《The Legend of the Bargain Sect》 Chapter 1: Three for the price of 1 A small cloaked figure darted into an alley between shops as a figure in blue robes gave chase. The moon lit the area as the cloaked figure pulled a pair of discarded skewers and then turned the corner leading the old man to an enclosed space. Backed into an alleyway the small figure turned around. ¡°Stop, why has someone of your power chosen to attack my family unprovoked?¡± ¡°Your people decided to act like weasels and met my fist.¡± The small figure said with a surprisingly deep voice. ¡°Lies honored father! His cultivation must be higher than mine because I can¡¯t sense his power!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible. He must be a skilled young master then possibly quite skilled if I can¡¯t sense it either.¡± ¡°You! You¡¯re with that snake that ambushed me!¡± The small figure sprung forward like a compressed spring. The old cultivator dodged the blow casually and raised his cane to his opponent''s throat. Though it was reduced in power to avoid decapitation it was still a technique fueled by chi. A direct hit should have injured the cloaked figure. Slithering around the cane using his chin and neck both feet stood atop the weapon as both points were shoved towards him. The old man scowled as he launched his cane upwards sending the yellow-eyed boy towards a wall. ¡°He¡¯s a child! Not even peach fuzz, and covered in dirt.¡± Flipping in mid-air the boy pressed both feet into the wall and sprung forward again this time faster. The old man, suspicious, took a skewer to the shoulder and while his shoulder was somewhat pierced and blood was drawn the weapon broke due to interacting with a wave of chi that ran through the item quickly. ¡°So it¡¯s a talent, I can handle that.¡± ¡°Dragon creates the river.¡± The old man chained a series of quick precise strikes that did little damage but hit multiple places in quick succession which would lead to the opponent passing out from a shock to their system. To a cultivator, that''s what should have happened. However, each strike opened wounds or broken bones as they connected as a dragon of blood rushed forward to end the fight. The boy landed on his feet and rolled to the side, grabbing a broken wooden plank and executing a series of movements that caused the dragon to disperse into water that fell at his side. ¡°No¡­ Not even a cultivator.¡± ¡°What are you going on about? Honored father.¡± ¡°You lost to someone who wasn¡¯t even a cultivator.¡± The boy moved forward faster than he had previously as the old man blocked, and parried every strike aimed at him, rotating to the side and countering with a cane slap to the back of his head. As the boy fell to the ground unmoving a blue-haired woman ran into the alleyway, ¡°Stay down, Fon! Don¡¯t get back up!¡± ¡°Get¡­up¡­¡± the small figure got to his feet, then vanished like a breeze as he appeared behind the old man. He was slamming a flurry of blows to his back. The old man turned and tripped him with his cane and slammed it down. Grabbing the cane with his left hand the boy slid to the old man¡¯s throat and did nothing as the old man slammed his head into the boy¡¯s causing his expression to go blank as a fist was slammed into his gut just in case. The boy dropped the dagger he¡¯d unconsciously taken from the old man¡¯s belt as darkness began to fill his vision. ¡°Oi! Somebody get him to a doctor! He isn¡¯t a cultivator! Take good care of him. Understand? Also don¡¯t let the white robes hear about this.¡± ¡°Yes father in law.¡± The brown-haired man next to the elderly man clicked and looked away as the blow to his pride landed.
A roar echoed above the city streets as a floating head the size of a carriage with white horns protruding from its forehead flowed through the city in a panic. A violet ghastly tail followed behind it as its bulging orange eyes accented by red markings looked for a place to hide. ¡°Damn it! Damn it! Damn you all! I already told you I¡¯m not a demon! I¡¯m here to warn you!¡± The entity howled through the street as a squad of four black-haired warriors in robes moved with the swiftness of wind and gave chase. ¡°Stop, foul demon, and be exercised by the sect of divine proclamation!¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m getting exercised all right! So much so that I¡¯m not going to let you catch up!¡± The entity did not move faster despite visibly trying to do so. The distance didn''t change despite both groups attempting to push themselves. The floating head turned down an ally behind a restaurant and crashed into something with a loud clang. ¡°Yeouch!¡± The warriors turned the corner and walked down the hallway passing up a trash can and continuing forward to find the rogue spirit. Unlucky for the spirit, it was trapped within something that was very inconvenient. Laying in a dumpster behind a restaurant lay a boy around the age of thirteen though his body seemed dangerously thin and malnourished. He had dirty orange hair with dim yellow eyes that had seemingly given up living. The spirit didn¡¯t possess the boy, no it was even more lucky than that. No, the entity was trapped inside a discarded drinking gourd that lay deep within the garbage. ¡°Get off of me you damned brat!¡± The gourd yelled telepathically. ¡°Un!¡± The boy responded as he rolled to the side and winced in pain as various broken rib bones decided to flare up in response to the vibrations used to make sound. ¡°Serpents and Weasels boy! What happened to you?¡± ¡°N-¡± The boy replied tiredly, his eyes looking at the lid above. ¡°Let me get a good look at you¡­Oh¡­You can''t talk. Fine then guess I can get you out.¡± The lid to the dumpster shot off allowing the boy to climb out if he had such an ability. He did not, his state was a bit worse than that. ¡°Damn it to the Trenches! Fine then. Making me waste my power on this! Revitalize.¡± Cracking occurred as bones were placed in their proper shape, impurities were expelled from the open wounds and closed forcibly leaving behind silvery scars over his torso and arms and legs and giving him the bit of strength he needed to climb out of the dumpster. ¡°Great now take me with you.¡± The gourd said directly into the boy¡¯s brain. ¡°Why would I do that?¡± The boy answered aloud as though he was talking to himself. He sounded older than he looked, though that wasn¡¯t saying much. ¡°Have you heard of cultivation?¡± The boy shook his head. The gourd sighed. ¡°Your life is like a plant, or a flame depending on your philosophy.¡± ¡°My what?¡± ¡°How you think about things. When you cultivate a seed it eventually grows into a plant. It¡¯s like the same thing only with people instead of plants.¡± ¡°You lost me at think.¡± The boy grabbed the gourd and tied it to his waist. It truly looked like a discarded drinking gourd; various small cracks appeared on the surface as though dropped far too many times. Nobody would take something like that from a street urchin like him. ¡°How did you get put in the garbage can?¡± ¡°Oh, some guy in blue robes bumped into one of my siblings. I stood up to them and the next thing I know, I¡¯m in there.¡± ¡°Robes, blue? You didn¡¯t steal anything from him, did you?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t steal. Well we don¡¯t steal things from people.¡± ¡°So he bumped into some kid and you were beaten to near death over it.¡± ¡°I wasnae close to death. I just got out? Very much alive.¡± ¡°You were in a garbage can with multiple open wounds. You¡¯d die had I not ended up there.¡± ¡°I guess, though I¡¯ve survived worse. Fine, the robe ones are evil vits.¡± ¡°The horse sized rats that some locals ride?¡± ¡°Is what I said.¡± The boy rubbed at his arm as he led them to a back alley then pushed a brick into the wall causing the sewer grates lid to pop open. ¡°How did you come across the tomb of a Precursor?¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°What is this place?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ma home.¡± The boy made his way through a set of easily avoidable traps. In that, once one knows about them it¡¯s easy to avoid them. The gourd waited for them to pass through them before speaking in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re mighty comfortable with your body to maneuver through traps like that.¡± ¡°I have to be, when using that door. Only a few of us can do it.¡± ¡°Your siblings?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°And where are they.¡± ¡°Fonta¡¯s alive!¡± They heard someone yell. ¡°He¡¯s alive?¡± ¡°Brother''s back!¡± ¡°Did he bring gifts this time?¡± Voices passed from one corner of the room to another through various long tubes set up throughout the chaotic housing of wood, cardboard, and thrown-out materials. ¡°Serpents and Weasels are your or¨C.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that while you''re here. The little ones are still a bit sensitive when it comes to this.¡± ¡°Right. Shouldn¡¯t an adult look after them? It can¡¯t be easy taking care of this many.¡± ¡°Business is very lucrative. It¡¯s just that I have no intention of buying a home above ground and getting cheated. We tried that once and the bastards sold us a house that already had people living in it. They weren''t happy when kids knocked on the door.¡± ¡°Did they?¡± ¡°They helped us find the person who sold us the house. We got half of the refund back as the rest was already gambled away.¡± ¡°So there are good people.¡± ¡°They were surprised to see how much they fleeced from us.¡± ¡°How do you get so much money?¡± ¡°The Vits drop money down here when they die. Us older siblings go in and kill them before retreating. The monsters come back in seven days and we do it again. Sometimes we delve a little deeper.¡± ¡°I see. Do you know what compound interest is?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°You see. You put your money into the bank with a savings account, then over time it grows.¡± ¡°So it sits there and grows,¡± The gourd seemed to vibrate in excitement. ¡°Correct. Now let me¡­¡± A teenage girl, possibly a year or two older than Fonta arrived, she had long blue hair, and golden eyes with a pretty face. Everything else however had a layer of dust and dirt due to what the gourd assumed was a lack of bathing options. ¡°Big brother Fonta. Thank you for saving me!¡± The young woman hugged the thirteen-year-old. Before something clicked. ¡°Uh, how old is the girl?¡± ¡°Sixteen.¡± Fonta said with a face as though he was being forced to shovel dung. ¡°And you said she was younger, how old are you?¡± ¡°I believe seventeen in a few months. We¡¯re twins, I''m the older one.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°O.K. so she¡¯s your actual sister. What about the others?¡± The gourd seemed suspicious. ¡°They joined us along the way.¡± Fonta replied. ¡°Fonta, why are you talking to yourself?¡± The twin asked. Fonta froze for a long moment. ¡°You can¡¯t hear the ghost? Did I hit my head on the dumpster?¡± ¡°What ghost?¡± Fonta didn¡¯t think for long as he got an odd look in his eyes. ¡°I was beaten so close to death that I can now hear ghosts. Or at least this one.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Molta ¡°Yes, Molta. I think i need to lay down¨C¡± ¡°You will enter that death trap alone. Again? Do you really think you can keep doing this over and over again?¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯ll go do some scouting. You know it''s easier for me to move alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go get Ted. You know he¡¯s the only one who can keep up¨C¡± ¡°Stop. If I die, you know where my personal stash is, the two of you will need to look after the kids.¡± ¡°Fonta thats madness.¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling lucky today, and you greatly underestimate the stash. I have around 30,000 ducks.¡± ¡°You¡¯re always buying the kids new things. How do you have any money?¡± ¡°Fonta, repeat after me. I¡¯ve lived in the city longer than anyone here.¡± ¡°Fonta, repeat after me. I¡¯ve lived in the city longer than anyone here? Look, the only reason I¡¯m telling you this is because you¡¯re right here. You look old enough, buy a bath, comb your hair, and get some nice clothes. Own not rent, go to the firm near the end of bar street, he¡¯ll get your papers in order. Then, use the money to buy a house in the middle district through the proper channels.¡± Fonta repeated. ¡°Uh¡­huh¡­Where did you hear about that? Did you hit your head or something?¡± Molta stated ¡°I¡¯m always delving into the ruins. If I was better with money we wouldn¡¯t be in this position.¡± Fonta said on his own as he moved to his room and picked up a backpack full of various weapons and tools for the trade. Weapons were three wooden clubs, a metal club, and a wood chopping ax. 2 piles of fifty-foot rope, pitons made from metal spikes, a small hammer, a matchbox, and a few bottles with a fuse sticking out. ¡°You seem prepared.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t just scouting, are we?¡± ¡°No, places like this are full of mystical items and tools as well as the ability to unlock your ability to cultivate. When you get to the end. How good are you at lockpicking?¡± ¡°Pretty bad at it.¡± ¡°I may need to teach you, if you can¡¯t get the keys then you¡¯ll want to be able to lockpick. As getting the keys is usually dangerous.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you do. When I say treasure, I mean treasure.¡± The gourd chimed greedily. ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± Fonta sighed as he adjusted his pack. ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± ¡°I know what''s in there. It¡¯s just vits. So long as I don¡¯t let them surround me. Then I can handle it.¡± ¡°Hopefully it stays that way.¡± Fonta moved to the tomb entrance and pushed open a set of double doors. A loud creak passed through the area as a vit immediately rushed the boy. Prepared for that form of assault he moved forward and rolled past the creature which had trouble turning where it had landed. Fonta withdrew a hammer and piton and stabbed the Piton into the area between its neck with his left hand and right under its ear then hammered it in causing the creature to explode into a pile of golden hexagonal currency that quickly fell to the ground. Fonta continued to walk this time drawing two more pitons approaching a T intersection. He took three steps forward, then stomped his right foot on the ground taking two steps back. ¡°You are prepared. But aren¡¯t you going to take the money?¡± Fonta threw the Pitons toward the wall hitting it in two places simultaneously as four Vits rounded the corner only for spikes to impale them from both above and below. The spike trap retreated as a pile of coins lay in front of him. Fonta moved the coins away from the trap and collected a few spikes that hadn¡¯t returned after use. Adding three metal needles the size of a spear to his arsenal. ¡°Yes, I mostly know what I''m doing. The gold is nothing but excess weight and greed will get you killed here. Easier just to grab it on the way out. Fonta turned left and walked down until he was halfway across the room and lit the bottle using a match before he stood up turned and ran down the hall at full speed. Oil fell from above and covered the ground as he sprinted barely ahead of it. As he made his way back to here he started an army of Vits ran down the hall and tripped over the bottle causing them to be covered in flames which spread rapidly as they were also covered in oil. Screams covered the area as vits died all over the place leaving each and every one of them dead in seconds and the fire faded after a minute of waiting. ¡°Has anyone died on these trips?¡± ¡°I am not one of the oldest because we found this place, I¡¯m just one of the few that managed to survive and chose to stay after getting good at it.¡± ¡°Have you gotten to the end?¡± ¡°No. My knowledge ends in around two more rooms.¡± ¡°Admirable. So you know, things will get more difficult the further you go. Degrees more. Are you ready for that?¡± ¡°How far do you need me to go?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°Until you get to the terminus.¡± ¡°Is that the end?¡± ¡°Of something. Now then, lead the way.¡± Instead of going back left, Fonta continued down the path to the right, his expression hardened as a familiar gonging sound passed through the opposite way signaling the monsters on the other side as the entrance and hit path forward closed. Fonta pressed a brick on the wall, causing the trap to recede and the path forward to open up. ¡°Double back to the place with the oil. This is a key worthy trap.¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± ¡°I assume the trap worked two ways, by going right and above a certain height, oil falls making escape difficult and going right traps you in a place with limited mobility and nowhere to run when the monsters come anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s evil.¡± ¡°But there should be some kind of key in that direction.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Fonta turned and made his way back to the opposite side walked down that pathway, and scowled as a doorway he hadn''t seen prior was present.¡± ¡°Why hasn¡¯t anyone tried this before?¡± Fonta scowled at the door. ¡°Trauma? The key returns after being brought out of these places. It also needs to be used only on the chest it belongs to.¡± ¡°Ah so if someone doesn¡¯t know to do so it''s more trouble than it''s worth.¡± Pulling out a club out of habit when testing something new he watched as the club was pierced by a thin needle that stayed inside. The club then began to rapidly turn silver, finishing its transformation in seconds. ¡°What''s going on?¡± ¡°Drop it!¡± Fonta let go of the club and grabbed the key. Noticing the pressure plate he ran listening as his club fell down a shoot and was now unreachable. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me the key would be trapped.¡± ¡°It really shouldn''t have curses like that. That goes against usual fairness. This will likely be much shorter than I first expected.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Ruins with traps this unfair are shorter to compensate.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Look at your left hand.¡± Fonta turned his hand over and scowled as a star mark on his palm was completely solid and made from silver. ¡°You have until you become a silver statue to finish this unless you lose the limb. A curse like that is slow but insidious and the only way to heal would be to make it to the end. Places like this offer rejuvenation if you make it to the end.¡± ¡°Great, just great. There goes my plan to nap after each room.¡± Fonta said with sarcasm as he took the key down the hall into the next room. ¡°The room was dome shaped as hundreds of vit waited at the bottom of a pit as hammers swung from the left and right across a ledge promising a grim death.¡± Pulling out one of the needle spears, Fonta looked towards a large sac floating above the ledge and threw it past the rope causing balloons of oil to cover the rats below before pulling out his second firebomb he waited until it was ready and tossed it into the pit causing the smell of burnt rats to fill the room.¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be there.¡± ¡°I know, I put it there last time I cleared this room. The hammers stop moving when the rats die and I don¡¯t intend to come back. Ted also won''t be coming here if they get that house.¡± ¡°So you figured out that your money making venture would be done after this.¡± ¡°I assume we¡¯re somehow destroying this place.¡± ¡°In a way it will be a lot less deadly and alot more helpful. With enough time to research it.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Fonta waited for the hammers to stop before he hammered a ption down and built a basic rope and pulley system next to it. He then climbed down and collected 10k finding a keyhole in the center. Placing the key in the keyhole and turning it caused a rusty short sword to appear along with some kind of book, and a dirty wool navy blue cap. He put the cap on and tied the sword to his hip. With the loot collected Fonta climbed out of the pit and let out an annoyed sigh. ¡°A rusty sword and a beanie. I thought you said this place would have good gear.¡± ¡°What does the book say?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know. I never really learned to read. No parents, teachers, and all that, on top of a curse that makes them run away. I can count just fine though. Basics are possible, but anything more is an exercise in insanity. Can¡¯t you read it?¡± ¡°I am a gourd. Don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯ll get the knowledge you desire soon.¡± ¡°That''s rather scary.¡± Fonta sighed as he continued forward past a set of double doors as he lost feeling in his left hand. The next room appeared to be a battlefield with various vits placed around the area in cages. ¡°Damn it.¡± Moving forward, Fonta tied a tourniquet around his left arm and let the limb dangle uselessly as he took his wood ax and removed the limb before limiting the blood loss as a solid silver hand fell to the ground. Fonta kicked it into the middle of the room and entered. ¡°Allright! This room is a fight with multiple waves of Vit. I don¡¯t know how long it will last but I can¡¯t afford to retreat this time.¡± ¡°Correct. Now go forth and show me what you can do.¡± Withdrawing a shortsword Vit moved forward as four monsters were released at once. Despite no formal training, Fonta was a beast in combat. Not in the sense of raw power. But in that, he was like a wild animal with a sword. Sliding under one he used the blade to tear out its throat before cleaving open its abdomen causing guts to spill out. Moments later it was turned into coins. The other three hardly had time to reach before he was atop another and plunged his sword into its eye and through its brain killing it as coins formed under him causing a swipe toward his face to miss. Slicing with swift movement the throat of the third rat was severed as he rolled to the side and threw it at the fourth. The fourth rat knocked the blade aside with its forehead but was prepared for the human teeth to tear through its jugular. As Fonta spat out the meat and fur in his mouth. Coins appeared on the ground. ¡°Disgusting.¡± Fonta retrieved his sword and then sheathed it. ¡°How did you get beaten so badly again? I am starting to suspect that it wasn¡¯t a simple fight despite not being a cultivator.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Well you see the guy bumped into my sister, then said something she didn¡¯t like that I won¡¯t repeat, then I tried to de-escalate¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Well¡­I tried to be nice, I really did. But one does not live this long like we do without having some ability to fight.¡± ¡°How did you end up in the dumpster? Your sibling was unharmed, a cultivator could have easily chased her down after dealing with you. If that¡¯s what happened. A mortal realm cultivator is only slightly stronger than a human at the earlier tiers, but still usually stronger. If they weren''t well trained it¡¯s possible to beat them if you have enough experience. Given what you did today, the fighting isn¡¯t difficult.¡± ¡°Fine. The guy was beaten soundly and sent running home. I had finished my shopping when his father arrived. I beat him too, though he was much stronger and it was close. Then the bastard went and got his friends and I was really put through the ringer when they ambushed me. I won that fight as well. Then he went and got his father and that man beat me till I was black and blue, asked me why I was bullying his descendants until he realized I wasn¡¯t one of those cultivators, nor had any training. He then beat said descendants with his cane and grumbled a bit before I passed out. To be fair, I have nothing against that old man. If anything, when you healed me I was pretty sure the other two got it alot worse.¡± ¡°Ah. Must have been in the next realm if he was annoyed to have been called. Did the old man ambush you?¡± ¡°No. But it was nowhere near a fair fight because he was leagues above the others.¡± ¡°So, you went toe to toe with someone much stronger than you and survived more than a few hits. You must have quite the Talent.¡± ¡°Talent?¡± ¡°Right, guess you won¡¯t know about that. A talent is like a core ability everyone has, it may be a minor ability or a greater one.¡± ¡°Your innate talent tends to build a basis of what you can do. Or how you learn.¡± ¡°What is yours?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°That''s rather private.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you one day, but that day isn¡¯t today. You should finish this room. Second wave incoming.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Fonta moved through the second wave with an efficiency that made the first battle look like a warm-up as one by one the vits died. ¡°Just a question. Did you ever jump down that pit to clear that last room?¡± ¡°I was hit by the hammer the first time and fell down. I had to fight just to crawl myself back up. The next time I went down willingly, eventually I managed to fight my way through. When I could do it consistently I set up the trap just in case I needed to do it again. All in allI kept getting injured at the best of times and the vits are much stronger in this room.¡± ¡°How much stronger?¡± The number shrunk back down to four this time they wielded various weapons. Fonta paired, riposted, dodged, and countered his way through showing prowess with the sword that showed years of practice despite having never wielded one prior. The being in the gourd did see some areas that could be improved, but in his hands, the sword was more effective than anything the vit could produce. ¡°Sword master? No, that would be more specialized¡­Weapon master does make sense, though that would explain he could kill with tools on hand¡­Curious.¡± ¡°What?¡± Fonta finished the second weapon wave and watched as a bridge appeared towards the next and likely final room. Fonta pickled up his silver hand and placed it in his bag. As the shock of what he was doing hit him like a boulder. ¡°What''s wrong kid.¡± ¡°When in the depths did I learn to use a sword like that?¡± ¡°It could be related to your talent.¡± ¡°I see. Is my talent also why I''m not panicking?¡± ¡°That¡¯s me dulling your sense of pain. You feel something but I don¡¯t know your threshold and need you to get out of this alive not pass out from shock.¡± ¡°Let me feel it. I feel addled in this sta¨CAgh!¡± Fonta grimaced as the pain suddenly returned, his vision clearing a bit. ¡°Do you want me to take it away?¡± ¡°No, It isn¡¯t that bad just suddenly. Ok let''s do this.¡± The young man entered the next room, face to face with a vit with a humanoid shape standing around six feet tall with claws half a foot long coated in a green liquid. ¡°So you finally invaded my sanctum, you have been a thorn in my side for so long. I will offer you a deal, become my servant and you don¡¯t die today.¡± ¡°That is a crappy deal.¡± ¡°Then die a thousand deaths, dog!¡± The large vit or Vitar dashed forward. Claws raised to slash at the human invader. Fonta saw the creature coming and dashed to the side and slashed at its ribs with the blade only for a long tail to slap him away. Fonta flew onto his back and was stunned for a brief moment. The vitar capitalized on the opening and stomped on his head. Fonta barely managed to roll out of the way and thrust his sword into Vitar¡¯s leg. Fonta was kicked in the ribs for his trouble. The blow was powerful enough to send him flying into the wall. His sword sent flying in the opposite direction. Fonta felt his consciousness wane but the battle was one he had to survive with his one good hand he lit his last fire bomb and threw it at his charging opponent causing fur to catch fire and flesh to burn. With the Vitar distracted, Fonta drew a club and his silver hand. Tossing the limb in the air and slamming the club into it. The closed silver fist crashed into the Vitar and knocked it prone. Moving forward Fonta slammed a piton into its chest and hammered it in. Only for the piton to shatter and a claw to slice open the arm with the missing hand causing the limb to fall and then rapidly turn silver. ¡°To the depths with you!¡± Fonta yelled as he was knocked aside with a kick. Fonta took out his woodcutter''s ax and threw it at the Vitar. He watched as the ax did nothing to the creature. His silver fist had done more to it. ¡°Damn it. There has to be something I can do to exploit a weakness.¡± ¡°Throw me.¡± The gourd stated. ¡°Huh?¡± Fonta¡¯s surprise left him open to a shallow slice in his abdomen causing more blood to spill from him. Fonta pucked up the gourd, throwing it at the Vitar. Watching as the gourd was slashed to bits. A spirit flowed from the object and into the Vitar causing wounds to open up. ¡°Damn it kid! If you make it out alive, head to Lumino City!¡± The spirit seemingly vanished as it lost integrity and was recalled. ¡°No!! Damn it, goodbye no name. I will remember you.¡± Fonta said before visibly collapsing from pain. His eyes grew dim as his focus waned and something flowed into him. Blood covered the chamber, dents littered the floor and a silver hand attached to a silver arm lay motionless palm open. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve finally lost the will to fight. It''s been a while since I''ve eaten anything that wasn¡¯t my own species. Do me a favor and don¡¯t give me indigestion on the way down. Light returned to his eyes as they glittered gold for a moment.¡°You think it¡¯s over? No, I won¡¯t submit to you. The young man rolled to the side and threw what appeared to be a petrified arm at the creature causing it to wince in pain and stagger backward. Getting to his feet the young man rushed forward and thrust a rusty sword into the entity, letting out a roar. The shout shook the Vitar almost as much as the rusted sword that showed silver for the briefest of moments before shattering into silver light causing the hole in its torso to expand until it was the size of a pumpkin. As the Vitar faded Fonta felt immense pain, Falling to his right hand Fonta vomited a black ichor and passed out having opened one of his meridians. Pushing himself to the limit left him useless. A pedestal rose from the ground. In the center was a dodecahedron that floated and spun. The ground is covered in various ancient scripts. In the center of the pedestal is an alabaster dodecahedron with various odd symbols on each side. The symbols seemed to morph as the item floated, spun, and rotated as though it was rolled. Fonta pushed himself to the item and instinctively touched it with a primal curiosity. His blood trailed behind him as he forced himself to his feet to touch it. Font felt an itching where his left arm had been as it fully regenerated, from bone to muscle, blood skin, and everything in between. The pedestal glowed, first blue then green, next red, followed by orange, and stopped at around purple before the light turned into words. Words he knew the meaning of, despite not recognizing them. Primary talent: All things in this universe are a weapon, and you are a master of all of them. Rarity: Lost: Secondary talent: locked. Tertiary talent: locked Producing cultivation techniques, Tier: Lost Affinity: Wood, Metal, Earth, Fire. Water, Pathway channel formation, Triple Helix Rope, Speed; Fast initial start that slows down, before receiving exponential growth via time and effort. Technique name: ¡°Way of the Unrelenting.¡± Fonta felt the information carve itself into his being with brutal efficiency as he understood how he could best use it in the style and when to use each form. The technique had three ways to train. Pure meditation was sitting in an area and concentrating on the flow of chi and pulling from the environment. Then there was passive meditation usable when walking or doing light training. Less effective than the first but makes up for it in flexibility. Finally, there was Battle Meditation, a lot less than the first and second but allowed for one to regenerate chi while fighting and could leave spikes in growth. The more these were practiced the stronger he¡¯d get. Battle Meditation was beyond anything he could do now. Until then he¡¯d build up his passive meditation capabilities. ¡°Well, that sounds strong.¡± Fonta didn¡¯t feel any stronger after that, he just knew that he needed to gather ki, and then trace the pattern through his meridians in that formation until they opened up. It was somewhat intuitive at least that part was. What came after he didn''t know. Rewards for cleaning these ruins. As the first to complete the trial of perseverance, your blank tome has been converted into the Mal Dynamis. With it, you may spend your hard-earned coin to buy things you need. This item is soulbound and disappears forever upon death. ¡°What in the depths is going on here?¡± Fonta said as he pulled out the strange book and opened it, only to see that another screen appeared with odd letters. Though everything he saw cost a whole lot of money. ¡°I may not be able to read but I know that that many zeros is a lot of money. That also doesn¡¯t look like anything I can read.¡± As sole owner of Mal Dynamis, you may allow others to use the magical marketplace and receive 10% credit from anything they buy. You may also spend 10,000 Ducrates to create a copy of this book with your own terms and conditions.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be able to use this for a while.¡± Fonta moved to put the book away only to watch as it disappeared from his hands. The Beanie of protection, this cloth wrap keeps you safe from the cold as well as strikes to the head and is more effective than most armor. Sword of Silver, this sword was once made entirely of star silver, age has rusted it to the point that nothing remained of its true status as a legendary weapon. The weapon is now soul-bound to you, which has left it much weaker. But now it can¡¯t be destroyed and as you grow in power it will always be a reliable companion. 40,000 Ducarates have been awarded for the completion of this trial corridor. Fonta watched as a chest full of money appeared in front of him. Greed pulled at his face for a brief moment as he realized he¡¯d need to carry quite a bit of coin out of the place on his own. Oddly enough his limbs felt shorter than they were earlier. Could be that cultivation thing. Chapter 2: Buy one, Retrive two It took Fonta two hours to get out of the ruins with all of his spoils. He had moved towards his room, which was a wooden cube with a twin-sized bed and beaten pillows, with patched-together blankets. He had just begun to relax when he heard a scream near the main entryway. The one that wasn¡¯t trapped. ¡°Serpents and Weasels!¡± Fonta swore as he shot back up. The other kids also shot up and ran toward the doorway. Fonta was the oldest present, though he wasn¡¯t currently the tallest. Ventus was a solid head taller than he was despite only being thirteen which only made Fonta look younger than he was. Ventus seemed to have also had another growth spurt. ¡°What have you been eating?¡± Still, Fonta arrived first and stopped turning to the others. ¡°If anything happens, move deeper into the ruins and hide. If I¡¯m not back by dinner, bunker down, if I¡¯m not back by next breakfast, it may be time to migrate. Where are Ted and Molta?¡± ¡°They went where you told them why?¡± ¡°Middle district. How long was I gone?¡± ¡°A day and a half. They left this morning.¡± ¡°Time is screwy down here. You got your instructions. If you don¡¯t know them, then don¡¯t let them in. Got it?¡± Fonta put on the beanie he had just obtained and slipped through the gap into the sewers, where non-Ruin Vit was running forward. Instinctively, he grabbed a sewer brush and impaled the creature''s throat with the wooden end. There was another scream. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me!¡± The voice was feminine and highly distressed. Why would some woman be running in the sewers? Fonta heard that deeper. If he went now he¡¯d likely still be too late, the pragmatic side of him stated. The practical side also waited for a reply. That portion of his brain realized it had gotten left behind the second the scream occurred. Rounding the corner he found a woman being constricted by a large snake with no head¡­No the woman was halfway eaten? Fonta''s eyes were seemingly acting up as he couldn''t concentrate on the person snake, or whatever it was. ¡°No¡­Um.. Did you need help?¡± Fonta asked as he looked around and saw no monsters aside from the snake thing, The woman assessed him and oddly enough the snake vanished as she tried to approach the young man. ¡°Kid, shouldn¡¯t you be with your parents? I can lead you to them if you tell me what they look like.¡± Fonta picked up that this was the screamer, and for some odd reason, she was trying to trick him into giving her the location of his family. ¡°I-I d-d-don¡¯t know. We got separated¡­when. When¡­¡± Fonta did have experience pretending to be younger than he was. He always seemed to look a lot younger than his twin sister which helped him get money from begging before they found this place. ¡°Yes, the monster attacks. I saw them come from the west. They also killed some of my family as well. Why don¡¯t we look for your family together.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Fonta said with a false light of hope in his eyes. ¡°Yes, now come on kiddo. Tell me your name.¡± Fonta felt a tug on his mind and parried the influence. ¡°I¡¯m Fon. Who are you?¡± ¡°You may call me La¡¯mia¡± ¡°That''s a pretty name.¡± Fonta rubbed at his eyes as he felt the sword in his soul and confirmed that it was ready to be drawn. ¡°Oh thank you. Now where did say you lived.¡± ¡°Near the middle¡­¡± Fonta stopped as a group of people running in his direction stopped as they made eye contact with La¡¯mia. La¡¯mia clicked her tongue as black flame pulled over her left hand. ¡°Careful Fon! Monsters.¡± ¡°So that''s what¡¯s up. Fonta let his voice drop a bit deeper as the pommel of his sword hit La¡¯mia in the back of the head with enough force to hear a crack. The human-looking woman fell into the sewer system and was washed away. ¡°Now then, there is a dead end ahead, why are you running?¡± Fonta said to the people. ¡°Demon attack from the west. Unorthodox cultivators have allied with the demons! We came down here to hide.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Fonta nodded as he walked right past them. ¡°Young sir! Are you by chance a cultivator?¡± ¡°No. Just an orphan I¡¯d get out of here the sewer alligators can get vicious this time of year.¡± Fonta then ran off towards a ladder and began to climb. Demons were races of humans altered via magic and other means. Whereas a demonic or dark cultivator was one who practiced techniques that the council saw as too evil to allow and worth execution over. An unorthodox cultivator was someone who didn''t follow the straight and narrow path, or used outside-the-box methods in many aspects of their life. Fonta climbed out of the sewer and was met with an angry orange sky where the blue marble above appeared to be a reflection of the lands below. This world is known as Val Telis, the twin world. Demons are similar to humans from birth, with deformities that mark where magic alters their form. Like humans they come in varieties, some kind, others cruel. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Fonta wasn¡¯t one to act on collective brainwashing. Though La¡¯Mia was likely planning something malicious, which was why he struck first. They were too close to his family, and he didn''t live this long by trusting strangers who couldn''t see the city for the buildings. Looking about, the young man saw the city ablaze as Cultivators fought demonic mages. Balls of fire were sliced by flying swords. Tornadoes were created and dispersed consistently. And various minor engagements led to massive amounts of property damage. Many dead on both sides littered the field. Fonta approved a dead human guard. The man had been bisected vertically with entire right side missing. Fonta picked up the man''s spear and a dao sword. He did a brief test of his ability with the spear and found that it was good but his reach was much too short to use it effectively against another spear user. Thus he equipped the dao. After a few practice swings, Fonta determined that the weapon was somewhat cheap. He¡¯d need to be careful. A howl caused Fonta to turn around and watch as a woman with red hair, ivory horns, pointed ears, and purple eyes appeared flanked by two large wolves with ashen fur. ¡°Oh hey. Feel free to ignore me. Imma just loots these soldiers. Ya should get going.¡± Fonta said with an accent befitting his banditry. He was still speaking with a nice tenor tone. Mostly because he was annoyed when his voice cracked while acting his age. ¡°What is a kid doing here?¡± ¡°M-my little sister is missing. Ima go find her. Then hide together.¡± Fonta didn¡¯t lie, but he did consider that he would have to start fighting if the demon was a nosy type. ¡°Is that so? Do you know where she is?¡± ¡°W-well no but.¡± Fonta took a step back mentally as he realized he¡¯d have to search the entire middle district. ¡°I see. Well sorry kid, but I¡¯ve been ordered to leave no survivors.¡± ¡°Ah. Well, it sucks to be you.¡± Fonta said from behind the demoness. His tone is a bit deeper than before. His new dao severed the head off one of the wolves as he rolled to the next one wrapping his legs around its neck slid the dao across its throat and severed an artery in its throat causing it to begin bleeding out. The demoness hardly had time to blink as the beast in human skin attempted to sink its fangs in her throat with the Dao as his left hand summoned the silver sword which struck lower. The blade then vanished soon after as Fonta felt a good amount of his energy disappear. With a puff of ashen smoke, the demoness disappeared and reappeared a good distance away. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°A human, an orphan. Your worst nightmare. Since you can do that fast-moving thing I¡¯m sure you can get away why don¡¯t you run away and say a powerful cultivator appeared and injured you greatly.¡± ¡°No one would buy that if I show up uninjured.¡± Fonta let out a tired smile that betrayed his true exhaustion. He didn¡¯t know how much energy just summoning and maintaining the weapon used.¡°I severed a blood thingy(artery) in your leg if you don¡¯t get that healed you¡¯ll likely bleed out.¡± ¡°Powerful cultivator?¡± ¡°What do you think? I am very dangerous.¡± Fonta said he turned to leave. ¡°This is war!¡± ¡°One I¡¯m a civilian. Two I don''t care so long as my family is safe. Now are you going to run away or do you want to risk it.¡± Fonta bluffed, if he so much as ran towards her he¡¯d likely collapse. But she didn¡¯t know that, as far as she was concerned he was an enigma. Street fights were as much about bluffing as power and technique. Fonta watched the young mage, around his age flee. Fonta was happy he called it right. His opponent was the bird in a gilded cage type. No experience in near-death battles, or fighting people strong. Likely sent here after someone much stronger¡­ ¡°Serpents and Weasels.¡± Fonta spat as the presence behind him immediately put him on edge. A pointed finger poked him an inch below his cerebellum. A symbol is drawn on the skin on the surface above it. ¡°I¡¯ll let you live today, this was foolishness on the part of the young one. We don¡¯t execute children here. She¡¯ll receive some re-education on which orders to follow. Now then I want to make things clear. Next time you run into her or someone you notice is likely a noble. You run, even if they challenge you. So long as they don¡¯t back you into a corner, don¡¯t fight them. If they are dumb enough to leave you with no options then what happens is on them, if you can leave them alive.¡± The voice was monotone, as though it was from a professor who was forced to chaperone on a field trip they didn¡¯t want to be on. Fonta felt the pressure fade as the professor was no longer behind them. However, it didn¡¯t mean that they were free just yet. Fonta continued towards his destination being more alert than usual as he snuck about. There were times he saved people and sent them to one of his hideouts throughout the city save for the one near the ruins and eventually made it to the middle district housing area. What looked like a meteorite size of half the district had landed here leading to a massive amount of corpses and injuries. Looking about Fonta couldn¡¯t find his sister. ¡°Help, me.¡± Fonta turned to see the cultivator brat who he fought the day before crushed by fallen debris his back against it as he concentrated on not collapsing. Fonta bent down and looked at him. The desperation was there, the panic was there. The injuries from his grandfather were still there. But the arrogance was gone, he¡¯d been humbled so many times that he didn¡¯t bother with the pompousness he held. ¡°Why would I help someone who nearly got me killed?¡± Fonta asked. Silence as he strained to think of a reply. ¡°Help, my brother at least. Sorr-¡± Fonta realized that there was an unconscious form under the young man¡¯s chest.¡°Vrix! Fine.¡± Fonta grabbed a pole which seemed durable then a piece of wall to create a lever which he then used to wrench the debris up a bit allowing for the cultivotor to pull himself out with the person under him still alive. Though the young man he¡¯d fought previously had lost both of his legs in the process. He¡¯d been crippled in the early stages of cultivation, another humbling event. ¡°Do you wish to continue living?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°If I can survive then I won¡¯t give in just yet.¡± ¡°I go by Fonta Pain. How much money do you have? Also, can you read?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Later, then later.¡± Fonta opened his book only to notice the world around him had stopped moving, no not stopped, slowed to crawl. The shop screen appeared before him and Fonta swiped until he found a common wheelbarrow for 500 Ducarates(Ducks). The item appeared in front of his hands as time resumed. The item was second-hand but quite useable. ¡°Where did that come from.¡± ¡°Where is my younger sister?¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°The girl you picked on yesterday?¡± ¡°Oh she was near the outskirts of this district a good two blocks south was the last time I saw her, she could have gone further, but I didn¡®t want to get close. Fonta put the brothers in the wheel barrel and began to run them around toward the the area he had been told. After some maneuvering through backstreet alleyways and through a fight between cultivators. Fonta arrived at what looked like a field hospital where various healers were moving about. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave you here. This was 500, so pretty cheap. I¡¯ll charge you 250 each for the ride, make sure you survive long enough to pay me back later.¡± ¡°Right, thanks. I¡¯ll pay this back someday.¡± Fonta waved over and in moments the injured masters were taken to get treated as a woman in white clothes appeared. ¡°Is this contraption yours?¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s called but I paid for it.¡± ¡°As you know there are injured people all over the place. If you could ferry them to this location¡­¡± Fonta held up a finger. ¡°Do you have people more qualified to act as runners?¡± ¡°We do have some cultivators sittin'' around and scouting.¡± ¡°Good 1 sec¡± Fonta opened the book again and summoned 9 more of the devices. ¡°Where did?¡± ¡°It''s like a talent. Have those people use these. I¡¯m looking for a woman taller than me with blue hair and eyes like mine. She should be with a lanky brown-haired boy around her age.¡± ¡°I have seen someone like that headed a bit to the west past my clinic earlier but they were close to ground zero.¡± ¡°Serpents and weasels!¡± Fonta figured the woman was a cultivator of some type and thus had a superior memory than most so she was likely right. Fonta took the wheelbarrow and ran towards the site where the meteor fell. It took him an hour of running with the various detours he made helping strangers as he got closer and closer. Eventually arriving at an area surrounded by a dome of power. Outside the dome demons were blasting away at it trying to get in. Quite a few dead cultivators littered the area. Most of them were quite old and in ornate robes. ¡°Molta what''s going on!¡± Fonta yelled like an idiot. Faster than the young man could react, a hand gripped his throat from behind and began to squeeze. ¡°How do you know the conduit?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is,¡± Fonta said as he felt the hand squeeze. ¡°The escaped precursor. How do you know it?¡± ¡°What is that?¡± Fonta stated as his consciousness dimmed. ¡°Stop! I¡¯ll surrender! Just don¡¯t kill him.¡± Molta yelled. ¡°Was that so hard?¡± The figure dropped Fonta as the barrier went down. ¡°Molta. Don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Ted, take care of the others for me, ok?¡± As Molta said that, a ray of light enveloped her and she vanished. ¡°No!¡± Fonta felt something hard hit him on the neck and everything in his sight faded to black. Chapter 3: Bye now Pay later Fonta awoke after a long sleep, his body covered in wraps as various broken bones all over his body had been set, then placed in splints. Moving his arm set all of his nerves ablaze, and sent his mind into alert mode. ¡°Molta! Where? What happened to my sister!¡± Fonta tried to shoot up but various contraptions held him still. ¡°Easy Fonta, you need to stay quiet,¡± Ted stated with a tired look in his eyes. He clearly hadn''t slept for a while, how long however wasn''t on Fonta''s mind, however. Fonta looked ready to leap out of his cast and shake the young man when the pained look in his eyes told him a different story. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°You said that the two of you were twins. How sure of you are that?¡± Ted lowered his voice to a whisper. ¡°We have been together for as long as I can remember, and we were always orphans. Why?¡± ¡°When we were running from the chaos I was impaled by a support beam. Molta used healing magic to save my life. Closed the wound and kept me alive. The light attracted those monsters and soon she magically created the barrier that protected us. ¡°Magic? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Positive. I¡¯ve seen healers work using chi. Matter can¡¯t be created from nothing, what had to be done to keep me alive did that. This beating heart in my chest was created from nothing.¡± ¡°Vinx! Ted, have you told anyone else?¡± Fonta sat up, feeling his ribs ache. ¡°No. Of course not.¡± Ted helped his brother in all but blood, up. ¡°Do you still have that money I gave you earlier?¡± ¡°I retrieved it after bringing you here why?¡± ¡°Those wheelchair things. Receive any payment for those if they were expensive. Where are my weapons?¡± ¡°The cultivators retrieved them. Apparently, they were sect property.¡± Fonta sighed and placed a hand against his head. ¡°Right. Use it to get the kids somewhere safe in the city. There is another sack of money under my bed, use that to get them schooled. I need to get stronger fast. I won¡¯t let them keep her. Also, that magic thing she did will likely lead to me being questioned or interrogated by those in white.