LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 3: UnFortunate encounter
It's been seven years since I've awoken in this cloudless land. This world has presented me with quite the assortment of baffling technologies. They've found ways to create energy using steam and even thunder itself, albeit on a smaller scale. Mechanical beasts fill every path of the towns, yet they are paultry in comparison to the giant mounds of chiselled stone that these inhabitants have made their homes. The craftsmanship of any one of these mounds was marvelous. Even the Sky Dragon Temple looked incredibly frail when compared. Although it seems that in the commonfolk realm, these beasts and structures are scarce. They must all cost entire fortunes, so it makes sense that only the wealthier regions would be riddled with them.
My parents seem to have been accustomed to domesticating these mechanical creatures, even though they are few in-between in this realm. This leads me to believe that they were originally living in the upperclass realm and only recently moved here before having me. I haven't yet gotten to hear the circumstances for this.
- "...and so the scattering Mana is dissolved and rerouted into the system, which shows up on the screen. What happens after is...Hey! You're not even paying attention!" My thoughts were skewered and split in twain as my father's voice took center stage.
- "...yes I was. Monsters are animals infused with too much MP and they dispell it when they die, right?" Thank the heavens for the human gift of recollection.
- "That was ten minutes ago... See? You're lost in your thoughts." Curse this vessel and it's minimal span of attention.
- "...Sorry."
- "*Sigh*, what's on your mind?
- "...What?"
- "You've been acting strange since last week. What's wrong?" Perceptive as always.
- "Father, forgive me for asking, but could you do me a favor?"
- "What is it?"
- "Ever since I read about the cities, I can't get my mind over them. I really want to go and see them for myself. Could we do that somehow?"
- "...Vicky. I know you want to see the world, but we're keeping you here for a reason. It's too dangerous to travel between the commonfolk and upperclass realms. Sorry, I can't do that."
- "...Okay. I understand."
Sadly, he's right. The reason our region is called the land of sunshine and moonlight is because it possesses an abundance of natural mana. So much so that the outer edges of the region are surrounded with waterfalls that defy gravity and extend upwards. The streams reach past most clouds and obstruct their path, hence why there are so little clouds in this region. The Mana is especially potent in the commonfolk realm, so natural disasters tend to be a common occurrence. The dissipated water from the edges gets pulled into the Mana of the commonfolk realm, ironically resulting in extremely common and long storms from the formed clouds. Because of this, a cloudless sky is seen as an omen of fortune in this realm. And a child being born under such a sky is treated as a blessing from the heavens. This appears to be what happened to me, as the first thing I remember in this body was a completely cloudless sky. Ironic, really.
Natural disasters aren't the only danger in this realm, however. The potent Mana affects the natural wildlife, malforming them and turning them into Monsters - malicious beasts that are filled to the brim with Mana. These beasts are the most common, you guessed it, in the commonfolk realm. This realm is practically a scape goat for the rest of the land, since monsters are drawn towards sources of Mana, so even the monsters from outside this realm are drawn here, where the Mana is most potent. Makes the politics of these lands crystal clear, at least...
Like System Users, Monsters are ranked in the same tiers depending on their strength. From F all the way to S. However, Monsters are scaled to be weaker than a User of the same tier. So a C+ rank monster can be dispatched by a C- rank User all by themselves.
The outer regions of this realm are covered in forests with trees the size of houses. Due to the abundance of wildlife there, monsters are most often seen around that area. You cannot leave the Commonfolk realm without passing through these forests. Due to this, it is named the "Dead End Forest". Traversing through the area would require a party of at least four skilled D Tier or higher Users, and even then you'd need to get lucky. No one in their right mind would take this risk without making sure they won't need to return through the same path, effectively eliminating the possibility that you pass through with sheer luck. Yet despite knowing this, I desperately want to see these things for myself. Not a moment has passed ever since that day when I read about them where at least a fraction of my mind wasn't glued to that thought.
Alas, I won't be fulfilling that any time soon. I am still far too weak. The course for my future is clear: get stronger. Reclaim the powers I once held as Jagak Hou. Fortunately for me, mana seems to work nearly identically to Qi. Recreating the Qi techniques of my world should be entirely plausible in this one.
- "I'm going outside for a bit." I say.
- "Okay, just don't wander off too far. I can't guarantee it'll be safe past the river up north."
Taking his advice, I leap off the chair and approach the door. Though humble, this residence had clearly been forged with care and love for the craft. A single floor with five or so rooms, enshrouded by a mix of stone and wood forming a square casing. Glass windows were placed in each side of the house while a wooden door stood in front of one wall, leading to the perilous world beyond. Time is of the essence. I need to prepare this body for my techniques if I want to survive in this world. I have to do it without being seen. A toddler practicing meditation and rigorously training their body is bound to arouse suspicion. I'd rather keep my nature hidden from my parents for now.
- "Faiyuhball!"
