《The Balance Breaker》 Chapter 1 – The New Life Chapter 1 ¨C The New Life June 19, 2033--. I was 30 years old on that time, and I dubbed that time as The Day The Earth Died, the 6th Extinction, and The Big Flash. All of these were the names I made up for the huge catastrophe that happened on that destined date. I myself witnessed it and I truly saw my life flash before my eyes until I said to myself, ¡°Seems like this is the end.¡± And there it was, a streak of black light landed on the surface of the Earth and a flash of light extinguished the Earth itself. ¡°Where am I?¡± I opened my eyes and all I could see was white. It was kind of stupid to ask such a question after I witnessed my own death. [You are here, while you are not. Unbound by time, yet shackled by it.] A distant, yet close voice said to me. To be honest, it was actually unexpected. To think that I just died and the first thing I hear is a voice spouting words of whatever wisdom is it that it has, but still I appreciated the fact that there was actually a reply and I asked, ¡°Why am I here?¡± [Isn¡¯t it obvious already? You died.] The voice rang out as if it was trying to tell me that I¡¯m stupid for not actually realizing that I died. I really didn¡¯t know if this voice is the one who is stupid or not, so I just asked the voice another question, ¡°Of course I know I died, but shouldn¡¯t I be in like a judgement place where God asks me questions and then decides if I go to Heaven or Hell?¡± [You¡¯re a really weird human¡­] I lost it, this voice was totally a dumbass. I could already tell that I¡¯m not going to get the answers I want from the voice so just went quiet.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. [I am called the Overseer of the Universe, I watch the balance of the world and make efforts to restore that balance whenever it is disrupted.] Says the voice proudly as if it really didn¡¯t care about the questions that I had in my head, so I just went along with the flow. ¡°Well¡­ Since I¡¯m here, does that mean I disrupted the balance of the universe?¡± I know, isn¡¯t it already obvious? This voice must be angry that humans kept on abusing Earth and decided to eradicate the human race. But the answer of the voice totally unexpected and shocking, [You are merely a victim of the race that disrupted the balance because of power and greed.] ¡°Wait what? A different race?¡± I couldn¡¯t help it, I was just very curious of the world and to hear that there was another race, I became excited because that was solid proof that we were not alone in the universe. [Indeed, they were also humans like you and they were very intelligent and innovative. But that was only true until they caused their own destruction.] Well¡­ That was the end of my excitement. It seems that whether it was an undeveloped world like Earth or a high-tech civilization, as long as there are humans, the world would lead to its own destruction. ¡°So¡­ What now?¡± It was pretty direct for me to ask that, but I was literally at a loss and didn¡¯t know if I was supposed to know the cause of everything or not. [Now you must look behind you!] The voice this time sounded very powerful. So I didn¡¯t hesitate anymore and for some reason I felt like I still had a body so I turned around. I was dumbstruck and all I could say was, ¡°What¡­ is¡­ that?¡± [That little one, is called the Gate of Wisdom, I made it to store different artifacts that I made or that was naturally born out of cosmic energy.] It was a majestic sight, an enormous golden gate with many detailed rune-like symbols on the gate and on the side were gigantic pillars that seemed like ancient Greek marble pillars, just that it was golden. [Touch it.] The voice was calm and soothing this time and it told me that while I was still blankly staring at the enormous gate. Naturally, I thought of going closer by walking, but just after thinking of ¡®going closer¡¯ it was as if a flew and I was already in front of the Gate of Wisdom, I reached out my hand as if I still had one and once again I was engulfed by light. [This little one is very talented, he was actually able to navigate freely and comfortably in my realm.] The voice thought to itself as it saw how the soul of this person was not bound by the pressure of the realm that couldn¡¯t be easily resisted by mortal souls. ~ End ~ Chapter 2 – Gradually Starting Chapter 2 ¨C Gradually Starting ¡°Why is it so dark?¡± Truthfully, I was waiting for a reply, but in the end, there was only silence and darkness all around me. I thought to myself that maybe that so-called overseer tricked me into going inside the gate and was going to store me in there for eternity as if it was going to turn me into an artifact. ¡°Wait¡­ is that, light?¡± I got excited and I rushed with all my might towards it. I know, you¡¯re probably thinking that I shouldn¡¯t go into the light, but it really is better than staying inside this darkness. *WHOOSH* Gust-like sounds rang out the as the light I went into expanded in front of me. [You¡¯re already out? That was abnormally quick.] The voice wondered and spoke its thoughts out load. I was angry, of course, because I felt like I was really being fooled to become a prisoner and it was very lucky for me to actually get out of the gate quickly so, I shouted, ¡°What the hell was that for? Did you just try to turn me into your prisoner or something?!¡± It took a while for the voice to reply and decided to be honest with the soul, [Let me guess¡­ You saw nothing but darkness inside?] ¡°Yes¡­ Why?¡± The voice¡¯s reply to me as he guessed sounded like he was worried and confused. [Hmm¡­ Let¡¯s just put this behind us for now. The important thing is that the Gate of Wisdom bestowed upon you a gift.] Wow, what an expert of changing subjects. I can¡¯t believe this voice is just going to leave me hanging despite being engulfed in darkness.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I didn¡¯t receive any gift from the gate.¡± So, I started looking around and I saw a book with words I couldn¡¯t understand on the front cover, ¡°Is this my gift?¡± [Yes, yes it is. That¡¯s an artifact I made for the sole purpose of gaining access to the Infinite Library.] Although I don¡¯t really know what the ¡°Infinite Library¡± was, I guess it¡¯s somewhat like an archive of sorts or something? Although I had burning questions, I went silent since the voice was starting to finally explain things, [You will be given a second chance. Since you are a victim of an event that broke the balance of the universe, the effort I will make is to reincarnate you to a different world along with the gift that you received form the Gate of Wisdom.] [You will be in a new world, in the body of a boy named Lucan Darius V. Ernest. The boy was collecting herbs in the forest, but he was attacked by a bear and died on the spot. Luckily, the bear didn¡¯t eat the body and the soul had already left its ties with the body and has already been guided to where it must go.] The voice rang out. I was curious about this body and just couldn¡¯t help to ask, ¡°So technically, I¡¯m going to be reincarnated to a dying body?¡± The voice let out a sigh as if it was already tired of me asking it questions, [*Haaah* Of course the body of the boy would be healed by me. It would be pointless if you¡¯ll just die after reincarnating.] [So now I ask you, who are you? Do you remember anything from your past? Do know the reason why you died?] I could feel the pressure of the voice and it was giving me signals that I shouldn¡¯t answer jokingly. ¡°According to whatever memories I have left, I¡¯m named Nero C. Varley in my past life, I was a 30-year-old man. I had no wife nor girlfriend, but I had great friends and a loving family. I cannot recall my occupation, but I still have some happy memories with some close friends and I still remember the day the Earth got destroyed and how it was destroyed.¡± I answered to the voice honestly because of its ever-changing attitude. [That is good. Now, I hereby grant your reincarnation to the new world. Let this second chance in life grant you joy.] *BOOM* a thundering sound came and the soul of the man named Nero disappeared from the mysterious realm. [This is bad. Out of the 8 billion people of Earth, one was able to retain a lot of memories. This might really stir up chaos. Luckily, the people Earth were distributed to different worlds.] The voice said to itself as if having a burden of its shoulder. *chirp chirp chirp* The songs of little birds could be clearly heard. ¡°Is that¡­ the sky?¡± I opened my eyes to see a grand blue image in front of my eyes, which apparently made my eyes sting a lot, ¡°Yup, it¡¯s the sky.¡± ~ End ~ Chapter 3 – The New World Chapter 3 ¨C The New World I started to recall the memories of the boy named Lucan and figured out a lot of essential things from the memories as if it was my own, ¡°Hmm¡­ So I¡¯m 12 years old this year and only have a few months left to graduate from basic education. I have a hobby of collecting herbs for cooking. I love my family and my family loves me too. I have an older sister which is a scholar on tailoring and related arts, an older brother which is already an enlisted knight, my mother is a cook in a tavern, and my father is a blacksmith.¡± [You could¡¯ve just asked me about your family, since I have all their records.] A voice came from somewhere near him and realized that the book given to him by the Gate of Wisdom could actually speak. ¡°This is great! Since you can speak, does that mean you can tell me anything I want to know without actually reading?¡± I asked excitingly, since it feels like I have my own personal speaking ¡°Google¡± or ¡°Alexa¡± things that people had on Earth. [I can also directly transfer any information you would like to know to you brain. Although it would give a weird feeling, it is the most efficient way of transferring information from the Infinite Library.] The book explained. ¡°I want to try that out. Can you please transfer brief details about yourself and also some brief information and history about this world?¡± I politely asked the book. Suddenly, the book opened up. Streaks of light came gushing from the book and entered my body. As the light started dimming, the book closed and the information I wanted was already transferred directly to my brain. So, this world is a planet that generates mana and it fused with two other dying planets, thus saving the dying life on these planets. The human race have been around for so long that civilization already entered a medieval sort of age. There are also different races, such as Elves, Beastkin, Neptunians, and other miscellaneous races. ¡°Wow! This world is unexpectedly amazing! It¡¯s like straight out of a MMORPG or something!¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. As for the book, it¡¯s called the Infinity Book and it acts as an access for users to gain information from the Infinite Library, in which according to the book, has all the records of everything that happened in the universe and could predict different outcomes and patterns that have a possibility of becoming true in the universe. The information to gain is virtually limitless because you can just ask simple or complex questions, such as instructions and the sort, and there will be an answer. [Is that all you wish to inquire?] The voice asked calmly as if it was very focused and serious in doing its purpose. ¡°By the way, could you also transfer information on how humans utilize mana? Please?¡± I still didn¡¯t stop being polite because I knew for sure that this book is going to be my greatest asset in this second life. Once again it opened and started the process of transferring information. Honestly, it really did give a weird feeling like a surge of information is being burned into my brain. Generally, there are three main paths for humans to use mana that is if they have the capability to use mana. Most low-class people live and die without being able to use the mana that is naturally imbued in their body during birth because of the fact that they lack information about it. The paths are called The Path of the Magus, Knight, and Scholar. In the Magus Path, it involves magic as a whole, such as alchemy, conjuration, destruction, and so on. Commonly, Nobles are composed of Magi and Magi are highly valued wherever they go. In short it¡¯s literally for the rich and famous. But, the number of active Magi is low since most live in seclusion to search for knowledge and some stay within a magic academy to improve their arts. Those in The Path of the Knight aren¡¯t just soldiers that use swords for battle. It¡¯s only called the Path of the Knight because it was first done by knights or soldiers, which was instead of using mana to alter the physical laws of nature and the sort, knights used mana to improve their bodies and physical capabilities. Be it footmen, adventurers, and so on, they take upon Knight¡¯s Path. Most people in this path are middle-class people and there are some low-class too. It¡¯s just that different cultivations have different results. As for the Scholar Path, these are the people who study to cultivate their bodies, physically or mentally, in order to become the best in whatever profession it is that they took. Well you could say that only a few people are in this path, since it would be hassle to study a specific cultivation and it is way easier to just cultivate for common body improvement, but most scholars become very successful for the skills they possess. ¡°It seems that life in this new world is truly going to be amazing. This time¡­ I¡¯ll do things right!¡± Lucan swore to himself. ~ End ~ Chapter 4 – The Price for Knowledge Chapter 4 ¨C The Price for Knowledge ¡°Oh no! It¡¯s going to be night soon! I have to go home before my mother kills me!¡± I started running as fast as I could back home. My family lives in the Kingdom of Berklia of the Ganthar Empire. It¡¯s a small Kingdom despite already being as large as a modern city, but the Ganthar Capital is even bigger. [Do you request any assistance?] The book calmly asked. *haa haa haa* ¡°Do you¡­ have any¡­ way of getting¡­ me home¡­ faster?¡± I asked while panting as I ran as fast I can with the little 12-year-old legs that I have. [First, you should really try to communicate with me through your thoughts. Second, there are many ways to go home faster than running, but none of which you can do at the moment. Lastly, according to the records, your mother is planning to give you sermon about going home late.] ¡°Shit! This is bad! Lucan never went home late in his entire life. My mother might become suspicious of me!¡± I thought to myself as I ran until my face went pale. Eventually I reached the kingdom gate and showed my citizen crest to enter. I still ran on the way to my house and awaited a punishment from my parents. *knock knock* I slowly knocked two times to give ideas that I¡¯m sorry for what I¡¯ve done before entering. ¡°Where have you been little one?¡± My parents asked at the same time, while my elder siblings were sitting at the dinner table with a smug look on both of their faces. ¡°I can explain mother, father¡­¡± I said softly so that I wouldn¡¯t anger them much more than they already are.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Hmm¡­ I would like to hear that explanation, coming from the boy who was always punctual in going home.¡± My mother coldly said as if I had broken the biggest rule in the house. ¡°I was attacked by a bear while collecting herbs.¡± Personally, I also find it stupid to actually give that reason to my parents. But what else could I say? I didn¡¯t want to lie since I might become comfortable with lying and will end up doing it all the time. Also, it¡¯s true that I was attacked, my clothes are even in a bad shape. ¡°WHAT?!¡± Everyone shouted in worry and shock, after which my brother hurriedly checked up on me to see if I had any injuries. It seems that we¡¯re a family that believes deeply in each other¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s true mother look at his clothes, they have claw marks on the back.¡± My elder brother said as he examined my condition. I really dodged a bullet there and if it wasn¡¯t for my brother inspecting me the truth wouldn¡¯t come out. ¡°Luckily, I was able to run away before I got wounded. I might have gotten too close to its territory while collecting herbs.¡± ¡°The good thing is, you are safe and sound. Now why don¡¯t you change your clothes and take a bath. Your mother made your favorite vegetable soup!¡± My father happily said as his smile was clearly seen despite having a thick beard. Naturally I took a bath, changed my clothes and ate. Usually at this time my mom would go out and work in the tavern until tomorrow morning, ¡°Good bye mother, do your best at work!¡± I said to my mother as I kissed her cheek and saw her glittering black hair flow at her back while leaving the house. ¡°Father, I¡¯m going to bed now. Good night.¡± I said, to my father as he cleaned the house after my mother left. I entered my room and blew out the candle. ¡°I could really get used to this.¡± I thought to myself as a smile could be clearly seen on my face. ¡°Hey¡­ Infinity Book?¡± I said in my thoughts. [Yes? Do you wish to inquire knowledge from the library?] The voice this time only rang out within my mind and I knew for sure that it was a special king of telepathy, since I didn¡¯t use any mana to talk to the book. ¡°Yes, I do wish for knowledge. Knowledge that could give me the strength to protect my family in the future¡­ I do not wish for the same thing to happen to my family again, since as of now everything seems to be too happy. I know for sure that this is only temporary peace, but this isn¡¯t Earth and I could work to become stronger. My family¡­ I couldn¡¯t protect them¡­ I was weak.¡± Lucan thought to himself while reminiscing the events that happened to his family in the past. [Then I¡¯ll give you the knowledge you seek. Knowledge beyond compare that could be obtained in this world. The knowledge that can turn you into the ¡°Greatest King¡± or into the ¡°Deadliest Monster.¡±] The book said, as if telling me that I might soon fall to worldly desires and wouldn¡¯t be able to resist the thirst for power. ~ End ~ Chapter 5 – Paying the Price Chapter 5 ¨C Paying the Price For people on Earth or specifically for people who ¡°were¡± on Earth, knowledge is power and combine it with money and resources, great influence and success are usually at reach. But in this world not only do you require knowledge, money, and influence, you would also need to have strength that can surpass others in order to survive in this world. Humans are no longer the so-called ¡°Dominant Race.¡± There are many competitors that are more capable and powerful than humans. Thus to survive I need strength, I need to become stronger¡­ [I shall now begin the transfer of information.] The book said to me telepathically as it opened and lit up. [But be warned, for the knowledge I will pass onto you has been conceptualized by a powerful being and it is forbidden for me to give you any details about the maker of this technique, unless you are already stronger than the maker. All you must know is that many have already used this technique and became great heroes of their respective worlds, but some also became the biggest threat to their homeland.] The book warned as it passed on abundant information to my brain and even gave me headache during the process. *uuuggghhh* I was groaning from the pain of my head and to put in fact that I still have to process all the information that has been passed on to me by the book. [Is there anything else you would like to know? Would you like any clarifications about that forbidden and lost technique? Do you perhaps wish for me to tutor you or to spoon-feed the ways on how to execute the technique?] Nagged the book as my head was still aching terribly. ¡°Please just let me rest!¡± Lucan to the book in his mind while his head was still hurting from the pain. ¡°For now, I think I should just get some sleep¡­¡± Lucan then fell into a deep slumber for the whole night. The technique that was passed was rather simple, but it has a very high difficulty when it comes to practicing it. To understand the concept of difficulties, there are generally 3 rankings for cultivation techniques, be it for magic, the body, or the mind. The first ranking is called High-grade Technique, usually these techniques are those practiced by people of myths and legends, and some great leaders of empires and kingdoms also have possession of such amazing techniques. The second is Middle-grade Technique, commonly those who are enlisted in the army of a kingdom practice Middle-grade Techniques. Adventurers also practice such techniques and they commonly acquire it from masters of a Middle-grade Technique. Lastly, there is Low-grade Technique. These are what most humans practice, but most low-class people don¡¯t even have any access to Low-grade Techniques and if some do have these techniques, not all are able to comprehend and practice it because of the lack of information, thus staying as regular humans for the rest of their lives.