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ll just abandon us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re practically an adult. You don¡¯t need me to cause trouble. Also, the ruins won''t be giving money for a while.¡± ¡°You both give me too much credit.¡± Ted looked sullen but he didn¡¯t argue any further. ¡°Good.¡± Fonta began to trace his chi in the pattern as he moved, getting his blood flowing faster as well, breaking through a second meridian before he made it out of the tent. The stench of his breakthrough caused some retching as a few plants withered and died as he passed. Noticing regular people were retching. Fonta moved into a jog out of the area where a familiar old man stood arms crossed. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°Eh? I¡¯m going on a journey.¡± ¡°Well kid, have you left the city before? Been on the road? Explored the wild lands? Where are you headed?¡± ¡°Someone from Lumino City said that they would help me train and teach me the basics.¡± ¡°With a caravan that''s a two-week trip. Alone with a horse for one week if you''re skilled. Do you know how to ride a horse?¡± ¡°Well no.¡± ¡°Do you know north from south when not in a city, can you tell what time of day it is by the position of the sun?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°And does this boy here owe you for saving his life?¡± ¡°A little but...¡± ¡°Well my sect has been all but destroyed, leaving me as one of its few elders and I hate the doublespeak so I¡¯ll be me. My grandson has been disowned due to his injuries and thus can¡¯t afford to pay his debts any time soon. Thus I have a compromise¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Fonta couldn¡¯t see a way out of the hospitality shown. ¡°He will travel with you in search of a healer, who can fix help with his crippled limbs. Until he finds one, he will act as a guide, and ally. He may not be a fighter or very tough, compared to you, but he can likely be of use to you in a support capacity.¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Fine. But he better be on his best behavior. No challenging people to fights.¡± ¡°I can do that. But are you sure you¡¯ll have me? There are reasons you can say know.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t walk, can¡¯t fight, you antagonized me in the past which led to me waking up near death in a dumpster. But I¡¯m alive and you¡¯ve come out worse for ware. I assume that caramel stuff was in play. One day''s opponent is a brother down the line.¡± ¡°Exactly! Wait what was that about not getting the proper treatment? I took you to one of those new doctors and told them to take care of you.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ You told them to, Take care of me?¡± ¡°Of course, honestly I¡¯d have tried to recruit you yesterday if we could find you. Though it appears you just broke through two of your meridians. Heart and lower intestines based on the odor.¡± ¡°Ugh...was this doctor severely overweight with a solid jade left eye and cross-shaped scar over his left hand?¡± Fonta realized why he woke up untreated in a trash bin. ¡°He was also bald but yes.¡± ¡°Ugh. So you know. Other rich people go to doctors like him when they want to make problems go away.¡± ¡°As a doctor should.¡± ¡°Oh¡­Remember elder Duskwood¡¯s scandal?¡± The grandson caught on first. ¡°Oh. Ohhhh! I¡¯m surprised to see you here if he was one of those.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t usually, but I owed him money, so he threw me in a dumpster instead of healing me.¡± ¡°You owed a healer money? Do you have a death wish?¡± ¡°I likely owe every healer in the lower district something. Got lucky it was that one and not one of the organ traders.¡± ¡°Sheesh.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it. ¡° ¡°Imagine waking up on an operating table and fighting your way to another doctor to fix the wounds you had before as well as the ones gained from those people. You may have word wisdom but when a doctor offers in the lower district free anesthesia. They plan on recouping said investment through a special weight loss program.¡± ¡°Serpents and Weasels, how have you lived this long.¡± ¡°I have recently learned my talent is reasonably strong for someone who wasn¡¯t a cultivator. I won¡¯t tell you what it is.¡± ¡°Some form of weapon master makes the most sense. You have skill and maneuverability over power and proper technique. Talents like that grow faster with training and battle experience.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°I may not have fought you at full strength but to best my son-in-law and his lackeys alone, with little more than a pair of chopsticks gives away that you were a hidden master or a youth with brawling experience and a strong talent.¡± ¡°You could tell that from one fight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m old and experienced. You haven¡¯t fought many cultivators, but nothing major changes until the Awakened Realm. Anyone under that can be taken down if they get cocky.¡± ¡°I see. Anything else I should know?¡± ¡°This continent has 6 Nascent Level cultivators, known as the 6 Emperors in Lumino City each of them has a medium to high awakened tier cultivator acting as their voice in the territory. They have tens of Awakened tier cultivators at their disposal, To put it in perspective, this city has one, me. I have stopped at the peak of my tier and have gotten too old to risk breaking through.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re telling me there are people that can make you look weak. One of the strongest people in this city. Someone who made me look like a drowning kitten.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And those people...Demons. They were leagues above most of the people here. Well some of them.¡± ¡°The strongest were equivalent to the nascent tier. From what I could tell. The only reason I survived was because I managed to kill one before they all fled.¡± Fonta raised his eyebrows. ¡°They are more destructive but aren¡¯t as durable as us. Is that right?¡± ¡°Yes, when they are alone. But if you have a way of getting past their barriers or defenses, they can be killed.¡± ¡°Alright then...Let''s go¡­ Huh, I don¡¯t know your names.¡± ¡°Long, Yang is his name, Long, Jiang, is mine.¡± The old man stated. Fonta had heard of the Long family. Powerful and vast, one of their minor branch families could take a city in a night. It was no surprise that it was why the other two were cocky and why the old man seemed powerful. Such a name had its constraints. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Fonta knew he couldn¡¯t say no. ¡°By chance, would a healer from the¡± ¡°No, we are a minor branch family. We keep the name but it doesn¡¯t do much on its own. Also...¡± ¡°Also what?¡± ¡°If he were to invoke his name to the main family in his state with a cultivation level so low. They may just kill him on the spot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s mad.¡± ¡°That is the way of this world.¡± ¡°O.k. then.¡± Fonta adjusted his shoulder before scowling at Yang. ¡°Yes?¡± Yang asked willfulfully playing ignorant. ¡°Will I have to carry you? I don¡¯t see the wheelchair.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Yang was picked up and held as wooden crutches were given to him. While slow, it appeared as though he could move a little. Fonta opened up the shop and scowled as he saw a chair with large wheels and easy-to-push cost around 10k Ducks. Clicking his tongue, he spent the money and watched as the item appeared. It was surprisingly durable and mobile. Oddly enough there were metal devices on the side that looked like they did something when you put your arms there. ¡°Mental movement enchantments, absorb chi or mana. Is this a precursor relic?¡± ¡°No idea what that means. But it cost me 10k.¡± ¡°That is a lot of money here but surprisingly cheap for what it is.¡± ¡°Yes, it...Wait, why did you say that here?¡± ¡°Ruins generate currency, with the sects monopolizing the few we have, gaining money is limited.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Mostly because precursor relics are mostly money-hungry. I see.¡± The Long senior helped his grandson into the chair and guided him on getting it to move. The chair seemed to move when Yang concentrated, the speed determined by how much power he could put into it. Meaning he¡¯d have to stay in a state of meditation to keep it moving for an extended period. Fonta and the Longs eventually arrived where the carriage had been prepared. It clearly all cost more than 500 Ducks. Though the debt had been increased by 10k, so he wouldn¡¯t bring that up. ¡°So¡­ Who¡¯s driving?¡± Fonta asked. A man in blue robes jogged up. ¡°That would be me, young masters. I¡¯ll get you there fast.¡± Fonta looked at the older man¡¯s wrinkled face and recognized it, he was with the people who tried to ambush him. ¡°I don¡¯t like the smell of this.¡± ¡°You won that fight, as far as this one is concerned you are a guest of our esteemed elder and the savior of this young master. This one, will not dare defy you again.¡± ¡°Then speak regularly. Your speech hurts my head.¡± ¡°Yes, young masters.¡± Fonta looks to Yang. ¡°Oh Right, I¡¯m Fonta Pain.¡± ¡°Fountain pin?¡± Yang asked in surprise. ¡°Fon-ta Pain.¡± Fonta squinted as Yang failed to properly pronounce it. ¡°Are you from a different country?¡± Yang hadn''t recognized the surname and decided to probe a bit. ¡°I really wouldn¡¯t know. I let Ted choose our last name, since we needed one for official things.¡± Fonta shrugged cutting the conversation off as his journey began. Chapter 4: A Muggers Paradise Fonta and Yang had left the city that morning and had ridden until the mid-afternoon with no issue. The road was bumpy but due to the suddenness of their departure. Monsters hadn''t been very active. This was due to a sixth sense they had. The days after attacks were days to stay far far away from civilizations. Sure the injured would be easy pickings but the strong still alive would turn their bones into houses and their flesh into trinkets and furniture. Thus anything with a brain knew to avoid areas that had been attacked by powerful people until things died down. Sadly brigands were the same everywhere. ¡°Stop we have you surrounded! You need to pay the toll to cross these roads.¡± ¡°So you know I¡¯m a cultivator along with every passenger aboard. We belong to a sect and are on sect business.¡± The driver said in a monotonous tone ¡°Then you better cough up some coin then.¡± ¡°Did you not hear? We have 3 cultivators aboard, one is a master do you have a death wish?¡± ¡°We have a studied mage and an army of two hundred. You won¡¯t best us.¡±As the bandit said that, quite a few torches lit themselves in a circle around the carriage to show unity. ¡°If you had that many then you could qualify as a mercenary band, and get paid more to patrol than you would from robbing carriages. However, if you are harboring demons then we¡¯ll be forced to execute you. That is treason after all.¡± ¡°Oi! What''s goin'' on?¡± Fonta hopped out of the carriage with the only weapons he could find, a spare wheel and a small hammer. As soon as Fonta was seen by the bandits they began to laugh. The fires winked out however which told the driver that the supposed mage either knew Fonta or fought him previously as they knew to run if he had anything resembling a weapon. ¡°I asked a question. Whatcha want?¡± Fonta said his left eye twitching in insanity. ¡°We want gold?¡± The bandit said in confusion. ¡°Then go work for it somewhere else? Like most other people!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t talk to us like that. We''re adults.¡± ¡°How much money do you want?¡± Fonta pulled out a bag of jingling nails in the same hand as his hammer. ¡°Gimmie that.¡± The brigand moved to grab them from bellow and cut his hand open in the process only for the light hammer to hit him in the temple, the blow nearly killing the human instantly. Had Fonta not pulled back at the last second. The young man knew cultivators were strong but he hadn¡¯t known his power would grow so much so fast. He had planned two follow-up attacks to take the leader down and yet he didn¡¯t get the chance to do one. The bandit did however have a decent Jian. Picking up the sword Fonta spun throwing the wheel at a second and third bandit causing them to fall back, their heads bumping together on the way down as gravity did the rest. ¡°Boss! Help us!¡± A bandit yelled as if firing an arrow from a bow. The arrow sailed towards Fonta who caught the arrow with his left hand like one would catch a tossed apple then jammed it between another bandit''s shoulder blade ripping out the barbed arrow and leaving behind a ravaged bleeding wound. The archer threw their bow to the ground and began to flee. ¡°I¡¯m not dying here!¡± Fonta was behind the fleeing bandit and a sheath of the Jian was placed in front of his throat. ¡°So ya want to live. Know this. Next time I see ya do¡¯in this sort of thing it won¡¯t be a scabbard. Also, leave your arrows too. You can keep the bow.¡± The bandit dropped their quiver and the scabbard was removed. Fonta then thrust his sword right behind him checking to see if there was anyone invisible. No one was there. ¡°Abandoned then? How many demons did I scare off? It couldn¡¯t have been many I was mostly running. Ah, is she the one? Guess I¡¯ll out later.¡± Fonta then looted the muggers taking them for all they were worth leaving them their clothes and a few days'' rations. All their weapons belonged to him now. Fonta got back into the carriage watching as the driver and Yang stared at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Did they try to mug you or did you mug them?¡± Yang asked in confusion. "Don''t do to others what you don''t want done to you. Because Karma is a debt collector and she knows where you sleep. Or something. Listen, you do what you can to survive. For me, it''s done by taking in weapons and the like. ¡°How did you make it look like you killed all of them when they were only unconscious.¡± The driver asked. ¡°It¡¯s called bluffing. Get in enough fights and you can tell how much others can take before giving up. The archer had a weak will and was cowed when he saw me catch that arrow. Though I will admit I¡¯ve never done that before. Have arrows always been so slow?¡± ¡°Have you been hit with an arrow?¡± Fonta raised his pants leg revealing an arrow wound above his calf there were a few wounds that passed through his legs as well. Looking closely the amount of scar tissue on his legs was bizarre. Though it seemed as if they had begun to fade rapidly. ¡°How are you not the one in this chair?¡± Yang asked. ¡°These are separate injuries, I got hurt often before I got to this point.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it looks like you lost pounds off of your legs. It that¡­¡± Yang wasn¡¯t the brightest knife in the sock drawer but he did recall the words that set Fonta off previously. Runt, kid, brat, short, and midget were all off-limits and any variation would set him off. ¡°Maybe if I can go a while without my legs getting injured they¡¯ll finally grow!¡± Both the driver and Yang exchanged a look that many shared when dancing around a touchy subject with his grandfather. ¡°Anyhow, do you think you can teach people how to fight like you?¡± ¡°No. Not for lack of trying.¡± Fonta recalled the failed attempts at training his siblings in the past. There had been deaths in that place prior. Ted was the only one capable of keeping up for a while, but even he had fallen behind towards the end. As Fonta sat in the carriage he realized that he could have questioned the demon that fled. The wasted opportunity ate away at him. ¡°Maybe I should have given chase.¡± ¡°They were far off. It wouldn¡¯t have been worth the risk. You would have ended up in an ambush. When fighting mages, don¡¯t let them control or choose the battlefield.¡± ¡°Alright. Tell me about cultivation?¡± ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Fonta decided to change the subject. ¡°The stage we¡¯re in is called the Elpmeta. I was at Elpmeta stage 8, meaning eight of my meridians had been opened. In my current state, eight of those meridians have had their pathways severed, meaning I can¡¯t properly cycle chi through my body.¡± ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t think I have those mandarins.¡± ¡°Meridians and you have at least opened two.¡± ¡°So what do they do?¡± ¡°Each one raises your base abilities by 10%. As well as improves a sense, or innate ability based on where it flows.¡± ¡°Gotcha, so the reason why I don¡¯t tire easily unless I use Chi, is because of that.¡± ¡°And the reason why you haven''t had to use some bushes as often. When you open the large intestinal meridian you won¡¯t have to go at all. Though you should also notice that your hearing ability has grown quite a bit as well.¡± ¡°Really? I haven¡¯t noticed.¡± Fonta scratched his head. ¡°When was the last time you cleaned out your ears?¡± ¡°I¡¯m supposed to do that?¡± ¡°When was the last time you bathed.¡± Yang squinted. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. One, maybe two.¡± ¡°What color is your hair supposed to be?¡± ¡°That hardly matters.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sister has blue hair. Which means, for yours to be orange¡­¡± ¡°It hardly matters.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Listen, if you go into the city like that. They¡¯ll run you out. You¡¯re getting washed and you¡¯re going to like it.¡± ¡°Is it really that important?¡± ¡°Look you don¡¯t have to be super clean, it''s just you never washed after the second meridian opening. You can get a chi sickness if you don¡¯t, it¡¯s odd that the smell is so controlled.¡± Fonta wondered if he could¡­ a green wind flowed from his underarms like a concentrated stream of stench. ¡°Oh, it counts as a weapon. I assume that¡¯s bad.¡± ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t need to wash if you can control it.¡± Fonta sniffed the wind and his consciousness faded, the wind got out and Yang fainted as well. The driver had already taken off but the horses, enraged picked up speed as they were brought to the nearest stream. Fonta awoke somewhere very wet his clothes gone as a bar of soap and a few scrubbing brushes were placed about. The driver had nose plugs and was standing a good 60 feet away. ¡°Use that to clean yourself, the blue is for your hair the white your body. Use the towel when done and feel free to use the young master¡¯s extra clothes!¡± Fonta looked at his pile of clothes and watched as an insect ecosystem lived its life inside. Fonta decided that he¡¯d buy a change of clothes on store credit. Though everything seemed expensive, two thousand for a shirt, four thousand for blue pants, and 1000 for shorts with a hole in them. Fonta figured out while it was there and decided to buy those for convince they also came in a pack of six. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it wait by the carriage.¡± After washing his hair, face, ears, and body. Fonta got dressed. Putting on the shorts, finding that they weren''t actually pants, then the blue jeans, which seemed quite durable, followed by a black shirt that seemed flexible and unrestricted. He put on his washed beanie, the only thing that wasn¡¯t surrounded by bugs. Then noticed he didn¡¯t have socks or shoes. Fonta knew socks were a luxury item, yet a pack of 12 pairs cost 600 Ducks, though shoes were 9k+. He paid for both and, then bought some extra stuff that he would sell to market at a drastically raised price. Now armed with athletic shoes and a new lease on life Fonta observed his reflection in the black river. ¡°Fonta saw his long deep purple hair fall to his shoulders. His golden yellow eyes shone with life, his face resembled a slightly younger though more masculine version of his sister¡¯s. Which he hadn¡¯t noticed. Maybe all those morning rituals she did had a point. Though he could see why all her money vanished so fast. His body still had scars, however, and his breath was still bad, making his next few purchases painful. He¡¯d need to learn how to read soon, as he bought a toothbrush paired with toothpaste. The brush existed but usually one would use soap and mint to scrub it on making the paste a curious thing. His credit balance ended at 24 Ducks after his purchase spree. And after he looked somewhat civilized and he could use the toothbrush as a weapon if he sharpened the bottom a bit. Almost as good as a piton with better reach. Fonta was still short with a bad attitude but now he looked more like a cultivator than roadkill. He eventually found the driver and Yang by the carriage. Oddly enough he could hear them very well from a distance much further than he could before though doing that continuously gave him a headache. ¡°I finished. Geez, I don¡¯t look like me anymore.¡± ¡°No that¡¯s how you¡¯re supposed to look. Though your clothes look odd. Are they from Chi-town?¡± ¡°No idea what that means.¡± ¡°They are a city to the Faer West.¡± ¡°Huh, now I know of three cities.¡± ¡°There are a lot more than three. Have you never left the city?¡± ¡°I honestly wouldn¡¯t know. Everything from before I arrived in the city is a bit hazy. The only thing I do remember is that I was the older brother.¡± ¡°I think I get it.¡± Yang leaned against his seat and winced as phantom pains shot through him. The episodes occurred regularly and tended to last a while. The young man had medicine for the pain but it was limited. Fonta understood the sentiment, anesthesia was evil. If one couldn¡¯t feel how hurt they were, how would they know how hurt they were? ¡°Yang, under what situation can one grow back a limb that was destroyed?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Limbs can be regrown, I¡¯ve seen it happen but I don¡¯t know how it works.¡± ¡°Where were you when it happened?¡± ¡°Precursor ruins.¡± ¡°Well, there you go. Miracles happen in precursor dungeons when you are the first to complete one.¡± ¡°Oh. Is that so.¡± ¡°It is, and we should drop the subject for now. Like my grandfather said precursor relics are expensive, and researching them is a lucrative profession. New relics, are rare items.¡± Yang said as his eyes told Fonta that someone was listening. Fonta first thought it was the driver, as the horses came to a stop. Getting to his feet Fonta had already drawn his new Jian. Ready to hop at the next target when he heard yelling. ¡°Why did you stop? What¡¯s wrong with you.¡± The driver yanked at the reins to no avail and scowled as if nothing happened. The horses stayed frozen. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°The horses stopped moving. The driver placed a bare hand on one of them and scowled. ¡°What do you sense.¡± ¡°No heartbeat, these horses are dead. But when? How?¡± Fonta thought back and came up blank as his danger sense activated, jumping to the side as a red snake sprung at him from behind. Fonta cut the snake in half, covering his Jian in its venom as he turned towards a familiar woman. ¡°There you are. I owe you one for trying to drown me in the sewer brat.¡± ¡°I¡¯d have forgiven you for that, had you not called me a brat. What are you a demon?¡± ¡°I am no demon. I am the Mistress of poison. La¡¯Mia.¡± ¡°So...Did you come here to die?¡± ¡°Fonta, she¡¯s a dark cultivator in the Awakened Realm!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Mia, why don¡¯t you turn around and let bygones be bygones? If not I¡¯ll be forced to fight. And It¡¯s difficult not to kill people stronger than me.¡± Fonta lied, it was quite easy, all he had to do was outrun them. Sadly he wasn''t the type to leave his friends to die. ¡°What are you on about?¡± La¡¯Mia asked in confusion. ¡°If you don¡¯t run away now, you will likely die. I¡¯m already much stronger now than I was before.¡± Fonta bluffed. Part of the reason the attack worked last time was because he got the upper hand. In a fair fight, he¡¯d likely lose. If she was who she said she was. Fonta decided to go with a bluff fueled by intuition. ¡°You aren¡¯t the mistress of poison. If you were I¡¯d be dead already. I doubt the beautiful and illustrious Mistress of Poison would dare attack someone who wasn¡¯t even a cultivator a week ago. I imagine such a thing would be beneath her, which leaves me with a conclusion, you are a fraud!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A fraud, charlatan, clone. Liar. Deceiver. Among other things.¡± ¡°That''s what a dark cultivator does.¡± The enraged Lamia began to move when a portal of green shadow opened up under her and caused her to vanish. ¡°I don¡¯t feel her presence anymore.¡± Yang confirmed, ¡°How are the horses?¡± ¡°Dead, looks like the rest of the trip will be on foot.¡± The rider started. ¡°Ugh¡­ I think I have women problems. Is this what I get for sparing them? Massively inconvenienced?¡± ¡°It could be worse, there could be more than one demoness.¡± ¡°Two. I believe there are two.¡± ¡°Oh great. Do you forgive everyone?¡± ¡°Depends on what they do. I like to give everyone at least one mistake.¡± ¡°So that you can fight them again when they¡¯re stronger?¡± ¡°Exactly...I mean, because I¡¯m a good person. Also, we only get the one life, killing isn¡¯t to be done likely.¡± ¡°Lightly.¡± ¡°Yes. That.¡± Fonta nodded. ¡°How far out are we?¡± ¡°Thirteen days by carriage, but there is an inn two day¡¯s walk north.¡± The driver withdrew a war hammer from the saddlebag and let out a sigh as he strapped it to his back. He then tapped a symbol on his ring and the entire carriage disappeared leaving the deceased horses alone on the trail. ¡°You didn¡¯t use that in your fight against me,¡± Fonta stated. ¡°It¡¯s enchanted to disperse mana where it hits. Meaning it can break through monsters and demon defenses. It does little to a cultivator unless they have a mana meridian. As far as we know you aren¡¯t a demon.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Fonta nodded though his eyes didn¡¯t leave the warhammer. It was a new weapon to try out¡­ His mouth moved faster than his willpower. ¡°Can I hold that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s enchanted to burn people who try to steal it. If you don¡¯t believe me.¡± The driver held out the handle and dropped the weapon on the ground. Fonta grabbed the hilt and purple lightning enveloped him. He was wracked with pain as he picked up the weapon and swung it a few times causing lightning to disperse outward as he swung before his hand went numb and it began to fall back on the ground. The driver caught the weapon curiously and swung it a few times noticing the lightning shot off when he used it, but it didn¡¯t harm him. The weapon crackled as it was placed on his back. ¡°So will you do that again?¡± ¡°I feel like I can now manipulate that purple stuff a bit.¡± Fonta held his hand upward as a single spark of purple lighting shot from his hand and he felt lightheaded. ¡°Don¡¯t use chi attacks!¡± Yang yelped. ¡°Why?¡± Fonta asked with a tired expression. ¡°You need to enter the Awakened stage to use chi more freely. That is your life force and until your meridians are connected properly the chi gets stuck on your blockages and rebounds.¡± Yang instructed. ¡°Oh. Well, that sucks.¡± Fonta fell to a knee and sighed. ¡°Try to keep from doing it again.¡± Yang nodded. The driver scowled for a long moment as pointed forward. ¡°We will be traveling in this direction, follow behind me. We must not get separated while on the road.¡± The two others nodded. While he wasn¡¯t the strongest in terms of fighting people he was the deadliest if anything not rat-shaped showed up. Thus the driver led them down the trail. By nightfall, the trio made camp, where the three decided on watch schedules. As cultivators, the three of them could continue forward but due to Fonta¡¯s low rank, he¡¯d hit his physical limit first despite his combat ability he didn¡¯t have the stamina to waste. ¡°Alright. Since you have two open meridians and are likely to accidentally kill yourself with no direction I¡¯ll give you some advice. When you meditate chip away at the bounds around the inside of your meridians, doing so will clear out the lingering blockages and expand. The wider you expand the faster chi will flow. This will be your foundation, and when you finish with one, move on to the next. When you open a meridian there is more to it than just rushing through each one. At this stage, we can easily fall in rank if our meridians get clogged again. Doing so is painful and can lead to sickness, being crippled, or even death.¡± Yang stated. ¡°I appreciate the help. But so you know. I don¡¯t exactly trust you. You¡¯re after something and it¡¯s not like I know where I¡¯m going.¡± Fonta squinted as he knew Yang was after something. ¡°You saved my brother''s life. Consider that a favor for me. Getting you to the city is paying you back. That¡¯s all. No politics, and you don¡¯t need to actually help me find a healer.¡± Yang seemed more tired than surprised by the accusation. Fonta entered an open-eyed sleep as he began to rest. Not all of Fonta¡¯s siblings were amiable. Some time ago he learned how to sleep with an eye open for detecting danger and reacting when things moved either too fast or too close to him. As it turned out meditating and keeping watch was easier in some ways while limiting in others. While meditating, Fonta used the chi in his center to chip away at what appeared to be mud on the inside of his meridian. It was not as pliable as mud however and required a bit of force to scrape small bits out. Near the end of it, he felt as though he had slightly more energy. The process was one he¡¯d need to practice daily. After his meditation, the driver came by with Yang. ¡°You should get some actual rest before we start moving. Rest is important when you first start cultivating and when you get much stronger.¡± ¡°Meh, I¡¯m filled with energy actually.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the high you get from cultivating. When that fades you¡¯ll be tired and hungry.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Fonta moved to his bedroll and began his semi-active rest. Hours passed and the trio packed up with no issue. Moving down the road proved easy that morning as monsters avoided the area. Eventually, the trio arrived near a settlement with a few somewhat large inns, various restaurants, and shops. The settlement appeared to be one that acted as a node for land trade. Oddly enough there was an auction house chain owned by the scarlet magpie. A worldwide trade organization that allegedly held territory on the demon home world as well as on the human one. Various carriages met near a large warehouse where various goods were unloaded and then loaded onto other wagons as money changed hands. Different stalls sold all kinds of goods and services as Fonta looked as he entered the town. While he appeared distracted a kid bumped into him and seemed to keep running. By seemed, the apt wording would be tried as Fonta held the kid by the scruff of his neck and took back his coin pouch. ¡°I know every trick in that book, you shouldn¡¯t steal, that was one of the more basic techniques and you chose the wrong mark.¡± Fonta dropped the brat and watched them run off panicking as Yang shook his head. ¡°Was that favoritism?¡± ¡°What are you going on about?¡± ¡°You just forgave that kid for running into you with the intent to steal from you.¡± ¡°You hit on my sister.¡± Fonta accused. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you did.¡± ¡°I did compliment her while I apologized.¡± ¡°She was red-faced. That was anger at you for doing something you shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I apologized to her then tried to leave.¡± ¡°Then you called me a brat. Oh...that¡¯s when everything went red and the drum solo began.¡± ¡°Durm solo?¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m more suspicious.¡± ¡°More than settled as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡± ¡°Was I the bad guy?¡± ¡°I mean, you may have a berserk trigger and I jumped on it so I say that¡¯s what I get for not choosing my words carefully.¡± The words sounded nice, but Fonta upon realizing he might have been a bit too much of a battle maniac back then. If back then was four days ago. Oddly enough a clarity washed over him as two meridians in his head shot open simultaneously. Causing both euphoria and a migraine as the new connections flooded his system. He passed out as his brain reset and chi flooded through those meridians like a dam that had been burst open. Yang scowled, ¡°Was that enlightenment?¡± ¡°That or he broke through a powerful charm effect and it opened his mind.¡± ¡°So likely enlightenment.¡± ¡°Hopefully, because if it was the latter, then he likely only broke a piece of the enthrallment, though to activate his mental core so early on in his journey, he¡¯s got the luck of the weasels.¡± ¡°What are you up to? Feels like I opened two meridians in my head.¡± Fonta shot upward and looked about in confusion. ¡°No, but you should meditate on it. Let''s get you to a room so you can rest.¡± Fonta got to his feet. ¡°I feel fi- The world is spinning.¡± The driver caught the falling Fonta and led Yang toward a large inn. ¡°Put me down. I¡¯m no kid.¡± Fonta complained but was too out of it to try anything.¡± ¡°We require two rooms, one with two beds.¡± The driver stated before placing a silver disc on the counter. The worker nodded and waved a copper disc over it nodding as numbers appeared. She then wrote a few things down on a scroll and handed him two keys. Fonta was then brought to his room and placed on a bed where he entered a deep meditation. Yang stayed in their room with their driver. Chapter 5: Gacha Fonta felt at the new connections they were not meridians but they were quite close in scale. Though unlike his meridians these hadn¡¯t formed a solid shape. He¡¯d call what was in his head circuits. Each circuit merged near his brain stem and eventually connected to his center through a currently locked meridian. Feeling at the chi in his body Fonta took the chi and formed a blade in his center. Oddly enough the blade felt like a sword in that he felt a good amount of control in his mental grasp, with that blade he cleared out all the gunk clogging his first and second meridian as he was wracked with massive pain in his heart and intestines right after as black ichor flowed from everywhere in his body, in mass. A bit of blood left him as well, as he fainted. An hour later Fonta woke up in a puddle of his own filth, got to his feet, and moved to the bathroom. An hour later the young man left with a haunted look in his eyes as his body looked nearly skeletal. He was also starving more than he had while he was a stray. Scratching his head, Fonta discovered the power of running water indoors and reached a better level of cleanliness as he left his room. He made sure to put the inn soap into his pockets and the free towels in his bags after cleaning up his mess. Leaving his room Fonta came face to face with a pretty young woman with red hair that smelled of flowers. Her eyes met his and it clearly must have been love at first sight as she jumped from the guardrail and ran from the building. Screaming with her arms held high. It was clearly love at first sight, as Fonta had never met a human like her before. That pang of familiarity must have been from that sensation and nothing else. ¡°Didn¡¯t even get her name. To think someone would literally fall for me.¡± ¡°Hey, Fonta, I¡¯m headed to the auction house later to drop off some heirlooms. Do you want to come along?¡± Fonta looked at Yang and then scowled as he had the same look on his face that the red-haired woman gave him. Fonta knew Yang was a little lustful but that look was odd. ¡°Fonta! You did not force your meridians to widen too quickly, did you?¡± ¡°Of course, this is much faster. Also, sorry friend but-¡± ¡°Fonta¡­focus on unlocking your next three meridians Do not widen those yet..¡± ¡°You are giving me very mixed signals.¡± ¡°Is that so? I thought it was very clear that I don¡¯t date men with egos bigger than they are..¡± ¡°Right, right. I remember now, I may look like my sister but that isn¡¯t a line you¡¯re willing to cross.¡± ¡°What does ego mean? Is that like an egg?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°Why did I let Grandfather talk me into this?¡± ¡°No idea. Fonta then hopped from the third floor to the first, feeling his legs creek slightly before he stood back up and took a walk to a Bao stand. By the time he¡¯d finished his weight had doubled, ending up slightly more muscular than his previous form with his muscles much more dense. After a long meal, Fonta met up with Yang and the two went to sell things to the auction house. Fonta looked better than before he entered his room, though his expression was irritated as he pushed the young master¡¯s chair toward the destination. As Fonta moved past the street, a group of five led by a bald man with prayer beads around his neck bumped into Fonta. ¡°Oi brat watch where you''re going!¡± The alleged monk said, as he did so the other four of his friends who looked nothing like monks, surrounded the duo on all sides. ¡°Are they cultivators?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°Fonta no, we can get out of this.¡± ¡°Listen to the cripple. I can still see the milk on your shirt from breakfast.¡± Fonta did not get the jabs, but Yang did clench a fist. ¡°How strong are they?¡± Fonta whispered. ¡°The monk is Elpmeta stage 12 very close to awakened. Maybe slightly stronger than my father.¡± ¡°Oh, no problem then.¡± Fonta looked about noting a stick, a sign for a cabaret with a seductive silhouette, and a few cones to direct traffic. And a few bicycles, expensive and durable precursor items that had been getting mass-produced as of late. It was surprising to see so many in one place. The last item he saw however was a street sign that had fallen over. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll give you one chance. Turn around and walk away or face a fate worse than death.¡± From Yang¡¯s point of view, the large monk charged forward, then he blinked, and in a flash of purple hair bounced about like a hyperactive pachinko ball. He¡¯d known the kid was strong but seeing him fight head-on was like watching a match between two cultivators. The fact that Fonta hadn¡¯t been a cultivator when he beat him no longer felt like an insult to his pride. He was watching a tiger maul an opponent to near death. This was what his grandfather wanted Yang to understand. A power that bridges gaps in power is useful, but knowing how to use it makes it deadly. So Yang watched everything he could see. From Fonta¡¯s point of view, the man charged, leaving himself open, his chin exposed. He grabbed the stick and used the monk''s speed and momentum against him as he slammed the stick into his open stomach like a bat causing the wind to break free from his lungs as he rolled forward and behind at the apex of the roll he pushed off the ground like a spring mid backflip he slammed both of his feet into the back of his neck causing him to bounce forward to the sigh towards the cabaret club sign. The monk lay on the ground wheezing in pain as the world spun his friends were much too slow to react and didn''t understand what had happened. Fonta then slammed the sign into the downed monk''s face guessing his face to pass through the wood where the head of the seductive woman on the poster should have been the blow adding another concussion on top of the blows that had been landed. Fonta then took the sign off the ground and used it to hoist the monk up by his robes and left the large man hanging there by his supposed robes. The whole exchange seemed like it didn¡¯t last more than ten seconds. That was not the skill someone so low-ranked should have. Scowling at his sleeping opponent Fonta scowled. ¡°I expected this to be fun, but you¡¯re way too slow. Do you four want to play with me?¡± Fonta turned towards the other four who shook their heads. In unison.¡±We do not wish to trade pointers with a young master like you.¡± ¡°Young?¡± Fonta felt a blood vessel on his forehead boil as he took a step forward and the other four fled simultaneously. ¡°Uh, Fonta?¡± ¡°What¡¯s their problem?¡± Fonta crossed his arms. ¡°Can you teach me how to fight like you do?¡± ¡°No. What I do relies on speed, acrobatics, strength, and talent. I also feel quite a bit faster than I had previously. These shoes are amazing.¡± Fonta looked down at his sneakers, despite not knowing what they were called. ¡°More than just the shoes but I get it. Opening up a meridian fully enhances your overall strength a bit more, since you were already strong it enhanced those talents.¡± ¡°Meh¡­When you adapt or get healed I¡¯ll teach you, though I don¡¯t think I can teach well. ¡° Fonta added. ¡°Fair is fair.¡± Fonta watched as town guards arrived and questioned the civilians. Many had stayed to give an account. The guards looked to Fonta and then looked to Yang. Then scowled and continued to talk to the witnesses. After a while, Fonta finished giving the monk a full head of hair and a caterpillar mustache when the guard arrived. ¡°Young master, do you belong to a sect?¡± ¡°Not yet. I have a reco thing.¡± Fonta said in his tenor that made him seem younger. ¡°A recommendation?¡± ¡°Uh¡­Yes?¡± Fonta wasn¡¯t playing dumb that''s just what he was at the time. ¡°Which sect?¡± ¡°Azure Sea,¡± Yang added. ¡°Is that right?¡± Fonta shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s all confusing. I fought this strong old man and he said to go there.¡± ¡°How strong was he?¡± ¡°Early awakened.¡± ¡°At two meridians?¡± The guard already seemed panicked, both were weaker than the troublemaker on the sign. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even a cultivator at the time.¡± Fonta then watched as the guards looked at each other, then the downed false monk. ¡°This one apologies for the inconvenience.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Can I go now?¡± Fonta scratched at something in his ear and squinted at it. ¡°Are you his minder?¡± ¡°No, just a friend of his. Those five surrounded us after bumping into me. They then threatened to attack us then¡­ well they stomped on a sea urchin.¡± ¡°I see, that one could not see Mountain Deux. Can we assist you in anything else?¡± Fonta looked left and right then pulled out a case of socks. ¡°How much are these worth?¡± ¡°A pack of socks, you can likely sell a pair for 200.¡± ¡°I see. Each of you gets six pairs. I assume that''s enough to let this event stay quiet?¡± Fonta turned and rolled Yang out from prying ears. ¡°D-did you bribe the guards?¡± ¡°No, I gave them a gift so that they''d look¡­¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°I just bribed guards by accident.¡± ¡°Sometimes your lack of common sense goes over my head.:¡± ¡°Call it selective intelligence.¡± The driver said as he conveniently arrived behind them. ¡°Where did you come from?¡± ¡°I was watching the show on my way back? Are you joining the main sect?¡± ¡°No. Maybe? I need to meet with someone first.¡± Fonta shrugged. ¡°Do you even know their name?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know your name. I¡¯ve been calling you, the Driver in my head this whole time.¡± ¡°That''s pretty close to my name already. Drie Versalis.¡± Fonta squinted. ¡°That sounds like a name you came up with just to mess with me. I am not gullible.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll be sure to get you a juice box as an apology.¡± Fonta felt his eye twitch when Yang interrupted them. ¡°Drie, Fonta, don¡¯t you plan to visit the auction house?¡± ¡°I do like collecting the monies,¡± Fonta stated as he held his sack of weapons arrows, and items taken from the people he''d just fought. ¡°Money.¡± ¡°Aren''t I supposed to act the age I look?¡± ¡°You look thirteen and are acting twelve.¡± Fonta shot Yang a rude gesture. His thumb and pinky were connected together and pointed downward. ¡°There we go.¡± Yang clapped. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°All right then, where is this auction house?¡± Fonta was led to a small tent near the center of the city. A red bird in a nest with various trinkets could be seen. As they entered, the small tent and a wooden door shut behind them as various torches lit themselves all over the room that was much larger on the inside than they were on the outside. A figure with black hair, red eyes, 7 long violet fox tails that stretched out behind him, and a white mask with red outlines stared back at him. ¡°Welcome valued customers to the Crimson Magpie. I am the branch director on Val.¡± ¡°Name?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°My aren¡¯t you rude.¡± ¡°Never mind, I go by Fon, I got a price on these that said people would spend 200 ducks a pair for these.¡± ¡°Oh, socks. Precursor make, so extra durable. Hmmm, a tag on the back says it was purchased from Mal Dynamis. Do you have a source for precursor artifacts?¡± ¡°My master let me trade some things he gave me.¡± Fonta lied very easily and nonchalantly. The owner nodded. ¡°A shame, mayhaps next time your master would be willing to cut me a deal.¡± ¡°Are you a demon?¡± Yang asked, his arms crossed. ¡°By the laws of Val, yes. Though my kind goes by a different name. Not all of us demons get along. I¡¯m what we call a Vulpin back home.¡± ¡°How can you be here selling things?¡± ¡°Not all demons invade and the Crimson Magpie is somewhat neutral ground. We sell nearly everything to anyone who can afford it.¡± ¡°So humans turn their heads to the side.¡± ¡°No, some end up attacking me or my people and become merchandise. My human counterpart does the same when demons act up as well. Though that''s only if you attack me.¡± ¡°You sell people?¡± ¡°And demons, some nobles in other countries see having a demon servant as a sign of prestige.¡± ¡°That is madness.¡± ¡°Yet that is the world we live in. So, do you want to put anything else up for auction?¡± Fonta pulled out the packages of undergarments and placed them on the table. From his experience, they felt nice and like the clothes they were self-cleaning which meant they were likely worth quite a bit. He bought some for every gender and in quite a bit of style. Using the money he borrowed from the false monk. Fonta also put the prayer beads on the table. The owner picked up the necklace and tossed it in a bin. ¡°These are fake, not blessed. Not even worth getting examined.¡± ¡°So the monk was a fake. Figures. He did seem weak.¡± ¡°Defeated a false monk? My, my, isn¡¯t this young master strong.¡± Fonta squinted and leaned on the table with his left hand. He then scowled as he thought of all the ways the table could be used as a weapon and let go. The owner detected the danger but didn¡¯t react as the bloodlust wasn¡¯t pointed anywhere. A younger person may have seen it as an attack. But based on what he¡¯d heard and seen the young man wasn¡¯t trying to use his talent. ¡°Passive, if you offer me your firstborn son, I¡¯ll give you 5 million. Ducks.¡± Fonta looked to Yang as if asking if it was a good deal. ¡°Fonta, while that''s a lot of money, I don¡¯t recommend making a deal like that.¡± ¡°What if I only ended up with daughters?¡± ¡°More tries. Oath bound to ask.¡± The man raised his right and a doorway began to glow a deep blue. Moments later the door opened, and another Vulpin walked through with a cart. This one is a rather well-endowed Amazonian woman with orange hair and fur. However, something seemed off about when Fonta watched her walk. ¡°A shame. You passed up on that offer.¡± The black-haired Vulpin placed a fan in front of his mouth.¡± Yang seemed conflicted and slightly guilty. ¡°I should keep my big mouth shut.¡± ¡°Ah, that''s what it is¡­They aren¡¯t real.¡± Fonta blinked twice before looking at the owner. ¡°So, is this where you put the items I''m selling?¡± The Vulpine man snickered a bit behind his fan and let out a sigh. ¡°Seems I misread you a bit. The young lady will take the items you''re offering to the booth. Now then, for the items you¡¯ve given me, I¡¯m willing to offer you 100,000 Ducks for the whole lot in cash, or 125,000 in credit.¡± ¡°That seems a bit high,¡± Yang said with a suspicious expression. ¡°Please, if I¡¯m careful enough I can sell just these for 20,000 a pack, with six packs, we get back our investment. Now the undergarments, are quite hard to come by, people on Val are rather spartan. But the rich will pay arms and legs for things like that. I¡¯m quite lowballing you, but it will take time to sell it all.¡± ¡°So you''re gambling¡­I know my math so I¡¯ll be chaotic. What if I get 10% of the undergarment final sales in credit and 80,000 credits for the socks.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­Interesting you are much smarter than that...90,000 in credits as well as an advanced look at our stock, and 9% from final undergarment sales. Basically, you can use those credits to pay for items before they hit the floor, though there will be a markup on items based on projected sale value.¡± Fonta scowled, ¡°All that throw in a clause that lets me put items on hold should I not have enough immediate funds on 2 items a calendar year. They do not roll over into the next, so If I miss a year shame on me, but, those items on hold will be maintained for that year with a 1% markup if not paid for by the end of the month using the credit percentage from undergarment sales. Notify me when a held item is paid for by my credits and I will come to a branch to pick it up. Your establishment will be the sole auction house I will grant the rights to sell undergarments to from Mal Dynamis, under the owner''s discretion.¡± Fonta stated his golden eyes glittering as the words left his mouth in a monotone. As the Vulpine listened his eyes widened more and more, as he listened to the contract given to him by what he suspected was a child. What Yang and the owner hadn¡¯t known is that while Fonta couldn¡¯t read, Ted had wanted to be an assistant to a magistrate and had read tons of his books aloud while he was around. Fonta had what doctors called, Dyslexia Val-Toan. The language most people used looked like scribbles most of the time and sometimes leaped off the pages or played tricks in his head. As though it didn¡¯t exist, though it was said that the disorder could be overcome via skill cubes. ¡°Much smarter than you look. Are you a trained scholar?¡± ¡°I¡¯d be useless at that. Most scholars can read, so I¡¯ll also ask If I can get this in a verbal oath?¡± ¡°You can do math in your head pretty well, so I¡¯m curious as to how you don¡¯t know your letters.¡± ¡°That¡¯s personal.¡± The vulpine man swore on the verbal contract and Fonta did as well. ¡°With that done, do you have any preferences?¡± ¡°Something that can regenerate legs, cheap weapons, and skill cubes if you have them.¡± ¡°An item to regenerate limbs would cost over 1 million credits at the low end. Replacements would be cheaper, but would be something frowned upon by the orthodox sects of this planet.¡± ¡°Is that so? Can you show me that as well?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°We can, but¡­such a thing could be grizzly.¡± ¡°Start with that then,¡± Fonta stated. ¡°Very well.¡± A red door glowed as the voluptuous Vulpine left with an odd look. Clearly not used to being ignored. ¡°Go through that door. I don¡¯t like entering that area if I can help it.¡± Fonta scowled. ¡°Yang, care to wait here for a moment?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have a few things to offer as well.¡± Yang added as he rubbed at his ring and various fruits and trinkets appeared on the table.
