Epoch of Twilight

"Boss Luo, here’s a glass of water for you!" Wang Shishi said while fetching a glass of water for Luo Yuan with a smile.

Luo Yuan took a sip, gave the glass back and continued his search, plucking the occasional obscure herb.

"Boss Luo, what are these herbs for?" Wang Shishi asked in an adorable manner.

"To make soup!" Luo Yuan said without even lifting his head.

Apparently, these herbs were scarce. It took him a while to find another one. Wang Shishi glanced at the herbs he was holding. She thought they were no different than the rest. They looked like common herbs. The only difference was their veins, which were silver in color. That was not entirely unusual either though, considering that they lived in a world filled with mutated things.

"We can use these herbs to make soup? Nice soup?" Wang Shishi asked curiously.

"I’ve never tried it, but I’m sure it won’t taste nice!" Luo Yuan said casually.

"Then why are you looking for these herbs?" Wang Shishi asked inquisitively.

Luo Yuan finally stood up and looked at her. "Why are you here? Have you finished your training for the day?"

"Why are you asking me that every time you see me? I’m not a kid!" Wang Shishi said with a pout. "I can fly like a bird now!"

"Stop bragging and show me," Luo Yuan said with envy. Ever since Wang Shishi had been bitten by the mutated ants and slipped into coma, she had been able to fly. She had discovered it the next day when she had woken up. Nobody knew if the ability had been triggered by the ants, or if she had developed it through training, but it was certainly a happy accident.

Of course, ‘flying’ was an exaggeration. She could just levitate five meters above the ground. Levitation was easy. It was moving in the air that was difficult. For a mechanical model to be able to lift vertically, it only had to move forward. All it took was a shift in the angle.

However, that was an ideal state. Humans belonged on the ground. Being in the air caused them tension and made their vision shift from two-dimensional to three-dimensional. It was also difficult to control one’s emotions and body while in the air. When one got distracted, their body would slant easily and fall to the ground. Levitation and flight might seem really close, but without practice and adaptation, there was a long way to go from one to the other.

"Watch me fly!" Wang Shishi said in frustration. She placed the glass of water further away, stared at Luo Yuan and said, "I’m going to fly now!"

Luo Yuan stepped aside and nodded.

Wang Shishi took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Soon, there was an invisible force rumbling on the ground. Dust flew everywhere, and all the weeds nearby were pushed by a strong force.

Wang Shishi levitated slowly, the air around her becoming slightly distorted. She stopped when she was three meters above the ground, and attempted to move forward. Her speed was slow at first. She was tense and her expression was serious. Once she got the hang of it though, she started picking up speed gradually. From three meters per second, she was eventually able to move 10 meters per second.

"Don’t just go straight, try turning!" Luo Yuan shouted as he frowned.

Wang Shishi was shocked. She slowed down her speed and was able to make a 30 degree turn after five seconds. One minute later, she landed on the ground panting.

"So this is what you meant when you said you could fly like a bird? Did you mean an ostrich?" Luo Yuan mocked her.

"I practice everyday, but turning is just too difficult. I can’t master it," Wang Shishi said with a blush.

"If you know it’s difficult, then you should practice even more! Practice until it’s in your blood. Nobody is born that way. If you don’t fully explore your gift, it will go to waste!" Luo Yuan said.

"But I’m already trying very hard!" Wang Shishi said in a choked voice. She was on the verge of crying. "I just thought you might be thirsty and wanted to fetch you a glass of water! What did I do to deserve to be scolded?"

Looking at the tears in Wang Shishi’s eyes, Luo Yuan’s heart softened. "Maybe I was too strict. I know you have been trying very hard, but to me, that’s not enough. I wouldn’t even bother if this was somebody else, but you are different!"

"How am I different?" Wang Shishi pouted again.

"You have been with me for the longest time. We have been through a lot since the apocalypse started. We’re like a family now. With your gift, you have the potential to survive the apocalypse. That’s why I’m extra strict with you. Do you understand?" Luo Yuan explained sincerely.

Wang Shishi blushed. She had focused on the part where Luo Yuan had expressed how close they were and ignored the rest of his words.

