Master... Atem? his muddled mind tried to remember, unsure whether this was a real encounter or just his imagination.
Johannes looked around, finding himself once again in the gray-walled cage that confined his shell of a body. Or at least that was how it used to be. With his new breathing technique, Johannes should be able to gather a bit of strength.
What was it again? he scratched his head - I will notice a difference, when I wake up? There was no indicator of the alterations that were made to his body, yet he refused to betray the trust he had in his newfound master's words.
Now he regretted that he did not ask about any signs that he could interpret. But it was too late for that. "Should I try out the hand gripper again?" he asked himself out loud, questioning his own sanity.
His hands were nothing if not nimble and fragile. But he still wanted to test out and see if there was a new accomplishment that could be made.
When he carefully placed his hands on the ergonomic handle, a difference could be observed. His grip oozed with confidence, something that was new.
His fingers didn't tremble this time. The cold metal of the gripper didn't feel so heavy. It was firm in his grasp — he was firm.
An outsider might have started to laugh at the picture of this, but the 10 KG hand gripper was a wall to Johannes. He continued with a decent grip, wrapping his hand around the handle even tighter.
Lungs that were filled with air supported his plan to their utmost, while his heart started to let both blood and oxygen mix. This led to something that Johannes was unable to do before.
Johannes squeezed the handles with his weak hands, uttering an almost silent groan. As he let those two hilts meet, he did not feel exhausted. Thus, he did it again.
Several times later, he finally felt as if he could not do it anymore. It was unusual for him to feel like this. Johannes could not remember a single time, where he felt strong.
I am... doing exercises? his mind challenged his vision. I wonder, if this was connected with [Breathing lvl 2]?
Without missing a beat, the system replied to his question in a surprising manner.
[You have gathered a new realization]
"I did?" he clapped his hands "I DID!".
[Breathing lvl 2 -> Breathing lvl 3]
Wow, I cannot believe I leveled up my skill just from understanding this connection. That... could be useful to know he thought, a sense of pride swelling within him.
[New Skill Available]
The fragile man could not believe what he saw. Does this mean, he would get a new skill? For free on top?
[Meditation lvl 1 Is Now Available In The Shop For Purchase]
... This was not what he had anticipated. That was a rather anticlimatic moment for him, if he was being honest.
His gaze met the top of his blanket, carefully looking at each of those small blue lines that felt like they were printed on the gray wool. Johannes started to space out, as today's events have been rather tiring for him.
Suddenly the mysterious blue screen, whose name he started to really enjoy, popped out another message with a small sound that reminded him of a notification of his phone.
[You Have Received 1 POINT(s)]
Now we are talking! barely able to hide his joy.
Before he could look into the shop, a nurse knocked on the door. Shock overcame his face, as he remembered that he pulled out the heavy tubes out of his body, without any permission.
He quickly had to think of a stoy he could tell the nurse, to convince her of what happened without questioning his body that was still fragile.
Johannes had to try to make her believe that he actually awakened but was just a weakling. Determination rushed into the silver-tongue that was created on this day.
"May I enter your room?" a gentle voice asked, as it knocked on the door.
"Yes, you may come in." he responded with confidence that escaped his voice.