Chapter Nine: A Lot at Once

The sun had begun to rise by the time I made it back to the parking lot—the warming rays feeling quite invigorating after running around for several hours in chilly near-darkness.

With the 20 new Attribute Points that came with the [Daoist] Title I was super duper fucking tempted to drop as many points as it would take to get Agility to 200, but the source of my new points was also what held me back. After all, I could really try to be a mage now, Cycling Technique or not, and I would only get stronger in that way. The Quest Taste the Rainbow still had 4 parts left, and assuming that they corresponded to my elemental techniques, I would be gaining more Dao Specks that made my admittedly simple spells stronger relatively soon. So I opted to wait even longer, figuring I could safely afford to save the points until I either really needed them in a fight or permanently confirmed my fighting style.

Upon stepping back onto the parking lot I was waved down by one of the night guards who informed me that nothing had happened while I was gone—the man I’d spoken to before leaving had faithfully spread the word of my expedition. I thanked the guard for the update, took note of how most people were still asleep in the stores, their cars, or tents, and…wondered what I should do in the meantime until most people woke up. Normally this would be time I could spend cultivating, but increasing my Level before completing the Tutorial would only hurt me in the long run because I’d have to kill stronger and stronger beasts for the slayer Titles.

‘I guess I can also meditate on the various flavors of Chi… Ha, ha, I get it now, System. It’s called “Taste the Rainbow” because the elements are different flavors of Chi. Anyway, I could meditate in order to sense the different elemental Chis, but I feel like I can do that at any time, and if it’s as easy to do with the other elements as it was to do with fire, then I can put it off for later since I doubt I’ll be able to comprehend more Daos without significant time or Dao treasures. I’m lucky, but there’s no way I’m that lucky.’

I glanced at my Wisdom stat.

‘That leaves training.’

I hopped up onto the roof of the grocery store again and sat down in the lotus position—with my legs crossed and my palms resting on my knees…or whatever it was called. I just wasn’t going to call it “criss cross applesauce”. From my hours-long back and forth with the old Goblin cultivator I now knew the specifics behind exercising to gain Attribute Points, which the Lord of Yorgefan had mentioned but not gone into detail about so that we Humans could either figure it out or learn from other Races.

Apparently for every 1 Level a cultivator had, they could exercise and gain between 1 and 7 extra points on top of the 1 freebie. The first 3 points gained from exercising came “easily”, with each point only requiring training for half as long as it took to reach the Level. So in my case, I took about 4 hours to condense my Chi from Level 0 to Level 1, thus it would only take me about 2 hours of training any of my Attributes to increase them by 1 point, which I could do for a total of 6 hours until the time requirements increased a lot.

Simple enough. Though, a cultivator could NOT just cultivate a huge stack of Levels before spending many weeks to months training for the extra points. Apparently if I were to have cultivated until Level 3 I would only be able to train the extra points from Levels 2 and 3, because that’s as far back as it went.

I didn’t even waste a single second to decide which Attribute I would train because according to Sahndo, Wisdom was the external technique equivalent of Strength—it allowed one to pack their external techniques with more energy, as opposed to Intelligence which allowed for external techniques to amass more volume. So a powerful Intelligence-focused cultivator would be capable of gathering enough Chi from their surroundings to lay waste to an entire community at once, while someone who prioritized Wisdom could condense an attack so much that it blasted through the strongest defense.

And since I wanted to be a heavy-hitting speedster mage, that meant my main Attributes were to be Agility and Wisdom with a priority on Agility so that I could never be hit back.

I cackled evilly in my mind as I imagined the multiverse’s most powerful cultivators failing to land a single strike against me while I zipped around until I saw the opportunity to land just one Fireball, or something…like a Rasengan. Perhaps I should focus on the air element next so I could make a Naruto reference barely anyone around me would understand.

I shook my head of the distractions before really focusing on my training by drawing the pseudo-meridians for Gust and beginning to condense a ball of air between my hands. I packed it full of as much of my neutral and the ambient air Chi as I felt was normally possible before pushing with my willpower, trying my damnedest to shove even just one more mote of energy into it…

Until I lost control, the Gust spell grew unstable, and I had less than half a second to direct it upwards, where it harmlessly shot into the sky with a grand whoosh. Beads of sweat had begun to form on my forehead from both the effort exerted and the sheer power I could sense from an attack with 90 Wisdom behind it. Even with the element being unfocused air and my Endurance being 72, I’d probably have severely injured myself if I allowed it to explode in my face.

