Ander stood in front of a group of students he hadn’t expected. Three of them appeared to speak different native languages despite having similar common features. Which was somewhat annoying to him as his instructions required translators. Which had also been present, which he was also fine with.

The issue was that his Fiance didn’t want him to use his usual method for language acquisition. It was to avoid confusing anyone else. The other way wasn’t safe unless he had that special tea that Kyrion made. Well, it was a wine made to repair damage to the mind and body, but it also resulted in the consumer blacking out in moments. Most humans here only use ten percent of their brains, so a few fried synapses could help fix this issue. Then again he wasn’t a brain doctor and that didn’t make much sense.

“Why are healers so smart?” Ander crossed his arms.

“Because being wrong can result in death. Sometimes it’s a fine line between saving a life and ending one. Why do you ask?” Chiyo explained.

“Huh, you are pretty (and) smart. It’s just my captain saw what I taught you and the others and improved it in moments.” Ander stated, then closed his eyes as he felt as though he had misspoken somewhere.

“Pretty?” Chiyo was distracted as she realized Ander added something after.

“Does he not come across as intelligent back home?”

“Most of the time he’s out and about, he seems normal, albeit a little lazy as he spent quite a bit of time learning when and how to heal. Maybe there was a lot more to it than just study and practice.”

“That guy was a healer more than a fighter?”

“Yes. He also has a lot of mana and uses it to cast spells. I believe he fights half as well as he heals, but that overwhelming mana of his is what makes him a more effective combatant than me.”

“Overwhelming?”

“I believe it’s why he can’t use life energy. His body is heavily saturated with mana, which is why he cut off his own arm to gather his mana faster than usual. What he did is probably one of his strongest techniques albeit he used it in a situation where it wasn’t needed. Or so I thought until I was the recent videos.”

“The ones where portions of the earth would shoot up and grab monsters and drag them down?”

“Yes. That is going to happen for a while as a defense mechanism for a while. A contingency if an entire force goes down to a monster and it’s sufficiently weakened. Though it could also mean that something underground is gaining sentience.”

“Who’s stronger if you eliminate mana?”

“Technique and skill wise, I outpace him, but boy is he durable and sneaky. Truth be told, he was ahead after his special training period with the headmaster's son, to the degree that the headmaster had to poison him over a long period of time, just to make the fight somewhat fair. I believe that was also after he lost his eye. Prior to that, I could beat him in any fight, no real contest. Or so I expect. Which is why–"

“You still can’t kiss people to learn their languages. Korean, Mandarin, and Mongolian, you learn them the hard way or not at all.” Chiyo stated.

“Boo! Guess it doesn’t matter. Begin the sharing of what you know.”

The group of translations passed and eventually, Chiyo and Ander both held sour expressions.

“So to sum things up, Mongolia has been using a technique to increase their physical strength through various regions in their body then looping around. While China has a way to refine medicine that increases one’s endurance and boosts Qi gain. Korea, is the odd one out, as they seem to have some tech based system that keeps track of vital statistics, health and remaining Qi, and just by knowing about it, any native human can access it?”

“Any human with sufficient Qi, or life energy. Many of my people have mental abilities instead.”

“That’s actually next. In Japan, we learned that consuming certain species allows us to take on their traits. But without a steady flow of Qi it kills us over time. Why do I get the feeling that this was supposed to be common knowledge?” Chiyo held her head.

“One sixth of the system down, as I say.” Ander downed a cup of green tea as he eyed the three who’d come to share.

“Within every country there are people capable of using mystical abilities tied to their mind or soul. Each one is unique and somewhat region specific so I won’t ask you to share those. But the NEU has gained access to a fighting force full of capable natural Espers with enhanced bodies. The Hungover force.”

“Can one learn both ways?”

“I believe you are supposed to master three aspects to reach the level you're meant to be at. Physical, mental, and spiritual, or whatever you want to call it. I doubt this is all your continent can offer but I also don’t doubt.” Ander got to his feet and looked about at the suddenly confused faces.

