Maximilian stood in the massive meeting hall along with the rest of the tutorial takers. It turned out everyone received a robes package, even the tree people. Though there was closer to a liquid that stuck to their trunks than cloth. From what he could tell, it did the same thing. The color schemes were random, from what he could tell. Some harpies had light pastel colors, while some of the merpeople had deep reds. He wasn’t sure if it was random or if it a joke or some kind. Either way, he didn’t care. The few conversations he picked up revealed that the first day had been far bloodier than he realized. Dozens of people had died. Most of the quests were similar to his; people had either been sent to a dangerous place to explore or had to defend a dangerous place. The monsters were all different. One group of humans mentioned giant scorpions while a group of harpies faced off against “weird humans”. He wasn’t sure if the Network had real people here or not, but it was something to keep an eye out for. If he could talk to them or even negotiate a peaceful solution to things than that would be all the better.
He was about to ask some questions of the couple near him when the dwarves reappeared. They stepped out of their pillar of light like legendary champions. The hall went silent as we stared at them. “Good, good the fledgling heroes have had a chance to cut their, teeth and now you look like proper practitioner. If only just.” Thrawn began as the other two dwarfs took a seat. “We have a lot to explain to you all, so we will only do so once. It will be up to you to listen and gain from our words. You all have gained at least two titles since you’ve been here. Those titles represent small boosts to your power as a practitioner. As Rank 1 cultivators, you want to gather as many as you can.”
“Is there a guide to what titles are available?” A man built like a lumberjack asked from several rows over.
“No, you are to obtain them on your own. They are achievements, so you should search for things you can accomplish. First of titles represent the rarest but simplest titles. Most practitioners have no chance of obtaining those kinds of titles as they are usually stolen by the people who came first. They are most common among your people. In that way, you all are very fortunate you can transform from worms into dragons if you work hard. You should have noticed that there are two different titles.” Thrawn held two fingers up. “Common titles are the easiest to obtain and have no limits. You can collect as many of these as you like or, rather, as you can find.” He put one finger down. “Limited titles are stronger than common titles and rarer. Most people have three limited title slots. Once those three slots are filled, you either replace one you already have or refuse the new title.”
Maximilian pulled up his status screen and his two titles. He hadn’t gotten anything for the fights with the wolves, which meant that either there wasn’t a title for first fight or first kill or he hadn’t gotten it. The same could go for quest completion. It was then that he had a thought. What about the people on Earth? He raised his hand. “Excuse me, but what about the people left behind? Would they have the chance to obtain a title?”
Thrawn waved his hand dismissively. “Yes, yes, but all their titles would be wasted. They wouldn’t be cultivators. Dismiss them and move on.”
“What about after death? Does death free up a title for someone else to get?” A voice that was closer to a screech than anything human called out from somewhere he couldn’t see.
“No, not for common titles anyway. The Network wouldn’t waste its time on something like that. Once you claim a title, it’s claimed forever. Limited titles are a bit different. Anyone who completes the task can get those.”
“You mentioned rank 1 before what does that mean.” Someone else asked.
“That is the different cultivator ranks.” The more scholarly dwarf began as he got to his feet. “The road of cultivation has been divided into realms or ranks. The first is rank 1 or foundation realm. As the title would imply, it is the time for you to build your foundations. The titles are one part of that. The tutorial will provide you a strong start, but it is up to your strength to forge a path that will take you from the mundane to the sublime.”
Maximilian had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the gilded language, but he could admit it was good propaganda. Especially when it was true at least to extent. The tutorial had just begun, and they could throw out lightning and fire what would they be like at the end? They might as well be gods in comparison to the—he shook his head and abandoned that train of thought. He remained Maximilian. He remained Maximilian. He wasn’t better than anyone else, despite the advantage. He couldn’t afford to let that thought process corrupt the situation.
“How many ranks are there?” Another person asked as Maximilian returned his focus to the stage.
“Six at least, though you don’t need to worry about that. Your focus is on the first. The foundation you build now will serve you throughout your climb. Now, you have three primary goals while in this realm. First, you need to reach level 27 and gain your class. Second, you need to reach level 81, and third, you need to upgrade your ancestry. Each of those things will provide you a quantitative leap forward in power. Whether it’s longevity, no skills and more attributes, you will yourself reforge and the prime of your life should you succeed.”
“What do you mean by longevity?” Another voice called out.
