The Call of the Forces

by Yuri Ajin

  Kai said nothing, only stared into the distance as a fire raged in his soul.

  “Let’s go,” he finally said. “Looks like there are more of these things around here, so be careful. We can’t rely on sensing auras anymore.”

  There were plenty of monsters in the building. But the group didn’t meet any above the Sensory Organs Endurance level, so the fights were rather easy. That is, they were, until they were attacked by a dozen Demonids. Once all the monsters were defeated, the bodies suddenly burst into flames and disappeared, turning into prana. A strange power approached Kai, Elize, and Ivsim, and formed small objects in front of them, hanging right in the air.

  Item obtained: [Water Element Sphere]

  Additional items unavailable.

  Your modifier: alien

  I think I get how resources appear in this world...

  Kai took the iridescent ball in his hands, and the System immediately suggested using it for strengthening.

  “If I were you, I wouldn’t be in a hurry to use it,” Rune’Tan said. “I’m familiar with these things. They’re also known as ‘forbidden remedies.’ They do give a huge boost, but they limit your development. That’s why there’s no one above the Elementalist Stage in new worlds. Only the next generations, untainted by such resources, will get a chance to rise higher.”

  “The way you talk about it... How much do they accelerate development?”

  “I’m not sure, but I can tell that there have been those ready to become Exorcists in the past four years. But this is false power, so I advise you against using it.”

  Four years?! It took me six to complete the Soul Stage! Kai thought, but kept these thoughts to himself, then continued their conversation. “Who do you take me for, old man?” He chuckled, sending the Sphere to his Ring. He never would’ve used something he knew nothing about.

  Turning to the others, he saw Ivsim holding the most common Earth-rank Spatial Ring, and Elize some strange crystal.

  “Hmm...” She frowned, pondering. “This thing says that I can instantly learn some kind of attack technique. How unusual. But it’s a low-quality, Silver-rank technique. Why would I need that?”

  “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” Kai said sharply as if reading her thoughts. “We may not need it, but the locals may be interested.”

  Elize stopped. Looking thoughtfully at Kai, she put the crystal into her Ring.

  They continued their descent, killing any and all Demonids that got in their way, occasionally receiving items for their hard work. Usually, they were various elemental spheres, Spatial Rings, and once even an Earth-rank sword. From one of the monsters, which looked much stronger than it actually was, Kai got one of the crystals that allowed him to instantly learn a technique.

  When the six of them reached the fourth floor, they decided to exit through a window, so as not to waste any more time and energy wandering through corridors and killing Demonids.

  Once outside, they stropped to take a closer look at their surroundings. The rain had stopped and the sun came out from behind the clouds. The pleasantly warm weather contrasted sharply with the demolished surroundings.

  For a while, they simply examined everything around them. Those from Saha were amazed by the remnants of Earth’s civilization. While Kai became nostalgic about the place that had once been his home.

  They spent almost an hour exploring, wondering what this or that was, and voicing their theories about what could’ve happened to the people that had once lived here, all while fighting off Demonids that’d attack them from time to time.

  Their little archeological trip was interrupted when the communication talismans that every inner-circler student had and that was tuned to the general energy frequency suddenly lit up.

  “Um… I think I found people,” Jiang Si said.

  Chapter 2

  RUNAWAYS AND PURSUERS

  Thanks to the talismans, they regrouped in less than a minute. Their meeting point was the roof of a five-story building, where Jiang Si stood. They didn’t need any further directions as they could feel the unfamiliar auras even at the entrance to the building.

  A few dozen feet ahead of them were crowded buses and trucks, surrounded by a couple of hundred people. Most of them were ordinary humans, but there were also those who had set foot on the path of cultivation. The majority seemed to be older men but there were also a few women and even teenagers. As for their strength, on average, they were at the Bones and Muscles Endurance levels. Only a couple of them were at the Sensory Organ Endurance level, but all had one thing in common — fear written all over their faces.

  A bit further away was another group of people. There were fewer of them — maybe about forty, most of which were at the Muscle Endurance level, with only a couple being at the Mind Stage. They all wore almost the same dark gray clothes, which hinted that they belonged to some kind of an organization.

  By the looks of it, there was an ongoing conflict between the groups, in which the smaller one had a serious advantage in strength. However, so far, the situation seemed to be under control, so the group decided to listen in. Fortunately, the System allowed them to understand the local language. Kai didn’t need translation, however, as he understood English.

  “Why?! You bastards! What are you doing this for?!” a woman howled, holding a corpse of a man in her arms. Judging by his burnt clothing and skin, they had attacked him with a Fire technique. “We paid off the entire debt! Why are you following us?! Bastards!!!”

  “Shut up!” a man in gray, armed with a sword, answered sharply. “We’ve already told you why. The Lord really didn’t like it that you left during his absence! Is that how you express gratitude for acceptance, shelter, food, and protection?”

  “Martin, you know damn well that that’s a blatant lie,” the leader of the fugitives said calmly. “We only lived on your territory, but we did everything else ourselves. We grew food, renovated and built buildings, worked tirelessly for those two years... We were practically slaves. But the time is up, the contract is no longer valid, and none of us intend to stay with you. You have no right to prevent us from leaving!”