As Fonta entered through the red door he came face to face with a figure with two different eyes, one belonging to that of a human-sized snake, fit with a reptilian slit, while the other appeared to be that of a frog. His head was slightly misshapen his head appeared somewhat deformed. His left arm was that of a bear while his right resembled a cat¡¯s paw, both of his legs were cloven like a horse. ¡°Hello, child of unknown origin. How may we be of service?¡± Fonta looked about and scowled. ¡°What are you, and what do you mean?¡± ¡°I am the organ and slave trader of this marketplace. Since you¡¯re here early I assume you were given first pickings.¡± ¡°Slaves? I was told nothing about that?¡± ¡°None of them are human, don¡¯t worry. I have demons, monsters, and various creatures of burden.¡± ¡°So you sell other demons?¡± ¡°I am no demon? Just a practitioner of the chimeric arts. I¡¯ve grafted parts from all kinds of magical monsters to my own body to make myself stronger, faster, and smarter. Are you interested?¡± ¡°Chimeric arts?¡± ¡°Named after the demon hybrids with similar names. Demons inherit traits from both parents, regardless of species creating abominations and all kinds of combinations. Sometimes these can go feral and the practice is regulated mostly.¡± ¡°Feral?¡± ¡°De-evolution, when demons are born without the spark of sentience and go feral they are unrecognizable and little more than beasts. Used in war or as cautionary tales of mixed breeding by the pureblood demons.¡± ¡°Purebloods?¡± ¡°Unlike humans, demons can keep family ties much closer via selective breeding. After Two generations the bloodlines are different enough that they are capable of returning to a main family without the same deformities humans would face. This has allowed some high-ranked demons to specialize in things they call bloodline magic.¡± ¡°I think I''m going to be sick.¡± Fonta shook his head and turned away from the self-proclaimed unorthodox cultivator. ¡°Ah, must be the preservation vats. I¡¯ll lead you to the pens, the smell is weaker there.¡± ¡°Just point please.¡± The chimera cultivator''s eyes went in two separate directions as slits opened on the sides of his head causing four more eyes each from a different animal to open and look about. ¡°There.¡± Fonta followed the pointed finger to an area where various monsters were held. Looking about, the young man quickly made his way past the animals as well. Fonta eventually ended up standing in an area where he saw various humanoid demons with collars. Fonta had no need for servants, he¡¯d just needed to get away from that creeper to screw his head on straight and think. As he looked through those in cages he noticed a small figure with long pink hair, curled into a fetal position wearing a potato sack. A small single horn protruded from her head. ¡°Serpents and Weasels!¡± Fonta swore as he approved the doorway stopping five feet away from the form. The caged figure didn¡¯t react as Fonta looked at the price. 45,000 Ducks. He¡¯d be spending half his funds just to buy someone he didn¡¯t want around him. But¡­ ¡°Kid, why are you here?¡± Fonta squatted down and spoke softly. ¡°De¡ª¡± The figure mumbled. ¡°De what? Speak up.¡± Fonta crossed his arms and spoke with the older brother tone he¡¯d used for the other orphans he¡¯d looked after. ¡°Defective defective defective defective defective.¡± The figure kept repeating. Fonta¡¯s pragmatic side said she¡¯d be even less help in saving his sister, but said sister would be disappointed in him if he didn¡¯t help her because of that. Looking at the price of an adult demon mage, who was well into the 250,000 range Fonta did see that she was quite cheap in comparison. Though he could have gotten three horses for that price¡­ Fonta punched himself in the face and stumbled back. ¡°There. Screw it. I¡¯m strong enough already, who cares if I bring another weakling alone? Oi! Bug eyes! I require this one! What is her name!¡± The cultivator appeared in a flash with a scowl on their face. ¡°Why this one?¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t do it today and she ended up dead in a ditch or living a life of misery I couldn¡¯t face my family.¡± ¡°Is that so? Your parents would be disappointed if you didn¡¯t buy a slave?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have those. I couldn¡¯t look my siblings in the eye if I decided not to help just because she is a demon. Though what makes them defective?¡± ¡°I believe she is from a clan of two horn fire demons or Ifrits. But this little one only has one horn and no fire elemental cores whatsoever.¡± ¡°Ah, sounds useless. Why not cut the price in half and let me take her off your hands to avoid polluting your fine wares'' overall quality.¡± ¡°Full price, the only way I¡¯d say half is if you were willing to leave the command collar and sigils in my hands. Which I advise against as an unbound demon could be seen as an easy target for cores and parts.¡± ¡°Cores?¡± ¡°Their magical organ, when a demon dies their mana is condensed into a small shape and can be used for all sorts of things, like granting an elemental aspect, to breaking through, obtaining a magic meridian, or as an ingredient.¡± ¡°So the collar will let her walk free to an extent.¡± ¡°It would mean people can¡¯t attack her on sight outside of this place.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll pay the price with store credit.¡± ¡°Where do you want the linking brand?¡± ¡°Who does it go on?¡± ¡°Either you or her.¡± Fonta raises his right sleeve revealing a limb with various fading scars. ¡°Did you crawl out of the depths to get those scars?¡± ¡°Nah, I get into fights a lot.¡± ¡°Should I numb¡ª:¡± ¡°No, I can take the pain.¡± Fonta felt as if the branding device was summoned from a spatial ring and pressed against his arm. It was warm but not unpleasant, though the symbol of a large osprey appeared on his shoulder. ¡°Curious.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Fonta put his sleeve down. ¡°Intent. Had your intentions been impure, you¡¯d have been burned based on how impure those intentions were. Had you put it on her she¡¯d be able to escape after being mistreated or abused. Instead, you will be filled with pain should you try to force your will onto her. You may also release her from her contract whenever. You are bound to the collar.¡± Fonta sighed. ¡°You¡¯re testing me for some reason. I hate surprise tests, tell that to your master.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡± ¡°Oi! Kid, you coming or do you want to stay in that cage?¡± Fonta said as he exited the door. ¡°Y-yes master!¡± ¡°Name¡¯s Fonta, use it. Also.¡± Fonta took off his beanie and placed it over her head, tucking her bangs into the hat as he examined her silver eyes. Fonta¡¯s hair fell to his shoulders after removing the hat and his purple hair stood out. Without the collar, one wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell that they weren¡¯t siblings though the fact that she was around his height irked him a bit. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Something to help hide your identity, for now.¡± Fonta sighed as he encountered Yang whose arms were crossed. ¡°Who is that and why does she have a slave collar?¡± ¡°New sibling.¡± ¡°Already replacing that fairy sister of yours.¡± ¡°That''s it! That was the insult that made her cry!¡± Fonta accused. ¡°Huh¡­ You both had no idea what that meant. Ugh¡­You know what, this is my fault. We lived in a backwoods city with very few decent cultivators. I should have expected a reaction like that.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah. You can apologize later.¡± The pink-haired girl laughed and then looked around in panic. ¡°Oi! What''s so funny! Kids should respect their elders.¡± ¡°You older? I¡¯m sixteen.¡± The pink-haired girl scowled as Fonta had a disturbing smile on his face. ¡°Hi, Sixteen, my name''s Fonta, and I¡¯m seventeen years old.¡± Fonta lied as placed both hands on his hips and laughed maniacally. He had another four months to go. The girl seemed confused, along with Yang. ¡°You¡¯re really that old?¡± Yang asked. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for a growth spurt,¡± Fonta stated. ¡°Now now. While you can talk here, don''t you have money to spend?¡± ¡°Cheap gear, I need to spend the rest of my money on clothes and weapons. Also, that one needs food and a bath before she rejoins us.¡± Fona added. ¡°We can take care of her needs for ten which will leave you with 35,000.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Fonta was brought through another portal.
Yang and Fonta were brought to the weapons shop where a burly demon with a cow head and cloven feet but the proportions of a giant human. Silver vambraces covered both of his arms as a kilt covered his lower body. ¡°Welcome humans! What are you looking for?¡± The demon asked. ¡°Cheap weapons and gear for someone small. Light and flexible.¡± Fonta stated. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I have a cultivator starter kit that I sell for 5000, it contains basic gear, equipment, and consumables to get a fresh cultivator a decent start. I also have the blade gacha. For 10,000 ducks I let you pull a weapon from a barrel. You can only keep one weapon per visit but if you don¡¯t like your pull you can spend 6,000 to retry.¡± ¡°Sneaky, but fair. Two kits, that one-handed shield and let me see.¡± Fonta placed his hand in the barrel and let his talent guide his hand. The barrel had weapons of all kinds of grades, mixed in. Fonta called them grades, but it was what his talent called them when he thought about them. Trash, Uncommon, Gold, Jade, Mithral, Oricalicum, Lost. He sensed 42 trash weapons, 4 uncommon, 2 gold, 1 Jade, and 1 lost. Focusing Fonta dug deep into the barrel as his hand felt the potential of each weapon until he latched on a wrapped handle. He¡¯d felt more potential in that weapon than he had in anything else. Pulling with the strength of youth Fonta retrieved a curved handle like that of a cane with a very nice grip. Its heft was slightly long and quite maneuverable. With awe, Fonta withdrew his prize and scowled as he held a sleek umbrella. Revealing it didn¡¯t erase the sensation of the weapon''s lost level or rarity, but it was quite odd that he couldn¡¯t understand how he could use it yet. ¡°Ha, you drew the water shield! A shame you don¡¯t intend to reroll.¡± ¡°Yeah, a right shame.¡± Fonta sighed as he strapped it to his side. Sensing something special about the weapon. ¡°Fonta, you didn¡¯t leave enough for a skill cube.¡± ¡°A what? Meh. I will never regret what I¡¯ve done today. Did you get the horses?¡± ¡°Drie already did that. I¡¯ve bought some weapon manuals. I want you to practice them then show me the style slowly.¡± ¡°Alright, but why should I learn a style?¡± ¡°How strong is my gramps to you ?¡± ¡°Leagues ahead, like comparing a man to an ant.¡± ¡°There are people in the Elpmet stage capable of beating him. They have formal combat training and resources a mere branch leader in the backwoods can¡¯t keep up with.¡± ¡°I beat someone at the peak easily I won¡¯t lose¨C¡± ¡°So you¡¯re the one who bested my subordinate.¡± A man in purple robes, with black hair and a sharp nose entered the shop.¡± Fonta shrugged Rolled Yang out of the room and picked up their fourth member. From there he left the building and made his way out of the auction house. They found Drie in quick succession and made his way into their carriage. ¡°So who''s the brat?¡± Drie asked. Fonta realized he never got her name. ¡°Umm, what''s your name? I assume it isn¡¯t sixteen.¡± The pink-haired girl scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I was disowned. My name was passed onto my replacement before I was sold.¡± ¡°Yeesh, demons are rough.¡± Yang winced. ¡°So no family, do you want to choose your name or should you?¡± ¡°You do it.¡± ¡°What are your magicks? And demon powers.¡± ¡°Enhance others, positive summon, and barrier, and I have a somewhat large mana regen. That is all.¡± ¡°What is a positive summon?¡± Yang asked. ¡°I summon creatures of light that can sometimes help others, or do nothing. There is no middle ground. Very unreliable.¡± ¡°What does enhance others do?¡± Yang asked. ¡°It doubles someone¡¯s speed, strength, or other physical capabilities for one minute.¡± ¡°Never cast that on this Fonta. He does not need double speed.¡± ¡°H-hey! Get back here! I am a peak Awakened Cultivator you will bow!¡± ¡°I mean¡­at best you¡¯re early, and even then you seem weaker than a sack of potatoes. Why does one fight always lead to another? Don¡¯t listen to Yang, let''s test out that power.¡±
Fonta lay beaten, bruised, and broken, various bones had been shattered. Truly he had underestimated them. Said the pink-haired girl seemed panicked as she summoned a small white ball with feathery wings and a single eye. The entity covered Fonta in white magic that healed his bones but didn¡¯t fix the soreness in his mussels or aches all over. The fight lasted less than two seconds. The Awakened cultivator was only at the 7th level of awakening and had hired the monk to act as one of his subordinates. Unlike anyone with good sense, they ignored the eyewitness accounts of Fonta defeating the bruiser. All Fonta had done was slap him across the face, which nearly snapped his neck with the strength amplification. The boy¡¯s bodyguards were subdued soon after, then Fonta ran back towards the carriage, tripped over his foot, and launched himself into a reinforced building. Fonta¡¯s body gave out first though it would have a Fonta-shaped indent for a while. ¡°I¡¯m sorry master Fonta! Don¡¯t leave me! I¡¯m so sorry?¡± Fonta didn¡¯t speak as his teeth were getting repaired and he even noticed that they were reforming straighter and whiter than before. A strange thought entered his head as he was healed. Was this the magic his sister used? Or was it thanks to that Angel right next to her? ¡°Angul?¡± ¡°Master I¡¯m sorry don¡¯t be angry.¡± ¡°Noh, Angul!¡± The child hid behind Yang. ¡°This is why you two need to listen. Fonta is already faster than someone of his rank should be. More speed while his body isn¡¯t strong enough will be dangerous.¡± ¡°Oh. Is he that fast?¡± ¡°He¡¯s using a movement technique that doesn¡¯t rely on chi to cover distances that most people. Lots of hops and jumps to dart about, almost bestial.¡± Fonta sighed. ¡°Can¡¯t deny that''s quite true. It was developed for fighting multiple foes at once. I have also bitten something to death while using it. Though I will admit that it is indeed quite beast-like.¡± ¡°You bit something to death? Do you have fangs?¡± ¡°No, but I was fighting multiple Vits at once, my talent seems to grow the more types of weapons I learn and the more I use them the better I get. My body is one of those weapons.¡± ¡°How many were you fighting?.¡± ¡°Four at once, they tend to hesitate when you act like a predator instead of prey.¡± ¡°Why would you fight Vit¡¯s they¡¯re just mounts.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain later. How far have we gotten?¡± Fonta stated. ¡°You were out for eight hours and these horses are faster than the others.¡± ¡°So 5 days until the next stop?¡± ¡°Two, there is another rest stop, though this one is smaller. The father of that brat you knocked out lives there, but based on his injuries I doubt he¡¯ll be running home fast enough to matter.¡± ¡°I just need to stay out of trouble.¡± Fonta nodded and winced as he went back to sleep. Chapter 6: A deadly proposal As the four traveled into the checkpoint town, what looked like a mob had gathered in the city''s center where a demon tied to a wooden stake was getting covered in a strange liquid. The Red-haired demon looked familiar to Fonta. ¡°What are they doing?¡± Yang asked. ¡°Demon burning, while most are resilient to fire it just means they burn slower making the pain last longer. Its how demons are punished when caught trespassing in towns like this. We should keep going, stopping here would be bad.¡± Drie stated as he moved through the town. ¡°Fonta¡¯s being oddly quiet.¡± Yang turned around only to notice that Fonta was missing and the young demon was teary-eyed though her mouth was held shut by force of will. ¡°Kid, when did he leave?¡± ¡°I blinked and he was gone.¡± Yang said with much concern. Cries echoed from the center of the city. ¡°Gwaaa!¡± ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Owie!¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Squeak ¡°Did he just¡­ they captured a demon, there has to be someone strong there for that to occur. I mean if he dies the debt is erased but I thought I''d at least get to trade pointers after he got some formal training.¡± Drie sighed as he stopped the carriage. ¡°Fonta!¡± Angel yelled as she looked through the out the carriage and saw that the small town was on fire.
Fonta had left the vehicle the moment he recognized the demon he also noticed the familiar stalking presence watching from a safe distance. This was likely a trap from the beginning. For whom, he didn¡¯t know, but demons were more pragmatic than most, if the situation was anything like last time, the demoness dying would let the hidden attack be out of pure vengeance. Someone thought the demon''s death would make their plans bloom faster. Wiping out a small town like this for daring to do such a thing was something he could see them do. Moving with the swiftness of the wind Fonta darted to the top of a building and jumped over the large stake. His umbrella was opened as he fell behind one of the guards with the canisters like a shadow, his legs wrapping around his neck like a vice and taking him to the ground. Had he been angry Fonta might have snapped his neck. There was no anger, just disappointment in their stupidity. ¡°I Fonta Pain, am here to stop this execution! But I will give your leader one chance to convince me that this was just. If you can, I¡¯ll kill her now, as I was the one who let her live. If not I¡¯ll show you a fate worse than death.¡± Fonta held his umbrella to the unconscious guard¡¯s throat and instinctively knew that he could hit a switch and cause a thin blade to shoot out and sever his carotid artery before retracting. From there he could then pull out a thin sword and use it like that. However, something told him not to do that here. ¡°It¡¯s because she¡¯s a demon. Death to all demons and demon sympathizers!¡± Fonta moved the umbrella higher and hit a switch cutting into their cheek as he pulled the trigger and drew the thin weapon. These people had earned themselves two strikes, the third would be lethal. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying. You¡¯re going to kill me, because I have common sense. Why do you also look familiar?¡± ¡°You will burn with them you little brat.¡± Deep breath Fonta. One breath in one breath out. His mind tried to tell him, as per usual, his second thoughts were left behind. Fonta bounced forward, passing one of the guards and cutting deep into their legs from behind their greaves. Causing them to collapse as the oil they were using covered their body as well as Fonta¡¯s blade. ¡°Gwaaa!¡± One of the guards dropped their oil, drew their crossbow, and fired. Fonta slashed through the bolt splitting it in half and causing his sword to catch fire. One half pieced the shoulder of one guard and the kneecap of the other. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Owie!¡± Moving forward Fonta cut into the crossbow guard¡¯s face causing blood to shoot out as half his face was taken in seconds a kick knocked him into the crowd below. ¡°Stop!¡± Fonta¡¯s gaze fell on the man who led the group holding a torch above the demoness. As if ready to light the stake on fire. ¡°You have chosen death. Light that and you suffer the same fate.¡± Fonta had been using half his speed due to the amount of oil on the ground. Though he''d been careful in how he moved, creating a spiral of oil around them. ¡°I¡¯ll die killing a demon!¡± Fonta placed his lit sword in its sheath and scowled as he felt a secondary use as a trigger similar to that of a crossbow fell down the curved handle. ¡°I stopped, are you happy?¡± Fonta couldn¡¯t make it across without the risk of slipping. ¡°Too late.¡± The stake was lit. Fonta raised his weapon and pulled the trigger feeling an ache in his body as his chi was used and a third meridian was forced open as his body began to expel black liquid through his pores like oil and rapidly flowed to the ground. The Fire, the oil, the rope tying up the demoness, and the stake holding her, as well as everyone save on the stage at the time wearing cloth and silks. Which included the town head but didn¡¯t include Fonta or the demoness. Fonta walked over to the leader, kicked him in the head, and pressed the white hot umbrella tip against his chest as it dug into him slowly. The blade wouldn¡¯t pierce his heart but it would cook him. Fonta considered killing him as his adrenaline faded. Instead, he burned a line into his torso causing him to squeak in pain. ¡°You were going to put someone through this pain, for passing through. Can you stand, being roasted to death for days, dying of dehydration before getting slow roasted? Are you a cannibal? I won¡¯t feel bad killing you. But it would be dirt I¡¯d rather not deal with. Ya see, if I have to come back here to see you. Ya better hope I¡¯m not mad, otherwise I¡¯ll kill you, then wipe out the rest of your family. You¡¯re doing what cultivators call courting death.¡± The mayor panicked. ¡°What are you going on about?¡± ¡°You see, had you just cut her head off, or done something swift out of sight and humane. I wouldn¡¯t have tried to step in. What you do now, making a spectacle out of a lynching, do you really thing there aren¡¯t demons here waiting for you to do something like that. You won¡¯t receive support from the city states if you start the war by killing one of their nobles. They are here and they are waiting. Thus killing you and ridding the world of your bloodline would be for the good of humanity. Do you accept death or will you learn from your mistakes?¡± Fonta pushed the umbrella, getting a louder scream before the man passed out. Fonta burned an X on their cheek with his blade. Fonta then got back up his gaze looking at everyone causing fear to ripple through the mob below. He then retrieved the unconscious demoness and threw her over his right shoulder. ¡°All right all ye weasels have to the count of five to make way before I fight my way through. Ya got it?¡± The people didn¡¯t move so Fonta pointed his weapon to the side with his left hand, in an attempt to get them to hurry only to pull the trigger and fire a ball of concentrated flames that destroyed a section of the town and continued off. The other demon had been hiding in that general area earlier but Fonta couldn¡¯t sense him now. He¡¯d gotten it right, that demon had been. Moments later he noticed various figures slip out from the crowd and points of the town. Fonta knew a setup when he stepped into it. He could recognize when someone is using people to serve their ends. While he hadn¡¯t figured out Yang¡¯s goal yet, he was being used for some purpose he didn¡¯t understand. The townspeople didn¡¯t care at this point as the purple-haired boy was scarier than any demon they¡¯d seen could hope to be. Legends of this would be passed down and embellished as the wrath of the Tyrannical Tyke. The meaning of tyke would also be debated for centuries and it was accepted that the urban legend was both at the same time. Fonta however returned to the parked carriage and got in. His expression was angry as he entered the vehicle. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What happened?¡± Yang asked. ¡°Their place was swarming with demonic agents. This was a trap to give them reason to invade. I imagine when someone important dies, people in power use that power to get revenge. The fact that people are watching her tells me she could be someone important.¡± ¡°What told you there was something wrong?¡± ¡°Street smarts. I know when people aren¡¯t telling me something or when something is amiss. Though I don¡¯t exactly know what¡¯s wrong.¡± Fonta added with a squint towards the other two who seemed quite fishy. The red-haired demoness woke up confused, a nine-pointed star glowing on the side of her neck like a magical tattoo. ¡°Why am I alive?¡± ¡°Why are you asking that?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°You! You''re the reason my mission was a failure!¡± The demoness withdrew a dagger and swung it in an attempt to push Fonta away. Fonta used his umbrella to disarm her in a single motion. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you. That would cause more problems.¡± ¡°Why did you interrupt my execution!¡± ¡°What would you have gained from death?¡± Fonta kicked the dagger off the carriage. While Fonta had been distracted the Demoness had drawn a second dagger which she used to cut into her own throat. ¡°Kid!¡± Yang yelled. The pink-haired girl panicked a bit but in time she summoned one of the floating eyes which sealed the wound but did nothing else as it vanished. ¡°Angel, can you check her for more sharp objects?¡± Fonta said after turning around and seeing the blood running out of the carriage. He¡¯d immediately begun trying to staunch the bleeding. ¡°Angel? Whose that?¡± Fonta pointed to the girl with pink hair. ¡°You. That''s your new name. Your name is Angel now, I¡¯d throw you a welcome party but I¡¯m sure the nearest bakers would rather throw me in an oven than bake you a cake.¡± Angel frisked the demon and found quite a few pointy implements on her person which were well hidden in places Fonta wouldn¡¯t have known where to look.¡± Fonta collected the needles, finger-length blades, a carving knife, a sword breaker, two stilettos, a few blow darts, and a necklace with seven sharp stars. ¡°I think she can keep the necklace. It can¡¯t hurt anyone.¡± ¡°Let me see that.¡± Fonta snatched up the necklace and did a few practice swings with the jewelry scowling as he sliced through the top of a barrel full of rice. White grains spilled everywhere as Fonta pocketed the item. ¡°It counts as a weapon.¡± ¡°Fonta¡­ I get that you''re experienced but your display of power is quite high. To think you could use flame arts.¡± ¡°Oh that was unintentional and one hundred percent a function of my weapon. It absorbed all the fire that would have burned the area to ash then made it stronger somehow. Though it did use a lot of energy to do that.¡± ¡°Fonta¡­let''s make an exchange. My talent lets me mimic the arts and techniques I see, so as long as the target is willing to let me learn it or unaware of my ability and/or presence, I can pick it up if I watch it done at least once.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to that. But I¡¯ll keep it simple. If it can be considered a weapon I have a basic understanding of how to use it. I am a weapon master of sorts. Nothing strange about it.¡± ¡°So you get a head start on learning how to wield weapons. Can you show me what an unconventional weapon is?¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, but you¡¯re going to have to help me read that manual you gave me.¡± ¡°...It¡¯s literally just pictures.¡± Fonta opened the manual and scowled as he looked at a banana dancing in the center of the page as various peanuts fought against armies of grapes. The pictures moved and eventually, the soldiers lay in mass communal coffins for both sides. Somewhat shaper-like bread that had been cut. ¡°I see that. But what do they say?¡± ¡°It''s the manual of waves, a version of my family''s style.¡± Fonta squinted as he watched the images morph into a man with a top knot doing various sword forms. ¡°Huh¡­ That''s a first.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Move with the water, my body is the ocean, my arms and legs represent the waves. The blade points towards the moon.¡± Fonta handed the book back. ¡°Can¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s incomplete and not suitable for me. My legs are too short to use it right.¡± ¡°Show me what you picked up.¡± Fonta looked at the unconscious demoness and squinted as he withdrew some rope making sure to tie her up. ¡°Angel, if she wakes up, call for us.¡± Fonta helped Yang down from the cart. As he got the chair down and then picked up Yang, an odd expression crossed his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Did you gain weight?¡± Fonta immediately felt a chill on the back of his neck. ¡°What ever do you mean?¡± ¡°This is a marriage plot isn¡¯t it.¡± Fonta felt a warm breeze on his neck and scowled. Yang looked at him as though he¡¯d grown a second head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. I am a dude afterall.¡± ¡°...I didn¡¯t mean you. If I learn this style I¡¯ll have to marry into the family or be on the run from your family.¡± Yang shook his head. ¡°Word things better.¡± Fonta sighed. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I will. You still seem odd to me.¡± ¡°Odd in what way?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t put it into words. But something feels off.¡± Fonta scowled. ¡°Fine, if you must know, it¡¯s because I have two new prosthetic feet. They are very light weight but I can¡¯t walk on them yet. My limbs haven''t finished healing yet so I¡¯m not supposed to walk on them yet.¡± Fonta felt the last piece click in his mind. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the one being used in this marriage part and I assume it¡¯s to someone much higher on the totem pole.¡± ¡°Yes, my grandfather was the child of a lady of the night and someone pretty high in the family though not a direct descendant. Regardless of that he managed to learn the family¡¯s water arts to a high degree though he was barred from progressing further as his center was bound when he was younger. Essentially, grandfather wants me to assassinate the one who holds his seal, or become the next patriarch of our family.¡± ¡°How removed are you¡­¡± ¡°My grandfather¡¯s father was the servant of the third in line of the leader at the time. That man had a small portion of the bloodline, but had a somewhat prestigious position. It is the previous third in line who holds the seal. So in the worst case scenario I have 1/128th of the original main bloodline. Do you know how talent rarity is determined?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Ok, so if two parents have a rare talent it is all but guaranteed that the child will have a rare or better talent.¡± ¡°What are the rarities?¡± ¡°Trash, Decent, Uncommon, Rare, Unique. Legendary.¡± Fonta scowled. ¡°Nothing after legendary?¡± ¡°No. Not that I know of. Why?¡± Fonta scowled. ¡°Can you tell someone¡¯s rarity by looking at them?¡± ¡°No. There are devices that measure innate chi quality but those are useless once you actually start on the path. My talent falls into, the unique category.¡± ¡°Fair enough, let''s keep this a secret however.¡± Fonta took a low pose his umbrella pointed downward and in front as his right hand was raised. He soon realized that he was adapting the style to fit him and switched positions. The umbrella was still held in the same hand only the handle was aimed at an upwards diagonal. ¡°This is the frigid wind stance. Using chi while in this stance efficiently chills the air where it slashes and would eventually freeze someone in blocks of ice as it progressed. I don¡¯t have the chi for that so watch the movement.¡± Fonta slashed with the blade in an upward diagonal, chilling the air and sending a cool breeze forward towards Yang but otherwise doing nothing else. Fonta then continued through the 7 movements of that stance which revolved around quick. The slashes, parries, and spin would be useful to someone with more chi. Fonta finished the first technique by moving into what appeared to be two separate combinations. A step forward with a thrust towards the opponent''s body, as they were expected to dodge, the user of the technique would rotate 360 degrees using the momentum to slice up their legs and let out a series of cuts. ¡°Crimson Snow.¡± That was the name of that maneuver. Moving onto the second, Fonta let out a series of sword thrusts as he waited for his friend Yang to pick up on them. His next moves were filled with stabbing attacks that were quite annoying to block and couldn¡¯t be evaded without a decent movement technique. After the thrusts Fonta moved his blade back, appearing to move backward in preparation for a final thrust. Fonta thrust his opposing hand forward as a dragon of ice shot from his palm and snaked outward into a tree before dissipating. Fonta looked at his hands in surprise. ¡°That¡­didn¡¯t use my chi, but it did the magic thing.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­It¡¯s small, but to be able to use it at all despite not being a member of the family. What did you change?¡± ¡°The 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 11th pictures were lies. I fixed them but I don¡¯t like the Tyrant of Winter, my arms are too short for it.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Yang winced as he got to his prosthetics and then grimaced in pain. ¡°Rest. If I need to do it again when you''re healed I¨C¡± ¡°She¡¯s up!!¡± Fonta left Yang in the field as he moved towards the back of the carriage and hopped inside moments later. The tied-up Demoness had a rag stuffed in her mouth and a look that made Fonta take a step back. ¡°What have you done?¡± ¡°She tried to command me to kill her via hierarchy. I stopped her from biting her tongue.¡± The pink-haired girl crossed her arms. ¡°Ah, good job.¡± Fonta patted her on the head, and a loud snap filled both of their ears as the beanie sunk down a bit ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°You broke my horn!¡± Fonta shrugged then looked at the tied-up demoness. ¡°One problem at a time. Ok. Red one, you now work for me. No more of this self destruction, it¡¯s inconvenient. Also if you die, how will you get your revenge?¡± Fonta squinted as he flicked the tattoo on her neck causing it to explode in green fire. The young demoness passed out again. ¡°You sure have a way with women¡­¡± Yang said as they arrived. Fonta pulled off the beanie and noticed that the horn had fallen out, the root of said horn attached to it as the area it had grown from closed as though it never existed as hair replaced what was lost. Though there were now two pointed protrusions on her back. Fonta swung the horn and nodded. ¡°Decent weapon. You can tie it to a stick for a nice spear.¡± Fonta added then looked away. Angel took the horn and looked as though she¡¯d start crying. ¡°Fine, I''m sorry my ogre strength broke your horn. Do what you will.¡± Fonta grabbed the collar and hit the release. Angel did start crying much to Fonta¡¯s irritation. Fonta held out the collar. ¡°Pretend to sleep if you want, I don¡¯t get it. But you¡¯re still a demon. Wearing one of these means you are working for a powerful or rich human. Shouldn¡¯t do anything to you, but you likely won¡¯t be burned at a stake unless you go about murdering people. So do me a favor and stay out of trouble. I won''t save you, a second time.¡± Fonta said coldly as he put the collar on and closed it. From there he cut off the rope. ¡°What do you want?¡± The demoness asked. ¡°You, not dying anywhere around me. So survive, other than that you¡¯re free to go. Should take you two days to find a nice secluded ditch far far away from humans.¡± ¡°Arera, that is my name. I owe you my life.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t, and I never asked for your name.¡± ¡°Hey two names that both start with the A, character.¡± ¡°Angel, do you want a different name?¡± Fonta asked, ¡°Angel is mine. Tell her to change her name.¡± Angel crossed her arms as though irritated about something. ¡°Fine, we¡¯re changing your name Arera, since your a demon, how about Demia?¡± ¡°No. Let me keep my name.¡± ¡°All right, we¡¯re voting. All in favor of Demia? Raise your left hand.¡± Fonta said jokingly. Only Angel raised her hand not getting the joke. ¡°I¡¯ll change it, just let me pick it, Zareraz. There it¡¯s demonic and nothing like Angel.¡± ¡°Too many letters. Your nickname is now Zara. Your formal name Zareraz, welcome to the bin.¡± Fonta scowled. Yang sighed. ¡°Are you building yourself a harem?¡± ¡°No of course not, unless you plan on abandoning me when you get your feet.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be frank. The second I get feet. I¡¯ll be going to a new city. Luminocity is bigger than our home but its still small potatoes. I have three rotations to be ready for the courting trial. Which means late awakened stage or early Nascent more than likely.¡± ¡°The what now?¡± ¡°Essentially, every branch member as well as some new blood are allowed to participate in a trial to gain the right to wed the current patriarch¡¯s eldest daughter.¡± ¡°Interesting, what else do you get if you win?¡± Fonta nodded. ¡°A talented wife, prestige, cultivation resources, grooming to be the next to inherit the head position. Family ties, and all kinds of equipment for personal use.¡± Angel crossed her arms as she looked at Fonta. ¡°Oi. You aren¡¯t planning on participating in the trials, are you?¡± ¡°Of course I am. Will there be fighting?¡± ¡°Fonta¡­are you my rival?¡± ¡°Hmmm? No, look Yang, you aren¡¯t much good in a fight yet. Thus I had a plan, we both entered and I helped you get to the top while fighting all the competition.¡± ¡°You mean some of-... No you mean what you say. Battle maniac. Do you want to marry into that family?¡± ¡°I could care less about that, but if you win, you can help me save my sister when we get strong enough?¡± Zara scowled. ¡°You have a sister?¡± ¡°Yeah, your people kidnapped her for some reason. Pisses me off but I¡¯m going to have to save her eventually. First I need power and connections to get to her. Then I just need to fight my way home.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Angel asked. ¡°I had a younger sister, she was taken by the demons for some reason.¡± ¡°She can¡¯t be your sister. That would mean someone messed up the scry.¡± Zara scowled. ¡°Well she was, and I¡¯m older. Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Fonta took two steps back. ¡°Nothing. If it¡¯s what you say, the demons may eventually come for you as well.¡± ¡°Ah, a way in, but I still need to get stronger. What can you do Zara?¡± ¡°Negative summoning, Curses, Debilitation, and Ice-Fire Magic.¡± Zara added. ¡°So the opposite of Angel.¡± Fonta looked towards the roof. Yang sighed. ¡°A self sufficient group.