“What basis do you have for that? When I saw an esper gain access to the physical reinforcement of a Qi user with fire based ability. In time he could develop into a powerful ally.”

“Do you have a name?”

“Ajin? I think? Ajin Jin. Not sure. Chiyo, can you call my friend for me?” Ander handed Chiyo his flip phone as fiddling with it was annoying.

“Ander, you don’t have any contacts. Did you delete my number?”

“No? For some reason that just keeps happening.”

“Right…” Choyo left the room for a moment and then returned two minutes later.

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“Hey buddy!” Yelled Kyiron from the other side of the line. The phone was on speaker and Ander wasn’t holding it.

“Speak normal.” Ander stated.

“Tch. Ander… You should really…Fine, what you want?” Kyrion said in a monotone.

“The name of that Ajin Jin guy.”

“Ah Park Jin Shawn.”

Kyrion winced as something hit him in the back of the head. “Correction, Park Jin-Hwan. Now then, i’m a bit busy right now so…”

A brief muttering occurred as the name was heard. “Ask him if this friend is Korean.”

“Yes he’s Kyrion. Oh right, you probably mean the county, not the person.”

“I hate how these translations line up.”

“Me and you both.” Kyrion said in the language Ander preferred to use here.

“Can you get us in contact with Jin?” One of the translators asked,

Ander forwarded the question and sighed.

“Jin! Some strange people called me to talk to you catch!” A loud crack could be heard as the call suddenly disconnected.

“He’s worse with delicate tech than you are.”

“Sounds like Jin was there.”

“So…”

A new number called Ander’s phone and Chiyo answered it. “This is Agent Park, do you need anything?”

“Agent Park, we heard that you recently gained access to Life Energy, have you heard of the system?”

“Why am I seeing words? How do I get rid of them? Well at least I can read it. Why do I have stats though?”

“Agent Park, are you of Korean descent?”

“That’s tricky. My Grandmother was the traveler known as the Gatekeeper of Helioux, she married an immigrant in the states. So my lineage is tricky to track at best, but I do know our language.”

“I see. Can you inform us how you managed to have enough Qi to go through with drawing meridians?”

“I don’t know what that is. If you're asking why I feel stronger, that has more to do with the friend you just spoke to. He did something to me after he gave me a strange healing potion.” Jin muted the line for a moment.

“--did Ander already receive compensation?” Jin sighed.

“No not yet.”

“--Ten potions for one favor that must be paid when called upon.”

“What’s the favor?”

“He doesn’t know, because it’s Ander’s favor.”

“I pick who gets a potion out of a group of people you select. Make them diverse, and if it won’t fit them i’ll wait. If it comes down to it I’ll hold onto them.”

“Why such a favor?”

“I’m not sure if you’re people can tell what effect some of these potions will have when given to someone with a body type or powers that won’t match.” Said an old man in a green military uniform.

“Maybe we could sweeten the pot with a money, prestige, or power?”

“Nope. This doesn’t cost you much in the long run. Unless you don’t want your people to be strong enough to defend themselves.”

“You’d think the old man coached this one himself…We agree.”

“They agree.” Ander said into the phone.

“Alright. Take two steps to your right?”

“Your right or my right?”

“Did I stutter?”

“No.” Ander took a step to his left and in moments a box filled with various glass vials hit him head-on.

“Ow!” Ander stumbled back and managed to catch the falling potions with feline flexibility.

There was some laughter on the other end. As Ander glared at the phone.

“You did that on purpose.”

“You went to your left. I can’t exactly aim properly using the phone.”

“I highly doubt it would have been missed if I’d gone right.”

“Well now we’ll never know.” The phone suddenly cut off.

“Uh huh.” Ander shook his head, as he sat the vials down. Inside the box was a scroll, upon unfurling it, he recognized it as a comprehensive order spell that could be done using his wind and lightning affinities. The spell was complex but it let him see the special life veins or meridians as the others called them. Each person had a unique structure that could hold up to 27 points to promote flow.

Based on the scroll it is recommended that one places a point in places where life energy builds up as well as where the pathways seem to end. Well if they were going to help out then they shouldn’t stop now. Ander rolled the scroll up and slid it into his sleeve before eyeing his potential students.