  “No right?” The man named Martin grinned. “We, as the stronger ones, have the right to do as we damn please, and rest assured that we will. Also, even though you came to us in these cars, after signing the contract, they became the Lord’s property. Simply put, this means that you stole from him! Or have you forgotten about that?”

  “Dad, they won’t listen to you...” A guy grimaced, standing in front of the leader of the fugitives. “That bastard’s forcing everyone to call him a lord, and he isn’t going to let us go. The only thing we can do is fight.”

  “You think you can defeat us on your own? We took care of most of your people with one attack. You’re even weaker now. Fortunately for you, the Lord wants as many of you as possible to stay alive, so you better calm down, kid.” Martin spat. “Otherwise, you can get hurt.”

  “Luke, step back,” the leader of the fugitives whispered gloomily, well aware of their situation. His son was maybe the strongest one among them, but even he couldn’t deal with forty people on his own.

  “Will you seriously give up so easily? We need to hold on just a little longer, and the City Union will come and help us!”

  “Ahahaha! Oh, you’re a funny one!” Martin exclaimed, slapping his knee. “Do you really think they can help you here? This is the Lord’s city, and, having in mind who its patron is, those mongrels wouldn’t dare show up here! So just give up, get back in the cars, and follow us. The clock’s ticking and you can’t help the wounded now. Tick-tock... Tick-tock...”

  A shot rang out. Non-cultivators grabbed their heads and shouted. The rest, prepared for battle, looked around.

  “Jim, goddamnit, what are you doing?! Are you out of your mind?!” Martin shouted sharply, looking at one of his men.

  “Relax,” Jim said calmly, putting away his weapon. “He’s still alive.”

  The leader of t
he grays turned his head only to see Luke unharmed. The bullet lay at his feet. Around him, an unusual shield shimmered green.

  “I suspected that this kid wasn’t as ordinary as he looked. Guess I was right. Come to think of it, it was strange how neither he nor his father were hurt in the first attack... This looks like a peak-quality, Silver-rank technique.” Martin’s eyes widened. He couldn’t even imagine that some peasant kid would have a technique that a man like him could only dream of. “I want it...” His lips spread into a smile. “Change of plans. These two are dangerous and they could try to escape. We should eliminate them now so that they wouldn’t cause problems for the Lord in the future. Surround them and take the rest of the people in the cars, I’ll take care of these two myself.”

  Cracking his neck, Martin approached Luke and his father.

  “If only you surrendered, maybe it wouldn’t have come to this...” He grinned again, covering the blade of his sword with Wind.

  A line of compressed air, sharp like a blade, shot forward.

  Martin was already celebrating his victory because his blow was stronger than that of a gunshot and he was two levels above the young man, but Luke managed to deflect the technique at the last moment. His fist should have been cut in two, but it remained unharmed.

  The shimmering shield held back the attack without any problems, and then a barely visible wave escaped from Luke’s palm. It didn’t harm Martin, but it did knock away the blade of his sword. Taking advantage of the confusion, Luke reached his opponent with the speed of light.

  In the next moment, well-practiced and confident strikes rained upon Martin. Using a technique called Crushing Fists, Luke attacked with both his arms and legs, each time creating invisible surges of power.

  Martin’s men froze, unable to believe their eyes. In their mind, their leader was invincible. He owned a rare Wind Predator Technique that enveloped his body with gusts of wind as sharp as blades, which turned anyone who was close enough into mincemeat. It was just as effective against bullets as it was against powerful techniques. Only the Lord himself and his knights could defeat Martin.

  However, Luke’s defensive technique neutralized the threat, allowing him to get close to his opponent and hit him. He had been training boxing since childhood, and Martin started mastering this art only after the System appeared on Earth. That was why, despite his high stats, he became Luke’s punching bag.

  Seconds passed and it started to become obvious who the winner would be. Martin’s men even tried to intervene, but they failed to break through Luke’s defense. He seemed impossible to defeat.

  “Boy, stop, or I’ll kill her!” Jim shouted, grabbing a girl standing nearby and pressing a knife to her throat.

  Luke froze.

  “Let her go.”

  “I see I have your attention... Back off, remove your shield, and get down on your knees. You’re not calling the shots here.”

  Luke looked around. Having calmed down a bit, he noticed that all of Martin’s men were ready to attack him. To make matters worse, his father had already been tied down, so he couldn’t help him.

  “What a brat,” swearing, the beaten Martin started getting up. “I’ll strangle you with your own guts!”

  “Are you deaf, kid?!” Jim yelled, making a cut on the girl’s neck. “Remove the shield! Now!”

  “This is unfair...” Luke hissed, finally realizing how desperate the situation he had found himself in was.

  “Get used to it!” a voice rang out. “Power rules almost everything.”

  Luke jerked in fright at the sight of a young man suddenly appearing next to him.

  “Who the hell are you?!” Martin shouted in surprise.

  “Kai.”

  “Kai who?!”

  “Just Kai.” The young man smiled, and then waved his hand upward, like a blade.

  The movement wasn’t fast, but no one had the time to react. A moment later, particles of Space and Sword Forces, as well as that of the Cold Void, filled the air.