‘It’s kinda loud but…training is important, so everyone’s just gonna have to deal with waking up early.’

As I charged up another Gust and attempted to put any more energy into the technique than its schematics and my Wisdom allowed, I realized something that I probably should have thought of earlier.

With 79 available Attribute Points and +80% in everything, I could bring ALL my stats up to 100, and since I received [Hard-Working Specialist] after Agility reached 100 before Level 20, would I receive some kind of “generalist” Title?

Again, the lust for power caused my fingers to itch as they demanded I press on my Status Menu. Points were meant to be spent, after all. Titles were designed to be sought after. I wasn’t likely to encounter any dangers that surpassed my current might. I was about as strong as Sahndo Bedri—a little weaker, actually, because he had a middle Speck—who’d admitted to being Level 56. What were the odds that a cultivator or spirit beast more powerful than him would appear before the next Tutorial session, where I would become even stronger?

I glanced at the Goblin-hunting Quest that I’d received after waiving my System-guaranteed right to protection from Goblins by approaching them, which updated only once I’d returned to the grocery store.

[Quest: (v3-2/3) New Neighbors—Having chosen version 3 you are now obligated to follow through lest lose 20% to all Attributes. Amicably meet with the Goblin Sahndo Bedri again before the next Tutorial session.]

Given that there was no way in hell I was giving up 20% to all Attributes, the chances I would encounter a cultivator more powerful than Sahndo were high, because after helping my little community here as much as I could I needed to depart for Goblin territory as soon as possible. It might have been possible to catch up with Sahndo and his recruits before they returned to the rest of their kind, but not only did I doubt that I would manage that if I tried…I needed a reason to go on an adventure, or else I’d really just be abandoning these poor people.

So although I VERY MUCH wanted to bring all my Attributes up to 100 or my Agility up to 200 in order to gain whatever Titles were available, I held back those impulses. I would hate to die because I’d spent all my points bringing everything up to 100 only to encounter a cultivator with 150 points in both Strength and Agility, which would end with me dead. Or if I brought Agility to 200 and a beast with armor I couldn’t penetrate attacked my people, leaving me to watch helplessly while they were slaughtered.

I hated playing safe, but it was necessary. I was definitely the type to want to move on impulses and rush ahead, but this world was not a video game where I could freely explore consequences. I had to carefully weigh the risks and rewards of every choice available in order to preserve as many lives as possible…but mostly to preserve myself while gaining as many achievements as possible.

So I continued training my Wisdom by attempting to pack too much energy into a Gust spell while the sun rose ever higher above the horizon.

……

“Okay, okay, wait. Let me get this straight: you ran into a Level 56 cultivator of a different Race who had a Middle Speck, and you took that as an opportunity to grill them for information?”

“Actually, it was a give and take exchange. I asked a question, he asked a question. I told him the truth, of course, and I think he told me truths as well.”

Agatha massaged the bridge of her nose as she sighed, “I’m not sure whether to thank you for your efforts or to criticize you for putting yourself in danger, so imagine I just did both. You said you had more points than the…Goblin, and yet you were equally powerful? What? Can you please explain that to me?”

I chuckled, taking pleasure in Agatha’s befuddlement and Mr. Scott’s nervous sweating as we all stood within Agatha’s cramped office with Roger standing guard outside so that no one would hear us.

“Okay, so I have a lot more points, but they’re spread out across all my different Attributes, unlike Sahndo, who specializes in Intelligence and put a lot of points there. If he really wanted to he could have trapped me in shadows that I wouldn’t have been able to escape without using some of the points I still have available, at which point it still would have been a little risky fighting him because he seemed like a veteran at combat, despite what he said about his team in the beginning.”

Agatha nodded along. “And you separated peacefully? You didn’t fight?”

I smiled sheepishly. “Well…”

“Please tell me you didn’t fight!” she said with panic. “You might be strong but the other Races on Yorgefan have existed for very many years, and there’s no doubt that they have their own ‘elites’, as you put it. No matter how well you perform in the Tutorial it’s unlikely that their current leaders didn’t also do as well as you when it was their time!”