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Lu¡­ can¡­ Lucan¡­ LUCAN!¡± A voice shouted and I was suddenly lifted from my sleep. I noticed that my mother has entered my room and had an angry look on her face and said, ¡°Get up already! You will be late for school!¡± ¡°School? But I¡¯m 30 years old already¡­¡± I said stupidly as my head was still foggy from my sudden awakening. What nonsense are you spouting boy?! Do you think I will let you stay home when you have an important test today?! And what is it with you saying that you are 30? You¡¯re only 12 little Lucan.¡± My mother said to me while I sat down on my bed. ¡°A test?! At school?!¡± Of course it had to be at school. I¡¯m just a student in this world, what was I thinking? Yes, of course it¡¯s at school! Now get up, eat your food downstairs and go to school. I just came back from work and will be sleeping soon.¡± My mother said to me while a hand covered her face from the stress. I stood up and kissed my mother on her cheek, ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll get myself ready. Sleep well and rest easy mother.¡± I went downstairs and did all the necessary things I must do and left for school. As I neared the school, I became anxious, ¡°Infinity Book¡­ I need your help.¡± I said in my mind in order for the book to hear me out. [Don¡¯t worry too much. The test that you will encounter can be easily answered with the intelligence and knowledge you have stockpiled from the education you received on Earth.] The book replied as it already knew my worries. ¡°That¡¯s the point¡­ I¡¯ve been trying to remember things about my education, be it from my past or Lucan¡¯s past, but for some reason I can¡¯t recall anything.¡± I politely replied. [Ah, yes. I forgot to tell you. The side effect of transferring an abundant amount of information for the first time is the inability to recall or identify anything related to academics or education properly.] The book added. As I entered the classroom of Lucan I sat down and asked the book again, ¡°Then just transfer the answers to my brain or tell me the answers while I¡¯m taking the exam.¡± But the reply of the book was totally heartbreaking to me, [I cannot transfer any information to you, since you will stand out, and children are not even allowed to have possession of magic artifacts. Even if you find someplace private, your exams are about to begin within 2 minutes. Good luck and I request that you do not blame me. Talk to me once again after your exams.] ¡°But¡­ But I¡¯m technically 30 years old!¡± There was no reply and so, I kept thinking, ¡°Infinity Book¡­? Oh no¡­ Please help me, have mercy on me!¡± Still there was nothing. Afterwards, the teacher went in and we had the exam. The moment I saw the test paper, I took out my quill and ink bottle. Despite trying my best to answer the questions, it was like I became a complete idiot and I couldn¡¯t answer anything with confidence. In the end, I answered in patterns, since almost everything was multiple-choice. Lucan then prepared himself for the worst as he knew that passing the exams that day was literally a pipe dream¡­ ~ End ~ Chapter 6 – Change Chapter 6 ¨C Change After the exams, Lucan was very depressed and disappointed in himself. Instead of going out to the woods and collect different herbs, he went straight back to his house. But this was not to seek comfort, rather this was a great way for him to finally practice the forbidden technique etched in his mind. ¡°I¡¯ll finally be able to practice! Mother is asleep and everyone else doesn¡¯t come back home until sundown. It¡¯s almost as if I have the house for myself today!¡± Lucan said joyfully as he walked home with a brimming grin on his face. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s finally get down to business.¡± Lucan said to himself as he entered his quarters in order to cultivate privately. The forbidden technique is called ¡°Mana Vitality Technique¡± and put simply, it¡¯s as if turning the mana within the spirit of a being into a source of power and energy for the body. Of course, in order to actually perform such a feat requires the being to be very talented because the rating of the technique is considered High-grade. I sat down on the floor and began processing the information etched in my brain and little by little I began to understand the workings of the technique, the only problem is that all I could be understand and execute are the initial stages of the technique itself. ¡°Seems like I¡¯ll be having a hard time to actually master this technique.¡± I said to myself and heard a reply to my own comment. [Truthfully, you will have a very hard time practicing the technique I gave you because the beings who practiced it were not from Human Race to begin with.] Said the Infinity Book, which I placed on my bed after I entered the room. ¡°Then how am I even going to master this technique?¡± I asked out of frustration from the difficulty of the technique itself. [Put simply, you can¡¯t master it. Well¡­ you can¡¯t master it ¡®yet¡¯ that is. As a human, all you will be able to execute are the initial stages, in which is already decent since you are unlike the first users of the technique.] Explained the book calmly to my burning question. Although I understand the gist of the technique already, I don¡¯t really know the reason why it¡¯s forbidden. As I shifted through the information in my brain, I discovered that the main purpose of the technique is improve the quality of the user¡¯s mana and for the mana to become a source of energy and power for the body. It¡¯s very simple, yet I don¡¯t understand why it¡¯s labeled as ¡°forbidden.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It¡¯s time to begin¡­¡± I focused with all my might and executed the first part to cultivate the technique, which was to pressure one¡¯s mana in order to for the mana to become compressed and to become a purer form of mana. So, in order to do this I began familiarizing my body with the mana in my spirit and tried to move it around and I found that it was actually a very easy feat to perform. Thus, I continued and moved my mana all at once to the center where I could feel my mana gathered. ¡°GAAAH!¡± I groaned in the pain that surged throughout my body and even if it wasn¡¯t very hot in my room, I was sweating a liters of sweat. [It seems you have successfully started the process of compressing your mana. For a seemingly regular human, you were actually able to quickly execute that feat. Remember, you must only do that for 2 hours per day or else your spirit will break from all the pressure it¡¯s dealing to your mana.] Although I already knew the warning of the book, I didn¡¯t really pay much attention to my surroundings as I could feel the burning sensation of my body. 2 hours later¡­ *haa haa haa* There I was, panting on the wooden floor of my room while I was drowned in sweat to the point that it made my body sticky all around. ¡°That¡­ was very gruesome¡­ and¡­ intense¡­¡± I said while lying down on the floor. [Congratulations, you were able to complete the process. All you have to do now is to keep doing that every day until you will no longer feel any pain, and then you can actually start practicing the techniques that will require the ¡®Compressed Mana¡¯ you have begun forming and familiarizing with.] Then I had the wildest idea, ¡°Infinity book, can you tell me my records in this body right now?¡± The book suddenly replied and I was filled with excitement, [Of course I can. You seem to be very curious about your body. Worry not, not only will I provide you with the most accurate information, I will also take time to explain any concept that you do not understand!] Says the book as it began to open up. The light from the book however, stayed on top of the pages and suddenly, on the page where the book opened, I could see a human figure on one page and understandable words on the next page. ¡°Damn¡­ It¡¯s literally like a numerical status check.¡± I said out of astonishment. [It is indeed what you think it is. On Earth you would commonly see such concepts in different games, novels, manga, manhua and the sort. Most people of Earth who are familiar with this concept call it ¡®Status.¡¯] Says the book to the shocked Lucan. ¡°Of course I knew that, but as of now, it¡¯s like I¡¯m living in a world where all those concepts are true.¡± I said and the book replied with, [It¡¯s not like all those were entirely made up through imagination, it¡¯s just Earth wasn¡¯t the type of planet to foster mana in order for inhabitants to use.] ¡°Oh¡­ So it¡¯s like different worlds have their own different and unique properties. Hehehe, that¡¯s enough of that, I still have this ¡®Status¡¯ to check.¡± I chuckled as I analyzed the pages where it showed: [Name: Lucan Darius V. Ernest (Nero C. Varley)] [Title: (No titles)] [Race: Human (Physically)] [Occupation: Basic Education Student] [Path: Unknown] [Supernatural Abilities: Mana Vitality Technique, Negative Soul] [Description: Formerly a man on the planet called ¡®Earth¡¯ and got his physical body destroyed due to an excessive exposure to ¡®Negative Energy.¡¯ Unlike all other humans, Nero¡¯s soul absorbed the ¡®Negative Energy¡¯ during the ¡®Negative Catastrophe¡¯ and his soul harmonized with the energy. As of now he is the body of a 12-year-old boy named Lucan and this body serves as the ¡®Shell¡¯ of Nero¡¯s soul.] My mouth was open with shock and all I could say was, ¡°WHAT THE HELL?!¡± ~ End ~ Chapter 7 – Unclear Clarity Chapter 7 ¨C Unclear Clarity [Hmmm¡­ I expected you to be shocked, but not to this degree. You should¡¯ve already noticed that you¡¯re different. After all, your capabilities alone were not enough for the Gate of Wisdom to gauge. Luckily, the Infinity Library can record and archive everything accurately and accordingly.] The book explained to Lucan as the shock and fear from Lucan¡¯s face was still visible after seeing his ¡°Status.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I have to be calm and prepare myself¡­ Infinity Book, what exactly happened on the day Earth disappeared in a flash?