The First Peak of the Force

by Yuri Ajin

  Kai made a second swing.

  Three people managed to sense the danger approaching them but were powerless to get away. Guided by the Force of Intent, the sword energy, taking the form of a long sickle, slashed right through them, killing them instantly.

  At the same moment, Kai activated the Offset Step and dashed at two other bandits who, unlike their friends, decided to fight back. The blue and red blades clashed with the steel blades in a shower of sparks. There was a crack and both bandits instantly dropped their weapons, their wrists and fingers broken. Kai finished them off with one more swing.

  There were still two left.

  “Stooop!” the last bandit screamed, seeing how quickly his comrades had been turned into corpses.

  Once he was next to him, Kai sent his blades back into the Ring. Just when the bandit thought that he was safe, Kai hit him in the chest with insane strength, breaking his ribs and sternum, and bursting his lungs and heart. A moment later, the man flew away like a broken doll into a nearby tree. Unlike his head, the thick trunk remained intact.

  ***

  The moment the young man started fighting back, the girl ran away.

  What kind of a monster is he?! Shit! Why am I so unlucky?! What did I do to deserve this?! she screamed in her head as her heart pounded wildly. That bastard... Did he know about this guy’s power? Easy money my ass! I hate him! I can’t stop now; I must get away from this place! I don’t give a damn about the test anymore! To hell with everything!

  She kept running as fast as she could. A shadow flashed in her peripheral vision and she stumbled to the ground, breaking her right knee. Or so she thought.

  Lowering her gaze, she stared in horror at where her leg had once been. Now there was only a perfectly clean cut, from which blood was rapidly gushing.

  Her cry of agony filled the air, scaring away birds and smaller animals.

  “Shut up!” Kai approached her.

  The girl shook but gritted her teeth. She squeezed her thigh with her hand (fortunately, the strength of her hardened muscles was enough to at least partially slow down the bleeding), and grabbed a potion with the other. Uncorking the bottle with her teeth, she poured a cloudy green liquid over the wound. The pain began to recede, and the bleeding stopped.

  She looked up with pleading eyes.

  “You haven’t killed me yet…” Her heart was pounding like crazy. “You said… You said that you’d spare me if I told you about the gold.”

  His cold stare made her feel even tinier and powerless.

  “It was a man! At the Brain Endurance level. He had a demon mask that covered his entire face and wore a black cloak! He didn’t tell me his name. He just described you and said that you have not only a lot of hardened gold, but also some other resources. And when he told me which store you visited, we decided to check with the merchant. The old man confirmed his words,” she said quickly, still panicking.

  “Did he tell you my name?” the young man asked sternly. “And how did you find me?”

  “Yes!” She nodded sharply. “He did tell me your name — Kai. And we found you when we gathered before the beginning of the test. It was then that we memorized your aura. We found you using a special technique. We used to hunt before we decided to join the clan.”

  “I see... Interesting…” Kai murmured thoughtfully, which only frightened her even more. “Do you have anything else to say?”

  Sunlight fell on his sword, making the azure steel glitter. Blood dripped from the blade. Her blood...

  “Yes! His aura was gloomy and dark. Also, he said that you’re from very distant and underdeveloped lands. So we decided to take a risk, thinking you were a rich weakling...” she sneered. However, the smile was gone the moment she met Kai’s piercing gaze. “I… I told you everything I knew! I swear! If you want, take this!” She took off her Ring, having previously removed her mark from it. Then she touched the ground with her forehead in a bow. “I beg you! I’ll give you anything, even my body!” she almost cried. “I’ve told you everything, and you said you’d spare me if I did that.”

  Kai’s expression remained unchanged.

  “That deal is off the table.”

  Her eyes widened in horror. A moment later, blood gushed from her mouth as the blade pierced her throat. Soon, the light in her eyes faded. Her face would remain forever frozen in a grimace of horror.

