Rushing to his door, high on the excitent of finally making so progress, Luke ca face to face with a middle aged man dressed in black robes.
Hey, Im Xander. He reached out to shake Lukes hand.
Luke.
Nice to et ya. Arya ntioned that youre new around here, so she sent to give you a tour. He stepped back from the door.
Following him out, Luke locked the door behind him. Yeah, Nefkha didnt really ntion much. I read the books inside though.
Nodding along as he walked, Thats good. The books tell you practically everything you need to know about the Luminous Sky. Did you have any questions though?
Luke scratched the back of his head as he thought it over, wondering what was safe for him to ask and what wasnt. None at the mont. The books covered basically everything I can think of. He replied eventually. He wanted to ask him about the Bellerophons Blade, but didnt know how to broach the subject. Nor did he want to give anyone any reason to suspect that he wanted it. Without knowing how closely Nefkha was paying attention to him, it was best not to ntion anything that might give the old man further leverage over him.
That's good. Im assuming you also read the scroll on cultivating mana?
I did. Luke replied eagerly.
Perfect. Its as simple as it seems so make sure you dont slack off. Reaching a bottleneck at the middle stage of the mortal-tier is one thing, but if you dont even get that far in three years, the Society will demote you to wearing white robes or ask you to leave if youre not pulling your weight. He warned.
Luke nodded in response, already aware of the rule.
From what the scroll suggested, its possible to reach the middle stage with a year or two of dedicated training. A peak mortal-tier individual is said to have the strength of a hundred n. If I assu that the average person has ten points in the Strength stat, then that ans a late stage mortal will have a thousand. Mid-stage is about half that. So five hundred points That seems doable. The ceiling on physical gains in this world is a lot higher when I factor in the nourishing effects of mana seems to have.
The Seed gave two points this morning, one automatically in the Strength stat, and the other as a Stat Point. The Stat Points Ill have to figure out how they work exactly. It seems likely though, that my increase in Strength is the natural result of exercising, and the free point was from the mana that seeped into my body while I was working out. According to the scroll, early-stage mortals automatically have their bodies transford by the mana, and the ability to control what the mana improves is supposed to be sothing that you get when you surpass the mid-stage.
With the Seed though, it's likely I wont experience that boundary. As long as I keep pushing forward, there shouldnt be anything stopping from powering through.
Alright. That building over there is the Mission Hall. As soone whos just starting out, Id recomnd that you avoid any of the monster hunts, at least until you get a little stronger. Even the ones that seem easy. The Alchemy Hall is always looking for specific herbs that grow in the forests around us. The rits arent the sa, but unless you have terrible luck it's generally safe and once you get the hang of it, you dont waste a lot of ti wandering aimlessly either.
rits?
Yep. Theyre not ntioned in the Guide Book are they? Its a new system, we used to use gold when that book was printed, but mortal currencies arent really useful to us. Basically, every task you perform for the Society, you earn rit points. You can trade them in for dicine, services, instruction from those further along the path, weapons or even money. You need to pay back ten of them each month for your housing and food. Its how they make sure no one's free loading.
Is ten rits a lot?
It really depends on what you do and what you want to buy. He hedged. Hunting a monster pays around twenty just for participation, and thats not even counting what the Society will pay you for the parts. Of course you have to divide that money among your team, but it's a lot higher. Risking your life pays pretty well. If you have any talent in refining pills, talismans, or artifacts, then you also dont need to worry a lot about rits. Of course, you need to be able to sense mana to do any of those jobs, so only the inner disciples can do them. If you do have so talent though, youll practically be rolling in money. He said with a hint of envy. Turning a corner he continued on. If you limit yourself to basic tasks like herb picking or patrolling though, you can expect to make one or two rits a day. Its enough to stay here, and buy a low grade talisman or sothing, but its not much.
I see. Luke responded as he digested the information.
Pills, talismans, and most importantly artifacts. I have to look into all of them.
... and thats the arena. Said Xander, as he and Luke finished the tour of the town arriving in front of a large colosseum-like building. Sounds of clashing swords echoing from deep inside.
Are they fighting inside now?
The fighting never stops. In fact, Id recomnd that you go to the Arena at least once a week, and spend ti sparring with others. As you cultivate your mana, you get stronger, but if you dont know how to use that strength, even weaker opponents will walk all over you.
Is there a lot of fighting involved in what we do? Luke asked, slightly nervous at the prospect.
Its generally not anyone's first resort, but He shrugged his shoulders. It happens, and it's better to be prepared. If you have any more questions, feel free to drop by the Administration Building. Oh, I almost forgot. Here. He handed Luke a wristband.
Thank you Luke inspected the bracelet curiously. Wondering why Xander had given it to him.
Dont take it the wrong way, it isnt a gift. He smiled knowingly. That thing is registered to you, and it tracks what missions you do, and how many rit points you have.
Thank you. Luke nodded to him, wondering how the bracelet worked. It was thin, and seed to be made out of leather of all things. How it could keep track of anything was beyond his current knowledge, although he had a sneaking suspicion that it had sothing to do with magic.
Watching Xander walk away for a mont, Luke turned his attention to the Arena. It was by far the largest building in the town. Circular and many stories tall, it reminded him of the Colosseum in Ro. Curious, he walked in and observed the fighting.
