《Strongest Soul Engineer》 Chapter 1: Randi Chapter 1: Randi The sun was shining bright, giving an atmosphere of comfort and warmth toward the people beneath it. There were small clouds fleeting here and there, providing rare small shades to take cover from the sun. Overall, The weather was calm and perfect. It was a small town. With a population just barely enough for it to graduate from the title of a large village, Batan Town served as a rural area dedicated to farming. It was located on the outskirts, near the border and the great forest. The houses were located a bit far from each other. The word backwater would really fit as a description of this place. Inside a small house, a youth could be seen reading a book in an enthusiastic manner in his room. His brown eyes were glowing as if he was reading something truly amazing. Sometimes, he would turn the page back before turning it over again. His eyes were fixed to each of the words because he was afraid to accidentally miss something. On the cover of the book was written, ''The Advent of Soul Beasts'' "That book again? You sure like those a lot," a man in his late thirties suddenly entered the room. He had similar eyes as the boy. By looking at the man''s slender body and pale skin, one could see that he belonged to the scholarly group. Hearing the familiar voice, the youth couldn''t help but turn his head. Seeing the man, he cheered happily, "Dad! You really do come home early today" "Of course. Today is my only son''s birthday after all. Here, I have something for you," The man laughed. Hearing that his father brought something for him, the boy''s cheer got louder. He immediately jumped from his bed and hugged the man. Seeing this, the man only smiled warmly, letting the boy hug him. After his wife passed away, the only family he had was his son, Randi. He cared greatly for his son and seeing that the latter had reached ten years of age, the man couldn''t help but teared up a bit. ''To think that I, Dana, can raise such a good son by myself. Arina, you must be feeling really proud up there in the heaven,'' the man thought to himself. "Dad, quick! Show me the present!" "Relax, Randi. It won''t go anywhere," Dana laughed. He took a large box out from his bag. "What is it? What is it?" Randi asked impatiently. His attitude was really befitting of a normal ten years old boy. "You have always shown great interest in Soul Tools, now that you''ve reached a somewhat proper age, it''s time for you to truly learn what they are and how to create them," Dana opened the box and a small toolbox and a thick book could be seen inside. "Ah... Ah... Dad, are you serious? You''re not lying right?" Randi shook Dana''s body excitedly. His eyes were sparkling and before he knew it, he already grabbed both the small toolbox and the book tightly, unwilling to let go.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Seeing his son''s behavior, Dana couldn''t help but let out a chuckle. There was boundless fatherly love apparent in his eyes. "Why would I lie to you? From now on, you can start learning on how to become a Soul Engineer. Plus, I''ll teach you myself. I''m quite harsh as a teacher and I won''t let you slack off from now on." "Alright, Dad!" Randi replied energetically whilst still tightly holding the presents. "Uh, what''s that? Do you have another present for me?" He then pointed at a translucent crystal in his father''s bag. He never saw his father bringing that kind of crystal home before. Dana took the crystal out, "This thing can''t be considered as a present. I''m sure you have somewhat known this already. Now that you''ve reached ten years of age, your Soul Latent Talent can be measured. A Soul Tool Engineer can make do without any Soul Power, but by having the power, one can walk further down this path." Dana put the crystal on Randi''s forehead, "Keep calm, just relax. It won''t take long. Just concentrate and don''t let your mind blank." Randi closed his eyes. There were multiple thoughts swirling inside his head. He was incredibly excited now that he had a chance to be tested. In all of the books he had read, there was no lack of compliment toward people who could wield Soul Power. He too dreamed that one day, he could stand on the pinnacle of power, leading the human race in the fight against the Ancient Soul Beasts, just like the Legendary Blood Paragon from hundreds of years ago. The Legendary Blood Paragon, together with the Sword Empress, Oracular Priestess, and their other companions led the human race during the first advent of the Soul Beasts. He heard that during that time, the world was in chaos. The humanity that still hasn''t awakened to Soul Power was under the threat of extinction from the invasion of Soul Beasts. Those Soul Beasts were actually normal earth life forms that got mutated under the effect of Soul Stones. As for what brought those stones to this world, no one had any idea. After killing the Ancient World Beast, they lived in a seclusion. From what the public heard, it seemed like they suffered a serious injury after the battle. Thus, they could no longer fight and have to recuperate until the end of their lives. However, that alone was enough for the humanity to avoid extinction. The time period those heroes provide made it possible for the civilization to start moving. They invented a lot of things by harnessing the power of the Soul Stones and Soul Cores. A long period of silence passed but nothing happened. Randi thought that something strange was going on and decided to open his eyes. However, what was awaiting him was the sight of his father''s apologetic expression. Seeing the look on his father''s face, Randi immediately knew what was going on. He bit his lips while holding his tear back and smiled, "It''s ok Dad, I understand" Dana immediately hugged Dani. It was tight but warm at the same time as if it conveyed all of his feeling toward him. "To think that you inherited my poor talent instead of your mother''s. I know that this is unfair but I can''t do anything either. I''m really sorry, Randi." "Say no more Dad, I can still become an outstanding Soul Engineer. You said it yourself, right? That it''s just a matter of how far one can walk down that path? Then it''s decided, I''ll walk as far as I can get, never stopping until I reach the limit," Randi couldn''t hold his tear back when he reached the last sentence. Dana didn''t say anything. No matter what happened, he had to steel himself and hold his tear back. He''s supposed