Chapter 188 - 182: How Water Works
"You stored the tree. That was smart." Brist sat up, spit out some sand, and shook his head. He had only been out a few moments, a testament to the high vitality stat he had maintained in almost all of his lives. "Good move. Reminds me of the wagon."
"That's what made me think of it. All I needed was a second," Tulland said.
"Worked just fine. I'm guessing you won't be here much longer now. Five parts of this total, right?"
"Yeah. I'll be whisked away soon." Tulland dropped to the ground across from Brist and tossed him some fruit. "It was very good to see you, though. I think I needed this."
"Agreed." Brist took a bite of the fruit. "I like these. Sour, but just enough. So, Tulland. I was going to ask you something."
"What?"
"You know how you always talked about that guy? Your father's brother, I think. The man who raised you."
"My uncle, yes." Tulland nodded. "I was lucky to have him."
"About that." Brist grinned awkwardly and scratched his head. "Would you feel lucky to have two?"
Tulland's eyes blinked fast, but not so fast he was ever sure Brist hadn't seen them get suddenly damp with tears.
"Sure, Brist. I'd like that."
"See?" Brist tossed the remainder of his fruit back at Tulland. It slapped on his chest and fell to the ground. "I told you this week would be worth something. I'm always right, aren't I?"
Just like that, Tulland was back in the white room.
—
"The same incarnation?" Tulland tilted his head at the man with the pile of paper. "I thought you'd mix it up."
The Infinite tilted his head. "No, just me. It's my show, more or less. How'd you like the first chapter?"
"It was… good. And confusing."
"Confusing how?"
"I'm probably a much better fighter now. But I'm better in ways that mostly work on humans. I'll be better at fighting beasts, sure, but not as much. It's hard to see how that's going to help me against an enemy I can't reach with weapons."
"You never know. Maybe one day you will. Brist has taught thousands of students, or tried to. Only a handful of them ever learned anything only he could teach. Do you know why?"
"He kills them?"
"Less than you'd think. No, it's something different." The man made a few quick notes on his paper. Tulland waited him out. "The people who learn the most from Brist are the people who manage to hit him. It's never what he teaches them that lets them do that. Brist himself couldn't hit Brist. But he pushes people to think a different way, whether he means to or not. Incredible man."
"Ah. Thinking. There are some who say that's not my strong suit."
"Yes. I've heard Necia say that. Several times. She's quite the girl, if you don't mind me saying so."
"It's fine. Seems to be a universal opinion among Systems. So, what's next? There's four more of these things, right?"
"Yes. But none of them are really anything that would do you good to know about in advance. Just enjoy your notifications. You'll be moving on soon enough."
The Infinite was gone then, having not provided so much as a single snack.
| Stage Completed! (Trial of Might) You have fought your way through an impossibly strong version of perhaps the most technically refined fighter the universe has ever known. While there have been many fighters who could have defeated some form of Brist or another through different means than raw technique, very few could stand up to him in the form you faced. Having defeated Brist, you are sure to have gained a wealth of knowledge about fighting that places you among the elites of the universe, if nowhere near his level in pure combat wisdom. Brist himself has gained a substantial benefit from the experience as well. In future lives, he will have less difficulty maintaining family and friendships than he has in the past, correcting one of the few flaws in his otherwise stellar soul.
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