¡± I prepared myself to the best of my ability, since the ¡°Overseer of the Universe¡± didn¡¯t actually bother to explain everything to me in detail. [The ¡®Negative Catastrophe¡¯ did not come from Earth itself. Earth was only the victim of a certain race that caused it. To further understand this you must know that Earth is in a local zone of galaxies where worlds or planets do not produce mana. The habitable planets within the local zone of galaxies are those who foster life that usually and commonly improve with time through technology.] I cut off her explanation and said out load, ¡°Then does that mean there are actually races that have reached a Type II or Type III Civilization?!¡± [Indeed, there are civilizations that have the capability of expanding throughout their own galaxy within the local zone Earth is located at. But on planet 0X415 there were experiments on how to utilize ¡®Negative Energy,¡¯ however it only ended up in vain as it caused a massive explosion of ¡®Negative Energy,¡¯ hence the reason why it is recorded as the ¡®Negative Catastrophe.¡¯ During the catastrophe, many planets were destroyed and Earth was the only planet that was destroyed which had life. Every other planet was either desolate or filled with resources.] ¡°That actually seems deeper than I thought it was. I just assumed that it was a simple accident, but I didn¡¯t expect to actually hear about different concepts about our world. So¡­ is this ¡®Negative Energy¡¯ like dark matter or something?¡± I asked as my curiosity lit up even more. [Those are two different things and are not at all similar. ¡®Negative Energy¡¯ is the total opposite of ¡®Positive Energy.¡¯ Think of it as ¡°Yin and Yang¡± or even life and death. It¡¯s a type of energy that literally produces negative phenomena and the sort. However, your soul absorbed the energy and became one with it. As for the reason why, I¡¯m not exactly sure as the records about it within the Infinite Library are inaccessible for you.]Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! There it is again! Another restriction¡­ ¡°So even if I¡¯m with you, I still have different restrictions to knowledge I access¡­¡± The book replied in an apologetic manner to me, [I¡¯m humbly sorry for the inconvenience. The only way for one to have complete access in the Infinity Library is to become an ¡®Administrator,¡¯ where the details in order to become one is something I cannot expose.] ¡°Alright, it¡¯s fine. Can you at least provide me with some ways to utilize ¡®Negative Energy¡¯ and what I could do with my Negative Soul ability?¡± I asked the book, but there was a moment of awkward silence before the book replied. [I¡¯m sorry, but you are the only one with such records of having a Negative Soul ability and the ¡®Administrators¡¯ are currently observing you in order to retrieve accurate data. There are some records on utilizing ¡®Negative Energy,¡¯ but all of it require top-notch technology, it cannot be done by single person, and all have ended in failure. In short, you are on your own¡­ again.] I suddenly hear my doors creak and started to panic. I hid the book under my bed, but it seems that I was too late and my mother had already noticed me, ¡°Little Lucan, what in the world are you trying to hide under your bed?¡± Well¡­ Things didn¡¯t go as smoothly as I thought it would be and so, I told my mother the ¡°TRUTH¡± by telling her that it was just book about cultivating the body, but it was written in a different language. But her reply made me panic a lot more, ¡°So you¡¯re finally considering those things? It¡¯s almost as if you¡¯re no longer the son we know and love¡­ I mean¡­ since recent times, you were always against cultivation. But here you are actually studying it. I feel proud, but confused at the same time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry mother, but this is all the truth I can say for now¡­¡± Lucan thought to himself as he showed all smiles to his wondering mother even if he was anxious about the fact that her mother was very sharp about him not being her son. ¡°Also, you didn¡¯t collect any herbs today¡­ Are you finally giving up on becoming an herbalist? Do you want to continue you father¡¯s legacy as blacksmith now?!¡± My mother became excited even more and asked me a lot of questions. Apparently, Lucan was supposed to be the heir of the family¡¯s business in blacksmithing, but Lucan was more interested in the arts of herbalism in order to become a doctor. ¡°About that¡­ I still want to think about it mother¡­¡± I said in low tone, while the excitement of my mother was wiped off from her face, ¡°Oh¡­ okay¡­ There¡¯s no need to rush it anyway, since you¡¯re only entering the age to be accepted as an apprentice. Yes, an apprentice. That¡¯s how this world works. You have to become an apprentice of someone from a certain field of profession and complete their training. With that, you will be given an official certification that you have passed the training and will be able to work in the world as a highly valued worker, well in most cases that is. This is the reason why most people who take in the Path of the Scholar become successful in their field of profession because they can complete the training faster and have recognition from official scholar academies. If people do not plan to take on the Path of the Magus or Knight, they should at least consider on becoming a scholar, since it would be the only to ensure a secure future for themselves and their families. ¡°Be it on Earth or in the Kingdom of Berklia, it seems that education is truly a ¡®need¡¯ in order to survive.¡± Lucan pondered to himself after realizing some similarities of the ¡°New World¡± and Earth. ~ End ~ Chapter 8 – New World, New Me Chapter 8 ¨C New World, New Me Today is the 3rd day that I¡¯m in Lucan¡¯s body and I¡¯ve been able to recall much more memories than before. Some of it was pretty good memories overall, but sadly Lucan apparently gets bullied a lot in school for having a thin figure. I have school today, but exams are already over and according to Lucan¡¯s memories, I just need to live out the last few months of school and I¡¯ll graduate already. ¡°Hey Lucan!¡± A student shouted from the distance while I was walking towards school and beside that student was someone with a similar face as him. They both had smug looks and it these two were the bullies that always pushed Lucan around. The one who shouted was named Gilten K. Pourus and the one beside him Troye K. Pourus IV. In the end, I decided to ignore them, but things got ugly from there. ¡°So you¡¯re ignoring us now?! We haven¡¯t settled our score yet you twig! You¡¯re going pay for pulling a prank on my twin brother the other day!¡± This guy was as furious as a volcano and kept shouting while we were already within the vicinity of the school. If only Lucan didn¡¯t get revenge on Gilten¡¯s twin brother, I wouldn¡¯t be in this kind of situation. ¡°Oh yeah?! What are you two going to do about it?¡± The twins looked at each other and nodded. Gilten came near and pushed me so hard that I fell to the ground. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting Lucan? HAHAHA! Did you hit your head so hard that you don¡¯t remember all the things we¡¯ve done to you? Seems like your putting up the ¡®fearless act¡¯ despite being a twig!¡± Gilten laughed while ridiculing in front of everyone and his twin chuckled while hiding behind him. ¡°Alright that¡¯s enough!¡± Another student suddenly came beside me and shouted at the twins. When I turned my head to take a look I was shocked at what I saw¡­ It was a literal beauty, even for a 12-year-old. Her skin was white and her hair was long and silky, and most importantly, her face could be compared to that of nobility as she looked like a princess from Europe or something. Behind her were some other students that glared fiercely towards the twins. I guess Lucan wasn¡¯t so stupid and dumb to provoke bullies without actually having backup. ¡°Tsk! You got lucky today Lucan, but I¡¯ll make sure that you¡¯ll suffer two times greater than what Troye went through!¡± Gilten shouted and then left with his twin. ¡°Thanks for the save back there ¡ª GAH!¡± I was thanking the girl beside me but she suddenly slugged me in the stomach. ¡°Hey what was that for?!¡± ¡°I already warned you about pranking the twins, but you still didn¡¯t listen and if it wasn¡¯t for me saving you again, you probably have been beaten to a pulp as always!¡± This girl was apparently named Vhien Joy O. Berklia III, she¡¯s a princess in the Kingdom of Berklia and was actually good friends with Lucan. As to why she¡¯s in a school where there are middle-class people, it was in order for her to gain face and popularity in her generation. Also, she has the responsibility of assuming the throne as her older sisters are no longer residing in the kingdom.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hehe¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t do it again, I promise!¡± I chuckled while saying that with a smile. It¡¯s like I already have a crush on her, but I have to remember that I¡¯m 30 years old already! Although, I¡¯m in the body of a 12-year-old. Vhien turned the other way and coldly said, ¡°You better repay me by becoming one of my supporters in the future!¡± After that she and her ¡°squad¡± left and went inside the school. It¡¯s a shame that teachers don¡¯t care that much for the things students do to each other. Lucan has been bullied many times and only one teacher out of the many teachers in the school actually intervened between the conflicts Lucan had with his classmates. To Lucan, this teacher was a very important figure to him. But sadly he left the school to pursue his dream of becoming an Alchemist. *haaaa* I breathed out a sigh of relief while being worried at the same time. So, I stood up and encouraged myself, ¡°I have to get stronger fast! Even if school is just a few months from ending, I can¡¯t just have people pushing me around until school is out or even after school is over!¡± Class was over before I knew it and I ran straight home to practice the Mana Vitality Technique. Once again I locked myself up in my room and started to practice. 5 minutes later¡­ ¡°Hey Infinity Book¡­ I think something¡¯s wrong. I can¡¯t feel anything despite compressing my mana like yesterday.