to console his son, not otherwise. Only God and he himself should know that his grievance was no smaller than what Randi felt. Randi cried under his father''s warm hug. There was a saying that his mother used to say before she passed away. "When a door closes, at least one other door will open. Tell me, Randi. Are you going to grieve upon the closed door? Or are you going to go through the opened one? Who knows, maybe you can open the closed one from the other side." Randi made a decision. Today, he''ll cry as much as he could. But tomorrow, he''ll start working on that other door which had been opened for him. He wondered, what kind of scenery he would see when he passed that door. Chapter 2: Soul Manifestation Chapter 2: Soul Manifestation A young girl with short silver hair could be seen running in the street. Behind her was a plump looking boy around her age. They were bringing a basket that seemed to be filled with food. They ran along the alley, moving while trying to avoid bumping into other people. They had a bright expression, one that could only be seen on children. After a few moment, they reached a small workshop. The place looked neat from the outside, with a variety of Soul Tools being put on a display behind the glass. They didn''t enter the place from the front, instead, they circled around and entered through the rear. They slowly crawled inside. In just a few breath, they managed to enter a small room. There was a lot of books inside the room. Furthermore, there was also all sort of tools and instruments hanging neatly on the wall. Near the window, they could see the figure of a young man tinkering something on a table while seating. He was so focused that he didn''t even notice them. The young girl slowly crept toward the young man, she raised her hand and swung it toward the latter''s head. Pak! "Ouch!" The young man turned around, "Ah it''s just you guys. I was afraid that a thief was breaking into this place." "Randi! If you are even concerned about thief coming, then guard this place properly! Every time you start working on those scraps, you immediately ignored your surroundings," the young girl reprimanded. "Ah, why are you the one who got mad, Tania. This is my place. I''m the victim here." "Hmph!" Tania smacked Randi''s head once again. This time, her hand was covered in a translucent energy, increasing the pain that the latter felt by more than twice compared to the first one. Randi grimaced in pain, he immediately sent a look toward the plump looking boy. In their dictionary, this gesture meant, ''Don''t just stand there, come and help me coax her'' "Uh, Tania. I think that''s enough. We''re not here to quarrel, right? Let''s show Randi what we''ve brought," The plump looking young boy responded beautifully. "Hmph! I guess you are right. You better thank Brann for this, Randi." She opened the basket, "Here, my mother just taught me how to make a sandwich from silver-lined cow''s meat. The result turned out to be quite good and I decided to let both of you try it," Her expression turned into one of a smile. It''s quite frightening how children could change their mood in practically no time. "Hurray for her majesty!" Randi and Brann cheered. Tania took one of the sandwiches out, "Ah... Strange, it''s not warm anymore. I''m sure I brought the heat preserving basket." She seemed confused. "Maybe it''s broken?" Brann replied. "Let me take a look," Randi took the basket and examined it. His expression turned serious. He took one of the instruments from his jacket, the object looked like a screwdriver, albeit a bit more complex. With a bit of setting, the screwdriver''s head changed into one that''s suited for the basket. He used it to open the circuit box. There was no sort of modern era''s electrical circuit inside, instead, it was more complicated with a small compartment in the middle which was used to hold its Soul Core.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. After the advancement in the Soul Technology''s aspect. Most of the tools and device no longer used electricity as the main source of energy anymore. Soul Cores and Soul Stones were used instead. This meant that the circuit and the component had to undergo significant changes. This past hundred years had been a period of unimaginable growth for human civilization. As the saying goes. The first hundred years were used to adapt, and the next hundred years were used to improve. In just a few breaths, Randi could guess what went wrong with the system. He took the basket to his desk and started working on it. After just a few minutes, the broken parts had been replaced with the new ones. Actually, it was just a malfunction on the intermediary system. The part got overheated and broke down. It was a simple problem, but to find the root cause and immediately fix it was no easy feat either. Even more so for a 12 years old child. "Whoa, no matter how I look, you really are amazing with those Soul Tools, Randi," Brann exclaimed. "It seems like Uncle Dana wasn''t lying when he said that you are talented. Look, you have only studied for a short while and you can already fix Soul Tools," Tania added. "It''s no big deal, guys. It''s my only talent after all," Randi laughed but hidden deep inside that laugh was a deep sorrow. "Ah... we''re sorry. We didn''t mean to remind you." "It''s okay. I mean, It has been 2 years already. I have somehow gotten used to it." Randi noticed the gloomy atmosphere, "Hey, I really mean it. Let''s change the topic. We need to wait for the sandwiches to heat up, give me some update. What''s been going on lately?" "Ah, nothing much. This town is just too small and boring. Oh wait, I remember! I think someone found a strange ruin near the outskirt of the Great Forest. It isn''t that far from here and there''s a lot of Soul Bearers paying attention to it. Even the government have started making some move. Maybe the town will finally get somewhat more busting. It''s got nothing to do with us though," Tania replied. "Yeah, that''s just about it. I can''t wait to move to one of the Great City already. If only the school would graduate us a bit sooner," Brann added. "Relax, we''ll graduate in two more months. What are you guys planning to do after the graduation?" Randi asked. "I''ll continue my study at one of the Great City. I''d do anything to leave this boring town. My father has a small branch of his company in Bandung. I think I''ll go there to start learning how to run this business." "You aren''t