  Kai didn’t feel sorry for her or her gang. He had given them a gracious offer, which they refused. They should’ve known that if they were willing to kill someone then they had to be ready to be killed too. Such was the law of life. As they said, those who wielded the blade died from the blade.

  After wiping off his sword and returning it to his Ring, Kai picked up the girl’s Ring as well. Not like she needed it anymore. He did the same with the other seven, after which he went further east.

  The fight had lasted five minutes in total, most of which he had spent on chasing the girl and talking to her. In terms of strength, they were as strong as the strongest inner-circle students of the Fallen Star Sect. Although here, they were probably considered below average.

  One way or another, with his current abilities, he was way out of their league. Had they been even close to Lily and her abilities, they might’ve stood a chance.

  But who’s this man with the demon mask? He knows my name, as well as that I’m from Alkea. Chances are that he’s from there as well! But if he knows me so well why did he send such weaklings after me? Or perhaps he doesn’t know how strong I am... Brain Endurance level and a dark aura... Doesn’t sound like anyone I know. Wait… He knew what merchants I visited! So he was following me yesterday... Damn it! I hope Julie’s fine! Thank Heavens that she’s with the Wayats. Good thing I didn’t buy her a house... She’s safe. She has both Lily’s family and the Thunder Serpents watching over her. I don’t think she left the estate after I left her there. I even asked her not to worry and not come to the center today. I knew there’d be way too many people there... I have to contact her as soon as I become an inner-circle student. I better have her move to my place as well... I don’t think I’ll be able to rest easy otherwise. Damn all of this! Why now?!

  Shaking his head, he continued his journey. He had to complete this test as quickly as possible!

  Chapter 5

  ASH

  On the second day of his journey, Kai decided to take a break. Sitting in a small cave, he plunged into meditation to recover and relieve fatigue. Behind him lay a pair of dead monsters that had previously lived there.

  A few hours later, when he was getting ready to move again, he felt an unexpected surge of energy coming from his Ring. Opening his eyes abruptly, he looked at his right hand and then summoned the cause of the disturbance. Five scrolls of different colors appeared in front of him.

  Having opened the first one he came across, he was slightly surprised — part of the route had disappeared from the map. The same had happened with the rest of them.

  “What kind of sorcery is this?” he wondered, arching an eyebrow.

  There was an obvious reason for his bewilderment. At the very beginning of the test, with his energy vision, he saw a technique embedded in the scrolls, the essence of which he knew nothing about. He didn’t dare to tamper with it, as the scrolls were an important element of the test. And now, this technique was active, removing eighty percent of each map.

  But why? After all, each participant was at least at the Mind Stage, which, although it didn’t bring them perfect memory, made it possible for them to remember most of the route. So what was the point of removing parts of it?

  “Boy, line up the maps,” Rune’Tan suddenly said.

  Shrugging, Kai did as he was told, and, taking a step back, looked at the maps.

  “Do you see it?”

  “Not really…”

  Rune’Tan sighed. “Add up all the remaining parts of the maps in your head.”

  “Would you look at that!” Kai exclaimed and grinned. “It’s a good thing that
I decided to keep the scrolls with me. So this is the shortest route.”

  “Seems like it. What would be the point of this then? It’s unlikely that this clan would pull such a prank,” the spirit explained.

  Kai nodded. Putting the scrolls back in his Ring, he left the cave.

  ***

  I was born in a small town in one of the most remote regions of the western part of the empire. My father was a miner and my mother a dressmaker. Although we often didn’t have enough money at home, no one could call us poor either.

  We lived in an old but cozy house that we inherited from our grandfather, who died in the war. And although we often had problems — for example, the roof was constantly leaking, and I often had to climb up there to once again patch up the hole (we were afraid to send dad, as the roof couldn’t support his weight) — I still remember those times fondly.