“Upon evolving your ancestry — that is, evolving your core physiology — you receive a massive increase in lifespan. The exact amount of years is different per ancestry, but on average it’s five hundred years.”
The room went as silent as the grave at that. Maximilian couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Five hundred years. Five hundred years was the domain of legends and myths. There were people who would sell everything they owed to get another five years, and now all they had to do was “evolve their ancestry,” whatever that meant. Further the way they phrased it made it sound like the amount would increase at future ranks. If it was five hundred at rank 2, what would be at rank 3? Or 4 and 5? Could he live for thousands of years? Could he become immortal? He couldn’t help but grin at the idea. His reaction was much more subdued than everyone else’s. The crowd had erupted in cheers and chaotic conversation that made his head hurt. He could understand what they were feeling, but he wished they could feel a bit quieter.
When the dwarves calmed the crowd, we could get back to the lesson. “That looks like a great opportunity to share your reward.” As if in reply to his words, a bottle the size of a finger appeared in front of Maximilian. The bottle was simple and unadorned, with a small cork lid. The only notable thing about it was the small symbol that pulsed on top. He didn’t need to be told to give it a try. After a moment, he took off the cork, and a wave of medicinal aroma washed over him. It was more intense than anything he had smelled before the Network arrived. It wasn’t just a smell either it made him feel better. As if the smell was part of the medicine. From what he could tell, it wasn’t strong enough to heal any serious wounds, but it would probably be enough for minor aches and pains. He dumped the pill out into his hand and cocked his head. It was a pill, but it wasn’t, or rather it wasn’t like any pills he knew.
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The pill was spherical and about the size of a jawbreaker. It was a swirled mix of white and violet that made him think of clouds or birthday cake. Its medicinal smell was much stronger now that it wasn’t in the bottle. He examined for another moment but couldn’t see anything wrong with it. He shrugged, and someone stopped him before he tossed the pill back.
“We would recommend you wait until you return to your quarters to consume the pills. The improvements it will make will not be pleasant.” The look on the dwarf’s face made me stop and put the pill back. He looked seasick, queasy, as if he remembered something. “For those of you who have already broken the seal, make sure to take it before the day ends. The pill’s effectiveness will be reduced after that. The quality of the pills you receive from this point on will be based on the quality of quests you participate in and your performance. You will learn more about that in the coming days.”
Maximilian looked down at the pill bottle and placed it in a pocket in his robes. He mentally chided himself for his impatience, but nothing was lost. He would’ve taken it today, regardless. He didn’t know what to feel about the dwarf’s reaction. Despite several follow-up questions, he refused to elaborate. While the scholarly one looked pained, Thrawn looked almost giddy. Only adding that it “was a rite of passage for practitioners.” Their attitudes made Maximilian think of a frat initiation, so he wasn’t too bothered by it. If anything, it would either be annoying to deal with or just unpleasant. Lastly, the voice hadn’t interfered, so whatever would happen was in line with the rules.
“We approach the end of this lesson so I will leave you with a few important pieces of information. It is important no, it is vital that you balance the risks with the rewards for every action. The road of the practitioner is fraught with dangers, but along with those dangers lay opportunity. Many of you know seen the dangers of your assignments. It will not get any easier. The practitioner goes against the will of the Heavens as a result, your life will be anything but peaceful. For many of you, that path may not be the one for you. You may discover other roads to walk. The tutorial will help you form an outline. It is up to you to fill it in. Now, you all may return to your abodes. You will begin a new quest in the morning. We wish you the best of luck.” When he finished, the pillar of light engulfed the trio, and then they were gone.
He waited a moment as people began to group up. He figured now would be a great time to make some friends, but the dwarves never confirmed if you could form groups, so he wasn’t sure that would help him survive. He also wanted to get back and deal with the pill as soon as possible. A short while later, he was in the small bathroom of his apartment. He decided to take the robes off just in case. He assumed this would an internal issue, and he didn’t want to ruin the robes. When he was ready, he popped the pill into his mouth. As soon as the pill reached his stomach, energy began to pour out of it. At first he thought it was spiritual energy when he tried to direct it into his dantian, he realized it wasn’t the same. Not at all. The energy had a mind of its own and forced its way deep into his muscles. His stomach spasmed as hot pain shot through him. He dropped to his hands and knees as his body fought against.