Laughing, I clarified, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! I just asked him to wrap me up in shadows so I could know how to escape an Intelligence mage like him in the future.”

My old boss and Mr. Scott both guffawed.

“You… You’re still joking, right? Niko, I didn’t think I’d have to tell you not to allow enemy Races to capture you, but here we are! Even if this Sahndo guy seemed really trustworthy and nice, why would you risk that?!”

“No worries, dude,” I said casually as I waved away her concerns. “Like I said, I still have points I haven’t distributed yet. I coulda put everything in Strength or Wisdom to escape if I wanted to and killed them all.” I allowed my smile to fade as my voice took on a more serious note. “I was testing him. I have a Quest that requires me to meet him again but he doesn’t know that. Of course, I didn’t know I’d get it at the time either, but I suspected that it would evolve in such a way that required me to meet more Goblins, or something, which it kind of did, because I’ll likely need to explore Goblin territory to find him again. By giving him an opportunity to capture or harm me I was testing how other Goblins might treat me, and since he’s part of their military and still treated me well, I think I’ll be fine. Regardless, I think I have plot armor, so until I die, I’ll act like it’s true.”

Agatha still looked at me for a few seconds as though I were an idiot—maybe she was right—before deflating in her office chair. “Well, I’m happy you’re safe, but is there any way that you can…not go into Goblin territory? I don’t know if this Quest is worth risking your life Or ours.”

‘And lose my hard-earned +20% in everything?’ I thought before saying aloud, “Not a chance. The penalty is too steep. I’m definitely going.”

Unsurprised, she sighed. “When do you plan on departing? Can you pass on everything you learned before you go?”

“That’s the plan: teach then leave. Hopefully I’ll only have to be here for today prior to setting out and catching them before they get too far. Unfortunately, they left for their territory a while ago, so they’ve made good distance by now and will only get farther.”

“You couldn’t have asked him to stay for a bit longer, leave the area, have your Quest update, then return to fulfill it?” Agatha groaned.

I shrugged. “If only. But not only did Sahndo emphasize that he had to inform his superiors of at least two new Races on Yorgefan as soon as possible—because there’s another Race placed as direct competition for us, or us for them—but also my Quest didn’t update until I was back here. Plus, I have to teach as much as I can about the Dao as soon as possible to save everyone the time. I doubt many people are as talented as me, and we can’t wait until the Tutorial’s Dao phase.”

“The what?”

“It’s all in these notes,” I said, handing Agatha the sketchpad I’d written everything down on. “I want you…and Mr. Scott to look the notes over before deciding in what order we’ll disperse the information and how I’ll demonstrate the importance of what we’ve learned. I’m no social psychologist, but not everyone is as bloodthirsty, power hungry, and virtuous as me, willing to do whatever to grow more powerful and help as many people as possible when the opportunity arises. Many people will have trouble keeping up with any plans we make, whether physically or because they’re too used to living in a developed nation. Morale is very important. Most people are cooperative right now because it’s only been a few days since we lost everything. But give them time, the shock will fade, and they’ll miss what they used to have, making it harder for them to put everything they have into training and rebuilding.”

Predictably, Mr. Scott nodded his head at that.

“Anyway, that’s all I have for you guys, so I’ll be off tutoring my disciples. Hopefully they’ll also comprehend some Specks in a timely fashion.”

With nothing further to discuss I left the tiny office and closed the door behind me.

“You look a helluva lot better than ya did two days ago,” Roger chuckled.

“You’re damn right. I’m also a hundred times stronger. Have ya made much progress?”

Roger shook his head as he followed me out of the grocery store. “It’s all quite hard to imagine—magic, I mean. Until yesterday I was your average God-fearing man, but now it turns out God is just some kinda artificial intelligence and the only one I should be calling Lord is a Dragon who silently rules from afar.”

I nodded sympathetically. “It can be rough having your worldview upturned, but what’s important is the fact that you’re still sane.”

The older man shrugged. “I suppose. Now, that pharmacist you asked me about earlier—she seems fine. Not happy, but she hasn’t done anything crazy.”

“That’s good. She’s the only doctor amongst us, and it’d suck if she committed suicide or just…became unresponsive. We need some kind of magical healer, unless everyone is okay with dumping all their points into Vitality.”