  Unfortunately, we couldn’t go on like that forever. When I turned eight, the section of the mine where my dad worked collapsed. All the people inside were killed. We all took it hard, mom especially. She cried all the time and got sick often. To make matters worse, we had to sell grandpa’s house and move into a tiny shack. We could barely make ends meet, and I had to look for part-time jobs, and sometimes even steal. We survived only because the climate in our region was very mild even during winter. I was too scared to imagine what would’ve happened if the winters were more severe...

  One way or another, our life went on, and over time, mom began to get better. Her health improved, too. But that still wasn’t the end of our misfortune. It wasn’t until I got a little bit older that I finally understood where she was getting the money from and why she would send me out for a walk whenever strange men would come to our house...

  When I turned twelve, a horde of monsters from the Wild Lands attacked the town and crossed the border. There were basically no cultivators in the town at the time. The walls were destroyed in less than an hour. There was no one that could stop them. Only later did I find out that this usually happened when some beast reached the last level of the Soul Stage... When that happened, all the inhabitants of the Wild Lands could feel the terrifying power of such a creature, so they’d rush to flee their homes in panic.

  On that day, a man who stayed at home with my mother, having heard the sound of the horn, decided to take advantage of the situation and steal the money she had saved. And when I returned, I found her beaten up and in tears. It was difficult for her to walk, which was why we didn’t have time to reach the town hall, where the defenders of the city had gathered. We hid in grandpa’s old house. Had we not...

  Shouts, growls, and sounds of powerful blows were coming from all over the place... In an instant, the flimsy wooden wall of the house was destroyed and a huge tiger stuck its muzzle inside. I was desperate, but the monster was instantly killed.

  On that day, I met Darl, Lily’s grandfather, and, of course, Lily herself. The Wayats, as representatives of one of the two ruling branches of the Stenshet family in the region, were the first to come to our small town when they heard about the monsters. However, it was thanks to the insistence of the young lady that their warriors set off a day earlier than planned. The opinion of an eight-year-old girl, who didn’t even know how to feel energy yet, turned out to be of vital importance for my salvation. After all, since the day she was born, everyone knew that she had the purest bloodline among the Stenshets that had been born over the past centuries. This put Lily high in the family’s hierarchy from infancy. It was by her will that all the survivors — twenty-five people — were accepted into the Wayat family as servants.

  Having learned about all this, I was full of admiration and gratitude toward Lily and decided to live for her. I swore that I’d repay her for saving me and my mother.

  Having become a servant, I trained tirelessly whenever I had free time. At the age of thirteen, I managed to master the Breath of Power. After that, I was adopted into the Wayat family, as such an achievement was a sign of relatively high talent. I was one step closer to becoming Lily’s true guardian...

  ***

  It was the twentieth day of the exam. Out of a thousand and a half candidates, no more than five hundred remained. Many of them were already approaching the finish line, making their way through the most dangerous part of the route.

  A whirlwind ripped a row of massive trees out of the ground and crashed into the huge body of a Stone Gorilla. Howling in pain, the wounded animal fell to the side. Its armor was already full of cracks. Some parts even fell off, exposing its skin. The ground under it was stained with blood.

  A silvery silhouette flickered. The primate’s muscular arm rose up for the last time and then hit the ground with a loud crash.

  With a sharp movement, Lily pulled her sword out from the Gorilla’s skull and began to collapse herself. She had no strength to move. Luckily, Ash was there to catch her. Unlike her, he wasn’t wounded, just slightly battered.

  On the other hand, Lily looked really bad. Her armor, although it had been repaired in Rivertoon, was again badly damaged, and she had received several fractures herself. Her face was covered in blood coming from a cut on her forehead, and there was practically no ki left in her body.

  However, they managed. With difficulty, a troop of more than twenty Gorillas was destroyed.

  The Stenshets who were taking the test were unlucky enough to stumble upon these creatures. Unable to escape, they had to defend themselves. The battle turned out to be difficult, but it ended quickly. Unfortunately, the monsters turned out to be too strong, and they inflicted more damage to Lily than she had expected.