going to make use of your Soul Latent Talent?" Brann let out a sigh, he had a helpless expression in his face,"You know me. I''m not suited for combat. I think the auxiliary path is the best for me. Soul Power can be used to strengthen every part of human''s body. I''ll find a cultivation path that can help me control my emotion while at the same time increase my charisma. Who knows, maybe in ten years I could become popular?" "Pfft. You should lose some weight first. If not, then forget about ten years. Even in twenty years, no one would want you!" Randi laughed. "You... You... Just wait! I''ll prove you that my body weight won''t be able to stop my charm from overflowing!" Randi shrugged his head, this kind of thing was a common occurrence for them. Usually, Tania would step in and add some salt to Brann''s wound, but strangely she didn''t say anything and kept silent. "Tania, what''s wrong? Why don''t you say anything?" "Yeah, it''s strange to see you like this. Come, say something about my fat. I''d feel better compared to this." "Randi... Brann... I want to show you something," Tania suddenly spoke. Randi and Brann looked at each other, confused. They wanted to ask but the timing didn''t seem to be right. Tania closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, everyone could feel boundless vitality coming from her. She opened her palm in front of her chest, facing upward. Green light erupted from her palm, momentarily blinding Randi and Brann. As if that wasn''t enough to surprise them, a silhouette of a woman in white robe manifested from Tania''s palm. The woman''s body was covered in green thorns. Her eyes were closed but it emanated terrifying pressure. Randi and Brann sucked a mouthful of cold breath when they saw it happening. They could see that a transformation was also happening on Tania. A rosy blush could be seen on her face. Her already white skin became even paler. If Tania could be considered beautiful before, then now she resembled a young goddess. It was a Soul Manifestation. Chapter 3: God can be Unfair Chapter 3: God can be Unfair The shock on both Randi and Brann''s heart only subsided after a while. They couldn''t help to! It was a Soul Manifestation after all. A Soul Manifestation could only happen after a Soul Bearer broke through the first stage. But that won''t guarantee you to be able to manifest your soul immediately. Everything was decided by talent. Most people could only start manifesting their soul after breaking through the third stage. Geniuses could manifest their soul after the second stage. And only the peak genius of those geniuses could do the feat right after they break through the first stage. What did this signify? It meant that Tania had an absolute talent that''s no lesser than those elites at the imperial capital! In fact, hers might be higher because of the fact that her Soul Manifestation was humanoid. There''re a lot of types of Soul Manifestation but they all followed the same rule, it had to be life forms. Dragons, bears, dogs, trees, plants, one would have a chance to have a manifestation of them as long as it''s a life form. From those manifestations, the humanoid-type stood out the most. They would provide better support, lower consumption power, and even higher strength compared to others. Of course, not all humanoid-type manifestations were better. Some manifestations such as Dragons had a similar or even higher rank of power. Also, the higher the power, the rarer would it be. Every one of them was a precious resource for the human race. "Tania... that''s amazing..." Brann was the first to break the silence. "A Soul Manifestation this early... That level of talent. You are a genius! Wait, when did you break through to the first stage? Didn''t you have your awakening when you were ten years old?" Randi also spoke. "Wait, that means she only needed two short years to break through to the first stage? God, that''s just too unbelievable," Brann added. Tania nodded, she indeed only started cultivating after two years ago. Usually, one would need three years to break through to the first stage after their awakening. It was another testament to her ridiculous talent. The strange thing was, Tania awakened his talent when she was ten years old. Usually, people like her would have normal talent at best. The Alliance believed that the longer it takes for a talent to sprout the worse the person''s talent would be. Tania should be having a normal talent, but she broke through unbelievably fast. It was something unprecedented, at least based on what''s written in the books. "Great... That''s really great. You''ll have a very bright future ahead of you. The Alliance will nurture you and you''ll become one of the greatest experts in our human race," Randi said excitedly, but somehow when the word ''bright future'' got out from his mouth, he felt a bit choked. There''s a slight pain coming from his heart.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. What is this? Do I feel jealous? To my dear friend, on top of that? Tania glanced at both of her friends. There was a bit sorrow hidden inside her eyes. "But I don''t want that kind of bright future." "But... why?" Brann noticed that there''s something strange. "When I first found about my talent, I was just as ecstatic as you guys are. But then I realized something, my talent is just too overwhelming. The Alliance will never let me go once they''ve known about it. They will bring me to the Imperial Capital, confine me in a pretense of keeping watch over me, and I will have to say goodbye to my current life. Being separated from you guys, facing the burden of my talent, meeting the expectation of everyone, that''s just too much for me" Tania shook her head, there were tears apparent on the side of her eyes. "That..." Even Brann was speechless. Now that he thought about it, it really seemed logical. Tania must have thought it through before telling them. "Please... Don''t tell anyone about this. Let me carefully think it over for the next two months. I think I can come up with an answer by then." "It''s okay. Just relax, we won''t tell anyone. Maybe we really can come up with an idea before the graduation date." Randi noticed the awkward atmosphere so he hurriedly changed the topic, "We should eat the sandwiches, I think it has warmed up enough." Tania and Brann nodded, there''s still enough time left for them. At the very least, they should cherish this moment as much as possible, before anything could happen. The