¡± The book¡¯s exterior cover glowed and when it dimmed out, it replied with, [It seems that you already finished with compressing your mana. I will now fully explain the things that happened within you. First, you have successfully improved your mana core, where all your mana is produced. Unlike elves that receive mana from the world itself, humans have mana cores where they produce mana. This was an evolution humans had when they appeared in this mana-rich world, but humans regenerate their mana over time by slowly absorbing mana from the world. Unlike most humans, your mana core is now a ¡®Compressed Mana Core.¡¯ It¡¯s still weak, but even mages would take a long time to naturally improve their mana core.] ¡°Owww¡­ So the reason why my body was burning up was because of the change I was causing to myself. Why didn¡¯t you just transfer that information to me when you transferred the knowledge about the technique to me?¡± I asked while looking a bit irritated. [There are restrictions to the knowledge you can access. The author of the technique also did it this way. He only taught the process before actually explaining what happened. To give courtesy to the author I must be very discreet to you about the technique as well. As the author¡¯s rule is, ¡®Do what I tell you first before complaining.¡¯] I only closed my eyes and nodded my head in acknowledgement as I was only borrowing his technique without his consent. I was basically stealing, so I shouldn¡¯t have any complaints. ¡°What else happened to me?¡± [Second, you are one of the people who have the best foundation among all those who practiced the technique. The author once said to his first disciples, ¡®If you are truly worthy, it would only take one day to finish the initial stages of the technique!¡¯ In short, congratulations for being talented. Lastly, you must now focus on increasing your mana capacity as a whole in order to be able to use the first movement of the initial stage comfortably.] ¡°How should I be able to increase my capacity? I thought magi are the only people capable of doing that? The book replied instantly, [Give it some time. Your brain should be to comprehend the process to that by now.] It was true, as I was focusing on the words ¡°increasing my mana capacity,¡± I could suddenly understand what to do and how to do it. ¡°With this, I¡¯m bound to get stronger!¡± I was excited as I can be as this is something I could only dream about if I was still on Earth. ~ End ~ Chapter 9 – Moving On Chapter 9 ¨C Moving On ¡°It¡¯s finally time to practice the first movement!¡± I was excited to the brim and I couldn¡¯t help having a big grin on my face. [Just make sure to practice diligently in increasing your mana capacity.] The book reminded me as it kept nagging about my mana capacity. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll make sure to practice a lot!¡± Also, according to the information, there are different materials that could help my mana capacity increase. But all of which seem to be very rare and sound very expensive, such as a ¡°Crystal Mana Flower.¡± Lucan was as excited as he can be because of the fact that he can actually practice the skills someone would receive from the Mana Vitality Technique. Technically, it¡¯s not magic, but a skill that requires mana in order to execute it. The name and description of the skill are as follows: [First Movement, Initial Stage: ¡®Vitality State¡¯] [Description: Allows mana to circulate within the body in order for the body to temporarily become immune to the feeling of exhaustion, pain, physical strain, and mental strain by substituting mana as the energy source for the body. Also, it gives an invigorating feeling to the user.] [Duration: As long as the user still has mana.] ¡°Alright! It¡¯s time to test this out!¡± I closed my eyes and focused within myself¡­ I began to sparingly circulate my mana to my entire body and suddenly, I felt energized as if I could run two whole marathons without drinking any water at all. ¡°This feels amazing! But how is this going to help me?¡± I looked towards the book, since the book is already like my master teaching me how to become a great disciple. [The Mana Vitality Technique is a triangle-cultivation technique. Meaning: It could help you greatly whether you¡¯re on the Path of Scholar, Knight, or even Magus because not feeling any form of physical or mental exhaustion is a great way to train. Put simply, this technique allows you to train endlessly if you have enough mana.] Then I realized it, it seems that I still have to work very hard for the monstrous strength equivalent to that of the ¡°Greatest King¡± or the ¡°Deadliest Monster.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that was anti-climactic¡­ Training montage it is!¡± I changed to some comfortable clothes that I can exercise with and headed outside to do some physical activities. I still have to go back home before sundown, thus I have to be swift in this intense training session.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Lucan then began to train his body to the limit. After warming up, instead of simply jogging, he sprinted to the max for a solid hour. Even though he was drenched in sweat, he wasn¡¯t tired. Even if his breath and heart rate were at the fastest pace it could normally be, he was fine. No room for pain and no room for weakness, he kept going. On a nearby field, he did the simplest of exercises, but in a very abnormally rate and amount. For the 2nd hour of exercising, he was able to do different exercises, such as push-ups, crunches, sit-ups, burpees and squats. The only difference from a normal person doing it is the amount and speed. He was able to do a lot of repetitions for each exercise with only 1 hour. ¡°That was amazing! I could never have done that on Earth! I was literally an average person on Earth. I mean¡­ I didn¡¯t even go to gyms on Earth.¡± I was happy with my productive results and I want to keep up this pace as my daily routine. I¡¯ll only increase the amount of my exercise little by little so that my body can have a chance to adjust. [It¡¯s great that you¡¯re happy about what you can do with that skill. But I hope that you wouldn¡¯t regret it after you run out of mana. I for one, know that your body will suffer greatly from all the exercises that you have done today.] The book really made a point. As I browsed to Lucan¡¯s past memories, he was apparently someone who didn¡¯t exercise a lot and hated cultivating the body at the same time, so that he wouldn¡¯t become a blacksmith. I wonder how much pain I¡¯ll feel after the skill wears off. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to endure the pain then. But for now, I have to get home.¡± I walked on the way home and I avoided as much people as possible because I smelled like someone who doesn¡¯t even know what a ¡°bath¡± is. People also avoided me while I was going home and some even covered their noses because of my stench. As I reached my house, I noticed that no one was home yet and my mother was still preparing dinner for us. I freshened up and ate with the whole family. They had really interesting things to share during dinner time. My elder sister, Arisa V. Ernest, said that her benefactors, which provided with the funds for her quality education, were going to provide much more money for this month in order for her to make some sample dresses. As for my brother, Linton Decker V. Ernest, he was apparently going to be promoted to a Senior Knight in the army. Everyone was happy and felt comfortable talking to each other. I was silent the whole time, but I had a face that showed interest as my siblings talked about their good news. Then, my father, Aric R. Ernest, suddenly asked me, ¡°Little Lucan, my mother told me that you were cultivating secretly¡­ Does that mean you¡¯re now willing to become my apprentice?¡± Honestly, learning blacksmithing seems like a pretty good deal to me and my mentor will be family member too. This way, it¡¯s much safer and I could learn a lot. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lucan of the past, but I have to bend your former will in order to gain benefits. I¡¯m sincerely thankful for this body you have left for me.¡± I thought to myself as I could no longer show what the past Lucan¡¯s resolve and will was trying to show. ¡°I won¡¯t become your apprentice father. I don¡¯t want to have a certification on blacksmithing. But I will come along to your forge and learn as many thing as I can about blacksmithing after I graduate. I hope that this will be enough¡­¡± Even if they are not my family, I didn¡¯t want to disappoint them and sooner or later, I¡¯ll have to move out and explore the world! My father stood up from his chair, went close to me, looked me in my eyes, and hugged me while saying, ¡°Thanks for giving this old man a chance to pass his skills onto you my boy¡­¡± *sob sob sob* Unexpectedly, I started to cry and thought to myself, ¡°When was the last actual time that I felt the warmth of a father¡¯s hug?¡± ~ End ~ Chapter 10 – Monsters & Magic Chapter 10 ¨C Monsters & Magic *AHHHHHH GAAAH NOOOO* Shrieks and shouts could be heard everywhere within a small village. Everything was in utter chaos. Fire could be seen in every direction and corpses of people were scattered and bloody. ¡°Help us! Save my family!¡± Someone shouted out load in vain as there was no one with the capability to help anywhere. [INAK-TIS-FUUL!] *BOOOM* Suddenly, a beast with a body similar to that of a Komodo Dragon, but red in color, could be seen and as it said the gibberish that came from its mouth, a resounding loud boom could be heard while fire strongly spewed out of its enormous mouth. In appearance, it wasn¡¯t gigantic. It was as long as school bus and as tall as a SUV, but the power it packed with it was totally greater than its size. After the beast left, the village was reduced to ashes. No survivors, no structures, and all that was left was ash. Even the corpses of the people were reduced to nothing but ash. Clothes, armor, skin, organs, and bones were all ash now. The village went silent and no soul remained¡­ It¡¯s finally Saturday! Well, not really Saturday, but today is a weekend for the people in the Kingdom of Berklia. Similar to the calendar on Earth, there are 5 weekdays and 2 weekends in this world as well. But instead of training and learning the next movement of the Mana Vitality Technique, all I could do today was lie down in bed and rest. I was literally sore all over. It¡¯s a good thing that my parents were very concerned and made me rest in a comfortable manner. ¡°Little Lucan how are you feeling? Do you want to eat now?