The Idle System Box Set

by Pegaz

  Finally landing on the ring in front of the referee, John showed the man that Sarah was unconscious.

  “WINNER!”

  When the referee shouted the end of the match, everybody in the crowd stood up and cheered, their applause stunning John for a while. John gently shook his wife a little, waking her up. When she opened her eyes, she held her head because of a headache. John took out a small herb that he saved for healing and gave it to her.

  Head now clear, Sarah noticed the crowd’s ovation. Their clapping and cheering rang through the arena, bouncing around the walls. John moved his head closer to her ear.

  “You gave me a hell of a time,” he whispered. “I even thought I would lose a few times during the fight.”

  Sarah was still a little disappointed, whispering back.

  “I still lost, though.”

  “Well, I was the one who taught you martial arts.” John chuckled. “The student has yet to surpass the teacher.”

  While they were talking, the grand elder walked onto the ring and waited for the crowd to finish applauding. Once it quietened down, he shouted the results of the tournament.

  First place is John with twenty-seven points.

  Second place is Sarah with twenty-four points.

  Tied for third place is the spearman, the woman with the great sword, and the bowman with fifteen points

  Tied for fourth place is the ruthless swordsman and the sabre user with twelve points.

  Fifth place is the axeman with nine points.

  Sixth place is the poleaxe user with six points.

  Last place is the man with the two short swords with zero points.

  After announcing the results, the grand elder declared that the reward ceremony would start after a short thirty-minute break.

  Chapter 40

  Suggestion

  John brought Sarah to the waiting area and helped her sit down. He knew she would only need around fifteen minutes to heal up, but he wanted her to at least be comfortable. The two of them broke into a light conversation, trying to guess what the prizes were. The only one they were sure about was the Rank 5 sword that Owen mentioned earlier.

  There was also the question of why the sect master wanted Owen to convince them to join the tournament. John suspected that Frank was somehow using him and Sarah, but he couldn’t think of a good reason as to why. There was no evidence to back this up, either, so John let it remain a suspicion.

  When the reward ceremony finally began, the crowd was buzzing with excitement. The first award went to the person in last place: the man with the two short swords. What the grand elder didn’t announce was that this was the first time that somebody in the tournament finished with zero points. The man was given a weapon of his choice up to Rank 5 from the weapon shop, as were the people who placed ahead of him.

  The people who ended up from being the first to third place would have the chance to enter the ‘pressure tunnel’ in addition to their medals and weapons. Said ‘pressure tunnel’ was a tunnel built aeons ago by one of the sect masters. The further down you went, the more pressure you felt. It was never documented how far the tunnel was; even a Rank 9 like Fred could not reach the end to measure.

  The immense depth of the tunnel was to help develop the bodies of cultivators; it called for better control of Life Power to allow the body to resist the intense pressure. Too little and the pressure would crush you, but use too much and you would run out at a faster rate.

  Once the explanation was over, the medals were brought out. In the grand elder’s hands were gold, silver, and bronze medallions in the shape of a sword. John was curious about the shapes and asked where the designs came from. His answer was that the same sect master that dug the pressure tunnel had designed them. This piqued John’s curiosity even further.

  When it was time for the top awards, John, Sarah, and the next three runner-ups stood on a podium. They were presented their medallions in a brief ceremony; the audience roared out their calls of approval. John received his gold, Sarah received her silver, and three bronze medals were given to the spearman, the woman with the great sword, and the bowman.

  After the ceremony, Frank invited John and Sarah to attend an elders meeting taking place an hour from now. John and Sarah accepted the invitation, mostly seeking to satisfy their curiosity.

  During the hour in between, they both spoke with the grand elder who presented the medals, asking any questions about the sect.

  “What is the pressure tunnel like?”

  The grand elder explained that aeons ago; the sect master had dug the tunnel. This master created things down the tunnel such as the flights of stairs, lighting, rest stops, cultivation caves, and more.

  “Do you know how steep the stairs are?”

  Although the elder thought it was a weird question, he knew the answer since someone had recorded it previously. The stairways were built at a thirty-seven-degree angle, much like stairs back on Earth. John was familiar with this association because he had experience working construction in his previous life.

  Could that sect master be a Sider, too? Or is this all a coincidence? I wonder if he’s still alive... If not, then where is he buried?

  John decided to tell Sarah his suspicions after the meeting.

  At the elders meeting hall, John and Sarah arrived early and took their seats at a large table. One by one, elders started entering the hall and taking their seats at the tables. It wasn’t long before the sect master himself entered the hall, sitting on his throne. The master eyed John and Sarah, then asked them to stand.

  “What do you think of the Sword Sect’s outer disciples?” Frank’s voice rang out throughout the hall, crossing his legs as he made himself comfortable on his throne.

  “They’re good.” John furrowed his brows, trying his best to answer politely. “Sarah and I were the weakest in cultivation during the tournament finals.”

  Fred’s laughter bounced off the walls as he walked into the room and stole Frank’s seat.