"Alright, let’s head back!" Luo Yuan said in satisfaction, noticing Wang Shishi’s good behavior.

"Okay!" Wang Shishi nodded in agreement.

...

"Use these herbs to make a bowl a soup," Luo Yuan instructed the women, who were cleaning. He left the herbs on the table and walked towards the cave.

"Sure. How many bowls of water should we use?" asked Huang Jiahui as she looked at the herbs in curiosity. She did not ask anything else.

"Let’s use four bowls to make one bowl," Luo Yuan said after thinking. "Where are the rest?"

"They’re hunting with King Kong," said Huang Jiahui with a giggle, covering her mouth.

King Kong was the giant ape. The giant ape had a high intelligence similar to humans and an outgoing personality. It had been hiding its personality in the beginning because everyone had still been a stranger, but it had not taken long for it to get close to them. Its relationship with the rest was perhaps even closer than with Luo Yuan, to the point that they even went hunting together now. It was not the first time this was happening. They usually would not go too far, so Luo Yuan was not worried.

Huang Jiahui cleaned the herbs swiftly and started boiling them in the stone pot. Soon, a pungent smell filled the air. Huang Jiahui sneezed several times, and stepped away from the pot.

"Boss Luo, what is this thing? Its smell is suffocating!" Cao Lin, who was nearby, could not help but ask.

"It’s a very special herb," Luo Yuan said. "Eating it will give you an extreme sense of pain."

"So what are you going to do with it? Eat it?" Huang Jiahui asked.

Luo Yuan nodded. "You should all experience the effect of Will. Enduring pain is an extreme exercise in willpower. Don’t worry though, it’s not poisonous."

Everybody was stunned.

"Is this... necessary?" asked Huang Jiahui with a confused expression on her face. This was beyond painstaking. It was practically self-torture. She did not ask Luo Yuan how he knew that the herb was not dangerous. He seemed to have a mysterious ability to distinguish between what was edible and what was poisonous.

Luo Yuan laughed. "I’d rather endure some pain now than die because I’m unable to overcome any danger!"

"Then save some for me!" Huang Jiahui said. She thought that she was a burden to Luo Yuan, so that was the least she could do to help.

"I want to try it as well!" said Wang Shishi.

Everybody wanted some all of a sudden.

"Are you guys sure?" Luo Yuan laughed while looking at the women. "Don’t come crying to me later!"

Luo Yuan had gone through that kind of pain before. He had chewed on a piece of leaf and had felt an indescribable pain spread all over his body. He had felt as if every inch of his muscles and organs had been on fire. He would rather have passed out than have to endure it. Although he had a Physique of +14, he had not been able to bear it. The pain had lasted for a full 10 minutes, and had been like walking through hell.

That had only been the effect of one piece of leaf. There were more than 10 in that soup. Luo Yuan felt his scalp tingle and fear grow inside his body.

"Why do you despise women so much? If we were to compare pain endurance, how could men even compare to women? Men can never even imagine the pain of childbirth," said Huang Jiahui, feeling patronized. She suddenly thought of her daughter and became solemn.

"Very well then. Let’s try it together!" Luo Yuan said helplessly.

The soup was ready soon. It was scooped into a wooden bowl, and had an orangish-yellow color and an extremely pungent small. As humans living in the apocalypse though, their tolerance was far higher than an ordinary person’s. The smell barely made the women frown.

The soup was divided into smaller bowls, and everyone was given a spoonful. If Luo Yuan did not stop them, they would have taken even more.

"I’ll go first!" he said while lifting up the bowl. He blew into the soup, took a deep breath, and drank it.

Maybe it was the decoction, but the herb took effect faster than last time. Within a few seconds, his face grew stiff and he let out a soft groan. The wooden bowl slipped from his hand as he struggled, his body shaking while he clenched his teeth. Big drops of sweat dripped down his forehead.

He tried his best to endure it, but a few seconds later he was already rolling on the ground. He was having seizures all over his body. Everyone was scared. They looked at each others’ faces and turned pale. As they studied the orangish-yellow liquid in the bowl, they felt a chill going down their spines.