Jackson held the sword tightly in his hand.
The furnace in the room was acting weird. It was not burning steadily.. It was not going out either.
Jackson said to himself "Yeah you are important."
Then he heard a voice behind him. "You have instincts for someone who is so weak."
Jackson stopped moving. This was not the computer voice he was used to.
A man came out from behind a pillar. He was tall and calm. He was wearing dark clothes.. His eyes were different. They were focused and cold.
Jackson held the sword tighter. "Who are you?" he asked.
The man did not answer away. He looked past Jackson at the furnace.
Then he said, "So it is true. A Chaos Furnace is really here."
Jacksons heart skipped a beat. This man knew what the furnace was.
The man said, "You should not have that. Give it to me."
Jackson said slowly "That is not going to happen."
The mans face showed a smile.. He was not happy. He looked disappointed.
Then he said, "I will take it then."
Jackson felt a lot of pressure all of a sudden. He could not move. His breathing got harder.
He said, "What is this?"
His computer system said, "Opponent Detected. Cultivation: Qi Realm. Level 1. Threat Level: High. Suggestion: Run."
Jackson said, "Yeah I got that."
The man took a step forward. He was not fast.. He looked like he knew what he was doing.
He said, "You do not understand what you have. The furnace does not belong to someone like you."
Jackson let out a breath. He raised his sword.
The man moved. He disappeared.
Jackson barely had time to react. He moved to the side quickly.
A fist went through the air where his head had been. The ground cracked.
Jacksons eyes were wide. "That was a punch?" he said.
The man turned around. He looked a little surprised. "You dodged?" he said.
Jackson did not answer. His heart was beating fast. This man was faster than him.
The man took another step. He disappeared again.
Jackson could not track him. The man hit him in the side. Jackson slid across the floor.
He was in a lot of pain. His computer system said, "Damage detected. Status: Continue fighting... Somehow."
Jackson got up. He was groaning in pain. "Shut up " he said.
The man walked towards him. He looked like he was not even trying.
He said, "You have no technique. No control. No cultivation."
He tilted his head. "Why are you still standing?"
Jackson wiped blood from his lip. "Because I can still move " he said.
He got into a fighting stance. He focused on speed. That was all he had.
The man moved again. Jackson did not try to follow him. He predicted where the man would go.
He moved to the side quickly. The mans eyes flickered. "Oh?" he said.
Jackson kept moving. He went around the man. He was not faster.. He was harder to read.
The man said, "Annoying." He struck again.
Jackson reacted late.. He was able to avoid the worst of the attack.
He said, "I can keep up... A little."
That was enough. He held his sword tightly.
He thought, "One hit..."
The man came at him again. He was confident.
Jackson moved forward. He disappeared from where he was standing.
The mans eyes went wide. Jackson swung his sword.
The blade flashed. It cut across the mans side.
The man stepped back. He looked down. There was blood.
He said, "You actually hit me."
Jackson was breathing hard. "Yeah " he said.
The man touched his wound. He looked angry. "You got lucky " he said.
The pressure around Jackson got stronger. His legs were shaking.
Then the furnace roared. Both of them stopped moving.
The dark glow got brighter. Then it changed.
The mans eyes went wide. "Its activating?" he said.
The furnace cracked. Light came out. Then it suddenly collapsed inward.
The man lunged forward.. It was too late.
The core of the furnace went into Jacksons chest.
His computer system said, "Item Acquired: Chaos Furnace."
The pressure went away. The man froze. He was staring.
He said, "It chose you."
Jackson was still breathing hard. "Looks like it " he said.
There was silence for a moment.
Then the man stepped back. "This is not over " he said. "You will not survive long with that."
Then he disappeared.
Jackson stood there. He was frozen.
He thought, "I almost died."
His computer system said, "Correction: You barely survived."
Jackson said, "Yeah. Thanks."
He looked down at his hand. Then he looked at where the man had been.
He thought, "Qi Realm..."
The words felt real. This was not a game.
He held his sword tightly. "I need to get stronger " he said.
The Call was louder, than before. It did not feel away. It felt close.