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Fonta leaned against his umbrella and helped Yang into the vehicle. Chapter 7: Shadow in lights The carriage arrived on the outskirts of a city and parked as Fonta, Yang, Angel, and Zara exited the carriage and moved towards the unguarded and open gates. Entering the city was easy, though it appeared as though despite being under the care of six awakened cultivators. There was a disturbing lack of visible defenses. Tall buildings stood throughout the city as various people moved about freely unhindered. Crime seemed oddly low as Fonta glossed over places he¡¯d expect to find orphans planning a food heist. ¡°The lack of visible orphans concerns me.¡± Fonta then looked for people who could be homeless. There were none of those, not even beggars or solicitors. ¡°Something is either really right or dangerously wrong. Be on guard.¡± Fonta said as he entered a shop selling drinking gourds. From inside the shop, the doors shot open but no one entered for a long moment then three other people followed, one of which was obviously a demon while another looked like a noble, riding in a precursor artifact. A ghost talked to the shopkeeper from below. ¡°Excuse me. I¡¯m looking for my master. He used to be a talking drinking gourd and said to come here.¡± Fonta placed the remains of a broken gourd on the counter. The shopkeeper stood up, watching a rather short kid struggle to reach the high counter. ¡°Ah, I do not make talking gourds. Just for drinking.¡± ¡°Man¡­ So the master really wasn¡¯t a talking gourd. Such a pain, they could have at least given me a name. What can you tell me about the rulers of this city?¡± Fonta placed one clean sock on the counter like a bribe. ¡°Ok. Well there are seven awakened cultivators in the city. The Swordmaster, the Seductress, the Aegis, the Doctor, Man of many eyes, The Self Made King, and the Puppeteer. The Puppeteer is a hidden entity and no one knows what they look like but it is said that they trained the Man of Many Eyes, and the Self Made King. Now what is this?¡± Fonta put the other sock onto the table. ¡°The first for information, the second to keep quiet. Also my companions need two small gourds.¡± ¡°50 Ducks.¡± The worker placed them both on the counter and stifled a laugh as the boy stood on his tiptoes to reach the five-foot-tall counter. The demon with the collar took the gourds and handed one to the pink-haired girl. They nodded and the four left the shop. As the four left a shadow darted from the corner of the shop and entered the boy¡¯s shadow. ¡°Fonta. So where are we going?¡± Yang asked. ¡°Well we need to be found by the puppeteer or we need to find them ourselves.¡± ¡°At least that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been told. I need to drop off some items at the branch of this auction house. Can you two get Yang to that doctor while I tend to this?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Zara said with irritation. Angel pushed Yang away as Fonta watched them go. ¡°Vits.¡± Fonta knew how to get around a city, and eventually found himself in what could be seen as a lower district where people of the night tended to ply their trade as it was mid-day; however, the place was empty save for the various people in black uniforms going in and out of a building. Taking a seat on a bench Fonta drew the sword from his umbrella. ¡°What do you want?¡± Fonta asked. A human-shaped figure made from shadows stepped out of his and spoke through the ground. ¡°So you noticed. Why are you searching for the puppet master?¡± ¡°They asked me to seek them out. So I did.¡± ¡°Curious, why would they care about someone so low on the Elpmet stage.¡± ¡°I could be called a Vit exterminator. I am very good at fighting.¡± ¡°Fine then, we will be playing a game of tag. If you can catch me before sundown you win, and I will bring you to the teacher. If you can¡¯t, never look for them again.¡± Fonta swiftly closed the distance causing the shadow to flinch as his hand nearly grabbed its neck. ¡°Not yet. Give me a five no ten second head start.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Fonta rolled his eyes and watched the shadow flee. ¡°One, two,-¡± Fonta watched as the shadow took off flowing up a building and away as he counted. The next eight seconds flew by as Fonta took a rocket stance and shot off. ¡°Ten!¡± Fonta hopped towards a wall in the ally and kicked off with his feet before repeating the process eight times in rapid succession as he reached the rooftop where he saw a shadow moving three buildings away. Fonta scowled and gave chase as he hopped over the gap between two buildings, rolled to break his fall then jumped through an open apartment door window. He sprinted through the long halfway then jumped through the balcony only to realize there was nowhere closeby to land. Opening his umbrella slowed his fall greatly as he floated toward another building much closer to the shadow. ¡°How!¡± The shadow darted down the building and flew under the people walking through the street in a pattern to confuse Fonta. Fonta free fell the last four feet and rolled again as he dashed forward no longer fearing the fall he launched himself over the market district and fell forward. Rapidly approaching the shadow hidden under a stall. Using the umbrella to slow his fall when he was close before sliding down and landing in the throng of people. Moving through them like water Fonta arrived where he thought the shadow was hiding only to see movement in the corner of his eyes causing him to sprint in that direction. Moving through people proved difficult so he began shipping from the roof of the various outdoor shops eventually noticing the shadow sneak inside a vase. Fonta jumped onto the vase and held it tight.¡± ¡°How are you so fast!¡± The vae yelled. ¡°I just am not I got you. Does this count as a win?¡± ¡°I will never surrender to you!¡± ¡°But I won. Do you want to fight me?¡± The shadow seemed to stir. ¡°Fine, master said that If I were to run into you avoid combat because you are a rabid beast.¡± ¡°Ah so you do know my new master. Now then show me to the place. I need to get stronger fast.¡± Fonta stated with his arms crossed. Fonta was slowly led to a garden in the upper district belonging to a wealthy individual. Behind the garden was a large home suitable for a large family of training multiple people. The meaning was subtle but eventually a wiry man with glasses and dark brown eyes walked out of the house with a cane. His expression was tired but his power was visible. ¡°You must be Fonta, I am the Man of Many Eyes, though this estate belongs to my master, they are unavailable for a little while. Why don¡¯t you come inside for tea?¡± ¡°Alright, Fonta entered the house and looked down where shoes had been placed. He took his off and placed his sneakers next to the others. His clean white socks showed as he stepped onto the carpet. ¡°It appears you are a child of means to afford socks like that, and give them away.¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re clothes are odd as well. Where did you get them?¡± The wiry man clenched his fingers. ¡°Good question. I won¡¯t answer that now. Not until I talk to the person who brought me here.¡± ¡°Interesting. Fine then, how did you enjoy that game? It was brief but the other disciple said you jumped off an apartment complex.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what the building was then yes. The first time was an accident.¡± ¡°I see, welcome to Lumino City if you need anything, call. One of us will hear.¡± ¡°How did you know I was there?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°We were informed that the master possessed a gourd when encountering a strange child with high combat prowess for his age.¡± ¡°I see. So it was a matter of time. ¡± Fonta sipped the tea, noticing that it hadn¡¯t been poisoned. Within the hour a wooden puppet walked from the back room and nodded towards Fonta. A familiar link connected to Fonta as well as the other man in the room. ¡°Fonta, we meet again.I am known as the puppeteer. My main talent allows me to see what someone needs to do to train their talents. Once they learn its name at least.¡± ¡°Ah and you use puppets from a long distance away to prevent being kidnapped for some powerful family or something.¡± ¡°I think I get it. Shame, are you going to give me your name this time?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Maybe, but not yet. Why did you come by so fast anyways?¡± ¡°The demons took my sister. It is my job to bring her back home.¡± Fonta added. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re determined but given what I can tell, they won¡¯t harm her, not for a while anyways. At best you have 8 years at worst 6, which is long enough for you to reach maturity.¡± ¡°Yeah because I¡¯ll be an adult.¡± ¡°Kind of. You Fonta are a precursor or at least the descendant of one. People like you age slower than the average human, and tend to grow rapidly once they hit maturity. Figured that out when I saw your sister. If they took her that means they need her for something. Likely repairing the barrier keeping the planets apart.¡± ¡°What?¡± Fonta seemed surprised. ¡°Demons are pragmatic but their current head is getting old. They need a powerful mage to take their position else the planets will collide and everyone on both worlds die. We have a cultivator equivalent here as well. But while less explosive, cultivators tend to live a lot longer when they aren¡¯t killed. I didn¡¯t expect the demons to act so fast however.¡± ¡°You knew they were coming?¡± ¡°In time, yes, this is early. Thirty years too early.¡± ¡°Oh. So it shouldn¡¯t have been a problem I worried about.¡± ¡°They could be planning a coup which means your sister is likely being trained in magic. That can¡¯t be rushed. Even if she picks magic up like you do weapons.¡± ¡°So I have some time to grow but.¡± ¡°One year should be sufficient for your next growth spurt after that you¡¯ll need to break through your 16 meridians.¡± ¡°Sixteen?¡± ¡°Precursors can wield magic and chi better than either. However I can only teach you the Chi portion and impart knowledge. A demon archmage would know what to do with you. Demons can also learn cultivation and humans magic but they won¡¯t be as gifted.¡± ¡°I see. So you didn¡¯t want the Mal Dynamis.¡± ¡°No, so you managed to beat the rodent?¡± ¡°Yeah. I can buy whatever I want but I can¡¯t read the language.¡± ¡°Ah, the precursor script is a bit tricky, but I can teach you the basics.¡± ¡°I have¨C¡± ¡°Precursors and their descendants can¡¯t easily comprehend the lower languages. I can bypass that via teaching. Also you need to develop a secondary talent.¡± ¡°How do I do that?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°You have been banned from using weapons to fight for four months. If you must fight, here. What level of Cultivation technique did you unlock?¡± Fonta was handed a wooden spoon for a cooking pot. ¡°Lost, it''s the Way of the Unrelenting Wave.¡± ¡°Lost you say, have you considered starting a sect? All elements as well?¡± ¡°Yes I believe.¡± The puppet collapsed suddenly and without more prompting. ¡°Fonta, I won¡¯t use this information against you but I do ask that you share your technique with your friend and the shadow you chased. A technique can¡¯t be changed after entering the Elpmet stage.¡± ¡°Ah, well I¡¯ll be bringing two demons and another human with me to train. There is somewhere we need to be in six years.¡± The puppet started moving. ¡°Get your friends and come back, you¡¯ll be staying here for your training. Starting tomorrow you will be helping in various odd jobs to progress your talents in the morning while you cultivate in the afternoon and sleep at night. The evenings will be yours when you reach the peak of Elpmet, and we will begin formal weapon training. ¡°We are likely going to be an Unorthodox sect, given the fact that we will only have 2 or 3 humans in the Elpmet stage. Kind of forces us to do that.¡± ¡°Us, sect?¡± ¡°I mean, a Lost technique is powerful, I imagine that''s why you have been breaking through your meridians so fast. Though two are quite wide.¡± ¡°Fine, you win. Let''s start a sect but you''re going to be the leader. That can happen later though. I¡¯m much too weak.¡± ¡°Co lead, and I¡¯m holding the spot till you get strong enough.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to teach?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your technique and That''s all I intend to do. Teaching is my goal but first we¡¯ll need funds.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ The Mal Dynamis lets me spend money to buy things from a precursor shop. I have a deal with the auction house to only sell small clothes to them. But anything else there is fair game. I just don¡¯t know how to use it properly yet.¡± ¡°If only you didn¡¯t have to wait a year¡­Well you fight above rank, so it doesn¡¯t matter¡­If your training goes well we can tackle some ruins and claim them as our sect base doing so sooner would allow us to be somewhat established by the time we need it.¡± ¡°Why not claim the one back home?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°Because those ruins are in the backwood and underground, using them would be inconvenient.¡± Fonta squinted. ¡°Things seem to be moving quite fast.¡± ¡°Of course Fonta, you have a lot to learn. If this was a story, we¡¯d still be in the prologue.¡± The puppet looked at something only it seemed to be able to see. Fonta pulled out a needle and threw it where the puppet seemed to be looking. The next morning Fonta was awoken by the sound of a rooster that had wandered into his room. He hadn¡¯t recalled going to sleep nor did he recall anything after drinking tea. As he got to his feet, he felt pain in every part of his body. As though his entire body was burning from the inside. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Fonta mumbled as he walked towards a closet and retrieved his clothes. After getting dressed Fonta slid the door open towards the balcony revealing the backyard below and a ten-foot drop to get to the bottom with a small barricade between him to prevent accidental falling. Fonta hopped over the barrier and fell to the ground landing with a roll. As he did, he noticed that the damage to his body from such a maneuver was insignificant if he could even call it damaged. Looking about, Fonta found the front door and re-entered, only to see Yang sitting at a table with the puppet from the day before. ¡°Fonta. So you have arrived.¡± The puppet stated telepathically. ¡°How''s it hanging?¡± Fonta scratched his head, noticing that his hair was quite tangled and a few small welts had appeared. ¡°Huh?¡± Yang made an odd face as he looked at Fonta as though he had grown a second head. ¡°What?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°You grew two inches but that stench. Did you sweat out a meridian?¡± Fonta scowled and focused on his inner body as he checked his meridians, a line connecting to his kidneys had widened until it was as wide as the others, though what was odd was the line connecting to his middle spine and bones. Fonta had grown denser and taller over what he thought was a night. ¡°Upper spine meridian, one of the optional ones for some as it connects the cultivation of one¡¯s mind to their body. It increases what we call spiritual attributes.¡± ¡°Which means?¡± ¡°Aura attacks and defenses, weapon arts, enhanced movement. Guess chasing after that shadow forced you to open a meridian and the exhaustion hit you when you expended too much energy.¡± Fonta seemed board by the explanation as he listened. ¡°You also grew half an inch overnight.¡± Yang added. ¡°Woo!¡± Fonta cheered and looked towards the puppet. ¡°Now then clean up then follow Yang towards your first job. You¡¯ve been out for three days.¡± ¡°Yes, great master.¡± Yang nodded and left the room. Leaving Fonta with the puppeteer. ¡°What!¡± Fonta looked about. ¡°It¡¯s a side effect of opening up meridians directly connected to your brain. Things need to reset and adjust as talents adapt to better fit your current abilities.¡± ¡°Three days! I could have been training!¡± ¡°That was training, not my fault you are a little slow witted.¡± ¡°Slow witted?¡± Fonta looked towards the puppet. ¡°Yes, they say one¡¯s mental capacity influences how quickly they can progress through mental meridians. Some people take seconds or minutes, and a major lack of imagination.¡± ¡°What do you mean no imagi cation? I¡¯m plenty magictive.¡± ¡°Kid¡­ You can¡¯t read. For good reason mind you, but you haven¡¯t done much if at all. The precursor language is likely lost to you since you appear to be a first generation.¡± ¡°A what now?¡± ¡°A gen 1 precursor. It means a high purity of magic and chi. Gen 1¡¯s are either born by two parents that are of the same purity or one at gen one and the other at two, or they come into existence when massive amounts of power is gathered in one place suddenly. Their ages are usually under five, with knowledge of how to survive if nothing else. But no knowledge of what they are. That''s what you appear to be, second gen are usually born from human or demon heritage mixed with a first gen precursor, making them innately more powerful, with all the drawbacks a precursor has. Like an inability to learn the language through normal means. The final gen is a third gen which is a descendant of precursors, usually dormant, precursor abilities are locked until one gets strong enough to reawaken them. They don¡¯t compare to the first generation in terms of raw talent but most third gen are in positions of power or have strong families.¡± ¡°Why do you know this?¡± ¡°Because I am a second generation myself. While rare, we are more common than a first.¡± ¡°Is that why you aren¡¯t here in person?¡± ¡°That is a good question. I may answer that one day. Said day would come along faster if you were diligent in your training. Maybe.¡± ¡°Fine. Am I dismissed?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°Yang has your schedule. I won¡¯t be meeting with you much, but I will inform you that It will take a while. Potentially a few months or so, if I¡¯m lucky. This area is in what we refer to as the unclaimed lands. City states and small territories mark the area as many unclaimed ruins lay dormant all over. People past the awakened tiers will have trouble gathering enough chi to survive.¡± ¡°Ah¡­That''s why.¡± Fonta may not have been the wisest person but he did catch the clue he¡¯d been given. They needed to possess objects to function in places like this. Which also told him they were likely past Elpmet.
¡°Cut the onions! Don¡¯t butcher them!¡± A man with a poofy white hat yelled. ¡°I did cut them!¡± Fonta yelled as his bloodshot eyes looked towards the head chef. ¡°You made a mess! Leave the apron and wash the dishes.¡± The chef pointed to the onion paste and destroyed the cutting board. Then the broken knives were covered in blood. Fonta had numerous bandages on his fingers where he¡¯d accidentally injured himself. He moved to wash the dishes and proceeded to break the dishes and sponges by applying too much force or failed to clean them properly by applying too little. ¡°Stop! Your a beast! Go outside and cut some firewood.¡± ¡°Do this, do that. Make up your mind old man. Sheesh.¡± A burning Wok was thrown at the boy. Who snatched it from the air and placed it in a separate spot. ¡°It¡¯s, yes Chef, brat.¡± ¡°And It¡¯s Fonta, Old Chef!¡± Fonta brandished his wooden spoon. Fonta had two black eyes, various burns, and more than a few bandaged wounds as he stood outside with an ax cutting wood. He had been out there for four hours cutting nonstop and his arms ached. Were old people always this strong? Eventually his arms cramped and the ax fell from his grasp nearly taking his toes. ¡°Brat! You did your six hours. Get outta here.¡± The chef was completely uninjured, like the old man, he was awakened, but unlike him, he wasn¡¯t weakened by an outside force and had experience. The Ched was also somewhat laying low. Fonta lost the fight fair and square which meant maybe the cook could teach him things. Fonta¡¯s stomach growled as the smell of roasting meat wasted through the back door. ¡°Go home. If you want to eat here, put in the effort to learn or come back with some money.¡± ¡°Like I¡¯d want that smelly food of yours!¡± Fonta yelled words he; ''d soon regret as he left the area, As Fonta ran towards the monastery for his next job. Cleaning the monastery. As it turned out, Fonta was as good at chores as he was cooking. Which wasn¡¯t very much as he was run out as the person in charge ran him out with a mop. He¡¯d broken three brooms and tried to fight one of the monks. That night Fonta made it back exhausted and dead to the world as he slept off his rough day, skipping dinner as well. The next morning, Fonta went to the restaurant early, his stomach growling. ¡°I¡¯ll buy any leftovers you¡¯ve got.¡± ¡°You could order breakfast.¡± Fonta¡¯s stomach fought him. He¡¯d gone days without food before but now his body was fighting it. When did he get so weak? ¡°I should be fine with scraps. I never needed to eat much anyways.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­Just going to spitball here, where were you the last few days. You showed up three days late.¡± ¡°A meridian opened and I was bedridden why?¡± ¡°Did you eat anything after waking up?¡± ¡°No¡­ I did not.¡± ¡°Right. That makes four days, and you exerted your body quite a bit yesterday, right?¡± ¡°Yes, but it wouldn''t be the first time I¡¯ve done that?¡± ¡°Uh huh. Kid you aren¡¯t going to grow much unless you eat. Thats probably why you¡¯re so short.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t¡­¡± Fonta was going to refute but he wasn¡¯t fully wrong. Fonta was hitting his growth spurt he¡¯d need to build himself up. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll pay for breakfast as well.¡± ¡°No need. Today will be free. You aren¡¯t getting paid for your labor after all.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Fonta crossed his arms. A plate of eggs bacon and pancakes was brought to the boy, next to a bowl of cut potatoes. For the first time in his life, Fonta cried over a meal. Though it wasn¡¯t verbal, the only cook had been Ted, and he wasn¡¯t exactly good, they also had to cook for numbers. Fonta was also quite bad with his money which led to them doing what they could to stretch it. ¡°What''s wrong with it?¡± The chef asked as Fonta scarfed it down like a rabid dog. ¡°It¡¯s a little salty. Chef.¡± ¡°Maybe you won¡¯t cry while you eat then! Damned brat!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Fonta removed and got to work. That day he managed to not break any knives, though the onions were a lot less like mush, and he¡¯d gotten to peel potatoes, requiring finesse and patience. Fonta had finesse but his patience was lacking a bit as he nicked himself a few times with the blade. After a while, his control over the small knife increased to a degree rather suddenly as he focused on peeling only the potato skins. Oddly enough the more he¡¯d done it the faster he did it, to the point he could peel them in seconds. After four hours of labor, Fonta was allowed a light lunch before he got to cutting logs. This time he was faster, using his body to break the logs instead of just the logs. Finishing his quota in half a day before heading to the monastery. Sadly Fonta had no talent for cleaning, but at least he hadn¡¯t been run off with a mop this time. The remainder of the day was spent making brooms to replace the ones he¡¯d broken. Though in crafting the items he learned how they were supposed to be used effectively. The next day would be much easier. Leaving the monastery Fonta headed back home where he encountered Angel who was currently carrying more than a few dusty books. She did appear to be straining herself to build them. ¡°Need help?¡± Fonta said as he ran forward. ¡°N-no ma¨CFonta.¡± ¡°Look, your noodle arms don¡¯t look too used to that sort of labor. Please share the burden.¡± ¡°I am your servant. You can''t just.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any servants. You are a new sibling as far as i¡¯m concerned.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m just a replacement.¡± ¡°No one can replace family. You are your own person.¡± Fonta sagely stated as he took two tomes from her. ¡°If you have no servants what is Zara to you?¡± Angel asked innocently. ¡°Nothing but a pain in my¨C¡± ¡°Oi Fonta! You look tired, though people like you usually act like they spend all day everyday toiling like this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never worked an Honest day in my life. Aside from information gathering and ruin dives, I haven¡¯t done much outside of fighting.¡± ¡°Wait wait wait. Information gathering, how could you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m small, nimble, can be anywhere on the street without drawing suspicion in most areas and can fight when needed. Though nothing too dangerous. Mostly small stuff like finding lost toys, investigating suspected infidelity, pranks, returning stolen property to the owners ect. Though that line of work doesn¡¯t pay much when you aren''t willing to break any major laws.¡± ¡°So you are good at it.¡± ¡°Not really. Lets hurry back I need to do the farming thing.¡± ¡°You mean cultivation right?¡± Yang asked. Fonta didn¡¯t answer as he skipped away, books in his hands. Chapter 8: Progress Three months have passed since Fonta began his expedited training. The smell of fire filled the kitchen as various items were being prepped for a lunch rush. Multiple cooks were stationed around the kitchen focusing on tasks designated to them. ¡°I need those onions diced!¡± Yelled a large man with a white beard. ¡°Yes, Chef!¡± Replied a young man with purple hair covered in a bandanna. He grabbed his knife and in moments moved on cutting into an onion. It only took a few seconds and the pieces were nearly uniform. ¡°Now the carrots!¡± The young man didn¡¯t even look at the carrots flying towards him as they were cut up in mid-air before placing a bowl under them. Fonta placed that bowl down, slid the onions into another then passed them to the chef who began to saute the onions. ¡°Celery sliced, mince the garlic, peel the potatoes then the beets.¡± ¡°Yes, Chef!¡± Fonta got to work killing, defeating the vegetables in combat, and gaining proficiency in using knives and bladed weapons. He¡¯d learned that thinking of the potato skin as an enemy allowed him to will the knife to skin it nearly perfectly. It was the same with the beets. Garlic was crushed and then minced, while the celery was until it was a little more than paper thin. ¡°Great! Now go cut the meat, I need the loins prepped, then brought to the stove then the ribs and brisket brought to the pits.¡± ¡°Yes Chef.¡± Fonta moved into a room colder than winter and picked up a cleaver. From there with practiced perfection the body of a mammoth-sized cow was butchered, then carried to their respective stations. As he brought the food to the outside fires a bald man in dark shades and an orange beard took them into his large arms and began the process of preparing them for lunch and dinner. ¡°Good work kid, get to the firewood.¡± Finishing his morning prep work, Fonta moved further to the back and began cutting wood with an ax for the pits and other fires. After another thirty minutes of labor, Fonta moved towards his third job which was cleaning a local monastery. By the mid-afternoon, Fonta was free of his tasks and had time to cultivate. His growth spurt had been ramping up as of late and the opening of his meridians would only promote this so long as he didn¡¯t jump into the next tier. Yang arrived moments later his hair braided into a single ponytail that flowed down his back. He looked down at Fonta. ¡°You¡¯re back early.¡± Fonta didn¡¯t respond as he cut through the blockage on his thirteenth meridian widening the meridian to its limits as he felt something between his eyes and on the bridge of his nose. As his eyes opened the pupils appeared to expand into a ring and golden light could be seen in the center of his irises. ¡°Huh, your eyes look¡­Odd.¡± As Fonta regained focus the rings receded into regular pupils. ¡°Alright, I managed to finish my prep and cleaning. It¡¯s been three months. Though I still don¡¯t get why I can¡¯t use a weapon.¡± ¡°There is a tournament or something in a day or two. Should be a good chance for networking and good publicity. You should be able to use a weapon there.¡± Yang crossed his arms. ¡°No tournaments for me.¡± Fonta shook his head. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m weak and a soon to be sect leader. My debut is supposed to be a big one. Now if you want to enter¡­¡± ¡°Do you even know what the prize is?¡± ¡°No I do not. So it can¡¯t matter too much.¡± ¡°First right to enter newly unearthed ruins. Seems it has some tier requirements. Three of the faces of the city are putting this together.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to talk with my teacher. They might not like it.¡± ¡±Be quick, it begins soon. You don¡¯t want to miss out.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± ¡°Ruins are important. I may be able to regenerate my legs there should we succeed/¡± ¡°Do you not like using chi to control those limbs?¡± ¡°It¡¯s taught me alot, but my progress is stifled a bit. I need to limit where I do so or I can damage them. Controlling limbs with chi isn¡¯t easy.¡± ¡°How much so?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°You have passed me by leaps and bounds and the other two are not far off.¡± ¡°Angel and Zara? When did they start cultivating?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°No Angel, and Shinra, you know the moving shadow you chased after?¡± ¡°Not ringing any bells.¡± The wooden puppet seemingly walked into the room. ¡°Fonta, you must enter the event only using the wooden spoon if you must use a weapon however.¡± ¡°Why me? Event?¡± ¡°Ah right. There is a bunch of misinformation. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s true but it isn¡¯t a tournament of combat ability, it¡¯s a race through the ruins. The fighting was mostly a lie, although there is something I''m missing, be careful.¡± ¡°Yang?¡± Fonta reached for his spoon as an invisible force wrapped around the implement of eating. ¡°I knew nothing about that.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°My people picked up some hidden information on a plot. The goal was to gather as many powerful people at once and have them run through the ruins under the guise of a battle race. Thing is, getting out alive won¡¯t be easy. Three of the other awakened cultivators in the area set this up.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a trap that you¡¯re sending me into?¡± ¡°You, and one other, Angel isn¡¯t ready, leaving a choice between Yang who can¡¯t run on his prosthetics too long, Zara who is a demoness, and Shinra the shadow dancer.¡± ¡°Meh¡­Yang, how close are you to getting healed?¡± ¡°I made enough to buy a miracle regrowth pill, but I¡¯ve been learning chi projection and aura techniques to enhance my body. I can heal later.¡± ¡°Chi projection? Aura? Are you learning things?¡± ¡°Yes, he is, learning to manipulate artifacts as an extension of one¡¯s body early can allow one to master aura control and projection faster.¡± ¡°He gets that and I get to cut onions?¡± Fonta crossed his arms. ¡°A blade unsheath in times of peace, is a rabid beast without a leash. You don''t need to master regular weapons now, that can happen later you need to learn the nature of every type of weapon or tool before I start trying to teach you complex techniques. Also, a certain item should arrive soon, meaning we can start getting you adapted to the language. ¡°Adapted?¡± Fonta asked, confused. ¡°You¡¯ll understand when the time comes.¡± ¡°Why do you have to be so crypey.¡± ¡°Creepy or cryptic?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fonta walked towards the washroom before returning in a new set of clothes thirty minutes later. ¡°So. Who do you want with you?¡± Fonta slowly blinked as if he hadn''t spent the time thinking about it. ¡°Do I need to choose or can I just take Zara and Shiny?¡± ¡°Shinra.¡± ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Fonta stated. ¡°There are a select number of slots.¡± ¡°If Zara pretends to be my servant can¡¯t she be counted as a part of my ability?¡± ¡°She could, but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°If she fights, chances are the people in charge will get violent if it gets out.¡± ¡°I could just go with Yang.¡± ¡°Do you despise me that much?¡± A gray-haired girl with dark skin and red irises approached Fonta and pressed a sharp black nail on his torso. Prior to his growth spurt, he¡¯d been shorter, now he was only slightly taller. ¡°Uh. Wait, Zara did you change everything about yourself? Is this magic?¡± ¡°No, that''s Shinra.¡± Yang stated. ¡°Ah, never met them. I won¡¯t protect you so if you get hurt it''s on you Shiny.¡± Fonta sighed. ¡°Never met? We¡¯ve talked.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t recall any talking. Anyways let''s get going, Shin.¡± ¡°Ra, add the ra.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you Ra.¡± Fonta held out a hand. ¡°Shinra! Remember it!¡± ¡°If I remembered every inconvenience I¡¯d never get anything done.¡± Fonta squinted. ¡°That¡¯s it. I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you will do everything I say for one week and show me reverence.¡± ¡°Fine if I win, you will cease with your pranks, stop sneaking around me, and do all my chores for a week.¡± ¡°That''s three rewards.¡± ¡°Ok remove the sneaking around bit, I don¡¯t need to actually see you if you stop those pranks.¡± ¡°What pranks? That¡¯s a fourth.¡± Fonta squinted. ¡°Someone has been shrinking all my clothes. Meaning I need to keep buying new sets as they only mold to fit me once. It¡¯s getting annoying.¡± Fonta was standing a solid 5¡¯2 so while he wasn¡¯t a giant he was certainly much bigger than the 3¡¯5 he was when he started cultivation. Shinra nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t make any promises but I will swear not to ever touch your clothes.¡± ¡°Or steal my left socks.¡± ¡°Or steal your socks? If I lose.¡± ¡°Good. Where are we duling?¡±Fonta asked. ¡°Here now!¡± Shinra disappeared into Yang¡¯s shadow. Yang didn¡¯t seem to react which told Fonta two things. Rolling to the side and drawing his spoon, Fonta evaded Shinra¡¯s sneak attack and knocked her out with an attack near the side of her neck using the flat end of the spoon. The fight was over in an instant as the spoon seemed unbothered. Fonta grabbed a piece of charcoal and got to work doodling on her face as he counted to twenty then took a few steps back and waited. Shinra shot up as vertigo hit her and she fell to her knees, confused. ¡°What? Seems like I was run over by an ox?¡± ¡°How rude, I¡¯d say I held back plenty.¡± ¡°I hardly feel anything.¡± Shinra tried to get to her feet again and collapsed. Yang shook his head knowing all too well. ¡°I¡¯d like to say I lasted longer, but¡­I don¡¯t actually remember what happened after he showed up.¡± ¡°His talent is strong enough to cross tiers with the right tools and experience, but he isn¡¯t unique. This is why he¡¯s using things that aren¡¯t weapons. When he can use a spoon as well as any sword, he¡¯ll be ready to take the next few steps. Having seen him in action, just to be clear, Fonta are you right handed? Based on the fight in the ruins where you nearly died. You seemed to struggle.¡± ¡°I¡¯m left handed. Though I tend to fight with both pretty well. So when that trap got me¡­Yang you¡¯re coming.¡± Fonta eyed his left arm. ¡°What?¡± Yang asked in surprise. ¡°When I completed the ruins back home I¡¯d lost my left hand and had to adjust to not being able to fight at my best ability. After completing it my hand grew back and most of my scars faded.¡± ¡°All that, and you¡¯re just going to leave me behind.¡± Shinra crossed her arms. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re entering in a group. Right?¡± ¡°Come again?¡± ¡°Do we need an invite to enter?¡± ¡°Well no, but you need to procure a token. I¡¯ve only received two. You¡¯d need¡­no, you damned battle maniac we need you to lay low.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ Shinra, that shadow hiding thing you do, how long can you stay there?¡± ¡°Thirty minutes before I need to come up and recharge my chi. Why?¡± ¡°She can stay in my shadow as a stowaway and sneak in when I enter through the door.¡± ¡°If anyone sees her they¡¯ll know we brought someone extra.¡± ¡°Ruins are dangerous, to be completely honest don¡¯t expect the others to last very long if it''s deep.¡± Fonta said as he crossed his arms. ¡°That''s quite cocky.¡± Yang stated. ¡°It¡¯s obviously a trap, why else would we need exactly sixteen. There is another purpose to this.¡± ¡°Intuition again?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yang looked at the puppet. ¡°Let Fonta take his umbrella, it doesn''t matter if he hides it with Shinra, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems if he sticks with his spoons until he actually needs a weapon. Right?¡± ¡°He¡¯s close to a breakthrough, but if all his spoons break he¡¯ll have to do what¡¯s necessary to survive.¡± ¡°What kind of breakthrough?¡± Fonta squinted. ¡°That is up to you. There should be a boost to your talent¡¯s level soon. You¡¯ll understand when it happens.¡± The puppet added. ¡°Great¡­¡± Fonta retrieved his umbrella and tested a few of its hidden functions confirming that the tricky weapon was his. ¡°So you¡¯d rather use your umbrella over the spoons? That doesn¡¯t seem wise.¡± Fonta released the blade lock and drew a long and thin blade which he slashed once near a set of candles to his side. Nothing happened at first, as the boy returned the sword to its sheath. Then both wicks and the candle under them slid off and landed on the metal tray holding the thin strip of wax beneath showing how accurate the attack was. ¡°If I need to use this we will likely be in danger.¡± Fonta looked at Yang with a curious gaze. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I want to see your form. You were quite weak in our first fight.¡± ¡°Only you would say that I''m weak.¡± ¡°Care to show me anything different?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°Might as well.¡± Yang sighed as he drew a straight sword from his robes.
