by L. M. Kerr
Each ‘cycle’ brought out only a small amount of change. However, when repeated over and over and over, for days on end, it would gradually strengthen Micheal’s body significantly.
“Ahh…” Micheal let out a breath of air, his body shivering as he exhaled a small cloud of green energy. He opened his eyes after that, smiling slightly.
“Status.”
.
— - Status — -
Name: Micheal Care
Points: 75,391
Race: Human
Age: 18
Physique: 1 Star
Soul Quality: 3 Star
Strength - 80
Endurance - 56
Recovery - 55
Soul - 36
Abilities - (5/7)
Life Orb Master
Ki Cultivator (Earth Tier - Early)
Grandmaster Sword Mastery (1/5)
Impact Release
Ceaseless Mind
.
Apart from the large amount of Points he'd gained from defeating Head Cameron, there was no discernible change from the last time he'd checked his Status. Still, he could still feel the small increase in his Ki Cultivation. He could also get a general idea of how fast he was growing.
At this rate, if he cultivated each day at the maximum he could achieve, he would reach the Middle Stage of Earth Tier in around three weeks.
By any normal metric, that was insanely quick. It took him more than two and a half months to go from the Early Stage to the Middle Stage in his first life. The huge difference was mostly because of his lack of experience when it came to handling Ki. This time around, every cycle Micheal made was perfect, stretching out his progress to the absolute maximum every day.
His 1 Star Physique was also helping, slightly, but it wasn’t having as big of an impact. He felt it more in how he could get more stats from each Stage.
‘It’s not bad… But it’s not enough. I need to up my Physique again.’ His eternal irritation haunted him either way. He was growing too slowly. His enemies would not wait for him.
The ranking system for warriors on the Second Layer wasn’t that different from how humans were rated on the First.
Micheal mentally went over it as he finished his cultivation, compiling his plans.
Normal people, and weaker warriors, or people of other races, didn’t get any rating at all.
Third Rate Warriors were the starting line for people that actually held some amount of power. Around 90% of the active warriors on the Second Layer were Third Rate Warriors. With a Strength stat of 80, Micheal was strong enough to be rated a Third Rate Warrior.
Second Rate Warriors were the starting line for the elite. Showing power that surpassed the vast majority of other beings, Second Rate Warriors could be found among the leaders of guards in large cities, dangerous assassins of deadly repute, experts that had trained for many years, and were able to become ‘Outer Elders’ in any of the Six Great Sects.
First Rate Warriors were the elite among the elite. Possessing power that could directly change the scale of a battle on their own, First Rate Warriors were deadly forces of war. They were typically only found as ‘Inner Elders’ in any of the Six Great Sects, or Sect Masters in smaller scale Sects.
Micheal’s current Soul stat was already at the level of an average First Rate Warrior.
After First Rate Warriors came the final normal tier:
Supreme Warriors.
Supreme Warriors were experts that had reached the apex normally achievable on the Second Layer. They were the Sect Masters of the Six Great Sects, and a few rogue experts that existed in hidden organizations or wandered the Second Layer seeking enlightenment. Most people viewed them as practically unstoppable, geniuses that went unrivaled except by each other.
A First Rate Warrior could be stopped if you threw enough Second Rate Warriors at them. A Supreme Warrior, however… only another Supreme Warrior could face them.
As of right now, none of the other races openly had a Supreme Warrior expert. Humanity’s Four Barons were all extremely strong ‘First Rate Warriors’ but they hadn’t quite reached the level of a Supreme Warrior.
‘Well, the Farians have a Supreme Warrior. But no one knows that yet.’ Micheal tossed the thought to the side as he continued to ponder.
Third Rate, Second Rate, First Rate, and Supreme. These were the four normally achievable tiers of the Second Layer.
‘Normally, that is to say.’ Micheal wrinkled his nose slightly.
There were two other tiers apart from these four. One that was a step above, in terms of power, and one that was a step to the side, varying from person to person.
The step to the side referenced a ‘Master,’ a title given to those warriors that had reached the Master Tier of Sword Mastery, or any other Weapon Mastery Ability. The Second Layer was a world obsessed with Martial Arts, and while experts that reached the Master Tier were extremely few and far in-between, they still existed, especially among the inhabitants of this world, the Byrens.
Some Masters were able to use Master Tier Sword Energy to become deadly Supreme Warriors, while others just knew the rudimentary basics and were only very strong First Rate Warriors.
And other than the Masters, the tier that stood a step above all…
The Six Lords.
It was a unique name for a tier of experts, namely because the tier itself was unique.
There were Six Great Sects on the Second Layer. They controlled most of the world and, currently, most were at war with one another.
And in those Six Great Sects, there were six Lords of inordinate power. They were so monstrously powerful they could not be approached logically for a single reason.
On the Second Layer, it was physically impossible to cultivate to the Lord Tier of Ki Cultivation. It didn’t matter if you were a genius, it didn’t matter what resources you used, it didn’t matter how special your powers were.
None of the races here were capable of achieving this feat. Even Director Prime… well, Micheal wasn’t quite sure about anything when it came to that man. But Micheal was well aware that it would be completely impossible for Micheal, himself, to achieve Lord Tier here.