tense atmosphere relaxed, but there''s still a lot going on inside the children''s mind. There were fear, expectation, and most importantly, unease. ... After Tania and Brann left, Randi was left alone inside his father''s workshop. Today, Dana had to go because of a certain matter, therefore, he left something for Randi to work on. After closing the door, Randi went back to his desk. There were a lot of scribbles and instruments scattered. He didn''t immediately resume his work, but instead, he only sat absentmindedly. It was another huge blow for him. To think that his best friend would have an absolute talent that countless people would yearn for. Somehow, he could visualize the future. Tania would become a powerhouse that would take part in leading the human race and Brann would become an important figure by working hard after inheriting his father''s business. Him? What would he become? A small time Soul Engineer whose name wasn''t known by anyone. That was what he would become inside his visualization. It''s not a matter of a low self-esteem, he just couldn''t imagine anything else other than that. Randi clenched his teeth. He didn''t want to be this shallow. Yes, he believed that it was just because everything was too sudden. Given enough time, he would be able to accept it and move on. He would recover soon and be able to congratulate his friends sincerely. He suddenly remembered his Mother. He knew that his mother didn''t die just because of an illness. In the first place, that illness was caused by the attack of a Soul Beast. Ever since that time, he always held those despicable Soul Beast as his goal. That''s the reasonwhyit really broke his heart when he got the result of his talent''s measurement. He knew that he would be powerless against them. He started scribbling on a piece of paper atop his desk. He had to work harder, harder than everyone else because that''s the only option he had. Without Soul Talent, he could only improve his knowledge and understanding of Soul Tools. That''s the only way he could contribute to the human race as a whole. No matter how insignificant it is. Unfortunately, Randi couldn''t shake the thought away from his head. The truth is, he was also afraid. Afraid that his friends would drift far away from him. Unlike Tania and Brann, he''s destined to be nobody after all. However, he still persevered. He kept working no matter how hard it is to concentrate. No matter how hard it is to ignore this suffocating feeling. Ah, God can be unfair sometimes. Chapter 4: 1st Rank Soul Engineer Chapter 4: 1st Rank Soul Engineer Randi was sitting on his personal desk inside the workshop. He was holding a strange-looking object with numerous line engraved to it. The line would shine as if it was an electrical circuit when it received an energy source, or in this regard, a Soul Source. He was staring at the object with great focus. Sometimes he would rotate the object or put it closer to his eyes to get a better look of it. When he''s in this condition, he''d forget his surrounding, entering a trance-like state. Dana was silently looking from behind. This was a test. Randi needed to assemble the parts into a predetermined Soul Device and he had to find which part had been deliberately broken to pass this test. He had passed the first part of the test easily, but the real problem lies in the last part. Troubleshooting was something that could only be done after a lot of trials and errors. Furthermore, it was possible only if the Soul Engineer had enough experience, to begin with. Time passed, one minute, five, ten... The time duration was slowly nearing its end. Dana anxiously looked at his watch, if Randi could pass this test then it would serve as a prove to the alliance that he was really talented. If that were to happen, then even if he couldn''t reach the pinnacle of a Soul Engineer, he could at least become a Soul Researcher. Strangely, Randi didn''t even look at the time. He was immersed in his own world as if he didn''t care about the test. Only at this kind of state that he could make the best of his ability. He kept looking at the incomplete Soul Device. Suddenly, something caught his attention! ''This... This must be it!'' "Dad, I''m finished! I know the answer!" He turned around, facing his father. Dana returned to his cold expression. He couldn''t be impartial toward his son in this kind of important occasion, "Tell me what''s wrong with it." "There''s two parts that need to be fixed. The first one is the energy converter. Because of rust, its efficiency has slowly fallen and it fails to meet the required power output. The easier way to fix this is by changing the broken part but I think there''s a cheaper option by slowly soaking it inside Two-Tailed lizard''s liquefied fat." Randi said excitedly. Dana nodded, a slight smile was apparent on his face, "Good, what''s the other one?" Randi laughed, "It took me a very long time before figuring this out. The circuit. There was a circuit line that''s pretty much useless. It was hidden pretty well because of the complexity of the main board. Seriously, it was connected to a lot of parts, making it very difficult for me to discern that it doesn''t have anything to do with the overall picture. If we remove it, then I''m sure that the efficiency would increase by a whopping 30... no, 40%!" Dana smiled, "Excellent, Randi. You passed the test. Actually, even if you only pointed the first problem out, you would still have passed. The circuit line is something that even official 1st Rank Soul Engineers would have a problem with." "Then, why''d you include it in the test?" Randi was dumbfounded.