Fonta waited in the courtyard as Yang watched him closely. Both were prepared to launch forward and engage in a test of combat. ¡°Begin!¡± The Puppeteer commanded. In a burst of dust, Fonta closed the distance thrusting his spoon forward like a spear toward Yang¡¯s chest. Yang sidestepped the thrust grabbing Fonta¡¯s outstretched arm and using his momentum to slam him into the ground. With a twist, Fonta slithered loose and landed a kick to Yang¡¯s prosthetic leg to stagger him a bit. ¡°Ahg!¡± Fonta yelled as he sprained his leg on impact. Pushing through the pain he retreated and took on a defensive stance. ¡°Harder than you thought.¡± ¡°Keep going.¡± Fonta took on a defensive stance. Yang moved forward, completing a series of strikes that Fonta redirected, blocked, or dodged with ease for a minute before parrying the final blow and thrusting forward. He knew this style after all. Yang spun into the attack landing a palm strike on Fonta¡¯s torso. In response, Fonta turned into a whirl of spoons and chaos as he closed the distance and ended the fight after slapping Yang in his torso three times with a spoon. Causing him to suddenly collapse, clutching at his chest. Fonta landed, took a breath, and then sprung forward, completing a series of movements that ended with a dragon of ice flying toward Yang. Yang mirrored the technique as a dragon of ice crashed with its counterpart though where Fonta seemed able to continue Yang seemed to be nearing his current limit. ¡°That''s quite the progress, can you continue or¡­¡± ¡°Do you admit that I''m much stronger than I was?¡± ¡°Meh, surviving more than one blow from me proved that. I won¡¯t say we¡¯re even but the gap has closed quite a bit which makes me wonder if my training was worth it.¡± ¡°The thing that makes you strong is only effective on the weak and untrained. Hence why you need to train a bit. Any intermediate level disciple of weapons should keep up with you. While unpredictable, anyone with proper training and a decent cultivation can male up the difference.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also using a spoon.¡± ¡°The flat end as well.¡± Angel added. ¡°Maybe if I used the sharp end, or the pokey bit.¡± Fonta examined the blunt instrument. ¡°Alright go get some rest, you have the next few days off from work.¡± Chapter 9: 90% Off Fonta arrived with Yang, at a freshly unearthed ziggurat made from metal and stone stuck out of a sandy desert. An umbrella protected the duo from the heat of the sun above. The area they stood under it, as a cooling breeze brushed by them and towards the other cultivators who seemed quite envious as the sun slowly roasted them. The other fourteen participants were late Elpmet stage with a majority of them being quite cocky. The only obvious stand-out, appeared to be a young man with long brown hair and orange eyes, wearing brown robes and covered in various jewelry made with different types of stones. He didn¡¯t seem cocky, but the air about him spoke of power. He¡¯d likely be ambushed by the other participants when the match started. People innately feared someone with that much poise and composure. ¡°Fonta, be on your best behavior, the faces of the city are coming.¡± A man in golden armor with black hair and a long beard stood at the door. In his eyes was a caged madness that many would not first notice. His voice was a tenor, and his tone made him seem more like a crazed zealot. ¡°At noon the doors will open! You have two hours to retrieve the treasure inside, anyone still inside after that is likely dead. The ruins will then disappear for ten years.¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane. How can we complete the challenge in two hours? That''s Vit droppings; I¡¯m gone!¡± one of the participants stated and turned to leave. A sword materialized above the speaker''s hand and shot through the cultivator''s chest dragging him upward to the top of the ziggurat as blood covered the area. Fonta¡¯s eyes fell as the desire to slay the sword user nearly overwhelmed his better judgment. ¡°Anyone here stays; leaving will be met with instant death. The only way you can survive this is if you bring us the lost relic from deep inside the ruins, " the speaker stated. Yang scowled. ¡°Not even hiding it, no matter what we think the awakened stage provides a major increase in power, going against them is death, and going in there is death. Sorry, I got you involved with Fonta.¡± Yang looked down only to notice Fonta was gone and moving towards the three awakened cultivators at the top. His umbrella is still in the air Yang. ¡°What are you doing? I am the swordmaster! You will stop!¡± As the man said that two swords of chi appeared and shot forward at a fast speed. Fonta rotated into the two weapons using his right hand to parry one and his left to grab the second out of the air. Four shields cut Fonta off from reaching his opponent. Well, they tried to but much to their surprise the sword of chi cut right through all four shields like butter before dissipating as the swordmaster fell to a knee, and blood flowed from his eyes and nose. A large man covered in steel plate armor fell to the ground, and strange noises came from his mouth as the impaled cultivator remained unmoving. Fonta raised his wooden spoon and held it to the wheezing cultivator''s throat. ¡°You will stop this for me, won¡¯t you?¡± Asked a woman who appeared to be in her late forties and rather plain to his eyes. Fonta tilted his head to the side. ¡°Why would I do that?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯d be doing me a favor.¡± She replied as her eyes glowed pink. Fonta crossed his arms and looked down, smelling sulfur as he noticed a puddle under the awakened cultivator. ¡°How are you so weak?¡± Fonta slapped the cultivator with his wooden spoon. ¡°You dare!¡± The older woman pointed her right hand towards Fonta. Watched as chains of chi wrapped around him, locking him in place. Fonta pushed at his restraints and found he was utterly trapped. There was more chi than he had access to but there was something off, as though he could wrap his fingers around them. The technique wasn¡¯t stable. ¡°I said to stop!¡± ¡°Look lady, your friend threatened to kill us. Then attacked one of our own. It would be fair to kill him, don''t you think so too, old lady?¡± Fonta asked as he squeezed the chains and felt his talent activate. Fonta died, well he wished he did, the chains constricted and he felt his bones pop, though his connection to the weapon increased, as he felt his right arm break, his left arm tear the chains apart unraveling them into a whip of chi that he swung back at the old woman only for a jade wrecking ball to interrupt his attack and send him flying into the doors of the ziggurat that had just opened. The seductress looked to the remaining cultivators. ¡°What are you gawking for! Get him!¡± No one moved as the rulers in front of them had nearly destroyed their reputations in the eyes of the masses and two of the sixteen managed to flee while the awakened cultivators were distracted.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I said! Enter the ruins.¡± Like clockwork, the remaining fourteen walked into the ruins most against their own will. Yang was among them as he closed Fonta¡¯s umbrella.
Upon entering Fonta turned left towards a hallway towards his left and entered immediately before hugging the wall and resting and setting his arm using an extra spoon as a splint. ¡°Why does my body move before my mind? So dumb! Why were they weaker than Yang¡¯s grandpa though. No, why were they weaker than Yang? They are supposed to be awakened cultivators no way there has to be something wrong.¡± ¡°Paper dragons, no matter how you fold it, paper will always be paper. Those three likely rely on their talents, medicinal pills, and patrons, to reach their level. You appear to have a better talent, and a slightly better foundation, but you are too weak to be making enemies with more power than you.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t seem that strong.¡± Fonta said blankly. ¡°They are agents of Nascent Realm cultivators. The air here is barren of life energy, or chi, making it difficult for Nascent cultivators and above to be here. Fonta looked up from his work as a figure he¡¯d looked over with white hair and blue eyes that stared right at him, well right at the wall he was hidden behind. He touched the space above where Fonta had spoken and knocked on solid air before closing his eyes and walking through. ¡°What was that about?¡± Fonta asked unbothered. ¡°Secret passage? I read that some places like this have walls that aren¡¯t really there but our brains won¡¯t willingly let us walk through them. How did you get here?¡± ¡°Hmm? I ran for cover just in case I was going to get ambushed. That sneak attack hit me pretty hard.¡± Fonta stated as his left hand crushed the whip of chi causing the energy to flow into him as he widened his thirteenth and perforated the fourteenth, his body grew slightly gaunt but his arm healed the break as he was now ready to fight albeit quite hungry. ¡°That stench, did you just break through? Are you trying to draw attention?¡± ¡°No, I needed to fix my arm fast, and this was my best option. What¡¯s your name by the way.¡± ¡°Gil, you may call me Gil.¡± ¡°Then you will call me Fon.¡± Fonta stated as he got to his feet and turned towards the end of the corridor and scowled as he saw the hazy wall further down. ¡°Yeah, this appears to be a dead end. Should we go back?¡± Gil asked. ¡°No, I have an idea. I¡¯m going to close my eyes and run until I hit something.¡± ¡°That is dumb, but if it works it works.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Fonta counted the number of steps he¡¯d need in his head as he closed his eyes and ran forward. To him, there were no walls, just a long untrapped hall so as he ran down he made sure to hit the wall in a way to made noise without hurting himself. ¡°All clear!¡± Fonta yelled. Gil ran through next, his eyes closed as he crashed into Fonta and pushed the two of them into the wall. ¡°Ouch. What are you made of? Wood? You¡¯re like solid.¡± Fonta asked as he adjusted his clothes and helped Gil up. ¡°Rude, but fine, what now?¡± Gil asked. Fonta looked down another empty corridor and scowled. ¡°Did you notice something off here as well?¡± ¡°Nope. Just more walls.¡± ¡°Ah then lead the way this time. Think I hurt my arm.¡± Fonta winced as he adjusted the splint, the injury only partially healed with progression, and it would take time to regain full functionality. ¡°Fine.¡± Gil closed his eyes and ran forward as Fonta walked normally, the illusion failing to work on him. The duo stopped at a corridor only for said floor to vanish right as Fonta entered the duo found themselves compromised as they arrived in an area full of bipedal creatures resembling jackals, covered in fur, with solid black eyes, and canine maws. There were eight total and Fonta could only use one arm. ¡°I¡¯ve stepped in it. Gil, how good are you in a fight?¡± Gil was strangely silent. Fonta turned to see what was wrong and noticed they landed on their head and passed out. ¡°One thing after another. I know, I¡¯ll use my umbrella.¡± Fonta felt for his backup weapon and noticed it was gone. He did have his silver sword but he couldn¡¯t use it for more than 10 seconds before it dissipated. As Fonta stood there they rushed him while the rest rushed a downed Gil. Panic, desperation, and rage filled his mind and Fonta felt his blood boil as he decapitated a jackal with a swipe from his spoon. His second slash, cut through skin and bone with ease, bisecting the five, headed towards Gil, the cost, and extreme expenditure of chi as the spoon was covered in it and expanded due to it. The seventh slashed open Fonta¡¯s back and was repaid with a spoon through its eye and into its brain. Pulling the spoon free Fonta performed an inverse of the techniques he¡¯d taught to Yang, while the previous form was like a breeze which one was more akin to a wildfire as each strike cut and cooked using the ground and area to create friction with his spoon and raised the heat exponentially as the last jackal caught fire and soon lost his head. The fight ended and Fonta collapsed exhausted as the chi expenditure hit him like a truck. As he took in deep breaths he began to cycle chi, through his pathways. When drained like this, hitting the blockages in his meridians caused great pain. Like suffering from a migraine while a hammer is slammed against your skull sporadically and to no avail. As he sat there three more of the jackal creatures arrived before even the slightest bit of chi had returned to him. One of said jackals was two feet taller than the others, wielding a tomahawk in each hand. ¡°Damn it.¡± Getting to his feet Fonta held out the spoon again, this time the weapon held an aura of power around it without using any of his chi to maintain it. Which was a blessing, sadly he wasn¡¯t able to freely move around. ¡°Ugh. Way to pass out on me Gil.¡± Fonta snarled as he bounced from foot to foot. The first one came, punching with a speed and ferocity the others didn¡¯t hold and as it attacked, Force traveled with it. Moving into the blow Fonta evaded the brunt but the sheer thunderous shockwave caused pain to travel through his nerves as he thrust his spoon through the creature''s torso ripping a gaping hole where its heart should have been.¡± The second jackal was swifter than the first, using its ally¡¯s death as cover to land a blow on Fonta¡¯s head that sent him flying into a wall and crashing to the ground covered in debris. Rolling to his feet, Fonto noticed his vision over his left eye had turned red, and that portion of his face was wet and burning, as his equilibrium was shattered. Worse, was that his main spoon had vanished. Reaching into his bag fonta found his packed gear had been damaged and his excess wooden spoons split. Leaving him with two options. Fonta didn¡¯t leave people behind, and especially to monsters like that. Pulling from a well of will, he launched forward toward the second jackal and threw a punch while out of its reach. Cocky the jackal didn¡¯t try to dodge as it waited for Fonta to get into its clawed range. Pivoting in his right leg Fonta spun past it, summoning his silver blade for two seconds using that instant to cut through its legs and decapitate it after two rotations before moving onto the ax wielder. The ax wielder shrouded both of its weapons with chi and was aware of Fonta¡¯s summonable blade. It did not advance, but it also didn¡¯t seem cocky. The creature waited for Fonta to make the first move or pass out from blood loss. The latter seemed more likely as the young man¡¯s stance faltered. The Axes came down as Fonta rolled between its legs, summoning his weapon and thrusting it into the leader''s back. The sword was deflected and shattered into chi as both axes slammed into it from opposite directions. The blades raised to finish him off only for the creature to fall to the ground headless as Shinra stood atop it, a pair of sickles in each hand. ¡°Thanks, Shina, I owe you one,¡± Fonta said before passing out, the blood loss, chi drain, and head injuries, were compounding. Chapter 10: Black Friday Thankfully Fonta woke up within Forty-five minutes bandaged, and bruised, with Two spoons at his hip. ¡°Guess I¡¯m back to spoons. What¡¯s that spell¡± Fonta said as he got to his feet and scowled at his stench. ¡°You forced open your fourteenth and fifteenth meridians in that fight. They haven¡¯t widened yet bu¨C¡± Fonta used the chi in his body to cut out the debris in his meridians, widening them greatly and passing right back out. Fonta awoke with a start. This time Shinra stood over him with a strange bag. ¡°You damned idiot! You were out an hour, it took us twenty minutes to get here and we have forty minutes to get out!¡± Gil nodded solemnly, his head bandaged and his expression grim.¡±We don¡¯t know where we are, though the paths are clear, north or south. ¡°Has anyone else come by?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°No, why does that matter?¡± Shinra stated. ¡°Who is she anyways?¡± ¡°My bodyguard. I may be very high up in her sect in the future.¡± Fonta stated as he stood up and wobbled as he felt quite a bit taller, standing at a solid 5¡±10. His limbs also seemed longer. He squinted at Shinra. ¡°No I didn¡¯t take your clothes off of you and shrink them, you just got a lot bigger. Opening all of your meridians fixes any defects that may have prevented your growth like malnutrition, and diseases. That is likely your height limit however.¡± ¡°I don''t care. People won¡¯t mistake me for a little kid ever again.¡± Fonta hopped into the air and did a double somersault before landing and scowled. ¡°I have to brace for impact earlier, but the leg strength is much greater. I need to take care not to hit the ceiling however.¡± ¡°Cycle your chi through your technique for five minutes, then we move.¡± ¡°We¡¯re heading north. Its where the monsters attacked from.¡± Fonta added. ¡°Where there are monsters there¡¯s treasure.¡± Gil moved with Shinra as they examined the north room. While they were gone, Fonta moved to the east wall where a key lay using a spoon he picked it up. Noting that it hadn¡¯t changed colors and slid it into a pocket for later before he moved toward the northern wall and began to meditate. After five minutes the chi in his body moved faster than ever and seemed to maintain its movement when he wasn¡¯t actively cultivating but there was something he was missing for that next step. He chomped down on a piece of jerky and sighed in relief as he felt the energy flow through him which was a first. Fonta then moved into the northern hallway noticing a lever on the wall. Upon hitting it the path behind them closed as multiple lights illuminated the path forward. Each step Fonta took took him closer to the sounds of fighting which shouldn¡¯t have been right, but it was. Shinra and Gil were fighting, the former using shadows and sickles, the latter using wind and fans. Looking about the two Fonta noticed a doorway as well as a few words he didn¡¯t understand. But he did see a key hole and because of that, he ignored the two that traded blows left and right put the key in the hole, and turned it, causing the door to open. ¡°Oi! Are you two going to keep dancing or are you going to keep up!¡± The two stopped, looked at Fonta, and crossed their arms. ¡°How did you get the door open?¡± ¡°With the key, I found it while cultivating. Now come on.¡± As the trio entered the room a speaker spoke from above. ¡°Nine have made it this far, but only three will receive the reward. Fight until there are only three standing! The counter is currently at 7/12, we await your decisions.¡± Shinra intercepted Gil''s attempt to drive a dagger into Fonta¡¯s back as his eyes glowed a deep pink. Instead, the blow punctured her stomach and before it could be withdrawn, a spoon strike towards the side of Gil¡¯s neck sent him into unconsciousness. ¡°Going to hide in your shadow to heal. Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Fonta nodded as his team of three was reduced to just him in moments due to an untimely betrayal as something felt off. Looking about, Fonta noticed five other warriors including Yang, and that earth user''s hand had begun to charge at him. Drawing his spoons Fonta felt the aura from earlier surround his weapons as he deflected a dao strike and elbowed the swordsman in the face causing him to stumble back as a blade of ice shot towards him shattering before it could connect and pelting him with shards. It didn¡¯t click that he was fighting with both arms until he sprung over the ice landing behind him and slamming the flat of his right spoon against his head while bisecting in a spear of stone with his left hand.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The two halves knocked out two other cultivators as Fonta moved past Yang and drew his sword from his umbrella sheath; this was probably what his teacher had wanted him to learn.¡± He surrounded the weapon in an aura of chi as his understanding of it had grown. Teaching him how to use it effectively and how it, no she wanted to be used. ¡°The swords echo.¡± Moving strangely Fonta caused the rest of the umbrella to fly from Yang¡¯s side and onto his hip as his eyes found the Seductress hiding in what appeared to be stands utterly surprised that he¡¯d made it this far. Bouncing from foot to foot Fonta sprung forward towards the seductress as a familiar wall of Jade came hurling at him. Fonta used his umbrella to change his velocity causing the boulder to crash into the enchantress as his blade light cut through a nerve on her neck where one of her meridian pathways traveled and temporarily severed it causing her to black out as the pain of a sudden blocked meridian shocked her mind. The sword he used didn¡¯t enjoy killing, it preferred incapacitation and scaring people into surrendering. Had anyone been where the fire attack had been, there would have been no deaths and minor injuries from debris, but no burns, as power would have been wasted doing so. ¡°It¡¯s alright Mary, I won¡¯t use you as a tool for death.¡± Fonta stated. The sword hummed in a way that spoke of understanding. ¡°That is going to be weird for a while.¡± Fonta picked up a shiny Dao near the person he¡¯d knocked out earlier. It loudly got its point across. ¡°I abore violence, I am a piece of art not meant to be covered in blood or deflected by spoons. Put me on a wall and adorn me in jewelry, don¡¯t forget to sharpen me from time to time and polish me.¡± Fonta¡¯s eye twitched as he placed the weapon down. ¡°That will get annoying fast.¡± Taking his spoons Fonta grimaced at the voices he heard from them. ¡°Soup!¡± ¡°Stew!¡± ¡°No, Soup is better it''s a palate cleanser and good for the body..¡± ¡°Stew is thicker and thickness triumphs over all. It also fills you more than that watery soup.¡± ¡°Blashpehea! I will smite thee!¡± Fonta focused on quitting the voices and eventually, he could no longer hear the spoons, but he did sense that they were both at odds. Fonta didn¡¯t get it, food was food. ¡°Too many hits in the head for one day¡± Yang seemingly regaining his sense of self swiftly knocked out two more cultivators as the man with many rings encased them in stone restraints before summoning a spear of earth and walking towards Fonta in a rage only to move past him and drive his spear into the Seductress''s neck. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare take control of my body!¡± She died in moments as the young man laughed in a craze as he kept attacking, before his eyes landed on the corpse and disgust filled him as he ran towards the opposite side of the room and began dry heaving as various fresh wounds seemed to open up. ¡°What was that about?¡± Fonta asked Yang. ¡°He was used as a deterrent, killing the other two Awakened cultivators as well as some participants that attempted to flee. He was forced to attack you as well.¡± ¡°She did what?¡± ¡°She used him like a tool, and had him walk face first through various traps, it¡¯s thanks to his durability that he survived this long.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t put up much of a fight?¡± ¡°Oh that? Your umbrella protected me. I just knew to play along when everyone was turned against me.¡± ¡°Ah, so that''s why Gil tried to kill me.¡± ¡°Highly likely. She was quite strong mentally but. Not very strong physically, the awakened stage is quite weak isn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t think your grandfather would agree with that statement.¡± Fonta started as a joke but stopped when Yang didn¡¯t join in. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen you¡¯re about equal, though his experience is higher than yours, your talent is leagues above his. In a match it would end in a draw at best for him now.¡± ¡°Is cultivation that much of an equalizer?¡± ¡°When you fought him, you weren''t even a cultivator, while the people here aren¡¯t very strong in the grand scheme of things, they are still quite deadly to someone without knowledge or power. Now come on.¡± Fonta moved towards the next room as a hand gripped his shoulder. ¡°Other way, we came from this way? That¡¯s south.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Fonta looked towards Gil. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I told those two to go North. Shinra being confused makes sense but Gil¡­passed out when he landed on his head. Right. None of us knew which way north was, they just went where my head was turned.¡± ¡°Fonta? Did you come from the boss room?¡± ¡°Uhhhh¡­¡± Fonta dashed back two rooms, with Yang carefully following. Arriving at the unlocked door Fonta continued towards the lever which he pulled opening up the door to the room they landed in. Moving past that door Fonta soon arrived where he fought the Jackals then moved past them arriving in a room with three platforms. On each platform, there was a white circle in the center then four colored triangles. Top left Blue, Top Right Pink, Bottom left, Orange, bottom right Green. ¡°Only three may enter the trial of the mind. You must survive ten rounds in order to progress.¡± Spoke a voice from above. ¡°Good luck Yang, I suck at puzzles.¡± Fonta took a seat and began to meditate. ¡°At least try. You have a decent memory right, if not maybe you can help us with all that jumping about you do.¡± ¡°That is insane. Do you really think I can?¡± ¡°Anyone in this room and not on a platform in 30 seconds will be killed.¡± The voice added. ¡°Serpents and Weasels.¡± Fonta hopped onto one white circle, Yang the other, and as time ran out Captain Dry Heaving made it to the third. ¡°Thanks for freeing me earlier but I¡¯m going to win this.¡± He stated. ¡°You can try capn¡¯¡± Fonta stated. ¡°My name is Casimar the Unyielding.¡± ¡°Is it now, nice to meet you Cas. Now I don¡¯t care who wins so long as someone does, this isn¡¯t a battle it¡¯s a marathon.¡± ¡°Begin in three two one!¡± Discs with the same colors came to life and the pink one glowed once. ¡°Repeat the pattern!¡± The voice yelled in a distorted garbled tone. Everyone jumped on pink. Pink, Green. Was the next pattern, which was also easy. Pink, Green, Pink. The three continued easily. Pink, Green, Pink, Pink. Yang almost tripped up but managed to stay on course. His prosthetics struggling to keep up with the jumping. Pink, Green Pink Pink, Orange. Casimar almost tripped over his own feet getting to the orange and scowled as the next pattern was much faster. Pink, green, Pink, Pink, Orange, Pink, Blue. Casimar completely failed as he stepped on orange twice as the platform holding him up fell. Ready for that, Fonta jumped down the path grabbing Casimar as he carried him back to the land before hopping onto the puzzle again. The motion was fluid like the wind as he continued the puzzle like nothing happened. Pink, Green, Pink, Pink, Orange, Pink, Blue, Blue, Green. This time Yang¡¯s prosthetic leg got stuck on the last blue and the platform fell. A tendril of jade grabbed him by the torso and pulled him up to safety on the area in front of the platforms. ¡°Final round!" Pink, Green, Pink, Pink, Orange, Pink, Blue, Blue, Green, Green, Pink, Orange, Orange, Blue. "Look out!" Yang yelled. Fonta made it to the end exhausted as a flamethrower rose from the ground and fired towards Fonta from behind. Flipping over the flames that burst forward Fonta stuck his umbrella into a ceiling tile like a piton and waited for them to die down. A pathway forward formed as the platforms turned into a bridge into a final room. Fonta was allowed to continue his path toward the next room with the others. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare scare me like that again. I thought it was a puzzle!¡± Fonta said in relief. Leading the way to a large spherical object in the distance ¡°It¡¯s a memory puzzle, and a mean one at that.¡± Yang added. ¡°Well you won fair and square.¡± Casimar stated. ¡°Yang come on. Let''s heal your legs. Also, we more or less did this together. Even if I don''t agree with all your methods, you did help us out.¡± Fonta yelled as he felt a familiar pulse of power. Chapter 11: Sign On Bonuses Fonta watched as a bridge connecting to an orb appeared. As he walked towards it, he felt a familiar sense. ¡°Casimar, hold Yang¡¯s right hand. I have an idea.¡± Casimar looked at Yang, then back at Fonta, with a look. ¡°Do I have to?¡± ¡°Casimar I assume you came for a cultivation technique, correct?¡± ¡°Yes. Mine is a bit basic, why?¡± ¡°Yang you care more about the healing, is that correct?¡± ¡°That it is.¡± ¡°I think I can swing the rewards.¡± Placing his hand on the ball as a familiar screen appeared, only in front of him. Would you like to split the rewards? Rewards unlocked, Secondary Talent Awakening, Personalized Cultivation Technique, Physical Reconstruction/Bloodline Awakening, Precursor Relic, and 80,000 Credits. ¡°I¡¯ll take the relic and the Secondary talent awakening,¡± Fonta said aloud as he mentally told it to put the money in his book. ¡°To Yang the Physical stuff, and for Casimar the Cultivation technique.¡± Fonta watched Yang fall to the ground, his prosthesis shooting off as stumps grew and extended as the rest of his body changed. In seconds, his feet had regrown, his legs lengthened, and his body looked stronger. His hair was now a deep azure, and his eyes seemed radiant. When he got to his feet, Yang was six feet eight inches tall, dwarfing Fonta by a head. ¡°Vits! I''ll take it back! Give me the evolution!¡± No takebacks, also you are not able to receive an evolution. There is nothing to improve. Primary talent: All things in this universe are a weapon, and you are a master of all of them. Rarity: Lost. Secondary talent: Secondary secondary talent learned, ¡°Many hands for many weapons. How many weapons can you lift bruh? Me? All of them.¡± Rarity: Lost. Tertiary talent: locked Fonta scowled as he felt the spoon at his side and like an extension of his body, the spoon rose into the air with only the slightest ounce of thought. The technique felt like a muscle in his brain that could be trained over time. ¡°That''s pretty nice. Imagine it, I walk into battle with hundreds of spoons surrounded behind me shooting forward and turning people into spoon cushions.¡± ¡°Next time we''re unlocking my secondary talent. Giving you more weapons in nightmare fuel.¡± ¡°You could likely do one on your own now abilities. Both of you to be honest. Hey Casimar, how many elements do you control with that new technique?¡± ¡°Earth and Metal, why?¡± ¡°Do you care to join my sect in the future? We need all the teachers we can get.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Yang asked. ¡°You¡¯re our best forever first disciple. You learn things so good.¡± ¡°Well. I learn things well.¡± A pathway opened up as a bridge connected to the exit and Casimar nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Where can I find you?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll find you if you ask around.¡± Fonta waved as he held the final item. Portabase, you may design a base of operations using the building blocks provided. Requires materials to increase size and potential building blocks. You may consume these ruins for materials and development points. As well as any other ruins you manage to complete. This item is blood-bound and will reappear in 200 years if you die with no successor. You may designate an unrelated blood successor. Would you like to do so now? ¡°Nope. Now then let''s consume these ruins.¡± You will receive 1 point for every dead Elpmet stage cultivator or apprentice mage of which there are 26, and 15 points per awakened cultivator with varying amounts of points based on the conversion of their gear. There are 13 Awakened dead cultivators inside. You may perform a one-time resurrection on anyone who died attempting the trials here, though they will be bound to the territory and will be unable to cause harm to anyone who works under you until you deem the debt has been paid. Until the choice is made, the souls trapped in these ruins will be able to be called up and summoned via the Portabase. ¡°I¡¯ll hold onto them for now. I need to talk to my master, absorb the rest of these ruins.¡± 200 development points were obtained for the traveling Ziggurat. ¡°Yang, apparently I can resurrect those who died here, do you know what that means?¡± ¡°Some ruins by nature capture the souls of those who die. By their nature ruins are said to be ways to learn how the world works. They usually hold onto the souls of those they kill until someone with the proper artifact arrives. Some reincarnate, others resurrected, some even do a bit of both.¡± ¡°So resurrection is common?¡± Fonta¡¯s hand subconsciously fell to his umbrella as it started to move on its own. Locking the item in place. ¡°No, death is usually the end, it just doesn¡¯t always have to be.¡± ¡°I heard all of that. Did you save any rewards for me?¡± Shinra said as she rose from Fonta¡¯s shadow, partially. Fonta silently spent 1000 credits to create a page for the Mal Dynamis. A trick he picked up very recently when trying to copy it. He set the permissions and limited sharing, as he thought of how much to put into the item. ¡°Would you like socks and other clothing?¡± Fonta concentrated on his book as a small rectangular screen appeared in his hand, setting the upcharge to by a zero Fonta handed the screen with a total of 40,000 credits for her to use of which he¡¯d get back a good amount. ¡°Wait, you''re the one selling these, and they''re expensive, no wonder the auction house prices it all so high.¡± ¡°So you know, no reselling anything in that catalog.¡± No need to inform them that he was already making quite a bit off of sales. ¡°Zara is going to kill you if she finds out. I think she¡¯s already suspicious. She saved four paychecks to never mind.¡± ¡°Ah, Ho! Ho! Ho! Tell me more.¡± Fonta was always curious about how people spend money. Yang placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Listen you dying here would be very inconvenient so let''s get you home before you dig yourself a grave.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Fonta dismissed the portabase as the ruins disappeared leaving a bunch of tired and badly beaten cultivators on the ground. Looking about Fonta failed to find Gil, checking the log of the dead didn¡¯t show him either. Which left him with nothing to do, or so he¡¯d thought.
Usually when Fonta was surrounded by tough people, they forced him into a fight or set him off in one way or another. This time, Fonta could say that he didn¡¯t want to anger the people in front of him. Leading the group was someone he knew via association. The man of many eyes, the Self-Made King, and the Doctor eyed him worry. All were allies but all were also the equivalent of ambassadors to those in their homelands. ¡°Three of our number have died, we require briefing, but not here. Something troubling has occurred.¡± Fonta was brought to a private tea house with Yang as Fonta was permitted to speak after a relic covered them. ¡°Ok, so when we got there, I¡¯m not sure if the swordmaster was an idiot or being mind-controlled but he impaled a participant with one of his flying swords which set me off, so I rushed him, using his sword of chi to cut through the shields produced by the Aegis. I didn¡¯t kill either of them¡± Fonta floated his cup to his mouth and took a measured sip before slowly putting it down. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that.¡± stated a young man with a crown, possibly the Self Made King.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°If he used the swordmaster¡¯s chi blade it is possible I assume both died?¡± Stated Many Eyes. ¡°Afterward, they were only knocked out when I left. Anyhow, the Seductress tried to enthrall me, when that failed she enthralled Casimar and forced him to attack me, sending me into the ruins.¡± Yang picked up the pieces. ¡°Fonta was gone for the next part but the seductress ordered Casimar to kill Aegis and Swordmaster before using him as a trap pincushion. She commanded the other participants to enter the ruins. After meeting up, Fonta bested the Seductress and Casimar finished the job removing her head.¡± ¡°Did Casimar win?¡± The Self Made King asked. ¡°No, but I did share the rewards,¡± Fonta stated. ¡°What did he get?¡± ¡°A custom cultivation technique. It¡¯s what he wanted.¡± ¡°Good, now we just need to explain away the deaths and reports of treachery.¡± ¡°Well, the deaths can be fixed once, though I will not bring back any of the awakened cultivators using it. Not until I talk with my teacher?¡± ¡°Magic or relic?¡± The Doctor asked. ¡°Relic, limited to those who have died in ruins. They will be bound to the relic but freedom can be obtained.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use that function without their consent. Some believe it removes them from the cycle or damages their soul, while others may find life like that as being less than deceased. You¡¯d have complete control over them which is troubling to many.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do anything like that but I get it some people don¡¯t desire this kind of resurrection.¡± ¡°Aye, now then, let''s move on to the next order of business, since you¡¯ve unlocked that second talent I guess you should learn how your third factors in. Your first talent is based on you as a person, your second usually fills in for what you often lack, of which I must assume you tend to end up with arm injuries or need an extra hand for something.¡± ¡°That would make sense.¡± ¡°Your third talent is based on what you want to become and is unlocked when you pass into the Nascent realm. Which for someone like you, isn¡¯t as far off as it looks. All of your meridians are open and your next step will be entering the awakened realm.¡± ¡°You could tell that just by looking at me. I¡¯m sure my teacher will have a lot to say.¡± As the group talked a red-haired woman with a collar over her neck stopped at their table. She was dressed in a black work uniform and had been taking orders and delivering food and drink to tables. ¡°Ah, didn¡¯t expect to see you here master?¡± Zara said with her eyes closed. ¡°I was just about to go. Have you also been avoiding me?¡± Fonta said as he¡¯d gotten to his feet, by now he¡¯d grown slightly taller than her. Zara looked up, then down towards the others, noting Yang had also grown quite a bit. ¡°N-no I haven''t been avoiding you, but you both seemed to have grown quite a bit. Is this from that ruin trip?¡± ¡°The growth? Yes. I''m just annoyed.¡± ¡°Same here. On an unrelated note, someone showed me something interesting recently. You aren¡¯t hiding something from me are you?¡± Fonta looked to his shadow as though it betrayed him then at a window. He could jump through it if he moved swiftly. Yang nonchalantly leaned over the window to procure a drink menu, blocking off the exit. He wasn''t going to fight someone over his greed. ¡°Fine. Fine. Talk to me at the place.¡± ¡°So it was true.¡± Zara nodded slowly. Fonta felt a cold sweat bead on his forehead. ¡°Look, my clothes have shrunk again. I¡¯m going to go take a nap. Bye!¡± Fonta placed some money on the table and made his way casually running for his life. Usually when Fonta was surrounded by tough people, they forced him into a fight or set him off in one way or another. This time, Fonta could say that he didn¡¯t want to anger the people in front of him. Leading the group was someone he knew via association. The man of many eyes, the Self-Made King, and the Doctor eyed him worry. All were allies but all were also the equivalent of ambassadors to those in their homelands. ¡°Three of our number have died, we require briefing, but not here. Something troubling has occurred.¡± Fonta was brought to a private tea house with Yang as Fonta was permitted to speak after a relic covered them. ¡°Ok, so when we got there, I¡¯m not sure if the swordmaster was an idiot or being mind-controlled but he impaled a participant with one of his flying swords which set me off, so I rushed him, using his sword of chi to cut through the shields produced by the Aegis. I didn¡¯t kill either of them¡± Fonta floated his cup to his mouth and took a measured sip before slowly putting it down. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that.¡± stated a young man with a crown, possibly the Self Made King. ¡°If he used the swordmaster¡¯s chi blade it is possible I assume both died?¡± Stated Many Eyes. ¡°Afterward, they were only knocked out when I left. Anyhow, the Seductress tried to enthrall me, when that failed she enthralled Casimar and forced him to attack me, sending me into the ruins.¡± Yang picked up the pieces. ¡°Fonta was gone for the next part but the seductress ordered Casimar to kill Aegis and Swordmaster before using him as a trap pincushion. She commanded the other participants to enter the ruins. After meeting up, Fonta bested the Seductress and Casimar finished the job removing her head.¡± ¡°Did Casimar win?¡± The Self Made King asked. ¡°No, but I did share the rewards,¡± Fonta stated. ¡°What did he get?¡± ¡°A custom cultivation technique. It¡¯s what he wanted.¡± ¡°Good, now we just need to explain away the deaths and reports of treachery.¡± ¡°Well, the deaths can be fixed once, though I will not bring back any of the awakened cultivators using it. Not until I talk with my teacher?¡± ¡°Magic or relic?¡± The Doctor asked. ¡°Relic, limited to those who have died in ruins. They will be bound to the relic but freedom can be obtained.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use that function without their consent. Some believe it removes them from the cycle or damages their soul, while others may find life like that as being less than deceased. You¡¯d have complete control over them which is troubling to many.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do anything like that but I get it some people don¡¯t desire this kind of resurrection.¡± ¡°Aye, now then, let''s move on to the next order of business, since you¡¯ve unlocked that second talent I guess you should learn how your third factors in. Your first talent is based on you as a person, your second usually fills in for what you often lack, of which I must assume you tend to end up with arm injuries or need an extra hand for something.¡± ¡°That would make sense.¡± ¡°Your third talent is based on what you want to become and is unlocked when you pass into the Nascent realm. Which for someone like you, isn¡¯t as far off as it looks. All of your meridians are open and your next step will be entering the awakened realm.¡± ¡°You could tell that just by looking at me. I¡¯m sure my teacher will have a lot to say.¡± As the group talked a red-haired woman with a collar over her neck stopped at their table. She was dressed in a black work uniform and had been taking orders and delivering food and drink to tables. ¡°Ah, didn¡¯t expect to see you here master?¡± Zara said with her eyes closed. ¡°I was just about to go. Have you also been avoiding me?¡± Fonta said as he¡¯d gotten to his feet, by now he¡¯d grown slightly taller than her. Zara looked up, then down towards the others, noting Yang had also grown quite a bit. ¡°N-no I haven''t been avoiding you, but you both seemed to have grown quite a bit. Is this from that ruin trip?¡± ¡°The growth? Yes. I''m just annoyed.¡± ¡°Same here. On a totally unrelated note, someone showed me something interesting recently. You aren¡¯t hiding something from me are you?¡± Fonta looked to his shadow as though it betrayed him then at a window. He could jump through it if he moved swiftly. Yang nonchalantly leaned over the window to procure a drink menu, blocking off the exit. He wasn''t going to fight someone over his own greed. ¡°Fine. Fine. Talk to me at the place.¡± ¡°So it was true.¡± Zara nodded slowly. Fonta felt a cold sweat bead on his forehead. ¡°Look, my clothes have shrunk again. I¡¯m going to go take a nap. Bye!¡± Fonta placed some money on the table and made his way casually running for his life.
After a long trip home Fonta made his way through the door, Fonta found Shinra, Angel, and Zara gathered at the table. ¡°How! How did you beat me back here?¡± Fonta tripped on the entryway trying to back peddle. ¡°You got lost! Were you trying to get your story straight?¡± Yelled Yang from the back room. ¡°You too?¡± ¡°If we¡¯re going to work with you for a long time, we have some demands.¡± ¡°Of course. Is this about the shop? Look, I can''t understand a percentage of what I can buy from it.¡± ¡°Ignorance is not a shield. You just need to communicate.¡± ¡°What do you want and what do I get out of it?¡± ¡°I saved your life,¡± Shinra stated. ¡°You¡¯re my brother now,¡± Angel stated. Zara looked away for a long moment, ¡°I¡¯ll teach you magic.¡± ¡°Cultivators can¡¯t learn magic,¡± Shinra stated. ¡°He¡¯s different from most. Magic is a key foundation for many cultivators, most just don¡¯t realize that there is actual overlap.¡± Zara looked at Fonta and for the first time, he knew that she suspected his nature. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Full access to your shop, with everything at its base price.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Limited access with clothes, and curatives at the base price while everything else has a value you set.¡± ¡°Fine, weapons will cost, as well as other trinkets and baubles, but I guess I can sell the other stuff, at cost to you. So long as you don¡¯t resell anything you will maintain access to the Mal Dynamis.¡± Fonta pulled out his book and willed his intent into a copy appearing in his opposite hand at the cost of 10,000 Ducrates. ¡°That¡¯s bigger than the page from earlier,¡± Shinra stated. ¡°This has more options and more things to buy. Reselling anything you buy will cause the book to disappear. Please share it for now.¡± Fonta turned to leave. ¡°Oi! Fonta, I have a hoard of ducks to spend, can I look at your book?¡± Yang yelled. Zara spoke aloud. ¡°This is in the ancient script, deciphering it will be difficult. So you¡¯ve conquered one of the ruins.¡± ¡°I just guess and assume it will work out.¡± Fonta paid for a new set of clothes, spending 2000 Ducks as he left the room. Standing next to the chair Yang had been sitting in, Fonta dropped the tome over his lap. Yang rushed to catch it out of reflex as his knees slammed into the underside of the table. ¡°Longer than they used to be, of course.¡± Yang shot Fonta a suspicious look. ¡°Same terms as them, prices are adjusted when anyone else uses it.¡± Fonta played dumb. ¡°Ah, not as easy to navigate as I thought. So many options with no explanation as to what things are as the language isn¡¯t one we know.¡± Yang handed it back. ¡°What did you want?¡± ¡°This is where you get all those minor relics and items from the ancients.¡± ¡°Aye. Took an arm to get it.¡± Fonta stated as he turned towards his teacher.¡± ¡°I heard about Casimar, apparently his people are looking for recompense for the slight on their family on the Sewin Continent. He used a communication relic to speak with his father and now ships are to negotiate a take over. With 3 ambassadors dead, 1 exposed Nascent realm Dark cultivator, and 2 more chasing them down, the people here have an army of around 500 Awakened cultivators, many of which will choose not to participate.¡± ¡°So you want me to help.¡± ¡°No, I believe it¡¯s time to leave this city and find a suitable location to set up the sect. Anyone still in this city will be subjugated, cultivators will be unharmed but the hunt for the people at fault.¡± ¡°But they died.¡± ¡°I expect 10 Nascent Realm cultivators on ships arriving in 3 months or so. Going by what my people intercepted.¡± The puppet crossed their arms. ¡°Casimar may have been pissed but he knew the danger.¡± ¡°He was prepared for ruin dangers, not human failings. I assume he helped you beat the boss?¡± ¡°Meh, Shinra did that. I just happened to go the wrong way when I reunited with Yang and Cas.¡± ¡°Shinra beat a ruined boss?¡± ¡°Slit its throat while I struggled to kill everything else.¡± Fonta drew his spoon and sliced the wings of a fly in a single motion. The fly landed on the table still alive and struggling. ¡°You have gained a deeper understanding of all weapons haven¡¯t you.¡± Fonta scowled as he used a burst of chi to clean off the spoon despite not making direct contact. ¡°Looks like it.¡± ¡°Why did you waste chi on that?¡± ¡°This spoon didn¡¯t like being used like that.¡± Fonta sat spoon on a piece of cloth next to a tea set. ¡°Alright, with 15 meridians open you should be at least 150% stronger than you started. Be at work tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°I thought I was off!¡± ¡°I expected the trip to last longer. I didn¡¯t realize it was a roaming ruin, though I did know you¡¯d received a base, which is odd.¡± ¡°So what, keep doing odd jobs until my time is up?¡± Fonta didn¡¯t question his teacher''s ability to gather information. ¡°Yes, only don¡¯t use your hands. The puppet pointed towards Fonta¡¯s hands and two armbands instantly made him stumble, his head nearly hitting the short table as he partially kneeled. ¡°How is this so heavy?¡± ¡°They are only ninety pounds a piece. That should be within the limits of your physical strength. Walking should be easy, but cutting vegetables will be difficult. Pushing to his feet Fonta looked at his teacher with an eye twitch. His weight had tripled. ¡°I¡¯m annoyed, so, no hands for work?¡± ¡°No, when you need them control your arms with that telekinesis of yours.¡± ¡°Wait what?¡± ¡°Your arms are a weapon, control them.¡± Fonta knew this, as shreds of chi surrounded his left arm, then his right and he commanded him to rise despite a staggering amount of pain. After a minute Fonta released his arms. ¡°That¡¯s difficult, it''s like I¡¯m ripping them off.¡± ¡°Then you have two choices, learn to wield a knife with your mind or build enough strength to lift your arms with your mind. Doing both at the same time would be preferable but¡­¡± The puppet didn¡¯t have much faith in Fonta pulling them off. Chapter 12: Secret Menu Fonta went to work the next day after spending thirty minutes getting out of his room. To most, 180 pounds wasn¡¯t much but concentrated on the wrists of someone who didn¡¯t have much if any muscle to begin with, it was horrible. If Fonta¡¯s base stats were written out his strength would be¡­
Precursor status screen activated due to a nearby relic.
