The backyard of our apartment was a makeshift arena, the grass matted from yesterday's downpour, the air heavy with the scent of wet earth and lingering ozone.
Oceanus's voice rumbled in my mind, ancient and vast, like the ocean's floor shifting under pressure. The tide tests the shore, young Saiyan.At 30%, you command the wave; at 40%, you become the sea. But endurance is the true master—push until the depths claim you, then rise. I nodded, the morning mist clinging to my hero costume, Weighted Training Bands strapped tight to add resistance. The system was silent, no new pulls since Ocean, its "balance among peers" a constant reminder to grow through effort, not gifts.
I started with the basics, the mist my canvas. At 30% mastery, I'd summoned a 5-meter tidal surge from the air's moisture, crashing it against the fence with controlled force. Now, I focused deeper, Oceanus guiding: Ki is fire, the sea is water—blend them, let the steam rise. I flared my aura briefly, ki surging at 30%, green light blending with the mist. Water ki responded, droplets coalescing into a larger vortex, 7 meters wide, swirling with primordial intent. "Tidal Vortex," I whispered, the gear's power flowing, the vortex spinning faster, pulling in rain from the sky. It roared, a miniature maelstrom, and I shaped it, ki guiding the flow into a spiraling shield that rotated around me, blades of water lashing out.
The first test: endurance. I summoned a wooden post from the garden shed—20kg, sturdy—and hurled it into the vortex. The water blades sliced it mid-air, splinters flying, the post reduced to kindling. My breath came steady, ki dipping slightly without Energy Efficiency's buffer, but Ocean's primordial energy felt endless, like tapping an ocean's heart. I pushed, the vortex expanding to 10 meters, the backyard flooding ankle-deep.
Oceanus rumbled, The depths demand focus. Feel the currents beneath. I knelt, hands pressing into the mud, sensing underground water—pipes, groundwater, the city's hidden veins. At 32% mastery, a geyser erupted, 15 meters high, spraying mist that cooled my skin. I shaped the geyser into a serpent, longer than before, its body coiling 20 meters, scales rippling with ki-infused water.
The serpent struck the fence, wood groaning but holding, the impact sending tremors through the ground. I internalized my aura, conserving ki, and commanded the serpent to split—two heads lashing, one blocking an imagined punch, the other striking a conjured target (a stack of bricks I'd piled earlier).
The heads moved in sync, water ki flowing like blood, my Saiyan strength amplifying the force. Sweat beaded, ki straining at 35% mastery, the backyard a shallow lake now, waves lapping the house foundation.
I used Transform, shifting into a shark—living form only, no borrowed powers—my Saiyan ki propelling me through the water like a torpedo. The shark-form sliced the serpent's body, testing control, water parting around me, the gear's power yielding to my will.
Oceanus's voice deepened, The primordial sea is not tamed—it is partnered. Merge your fire with the depths. I reverted to human form, aura flaring at 40% ki, green light blending with the water's blue. The lake surged, a 3-meter wave curling over me, crashing down with tidal force. I stood firm, Saiyan durability tanking the pressure, but the exertion burned—ki dipping low, stamina flagging without Energy Efficiency.
The wave receded, leaving me gasping, but I pushed, summoning a flood from the rain—knee-deep water rushing in, swirling around my legs. At 37% mastery, the flood became a barrier, waves crashing against an imagined foe, absorbing and redirecting force like a living shield.
My breath ragged, ki nearly spent, I felt the limit. The backyard was a pond, water ki thick, but my body screamed for rest. "One more," I grunted, Oceanus urging, The depths reward the persistent. I channeled ki, the flood splitting into tendrils, 10 lashing whips, each infused with Saiyan power. They struck the fence, wood splintering, then coiled around a tree, yanking it down with a crack. The effort drained me, vision blurring, stamina gone. I collapsed to my knees, water lapping my chest, ki flickering.
Oceanus's voice faded, Well done, child. The tide rises. At 40% mastery, the gear locked in—tidal floods, water ki sensing across blocks, primordial whispers guiding complex shapes. The backyard drained slowly, mud and debris scattered, but I'd done it. My body trembled, ki exhausted, but the gain was worth it. Ocean synergized with my Saiyan core, water ki blending with my green aura for hybrid attacks—tidal punches, ki-infused waves. The system noted: Sacred Gear: Ocean mastery at 40%. Primordial floods unlocked—summon 10-meter waves, sense water ki city-wide.
I staggered inside, dripping, and summoned a Senzu Bean from Dimensional Storage—40 left. I chewed it, warmth flooding me, health, stamina, and ki restoring to 100% instantly, the exhaustion vanishing like mist. Senzu Beans were miracles, fully resetting me, no nerfing.
Some time later
The backyard was a quagmire of mud and standing water, a testament to yesterday's training, where I'd pushed Sacred Gear: Ocean to 40% mastery, summoning primordial floods and shaping water ki into serpentine strikes. At 40%, I could summon 10-meter waves, sense water ki city-wide, and wield floods like weapons. Pushing to 50% meant unlocking deeper primordial power—oceanic torrents, water ki precision, blending with my Saiyan ki for devastating strikes. The morning sun barely pierced the overcast sky, the air heavy with the promise of rain.
Oceanus's voice rumbled, The sea is patient, young Saiyan. The depths await your command. I nodded, ready to train, when the Gacha System's neon interface flared unprompted, its mechanical voice cutting through the silence.