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Dana tousled Randi''s hair. He had a warm smile that showed his vast love toward his son. "Because I believe in you," he added, "You are now officially a 1st Rank Soul Engineer. Congratulation." Hearing his father''s word, Randi jumped in ecstasy. Finally, all of his hard work these past two years had paid off. He could still remember all those sweat and tears he shed, all the anxiety and fear that he forcefully tried to suppress. Suddenly, those things felt like it didn''t matter that much anymore. It was the joy of a success. One that could only be understood by people who poured an enormous amount of effort before achieving something. He had endured too much. As a kid in his age, he shouldn''t be doing that much effort. Without a proper willpower, Randi would have quit months ago. Seeing his son''s contented expression, Dana was also relieved. He had been very anxious this whole time. Even if he knew that his son would make it, he still couldn''t help but worry. That''s just how a father would feel. "Randi, even if you passed this test perfectly, you can''t be complacent. There''s still a long path ahead of you. I know numerous people who passed this test with the same perfect score as you, they even finished it faster." Dana added, "You know it yourself, we have to work even harder because of our lack of Soul Talent. Only by working many times harder that we can at least be comparable to those blessed Soul Engineers," Dana clenched his teeth. If his son had even the lowest level of Soul Talent, he would undoubtedly be a great figure in the future. ''Father is right, I can''t be full of myself. I still need to work hard,'' Randi thought to himself. However, now he didn''t find those hard work to be unbearable for him. Instead, they felt... rather pleasing. Dana nodded after seeing Randi''s attitude. Because of these past years, Randi had matured faster than his peers. Maybe that was the effect of all the harsh experience he had endured. "Our next target is the 2nd Rank Soul Engineer. Only after reaching this stage that you could be deemed as having some worth in the Alliance''s eyes." "But before that, I want to show you something. Watch." Dana took the Soul Device from Randi''s hand. Then he took a spare small energy converter from his pocket and a small translucent Soul Stone with the size of a ping-pong ball. His left hand, which was holding the Soul Stone suddenly shone in a blue light. Dana''s expression turned solemn. The energy from the Soul Stone was transmitted into his right hand. Suddenly, the Soul Device and the spare part on his right hand floated to the air. Ragna could see that the broken energy converter was being slowly replaced by the new one. Randi watched without blinking his eye. It turned out his father can control the Soul Energy with using any instrument! ''Dad was also a Soul Bearer? That''s impossible, he told me that he wasn''t.'' The circuit line inside the Soul Device shone brightly. One could see that the line that Randi mentioned was being slowly erased. The incredible thing was that Dana could do it without using a proper instrument. That was something that only Awakened, Soul Engineers with Soul Talent could do. In a short while, the process ended. The Soul Stone stopped shining and it could be seen that its size was reduced by a little. "Maybe it''s too early to show you, but even I who can''t wield Soul Power can do something like this. Not having the talent doesn''t mean that you can''t control the power. As long as you have an external energy source and enough skill and experience to control the energy, you can do the same," Dana''s face was a bit red, it seemed like he exhausted himself a bit by doing it. "Dad... can I really do that? Then... doesn''t that mean I could perform equally compared to Awakened Soul Engineers?" Randi said, trembling. He was very excited. Dana was about to shake his head, but he couldn''t bear himself to do so. Instead, he answered, "You can. However, it''s just too difficult. Look at me, even after training all these years, my proficiency in controlling the Soul Energy is still lower than Soul Engineer two ranks below me." "That''s fine! Dad, you have to teach me that method!" Randi pulled his father''s hand excitedly. "Ah... It''s harder than you imagine, Randi. You have to work even harder than now just to barely learn it. Not to mention how hard it is to use the method in practical use." "It''s okay Dad, there''s only one thing that I''m capable of, and that''s working hard. As long as it''s achievable, I''m sure I can do it!" Dana only shook his head. Now he regretted showing it to his son this early. However, he didn''t notice that he had lit a fire in Randi''s heart. A fire that would lead him to his very own path of Soul Engineer. Chapter 5: Soul Weapon Chapter 5: Soul Weapon The sound of a bell ringing inside a house could be heard. A boy who was holding a lamp-like Soul Device immediately got up from his seat and hurriedly ran toward the front door. When he opened the door, he could see a middle-aged man looking at him with a warm smile. "Helping with your father''s job again? You sure are diligent, Randi" "Hehe, it''s nothing, Grandpa Nino. Here I bring you your Soul Device, it has been fixed" Grandpa Nino was a bit stunned when he heard what Randi said, "Are you sure it''s fixed already? I came just to check so this is quite a surprise for me." "Of course it is, you can check if you want," Randi laughed. Grandpa Nino gave a slightly disbelieving look toward Randi and started trying the Soul Device. After filling the Core Compartment with his own Soul Stone, the circuit inside immediately lit up and the Soul Device started levitating around him. "Try lighting it up, Grandpa." Grandpa Nino controlled the Soul Device by using his voice. After receiving the command, the device immediately emitted a bright light. It also started circling around him, similar to a satellite. "Whoa, you are right. This Satelite Lamp is already fixed." Grandpa Nino laughed, "Sorry for not believing you earlier. Your father sure works really fast. Please tell him that I''m grateful for his help and just put the bill on my son''s account" "Alright, is there anything else?" Grandpa Nino was about to leave but he turned around and said, "Ah and please remind him to not overwork himself. He''s been taking a lot of work these days. We can''t let our best engineer in this town suffer from exhaustion, right?" Randi only smiled. There was a feeling of satisfaction hidden inside his heart. ... "Randi, why don''t you just tell everyone that you''re the one fixing it?" Tania asked while pouting. "Father didn''t allow me to do that. He said, before reaching 2nd Rank, there''s no point in bragging that sort of insignificant thing. I also agree with him, compared to those elites of my age in the capital, I still have a long way to go." Randi calmly answered, but there was a hint of fiery determination in his eyes. Tania wasn''t satisfied yet with the answer, "But why do you even need to compare to them?" "You know my dream, I want to contribute to the humanity. Because of my Soul Talent, fighting in the frontline as a Soul Bearer is a no go. That''s why I''m trying my best to advance on the path of Soul Engineer. Also..." "What?" Randi didn''t answer. He just messed with