¡°Who said that!¡± Fonta scowled. A blue box appeared in the corner of his vision, he tried to see it. ¡°Get over here!¡± The screen was dragged to the center of his vision blocking his sight.
Name, Fonta Pain Race: Precursor (Twin) Level: Cultivation 1, Magic 0 Stats Strength: 8(12) Dexterity 18(27) Vigor: 16(24) Endurance: 20(30) Intelligence: 4(6) Wisdom: 15 Charisma: 1(1) Mind: 17(25) Luck: i Stats under 6 represent abilities below that of a child. Stats 10 and below are that of the average adult at the time of this Relic¡¯s Creation. Age 17, time until racial maturity, 3 Days Precursor Boon: Locked until racial maturity reached Talents unlocked: 2 Paths unlocked: 0 Perks points: 2
¡°What the depths! What''s going on!¡± Fonta yelled as he walked out of the room. ¡°Wait, why is my intelligence so low!¡± ¡°What''s with all the yelling!¡± Zara yelled from one floor above as something heavy hit the ceiling multiple times! ¡°Tell me your intelligence!¡± Fonta felt the thing on his arm slightly heat up but it didn¡¯t burn. ¡°42. Wait what?! How did? What is? Where did all these numbers come from? Did you just activate the collar?¡± ¡°Sorry! Didn¡¯t know I could do that!¡± Fonta winced. ¡°Fonta the sun hasn¡¯t even woken up yet. What are you doing in there?¡± Yang said at his door. ¡°Yang, say or think status. Then tell me your intelligence.¡± ¡°Why would I? Fine Status¡­ what''s with all these numbers? Oh looks like it''s a 12 with my cultivation level.¡± ¡°What about your charisma?¡± Fonta said as he grabbed his umbrella.¡± The sky outside had never been clearer. ¡°29 with my cultivation.¡± The sound of a sword being pulled from its sheath warned Yang that he should probably run. Fonta bounced out of his room and shot toward Yang. With surprising speed, Yang evaded the blow meant to nick his face slightly. And backhanded the back of Fonta¡¯s head. ¡°What''s that for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing personal. I¡¯m just obligated to lower your charisma a bit.¡± Fonta landed in a tumble and then struggled to stand back up. Before he ran back towards him. Yang drew his sword and deflected the blow with a strength that went against everything Fonta knew about Yang. ¡°When did you get so strong?¡± ¡°When did you get so weak? Your blows usually have more oomph and speed. Oh right, those heavy bracers.¡± Fonta moved into a leg sweep as the weight on his hands doubled and he was suddenly unmoving. ¡°Stop fighting. I¡¯ll explain then you can all go to work later.¡± ¡°Fine, start.¡± Fonta didn¡¯t move. ¡°My item arrived a bit earlier than I expected. It allows one to view their base abilities, talents, and other similar things as well as perk points. Those we can go over later, Fonta, when do you reach maturity.¡± ¡°Three days, but my birthday should have passed.¡± ¡°I doubt you know the exact day, figured it was soon but three days? You must have been a late bloomer.¡± ¡°Fine, these stats, how do they get higher?¡± ¡°Training for base stats, from reading to exercising. Charisma is based on decorum, speech, clothing, and cleanliness. It is the most dynamic of stats.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°So to get my charisma past 1 I need to take a bath or something?¡± ¡°That, and remove those weights and they reduce base stats by 10 each. So -20 strength -20 charisma and they also look bad. ¡°Wait so my intelligence wasn¡¯t touched?¡± ¡°You need all the advantages you can get.¡± The puppet lied, strength, charisma, and intelligence were lowered mostly for his own protection. They had to lower three and anything else could get him killed. ¡°Now go do your training.¡± ¡°Fine, Fonta practically dragged his arms towards the restaurant where he practiced cutting things with a knife he¡¯d begun levitating. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting talent you have there, kid, but your control over one is equal to what you can do with your hands already. Try levitating two at the same time to double your workload. ¡°Yes, Chef!.¡± Fonta felt his consciousness split as he connected with another knife. He could control them both at once but they needed to do similar things to prevent splitting his brain in two before it was ready. ¡°Good, with your talent, I¡¯ll have you working twice as hard soon. You could be a one-man kitchen crew. How does that sound?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Imagine being able to cut vegetables, stir a pot, work a skillet, and plate all at the same time, without stopping or moving from a set position.¡± ¡°How does that help me in a fight?¡± ¡°Ugh. The youth and their fighting.¡± ¡°Say you''re holding one sword in each hand, an ax in your mouth, two spears, a shield, a halberd, and a War hammer circle around you breathing down multiple opponents without a second thought.¡± ¡°Hit more, hit fast, and hit hard. Yes, that could work. Chef, you''re a genius.¡± It all made sense to him. He could make meat tornadoes. ¡°Yeah yeah. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll use them well.¡± The chef rolled his eyes and turned. After finishing the day working harder mentally. He went to chop would using his new power to cut them one at a time finding the act slow but effective as he got the rhythm on it the ax came down faster and the wood was knocked to the side as he learned how to swing the ax around his body in an obit then slam it down with the collected momentum. Cleaning was magical and convenient. Mopping twice as fast as convenient as he picked up trash and put the place together within an hour without breaking a single broom or mop.
Arriving at the house Fonta began to practice his cultivation. The sun had begun to set as the clouds moved to hide it. Fonta could feel that he was close to breaking into the awakened stage, just a week most. Just as he was looping another strand of chi through his meridians, Zara cut him off. ¡°Fonta, are you ready to start your lessons?¡± ¡°Nope. I need to cultivate.¡± Fonta said as he tried to clear his mind and focus. ¡°Then I¡¯ll cut it short. You need to learn an instrument, you have three days to pick one, Then our training starts. If you don¡¯t pick then I will find you something. ¡°Three days? Instrument?¡± ¡°Yes, that is how I learned my sense of mana. The type of instrument you pick is representative of your personality. You may not believe me but I play the flute.¡± ¡°Ok. I have no context for that but if I must. I can visit the auction house here.¡± ¡°Will you go?¡± Zara asked. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll go take a look,¡± Fonta said before he began the process of threading his chi through his meridians three times then tying them together to form a rope before collapsing from exhaustion. He felt that he¡¯d need to repeat the process at least ten more times before his body could properly maintain them together and make more.
The next few days progressed, as Fonta trained his talent. He could wield two knives with his power, and two axes as well, but when it came to cleaning, he could command a broom dustpan, mop, duster, and various wipes simultaneously. Though not in any productive fashion as doing so did slow him down in a way that made things add up. Living up to his Promise, Fonta entered the auction house and walked to the familiar fox man.¡± ¡°Master Pain, I''m happy to see you. How may I be of service?¡± ¡°I need to find an instrument just for me.¡± ¡°How much are you looking to spend?¡± ¡°How much do I have available?¡± ¡°With the orders, 70,000 from commissions alone. ¡°That then, and I go over take from our deal?¡± ¡°Would you like to purchase a skill cube after?¡± ¡°Why not, it could be fun,¡± Fonta stated as one of the doorways opened. ¡°I¡¯m sure it will.¡± As Fonta walked through the door he saw Casimar who seemed to be holding a pair of wooden sticks and going to town on various flat surfaces filling the room with cacophonous booms and crashes as though his ears were being punched. The sound continued and eventually, his senses adjusted and the crashing had something he couldn¡¯t put into words, but they seemed to go together and repeat patterns. Not wanting to interrupt, Fonta wandered about until the young prince finished getting his anger out. ¡°Hey, Cas!¡± Fonta said after the music ended. ¡°What? Fonta? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here to stop your dad¡¯s war or whatever.¡± ¡°What? What war?¡± ¡°I know right, do what you want, just don¡¯t force me to be an enemy and we¡¯re golden. You¡¯re still invited to join my sect. Those wooden weapons in your hand look quite powerful.¡± ¡°These are drumsticks.¡± ¡°No, they aren¡¯t. Drumsticks have meat on them.¡± ¡°No. Well yes. But¡­Similar names have different purposes. You use them on drums. The instrument right there.¡± ¡°Oh¡­So they share a name. That''s weird. Anyways, glad to see you.¡± ¡°Wait one second. What war are you talking about?¡± ¡°The one where your father sends his army to destroy the city because you were harmed?¡± ¡°Who told my father I was hurt? The only thing I told him was that I succeeded in getting a cultivation technique and would head home shortly. I didn¡¯t mention mind control and wouldn¡¯t have unless we were in person.¡± ¡°Wait, someone told your father, but it wasn¡¯t you? Who could¡­¡± ¡°When was the last time you talked with your father?¡± ¡°When I got out. Shouldn¡¯t be that big of a deal. I¡¯ve been waiting for the teleporter to open up. It¡¯s going to be another three days until I can use it again. A person can only use one once every week as it shocks the soul a bit, the cost is also astronomical but we¡¯re kind of wealthy for a small kingdom in a greater empire.¡± ¡°This is confusing. So you can stop your dad, but it will take days and his armies may already be coming.¡± ¡°I highly doubt that last part but yes, they will be rushing over here if someone spreads a lie.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really care, so show me around.¡± Casimar nodded though a worried look lay behind his eyes as he gave Fonta a tour of the music shop. ¡°So either a guitar or a piano would be a decent starting instrument for you. Which do you prefer? ¡°Both work for me. I know nothing of this stuff.¡± ¡°I also recommend a music theory skill cube, as well as a music reading cube. They are the same but the latter teaches you how to read music, while the former gives you a better understanding of the higher technical stuff. This will bypass over initial understanding but you will still need to study and practice on your own. They are 10,000 together but if you buy an instrument you can get them for free. ¡°Piano then. Holding the guitar makes me want to swing it like an ax, and it costs too much for me to risk my impulses on it.¡± Fonta nodded to himself. If he wanted to then he¡¯d buy one another time. ¡°Ok then, How much for the piano,¡± Fonta asked a long pointy-eyed demon with lithe features and blond hair. The ageless woman spoke slowly and melodically. ¡°It will cost you 100,000 credits.¡± ¡°Come again.¡± ¡°100,000 credits,¡± she repeated. ¡°That is outrageous. Though, I¡¯m sure we can come to a more fair price.¡± Fonta said as he leaned on the table. When his sister did this, people gave her discounts all the time. ¡°125,000 credits.¡± The elf didn¡¯t so much as an eyelash. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°This piano is made from divine tree wood. A human like you wouldn''t understand.¡± ¡°Do you have a smaller and cheaper one?¡± ¡°No. If you do not understand the masterpiece that is this instrument, you may leave. You may also attend the auction.¡± ¡°So you''re saying you have no pianos for beginners to practice on, and learn before committing a fortune on the better stuff.¡± ¡°Why would we?¡± ¡°To the skill cubes!¡± Fonta turned and left. ¡°You¡¯re acting like getting a piano isn¡¯t worth the effort.¡± ¡°I''ll figure something out,¡± Fonta said, remembering that he could just buy one from his Mal Dynamis. He¡¯d just need to learn how to navigate it. Chapter 13: Knock off or Bargain Fonta wound up in a strange shop where various cubed boxes sat on shelves. There appeared to be exactly 6-inches long, wide, and high, perfect squares. To the degree that they could potentially cut open someone¡¯s hand. Sliding his finger along the edge of one he noticed an invisible shell around the item. ¡°Don¡¯t touch the merchandise, " echoed a voice in Fonta¡¯s head.¡± ¡°Who is this?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°A simple archivist. What do you wish to learn?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing about these cubes a lot, but I don¡¯t know what they do?¡± ¡°They transfer first-hand experiences recorded within and engrave themselves into your mind permanently. It allows someone to gain skills that take years, in days. They transfer knowledge, feelings, emotions, senses, and experience.¡± ¡°That sounds neat.¡± ¡°Is that all, just neat?¡± ¡°I hear the words but they aren¡¯t exactly clicking.¡± ¡°Do you have something you want to learn?¡± ¡°Do you have anything that can teach me how to read the precursor language?¡± ¡°If I did, do you think I would be working here?¡± ¡°Yes. It would be something you kept for special clients.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong.¡± ¡°Do you have cubes for fighting styles?¡± ¡°Yes, though those are notoriously difficult to comprehend.¡± ¡°Do you also do that gacha thing?¡± ¡°Like the minotaur?¡± ¡°Yes. Like a box of skills, people don¡¯t want or care about? A bargain bin of sorts.¡± ¡°No, well yes, but they aren¡¯t in a bin. Sensations of pain, fear, dread, hunger, sorrow, despair, and anger. Those as well as other powerful emotions can be transmitted and make some cubes less valuable to most customers and they are quite a bit cheaper.¡± ¡°Good, show me those.¡± ¡°How many do you want to borrow?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you 75,000 credits for as many of those that you''re willing to give me.¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Old enough.¡± Fonta tried to squint. ¡°You want to learn skills useful to yourself, correct?¡± ¡°Yes, mostly combat stuff, movement techniques. I can deal with pain, and most other trauma, Addiction, is not one I want to deal with.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll remove anything I deem more harmful than understanding.¡± ¡°Do what you must, not all trauma is equal and there are some I¡¯ve seen in the eyes of my siblings before they joined the family.¡± ¡°I see. Do you want me to put them in a bin? Or do you have a dimensional ring?¡± ¡°A what?¡± It sounded familiar, sadly his recall was limited by his interests. ¡°It''s an item that you can use to put really big things into really small things,¡± Casimar stated having appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Where did you come from?¡± Fonta asked in surprise. ¡°I followed you from the music store. I thought you were going to learn an instrument.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Meh, archivist can you add some music stuff to my list as well.¡± ¡°That''s already 25% of it. Lots of starving or threatened artists of all kinds have sold their memories for food.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Fonta nodded. Casimar sighed as his savior agreed to put himself through massive amounts of torment to save some money. Fonta nodded. ¡°Fonta Pain, the branch director has my funds and he will pay for what I buy.¡± ¡°You said 75,000 Ducks, right?¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Of course. Where are you anyways?¡± Fonta looked at the floating cubes and bin in curiosity.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, your payment has been accepted now head out.¡± The archivist stated. Fonta continued to look, finding no one in his search, he closed both of his eyes. He sensed nothing which was quite odd. ¡°Alright.¡± Fonta had received over 40 of the skill cubes forcing him to buy a bin from the Mal Dynamis for 400 Ducks.¡± Casimar sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you plan on making a profit.¡± ¡°Eventually, but no, these are investments.¡± Fonta pulled one out and looked at it. Captive Musician: Summary, imparts basic and advanced musical theory, advanced sight reading and memorization techniques, as well as the ability to play or act under the pressure of a deranged dark cultivator. Teaches saxophone play from beginner to master. Warning: Ends with a sudden violent death. ¡°Well¡­that sounds effective.¡± ¡°Wait until you get home. Speaking of that, where do you live?¡± ¡°With my current teacher. You are not invited, not unless you agree to eventually join my sect.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to talk to my father about that. I have obligations to my homeland, those won¡¯t allow for me to willingly join any sect my people don¡¯t approve of.¡± ¡°Dang, guess you¡¯ll miss out on founder bonuses.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°A training partner who is always ready for a fight. And some other things.¡± Fonta stopped by the man with the fox at the entrance. ¡°Can you purchase a Dimensional ring or something for me with the money I make here?¡± ¡°Any price limits?¡± ¡°Anything you know I can reasonably pay back,¡± Fonta added. ¡°Good, see you soon.¡± Fonta nodded as he carried his loot home.
¡°Let me get this straight. You went to the music store for an instrument, correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But the person there was trying to fleece you for the one you wanted.¡± ¡°Correct, they wanted 100,000 for a piano. I didn¡¯t have that much.¡± ¡°Yeah they usually cost half as much, and only if they are really nice. But then you spend all your cash on skill cubes. Not safe and necessary mind you, cheap, effective, and traumatic. Are you trying to lose your mind?¡± Zara asked. ¡°Can¡¯t lose what you don¡¯t have,¡± Yang said without thinking, seemingly he looked up and noticed Fonta didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Right. My current intelligence is six, it was a bad idea to leave me alone with any money. But hey, it was only auction money, so it wasn¡¯t a waste but an investment.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Angel should have gone with you. Still, what about him?¡± Zara pointed to Casimar. ¡°75,000 credits isn¡¯t much in the grand design. I get double that as an allowance. I didn¡¯t realize you were so po¨C in need of Ducks.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t, I still have the money I get from working in the kitchen. Which is only 10,000 after 3 months but that''s liveable here. ¡° ¡°It¡¯s just inefficient buying so many when you can likely only use 3 before going insane.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be much of a problem,¡± Yang stated. ¡°See, have some faith, Zara.¡± ¡°He¡¯s already insane, that''s why you¡¯re alive. Let him be himself.¡± Fonta went from happy to mad, then landed in confusion. ¡°How do I use one of these anyway?¡± ¡°You need to enter a sensory deprivation room. Your eyes and ears will be covered, and an incense will be lit. While Lit you will place a cube at the base of your neck and the memories will be played. How long it takes won¡¯t matter, some take seconds, and others may feel like years. But both will end before the incense stick burns. As a precursor, the memories won¡¯t burn into your mind the same way. You will know who you are, and the knowledge you need will be learned, the trauma will be dulled but still present. But you¡¯re used to trauma.¡± The puppeteer spoke directly into his head. Fonta dodged as the puppet suddenly stood and led him to a back room. ¡°Is this normal?¡± Casimar asked. ¡°Telepathy, and yes, those two tend to have secret conversations a lot. I don¡¯t think Fonta thinks too hard about it.¡± ¡°I take it he forgets not everyone can hear the other side.¡± ¡°He¡¯s getting better. It used to be worse before he¡¯d threatened Zara with a fight for trying to teach him things.¡± Yang nodded. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad. But yes, he is a bit primal. Like a condensed ball of violence.¡± ¡°Does he fight all of his friends?¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t fought Angel. Though that has more to do with the both of us coming off on the wrong foot.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Casimar asked. ¡°He thought I hit on his sister.¡± ¡°Thought?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡±
Fonta did not like having his eyes and ears covered. Nor did he like the incense lit while the puppet. ¡°How long have you dealt in skill cubes?¡± ¡°Elaborate.¡± ¡°I just bought these from you, didn¡¯t I,¡± Fonta stated. ¡°Oh, no. The thing with second generations is that we tend to have large families. Polygamy tends to be the rule if not the expectation when first generations show up. Everyone wants a piece of the innate power. What did you notice?¡± ¡°Telepathy, or possession, or whatever it is you do.¡± ¡°Possession, is likely what it is. My precursor trait lets me possess objects or project a portion of my soul repeatedly. So I learned early on how to manipulate limbs with the energy, though each split is much weaker than the last. My gourd for and the one prior were elpmet stage, while this form was awakened. Precursor traits are genetic and usually appear once you reach maturity. Maturity is not the same as age. It''s more the ability of your body to handle that power. Did you get all that?¡± ¡°No. Lost me around the point where you admitted to being at least Nascent realm.¡± ¡°That''s far enough. Which one do you want first?¡± ¡°Captive musician.¡± ¡°Alright.¡±
The smell of incense faded yet everything stayed dark and silent as his heart rate shot up. He tried to breathe and struggled. His head was pounding heavily as he tried to recall what happened. Then the scene changed as he was playing a golden saxophone in a tavern. His fingers moved naturally across the instrument as though it was a part of himself and the music he played soothed many of the people present. He played his heart out and eventually his song ended in applause as he left the stage. Receiving his payment for performing. As he left through the back, something hit him on the head and everything went dark. The scene continued and the man thought through everything he learned to calm himself down, from the situation he was in even as the stench of rot snuck into the bag over his head. Years of practicing on his saxophone, decades of refining his path, and even teaching others to play like him on occasion. Liu was a talented musician who¡¯d done some cultivation to stay young but didn¡¯t bother learning to fight or much situational awareness. And for that, he¡¯d been taken. After two hours of darkness the bag was removed as light entered his eyes and a figure in a plague doctor mask eyed him with slitted scarlet spheres. Looking down, the man noticed he was wiry thin, and starving as various corpses lay on the cart around him. Their heads were also covered. ¡°How long?¡± ¡°About a week. A shame the others didn¡¯t make it you work for me now.¡± The musician had become a servant, playing for the masked cultivator, going along with their whims, and even being used as a punching bag when they were in a foul mood. As time went on, the harsh treatment lessened and the musician felt weird. As though he¡¯d miss it. Another year passed and by some chance, he¡¯d seen his captor without the mask. The entire front had been torn off and burned as scars traveled down to their neck. The appearance the musician had seen was that of someone who¡¯d been harmed greatly by another. After that incident, the beatings did return for a while, as he returned to being her captive magician. Years then decades passed as the musician was no longer in his prime when he put on one final show using what he¡¯d experienced over his long life. A song of pain, terror, despair, depression, and love. There was no light or hope at the end of the tunnel. Then there was a sharp pain in his arms, then his legs, as they were impaled by black vines. Finally, his heart was impaled and the memory ended.
Fonta began to hyperventilate as memories and knowledge were separated as the phantom pain in his heart faded and knowledge of music was engraved into him as well as practices to increase pain tolerance. ¡°What in the Serpent was that? It was horrible.¡± ¡°Did you learn something?¡± ¡°I really should not have agreed to come along with you alone, fear of the dark and a simple request. Please don¡¯t kill me if I see your face on accident. Oh, and I have a basic understanding of music.¡± ¡°How about another?¡± ¡°Nope, I need time to remember who I am. I am not the guy killed by the woman he fell in love with after she kidnapped him for decades. I don''t need that confusion.¡± Fonta added, ¡°So that''s your limit?¡± ¡°Just need some time. The way you described it, the raw emotion and dread at the end, it was hard to shake off.¡± ¡°So it wasn''t physical pain that got to you?¡± ¡°What felt like years flew by in what feels like seconds.¡± ¡°So you aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get to them eventually. Actually, It¡¯s fading fast. What¡¯s going on?¡± Fonta scowled as he passed Chi through his pathways and let out a deep breath. Chapter 14: Birthday Bonus The next day flew by before he was mentally prepared to go into another skill cube when something hit him like a sack of potatoes in the gut. Unlike the usual growing pains he experienced while cultivating, what he felt now was as though every aspect of his being changed suddenly. His breathing wasn¡¯t bad, but now it was as though he had never taken a breath before. He could feel the life energy he was adding into himself while cultivating and as he did so, double what he¡¯d done. He understood what cultivation was, it was taking mana into oneself and converting it into one being, the process of which would slow down in areas barren of mana. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Fonta¡¯s voice was now deeper, and he didn¡¯t need to think about it. He looked out the window and noticed the wings of a bee two streets over. He could hear it buzz when he focused on sound, as though his perception had vastly improved. ¡°Status?¡±
Name, Fonta Pain Race: Precursor (Twin) Level: Cultivation 1, Magic 0 Stats Strength: 32(48)Dexterity 27(40) Vigor: 30(45) Endurance: 30(45) Intelligence: 32(48) Wisdom: 27(40) Charisma: 21(31) Mind: 30(45) Luck: i Age: 18 Precursor Boon: Two for the price of One Talents unlocked: 2 Paths unlocked: 1 Perks points: 2 Updates: Two for the price of One: Your mental stats improve your physical capabilities and vice versa, Base Strength<->Intelligence, Dexterity<->Wisdom, Endurance<->Mind. In addition, when you choose a perk you may choose 2 that are synergistic. Also if you are in a situation where more than 3 options are present, you will always receive at least two where you should receive one. Mana Path Unlocked: Choose between Sound Magic, Water Magic, Rage, Bodily Enhancement, Healing, or Summoning. This can be delayed for 6 more months. Two for the price of one triggered. You may choose two paths instead of one.
¡°How!? How did I unlock sound magic!? Wait¡­ my boon gives me two!? Oh¡­I think I get why so many precursors end up in polygamy. They¡¯re sellouts. To be fair, if I needed to do so to save anyone in my family I¡¯d do it in a heartbeat, but I¡¯d rather not. Awesome!¡± Fonta stomped on the ground and raised his fist. ¡°Shut up! It¡¯s three in the morning!¡± Zara stomped on the floor above him. Shaking the ceiling fan above him. ¡°You¡¯d think she would have learned by now. Fonta stated as he looked outside and saw that the sun was nowhere near rising. ¡°Wait¡­is this why Molta grew so fast so suddenly? It was because she unlocked this. Which also explains how she ended up with healing magic. She needed it to save Ted. You would think she¡¯d unlock it after I almost died so many times.¡± There was a knock on his door and Fonta answered it. Only to come face-to-face with the Puppeteer. ¡°Did you get your boon?¡± The Puppet asked inches away from him. ¡°What are you going on about?¡± ¡°Your hair has a luster it didn''t have before and you look 20 times as handsome.¡± The puppet said in a monotone, it seemed to eye where the bracers should have been, scowling as they noticed that the enchantments failed. ¡°Is it always 20 points?¡± ¡°Yes, for most, some have more innate charm, others use perks to raise it further.¡± ¡°So I get 2 perks so long as they synergize.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not one I know of, though it could be because you are a twin. Is it just that? There is more, but I don¡¯t want to bring that up here. Or at all. Are boons always genetic?¡± ¡°Yes, and no, depends, sometimes they fuse if there are 2 precursors involved, if there aren¡¯t then the power is transferred at least one generation. Wait, how do you even know the word genetic?¡± ¡°No idea. Anyhow, if anyone were to find out about the other half of the boon I''d have to flee the planet.¡± ¡°Then stop. You are less trusting than usual, which means your intuition has grown and I can infer from there, that your boon increases your base stats. Don¡¯t react aloud, it''s a simple deduction as I knew you a bit before you became a cultivator. I bet it¡¯s something cheesy like two for the price of one.¡± Fonta¡¯s eyebrows raised as he took a step back. ¡°On the nose. Anyhow that doesn¡¯t change anything aside, I still want you to lead the sect. So you know, using your skill cubes will slowly increase intelligence as for the language cube I talked about. That was a lie. What you want are two perks, one is Precursor Decrypt, which will allow for the language of the precursors to become actual letters while the other is called The Written Word, I thought I¡¯d need to convince you to get two different perks but those should allow you to read every written language that exists, has existed or will exist.¡± Fonta focused on Precursor Decrypt and the word appeared under a list of perks highlighted, he then thought of The Written Word, and that one was also highlighted. In moments memories and understanding rushed through him as he accepted the perks. ¡°Did it work?¡± Fonta pulled out the Mal Dynamis and was greeted. Welcome Owner! This is the Mal Dynamis! The one-stop shop for anything you can think of, from shoes to souls! We have an ever-growing list of items we can generate using what people now call Ducks. The following categories are available: Clothes, Weapons, Food, Medical, Utility, Enhanced Items, Electronics, Vehicles, Furniture, Cultivator Gear, Mage Gears, and Souls. This artifact is locked at tier 2 until it has absorbed 10,000,000 Ducrates(Ducks as you call them) from purchases or donations. You have currently put 187,452 Ducks into the book. Fonta scowled. ¡°I can read it. It gets stronger as I use it.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! He then touched the soul''s category and his face fell. All of his dead siblings were in the book, and he could buy their freedom. Ashton, Vhan, Lucy, Miradeth, Gordon, Victor, Percival, Nala, Trent, and more. Many of which he hadn¡¯t recognized. Clicking on Ashton Fonta saw that for, 1,000 the kid¡¯s soul would go into an item he chose, while for 10,000 he could reincarnate his sibling, they would be reborn with vague memories of their past life somewhere else in the world, and for 1,000,000 Ducks he could bring him back to life with a new body that was a copy of the original but without any injuries or defects. ¡°I can bring them back, but the cost is too great right now. Though it¡¯s better than being a thrall.¡± Fonta muttered aloud as he resolved to get as much money as he could. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± ¡°Selling more than just clothes to the auction house to buy my siblings'' resurrections. 1 million Ducks per.¡± ¡°That is a brutal price to pay for a life.¡± ¡°Aye. But if I give those people access to more items via a limited page, I could get it much faster.¡± ¡°Or they would try to kill you for full access.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t work but I get the point.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you do. So you know base stats don¡¯t matter much once you pass the nascent realm. Not unless you manage to get them high. The multiplier increases by 1 or double your base multiplier for each tier. So eventually your meridians will allow you to jump tiers in stats and power. Which is normal for precursors.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t, you¡¯ve been punching above your weight for a while, which is how you¡¯ve gotten by so far, but just because you can doesn¡¯t mean you should.¡± ¡°What about my other perks?¡± ¡°Up to you. The list is long.¡± ¡°Teacher, what exactly is a perk?¡± ¡°Huh, it''s tricky. When under enough stress, sometimes you will receive a sudden surge of information, or understanding, that is known as enlightenment or an epiphany. When you increase your cultivation level, the number of perk points you have increases each time you jump in tier or level. Usually what I had you learn from cooking would have become a perk, but due to your talent encompassing all weapons, it increased your talent''s ability and didn¡¯t use a perk point.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Fonta nodded. The puppeteer left in a hurry and seemingly disappeared.
Perk Categories: Combat, Utility, Passive, Active, Skill. Magic(locked), Precursor
Fonta focused on combat.
Subcategories, Weapons (Locked), Enhancements(Locked), Aura, Projection.
Fonta then concentrated on the aura and saw that anything related to weapons was locked, the only available auras protected him from either a little of everything or a lot of one specific type or improved his mobility. While projection was locked all save for an ability that let him create illusions. Backing out, Fonta looked at Utility. That list was a lot more useful with things that made him more effective at cooking, calculating, managing, and remembering, among other things. It would make him good at noncombat stuff but he had skill cubes for that. Passives were abilities that were always active unless willing to deactivate from eagle sight, which increased his eyesight more, to bloodhound nose, which made him better at tracking people by smell. Orator''s Presence increased his charisma by 5 when speaking while Haggler¡¯s cunning increased it by 5 again when talking about prices. He¡¯d get those skills if nothing else mixed. Moving onto Active skills he found most were useless or locked behind prerequisites he didn¡¯t meet. Not that they were bad, but more that they were limited and not on at all times. For 10 minutes he could become really fast but for an hour he¡¯d be exhausted. These were trap perks. Going to the last list, skills were purely skills that were similar to passives and utility which made him curious as he wondered if he was missing something. Going back to passive Fonta found a skill called, Font of Chi, your cultivation technique can now absorb and hold more chi based on your mental capabilities, this utility perk stacks. Fonta then moved back to passives and found the skill that caught his eye. Body over Mind, Chi increases your physical prowess based on the amount circulating through your body. Combined with his boon, the numbers were boosted both ways. Fonta selected those and noticed that his stats increased slightly across the board.
Name, Fonta Pain Strength: 32(52)Dexterity 27(42) Vigor: 30(47) Endurance: 30(47) Intelligence: 32(52) Wisdom: 27(42) Charisma: 21(32) Mind: 30(47) Luck: i. Age: 18
¡°Decent, and an investment. Now I''m going to sleep.¡±
Fonta did not in fact go to sleep, he stayed up thinking. He¡¯d never done that before, usually, he could pass out when his head hit the pillow but now, he felt like every second not used was wasted, and began adjusting to his strength before noticing something odd. The weights on his hands had come off when he woke up. ¡°When did it happen?¡± ¡°They broke when your strength increased suddenly.¡± The puppeteer said as Fonta ate breakfast. ¡°Is that so?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°Yes, now then.¡± Casimar came down from his room, looked at Fonta, then scowled. ¡°Did you break through to the awakened stage?¡± ¡°Something like that, now do you want to spar?¡± ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m still a bit injured. I''ll need to be at my best tomorrow.¡± Casimar nodded. ¡°Bah, doesn¡¯t matter, are you ready to go see your dad?¡± ¡°I should have one more day to prepare.¡± ¡°So we head out then.¡± Fonta nodded. ¡°What?¡± The puppeteer looked at Fonta having not been informed. ¡°Right, I¡¯m going to see Cas'' dad, and we¡¯ll tell him the truth. I forgot to tell you that. Sorry teacher.¡± ¡°You damned idiot, do you want to die?¡± ¡°Will there be a fight?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°Explain to Casimar that you won¡¯t be able to make it.¡± ¡°But if Cas is to join our sect we need his approval.¡± ¡°Ah, and dad will likely call off the war if we get to him in time.¡± ¡°Back up, he sent the notice that spoke of the betrayal on our part right?¡± ¡°I did not,¡± Casimar stated. ¡°Damn it. That means someone is impersonating you. They are likely hiding in the castle.¡± ¡°What are you going on about?¡± ¡°A plot! So I¡¯m gonna get to get my fight on!¡± Fonta bounced in glee as he grabbed his umbrella. ¡°He seems excited, for someone who nearly died 5 days ago,¡± Shinra said as she stepped out of Fonta¡¯s shadow, then made her way to a carafe containing a brown liquid Fonta was banned from consuming, lest he break the universe. ¡°I did not almost-¡± ¡°Zip it, it¡¯s coffee time.¡± Angel arrived minutes later in a nurse assistant uniform. ¡°What did ma.Bronter Fonta do to his face?¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°No, not really.¡± Angel noticed Yang walk down the stairs, followed by an Angry-looking Zara. ¡°Wait¡­Yang, are you and Zara?¡± Casimar started. ¡°No!¡± Zara protested. ¡°She has a weird thing for Fonta.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Casimar nodded. ¡°Weird thing? I don¡¯t need any presents right now. Although I guess today is my birthday.¡± ¡°What type of gift do you want?¡± ¡°A few knuckle sandwiches. In a free-for-all all tavern brawl.¡± Fonta added ¡°Everyone declined.¡± Zara seemed confused. Angel walked up to her and shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s called rejection your highness. He doesn¡¯t see you in that way.¡± ¡°Quit your teasing.¡± Zara commanded. The command didn¡¯t work, and the two bickered for a bit. Fonta had already left, he had an absurd amount of energy today and started it off with a dash around the city that ended as he broke a sweat after thirty minutes of extreme movement. He increased the level of wall running and building hopping on his next trip finding the limits of his body, higher than he expected. Returning, Fonta found himself getting drilled on court procedure and etiquette as he was forced to buy nice clothes and shoes. Chapter 15 Fonta¡¯s hair had been meticulously combed and then tied into a topknot that looked reminiscent of an upside-down beet. His Golden eyes shined in irritation, as he looked down at his deep purple and gold robes made from silk. His umbrella was tied to his hip where a sword would be. To many, it would mark him as a pacifist. Anyone who knew him would see the ruse. Fonta argued hard and managed to keep his sneakers on as well. Fonta had never looked more regal and his charisma stat was sitting in the sixties as golden earrings pierced his ears with amethyst gems in the center. ¡°This is a massive waste of funds.¡± ¡°Cost you less than 20,000 in your shop.¡± ¡°20,000 that I could have saved.¡± ¡°You are meeting royalty as a sect master in a minor unapproved sect. You need to be on your best behavior.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°What do you say to the king?¡± ¡°Nothing, because he speaks first.¡± ¡°Good. When do you bare your claws.¡± ¡°Hopefully not at all.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°What do you do if the king tell a bad pun.¡± Fonta squinted. ¡°I laugh?¡± ¡°No, you stay still and hope he doesn¡¯t use it as an excuse to offer you an ultimatum. Finally, keep the precursor thing as an arrow in your quiver, only use it if necessary, and don¡¯t mention what your boon is.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Great.¡± ¡°What else?¡± Fonta crossed his arms. ¡°That should be it.¡± Nodding, Fonta entered the auction house leaving his teacher behind. Casimar stood in brown earthen robes while Yang wore ocean-blue robes. The three boys walked through a purple door and stood atop a green circle with a pentagram in the center. In moments they were there and in the next, they were across the world on another continent. Fonta took a deep breath and noticed that the area had a lot more energy in the air, as he looked about. Stepping out, of a back door, Fonta found himself in a city made of stone, carved into a mountain with various stairways and pathways leading up to a fortress atop the hill. On the ground around the mountain were multiple farms and fields, where cattle roamed mostly freely. Casimar nodded, ¡°Welcome to Terragen, it may look smaller than Lumino from here, but that mountain has been hollowed out, what you see on the outside is just the start. We build with compactness and efficiency. My father is a minor king, he has some power but he isn¡¯t lord of a good portion of land, so outside of the mountain there are mostly farms. Meant to feed the people of this empire.¡± ¡°Does your father have Awakened cultivators to spare?¡± ¡°Plenty of them. Those are a dime a dozen.¡± Casimar added. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Casimar did so and eventually, the trio found themselves walking up the stairways for thirty minutes before arriving at what was known as the lifts. ¡°These will cut down on travel time a bit.¡± Casimar said as he withdrew a badge which he waved to the lift operator. As the trio entered Fonta scowled as something violent screamed into his mind. The man bowed. ¡°Going up, young master?¡± ¡°Yes I must speak with my father posthaste.¡± ¡°I understand. Sad¨C¡± Fonta drew the man''s hidden sword faster than the operator could react seizing the poison-tipped blade against his neck. ¡°Sadly you won¡¯t get to finish that sentence.¡± Fonta didn''t budge as the blade whispered into him telling him it wanted to bite him. ¡°How did you figure it out?¡± Fonta nodded to Yang who drew his sword and then took to the rear. ¡°Your blade screams its intentions. It hungers for blood, truly the weapon of a villian.¡± Fonta didn¡¯t get the chance to pull information from him as a spear of stone pierced his heart from behind, then launched him into the darkness below. ¡°I was questioning him, you¡¯re a bit too eager to kill.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t my first rodeo.¡± ¡°You¡¯re what?¡± ¡°People have been trying to kill or control me since I was young. Guys like this explode after they die or when given enough time.¡± A boom followed by a burst of flames shook the lifts. Fonta threw the sword into the depths below. ¡°I can¡¯t use a weapon like that.¡± ¡°Good job, didn¡¯t see that coming. I can see why you¡¯re going to be leading a sect. Was that true though, did his weapon scream to you?¡± ¡°Weapons that kill enough tend to gain taste for blood or take on aspects of their owner. A freshly forged sword is like a child, impressionable and innocent. The way they are used impacts them greatly. That sword was frequently covered in venom and excrement from toxic creatures.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you tossed it.¡± ¡°I have heard of that, Voice of the sword, that''s admirable for someone our age.¡± Yang shook his head signaling to Fonta not to correct him. ¡°So it isn''t unique?¡± ¡°No, but it is one of the rarer understandings. Usually the sensation is faint like intuition, or an innate or understanding. Others can see the path the weapon wants to travel. Few can smell lingering chi or energy from a weapon. Legends tell of two capable of touching a weapon and learning of the weapon''s previous owners.¡± ¡°So what now?¡± Fonta swung his umbrella to the side. ¡°Someone will need to stay behind, turn the knob to 30 then pull the lever and jump on board when it starts rising. It will get us to the castle.¡± ¡°I-¡± Fonta started. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Yang said as he began turning the knob. Fonta nodded and stood on the lift while Casimar joined him. Yang didn¡¯t join immediately after pulling the lever, waiting a bit as the floor moved up. Ten feet twenty feet, then as it approached thirty, seven figures fell from above. They were landing on the rising platform. Then it suddenly stopped causing the seven to stagger. ¡°Damn, guess these people need to die.¡± Fonta moved forward like a blur removing the head from one of the awakened cultivators wielding a maul as a kick pushed the body off of the platform. Using the momentum from a kick, Fonta bounced towards a second one attempting to dual-wield warhammers.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Two hammers came down where Fonta¡¯s head should have been only for a figure to appear behind him. Fonta didn¡¯t care for etiquette when people tried to kill him. As an explosion shook the platform, Fonta buried his thin blade straight through the man¡¯s heart and swung him off the stage. Two Arrows shot towards a seemingly distracted Fonta as the head of the umbrella shot open and redirected them. The archer punched hard enough to get sent flying off the platform and to his apparent death as he was caught in another explosion. Casimar looked at a juggernaut wielding an earthen shield and thrust his hand forward causing the large cultivator¡¯s armor to open up from behind and eject him off the platform. A dagger wielder appeared behind Casimar attempting to take him out only for a Warhammer to crash into his head directly. The last two were swallowed up by a dragon of ice that sent them flying down the hole as Yang landed atop the platform having ridden his technique to the platform. Fonta retrieved his new Warhammer. Stone and bone, bone and stone, mix them up, to build my home.¡± The warhammer sang in his grasp accepting the new owner quite quickly. It was a slow creature, but that didn¡¯t surprise him. ¡°You have quite the arm. But I thought your hands were full.¡± ¡°Oh that? Don¡¯t you remember?¡± Fonta let the hammer levitate in front of him. ¡°Secondary talent?¡± Casimar figured out. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s like an extra hand and is quite useful.¡± ¡°Is that how you took the first guy''s sword?¡± ¡°Yes, when I passed him and felt the presence I used my power to grip it, so when he reacted I grabbed the sword first and pulled it to my hand. It¡¯s simple, but effective.¡± ¡°Yang, I didn¡¯t expect you to also be so strong, not our level yet, but not far off.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the number one disciple. If only he¡¯d spar with me more.¡± ¡°I have other duties. I can¡¯t spend all day fighting you from sunup to sundown.¡± Casimar coughed. ¡°Right, anyhow that should be it, anymore than eight and we have other issues.¡± Raising his hand towards the knob turned, the lever flipped and the platform moved up.