  “My lady,” Ash said worriedly, having seated her under a tree. “How are you?”

  Taking out a Healing Potion, he helped her drink it.

  “I...” She wanted to answer, but she was too weak to even talk.

  “I’ll kill... I’ll kill... I’ll kill...” came a mad voice.

  Lily and Ash instantly sensed danger.

  Taking the girl in his arms, Ash jumped to the side. A moment later, the tree they were under was destroyed.

  “A-a-ah!” Lily cried out in pain. A deep cut appeared on her side, emanating dark smoke.

  Hiding the now unconscious girl behind the carcass of one of the monsters, Ash, outraged, went to deal with the unknown enemy, who turned out to be a man in a red demon mask, clutching two daggers covered with dark flames. The stranger was at the Brain Endurance level. His aura gave off only cold and darkness.

  “I’ll kill... I’ll kill... You!” He looked up at Ash. “I don’t need you! Go away! I’ll kill her!” His voice suddenly became quieter. “She’s to blame... She’s also to blame... I’ll avenge... I’ll kill...”

  The man’s right hand suddenly flashed with incredible speed. Ash was unable to follow this movement, but his instincts screamed danger. Not having time to form a technique or dodge, he simply held his sword, reinforced with scarlet energy, in front of him.

  The black crescent that broke from the stranger’s dagger closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, leaving a deep furrow on the ground. The attack hit Ash, who unleashed more ki at the moment of the collision.

  The force of the enemy’s blow sent him flying back and crashing into a tree. Rising slowly, he wiped the blood pouring from his broken nose. He was beaten, dazed, and exhausted from his recent battle with the monsters, but he had no intention of giving up. Flames of hatred burned in his eyes, triggered by the man who dared to wound his beloved lady.

  Unfortunately, Ash was aware of the obvious difference in their strength. Although this masked man was only one level higher than him, the gap between their abilities was significant. If he had been a member of the Fallen Star Sect, he would’ve definitely been among the strongest inner-circle students.

  Ash raised his sword and assumed a fighting stance, slightly surprising the masked man.

  “Looks like I’ll have to kill you first! A-ha-ha!” He laughed and stepped forward. “And then I’ll kill
the girl!”

  Ash only smiled slightly in response.

  “Lily, you aren’t destined to meet your end here... I’ll see to it,” he whispered and put a crimson pill into his mouth.

  The capillaries in his eyes burst immediately, dying his whites red. His skin took on a sickly glow as well. Power, like a violent stream, poured into his body, slowly ripping him apart. An incredible aura appeared around him, causing gusts of wind. The ground under him cracked, and then he dashed at his opponent at the speed of sound.

  Chapter 6

  A MEETING AND A FAREWELL

  Climbing a tall tree, Kai observed a huge mountain, the top of which was hidden in the clouds. Remembering all five routes, he nodded to himself. That was definitely it — the Celestial Plateau. The finish line. All he needed to do was climb up.

  During these twenty days, Kai had seen a lot. The first week of the journey passed relatively calmly, but on the tenth day, he began to run into more and more monsters at the Brain Endurance level, and sometimes even at the Opening of the Acupuncture Points. To make things worse, they always traveled in packs.

  There were also poisonous plants that blended into the environment a little too well for his liking, as well as a lot of energy traps everywhere due to the high density of prana and the high chance of Force manifestations. He stumbled upon the Earth Force at one point, which was quite interesting... and dangerous.

  In all fairness, this part of the Lowlands could be considered the best place for development, which at the same time made it extremely life-threatening.

  By the end of the second week, Kai saw giant birds at the Soul Stage flying away with several monsters trapped in their huge talons. About three days before, he had reached a very strange area of the jungle, covered with a thick fog, which affected his orientation. Only thanks to his energy vision did he manage not to fall under the influence of the strange energy that had intertwined itself into the natural array, and reach the foot of the Celestial Plateau. How the other participants were expected to deal with this, he had no idea.