Tania''s silver hair before immediately running away. ''It''s because of you, dummy'' He didn''t want to lose sight of his friends. ...This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Inside the workshop. Randi was holding a Soul Stone in his left hand. He was closing his eyes, trying to feel the Soul Energy emitted by the stone. In front of him was his father, staring at him with a helpless expression. "It''s been thirty minutes, Randi. Stop now if you still can''t feel the Soul Energy," his father spoke. "No, Dad, wait! Five more minutes. I think I can feel it after five more minutes..." "You remember your promise right? We''ll only spare not more than thirty minutes in this training each day. Come on, there''s still a lot for you to learn in order to reach 2nd Rank. You can''t get distracted," his father reprimanded. Randi reluctantly let the Soul Stone in his left hand go. He knew that this training seemed useless, but he still wanted to do it nevertheless. ''Ah if I knew this would happen, I won''t show him that day'' Dana was regretting his past action. Originally, he only wanted to show that unawakened Soul Engineers can compete to the awakened ones as long as they were willing to put their effort into it, despite the inefficiency and impracticality. He wanted to convey that as long as Randi worked hard enough, he''d have a chance to reach the same height as them. However, deep inside his heart was a part of him that didn''t regret his action. The method to use External Soul Energy for Soul Engineering was his proudest creation. By following the method, even normal people could infuse Soul Energy to a Soul Weapon just by using their body alone. Unfortunately, to sense the ephemeral Soul Energy without the required talent was too hard. It took Dana years of hard work before reaching the level he currently was. He still remembered the old times, when he was very adamant in defeating Awakened Soul Engineers despite being unawakened himself. ''Now that I thought about it, Randi really looked like me back then,'' he thought to himself. ''Maybe... Maybe if it was him, he could perfect this technique'' He quickly shook his head, there''s no point in giving his son more hope, "Let''s start the real training. Yesterday we have gone through the topic of Soul Weapons. Repeat them." Dana spoke after seeing that Randi was ready. Randi answered calmly, "Soul Weapons are the product of humanity''s hard work over these past two hundred years. While the first heroes were facing the onslaught of the Soul Beasts, the engineers were developing a weapon that could be effective against them. After a long period of experiments, they finally understood that the Soul Beasts were unaffected by the hot weapons because of the Soul Layer on their skin. That layer can only be penetrated by a Soul-imbued attack, which is the specialty of a Soul Bearer." "Even though there are a lot of awakened Soul Bearers, the majority of humanity are unawakened. If this keeps on going, then the Soul Beasts will win the battle of attrition. Thus, the engineers decided that they have to develop the Soul Weapon as soon as possible." "The First Soul Engineer, The Great Genius Edwin, finally managed to create the first prototype of a Soul Weapon, a Soul Sword. The sword was designed from the materials and Soul Cores left behind the corpse of Soul Beasts. By relying on the energy from its external Soul Source, even normal people could imbue their weapon with Soul Energy and be able to inflict damage to the Soul Beasts. The weapon was then manufactured in mass quantity to provide for normal soldiers. It was the start of humanity''s comeback." "Since then, Soul Weapons had undergone through a lot of upgrade and redesigns. Now, even hot weapons can be imbued with Soul Energy, thus creating a devastating impact on the battlefield. Furthermore, since unawakened people can be strengthened using Soul Weapons, then naturally Soul Weapons would also increase the power of Soul Bearers. From what I''ve heard, the Legendary Blood Paragon had an 8th Grade Soul Weapon, the Ancient Blood Gloves." Randi ended his explanation. Dana nodded, seemingly satisfied with his son''s answer. "Good, now we''ll move to the next topic. We have already known that there currently exist 8 different grades of Soul Weapon, but what is it exactly that differentiate them?" "If all of the previous era''s hot and cold weapons can be classified as No Grade, then 1st Grade Soul Weapons should have the most minimal option for a Soul Weapon, and that is to be able to be imbued by Soul Energy from an external Soul Source. It''s not that hard to create them. As long as we thoroughly understand the basic of Soul Devices, we would definitely be able to successfully create one after a few tries. Of course, the products is just mediocre. It''s basically just kitchen appliances." "The real challenge is the 2nd Grade. Even though the requirement sounds simple, creating a cold Soul Weapon that can pierce the hide of a 2nd Circle Soul Beast is by no mean an easy feat." Dana paused for a bit, before continuing, "And that''s the requirement for passing the 2nd Rank Soul Engineer test. Creating a 2nd Grade Soul Weapon from scratch in no more than six hours." It was Randi''s next hurdle, creating a 2nd Grade Soul Weapon Chapter 6: Tempest Chapter 6: Tempest Inside his room, Randi was holding a small engraving knife in his right hand. He was trying to carefully inscribe the right circuit to an object that looked like a dagger. It was pretty similar to a dagger except for the fact that there was a small hole in the middle, right between the handle and the blade. The part that he was trying to finish was exactly the dagger''s middle section. After meticulously finishing the circuit''s design, he quickly submerged the dagger into a bowl of strange liquid. Suddenly, the middle section of the dagger brightened and the liquid started to decrease. Alchemy. This era''s engineering has a lot to do with alchemy. Because of the fact that the Soul Sources and Soul Circuit weren''t something that can be created by solely relying on the physical aspect, there was also a need for incorporating alchemy. The liquid that Randi used for submerging his dagger was the combination of blood and body liquid of a few Soul Beasts. It was exactly because of the complexity of this matter that Edwin was titled as The Great Genius. Actually, even in the past era, the time before the Soul Beasts started appearing, a lot of electrical