¡± My mother, Lilia Danna V. Ernest, came into my room and brought some rice porridge. ¡°Sure mother. Just leave it on my table and I¡¯ll eat it a little later.¡± After that, my mom went back downstairs. It¡¯s actually been very long since I felt being taken care of because back on Earth, I lived by myself. I had no girlfriend to speak of and I have been separated with my family since I was 22 years old, so I usually take care of myself even if I was sick. All I thought was, ¡°As long as I can call emergency services, I¡¯ll be fine!¡± I guess all I can do for today is to learn more about this world¡­ ¡°Infinity Book, can you kindly give me more information about this world? I asked the book that was placed on my table. [I strongly advise to not pass the information through direct transferring methods as your body is not in a suitable condition.]Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Awww, what a bummer¡­ Then just narrate stuff to me, please?¡± It took a few seconds for the book to reply, which was weird since it usually replies instantly. [Fine, listen carefully. This planet is called Kirmet, from the root word ¡®Kirndra¡¯ and ¡®Metau.¡¯ This is from the ancient language Ufir, which means ¡®all races¡¯ and ¡®meet.¡¯ Kirmet literally means, ¡®where all races meet¡¯ and almost every race in the world agrees on this. The first creatures who were dominant in the world and also made the Ufir Language were monsters. Not intelligent races, but monsters. The reason why the world is known as ¡®Kirmet¡¯ is to give respect to the monsters who first roamed the world. As of now, Ufir is widely known as ¡®Monster Tongue,¡¯ and almost every intelligent lifeform in the world cannot understand it.] ¡°Nice, nice. This world has a very juicy background to it. But why did monsters create their own language anyway?¡± I asked curiously as I could not think of any reason myself. [The same reason why any language was created, to communicate. But in Kirmet, language isn¡¯t only used for communication. It could also be used for magic. Ufir was designed by the 12 Great Calamities, the strongest and most intelligent monsters of the past, in order to talk to each other and to cast magic.] ¡°But aren¡¯t monsters already magic as they are? Why would they need to cast magic? Wouldn¡¯t that make their monstrous traits useless?¡± I was extremely puzzled and was very eager to hear the answers. [You remember how this planet merged with two dying planets? Those two dying planets were literally filled with monsters. Now, there is mana in the world, and monsters would generally love to take advantage of it. That said, it would not make their traits useless as in order to execute whatever monstrous abilities they have only requires their own energy or stamina. Don¡¯t worry too much, because only intelligent monsters are able to cast spells.] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear! I bet there aren¡¯t even that many intelligent monsters in the world!¡± Although I was genuinely happy, it was cut off by the next statement of the book, [Unfortunately, 60% of all monsters are intelligent and able to cast spells, be it simple or complex spells. The bigger problem is that ¡®monster magic,¡¯ is entirely different from ¡®human magic,¡¯ meaning: No magus can ever copy what monsters do. There can be similar effects, but not the same fundamentals.] Although I was no longer joyful, I was relieved. ¡°Then it¡¯s a fair game I guess.¡± [Bluntly speaking, it¡¯s not a fair game. Monsters cast spells very easily and swiftly. All they have to do is speak whatever spell they are able to cast in the Ufir Language and it would happen. For example, a monster is able to cast a fireball, all it would need to say is ¡®INAK-VALA¡¯ and a fireball will appear from where it wants and will accordingly go towards where it wants.] My face went pale and I suddenly stood up. My palms were sweaty, my knees were weak, my arms were heavy, and I suddenly remembered a rap song back on Earth that had the exact lyrics. I was afraid¡­ If I were to encounter one as I am right now, I would surely die since 60% of monsters were able to cast spells¡­ [You look scared and lost. Honestly, you should try it for yourself. I strongly advise not to use it anywhere where there are intelligent beings as it would make them think that you¡¯re completely a monster.] The book suddenly made a comment as I was being all weak and scared. I was puzzled once more and was filled with confusion. It¡¯s like everything I believed in was suddenly slapped to my face like it was nothing, ¡°Wait a second¡­ I¡¯m a monster too?¡± ~ End ~ Chapter 11 – Surprise! Chapter 11 ¨C Surprise! After I asked if I was a monster, the room was filled with the awkward kind of silence. But then the book killed the silence by saying, [The ¡®Administrators¡¯ were right. You¡¯re a total idiot¡­ The reason why you can use ¡®Monster Magic¡¯ is because of the similarities of your mana to them. Remember, the author of the Mana Vitality Technique was not human to begin with.] ¡°Owww¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m not very familiar with the concepts of this world.¡± I apologized for my mistakes and decided to listen to the book much more attentively and carefully at that. [According to the ¡®Administrators¡¯ you should at least be able to cast Level 0 Spells with your capabilities. If by any way that you will be able to improve your mana core once more, you might be able to cast Level 1 spells. I¡¯ll also tell you this now, Lucan¡¯s body has the greatest affinity to the Fire Element.] ¡°Okay, I understand now. But aren¡¯t I very lucky? Fire is a very destructive element and for Lucan to have such a good affinity is a very beneficial advantage to me!¡± I rejoiced as I could feel much more powerful than before. [You¡¯re only slightly correct. Although the Fire Element is strong in the 4 Classical Elements, it¡¯s not the strongest in the huge ¡®Element Pool,¡¯ where all Elements that have been discovered are recorded within the Infinite Library.] ¡°Hmph! At least it¡¯s strong for a basic element!¡± I said strongly so that I wouldn¡¯t get discouraged. [But there are a lot more people talented than you are. According to the Infinite Library, some people are born with Advance-class Elemental Affinities, such as the Lightning Element or the Shadow Element. In terms of talent, you are only average.] I¡¯ll be honest, I was pissed off by now. The fact that I can¡¯t do anything about my affinity and my talent. What¡¯s more to come is the fact that I think my aptitude for magic is only on the average level. ¡°Sooo¡­ how about my aptitude for magic then?¡± [Your aptitude for magic as of now is below average. Lucan himself didn¡¯t care much about magic when he was young and he was also born with only low capabilities on magic. Hence the reason why I encouraged you to try out ¡®Monster Magic.¡¯] After hearing that, I¡¯m not pissed off anymore. I¡¯m super angry now! I can¡¯t believe that I have to reduce myself to using the magic of monsters just so that I could become powerful. But as I got dealt in by my emotions, I suddenly screamed, ¡°Damn it! After dreaming to become a Magus in this world, this is what I get?!¡± *wuuurp vuuuum* I could hear a strange noise and my vision suddenly became blurry. I closed my eyes and when I opened them, everything was in grayscale. I was the only one with color. I stood up from my bed and walked around my room. When looked outside the window, a saw a bird suspended in the air while it seemed to be flying. I could no longer hear the book¡¯s voice and realized that time stopped. ¡°Is this¡­ the effect of my Negative Soul?¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. *vuuuum wuuurp* This time, the sounds I heard were the same but the other way around. Suddenly, the world gained color once more and everything moved. [How did you get there?] The book suddenly spoke and I jumped from shock while holding my chest with my hand. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Quickly! Show me my ¡®Status!¡¯ The ¡®Administrators¡¯ might know what happened to me!¡± I shouted even though I was in my house at that time. The book quickly opened up and glowed to show the information I was once showed before. [Name: Lucan Darius V. Ernest (Nero C. Varley)] [Title: (No titles)] [Race: Human (Physically)] [Occupation: Basic Education Student] [Path: Unknown] [Supernatural Abilities: Mana Vitality Technique, Negative Soul] [Active Skills: Vitality State, Negative Realm] [I no longer included your description as I think it would not be beneficial to you right now.] The book said while I was analyzing my ¡®Status,¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s fine, but could you tell what the Active Skill: Negative Realm is?¡± [Active Skill: Negative Realm] [Description: Allows the user to enter a personal realm that is stuck between reality and nothingness or void by enveloping oneself with ¡®Negative Energy¡¯. While the user uses this skill, time would seemingly stop and the user is free to move anywhere while in the realm. As the skill wears off, the user will go back to reality.] [Duration: Random] ¡°Hmmm¡­ Although the duration is random, I guess it would be safe to use it for short-time instances only. Either way, this is very beneficial! Now I have something that could help me in a pinch!¡± I was so happy that I already forgot about the pain was body was shouting. [You seem overjoyed and you look rather okay now.] The book said as I was rejoicing on my own. ¡°Of course I¡¯m overjoyed! I don¡¯t even want to slack off anymore. I¡¯ll put learning ¡®Monster Magic¡¯ aside for now. It¡¯s about time I learn the second movement anyway.¡± Lucan focused while sitting down on his bed and recalled the information about the Mana Vitality Technique. He successfully grasped the information he wanted and was overexcited to learn the next movement as it had amazing benefits: [Second Movement, Initial Stage: ¡®Mana Boost¡¯] [Description: Allows the user to temporarily increase the base strength of chosen parts of the body by saturating the chosen part or parts alone with mana. If this is done to all body parts at the same time, the user will explode. It is recommended to only use it on one or two body parts at a time.] [Duration: As long as the user still has mana.] ¡°Now this is useful! Since it increases my base strength, the more I improve the greater the boost!