Fonta cleaned the blood off his weapons and clothes with a burst of chi as the trio arrived at a set of double doors where two guards stood resolute. Casimar pulled out his badge and showed it to the guards. They looked at him oddly. ¡°That is your badge but, Young Lord, we weren¡¯t aware you left the castle.¡± ¡°Thats¡­Wait, someone who looks like me is already here. That¡¯s what you¡¯re telling me.¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°I have a question.¡± Fonta stated. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°A talented warrior who can hear the voice of a sword. He helped me kill the woman who used mental domination techniques.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this. Hey guards, if you reach for your spears I¡¯ll be forced to fight you. This is not what you want.¡± Fonta started. The guards flinched before scowling as a hold was broken. ¡°We¡¯ll bring you in at once, Young Lord.¡± The guards opened the door revealing a velvet carpet and various well-dressed and groomed individuals. Fonta noticed a woman around his age staring at him and stared right back. Wondering if this was a local greeting or a battle invitation. Fonta maintained eye contact with the young woman with blond hair and green eyes. Yang grabbed Fonta¡¯s elbow and pinched him slightly. Fonta turned forward and followed Casimar forward as they were taken to see a man who looked exactly like Casiar only more muscular and with a beard. The two were nearly identical, from their hair to the way they carried themselves. ¡°You who claims to be Casimar, why have you come here?¡± ¡°I came to see why rumors of me asking for vengeance are spreading when I¡¯ve done no such thing. I have killed the vile cultivatior that used me as a tool. Yet people in Lumino talk of begging for war.¡± ¡°Huh, and here I thought you forgot politics. Tis a simple matter, show me your cultivation technique.¡± ¡°I just began using a new one, so you know.¡± Casimar seemed worried as his chi flowed through him in the triple rope pattern Fonta had only where the shape Fonta had encompassed his body Casimar appeared to have a rather blocky shape that was between a circle and a square. ¡°Earth and Metal. My son has used those in the past and you know the protocol. Which also means you know what is next.¡± ¡°I must defeat the impostor to prove my name. Otherwise I am a fake.¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on? Why are you being so rough?¡± Another Casimar was brought out only Fonta noticed a few key differences, the first being that their cultivation was higher than his by quite a bit. The second was the fact that they didn¡¯t have any real muscle, it was all fake, like that fox lady he saw in the auction house. ¡°Excuse me, if by some odd reason, Casimar is determined to be a fake I will step in to prove his name.¡± Fonta sated. ¡°Fonta, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Fonta Pain, soon to be sect Leader, Conqueror of Two precursor landmarks, and this young man''s employer the moment you give your consent one way or another.¡± ¡°Thats a mighty ask. What reason do you speak to one such as I?¡± ¡°Simple really, the person right there is at minimum, high awakened if not Nascent and I wa-er I don¡¯t want my friend to die fighting someone two tiers higher alone.¡± ¡°Is that true Casimar, have you reached the Nascent realm? So fast, truly a legend among legends and yet you come here speaking of loss. Didn¡¯t you say the Self Made King and his cohorts tried to silence you?¡± The king stated in a tone that seemed quite condescending. ¡°I have no idea what he means. I am still in the Elpmet stage.¡± ¡°Oh? Young master Pain, my son says you''re wrong. Who am I to believe, I¡¯ll let you join in, if the Casimar you brought here loses.¡± Fonta shot Casimar a look. ¡°No I won¡¯t lose on purpose so that you can fight someone strong.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. Just, pepper them up a bit before you know, concede so that I can have some fun too.¡± ¡°Sometimes I wonder if you were a bandit in your past life.¡± Yang whispered. The two Casimar¡¯s locked eyes in the center of the throne room as a rock was dropped on the floor. The moment the stone hit the ground, the two cultivators burst into motion. Earthen walls and barricades shot up between them as spears impaled them, and boulders crashed into one another. Both Casimar touched an obsidian ring at the same time causing a section of their walls to melt into condensed balls of earth that were launched at each other. The two connected and the two balls faded, one split in half from a metal core being shattered while the other disintegrated. The attack repeated six times as the meteorites connected over and over. As they did so, something odd happened. When the Casimar seemed to be winning, something strange would occur and the clash would always end in a stalemate. Casimar exhausted touched a golden pendant he¡¯d hidden in his shirt, casing ten spears of gold to fall from above on top of the doppelganger. The fake rolled forward and clapped causing twenty earthen spears to come from the ground, all of them hitting but only six penetrated his skin, though one was quite close to his heart, the earthen spears then disintegrated into dirt. Fonta stepped in as Casimar tried to stay on his feet. ¡°I¡¯m not done.¡± ¡°Oh you are. Thing is, this isn¡¯t a test, it''s an execution. Let me handle the rest, watch and learn.¡±
The day before the trio left. ¡°Since you''ve gotten stronger, I¡¯ll show you the spring scroll. It¡¯s weaker than the main family one, but we need the boost if we¡¯re going to encounter Nascent realm cultivators and I can tell, you are an enlightenment away from breaking through to the awakened tier. Fonta opened the book and immediately noticed the false techniques added to distract away from its true nature. This was the core of Yang¡¯s fighting style. Each for sprung from this one. Winter was the end but spring was the beginning. The Wyrmling of Spring. Fonta nodded to himself and practiced the technique and refined it until it suited himself then made some alterations to better suit Yang¡¯s body type. ¡°You know, learning from you must be what it¡¯s like to learn from a true master of the art. You can see into the heart of a style.¡± ¡°This technique, grows as you use it, where winter ends and spring begins. There is a natural pattern but I¡¯m missing some key pieces to finish it. All we can do is make it match our styles. Yours is power while mine is speed and ferocity. Where one may see fallen snow, the other is hail.¡± ¡°Yes Master Pain.¡± Yang bowed. This wasn¡¯t the first time Fonta felt sincerity, but it was the first time he recognized that Yang did see him as an actual teacher and not someone pretending to be one. ¡°Right then. Why didn¡¯t you show me this one first?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have it at the time. Please don¡¯t look further into the matter.¡± ¡°It is none of my business disciple Long.¡± Fonta nodded as he Imagined using that style with his telekinesis.
¡°Time to test my strength. I¡¯ll show you the power of the Buy-One-Get-One style. You bought a fight with Casimar, now you get to fight me, for free. Isn¡¯t that a good deal?¡± Fonta felt his Umbrella¡¯s blade and heard her voice. Young one, I will only break the veil, I will not strike the final blow. I am sorry. Fonta nodded to himself watching Yang get the injured Casimar out of the splash zone. He then raised his weapon and entered a low stance. The king dropped a second stone to the ground only, instead of the organized battle that happened prior. As Casimar summoned barriers of stone. Fonta had already closed the distance, having broken inside, slicing a long line across their cheek before stepping forward with a thrust meant to take an eye. Casimar pivoted and moved in to land a direct palm strike on Fonta¡¯s chest. Fonta was still acrobatic and flexible, even as he¡¯d grown and in that moment he¡¯d spun in the air and kicked off a barricade causing it to crumble into dust as he landed a solid headbutt into Casimar¡¯s gut. Casimar staggered and tried to create distance but no matter what he did or what he tried Fonta was like an unrelenting force of nature as he dodged a lance of earth and moved into his new technique. Fonta slashed like a monsoon shower, fast, heavy, and endless in moments Casimar was shredded from head to toe as a Fonta appeared behind him thrusting between the shoulder blades and causing a dragon of water to shoot out and bite down on Casimar¡¯s arm. The king raised both of his eyebrows as he looked at Fonta more closely. Seeing that Fonta had no resemblance to the Long clan. Though a certain young blond woman stared daggers into him as he used a style he clearly shouldn¡¯t have had any access to, albeit it was incomplete as far as she could tell. Casimar suddenly increased his speed and punched Fonta so hard in the gut that he was flung across the room into the wall. Shaking his head, the earth user summoned fifty earthen spears above Fonta and dropped them all at once attempting to turn the young boy into swish cheese. ¡°Now stay down!¡± The cultivator commanded as something odd happened. Where the young Casimar had been, an older man with black hair and red eyes appeared. He wasn¡¯t young but it was clear that he was in the Nascent realm. Blood flowed from small knicks on his face there the mask had been weakened. ¡°You are not my son. That much has been clear, to think you''d struggle so much against a child. No, you struggled against my son as well, the power you displayed was at least middle awakened but to create fifty of those wasteful spears.¡± ¡°Damn you! I was so close to the secrets of the earthen walls.¡± The man said towards Fonta. The boy in question walked out of the dust with a few cuts, placing his umbrella in his sheath. ¡°You did good my friend. Rest, I¡¯ll end this with something else.¡± Fonta cycled his chi through his center and noticed it was now flowing through his body like blood, his concentration would only expedite the process. He felt better in nearly every way. ¡°How are you alive? That should have turned you into a pin cushion!¡± ¡°I destroyed them. It wasn¡¯t easy, but now I¡¯m an awakened cultivator. You gave me just what I needed to break through. For that I will make your death swift.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still Nascent tier, I won¡¯t hold back.¡± ¡°Same.¡± Fonta¡¯s speed had suddenly increased as the ground under his feet shattered grabbing two of Casimar¡¯s golden spears Fonta moved like a dragon soaring close to the ground, The Nascent cultivator summoned a dome of earth around himself like a turtle shell. Fonta¡¯s first hit bounced off his shell, the second pieced the shell but the third. Like the tail of a dragon, the third spear cut through the shell causing the Nascent cultivator to stagger as his chi was disrupted. Or so it had seemed, earthen needles shot from the cultivator''s left hand by the hundreds. Fonta dodged, parried, and redirected, with his ability and skills but the barrage left him staggered as quite a few holes the circumference of an arrow shaft had burrowed through his non-vital organs. Blood pooled as he continued forward like a puppet without strings. Bloody needles joined the spears Fonta was controlling as he took one more step forward. A scroll in the Nascent cultivator¡¯s right hand glowed and utter terror in his eyes as a spear shot towards his throat drawing blood as a flash of light engulfed him. Causing the Cultivator to disappear. As the threat left, Fonta stood for a long moment as blood flowed from his nose and ears, and various cuts, holes, and broken on his body as he passed out. In truth to escape the spears and needles, he used his extra hands to push his body beyond his physical capabilities. Like a puppet on strings, Fonta''s movements were crude but strong. The control of his new talent and their ability to work together showed him a way forward; he just had to be more careful. The light faded from his eyes as he fell to the ground. As Fonta lay bleeding on the carpet, various healers arrived having already helped Casimar, taking the young man somewhere he could rest. Casimar¡¯s father looked at his son. ¡°To force someone at the Nascent tier to flee, That Sect leader is strong in offense and willpower. I give you my blessing to spend time there building the sect¡¯s defenses. I expect you to come back should you need to inherit, but until then outside of marriage obligations you are free to do as you please.¡± ¡°Thank you father.¡± Casimar nodded, standing straight up as he made his way to leave. Yang, while mostly ignored, turned to follow Casimar out the door when a hand with long blue nails dug into his shoulder. Chapter 16: Premium Waking from the battle Fonta found that he was in absurd amounts of pain. More than when he¡¯d lost to Yang¡¯s grandfather, and past what he¡¯d gone through when he lost his arm. There were more than broken bones and torn muscles. Fonta felt multiple of his organs were damaged to a degree moving would do more harm than good. ¡°Status.¡± Fonta thought and scowled as nothing appeared. Remembering that the item belonged to his teacher seconds later. Fonta attempted to cultivate when a cough came from deep within as blood covered his blanket. As his arms were bound and sealed. ¡°Never again. It was as though I was controlling my body from the outside.¡± ¡°So you admit to doing something stupid for once. That¡¯s progress, Great Master Pain.¡± Yang said without the usual snark, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°One of the inner branch members of my clan saw you use the clan¡¯s style and since I¡¯m as out as one can get, they believe we somehow stole clan secrets.¡± ¡°Bah. Unless, Yang, you didn¡¯t.¡± Fonta said in a monotone. ¡°Didn¡¯t what?¡± ¡°No idea. Thought you¡¯d confess to all your crimes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t commit crimes.¡± ¡°Tell that to the judge.¡± ¡°Good news or bad news?¡± ¡°Bad, get it over with.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t survive the teleportation home in your current condition. Also, cultivation and fighting are banned until you completely recover. Also, should you recover you are expected to be at the marriage contest when it occurs.¡± ¡°Of course, as your sect master I should be there.¡± ¡°As a participant.They want to marry you into the clan since you likely have a rare talent. Don¡¯t tell them otherwise.¡± ¡°Ugh. What are the requirements?¡± ¡°Nascent realm by the age of thirty or awakened while over eighteen. You hit yours and I managed to open a fifteenth meridian as well. I will be Awakened before we leave the hospital.¡± ¡°Was that the good news?¡± ¡°Oh right, you have been asleep for two days.¡± ¡°Two days! I need to get out of here.¡± Fonta tried to roll himself out of bed. Falling to the ground and causing the IV attached to him to fall on top of him. ¡°Yes, the good news is that your master and other potential sect mates have come here in person. We will be putting the sect down here. Or in this general area? You have maybe a month of free time.¡± ¡°What have you done?¡± A nurse yelled as they saw him crawling towards the door. ¡°Noooo! You won¡¯t take me alive!¡± Fonta continued to move towards the door as Yang watched with an embarrassed expression. The nurse sped up and picked Fonta up with one arm before putting him back in the bed. Fonta didn¡¯t resist, as the pain of falling opened various wounds and blood had pooled too quickly for him to maintain consciousness. A needle was pressed into his neck and Fonta slept soundly for a bit. The next time Fonta awoke he felt much better. The strong-armed nurse eyed him with irritation and disdain. Which made Fonta trust her more. ¡°So you know, the royal family is paying for your medical bill. So while I don¡¯t mind you staying here. You will need to work quickly otherwise the royal doctor will be replaced. That would be inconvenient, thus I offer you an air cleansing pill.¡± The nurse pulled out a clear blue container filled with white beads. ¡°Oxycodone?¡± Fonta squinted as he read the words on the bottle. ¡°Air Cleansing PILL.¡± The nurse stated. ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t feel any pain during the healing process. You take the medicine and you get to go.¡± ¡°And you won¡¯t send me to a farm?¡± ¡°Royal healers don¡¯t do that. Nor do union healers.¡± The pill was placed in front of him. Fonta nodded and levitated the pill to his mouth. ¡°Hold my jaw and head.¡± The nurse did so and watched as Fonta made an odd face before swallowing. ¡°That tastes horrible.¡± Fonta eased free. ¡°Next time use water.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The nurse knocked on the wall and a white-haired old man with thick prescription glasses and a white beard walked in flicked Fonta on the forehead then left. Fonta felt an odd sensation as he sat on the bed. ¡°You can go. Next time don¡¯t jump out of your bed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel better.¡± Fonta said as he sat up and moved his arms. Silently realizing that they weren''t hard to move although his legs were still messed up. ¡°You don¡¯t feel anything.¡± Fonta smiled wearily as time lost all meaning. He blinked once and he was in the room alone. ¡°I hate sitting still.¡± Fonta stated to no one in particular Casimar entered what seemed like moments later. The young man bowed to Fonta¡¯s bedside his arms placed in front of himself. ¡°This one vows to serve you and your sect as a defender until you deem me obsolete. I will be your hammer and shield.¡± Casimar vowed. ¡°I hate sitting still.¡± Fonta stated as he pulled out his book and purchased a wheelchair. ¡°I understand, sect leader!¡± Fonta¡¯s eyes were half closed as he was put in the chair. ¡°Anything specific?¡± ¡°Sleepy. Can¡¯t waste time. Must train.¡± Fonta stated. ¡°Yes, I know just the thing.¡± The sound of a saxophone could be heard from outside a shop playing a type of melody Fonta didn¡¯t know the genre but it sounded familiar. The smell of coffee wafted through the place Casimar brought Fonta, as the duo felt the sensation enter their systems. Various polished granite tables filled the cafe though the customers were rather relaxed and somewhat sparse at the time. Fonta was brought to a table and touched the shiny table enjoying the cool and smooth texture. ¡°Sect leader Fonta, this is my favorite cafe in the city. They serve what is known as Stone Coffee. It''s so good, you need to try it yourself.¡± ¡°Coffee?¡± Fonta knew the word but couldn¡¯t place it. ¡°Yes, 1 moment.¡± Casimar left and spoke with a woman clad in black behind a counter with a black apron. Fonta scowled at the woman sensing as though the very building could become a coffin in seconds. Turning his head to the musician, Fonta had seen that saxophone before. Fonta heard the instrument''s voice and felt the sound enter him like a weapon. ¡°Be at ease, young one. Not everything is as it seems.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Fonta asked. The musician opened their eyes and looked at Fonta for a brief moment Returning to his performance. ¡°You have to try it black. Otherwise you won¡¯t understand what you''re drinking.¡± Fonta took a sip. Then out of instinct, he downed the whole drink at once. After years of living with limited food supplies, Fonta couldn¡¯t waste food. Thus he downed the bitter scalding brew. ¡°I knew it. Poison.¡± Fonta collapsed as the caffeine punch put him in a state of exhaustion. ¡°It¡¯s bitter, some people use cream and sugar to make it palatable. I prefer it black however.¡± Fonta didn¡¯t move as he lay down the bitter burning poison running through his system. Then the caffeine kicked in causing Fonta¡¯s eyes to roll upwards as Morpheus came to collect. ¡°Sect leader Fonta, are you ok?¡± Casimar moved to wake him when he realized that Fomta was a bit delicate at the moment. Casimar returned to the barista and asked, expecting to know the answer. ¡°You didn¡¯t slip anything into our cups right?¡± The barista looked up, noticed the passed-out customer, and sighed. ¡°Coffee can sometimes put people to sleep. He should be fine.¡± ¡°Well that''s new information.¡± Casimar scratched his head. ¡°But you don¡¯t doubt it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a regular, and he is usually a lot more high energy. I¡¯ll get him back to his room.¡± Casimar rolled Fonta out of the room. ¡°Ravens Bride.¡± Fonta muttered while half asleep. The name of the song being played seemed familiar, but in a different key signature altered rhythm, and some swinging. Fonta was getting tired of passing out and waking up in different places. Such a situation shouldn¡¯t be normal and yet he was lying on a bed that seemingly wanted to eat him alive by how soft it was. The room was extravagant, from the burgundy carpet to the wallpaper, portraits, and mirrors. Drapes over the window kept out the sun as various baubles and items made from stone and clay acted as decorations. Fonta relaxed for a long while before pulling out his book as the pain began to kick back in. He looked inside his book and moved towards the medicine category. Cold Relief- Removes colds at the source and reduces fever. Takes 2 hours to run through a person''s body, comes in a bottle with a plastic cup, and there are 10 uses per bottle. 10,000 Ducks Ultra Amox- Removes all infections at the source. Takes 30 minutes to trigger. Comes in a pack of 5. Cost 25,000 Ducks. Regrowth pill- Regrows one limb at peak condition over the course of two hours. This process is very painful. 2 pills per pack, only take 1 per limb. 50,000 Ducks. Oxy and Co- Removing the sensation of pain for 6 hours costs 4000 ducks first pill, and doubles in price every time it''s purchased more than once in 24 hours. Works instantly. Does nothing if the patient is not in pain. Anti-addiction countermeasures. Regeneration Pill, ¡°Restores body to peak condition during sleep, takes 8-10 hours. Body is restored to its peak condition and all wounds and injuries are regenerated. Limbs are regrown. 100,000 Ducks.¡± Restoration Spray- Applies topically to a wound, closing, and cooling simultaneously. 30,000 Ducks 14 pumps. Stomach relief- Relieves stomach pain and indigestion while clearing out organs. 500 ducks for 20 tablets. Diagnosing thermometer- Checks internal body temp, and diagnoses diseases, conditions, and sicknesses. 25,000 ducks. Sanitize between uses. Chi Fix X- Cost 1,000,000 ducks. Removes barriers preventing progression. One purchase every 100 tears. (Note you must collect the tears worth 100ml in jars. They must be real genuine tears. We know the difference. Then at least three people must kowtow and praise the good book for this pill to refresh. Refreshes daily at Book level 2 and becomes permanent at book level 3.) Scowling Fonta checked his balance and noted he had around 40,000 Ducks saved up. ¡°Vits, this book is going to rob me blind if I¡¯m not careful. Wait, how did I get so much money!¡± The book flipped to a purchase history page, while the names of items were blocked. User Zara has spent a total of 85,000 Ducks over the past 2 days. ¡°Ah¡­ Well, she is the only one with an actual job¡­ Or they are pooling their money. How do I get them to spend more of their hard-earned money? The book flipped to a new page. Sales For 5000 credits you can reduce the prices in a category by 5%. You may raise the discount by 1% per 2000 additional ducks, however, the amount you receive from their purchases increases by the same amount. Caps at 95% off. Last 7 days. Book wide 10% off all items for 30,000 ducks, last 4 days. Buy Three get One free. For every 3 purchases of a similar item, get the 4th free, the free item must be of an equal or lower value to the other items. Increase book level to increase sale options. ¡°Oh these are evil. Make a few more up charged pages and add sales. Oh I¡¯ll be swimming with Ducks.¡± Fonta rubbed his hands together then hopped off the bed, only to collapse as his legs refused to listen. There was a knock on the door. ¡°Fonta are you up? I have some news!¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Fonta crawled into his chair. Straightened his clothes and put on a stoic expression. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Your master will be here in the month along with the others which means I can help you with your physical therapy. Though you are forbidden from using chi or cultivating.¡± ¡°Master¡¯s orders?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Ugh. Well, at least we can start by getting me walking. Guess the shoes on the other foot. First disciple.¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Yang said as he started pushing Fonta''s chair. Chapter 17: Sect Founding It took three weeks for Fonta to regain full control of his lower body, and the organs were fully repaired. His legs were beaten quite badly but he could feel them healing. Sitting in a wheelchair, Fonta rolled out of his hospital room where he came face to face with a crying angel and a rather irritated Zara. And a familiar person, with green hair and pink eyes. Yet for some odd reason, Fonta didn¡¯t recognize their appearance. Though they were beautiful in a way that seemed otherworld. Fonta felt a pang in his chest, kind of like indigestion. No, no it was indigestion. Fonta held in the pain. Fonta looked left and right, deciding he¡¯d just have to live with it. Casimar¡¯s homeland loved something called fried food, and it was good, so long as it was eaten in moderation. Fonta was never one to know much of said moderation. If he did, he wouldn¡¯t have tried to fight someone two tiers higher. ¡°Why did you challenge a Nascent cultivator? Sure you progressed but one misstep and you¡¯d have died. He was a dark cultivator, had I not tracked him down, information on you could have spread like wildfire. Do you want to become a pill Fonta?¡± ¡°A pill?¡± ¡°Answer.¡± ¡°No? No.¡± Fonta couldn¡¯t recall who this was. ¡°Good, now then, shall we get started? Since you can move, let''s confirm the location of the sect. Also good job staying alive had he been slower in escape I imagine his throat would have been slit.¡± ¡°Right, uh who are you exactly?¡± ¡°Me. You haven¡¯t figured it out?¡± The woman didn¡¯t move her lips as she asked the question. Pointing to Fonta¡¯s arms and putting two small bracelets on each arm ¡°No, I¡¯ve never seen you before in my life.¡± Fonta stated. ¡°That''s. Not funny.¡± The woman talked without moving her mouth again and gave him a withering glare.¡± ¡°Master? What? How I thought you were some old fart the whole time.¡± Fonta¡¯s eyes shot open as the tact he¡¯d learned slapped him in the back of the head. Fonta died as the words left his mouth. ¡°Sorry to go against your expectations.¡± The woman turned away and sighed. ¡°No, no, no. That''s not what I meant to sa¨C.¡± Fonta looked at his arms. ¡°Sect Master Fonta, you must think before you speak. What you say has weight now. Be vigilant.¡± ¡°Yes. Great Master.¡± Fonta couldn¡¯t take his foot out of his mouth this time and he¡¯d have to live with the consequences. However, he did notice the decorations and think status only for nothing to happen. ¡°Good, now then, why did you challenge a Nascent cultivator?¡± ¡°I wanted to stick up for my friend.¡± ¡°No. No it was not.¡± ¡°Anger?¡± Fonta said questioningly as he felt rage and worry mix together. ¡°Is that a statement or a question?¡± ¡°Yes, and no. I think I get it, I''m trying to force myself to get stronger faster. I need to become powerful, I don¡¯t have time to spend waiting around when I could be pushing my limits. I need to become powerful fast.¡± ¡°I think I understand. It¡¯s my fault for not explaining it sooner. Boons can only be passed on willingly and knowingly. Nobody knows why or how, but its more for your protection.¡± The great master spoke through telepathy. ¡°Is that true? Why didn''t you say that when I was panicking?¡± ¡°I thought it would be important that you know your worth, you could be a bachelor many people would fight wars over or you could have hundreds of wives.¡± Fonta looked at his teacher in disgust. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to deal with that many women. I can barely deal with one. Also who in their right mind would have more than a hundred wives. I can see the first 100 but after that you get inefficient. How would you even get anything done if you had to split your time between a hundred different people? But some people just have different goals. I can¡¯t be forced into a marriage, is that the point.¡± ¡°Sure, but have you considered that you may be too much for one person to handle?¡± The grandmaster shot a look at Zara who tried to become one with the wall. ¡°It¡¯s always been like that, but a few people have figured it out, but in most cases, not having enough hands to handle me is a common occurrence.¡± Fonta recalled his many fights against large groups where he walked out no worse for wear. "Great Master Fonta may be old enough to multiply, but he can¡¯t rightly divide what you¡¯re implying.¡± Yang sighed. Zara stopped hiding and Fonta seemed confused as they arrived at a wagon train. Multiple groups of people were loading various bags into carts. Some looked familiar while others did not. ¡°Who are these people? Fonta asked. ¡°Hopefuls I¡¯ve gathered, the sect will need people to work for it and around it while you do the important work.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Politics.¡± Yang said evilly. Fonta tried to stand only for pain to suddenly shoot through his legs and cramp. Spluttering he tried to rapidly roll the contraction away. ¡°You won¡¯t take me alive!¡± ¡°Fonta calm down. You won¡¯t be doing any of that. All you need to do is help me teach. Then when we have enough staff, form a core, then an inner, for exceptional cultivators.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t make me write letters, or attend meetings?¡± ¡°On occasion.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± Fonta let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Good. This is why there are two sect leaders. Quite the bargain don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°The Bargain Bin Sect. I like that name.¡± ¡°People aren¡¯t going to want to join a sect like that.¡± ¡°Not yet, but those who do join will get more than they¡¯ve bargained for.¡± Fonta stated. ¡°Ah, trying to keep the numbers low?¡± ¡°We are an unorthodox group of people, with abilities that differ greatly.¡± ¡°That we are. Guess we shouldn¡¯t hide that we are an unorthodox sect.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also quite weak for a sect leader, some of the people I teach could be stronger than me. While I¡¯m teaching them.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll likely be bottlenecked while injured. Which is why Angel is here.¡± The sect leader said aloud. ¡°What do you mean?¡±Fonta seemed confused. ¡°I wanted to heal you sooner but she said you needed to understand the gravity of your choices. If you recklessly jump in front of someone strong again, then it will take more than asking for me to heal you.¡± Angel said with resolve. ¡°Can you get me back to normal?¡± ¡°No, I can heal some of the internal injuries but I can¡¯t fix your cultivation. That will take time.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ll fix the damage but I still won¡¯t be able to fight at my best. Not worth it then. There may be another time where I wa¨C er need to jump in front of someone strong to protect the sect. Right? Let''s save the lecture for after I manage to survive that. ¡± ¡°That''s not how it works.¡± ¡°Then change your rule. Honestly, I''m fine at the moment, the doctors did their job, my cultivation has stalled for a minute, but I feel stronger each day that passes. Don¡¯t worry about me Angel.¡± Fonta said from his wheelchair. While he could walk, doing so for an extended period was rough, and pushing slowly with chi was good for his rehabilitation. A large man with an ax on his back approached Fonta and looked down. ¡°Who is this tiny cripple?¡± Fonta smiled as he didn¡¯t respond. ¡°I said who is the cripple.¡± ¡°Oh you¡¯re talking to me. I thought you were describing yourself in five minutes. Maybe two if you manage to anger me.¡± Fonta answered with a smile on his face. ¡°What you say!¡± ¡°I said, leave me alone before I turn you into a ramp. I am sect master Fonta Pain. If you don¡¯t step off, then you will be stepped on.¡± Fonta stated. ¡°You. You¡¯re too weak to run anything. I challenge you for your sect If I win. I¡¯m the leader and that woman over there becomes mine, and If you win well I will leave you alone.¡± ¡°Fine by me.¡± Fonta¡¯s master stated. ¡°But the stakes are quite light. If Fonta wins, you will shave your head, and join a monastery for at least five years before you can come back and reapply to be a janitor. You do want the sect leader position don¡¯t you?¡± Fonta¡¯s master said in a tone that irritated them. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.¡°Fine I accept.¡± ¡°I accept. Yang, pass me my sword.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Yang sighed. Shaking his head self-deprecatingly. ¡°No sword for you. Next time accept after you have your weapon otherwise it''s cheating.¡± Fonta heard in his head. ¡°You must be trying to keep this fair.¡± Fonta pulled off his right slipper and stepped forward. ¡°What are you going to do with that?¡± ¡°Can you do me a favor? Don¡¯t die on me, I haven¡¯t used a slipper on a human before, but it squashes bugs pretty well. You aren¡¯t much different.¡± Fonta watched as a vein bulged on his head, and the man charged forward with his axe. Fonta sidestepped as the ax came down and slapped the man''s hands with the slipper. ¡°Bad form! You¡¯re supposed to wait for a referee to say we¡¯ve begun.¡± The ax fell to the ground as the large man looked at broken fingers. ¡°Ah, right I guess I can¡¯t start a fight against someone clearly injured. Do you want to delay this until you¡¯re healed up? Or do you want to continue?¡± Fonta grabbed the man''s left arm and began to squeeze, cracking the bone beneath the muscle before letting go.¡± ¡°I beg for forgiveness. It was not my right to challenge someone so far above my station.¡± Fonta whispered in the man''s ear.¡°Also, even If I lost, you¡¯d likely die in your sleep. She¡¯s well past Nascent and the co-leader for a reason.¡± ¡°Great master! Do you want to call this a draw since I injured him greatly, before it officially started.¡± ¡°If it''s a draw, nothing changes. Will you fall in line, hopeful Erkon.¡± ¡°Y-yes! No more trouble.¡± The young man turned and ran towards the wagons. ¡°That should keep the challenges to a minimum.¡± The Puppeteer stated. ¡°Am I ready to learn your name yet?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°Maybe. The first letter is Re, I¡¯ll give you the rest when I can trust you.¡± ¡°Booo!¡± ¡°You have a year until the marriage games so, do you really think I have the time to give you the rest?¡± ¡°I have no intention of competing. That''s just Yang¡¯s family drama. How do you know that anyway? Where do you get your information?¡± ¡°I have sources, though they aren¡¯t as effective as I thought.¡± ¡°Guess your Rei, now. Which is a second hint. Is that your real form or another puppet?¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°If you die on me, yes. If you keep running I might end up chasing after you.¡± Fonta stated. ¡°It¡¯s as close as you¡¯re going to get for a while.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Fonta sighed. ¡°Let''s get to, building.¡± Fonta looked at the desolate land where he was told to build his sect. ¡°Why here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a border between two nations. Most of the land here has been uninhabited by civilians for so long that nothing lives here currently. This sect may have some influence from the Empire of stone, but by our nature we are neutral territories until someone makes themselves our problem.¡± ¡°That and we¡¯re mobile so it doesn¡¯t really matter. Does it? What to do with the dead inside?¡± Fonta placed a small cube on the ground and felt a sensation in his head. ¡°Do you care how it looks?¡± Rei asked as she set a jade tiger statue on top of the cube. ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Then I assume that means you are giving me the ability to design it as I see fit?¡± ¡°I want lots of places to fight. And a bed. A good bed like the one in the castle or in your other house. Oh and a window that you can see outside. Also there needs to be a kitchen so I can eat three meals a day if I want. And some bathrooms as well.¡± ¡°Why not throw in showers as well, with running water.¡± ¡°Are we that rich?¡± ¡°Do you want a training gym?¡± ¡°WHats that?¡± ¡°A gym¡­Where you¡­ of course you wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Do what makes you happy and think would make me happy as well. I can¡¯t think of anything else.¡± ¡°Good, give me about an hour.¡± Rei said as she moved her hands across an invisible screen. Fonta watched as a large rectangular gate appeared in front of them, followed by a building that took up only 50% of the space Then shot into the sky around 8 stories. Then around them a second rectangular wall appeared and the ground raised 4 stories. The area below was level but a third wall surrounded the rest of it. The land on that level grew lush green grass and paddies of rice in areas. Then the buildings began to appear, 6 buildings on each floor, the ones at the peak looking nicer than the rest. Two towers appeared on the East and West sides. The large Central compound grew more elaborate as various art pieces appeared. Rei picked up the cube and jade figure. ¡°Follow me.¡± Rei then walked into the central building which was air-conditioned. The ground was made of a dense and flexible set of tiles that covered everything. The walls were durable and everything was clean. ¡°What now?¡± Fonta asked. Rei led Fonta into an office room with a statue of a bird, a dragon, a tiger, and a turtle snake. She flicked the tiger¡¯s ears, rotated the turtle¡¯s shell 20 degrees, moved the bird wings down until there was a click then opened the dragon''s mouth causing a set of stairs to open deep below the building. Arriving at the end there was a large, metal vault. ¡°Ok, Fonta, I need you to swear not to spend all of the sect''s money on resurrecting your siblings. I will help you do it, but we need a good amount of capital before we start. ¡°I swear not to spend all the sects money to further my desires.¡± ¡°Good. Break it and I won''t trust you again.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Are you agreeing so that you can do your thing regardless?¡± ¡°No. If I spent all of the sect''s money on my long term goals and brought it to ruin, my older siblings would just be disappointed.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t pulling my leg. Right?¡± ¡°I am not pulling any legs. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯d know if I was doing that?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Rei placed her hand on the door and let it glow blue before opening the door revealing an empty room with various circles of precursor script too complicated to comprehend the meaning of yet. ¡°I don¡¯t know what disintegration is but I don¡¯t like it very well.¡± ¡°Anyone aside from the two of us who enters this place.¡± ¡°Oh. Good to know. Why am I here again?¡± ¡°You are a co leader. Also you need to place a copy of your book on the dias at the end of the room. Doing so will allow for you to link it to this facility and allow for you setting up the contribution system.¡± ¡°Oh.¡±Rei said as she pulled a silver ring off her right middle finger, crushed it then tossed it to the side causing more money than Fonta had ever seen in his life to pile up in the corner, along with various items, tools, and cultivator resources. Fonta¡¯s skill cubes also appeared in a box in the corner. ¡°Thats 20 Million Ducrates, for the first few months we¡¯ll be networking and building rep by taking jobs from the various kingdoms and having our people work on them for contribution points.¡± ¡°Ten ducks = 1 point going in, but 1 point = .01 Ducks coming out. Basic meals are free, but anything better will cost accordingly. How much would a pretty weak cultivator get in a year?¡± ¡°200,000 should be the low average. I say a 50,000 minimum contribution to stay in the sect with a manual labor positions that pay out 100,000 a year if taken once a month every month throughout the year. So long as they are doing something they can stay in. Exceptions can be made for closed door cultivation, but that''s further off than you know.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Do you know how common, a Nascent Cultivatior is overall?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°30% of the world''s population is Nascent, 15% are awakened, 30% Elpmet and non-cultivators, 15% Elppa, 5% Atsiv, 3% Xnuil, the rest are immortals and information on them is finicky at best. Nascent is where most cultivators find their limit and stop progressing. A Nascent Cultivatior can easily live for 1000 years. So many grow lazy or content with that.¡± ¡°There are as many Nascent cultivators as their are just regular people?¡± ¡°It¡¯s also a bottleneck for many, buy unlike most people you need to become strong enough to fight demons, is that correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You need to reach the Atsiv rank by around 25. That should show how talented and driven you are. Which is where the sect comes in. I¡¯ll guide you until I believe you are strong enough to stand on your own.¡± ¡°Whats special about that tier?¡± ¡°Your base multiplier is 1.5, so at Atsiv your base multiplier will be 2 higher than most. Rescuing your sister should be possible then.¡± ¡°Yes, great master.¡± Fonta bowed, then walked over to the dias and placed his book on top of it. Words played in his mind directly, causing his eyes to glow blue before returning to their natural color, and the menu in the corner of his eyes returned albeit quite altered.
