Zed had finally settled in as the Sun was setting.
He had organized all his equipment and supplies after a thorough clean up of his shaky cabin.
"Let's make some food and make a plan." Zed thought out loud as he swiftly moved to cook a pot of rice over a fire and grilling some tender meat with some light seasonings. He wasn't a chef but could cook decently.
After a full two bowls of rice and meat, he finally cleaned up and settled back down onto the only table in the cabin with some paper and a brush.
He was currently at the first level of cultivation or also known as a grade one first rank spirit practitioner. There were three grades in the first rank leading up to the second rank.
He was curious why even though it was a cultivation style world, and spiritual energy was the main source, there weren't any specific terms like in eastern novels. No qi cultivation, or foundation establishment and such.
It surprised him but he adapted quick as it was a cemented grading that no one dared to disagree with, first rank, second rank, and only as of the third rank which he briefly heard of that a title gets added.
It had made him ponder the significance but this was higher level knowledge that a menial disciple with no master would stay clueless about.
He needed to absorb spiritual energy with a meditation technique he had learned which was the mountain order sect's basic meditation technique for everyone who entered as it set the foundation for future higher level practices.
Considering his aptitude, he would need to rely on resources to get through the early stages and quickly climb to second rank. Without it, he expects to barely reach the grade three first rank in ten to twenty years which did not sit well with him.
Weakness is considered the original sin in a world of power like this one.
He couldn't estimate the trouble that could just accidentally kill him during such a long period and he wasn't immortal either.
Thinking this far, Zed casually noted his current needs and finally got to thinking about his "cheat".
After having completely fused his memories and synced up with Zed from the past. He felt a chilling existence within him awake. As though a box finally opening. It was strange but he felt it and knew inherently that it was his.
He calmed down from the memory and closed his eyes and concentrated.
Within his mind, he felt a pulsing force show up. Looking closer, Zed felt drawn in before he touched upon the source. Feeling it more closely, he understood more of what it was. However, he realized that his cheat hadn't fully awakened. Merely having opened its eyes a little like someone just waking up but quite groggy.
Trying to understand more, he tried interacting with his cheat only to be brought back to reality abruptly.
However, it wasn't without gain, he understood that what his cheat needed, energy.
Since this was his only ticket out of mediocrity. He immediately started operating the mountain order meditation trying to direct the absorbed energy into his cheat.
After a few minutes, he managed to send some spiritual energy and his hungry little cheat devoured it but he realized that this was probably going to take a while.
"My aptitude is truly low level..." Zed sighed but suddenly had an idea. With a pained face, he reached for his cloth bag and finally took out a spirit coin.
He only had two left alongside 5 spirit scraps.
Zed finally gritted his teeth and took the spirit coin before returning to a meditative state. He urged his cheat to devour the whole spirit coin. Although spirits coins were hard currency, they were treated so due to their inherent nature of holding pure spiritual energy at a capacity that no normal item held and considering that there were mines of the stuff hoarded by powerful forces, it became the norm of trade but it was also a power source.
Feeling the abundant energy inside, as Zed urged, his cheat didn't take long before devouring the energy inside.
Within the same time it took to gather a unit of spiritual energy, his cheat devoured the spirit coin and didn't even leave any waste. Zed's meridians hurt slightly as they weren't used to such a direct absorption.
If it were to be put into perspective, Zed managed to gather 0.1 units of energy in a few minutes versus his cheat devouring a whole 10 units from the spirit coin directly.
His body took a few moments to ease before Zed focused on his cheat again and finally saw it open it's eyes so to speak.
'Finally' Zed thought before a surge of information filtered its way into his conscious.
[Absolute Seal]
Zed had this name come into his mind. He felt elated as he knew exactly what this name reminded him of and the flood of information he got resembled his past knowledge quite a bit with some differences.
Before having passed in his previous life, Zed loved toying and creating little programs to pass time. It became a hobby he enjoyed after a days work. During this time Zed had created many little programs such as alarm clocks, calendars, and finally little games and cheats.
One of his proudest works was a cheat code that allowed one to restrict anything in game. It was a joke cheat where he could basically seal anything, and when he meant anything, it meant exactly that.
Although he never got to test it on a live game, in offline versions of some games he was able to literally be a god or the closest thing to it. He created it because he wasn't a fan of killing, even in games. He had a natural aversion to it as it always seemed a little unfulfilling as an end to a heinous individual.
He really did not know how this thing turned into a cheat that followed him but he was alive in a new body in a brand new world so Zed didn't question much and just took it in stride.
It may have been a gift from some god and the world, simply an accidental happening or quite frankly a mandatory perk for all reincarnates . However, regardless of it all, Zed was going to fully abuse his Absolute Seal
Digesting the ins and outs of Absolute Seal, he realized that it seemed to be a heavily restricted but overpowered version of the original program with some mild differences. Mainly that this Absolute Seal was capable of sealing all things however, it could only seal things that he specifically touches and its limited to a very small range at the moment. Another restriction seemed to be that for living things like plants, animals, and people. They could not be stronger than him and even had to be a rank lower than him.
Although, this may seem useless as an ability. It wasn't joking when it said it could seal anything, meaning the air around your head, the movements of specific limbs or all your body and scariest of all, it could seal your thoughts and memories if Zed truly wanted but he was far too weak to even think of using this part of the ability.
It sounded evil almost for an ability.
Zed being the one who designed the program originally just wanted an ability to restrict or contain things, however the Absolute Seal took it a step further and allowed him to seal, contain, restrict, whatever he could fathom.
"Truly an overpowered cheat" Zed mumbled in shock after a few minutes of pondering over this cheat. He started thinking what would happen if one day he decided to just seal the world.
He shivered in excitement thinking of this but he didn't really think he could seal the world but maybe one day he may get close. Who knows what awaits him.
After stabilizing his mood, Zed had a thought.
'What if I sealed myself?'
The idea just appeared in passing but the moment it did, Zed got lost in thought as once the idea rooted in his mind, he started thinking of countless ways this could help him grow.
Finally after half an hour of deep thought. Zed decided to mobilize his spiritual energy to use Absolute Seal.
Depending on what he decided to Seal, the energy requirement would change. Absolute Seal was certainly OP, but it still needed energy to operate. Power is never free without its equivalent in exchange.
After a deep breath Zed's eye's focused.
"Let's give it a go."
"Absolute Seal"