  “Tell the truth.”

  John could only sigh.

  “They’re weak for their rank,” he said curtly. “Nine out of ten life-or-death fights outside the sect would result in their deaths.”

  “They spend all their time increasing their rank and levels to become inner disciples,” Sarah chimed in with a sigh of her own. “Because of that, they don’t polish their fighting techniques nor do they fight life-and-death battles. They hesitate to deal finishing blows, and they’re easily intimidated by killing intent.”

  “There are exceptions,” John said, nodding. “The man I tried killing in the tournament is one of them. He did not hesitate to go for the kill when he was angry or hurt. Besides him, though, from what I’ve seen during the tournament, your fighters use flashy and useless techniques instead of ones that could maximize their effectiveness. They don’t know which technique is best for their situations either, which shows they learned too many techniques rather than specialize in a few useful ones.”

  There was a silence in the hall as John and Sarah’s words seeped into the air. Abruptly, Fred clapped his hands together.

  “Excellent.” A genuine grin was plastered on Fred’s face. “I knew getting you two into the tournament would bring back results. Congratulations on winning first and second place, too.”

  “Does anyone disagree with their opinions?” Looking around at all the other elders, Frank raised his voice. “The Sword Sect disciples have become weak. We have all been comfortable and arrogant for too long. Our disciples have become obsessed with titles and privilege, but if they were sent into a war, then they would be cannon fodder at best. It seems that our disciples don’t even realise that we’re only the number one public sect. There are millions of secret sects in this universe that we cannot measure up to. So can we really say that we’re the strongest?”

  Frank’s speech left the hall without any words. The elders who sat at the table only stared up at him, unmoving. Finally, Fred looked at John and Sarah
and broke the silence.

  “As people who have fought for everything you have,” he spoke in a level voice, “do you two have any suggestions as to how we can address this problem?”

  John and Sarah turned their heads to look at each other. Sarah only shrugged her shoulders, indicating she had no answer. After all, between the two, she was less experienced in terms of battling outsiders. John took a minute to think of his own answer.

  “Inner disciples need to achieve Rank 5 while under one hundred years old and complete ten quests, correct?”

  Fred nodded his head.

  “Lower the required rank for inner disciple from five to four,” John projected his voice. “Keep the age requirement; however, instead of ten quests, make it a requirement to fight in one hundred life-or-death fights. As for the elite disciples, they require to become a rank 7, under three hundred years old and fifteen quests, right? Lower that to Rank 6 and keep the age limit. Instead of the quests though, they must survive one thousand life-or-death fights.”

  Silence.

  “You need to think this through carefully,” John continued. “This suggestion will thin your disciples out. Only the elite will survive. But when they become inner or elite disciples, the resources you would have wasted on the weak will go to them. The survivors will become real fighters with a higher cultivation that you can use in any war. They’ll have gained the ability to survive in most situations. So… what do you say?”

  Chapter 41

  Forgiven

  “A good suggestion,” Fred commented sincerely. “We will seriously consider it.”

  Looking around at the elders, Fred carried on speaking.

  “From what these two have shown us, can you people feel proud about our disciples, still?” His words were met with silence, so he continued speaking, “The other reason I asked these two to join the tournament was to rid you of your arrogance. To show you all that pampering the disciples is wrong. It is fine to guide them, but you must also leave them room to think for themselves. You must allow them to grow strong on their own.”

  Fred then pointed at John and Sarah.

  “Seeing their full strength surprised even me, a rank 9 who has lived for countless centuries!” Fred’s eyes glinted with a slight admiration. “They have been with the Sword Sect for a short time, and they have proven themselves to this extent. They have opened my eyes to true strength. I now cannot say that I am proud of the Sword Sect disciples.”

  There was an awkward vibe scattered about the hall. The other elders at the table did their best to hide their growing shame, but John could see it in their eyes.

  “While John did attack my son, it was out of rage for the situation,” Fred went on, a determined fire alight in his booming voice. “Anybody would have lost it the way he did. Hell, I would have done everything in my power to kill the bastard that tried to kill my wife. And so, for that reason, as Frank’s father, I forgive him. Anybody who finds fault with him for what happened in the tournament will answer to me.”

  John and Sarah both had wry smiles plastered onto their faces. Fred took notice and was a bit confused.

  “What did I say wrong?”

  “Well… we did use our full strength,” John rubbed the back of his head. “But not everything we had. It was a friendly match. Neither of us wanted to kill each other—we’re not that far into our marriage yet.”

  His comment made Sarah chuckle a little, but the rest of the elders including Frank and Fred were dumbstruck.

  “I wish all disciples were like you two.” Fred broke the silence with a genuine and hearty laugh. “Then we could claim we’re the best sect in the universe with pride. Anyway, you’ve answered the most important question I have, so I thank you for that. Of course, I have other questions, but I will refrain from asking them as they’ll most likely be connected to your secrets. Everybody should be allowed to keep their secrets.”