Would you like to complete Facility, Sect, Name, ¡°Bargain Bin¡± Mal Dynamis will be duplicated free of charge. Would you like to create a point-based currency to maximize gains?
¡°Yes.10 Ducrates for 1 point.¡±
Accepted. Would you like to resurrect willing souls as temporary servants?
¡°Only the willing at the Elpmet stage.¡±
Done. They have been deposited at the perimeter and have begun basic tasks. 8 Dev Points earned. The rest have been deposited in the courtyard for maintenance purposes.
Fonta focused on the words, 13 Awakened cultivators. Fonta watched as three familiar faces appeared in front of him as 10 more people showed up moments later. Fonta looked to the Sword Master. ¡°Can I speak to him?¡±
Joshua Igrim summoned. Note, while in this form souls are unable to lie.
¡°What''s going on? Where am I? Why can''t I feel anything!¡± ¡°You were killed by one of your allies, The Sedutren or whatever.¡± ¡°Sindy betrayed us? But why, we were supposed to be a team.¡± ¡°How long have you been together?¡± "8 weeks. He answered automatically then seemed annoyed. I knew her longer! I should have! But¡­¡± ¡°What was your end goal?¡± The older man scowled as his thick brows furrowed. ¡°I was ordered to ensure that casualties were minimal and to assist if our participants were in mortal peril.The main goal was to scout for potential allies to the Queen of Blades. Why did I say that?¡± ¡°Ok. Did you intend to kill anyone who decided that the trial was too dangerous?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± ¡°Do you remember fighting me?¡± ¡°No I do not,¡± ¡°Annoying.¡± Fonta stated. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Not you. Man, I really hope that mind control weakened you. Because 15 points sounds like a lot and you weren''t much fun.¡± ¡°Did you kill me?¡± ¡°No, I did incapacitate you, though I have no idea how mind control works. Mostly because you wet yourself during our fight.¡± ¡°I no longer want to come back.¡± ¡°Have you done that before?¡± ¡°No. But¡­¡± ¡°Shelve him, I¡¯m moving to the next one.¡± ¡°What?¡± The older man vanished as a younger man with a build resembling Casimar appeared. Melvin Dursten has been summoned. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± The man asked with a hint of irritation. ¡°Rude. Where have we met.¡± ¡°At the Ziggurat where you charged Joshua.¡± ¡°Ooo. I like that answer. Why did you interfere?¡± ¡°Joshua is my sworn brother I would die before I let anyone kill him.¡± ¡°And you did, but I wasn¡¯t the one who did you in.¡± Fonta heard a string of expletives involving Sindy, a goat, and something called a pole vault and waited for the man to calm down. ¡°So¡­ Were you aware that Joshua was possessed by something?¡± ¡°Is that why he attacked the participants?¡± ¡°Is that why you defended him?¡± ¡°Yes. No. Not sure. I protected him because we are blood brothers, but I didn¡¯t attack, only defended.¡± ¡°What will you do if we let you work off your debt in the sect?¡± ¡°If I was dead, let my soul pass on. I assume the cause has died.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m offering Joshua a chance at life, but you don¡¯t want yours?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°I am certain. Being a warrior never suited me. Maybe in the next life I''ll be a tree or a bird.¡± Rei crossed her arms. ¡°So you¡¯ll turn down the offer to work here as a teacher? Sure you''re weak, but so are most of the people here.¡± ¡°I doubt I can pass on anything my young master couldn¡¯t. I practice the Black Shell style of earth manipulation.¡± ¡°Alright. Quite the honorable person.¡± ¡°Self destructive. You may go.¡± Fonta dismisses the second speaker. ¡°Teacher, the last one won¡¯t be coming back regardless. Do you need to know anything?¡± ¡°No, I can put the pieces together. The possession was done via an embedded psyche. The person you fought was not the owner of that body.¡± ¡°Can you do that?¡± ¡°Who knows.¡± Rei stated. ¡°Alright. Shield man and pinky stay dead while sword dude can teach a few tricks basics on swordplay. Why is it the ones who really deserve to live, chose death?¡± Fonta muttered to himself recalling a scene where a boy years older than him when he was newer to earning money. One of his other brothers made the mistake of triggering a trap going down the long intersection. Everything had gone up in flames, Percival was four years older than Fonta, though still a kid himself when he pushed Fonta out of the way and used his body as a shield to protect him from the blast. That memory is one wrought with hesitation, and regret. Had he been faster on his feet, he wouldn¡¯t have needed saving or could have pulled people back. If the flames hadn¡¯t scared him, he could have moved and yelled instead of standing in the line of fire. That trauma was the reason he acted without thinking at times. You ok?¡± Rei asked. ¡°Never hesitate when lives are on the line.¡± Fonta said as his resolve hardened. He¡¯d trust his teacher knew what she was doing. Of the other 10 Awakened level people, only four chose life leading to an influx of points.
Development Points Earned: 128 Remaining Points: 328
Chapter 18: The First Investment [End of Major Arc 1] Fonta stood atop a stage in front of an audience of fifty. Eight of them were friends and allies, the rest strangers who followed him or his master for one reason or another. Fonta was wearing flowing purple robes and his hair was tied up into a topknot. Over his feet were weighted sandals made from silver. ¡°I Fonta Pain established the sect known as Bargain. We are the Bargain Sect, an unorthodox sect made up of all kinds of people. We accept all who come with honest at-Intentions and will find ways to aid everyone who joins us on the path. We will become one of the greats, and we will triumph over all who step in our way for we are more than what anyone bargained for. And for that will state the terms.¡± ¡°To start, to be an inner sect disciple, you need to earn 50,000 Contribution points from the sect. There will be many opportunities to do so, from tending to the sect itself to going on missions or quests for the people in this area. Every month there will be a 10% off sale on everything in the contribution point hall. There are better goods for purchase in the inner sect shops. Finally there are some ground rules. Duels are to first blood or surrender, killing is unacceptable, accidental or otherwise and will have a fine of 2,000,000 Ducrates. Second, while respect is earned, there will be no discrimination while here. Problems will be stubbed at the source.¡± Fonta¡¯s eyes landed on a large man with a broken arm before going back to the others present. ¡°Follow the laws of the kingdoms so long as they don¡¯t go against any of our own tenants. Over indulging in vices that go against the laws of the kingdom will not be overlooked and investigated. Abuse of power or rank will be looked into and those found harming their fellow students will find themselves no longer under our protection. We are more than we appear. Never settle for being less than your potential pushes you.¡± Fonta stated before freezing. He couldn¡¯t recall if he missed one of his lines. He could have sworn it was longer. Fonta reached towards his umbrella as holding a weapon always calmed him down. Fonta sat down in a seat next to Rei. Rei stepped up. ¡°We have four cultivation techniques that we currently have to share. The first focuses on none of the elements, the second is focused on wood and water, the third is earth and metal, and the last uses all of them. Sadly our fire technique instructor is a bit late. Secondly to those with a focus on projection or a desire to learn magic. We have lessons for those who want to supplement their cultivation. Finally for those who use weapons, we offer technique enhancement with master Fonta for 1000 contribution points if you give the style or a cultivation technique to the sect, or 15,000 points per hour of instruction. Over the next week,you all will move in and get adjusted to sect life. Then we will begin the process for making a name for our sect. The spring tournament will be held in a month, and currently we have only one participant, First Disciple Long Yang, or Yang as the sect leader calls him.¡± Whispers filled the courtyard at that proclamation. Apparently, Yang was kind of a big deal. No, it wasn¡¯t that, the whispers were about his hair and the Long surname. Rei waited a moment expecting this reaction. ¡°He uses a style derived from his family and is nearly matched with our own sect master when wielding a sword. Do we have any challengers for the position of first disciple?¡± Yang stepped to the center of the stage and looked down with a regal expression. Fonta saw through the act, both were hicks in their ways, one from the gutters and the other a small city young master. Though not spoiled as much as he was hindered by his position. Both were big fish in small ponds. An older man a head taller than Fonta but shorter than Yang stepped forward and a long staff with a kitchen knife tied to its end, on his back, approached. ¡°I Tang Bao challenges Long Yang to a duel.¡± Fonta grimaced as his stomach rumbled. Then he recognized the guy below as someone he worked with in the kitchens. The man usually cooked the soup or made meat buns. During breaks he would practice with his weapon, the spear was what Fonta called a trick weapon that could break apart and turn into something else, during an attack. It likely would only work once on Yang, and then it wouldn¡¯t be an issue. ¡°First Blood., Yang stated as he hopped down onto a dulling circle and then began to bounce from foot to foot without jumping, sending Chi into the limb in preparation. Tang Bao held his spear outward. Ready to strike Yang the moment he entered range. ¡°Ready? Begin!¡± Rei stated from the stage. Yang jumped thirty feet into the air from a standing position, Chi powering the leap as he spun in midair, drawing his sword. ¡°Dragon Crash!¡± With a bit of chi in his technique, Yang conjured a dragon from the water in the atmosphere and sent it crashing down into the spear user. Bao was prepared as he blocked the attack and was sent flying out of the dueling circle, various cuts bleeding on his form. The fight had only taken a moment. ¡°Right¡­Yang is a pragmatist. A flashy attack at the end of a drawn out fight might look good. But ending a fight before it can get anywhere near that difficult is more efficient.¡± Fonta sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t you do the same thing?¡± Rei asked. ¡°No, well I could, but some enemies you need to soften up and exhaust before doing things like that. I don¡¯t believe in holding back unless I¡¯m teaching or trying to learn. Sometimes figuring out attack patterns is the key.¡± ¡°I heard you held back against Zara. Don¡¯t you go easy on pretty women.¡± ¡°Bravado, I was exhausted, tired, and in a hurry. Fighting her would have resulted in one of us dying. So I made myself seem like I was much stronger than her in every way, instead of just the was I was. Since I¡¯m quicker to react and have much more combat experience I capitalized on those.¡± ¡°And she still seems to carry that fear of your power despite still being much stronger than you.¡± ¡°Ah, its a she has to hit me once thing, isn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°Yup. It only takes one big mistake on your end, if you aren¡¯t careful.¡± Fonta¡¯s eyes landed on Zara, which caused her to shiver, then swiftly took a few steps away as the look was a bit too piercing. Rei flicked Fonta on his shoulder. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re done for the day.¡± Fonta was surprised by the amount of donations he¡¯d received in terms of Ducks to contribution points. For every 10 they spent he received nine, then when they spent 1000 and gave him a technique to enhance he received the last bit that went back to him. 10,000 Ducks spent, 9,000 points went to him, and 1000 points went to the student, which in turn came back to him. He¡¯d enhanced 15 weapon techniques that week alone, for a total of 150,000 contribution points which he could freely convert due to owning the relic. It wouldn¡¯t take long for him to get more money.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Rei had been spending his development points to freely enhance the building and add things like water temperature control, or cattle spawning rings that would create animals that could be used for meat, milk, and eggs, and be bred, creating a source of meat that could be consumed or sold. How they worked made no sense but required 100 ducks a month to pay for. Which could easily be offset by the amount the meat sold for to the lands outside once the trade routes were made. Rei also purchased a room where people would rapidly heal from wounds just by being inside. Fonta had to spend an hour there every day. In the afternoons, Fonta would spend his days learning various trades and studying so that he could eventually help with the paperwork running a sect required. By the end of the second week, Fonta held around 500,000 Ducks total, and the first letter for a job had come in. Directed to sect elder Casimar. Casimar bowed to Fonta. ¡°Leaping Lizardmen are making trouble in a farming village to our southeast, the villagers have pulled together 10,000 ducks and are hoping we can exterminate them. ¡°Lizardmen?¡± ¡°They are bipedal lizards that use primitive weapons and eat people, well anything really, but mostly people.They were created by demonic experiments and breed very rapidly.¡± ¡°10,000 Ducks isn¡¯t enough for such a request, but the kingdom will pay 50,000 for the destruction of its nest, and the head of the Lizard Matron. They are giant with, crowns of stone protruding from their head.¡± Casimar had just entered the awakened stage that week, and gave off an aura of power past Fonta wished for, though the young sect master had still not recovered. ¡°Ugh. How deadly are they to you?¡± ¡°Two or three awakened cultivators can handle them. But an army of 20 Elpmet would likely die. They aren¡¯t durable enough to deal with the matron. Though regular lizardmen can be easy to deal with, one Elpmet can easily fight two at once if properly trained.¡± ¡°Cut the price in half for the farmers, then take as many elpmet cultivators as you can, they will receive 100 contribution points per lizardman head from those around the village, and 2000 split among them, then make the price for the nest will be 40,000 points split among awakened cultivators that go into the subjugation. I recommend 4.¡± ¡°Thats alot of points.¡± ¡°For staff it''s a 1 to 1 trade, and you have the ability to convert on the go. I¡¯m taking 10,000 as a tax, which is quite alot, though said amount goes down the elpmet kill too many lizards. If anything 10,000 pays for your copy of the book and I get back that investment. Is there anything else?¡± ¡°A matron gains a silver protrusion on her head each year she lives, after 10 years, they begin to turn gold. At that point they become worth 100,000, but require a Nascent cultivator to handle. They are vulnerable to fire, and freezing. On occasions, a Monarch appears once after 20 bringing the threat level to the middle Nascent tier and the reward to 200,000.¡± ¡°Mhhh¡­Take Zara with you just in case. If the reward is increased, I still only want 10,000 but split it among the others as you see fit.¡± ¡°You see them as a true threat?¡± ¡°No. The threat could have been there for a while if now they are branching out.¡± Fonta didn¡¯t like the smell of this request but he wasn¡¯t able to participate. Irritation shot through him as he eyed his friend. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to Zara, you will go to Yang and begin preparations.¡± ¡°Right Master Fonta.¡± Fonta nodded stood and Followed Casimar out of the office.
Fonta made his way to Zara¡¯s room, which he entered without knocking. Not something he really needed to learn when everyone he knew lived in large boxes. ¡°Zara, we need to talk.¡± Fonta said as his eyes looked to the magic instructor. Zara was mostly dressed. In that she had pajamas on, a shocked expression, and in her hands were two familiar Ivory horns. Fonta looked at the top of her head and noticed nothing was there, not even the nub Angel had for a while before it vanished. Fonta stared at the horns, then her head. The way the mid-morning sun made her hair look like fire was quite beautiful. Fonta entered and closed the door. ¡°You can finish with the horns.¡± ¡°How did you get past my lock!¡± Fonta turned to see a magical circle slowly fading. ¡°Oh, use a physical one next time. Sorry about that.¡± Flames pooled on her fingers, noticeably smaller than usual. Though the concentration and heat could fry him if he wasn¡¯t careful. ¡°I need you to do a job, hopefully you won¡¯t be needed, but Casimar is putting together a lizardmen extermination squad. If the matron has golden markings I¡¯ll need you to step in and put it down.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you do it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still not healed from that fight. Quite weak at the moment and they are weak to fire and Ice. You use fire.¡± ¡°What do I get out of it?¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Fonta asked. ¡°Everything.¡± Fonta raised an eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t have that.¡± ¡°Silence. You won¡¯t speak of what you¡¯ve seen here.¡± ¡°Huh, care to tell me why that matters? Also, you get more, If I truly broke your lock this is my fault.¡± ¡°Fine, for many demons, horns are a sign of strength, some are parasitic, others genetic, and other times, prosthetic. Many demon families embed parasitics into children to enhance their natural mana draw, if they aren¡¯t compatible you end up with cases like Angel who was born without a horn and the parasites couldn¡¯t take permanent hold. That''s common for those with light or holy attunements. In my case, my father also doesn¡¯t have horns but he¡¯s because he isn¡¯t a native demon, just a demonic cultivator who lived long enough and mastered the native magic to the degree of being an archmage.¡± ¡°So you are a hornless demon. Like Angel.¡± ¡°No. I am a half demon, the difference isn¡¯t much but I was born with powerful attributes for mana. To hide that I wasn¡¯t fully a demon, I was kept hidden from the public eye, and given prosthesis when I was old enough to understand what they were for. Horns serve a purpose, they amplify magic. They allow us to pull more power from the world and create stronger effects. The difference between Angel and I are major, she is a full demon, though she is either a mutant among her kind, or her parents didn¡¯t get along as well as they seem. Her mana type is rare for demons, as healers are never common anywhere. But those wing nubs seem to be where she draws her mana and will likely grow larger when she matures. I will just have to find a bigger prosthesis.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Fonta pulled out his book and flipped a few pages. During his experimentation, Fonta learned that flipping the pages increased item rarity, which supposedly did something he hadn¡¯t figured out, but they were supposed to be better. Fonta focused on the word prosthesis and his view was filled with various options with a minimum price of 10,000 Ducks at the rare rank. He couldn¡¯t increase the rarity past that without making his book stronger. He then passed the book to Zara whose mouth fell open. ¡°Why isn¡¯t this an option in our book?¡± ¡°Can you read the language?¡± ¡°Well no, but..¡± ¡°I think quite a few of them are language restricted.¡± Fonta added. ¡°Alright, can you change the language?¡± Zara asked as she looked between black and red serrated horns and sharp horns made from molten earth. Or at least appeared to be. Fonta scowled, he¡¯d never thought about that. He snatched back the book and focused on language. From there he scowled harder as he saw over 170 options. ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°Duvim.¡± Fonta found it between Dutch and Elvish. ¡°Ah there we are.¡± Fonta selected it and to him, nothing changed. He passed the book back to Zara. Zara nodded as she looked through the options. ¡°Magma Wyrm, or Hell Dragon¡­ Both will cost over a half million credits but¡­¡± Fonta turned around. Zara continued. ¡°Oh if I get the set for the Magma Wyrm, it will double my output and triple my draw rate then give me access to fire immunity, and flight, while equipped, while being fully retractable. The hell dragon horns don¡¯t have a set, but offer slightly better bonuses when compared to just the horns. That will cost me 1 and a half million. That''s a good chunk of my money¡­ but it will be worth it.¡° Fonta didn¡¯t say anything, as he had taken back his book, noticing his Duck count increase rapidly as three items were purchased. ¡°So..Zara¡­ Where have you been getting all this money.¡± ¡°Well, I received an allowance since I was little and saved most of it for a trip to the auction house but we are never there for when the big items are present. I also work, anytime I can. So I assume access to your book today will be payment enough.¡± ¡°What is an allowance¡­¡± Fonta scowled. Zara put on her new ones and felt that they were much stronger than the ones she received from her father and shattered them with a single spell causing a metal key and a canister to fall from them and land on the ground. ¡°Huh. Alright, now then, let''s get to work. I saw an instrument page, why haven¡¯t you purchased one yet.¡± Fonta nodded, turned, and made his exit. That was enough meddling for one day. ¡°Tell me your story when you get back. I¡¯ll get to my own training.¡± Chapter 19: The journey[Start of Mini Arc 1] Yang had been informed of his mission by Casimar. Such a request would do two things. The first would cement his position as the first disciple. Like Fonta, he¡¯d opened fifteen meridians and was ready to gain his secondary talent early. He continued his morning ritual, trimming his sideburns and then practicing an exercise that pushed his cultivation forward. The sun outside had begun to rise on the day of their first big request. Long Yang drew his current weapon, a long thin straight sword built more for thrusting than slashing, but could do so quite well when motivated. A sword meant mostly for formal duels rather than use against monsters. He sat it on his bed. Next to it was a greatsword with less mobility but better suited to his need to hunt monsters. Finally, Yang¡¯s gaze landed on a bastard sword, the weapon was normal and unadorned. In his indecision, Yang decided he would take all three with him just in case. His master had shown him that each weapon had a use, multiple blades would let him learn what suited him best. A knock on his door woke him from his contemplation on battle clothes. ¡°Brother Yang! This is Tang! I have come to inform you that the eradication team is heading out in ten minutes! You¡¯re late!¡± ¡°Ten minutes?¡± Yang looked out his window and scowled. The sun had dashed across the sky as if to mock him for his contemplation. Yang grabbed some combat robes and began to choose his shoes. ¡°Five minutes!¡± Tang yelled as he dashed away so that he wasn¡¯t late. ¡°Eh? Ok!¡± Yang threw on a pair of shoes and opened his window. He¡¯d be late if he went the normal route, so he chose an alternative. Jumping out of his window Yang landed in the courtyard with a crash as he looked confused as to why he was the only one present. Tang arrived soon after. ¡°Outer sect courtyard!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Yang started his dashing and the duo ran to the larger courtyard near the entrance of the sect. Casimar stood on a pedestal, his hands behind his back as he examined those who just arrived. ¡°If I call your name, you will be on the advanced strike team for this request. Everyone else is recommended to find three others and form smaller groups for extermination. The strike team will consist of eight of us, starting with Zara of the Flame, Knue Dohl, Merham, Ling Akwe, Derdof, Uriel, Bao Tang, and myself.¡± Yang stood there dumbstruck as he was excluded from the strike team. Sure, everyone listed was at least awakened, but he¡¯d beaten most of them in duels in the past. He was better at fighting even with the gap in strength from their cultivation. Yang looked at Tang. Tang looked guilty. ¡°The monsters hit hard, you wouldn¡¯t survive long against them as you are. Maybe try again after you break into the awakened tier.¡± Yang would have argued his foundation broke through that gap in strength. But doing so would make him look petulant. Casimar was still much stronger than him. Although he hadn¡¯t seen Zara fight, he knew the team had at least two heavy hitters. ¡°Weasels,¡± Yang whispered before looking towards the many inner sect disciples who¡¯d grouped and the outers who didn¡¯t meet his gaze. ¡°Any objections?¡± Casimar spoke plainly. There were none, and those who grouped up seemed to head to receive supplies from the quartermaster. Said quartermaster was the penny pincher to Fonta¡¯s greedy nature. The older man was very exact in materials. His thick bifocals and thin fingers told of someone who hadn¡¯t seen much physical work but held many a pen. Yang stood there for a long time watching as group after group formed and waited to be approached for he was quite strong. He was sure people would want him. As the last group of three formed. Yang approached them with confusion. ¡°Mind if I come along and round out the numbers to four?¡± Said group contained three women around his age one wielded a lute, another held a set of razor-sharp cards, and the third was covered head to toe in silk. Two of the women gave Yang a look of disgust, while the third used body language to accomplish that. ¡°What''s wrong with me? I¡¯m strong, handsome, and can work well with others.¡± ¡°We¡¯re onto your womanizing ways first disciple. Leave us alone.¡± Stated the one in cloth. ¡°My what?¡± Yang¡¯s eyes shot towards Tang who hadn''t gone far as his position was secured. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Tang looked like he was holding in laughter which cued the others in on something that was missing. ¡°We all heard the story, Yang. The young master who hit on our great sect leader''s younger sister. Then used words that made her very uncomfortable. Then the great leader slapped some sense into you, and you decided to reform your womanizing ways, yet you surround yourself with women in which you show no interest, and spend time practicing their hobbies. Why would a man be croquetting? Methinks the sect leader slapped you weird.¡± ¡°There is a logical explanation that I can¡¯t tell you at this moment for the last bit. But for the beginning stuff, I paid her a compliment, she blushed and I got my face kicked in. They are twins, and at the time he was behind in growth spurts. Also, Crocheting is necessary for my future. Or so I¡¯ve been told.¡± The group of three had snuck off as Yang and Tang talked leaving no one for Yang to group with. ¡°Looks like no group wants you. Guess you need to stay here while¨C¡± ¡°Oh hey, Yang! Brother Fonta said that you were supposed to be my bodyguard for this trip. Why are you even here?¡± Angel ran up with a group of novice healers, assistants, and a porter. ¡°Eh?¡± Yang turned to Tang. ¡°I may have been messing with you, out of a petty sense of spite,¡± Tang stated honestly before dashing away. ¡°You did embarrass him on the first day, but most already knew you were coming with us today. Though it seems he¡¯s been spreading rumors that will make it difficult for you in the future.¡± ¡°Meh, so long as it stays as an inside joke at the sect I don¡¯t care. My first encounter with Fonta was a string of misunderstandings and eye-opening situations. Wait- when people say I hit on his sister, are they assuming it''s you?¡± ¡°I know that didn¡¯t happen, you know it didn¡¯t happen. Don¡¯t you have that bride tournament? Why does that matter?¡± Angel asked plainly. Yang suspected Angel was in on the prank and sighed as he accepted that realization. If the rumors were repellent then he¡¯d accept it while it made life easier. ¡°So what is this squad in charge of?¡± ¡°Rescue, evacuation, and retrieving the injured. Fonta has given us expensive supplies meant for healing. Though he did complain that he was bleeding money.¡± ¡°Nothing new. So while they fight we make sure people don¡¯t die?¡± ¡°Correct. Only something a first disciple could do.¡± ¡°Well good.¡± ¡°Now tell me, why weren''t you in your room when I came to get you?¡± ¡°Tang Bao!¡± Yang bellowed as he looked for him, the two needed to trade some pointers.
Fonta looked over the list of applicants going on the mission, 84 of his 132 students were going. The list was long though the vast majority were still in the elpmet stages of their training with a total of five awakened stage cultivators. ¡°If there is a Matron or stronger, we''ll need a powerful strike team. I nominate Yang for a position above ground helping with the healers.¡± Fonta stated. ¡°Why?¡± Uriel stated. ¡°Yang can think on his feet and is the least likely to seek glory at the cost of his life or the lives of his sectmates. Tang Bao is strong, but more reckless than I am, and not as evasive. He¡¯d do some good damage above ground but when he messes up, it will likely end in an attack that wipes out more than just him.¡± ¡°What about Merham, he¡¯s a defensive¡ª¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t mobile enough to get around the battlefield, though he could keep the others alive, Ling is the opposite, he can dart around the battlefield but won¡¯t last more than a direct hit.¡± ¡°Knull is strong but I wouldn¡¯t recommend having him near the other cultivators,¡± Casimar added. ¡°And Derdof?¡± Zara asked. ¡°Nothing wrong with him, he¡¯s an archer and would be more helpful underground unless their people mess up below,¡± Fonta stated. ¡°Yang isn¡¯t going to be happy about that.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the emergency protection. If he was needed then things have gone from bad to horrible. I can trust half of the strike team to be competent, but the rest are strong wildcards that need to be monitored.¡± Fonta added as he leaned on a clenched fist. Rei nodded and crossed her arms. "We will learn if they are strong or if they are rushing through cultivation in an attempt to get payback."
While heading to the small village to the southeast a group of brigands stationed on the side of the road. An older man with a large beard and tired expression walked up to their caravan full of supplies. He seemed quite thin and crazed as he stopped at the front of the vessel.¡± ¡°What ya need?¡± Zara asked with his best Fonta impersonation. A cutlass held on her hips ready to be used if the next words were not chosen carefully. ¡°I have many starving brothers and sisters. The war destroyed many lives.¡± ¡°What do you need?¡± Zara asked apathetically, power encasing the man and forcing him to kneel. Some of the brigands looked ready to fight after hearing that tone and seeing the power. ¡°We require food. Our lands were ravaged and our farms razed. We do have some money but many of us won¡¯t survive the trip to the capital.¡± ¡°How much money do you have?¡± ¡°10,000 Silcrates. Or Silks.¡± Zara seemed confused and looked back in her cart. Casimar hopped out of the carriage and held out his right hand causing the ground to wrap around the ever-present brigand. ¡°Silks are the gilded currency of the Kingdom of sand. What are you doing in our country?¡± ¡°Our village was on the border! We were contested.¡± ¡°Which village?¡± Casimar narrowed his vision. ¡°Parcan sir.¡± ¡°That''s on the wrong side of the border. Why are you heading north?¡± ¡°The capital sir.¡± Casimar didn¡¯t sense any verbal deceit but something felt off. Something he couldn¡¯t place. Yang walked past Casimar and then hopped out of the leading carriage. ¡°You¡¯re deserters aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No! No no no¡­¡± They insisted but in a way they were right. ¡°You have some military training, but you also appear to come from a border village. Why abandon your homes now?¡± ¡°Demons, lots of powerful demons have come to our county and laid waste to the countryside before deposing the rulers.¡± Casimar looked over the brigands again and frowned. ¡°You aren¡¯t all from the border, are you? In fact, only those we can see currently, but you have more people somewhere else.¡± The leader seemed to panic. ¡°I I d-di.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine but are there truly no awakened cultivators among you?¡± ¡°Every cultivator above Elpmet was either killed or enslaved with their vile magic. From what I¡¯ve been told. They are building a tower of some sort.¡± ¡°They plan on building a portal home. That would be impossible without enough mana in the environment. No offense but this area is dry mana-wise, but when a creature dies the mana inside them explodes outward exponentially. Using that mana is usually forbidden to demons as many believe it consumes the souls of those used. Necromancy is one of the few magics that are heavily restricted.¡± ¡°My people are going to be sacrificed?¡± ¡°It should take them four years to complete the towers regardless. Plenty of time to form a strike team. Continue north for eight hours and you will arrive at our sect. Rely what you heard there and we¡¯ll get you sorted as for funds how much are Silks worth.¡± Zara stated. ¡°One Silk is said to be 10 ducks but¡­¡± ¡°Give me what you have and I¡¯ll give you some of our supplies.¡± Zara received the 10,000 silks which were worth 20,000 ducks; their artificial value appeared to be heavily inflated. She spent 2,500 on food and supplies and the rest on a wagon led by metal horses. The wagon built itself outside of the carriage as the horses were created from ambient mana, and food and supplies were added to the wagon soon after. ¡°Will this do?¡± Zara asked. ¡°Thank you, great benefactor.¡± ¡°Head to the sect and our leaders there will be able to get in contact with the empire. Chapter 19: Leaping mosters The majority of the bargain sect arrived without any other trouble. The spring air cooled them as the groups began to split off and search for lizardmen''s nests. Various plants had begun to bloom as four clawed footprints in the mud created various trails leading off and then disappearing suddenly. Looking around, Yang saw a few damaged homes and upturned farms, as well as the smell of rotting flesh. Moving with Angel they entered the village leader''s house. The leader appeared to be pushing into his eighties with a bald center of his head and white hairs flowing past his ears in a halo around his head. Angle pulled out a medallion with the number 2/1 in the center. ¡°We come from the Bargain Sect and are here to deal with the lizard problem. But personally I¡¯ll like to attend to those who have been injured.¡± ¡°Welcome, welcome. Come sit! I have prepared tea.¡± The two sat at a small round table. ¡°The lizards have been around for a long time, ever since I was a kid. But they didn¡¯t go anywhere near the village. Now it''s like they''ve become an infestation. ¡°Years? You let this fester for how long?¡± Yang asked as his face paled. ¡°No, usually we¡¯d hire cultivators to get rid of them when there are too many. This is the first time we¡¯ve had them attack the fields and locals.¡± ¡°Leaping lizards are usually docile. Which means there is someone commanding them.¡± ¡°Could it be a demonic cultivator?¡± The old man paled. ¡°That would be a best case scenario.¡± Yang had read up on this. Demonic cultivators were still mostly human and simple to deal with. But this smelled like a precursor ruin gone haywire; anything can happen when those entities are involved. The duo left and got to work helping out with the sick and injured while slowly getting an idea of the potential numbers and hearing local gossip. Yang found that after spending hours in the village watching Angel heal people treat bites, and dismemberment with various items from the strange book Fonta held. He was bored, the monsters hadn¡¯t attacked the village and few had been discovered in the field. He was mostly sitting around or doing manual labor. The last two hours were pure boredom as no new arrivals came. Deciding to conserve his time, Yang began to meditate, increasing the speed at which he drew energy into himself and holding it in for later. As the sun hit the horizon and had begun to set a howl shook the village to its core and an eruption of lizards shot from the ground, ready for the intruders that entered their lands. Leaping lizards by the hundreds appeared in an eruption above ground many dying upon landing while the rest hopped over the corpses of their comrades. Each was around two feet tall and erratic as they attacked anything that moved which was usually each other. This was due to their pounce tactics mixed with a lack of coordination. The next monsters to arrive were Lizardman, they were eight feet tall, muscular, and ferocious with another three feet in length from just their tails. Wielding claws, fangs, and makeshift weapons made from bone, and teeth. While shamans commanded floating skulls, and undead leaping lizards, with grimoires made from an eerie pale leather that resembled human skin. ¡°Lizard Wizards?¡± Angel said in surprise as the familiars floated towards them. Yang drew his long thin blade and dashed forward, slashing a floating skill in two and watching the energy around it dissipate. Two other skulls shot past him only to be sliced along the way as Yang placed his sword back in its sheath and closed the distance between the mage and himself, nearly decapitating the monster in a smooth slice. Black blood fountained from the wound and the mage tried to close it with their hands only for Yang to thrust the blade through its right eye and into its brain as a blue dragon shot out of the back of its head. Flying into a second lizardman standing above one of his fellow disciples with a jagged stick with teeth sticking out, making it look like an ax. The second lizardman blinked as its torso was consumed and its head landed where its tail was sitting. Black blood slowly leaked from the fresh wounds. The down disciples got back to their feet and went back into the fray attacking other students instead of trying to fight them on one. Yang returned to his Angel and sighed. ¡°Should I stay back?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go too far. I have a summon that can protect me but my abilities won¡¯t keep me alive on their own if a swarm hits me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have a busy night.¡± ¡°Yes, also, saving lives is more important than landing a kill. Pace yourself moving straight into a technique like that will eat up your energy too fast.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Yes, Mamm!¡± Yang darted off, moving into a group of lizardmen, slashed wildly then darted out in their confusion with a well-timed jump. Moving to a second group as the first was put down arrows falling from the sky. Yang repeated the previous maneuver multiple times darting around the battlefield leaving behind gaping wounds as he saved sect members, weakened his foes, and conserved chi. The land looked more like a swamp than grasslands as the black pools of blood resembled a muddy swamp. Within thirty minutes the eruption of lizardmen had slowed and the rest of the sect members could handle it. Turning back to the healing station, Yang began ferrying the injured back to receive healing. ¡°Welcome back.¡± Angel said after the first trip. Three bodies were placed on cots moments after. ¡°Not done yet. Quite a few injuries but no deaths. We¡¯re all decently trained in combat and so long as most stay in their groups it''s simple.¡± ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t used much energy, I can keep up this pace pretty well. Where did the attack force go?¡± ¡°The strike team went underground to attack the nest directly. I dont know whats going on in there but monsters have stopped coming out of that eruption.¡± Yang nodded then dashed back out to pick up the injured. After each trip, he noticed the last group was up and resting as the healing took. Then after that, they were running back into the fray pushing back the foe with newfound fervor. The ground shook wildly as a lizard standing twenty feet tall with 9 silver protrusions on her head. She wielded a piece of stone ten feet long and similar to a club which she used to crush the ribs of one of the strike force members. Merham was a stout man with a long beard, he wore heavy metal armor and was quite resilient, though the blow seemed to break multiple bones through the armor and various defenses. One hit had taken him out of the fight. Ling dodged the slash only for the energy surrounding the weapon to tear him to shreds as he was sent flying in another direction. Yang had begun dashing the moment the monster appeared, hoisting Merham over one shoulder and Ling over the other as he ran back to Angel. There was no sign of Casimar or Zara, as Tang Bao was the only person fighting above ground. ¡°How long until they can fight?¡± ¡°They are done for the day. Their injuries will take time to heal. Thirty minutes. Can you hold the monster off that long?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to beat it, or at least last until the other two arrive.¡± Yang said with a smile reminiscent of Fonta¡¯s, shown on his face. Angel saw that face and knew Yang was going to fight to win regardless. ¡°Try not to die. Brother Fonta believes in your rehabilitation.¡± Yang felt irritation as he now knew Fonta was the ringleader behind the misunderstanding, though he let it grow as it wanted as Fonta didn¡¯t have the same common sense most people held. ¡°I¡¯ll get him one of these days.¡± Drawing his dueling sword. Tang dodged each blow and held strong against the pressure of each strike pushed him back. When there was an opening he attacked with his spear. On occasion he fired the head into a gap in its scales and slid into its weak spot then yanked to remove the scale in its entirety. Piercing the scales was beyond his power but if he created a crack in its armor he could thrust into its flesh. ¡°Come on, you overgrow pests. I¡¯ll show you the power of Tang Bao!¡± With a swing, the spear spread out into sixteen segments held together with a thin wire as he jumped past the lizard''s neck and grabbed the other end. Holding it like a garrote he made black blood leak from the monster''s neck as the wire pushed deeper into it. A roar and the monster began to buck only to drive the wire deeper as it gave ground. ¡°Die you stupid lizard!¡± The lizard seemingly underwood and muttered. ¡°Thank you!¡± its eyes landed on Tang as it fell back crushing the young cultivator like a bug, his hands letting go of the weapon and letting it fall off his consciousness failing him as the garrote was snapped and the matron raised its club to crush him. The club came down followed by a sudden clang and the snap of metal as Yang appeared, his dueling sword¡¯s blade broken off as his sword was tossed to the side. ¡°A, you¡¯re smart. Let me get this Bao out of here and we can fight each other. If not, I¡¯ll have to hurry and I''m sure neither of us will be satisfied if the fight ends quickly.¡± Yang drew his greatsword menacingly, his body hiding the small familiar that had begun healing Tang behind him. ¡°Bao? He does look like food. Why would I let you walk away with him when I can just¨C¡± ¡°Fine. You got me. This fight won¡¯t actually last a short amount of time. Since you¡¯re strong too, it may last ten or so minutes.¡± Yang said with bravado. He wasn¡¯t as sure as he acted but he wasn¡¯t going to leave Tang to his death. No matter how irritating he was. Derdof appeared from behind a house a greatbow drawn back as far as he could and fired a lance into the monster''s neck the lance grew into a metal collar as four chains extended down into the earth trapping it in place. Yang slashed at the trapped lizard seven times causing it to bleed black, as it bucked at the new restraints before it bent down slamming its head into Yang who was mid swing. Its crown chiping the greatsword as it jumpend with enough force to shake the ground, the four chains around its neck going with it as it flew straight up. As Yang watched it rise he recalled that they were referred to as leaping lizards for a reason and knew that if he let that creature fall on the city. Quite a few would die, he would die, worse Angel and the others he was protecting could die. Pressing his legs hard into the ground, Yang lept with more velocity than the now-falling leaping lizard Matron. The power of his lower body and legs had been his focus ever since he could walk again. As the two foes met in the sky Yang carved a deep vertical slash through the lizard and was paid back by a tail swipe that smashed straight through his sword, sent him flying, and broke a few of his ribs. Grabbing onto one of the chains instinctively with his right hand, Yang pulled at it with a snap like a whip, the maneuver sending him toward the monster''s eyes. Drawing his bastard sword with his left hand he stabbed Into the ocular organ and into the magic nucleus that acted as its brain. It wasn¡¯t enough to kill it but he did manage to push its trajectory away from the village but it was still too close. He needed more power, he needed to push himself beyond what he had done like his teacher. If Fonta can do it, so should he. Pushing all the chi he could muster and all of his strength he felt something in him snap as his body passed into the monsters skull then through it as an explosion of blue light reminiscent of a dragon''s mouth erupted from the other side with Yang in the center his right arm mangled, his left arm holding the sword straight out and his eyes burning with golden flames before returning to a deep azure hue. The monster had died and disappeared as is customary for creatures from ruins; only its crown had shrunk in size and began to fall with Yang. A loud crash followed by a new crater ended that day for Yang as he forcefully awakened his secondary talent. Though his body would need time to heal as well. He went down satisfied.