Out of the corner of my eye, a pint-sized creature shouted out while striking a pose. It appears it attempted to shoot a Fireball - a very basic and common spell involving creating a body of flame in your palm and launching it forwards, yet managing to fail in not only casting it but something so simple as spelling it out as well. This was my little sister, Seraphine Phillips. She was born not long after I awoke in this world. It seems my parents were very... *ahem* passionate... about each other. We're not even a year apart. And yet, I constantly have to care for her like a child of my own, as she seems slower on the uptake than most. That proves to be difficult with this body of mine, but it's no matter.
I take a look at my father and he seems to look back with understanding. He then lifts off his seat and approaches the little magic gremlin. I shall leave him to it.
*****************
...It seems there is a slight problem. Mana isn't absolutely compatible with Qi. There are a few stark differences with mana that can lead to instability in the flow of energy if treated just like Qi. Most notably, it is terribly scarce in comparison. This leads to a lot of issues.
Qi is the essence of life. It is present everywhere, be it the animals, the people, the very grass you lay on and the very air you breathe. It is abundant anywhere in the world. It also resides in oneself, powering movements of muscles and signals of the nerves.
Warriors of the Murim absorb this Qi into their bodies and gather it in the Lower Dantian, a storage of Qi located just below the navel. This is called Cultivation. This Qi works in tandem with the Qi already present in their bodies, mixing together in the Upper Dantian, or put simply - the brain, to produce an energy that then flows through the bloodstream and is expelled at various exit points below the skin, most commonly the palms and knuckles. What results is an explosive strike that we call Martial Arts. This process is the basis of all offensive techniques in the Murim world. The pure energy of nature mixes together with the impure energy of humanity to achieve a perfect balance of pure and impure, Yin and Yang. An unbalanced mix results in the energy becoming unstable and damaging you from within, often blocking the pathways of Qi and in some cases ending the user's life.
The way that the energy flows through the pathways determines what type of Martial Art it is. It can either be an incredibly swift blow that pierces through a target, or a devastatingly heavy strike that crushes them with sheer strength. My own Martial Art, the Brewing Storm Sword Technique, involves letting the energy flow through my veins across my whole body and then circle back to the Upper Dantian, then back to my blood and back to the brain again and again, accelerating the speed the energy travels through the body dozens of times before releasing it in a destructive wave of force. For that reason it is slower than most, but it is one of the most powerful in the whole Murim.
Anyway, gathering Qi into the Lower Dantian is a core aspect of my techniques. Mana can be gathered much the same way, but it seems that you won't find any worthwhile amount in the grass or trees. This is indeed a problem. Even if I get through the struggle of balancing the miniscule amount, the result will be incredibly weak and not optimal for combat. There is the option of using Internal Qi from the Middle Dantian to substitute, but it's the same as shortening one's life. The Middle Dantian is in the Heart and it is the source of Yang Qi, although Internal Qi itself is Yin Qi. It is the very core of life, untainted by mortality and it's effects. The Yin Qi turns into Yang while exiting the heart and flows through the body, powering it's functions. So if one's Internal Qi were to be completely spent, their bodily functions would stop entirely. And just living life gradually spends it, resulting in less and less to power the body with as one climbs in years. That very process is the reason why we are mortal beings. The Yin Qi inside our hearts leaks out slowly over the course of several dozen to a hundred or so years, ticking down to our demise. And while this new body possesses an abundance of Internal Qi, it would only take a few days worth of constant usage to completely deplete it. Some sects have practiced gathering Yin Qi into the Middle Dantian in order to prolong one's life, but while it does achieve those results, doing so permanently taints one's Internal Qi and makes it into Yang, corrupting the Lower Dantian too in the process. And while it is possible to still use martial arts with just Yang Qi, it also lacks the stability of regular techniques and damages the body in the process, albeit the result is far more powerful than most techniques, so for some in contact with a skilled physician that trade-off is worth it. We called such impure methods Demonic Martial Arts. It is what the Demonic Cult used to take the Murim world by storm, granting every-day civilians the power to fight masters of the Murim at the cost of their health.
So obviously it was not an option. Oh well. I'll just have to gather Qi little by little and make due with what I've got.
That's when I noticed how far the sun had moved. A shimmering flare could be seen in the distance, partially covered by clouds that it's light shone off of. On the other side, the sun's ethereal counterpart was creeping into view. It seemed as if it was a full moon. While a beautiful sight, night time wasn't entirely safe. I should head back-
An ominous howl interrupted my thoughts as the air shook from impact. I turned to the side of the shaking and was graced with two oaks broken down ane overlooked by a shadow the size of a wagon, its features obscured in smoke and debris. The smoke started to clear and I was able to make out the details. Cold jade eyes peered through a dark coat, its making adorned in patterns of black and grey, with the white moonlight shining off of it, granting it a heavenly afterglow. Four legs, two on its front, two on it's hind, planted firmly on the ground, their talons digging into the earth below. It had a long snout and keen ears, with fangs the sides of swords. I read about these creatures once. It is said they only appear on a full moon, in packs of no less than three. It is a C-tier Monster that should be avoided by all costs if you are by your own lonesome. A feral beast capable of tearing apart a party of three on its own.
A Direwolf.