His mind raced as he tried to figure out what the energy was doing. Panic surged as he heaved up black bile that smelled like rancid horror. His mouth filled with the disgusting liquid faster than he could get rid of it. He circulated his cultivation technique in a desperate attempt to fight fire with fire, but it didn’t work. If anything, his spiritual energy was like gasoline. The pain doubled as he crawled into the fetal position. He couldn’t tell how long he had lain there before he could get up. He sent a small amount of energy into the shower to wash away the bile. When he felt ready, he got up and left the bathroom. It wasn’t until he was dressed that he took stock of what happened. It was hard to pinpoint the changes, but he was better than before. His body felt purer, for lack of a better word. He pulled up his status screen, but there were no changes.
So will that happen every time? Was that waste? Corruption? Pollution? That would’ve made the greatest anti smoking and, well, anti everything ad in history. He thought as he entered his cultivation room. He sat down and started his cultivation technique. He slowed the method down just in case the pain started again. He wanted to get stronger, but he wasn’t sure he wanted it badly enough to deal with that again. The bile alone was horrific. He knew he was lying to himself before he had finished the thought. He wanted to keep going. Cultivation was fun. The near death parts weren’t great, but the power was. It was like playing a game, only the benefits were real. If the dwarves were being honest, he could live for centuries. He couldn’t imagine the things he could accomplish if he had five hundred years. He could learn any skill or language he could accomplish anything. At least by Earth’s standards.
His mind drifted to other possibilities. There should be others in the universe. Kings that have lived thousands of years, wars that have been fought for centuries, and who knew what else. The idea of a thousand year long prison sentence sent a chill down his spine. He steadied his thoughts and focused his attention on the here and now. He needed to survive tomorrow before he could worry about a hundred years later. He released the limit on his cultivation technique and let the energy pour into him.
He sat there until he was too tired to continue. The next day was left to tutorial takers to decide what they wanted to do. Which left Maximilian in an odd situation. He wasn’t sure what to do. He could take the time make some friends, or he could cultivate. One would make him stronger in the immediate, while the other might help him in the long term. He went back and forth on it for about ten minutes before he decided to cultivate. Immediacy was the chief concern, nothing mattered if he died tomorrow, which meant he needed power. He was also pretty close to level three, which only made him more excited. He couldn’t get over the quantifiable progress he made. It was as if he could see the small muscle tears that would eventually lead him to the perfect body or whatever the mind did to make you smarter.
He hadn’t been one to meditate before this, but he couldn’t deny the benefits. He enjoyed the clarity that it brought. His worries felt small when there was nothing to worry about besides the flow of energy. He wasn’t sure how long it took before his dantian spilled over. Now that he had watched it happen, he was even more impressed. He had assumed his dantian was a bit like a bowl. As soon as he filled it, the bowl would overflow, and that wasn’t wrong, but it was more like the liquid turns into the bowl as it overflows. It was a strange case of recycling as you reached your limits, those limits would expand so you could add more energy. The only problem was what happens if you drew on more energy than you had? Would you cannibalize the bowl? Or would that just be impossible? Both options had benefits and detriments, so he wasn’t in a hurry to find out the answer. He had more than enough time to gather energy before the next quest.
He wasn’t in a hurry to spend his new points since they shouldn’t make a difference right now. He also didn’t want to ruin the moment. His mind drifted to the last quest and the battles. He didn’t understand why or how, but his memories had become more vivid. It was almost like he had recorded them. It wasn’t enough to make a better battle plan, but it was enough to notice a few things. He couldn’t put his finger on it exactly, but there was a faint sense of progress when he focused on Static Bolt. He wasn’t sure what it was, and the amount of progress felt small and borderline insignificant. If it hadn’t been for the situation, he would’ve ignored it. Instead, he decided to assume it was on purpose and that the dwarves or the voice would explain. When he filled his reserves to around 70%, he decided to stop for the day. He wanted to sleep, and he needed to spend his attribute points.
Intelligence was his highest stat at 20, while Agility was right behind it at 18, which made pause. He wasn’t sure if this new world wanted you to specialize in one thing or if you were supposed to go broad. His Constitution and Strength were the lowest among his attributes and represented weaknesses. Even if he ignored strength as the attribute for warriors, Constitution would help him survive. Especially if poisons or diseases came into play. Of course, hitting the energy harder was a grand defensive strategy as well. You couldn’t be in danger if there were no danger. For the same reason, he could even do Endurance. He went back and forth a few times before he decided to split the baby. He put one point into Endurance, Constitution and Intelligence. It would be a minor difference, but every bit should help.