appliances had to do with alchemy. Just take a look at batteries, weren''t those also made up from chemicals? Randi put on a special skin-tight glove to his hands. He then took a small Soul Core out from his pocket and then started putting it into the hole on the middle section of the dagger while still being submerged in the liquid. ''I can''t fail. This is the most important part'' CLACK! The Soul Stone matched perfectly with the socket. Almost immediately, the dagger started to emit a blinding light from its blade. It was the sign that he had succeeded in creating his first Soul Weapon, a simple 1st Grade Soul Dagger. Randi slumped to his chair, gasping for breath. Today''s success was the result of yesterday''s error. He knew that he wasn''t an absolute genius like his friend, Tania, that''s why he had to work harder to compensate for it. ''Still, I only failed two times. Isn''t this also great?'' Randi thought to himself while smiling. He took the Soul Dagger from the liquid. The dagger shone brightly because of the energy supplied from the Soul Stone. As long as the light still existed, this weapon would have the power to cut through Soul Beasts'' defensive layer. Of course, with this kind of energy output, only 1st Grade Soul Beasts would fall by its blade. He turned the Soul Layer off and put the dagger to a scabbard that''s already prepared for it. Then, he took another Soul Stone from his pocket. ''I finished the job early... Dad won''t get mad at me for this, right?''Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He held the Soul Stone in his left hand, trying to find the slight warmth that his father told him about. As long as he could find it, he would advance to the next stage of the training. Unfortunately, Randi couldn''t feel any sort of warmth coming from the Soul Stone. He had tried for more than a month but that feeling of warmth didn''t even touch him. Instead, there was a strange feeling. He could feel the ephemeral energy inside the stone. At first, it was just a simple thread, then the energy that he could perceive grew bigger and richer. Now, he could feel the energy circling inside the stone like a tempest. ... "Tempest? What do you mean by tempest?" "I don''t understand it too, Dad. If I concentrate hard enough, I could feel a tempest inside the Soul Stone. I still couldn''t feel the warmth, but don''t you think my circumstance is a bit... strange?" "Some people will feel a lot of strange things when holding a raw Soul Stone for a period of time. I don''t think anything is strange. I haven''t heard of that kind of tempest-like energy, but if you still couldn''t feel the warmth then you haven''t even succeeded the first stage." "But..." "No buts. If you haven''t felt it then that''s it. You should spend more time preparing for your 2nd Rank Promotion Exam. You haven''t even successfully crafted a 2nd-Grade Soul Weapon right?" "Ah... Okay, Dad. I understand." "This is for your sake, Randi. You can spend more time experimenting it later when you have reached a higher grade as a Soul Engineer." Randi went back to his desk. He was still a bit reluctant, but he also knew what was best for him. Yes, he could just experiment more of it after he reached 2nd or 3rd Rank as a Soul Engineer later. Dana watched expressionlessly, but contrary to the expression in his face, his mind was in a bit of turmoil. ''A tempest? This is strange. Why could Randi sense a tempest inside the Soul Stone? Maybe he''s... No, I have to thoroughly confirm it first. I can''t let him experience the same disappointment again.'' Dana decided to keep it as a secret from Randi. ... Inside his room, Dana was calling someone by using his communicator. "Yes, that''s my son''s condition. Can you please come here? I really need your help." "Whoa, Isn''t this rare? Dana asking for other people''s help," The man laughed, "Relax, I''ll come. Don''t be mad, okay?" Dana sighed, "My son''s condition is just too peculiar. I really need your favor this time. When can you come?" "I can''t go there immediately. I have some important businesses here. Maybe after a couple of days, I could come." "Alright, that''s good enough." "Seriously, if you want, you can just come here to the capital. Why are you so keen on hiding inside that town? It''s been more than ten years. Ever since Arina die-" "I''m going to hang up." "Hey, hey I''m sorry, okay? Don''t just hang up on me. At least say the goodbye properly!" Tut... Tut... Tut... Inside his room, Dana grabbed the pendant that was hanging around his neck. His expression was full of sorrow. "Arina..." He muttered. ... Inside a huge building, a middle-aged man with a huge body and a face full of beard was staring at his communicator. He wore a mixed expression on his face. It was the combination of a frown and a smile. "Boss, who was it? I''ve never heard you speaking with that kind of tone to anyone." "Oh, so you have the guts to ask about my private life now?" The middle-aged man coldly reprimanded. He stared at his assistant with an angry look. The man''s assistant was frightened almost immediately, "Ah... Boss, how could I dare? Please punish this stupid assistant of yours." "Forget it. My mood is quite good currently." ''This is considered good? God, I really should find another job. Working with this kind of man will seriously shorten my lifespan. Well, the pay is really great though...'' The assistant thought to himself. Of course, how could he dare to speak it out loud? "He''s my comrade from the past," the man suddenly spoke. "My lifelong sworn brother." Chapter 7: Graduation Chapter 7: Graduation A few days passed, it was finally the time for Randi''s graduation. Inside the school''s auditorium, a lot of students were lining up with a bright expression on their face. Today, they would officially graduate from the basic school. It meant that they could finally select whichever path they wanted to take. There were a lot of choices even for Unawakened. As long as they were willing, they could become a government official, merchant, or even scientist. However, the world was still in the hands of the Awakened. Awakened had more capabilities than Unawakened. Because of the influence of the Soul, their overall abilities were improved. Enhanced physique, better memory and even faster cognitive ability, all of them were the advantages of a Soul Bearer. Randi moved forward to the podium. As the best student in his year, he was chosen as the representative to give a speech. Even if Randi wasn''t an