However, there was a single, or rather, six, exceptions to that rule.
The Six Lords that backed each of the Six Great Sects… not only were all six of them in the Lord Tier of Ki Cultivation, they were also all at the absolute Peak Stage of the Lord Tier of Ki Cultivation.
How that was possible had much to do with the history of this world.
‘Still, they aren’t my target for now.’ Micheal rubbed his eyes as sighed.
He looked around his room for a few seconds before he got up and began to prepare for the day. He took off his old clothes and changed into a new set of the same green robe, wrinkling his nose slightly as he looked at them. He didn’t smell horrible, but he definitely wanted to take a bath or shower.
“I’ll do it later.” After spawning in and munching down a quick breakfast from the Shop, Micheal left his room and walked down a long, wooden hallway to a small staircase. He followed it downstairs into a small Inn lobby.
It had a quaint look to it, with a small couch and some pillows set opposite of a wooden counter. A young man stood behind that counter and gave Micheal a friendly nod as he walked past.
When it came to the ‘Camps,’ all of the new arrivals were allowed free use of any of the Inns for the first two weeks they were here. This was one of the few things humanity had gotten partially right, giving the new people an easier chance to get a foothold.
A large part of this had to do with how the Second Layer worked. The first two weeks that any new Chosen spent here were considered special.
Unlike the First Layer, if a human killed another human that had only been here for two weeks or less, the killer wouldn’t get any Points from killing that person. It was only after the first two weeks had passed that a human was considered ‘fully arrived.’
There were many theories o
n why this kind of ‘grace period’ existed. Some researchers thought it had to do with how the Shop, and our Souls, operated. They believed it took time for our Souls to fully unite with the essence of the Second Layer, making it impossible to absorb any Points from someone without a fully integrated Soul.
This theory was strengthened by the fact that the reverse was not true. A person that was within their first two weeks here could still kill other humans and obtain Points from them. The energy transfer would work one way, but it wouldn’t work the other way.
Every Layer worked like this, though each adjustment period was different.
After the two weeks were over, however… that ‘grace period’ would end and you had to join one of the Syndicates or one of the smaller organizations that were allied to the 4 Barons, or leave the territory of the Human Alliance.
Micheal looked up and down the street as he casually left his Inn, scanning his surroundings. After he didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, he began to head up the street to the north. His Inn, the Jeston Inn, was located in the northern sector of the Camp.
"The Hanmind Fire Spears are recruiting Ice Ability users to hunt Giant Blaze Lizards!"
"...Casandra, I have had enough lip from you, you can consider yourself removed from the Blue Lily Society-"
"You're selling Winter Wolf Fangs? Do you take Alliance Points?"
The hubbub of life in the Camp serenaded Micheal, various men and women speaking, bartering, and arguing, reminding him a bit of the Open Markets on the First.
As he moved, he constantly paid attention to his movements and his surroundings, trying to fully adjust to all of the changes he’d been through.
After his Soul Quality rose to 3 Stars and his Soul stat rose to 36, Micheal’s perception of the world had changed substantially. His 3 Star Soul Quality mostly affected his ‘talent’ or growth rate, while also boosting the past results of his Ki training, and helping contribute to why his Soul stat rose as much as it did.
Because of this, his ability to detect the presence of other beings through his Soul had greatly increased. If he focused, he would be able to innately sense the presence of anyone within roughly 20 meters of him, even if they weren’t focused on him. Part of this had to do with his vast experience at detecting enemies around him, but part of it had to do with his upgraded Soul.
Of course, if someone had a much stronger Soul or special Abilities, they would still be able to hide. But for the majority of foes he might encounter, Micheal was practically immune to a close-range ambush as long as he was careful.
He would also be able to more easily flood an enemy with his own killing intent, something he could use as a type of mental weapon.
Apart from that, his perception of time had undergone a period of rapid growth. He could now perceive things at a rate roughly ~26-27% faster than a regular human. His consciousness automatically adjusted for people speaking and most things, but the jarringly fast change was still overtly noticeable.
It made it easier to dodge attacks, easier to detect enemies, gave him more time to think and focus, and let him react faster. The results of raising his Soul stat so intensely were slowly beginning to show their value.
While it was something he had experienced a couple of times before, the feeling of such an abrupt change still took time to fully adapt to.
Micheal quickly crossed through the Camp. He passed by more groups of men and women talking in the streets, comparing weapons, and moving back and forth with purpose. The town was filled with life as people went about their business.
There were no beggars lining the streets nor were there cripples crying for help. The Camp was a picture of safety, of wealth, of law and order. A veritable utopia.
‘Well, the Camps next to the Spawning Ground are still the same.’ Micheal grimaced as he saw this. No matter how much the timeline of the First morphed, it seemed many things on the Second remained unchanged… including some of the darkness that lay beneath the surface.
Soon, Micheal reached the northern gate to Camp Maybell. The rather steely presence he gave off prevented anyone in the town from approaching him, making it easy to avoid any interaction. He passed through the gate after a brief discussion with the guards, with a reminder, of course, that he needed to make a choice in 13 days.