  Frank then began an explanation about the pressure tunnel. The entrance would be open to the people outside of the cave at midnight the next day, but the exit was open anytime. The winning contestants were allowed to stay inside for a maximum of three months.

  After three months, the pressure inside would increase by thousands of times and kill anyone who remained inside. The only time that it was safe for disciples was once every decade and they held a tournament to decide who can go inside. In addition, there was no way to record how deep people could travel; this meant that there was plenty of space for each of the participants to cultivate in secret.

  “And that’s all for this meeting, unless I’m missing anything.” Fred looked around the room. “Would anyone like to address any other topics?”

  After a minute of silence, Fred adjourned the meeting.

  John and Sarah left the hall and headed back home. They talked about the pressure tunnel, trying to speculate how the environment would be. John knew nothing about the centre of the planet, but Sarah had an idea based on documentaries she’d watched about Earth in her past life.

  “The knowledge of physics that I have is pretty rudimentary,” Sarah began with a frown. “I’m not sure of the specifications for this planet, but what we’re living on is most definitely the crust layer. On Earth, eighteen miles deep into the crust will bring us to the mantle, where all the minerals and rocks are formed. Another 1,800 miles downward and you come to the outer core, which is believed to be liquid metal. The inner core starts at 3,160 miles below the mantle, and it’s believed to be a solid amalgamation of metals. The very centre of Earth is roughly four thousand miles underground, but nobody knows what’s there. There are theories, of course, but I’m not learned in all of them. Remember, my speciality is medical. Plus, whatever I’ve learned is based on the science of Earth; I’m not sure how much can be applied to this planet, too.”

  There was a moment of silence in which John placed his thumb along his chin.

  “Do you know anything about the pressure in the core?” He tried to imagine.

  “On Earth, anyway,” Sarah started, “it was said that the pressure was so great that it compresses the iron, silicon and carbon into the solid metal ball. It was supposed to be harder than diamond. No human, even immortals, would be able to survive that far down.”

  “But we’re not like everybody else,” John laughed. “We have the Sense’s Pressure skill. We’ll be able to take a casual walk to the very end of the tunnel if we want. Besides that, I think the sect master who dug it out might be a Sider, too.”

  He told her his suspicions about the creations resembling those on Earth, including the angle at which the stairway was constructed.

  “I was thinking the same thing with the medals and podium.” Sarah’s frown deepened. “It’s too much evidence to be a coincidence. That man was probably a Sider… which brings me to the question. What time do you want to go inside the pressure cave tomorrow? Should we enter with the others, or keep it to just the two of us?”

  “Just the two of us,” John replied after a moment, deep in thought. “We don’t want the other three people to notice that we’re not using Life Power to counteract the pressure. We’ll go first thing in the morning before the others go in.”

  Sarah agreed.

  Back at the elders meeting room, everyone had left but Frank had invited a few of the visitors from other sects over. Frank was being polite to the remaining people, bidding personal farewells before sending them off. After most of the visitors had left, two people approached him. It was the older man and his young partner from earlier—the ones who had tried to find out about the new procedure.

  “Elder Han,” Frank greeted warmly. “This must be your son. I’m sorry for not being able to get to know him sooner.”

  “It’s fine.” Elder Han smiled. “This is my son, Chris. If Sect Master Frank compliments him, he might get conceited. Please treat him as a normal disciple.”

  “I greet Sect Master Frank.” Chris bent down a little while doing a formal martial art salute.

  Fr
ank did a martial arts salute back to be polite. After speaking a few pleasantries to each other, Frank sent them off.

  Arriving on the Sword Sect’s public planet, Elder Han and his son walked to a nearby teleport system, while they waited in line to get teleported, they whispered to each other.

  “We’ll go to a hotel we have stayed in before,” Elder Han muttered. “I can trust the staff and know there are no spies of any sect working there.”

  “Father.” Chris nodded, determined to get answers. “Although we could not find out about the new procedure, the time frame and rough location both match. What do you think?”

  “We cannot be 100% sure.” Elder Han looked at his son. “But there’s an 85%, maybe even a 90% chance that we have found what we’re looking for. I suspect that Sect Master Frank knows why we were there, so we have to wait to make our move.”

  “As long as we are right about this.” Chris nodded. “I can wait for as long as it takes.”

  “We need to figure out how this all happened,” Elder Han replied. “Our spies inside the Sword Sect could not answer our questions. Though, with the clues they gave, we can conclude it is because of a new blood oath that overwrites ours… The new procedure, whatever it is, came about at the same time. Add that to what we saw during the tournament, and our chances skyrocket from 40% to where we are now.”

  As they spoke in their hushed voices, the air around them grew grave to match their expressions.

  “Our spies inside the Sword Sect will tell us when it is time to move,” he continued coolly. “We will stay on a planet with easy transportation to each of the five planets readily available. This way, when we have all the information we need and it is time to act, we can teleport to any of the five planets with time to spare. We can then plan how to strike with the environment and any other factors in consideration.”

  “Yes, father.” Chris nodded his head.