¡± I wanted to try it out even if it my body was still painful. I mean¡­ One punch is enough to test it out right? So I stood in front my door in a boxing stance. I made my mana saturate my right arm and I mercilessly jabbed my door. *crack BOOM* ¡°That was weird¡­¡± My fist went right through my door and it left a hand-sized hole, but what I didn¡¯t expect was the wall in front of my room had a gigantic hole that was surrounded by cracks. Luckily, it was the wall of our storeroom, where all our old stuff is placed. I suddenly heard rushing footsteps and all my family members saw the gigantic hole in the wall. ¡°Lucan what have you done?!¡± My father shouted in shock rather than anger and everyone else had their jaws on the floor from such a sight. As I didn¡¯t want to stay silent, all I could say with a big smile on my face was, ¡°Umm¡­ uhhh¡­ S-surprise!¡± ~ End ~ Chapter 12 – The Little Brother Chapter 12 ¨C The Little Brother It¡¯s been 3 days since I broke the wall in my house¡­ To be honest, everything was normal. I went to school, got insulted, exercised, and trained myself. It was pretty much what you would expect as a daily routine for someone who is trying to get stronger. The only difference was, my elder brother Linton said that he was being dispatched to nearby village because of an accident, which was caused by a monster. Although they were a whole group of knights and scouts in the army, I haven¡¯t heard any news about them. Instinctively, I went to ask the Infinity Book for any information about my brother. ¡°Infinity Book, can you please tell me about my brother?¡± [I thought you would never ask. As of now they are searching in the village for any survivors and they have been trying to secure a perimeter around the village to make sure nothing bad happens to them. According to their Squad Leader, they will be back after their scouts have confirmed that the monster responsible for the accident is no longer present near them.] The book narrated to me as my worries were slowly fading. ¡°Alright¡­ Thanks for the information Infinity Book. Could you please inform me at once if anything happens to them? Or even if anything bad is about to happen to them.¡± I asked the book, but its reply just made my worries resurface on my face, [According to the ¡®Administrators,¡¯ there is a 97.99% chance that your brother¡¯s squad will encounter the monster that caused the destruction in the village. Also, there is a 26.50% chance that there will be no survivors if no one would be there to help them.] I knew it¡­ Everything was just too peaceful for a world filled with different monsters and dangers. It just so happens that one of my family members is about to become a victim of the cruelty that is present in this world. I had no choice but to take action. ¡°If I go there now, would it make a difference?¡± Lucan¡¯s expression became serious and furious. He didn¡¯t want his own family to just die in vain like that. So, the book replied bluntly, [If you were to go there now, you have a 100% chance of saving your brother, considering that you take satisfactory measures, but you wouldn¡¯t be able to save everyone¡­] Lucan went silent. He looked at his hands before looking towards the window and saw a beautiful sunset. He closed his eyes and clenched his fist. From that point on, he had to prepare himself, both physically and mentally. His response to the book¡¯s statement was, ¡°It¡¯s fine even if I don¡¯t get to save everyone. I was never planning to play the ¡®Hero¡¯ role anyway.¡± After that, he jumped through the window and by the book¡¯s instructions, he ran to the village while activating Vitality State and using Mana Boost on both of his legs.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. *haah haah haah* ¡°Captain! We have a problem!¡± A panting member of the scout team came dashing back to their temporary campsite in the small village to warn everyone of what he saw. ¡°Bloody hell man! What happened?! Where are in the bloody hell are the other members of the scout team?!¡± The squad captain who had a great figure said to the panicked scout. ¡°We have to leave! There is absolutely no way to survive if we don¡¯t leave now!¡± The panicked scout became worried, frustrated, and anxious. All he wanted to do was leave. ¡°What in the world did you discover?!¡± The squad captain asked furiously as he held the scout and shook him vigorously. ¡°It was a Spike-back Salamander captain! We must leave ¨C NOW!¡± The scout took off the captain¡¯s hand from his shoulders and ran for his life on his own. ¡°Bloody hell¡­ Everyone prepare to ¨C GAAAAH!¡± *thud* Before finishing his orders, the squad captain was hit by the Spike-back Salamander¡¯s tail and flew 5 meters away from where he stood. As he regained his balance, blood gushed from his mouth and he had a hard time breathing because his ribs were already broken. Unfortunately, he could no longer fight in such a condition and he helplessly sat down on the ground. Linton, however, was standing still from fear after seeing his captain getting done in by the horrific beast. As he stood there in a trance, the beast looked towards him and suddenly rushed in. It would seem that the beast left the disabled prey for later and loved pouncing towards sitting ducks. ¡°Linton look out! AAAHHHK!¡± A man with the same size as Linton pushed him out of the way but got his body split in half as he bitten by the salamander mercilessly for trying to be a hero. Linton just witnessed the death of his comrade and was engulfed by rage. Thus, he unsheathed his blade and shouted at the salamander, ¡°Foul beast! You will pay for killing my comrade! HAAAAH!¡± He charged without thinking and prepared to hack through the beast with all his might, but was suddenly disappointed as the beast easily dodged his attack. The beast was rather large, but it was still very agile. *GRRR* The salamander growled and spikes came popping out of its back. Linton was still furiously swinging his blade in random movements because of anger. But the salamander was smart, it took its chance, faced its back towards Linton, and shot out the spikes that popped from its body. ¡°GAAAH!¡± Linton was hit in his left arm and right leg. He was lucky enough to actually block some of the spikes that flew towards him. ¡°Quickly! Let¡¯s surround the beast and teach it a lesson!¡± Linton shouted until some of his nerves became visible on his forehead, but there was no response¡­ It was this moment he knew¡­ Everyone had already ran for their lives out of fear. ¡°Mother¡­ Father¡­ Little brother¡­ Little sister¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ It would seem that I will no longer be able to eat with you anymore. At least today, I die as a brave man!¡± Linton thought to himself as he prepared for the worst. He was calmer this time around and he concluded that a beast with such strength was only playing around with so that he will become tired. In the end, he accepted his awaiting death. He clenched the hilt of his sword and said with a burning rage, ¡°Come at me beast! Let¡¯s see who will be the last one standing! HUURAH!!!¡± Linton charged towards the beast thoughtlessly and the beast prepared to slice Linton apart with its sharp claws. *whoosh* Suddenly, a black figure came between the salamander and Linton. *BANG* It was rushing in the direction of Linton and with a loud bang, it kicked Linton¡¯s chest plate. Linton was fiercely pushed away from the beast, while the black figure was already beside him. ¡°Do you really think suicide would be a great idea?¡± Linton heard the words of the black figure as it began to clear up¡­ ¡°Little Lucan?! What are you doing?!¡± Linton was shocked to see his little brother appear out of nowhere like that. ¡°What does it look like? I¡¯m saving your ass!¡± ~ End ~ Chapter 13 - Awakening Chapter 13 - Awakening Lucan and his elder brother Linton are currently stuck in sticky situation. Although Lucan was able to successfully save Linton from getting himself killed, there was still the Spike-back Salamander to worry about. Lucan took the sword from Linton¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Quickly brother! You must leave this place and go somewhere safe to wait for me. I¡¯ll keep this beast distracted for now!¡± Without hesitation, Linton left the scene while thinking, ¡°I¡¯m sorry little Lucan! I hope I will get to see you once more¡­¡± Truthfully, it was a very cowardly act for Linton to leave that place, but he himself witnessed the strength of the monster and he didn¡¯t even dare to waste the life his little brother saved. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s just you and me.¡± Lucan held the sword tightly with two hands, although he did not have any past experience in swordsmanship, he was confident that he could distract the monster as he planned to escape. However, Lucan¡¯s leather messenger bag started to show a glow from within it and so, Lucan dashed backwards in order to check it. The Spike-back Salamander remembered Lucan¡¯s movements from a while ago and as it was an intelligent beast, it decided to save Lucan for later and only eat the prey that it has already crippled. [Awakened Mode is highly recommended in this situation. The user must drip his blood on the front page of this book in order to have access to most capabilities of the book.] A different voice from what I usually heard came from the book. If the usual voice of the book is like a girl, this time it¡¯s a deep robot voice. Without hesitation, I used the sword to slit a cut on my hand and blood flowed down to the front page of the book. Then, it glowed even brighter than before and it started to float beside me. The appearance of the book also changed. If the front page was just like a book cover before, now it has blue circle gemstone in the center of the cover. [Master, thank you for awakening me from my slumber. Do not be afraid, everything will be explained in time. For now, I must help you win this battle.] The voice was directly telling me this inside my head, it was the same as the first voice, but it seems much livelier than before. I was happy because it feels like I¡¯m talking to a real person now. But the happiness faded as the beast looked towards me and I could hear something that I never heard before. [INAK-TIS-FUUL!] *BOOOM* I could see fire charging towards my direction and I jumped over to the side to avoid the hot flames. [Quickly master! It has used the most of its mana on that single spell, you must attack it now. The weak-spot of the Spike-back Salamander is its tail.] The book nagged in my head. I kept on running and jumping to avoid the fire that kept changing directions in order to hit me. As I got closer and closer towards the beast, I tightly held my elder brother¡¯s sword and changed the flow of my Mana Boost to my two arms. ¡°Eat this you beast!