  Usually, the Force of any weapon was used with the actual weapon, since it was easier. But, with sufficient experience, a cultivator could learn to use them not only with other types of weapons but even without any.

  More than thirty people fell dead from internal injuries. The Blade Release Technique took the form of thousands of small blades, which shot through their bodies thanks to the Forces of Intent and Space.

  Some would be able to predict this kind of attack and defend themselves, but Kai’s current targets didn’t even reach the level of the outer-circle students of the Fallen Star Sect, so they couldn’t fight back.

  Unlike the rest of their crew, Martin and Jim were imprisoned in ice.

  “I still want to talk to them,” Kai said with a slight smile. “I’ll introduce myself again. My name’s Kai. And these are my...” He thought for a moment, looking at the confused people around him. “Allies. We’d like to have a chat with you.”

  Chapter 3

  EIGHTEEN YEARS

  People stared in surprise, one might even say shock. They had made peace with their sad fate when some random guy appeared out of nowhere and dealt with the Lord’s servants in a blink of an eye.

  “Words can’t express how grateful we are for your help.” Luke held out his hand. Only now was he able to sense that the young man’s aura exuded power of the Source Creation level. “But who are you? Are you from the Union, or maybe from some guild? By the way, I’m Luke, and this is my father, Stephen. You could say that we’re the leaders of this group, so feel free to ask us anything. Though, I can’t even imagine how we could ever repay you for what you’ve just done.”

  “No, we aren’t any of those, we come from a different place. Consider us just travelers. As for gratitude, there’s always a way.” Kai smiled strangely, making Luke and Stephen tense up. “But more on that later. I think you have more serious things to worry about right now.” He pointed at the wounded. “In the meantime, I’ll go talk to these gentlemen.”

  At that, he turned sharply.

  ***

  “Why did you interfere?” Ivsim asked when they got away from the crowd.

  “They can help. We need information,” Kai replied, dragging away the ice-covered Martin and Jim with the help of the Force of Space. “Because we’ve helped them, it’ll be easier to get them to cooperate. Besides, I really didn’t like these guys.” He nodded at the Lord’s servants.

  “That’s all fine and dandy, but why are we following you?” Elize interrupted, walking alongside. “Or do you think you’re our boss or something?”

  “You don’t have to follow me around if you don’t want to. However, other servants of this ‘lord’ may come running to help these guys, and I got no clue how powerful those people are. Also, it looks like you still don’t fully understand what’s going on. In case you’ve missed it, we’re in another world. I know what your main goal is, Elize, but the others would, perhaps, like to return home,” he said, looked at his companions, and came to a halt. Everyone else stopped with him, finally realizing just how much trouble they were in.

  “So, do you have any ideas? How do we get out of here?” Lily asked. “Or are we gonna be stuck here for a while?”

  “First of all, we need to collect more information about what’s happening here. That’s why I saved those people. As I understand it, they were on their way to this ‘Union.’ If we go with them, we can get even more information,” Kai said, slowly releasing the Lord’s servants from the icy shackles. “Also... the System operates in this world, which means that somewhere out there, there are another Gates of Ecumene.”

  “Gates of Ecumene? Are you talking about the Tower?” Jiang Yong asked.

  “Yes. That’s what it’s called on the Plateau; in the rest of the universe, it’s known as the Gates of Ecumene. With their help, we can navigate through different worlds.”

  “In that case, all we need to do is announce our presence. The representatives of the strongest organizations of th
is world will find us on their own. After all, we were all elite apprentices in our clans.” Elize chuckled. “After that, we can discuss going back home.”

  “That’s going under the presumption that the strongest already control the Gates. This would work if we were, for example, on Saha, but here, on Earth, the situation’s very different. The System has been operating here for only four years. Do you see what I’m getting at?”

  “The System didn’t exist in this world? That’s hard to imagine, but not impossible. But what about it?” Elize frowned.

  “I don’t understand either.” Jiang Yong sighed.

  Lily, Ivsim, and Jiang Si also stared at Kai, who sighed deeply.

  “You may find it hard to believe, but before the arrival of the System, there was no external energy here. Simply put, cultivation didn’t exist here.”

  Shock and disbelief were plastered on everyone’s faces.

  “What? But... How?”

  “A world without cultivation?!”

  “Nonsense!”

  “Believe it or not, it’s true.” Kai shook his head. “Which means that the strongest people in this world aren’t far from Exorcists from the Lowlands.”

  “But then how were people like him,” Ivsim pointed at Martin, “able to reach the Brain Endurance level in just four years? Are you saying that the locals are all geniuses, more talented than Shacks or even Jiang Dao? How come they’re so weak then?”

  “No, they’re not geniuses.” Kai chuckled. “And the answer is in these.” He took out the Sphere that he had obtained in the skyscraper. “You feel how much energy and Forces are contained in this ball, don’t you? The locals get these from almost every Demonid they kill, and their number is never-ending. With such a thing at their disposal, their development is much faster. Which, of course, can’t be said about their techniques, fighting styles, alchemy, artifacts, arrays, and much more, which haven’t existed here until recently.”