Micheal then found himself in a large, open field of grass. Off to his right, the Spawning Grounds spread out, while a few Camps could be seen in the distance to the North.
Micheal began to run northward and slightly to the left, loping along at a rapid speed as he put some distance between himself and the Camp. He kept a careful lookout as he ran, though he didn’t feel or see anyone following him.
There were people traveling between Camps, and he could also make out several large groups of people moving in various directions. The land near the Spawning Grounds was one of the more crowded areas.
‘I’ll need to run for about an hour till I can use my shoes.’ He thought as he glanced down at his Cloud Stepping Shoes. Apart from that, the only other Artifacts he wore were his Mid-Tier Spatial Ring, his Aura Nullification Necklace, and the basic sword he'd strapped to his waist.
He had no intention of running everywhere, nor did he have any intention of wasting any of his Points on a vehicle. Once he got far enough out of sight, he would break out his Life Orbs and take to the sky with his Cloud Stepping Shoes or just soar along near the ground.
He needed the practice to help adapt his Soul to the changes it had undergone, and could use the time to think things over. There were so many things he wanted to do, he would need to narrow down the most optimal choices.
‘Alright. The Big Plan: Part 1.’ Micheal took a deep breath as he went over the first couple of plans he’d propped up, based on all the information he had from the future, as well as his own experience and needs of the present.
‘The main two things I need to do…’ His eyes gleamed.
One of the most important things he needed to do was rather obvious.
‘Myla Hannis’ assassination happens in around 21 days. I’ll need to prepare to stop it.’ He would also need to get her to agree to help him after. Part of the reason he’d been so frantic to leave the First Layer had to do with this incident here.
The second thing he thought of was, to him, also obvious.
‘I need to activate my Champion’s Gift as soon as possible.’ If he could steal the Deity ‘Title’ System, the chances he had at stopping all of the Vile King’s plots would explode exponentially.
Micheal felt rather lucky as he considered this. He could do both of these things in the same region. It his plans went well, it would save him quite a bit of time, though there was bound to be a huge amount of danger. If things went wrong, the consequences would be devastating.
In addition to that... there was also one rather significant complication Micheal would need to address.
Myla Hannis absolutely must not die. She was the key to stopping the Vile King’s Great Disaster, a sequence of events that would devastate the Second Layer and cause hundreds of millions of humans to die.
However…
Myla Hannis… wasn’t a human.
She also wasn’t a Byren, the one race Humanity currently had a peace treaty with.
Instead, she was a Farian.
A race Humanity was forced into fighting a war with.
.
Chapter 4
After jogging for roughly 40 minutes, Micheal reached a point where there was no one else in sight. By then, he had crossed away from the Spawning Grounds, but was still in the vast, grassy plain.
This territory had been mostly unoccupied before humanity arrived. It was nominally the territory of the Divine Might Sect, but in actuality abandoned and left to the wilds.
This region had a rather special climate that made it difficult for most kinds of crops to grow, rendering much of the land useless. Ferocious beasts didn’t see much value in the land either, making it a sort of safe-haven, but
the uselessness of the land itself led to it being abandoned.
The Spawning Grounds had magically arrived alongside humanity’s presence. Seeing as humans could survive using the Shop, without the need to grow crops of their own, an area like this was a perfect match for humanity. Magic Beasts, a source for Points and rare resources, could be found in several large forests that were located nearby, making this area practically a safe haven for the powerful.
The Divine Might Sect that owned this land was part of the Six Great Sects. Each of these Sects controlled roughly the same amount of land, around the size of a mid-sized country on Earth. The continent that the Six Great Sects lived on was called the Asora Continent, and was shaped like a large, wobbly circle. These Sects were the ‘Superpowers’ of this world and each individually held an enormous amount of influence.
Each Great Sect bordered two to three other Great Sects, and typically housed a number of smaller ones, creating a balance that prevented any Great Sect from going all out and attacking one another. Doing so would leave their home base relatively unguarded and vulnerable, encouraging others to attack them in their moment of weakness.
The Divine Might Sect was located directly on the East side of the Asora Continent, with the Ground Demon Sect to the South of them, the Silent Sword Sect to the North, and the White Mountain Sect to the West. As for the two other Great Sects, the Heaven Slayer Sect and the Evil Light Sect, the Divine Might Sect didn’t share any borders with them.
Humanity’s Spawning Ground was located in a Northeastern region of the Divine Might Sect's territory, tucked up into an unimportant corner. If Micheal had wanted to, he could’ve traveled east for a few dozen miles and hit the Grand Ocean.
It was currently the middle of Spring, or Winwarm as the Byrens called it, on the Second Layer. That meant it was a decent temperature out, not too hot nor too cold thanks to where Micheal was located. Micheal didn’t care too much about the temperature, but did care about which season it was, largely due to the weather.
Weather on the Second Layer was known to be rather haphazard, especially during the ‘Summer’ and ‘Winter’ months. Spring was slowly drawing to an end around now, meaning Micheal had plenty of time to act before having to deal with any annoying Magic Storms.