¡± I charged towards its tail while it was still spewing out flames from its mouth and I cut down the tail with all the power I could muster up.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. [KROOOAAAR!!!] The monster howled in agony as I took a step back to make sure that I avoid its counter-attack, but not only did it not attack me, it also stopped spewing out flames. [You have successfully weakened it master. Cut off its head while it¡¯s still stunned.] I moved without restraint and as I sliced its head off, blood came out splattering from its neck and colored the sword I held red. As I looked at the sword which was drenched in blood, it was already in a bad shape. I didn¡¯t know if it was because of the integrity of the monster¡¯s body or if it was because of the force I used to swing it. ¡°Wow! I didn¡¯t expect my first fight with a monster to be this easy!¡± I rejoiced in my victory against one of the things that I feared in this world. [Congratulations master. For now, you should collect the monster core within its chest and take off the spikes from its back.] For the first time, the book actually told me information that I didn¡¯t ask for. If it was like ¡°Google¡± at first, now it¡¯s like I have a very intelligent secretary. [Like I said, everything will be explained in time master. Also, now that we have a blood contract, I have access to your thoughts.] The book said as it literally knew what I was thinking. Although it seems uncomfortable, it¡¯s not so bad to have a personal assistant that knows what I¡¯m thinking about all the time. Following the instructions of the book, I took the monster core from the beast¡¯s chest and plucked out most of the spikes on its back. ¡°Is this all I have to do?¡± I asked. [Your father is a blacksmith and you¡¯re literally a being that runs on mana. The core will be beneficial to your growth and the spikes are a big asset to any blacksmith. The Spike-back Salamander is rare creature master, value it more.] The book scolded me as if I was its child. I went to the nearby corpse that the monster feasted on and saw how disfigured the corpse was. It seems that the monster did not eat all of it, all that was left was the person¡¯s head and some of his torso. I saw another corpse, but this time his whole body was split in half. His torso was separated from his legs and it was a very gruesome scene to witness. To pay my respects, I dug up two graves for them and placed the swords and whatever that is left of their armors to mark their graves. Soon, I left to find my elder brother. ¡°Little Lucan! You survived!¡± I saw Linton in a nearby field alongside his fellow companions. They looked like traumatized little children. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± I asked, but my elder brother only hugged me tightly while saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to do it alone!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay Linton. The important thing is I¡¯m here and you¡¯re also safe.¡± I said to my brother, but it seemed to have made the other soldiers uncomfortable. ¡°Then what about us? What about our scout team? What about our leader?!¡± That soldier was crying while shouting at me. ¡°Did you only care to come to where we were because of you brother?!¡± He continued to spout nonsense to my face. [Master, I think what he¡¯s trying to say is, if a person with your caliber was aware that there was such a beast to where they were headed, why did you not warn them? Or at least came earlier to give them a hand?] The book told me in my head. ¡°Tell me¡­ Do I have any relations with you people? Do I owe you any favors? Me? A 12-year-old child?¡± I asked to the crying man. ¡°I came here not to act like a hero. I only came here to ensure the safety of my family.¡± I turned my back on the man and everyone else turned silent. I started to walk back home after that ordeal. To be honest, Lucan had a point. He didn¡¯t owe anything to anyone there. So, why would he risk his life for them? Out of sympathy? Compassion? Pity? Sadly, Lucan didn¡¯t care about that. He wanted to mind his own business and he would only want to act if his family is in danger. But unlike Lucan, Linton had a sense of justice and agreed with his companion. ¡°Linton! You better follow me now or else I¡¯ll force you to follow me later!¡± I said to my brother as his face were showing signs that he was going to choose his comrade¡¯s side in the argument. ~ End ~ Chapter 14 - Truth Chapter 14 - Truth While my brother and I were walking towards the kingdom, the Infinity Book started to explain things to me. Its voice was filled with worry as it said, [Master, in a while you would not be able to talk to me. I will return to my slumber, so I must explain most of the important things now.] I listened carefully to make sure I don¡¯t miss any details. [I am not the Infinity Book that the ¡®Overseer of the Universe¡¯ created. I merely copied its appearance and functions so that I could hide my presence. Essentially, I¡¯m a ¡®Cosmic Artifact¡¯ that was born out of the purest form of mana. My function is to be a personal assistant to my user and to provide as much knowledge as possible that the user needs. Technically, all the knowledge in the Infinite Library are also at my disposal.] Its functions were similar to the Infinity Book that I have been talking to, but it feels like there¡¯s a huge difference. [My original form is not this book that you see right now. I was only forced to this form to avoid being discovered and I hid within the Gate of Wisdom.] There seems to be a very big plot that will unveil pretty soon, but I didn¡¯t focus on that right now as the next words of the book were truly heartbreaking. [Master¡­ I won¡¯t be able to talk to you again after this¡­ My soul is close to vanish into nothingness¡­ I¡¯m sorry that our first meeting had to be this quick¡­] I felt very sorrowful¡­ If its soul disappeared, that would mean the book will disappear and I wouldn¡¯t have access to the knowledge stored within the Infinite Library. ¡°Is there anything I could do?¡± I asked it in my head and decided to do anything in my power to restore its soul. [You would do that for me?] The book said. ¡°Of course I will! You are a very important asset to me! If I were to give up on you, I would be the biggest fool in the Universe!¡± [Hahaha¡­ Out of all my previous masters, you are the only one that offered me a hand¡­] I didn¡¯t chit-chat for long, I knew that this is a very serious situation. ¡°Tell me what I need to do.¡± My resolve was ready and I didn¡¯t care if it would take years to accomplish. [For now, you should collect as much monster cores as you can. I would be able to absorb their life-force and it could theoretically extend my lifespan for a few more years if I¡¯m in Auto-pilot Mode and a few months at most when I¡¯m awakened.]If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Alright, you should go back to this ¡®Auto-pilot Mode¡¯ for now. My graduation is already about to come, afterwards, I¡¯ll start hunting for monsters and make sure to let you absorb their life-force, but¡­ How am I going to do that exactly?¡± I was pretty puzzled to be frank. [This gemstone in the front cover is the container of my soul. All you need to do is place a monster core near it and it would absorb it pretty quickly.] [Master, I¡¯m sincerely sorry, but I will to go back to sleep now¡­ Farewell for now master.] After the book said that, it went completely silent. Lucan and his brother continued to head back to their house and the other soldiers were returning to their headquarters. As Lucan and his brother entered their house, they saw that their parent¡¯s faces were filled with worry. ¡°Lucan! Where have you been?! We were so worried!¡± Lucan¡¯s parents said in unison. However, before Lucan could answer, Linton rushed and embraced both of his parents and started to cry. ¡°Mother! Father!¡± Linton kept shouting and sobbing as he hugged his parents tightly. Lucan and his brother began to explain to their parents of the things that happened to the both of them. Also, Lucan apologized for not telling his parents that he left the house to go after his brother. ¡°So you¡¯re telling us that you had a feeling that Linton might be in trouble so you went after him?¡± his father asked. ¡°How did you know the exact place that your brother was at?¡± His mother gave out a follow-up question without letting Lucan reply. ¡°Well¡­ First of all, it has been days since elder brother Linton came back from being dispatched. So, I got worried and went to the Berklia¡¯s Army and asked where Linton was.¡± I said to ease the suspicions of my parents. ¡°But still¡­ It doesn¡¯t mean that you should go out of the house without telling us where you are headed!¡± My mother said to me. ¡°Yes, I know. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll make sure to tell you where I¡¯m going if I was to leave the house urgently.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that we have come to an agreement. The both of you should fix yourselves and get ready for bed.¡± My mother said to the both us as were getting scolded. After tidying up, I was about to go to bed, but my brother was standing near my door with a face of someone wanting to tell something. ¡°Little brother¡­ Thank you! Thank you so much for saving me!¡± My elder brother bowed and tears started to fall from his eyes once more. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Family should look out for each other. Just make sure to keep getting stronger because I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to save you if you get into trouble again. So far, everything else continued in the usual way for the next few weeks. Lucan trained himself every day and increased the amount of the exercises he did. In school, he was bullied and insulted, but he kept silent for the sake that he might kill his bullies accidentally. Before he knew it, there were only a 2 weeks left before his graduation and he would finally be able to study blacksmithing and start hunting for different monsters. ~ End ~