Awakened, he''s just as bright as them. No, he was even smarter than them. It was partly because of everything that he had experienced these past years. All of those feelings and hard work had tempered him to become more mature. Randi delivered his speech calmly. During the last sentence, he glanced at Tania and Brann. They were smiling and cheering at him, making him feel slightly complicated. Today should be a great day, but the fact that they had to separate soon made him feel sad. The ceremony had come to an end. Randi, along with his father, exited the Auditorium. There were many familiar faces near the gate. Everyone seemed to be unwilling to just go straight home. They wanted to cherish their last moment of being together. "Randi, do you really not want to come together with me to Bandung City? You can continue your Soul Engineering study there... We can live together!" Brann asked. Randi smiled, "I''m going to stay here with my father. As long as he''s here, I can still learn about Soul Engineering from him. Now that I realize it, he''s more capable than I thought. I''m sure that he still has a lot to teach me." Brann had a dejected expression on his face. He then turned around, facing Tania,"You too... Why do you even have to go to the capital? We can just keep everything as a secret." "I can''t, Brann. It will be exposed sooner or later. If my parents know that I''ve been keeping it as a secret from them, they would be very disappointed. It''s alright, I had a long talk with ''them'' and they said that I could still visit my friends. Plus, my family will also live nearby. I''ve been told that they will spare no effort in nurturing me," said Tania with a sorrowful smile. "Of course, that also includes my family. I''m sure they''ll be happy with their new status and treatment..." Tania tried his best to look calm, but tears started flowing down from the corner of his eyes. Dana suddenly tousled the girl''s hair. He said, "I know you don''t want it, but there are a lot of people who are wishing to have even a small portion of your talent. This kind of power, you might disdain it now. But in the future, you''ll regret it more if you don''t have it. After all, You can only protect the people that you care for only if you have the strength to do so."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "My son here, Randi, doesn''t have that kind of power to protect himself," he grabbed Randi by his shoulder. "Can you promise me that you will protect him after you become strong enough?" "Dad!" Randi yelled. Everyone except Randi laughed. But because of this, the sorrow on Tania''s face slowly dissipated. She wiped the tears from her eyes, and replied with a firm tone,"Mm! I promise." Randi felt wronged, but after seeing the expression on Tania''s face, he decided to let it go. He''s okay being embarrassed as long as he could see his best friends'' smile. The day after, Tania and Brann had left the city. ... Another few days passed. Batan City was as calm as ever. It was early in the morning and Randi was jogging around the town. As a Soul Engineer, he needed to maintain his physical condition because almost all of the higher grade Soul Weapons required perfect endurance and concentration. This problem should''ve been solved easily if he was an Awakened. As long as his Soul grows, his physical condition will also improve accordingly. Unfortunately, the only way left for him was to do raw training like this. Randi didn''t dislike it, though. After the graduation, he spent all of his time inside the workshop because he didn''t have to go to school anymore. This morning routine could be regarded as a break for him. Strangely, Randi''s physical condition was improving at an astonishing rate. He only spent at most two hours each day for training but he already had the stamina and endurance of a normal adult. As an engineer who basically didn''t have much physical work to do, Randi''s current physique could be considered as amazing. Suddenly, Randi saw a dozen of soldiers being transported by a truck. They wore pitch black uniform with the flag of the Empire on their chest. However, the most distinguishing aspect of them is the light blue emblem on their left shoulder. ''Soul Bearer Corps,'' Randi muttered. In this day and age, the army held a lot of influence and power over the country. Because their job was to protect the citizen, they were being respected by many. Naturally, they had their own ranks inside the army and the Soul Bearer Corps was one of the most elite groups they had. Even the minimum requirement was having a Soul Power of 3rd Stage! That was quite ridiculous since almost the majority of the Awakened couldn''t break through the 2nd Stage. ''They must be heading toward the Ruin,'' Randi thought. The Ruin was creating a bit of an uproar currently. The scientists and archeologists believed that the Ruin held some mysteries but no matter what they did, they couldn''t discover anything. ''Now that I think of it, I never went there.'' Even though the Ruin seemed sacred, there were still many people who came just to take a closer look at it. Of course, as long as they kept their distance, no one would send them away. In the end, Randi decided to slightly alter his jogging route to visit the Ruin. ... "This spot seems great!" Randi arrived at a small clearance on top of a hill near the Ruin. There was no one here because it actually wasn''t the designated place for people to watch. People had to walk and climb through the hard terrain of the hill to arrive at this place. Randi wasn''t satisfied with the designated place and he wanted to take a closer look toward the Ruin, thus resulting in the current situation. Fortunately, the soldiers had already swept this part of the forest clean from Soul Beasts. As long as he didn''t cross the border, he would be fine. From this place, he could clearly see the Ruin. There were strange inscriptions on the Ruin''s walls, but the thing that stood out most was that the Ruin actually looked like it just burrowed out from nowhere. This world had gone through a multitude strange and bizarre things, that''s why people regarded this occurrence as just slightly unusual. Of course, everyone was trying their best to uncover whatever secret there was. Suddenly, Randi realized something strange. This place... was strangely comfortable for him. He felt rather relaxed being here. He adjusted his position to rest, and before long, he had fallen asleep. Inside his sleep, he had a dream.