There were twenty battles occurring simultaneously, and a large number of Outer Disciples and a small number of Inner Disciples waiting in line around each battle. In each ring, two disciples fought each other. Half of them were fighting with their fists alone, and the other half with various combinations of wooden swords, spears, and shields. He watched curiously as one of the wrestlers in the ring closest to him was pinned against the ground. A white robed referee quickly ran onto the platform and pulled the two fighters apart. They shook hands, and the loser walked out of the ring while the winner remained. Catching his breath for a minute, he waved his hand and the disciple at the head of the line entered the ring, and another fight ensued.
I havent seen you around here before. Luke heard a voice beside him.
Turning his head to look at the person, the first thing that ca to his mind was big. Easily seven feet tall and built like a bull, he towered over him. Im new here. He replied. Hesitating briefly, he extended his hand. Im Luke.
Ethan. He shook Lukes hand, his gaze locked to a battle. Tracing his eyes, Luke followed them to a fight happening in the fifth ring. Just in ti to witness a black-robed teenager dodge an attack with a backflip. His foot swinging out and catching his much larger opponent square in the chin while he was midair, and knocking him unconscious.
Luke suppressed a wince at the brutality and at the sa ti he felt his heart speed up in excitent. Thrill born of witnessing a feat of pure skill and technique.
That kid is growing fast. I rember watching him get knocked around daily when he first started coming around, and now he routinely holds the King for seven or eight battles. There's even chatter that he might be our newest Inner Disciple.
Really?
Its hard to say. A thoughtful look adorned his face as he looked at the teenager. Anyone who puts in enough work can eventually reach mid mortal-tier. Watching that fight, hes already on the cusp of it, if he hasn't already. But developing the ability to sense mana it just cos down to luck. Without it, you reach a limit to how far you can push.
What about entering the warrior-tier?
HAHAHA. He laughed out loud and slapped Luke loudly on his back. Becoming a warrior is hard. The Society has thousands of Outer Disciples, hundreds of Inner Disciples, but only nine Warriors. Out of all the Inner Disciples, maybe a few dozen are still young enough to even have a shot. He shook his head ruefully. Were small fish in a small pond. Even though each of us dreams of becoming more, reality is cruel.
What makes it so hard? Luke looked at him thoughtfully. Only to see him shrug his shoulders.
I dont know. If I knew the answer to that, I would have long beco a Warrior myself. As it is, Ive been stuck at the middle stage for years now. No matter how hard I train, I dont get stronger. My mana sense never developed, so. He shrugged his shoulders.
Thats. Luke trailed off apologetically. Unwittingly having broached a sensitive subject.
Its fine. He bead, glancing at Luke. Even though its unlikely that Ill progress further, Ive still gained strength beyond the vast majority of the world's people. Im satisfied with what I have. You should fight! He suddenly suggested.
Luke looked at him blankly. Im not sure thats a good idea. Luke rolled his shoulders, feeling the ache in his muscled from pushing them as far as he had the night before.
All the more reason to. Everyone starts off not knowing. He scanned the crowd. The first ring is all amateurs and newbies. The second ring is basically the sa, but with people who have a little more experience. The tenth ring is basically the best fighters in the Society. It's the sa concept with the rings where theyre using weapons.
Luke watched the fights carefully, and after so observation he could tell exactly what Ethan was referring to. The battles happening in the first ring lacked technique or grace, the fighters simply rushing eachother and swinging wildly. More often than not, they would end up rolling on the floor before one of them managed to pin the other. The ones in the tenth ring by contrast, were a lot more agile. Dodging blows gracefully, with small movents. Every attack seed calculated, precise, and fast. To Luke, the fights in the latter rings looked choreographed in their complexity, as if they were dancing instead of fighting. It seed more like sothing he would have seen in an action movie as opposed to the real world.
Dont think about it too much. Get in there, getting your butt kicked is good for you. Ethan urged, as Luke eyed the line.
This is gonna suck.
Alright. Luke agreed, making his way to the first arena. With a plan that amounted to trying his best, and tapping out if things got too rough. He was confident that it wouldnt end terribly, if anything, learning what it was like being in combat would only help him in the future. Being a simple office worker in his last life hadnt done much for him when it ca to sharpening his instincts for life and death struggles.
Paying close attention to the fights as he occupied the second and then the first place in the line, it beca clear who he would be fighting. Like most of the others lined up to fight in the first ring, he was young. Lukes guess being that he was of a similar age to his new body, either fifteen or sixteen. Tan skin, and brown hair cut close to his scalp, and a thin wiry fra.
In spite of which he had made short work of his last two fights. Luke watched carefully as he started his third. This ti against a girl. She wasted no ti in engaging him, and with fists raised above her chest she circled around him slowly, before striking out with a quick jab that he dodged by stepping to the side. Before the girl could even pull her arm back, he had closed the distance between them and punched her in the gut with everything he had.
Luke winced along with the rest of the line as she folded instantly, and fell knee first onto the ground, and started gasping for breath. The Society, at least when it ca to combat, made no distinction between n and won. While n had a natural physical advantage in the earliest stages of the mortal-tier, it would dwindle rapidly as they progressed. The mana in the air, augnting all people equally as they worked their bodies.
As the girl stumbled out of the ring, the referee waved him in right after. His opponent had waived the allotted minute of rest granted between battles.
Here we go.
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