“We will now begin your training, line up and face away from me.” Ander ordered as lightning sparkled through his fingers, while he drew out the spell. From there he just walked forward, making sure to check his students as he passed.

“Metal, Fire, Water, Plants, Metal, Wind, Wind, Earth, Order, Darkness.”

“You two.” Ander pointed at the people with blade Qi and sighed. “I can enhance your bodies but the potions won’t do you any favors. You may be seated.”

The two moved out of line and took a seat.

“Ok, now we have you two. Are you brothers?” Ander looked at two people who shared the same face.”

“Twins sir.” They said in unison.

“Ah, well you have two options, one is to fight for this potion as I only have one, or one of you will need to give up on it. Like the other two, I can still enhance your abilities.”

“We will wait. What would it require to obtain two?” Asked the brother on the left.

“An offering of food from your home county, pray to your phone while it's on and hope he’s listening.” Ander ended with a joke but realized that could be possible.

The brother on the left’s phone buzzed and he looked at it palling.

“How did he get my number?”

“He’s snooping.” Ander pulled a silver tulip from the box and examined it.

“He said that if I put the flower in a vase then place the offerings in the box he’ll trade things preferably food for potions so long as it’s either new or tasty.”

One of the older men looked at Ander with concern. “Are the two of you gods? I know the Latin translation means Lord but…”

“Huh, no, he just has affinities that make things like moving an ocean or making wine in moments.”

“Can he turn water into wine?”

“No. Maybe. I mean, with enough mana and technique it’s possible. But he’d rather make it than transmute it. As transmuted food tastes horrible. He can turn water into a purple swampy mess if that's what you’re asking.”

“Now then. You specifically.” Ander pointed to the one with the dark affinity.

“What?”

“We can’t help you with this method, I say you should consume something darkness or shadow based to gain its abilities, or find another method.”

“With that done, I can give everyone else a vial. Remaining we have 1 spatial, and 1 pure mental, 1 healing, and one mystery vial.”

“Mystery Vial?”

“I wouldn’t give this to anyone you want to survive the tasting experience.” Ander picked up the vial of crimson liquid and swirled it about.

“Is that blood?”

“Well it isn’t his blood.”

“Could I not try that one?” The darkness wielder stated.

“I just said that it would probably kill you.”

“Well you just said that I needed something evil looking.”

Ander noticed a worried glance from one of the supervisors and tossed the potion to them. “Fine. If they say you can have it then go ahead, but I take no blame for failure.”

“Madness Elixir?: Allows the consumer to harness the aspects of chaos and madness. The consumer gains a passive mental backlash. Or maybe not. Why haven’t you consumed me yet?” The Korean dignitary looked concerned as he read the description aloud.

“That explains a bit more than I expected…Remnants of a chaos affinity?” Ander scowled as he received a text.

“That one was a mix of purification mana and mental awakening. It was supposed to be blank, but something within the area I made that batch corrupted it. As it was untyped that's what happened.” Ander read aloud.

“If you put this into you, I won’t stop you but, if you become a grotesque monster, you will be put down.” The dignitary tossed the vial towards the shadow user who scowled, then popped the vial and downed it all at once before he could be talked out of it.

“Why does it taste like Gochujang? The texture is way off and I could swear that it's crawling down.”

A pulse of crimson energy ran through his body as he collapsed. In moments Various eyes appeared on his clothes before fading faster than a blink. Yet something was unsettling about the change.

Ander waved his hand, sending mana through him, and found out something interesting. “His meridians are activated. That’s concerning.”

“Why is that.Oh..”

“I can see through others' shadows.”

“Interesting. Now you, fire dude.” Ander tossed a more vibrant nearly orange vial to the fire user who in turn downed the potion. Though he didn’t change much.

“That one was rather pleasant for something that feels like a warm hearth.”

“You don’t need to describe what’s going on.” Ander squinted.

“No they do.” One of the researchers observing the phenomenon stated.

“Oh great.” Ander then directed the rest to get their potions before leaving the room.