progress to leveling up Perception: 0.5%/100%]

[Progress to leveling up Resilience: 9%/100%]

[Free Attribute Points received: 5]