System Notice: User's progress aligns with heroic endurance. New pull authorized for challenge and growth.
My heart raced—a pull now, after days of silence? The kaleidoscope spun, colors flashing: graves, claws, crimson eyes. It settled, a jagged black ticket pulsing with dread.
Pull Result: Ticket to Zombie Dungeon (B-Tier). Grants access to a dimension of endless hordes of powerful zombies. Time dilation: one hour in dungeon equals one minute in user's world. Stored in Dimensional Storage.
I swallowed, the ticket materializing in my hand, cold to the touch. Zombie Dungeon? Endless hordes, powerful undead—nothing like the Nomu, but a relentless test. Oceanus stirred, The dead fear no tide, but the sea consumes all. The ticket hummed, tempting me to use it now. Training Ocean to 50% in the backyard risked flooding the neighborhood; the dungeon offered space, challenge, and time dilation. I glanced at the apartment—Inko was at work, the day mine. "Let's do this," I muttered, activating the ticket. A black portal tore open, reeking of decay, and I stepped through, aura internalized, ki ready.
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The Zombie Dungeon
The portal spat me into a wasteland, a desolate cityscape under a blood-red sky, buildings crumbling, streets littered with bones. The air was thick with rot, groans echoing from shadows. My Saiyan senses flared, ki internalizing to scan—hundreds of energy signatures, cold and jagged, unlike living ki. Zombies staggered from alleys, eyes glowing crimson, some hulking, others unnaturally fast, all radiating primal hunger. Oceanus rumbled, The dead are relentless, but the sea is eternal. Begin.
The first wave charged—dozen humanoid zombies, decayed flesh hanging, claws slashing. I flared my aura, ki surging at 30%, green light bathing the ruins. Ocean activated, 40% mastery summoning a 10-meter tidal wave from the air's moisture, the crimson sky yielding water ki. The wave crashed, smashing zombies into rubble, bones snapping. But they rose, waterlogged but undeterred, their strength unnatural. I shifted, Transform into a tiger, Saiyan ki fueling agility, dodging a hulking zombie's claw swipe. My claws raked its chest, tearing decayed flesh, but it lunged, forcing me to revert and flare ki, a Kinetic Glove punch shattering its skull.
More came—faster, larger, some with spiked limbs. I internalized my aura, sensing water ki in their rotting bodies, 42% mastery unlocking blood manipulation. I pulled water from their forms, desiccating a dozen, their husks crumbling. But the horde grew, hundreds now, crawling from ruins. My ki dipped, stamina straining. I summoned a flood, 15-meter waves crashing, sweeping zombies away, but they climbed over each other, relentless. Oceanus urged, The tide is your will—shape it. I focused, waves splitting into tendrils, 20 lashing whips shredding undead ranks. A tendril speared a sprinting zombie, pinning it to a wall, water ki exploding its head.
Hours blurred, the horde endless. My ki burned low, stamina fading without Energy Efficiency. A massive zombie—5 meters, spiked arms—charged, smashing my tidal shield. I shifted to a bear, Saiyan strength roaring, and tackled it, Kinetic Glove amplifying a punch that caved its chest. But the effort drained me, vision blurring. I ate a Senzu Bean—39 left—health, stamina, ki restoring instantly. The reset was electric, ki flaring at 40%, aura blazing. I summoned a primordial flood, 20 meters high, drowning a hundred zombies, water ki crushing their bones. At 45% mastery, I shaped the flood into a vortex, spinning blades of water slicing through ranks, heads rolling.
The horde thickened, thousands now, some climbing buildings, others burrowing from the ground. My breath came hard, ki dipping again. I shifted to a shark, swimming through my flood, jaws tearing undead apart, Saiyan ki boosting speed. A claw grazed my fin, pain sharp but fleeting—Saiyan durability held. I reverted, summoning water ki from their bodies, desiccating waves, but the numbers overwhelmed.
Stamina crashed, legs buckling. Another Senzu Bean—38 left—restored me, ki roaring. Oceanus boomed, The sea consumes—push to the depths! At 48% mastery, I summoned a tidal maelstrom, 30 meters wide, pulling zombies into a whirlpool, crushing them against rubble. Water ki sensed their movements, guiding tendrils to impale leaders.
The final wave was monstrous—giant zombies, 10 meters tall, with claw-tipped tentacles. My ki strained, aura flickering, but I pushed, 50% mastery within reach. I summoned an oceanic torrent, 40-meter waves crashing, infused with 50% ki, the ground shaking. The giants fell, water ki exploding their cores.
Stamina burned out, vision blackening—I ate a third Senzu Bean, 37 left, resetting to full power. The torrent became a sphere, enclosing me, tendrils lashing out, shredding the last zombies. Oceanus roared, You are the tide! At 50% mastery, Ocean locked in—oceanic torrents, city-wide water ki sensing, primordial precision. The portal flared, pulling me back.
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Return to the World
I landed in the backyard, soaked, panting, the portal closing. Time dilation meant only minutes had passed—Inko wouldn't notice the chaos. The system noted: Sacred Gear: Ocean mastery at 50%. Oceanic torrents unlocked—summon 40-meter waves, sense water ki regionally. The backyard was a mess, but I was exhilarated, Ocean now a match for my Saiyan ki.