Roger and I made it over to my car, which my team sat in a circle next to.

“Join us for meditation, Roger. You can already see Chi, right? So I think what we’re about to do will be helpful to you. Remember what the Lord said about the Dao?”

He nodded as we found a place in the circle, my squad’s eyes all on me—though Annice was still a bit anxious, given that the assassination in case I was a bigot had been suggested by her.

“I remember all of the few sentences he said about the Dao. The Dao represents the fundamental laws of the multiverse. True strength is only achieved by pondering on the Dao. The Dao can be anything, is structured with the first step being Specks, and eats up countless hours of your life through meditation. Also we’ll learn more at some point in the Tutorial.”

Alpha Squad nodded along as Roger recapped the Lord’s stingy explanation.

I cackled evilly as I grabbed hold of the ambient fire Chi around us, causing everyone to flinch and begin panicking. Elemental Chis weren’t normally visible to those who weren’t talented with them or never practiced them, but when they were energized by someone who could control them it was hard not to notice. Except for the sneakier Daos like that of the Shadow.

Everyone looked at me with mixed expressions of fear, uncertainty, and doubt. They feared that I was turning my vast powers against them. Were uncertain over whether I’d really comprehended a Speck so quickly. Doubted I’d really hurt them.

The fire Chi I held with my willpower glowed, but only warmed our skin instead of igniting everyone like…kindling.

“So, the Dao treasure worked? You only needed one?!” Kate asked with naked greed in her eyes. “Did you learn of some way to start a Dao Quest like that?!”

Sam looked at me with the same fervor, and I laughed, dropping the fire Chi.

“Actually, it turns out I used the Dao treasure before it would have been useful. I’m just so talented with fire that I only ‘pondered’ on it for a few minutes before boom, I could control it. You see…”

I excitedly explained my mistake to them, happy that it had ultimately not cost me anything but gained everyone else incredibly useful knowledge.

“Okay, got it, that sounds pretty simple,” Kate smiled. “Just gotta sense a new kind of Chi, exactly like sensing Chi for the first time. Good imagination’s all that’s required, right? And if we can’t sense it, we’re not talented?”

“That is what I said, yes.”

“Awesome!” Kate closed her eyes. “And I know exactly what element to go for.”

“Lightning,” Sam guessed.

“Obviously; it’s the coolest,” she replied, eyes still closed.

"And what about everyone else?” Sam asked, looking around the circle. “Personally, I think we might want to choose elements based on what’s most available. For example…has anyone watched Avatar?”

A few heads bobbed, and Malachi asked, “Do you mean don’t go for any water Daos or similar? Cuz water benders were underpowered anywhere without an immediate source of water. Unlike air and earth benders.”

“That makes sense,” Diana agreed.

“Yeah that’s what I was getting at. Even if there is always some of most elemental Chis just floating around, people with rarer elements are still probably at a disadvantage, right? Not much cold, poison, or blood Chi just laying around most of the world.”

“But blood is something you can get from your enemies,” Ming countered.

“I bet you’d have to injure them first…”

I allowed my squad to discuss the possible disadvantages of various Daos amongst themselves without giving them much of my opinion on the matter because my thoughts on the subject were grim.

Chances were that none of them were going to comprehend a Speck anytime soon. I’d brought up the idea of reaching out and sensing new types of Chi so that they’d have a better idea of their own lacking talents—or potential talents—as the days passed until we were transported into the Tutorial again, where they would actually get an idea of what they could do and would hopefully not be too disappointed. I’d already told them of how the System wouldn’t allow me to purchase even the most basic blood technique because I wasn’t talented enough with that element, but they also knew that I’d purchased 6 others. Water, earth, fire, air, sharpness, and cold. They were probably under the impression that they’d also have a wide selection like me.

‘If only I could teach them the techniques I already know,’ I sighed internally.

I’d already spent over an hour analyzing the different Chi circuits of my very basic techniques but hadn’t gotten even an inkling into how they worked and what they did. It was like opening a calculator, even if a very old one, and trying to grasp electronics from looking at its insides. It just wasn’t possible—for me, at least. I’d probably need a proper education in Chi circuitry before I would be able to safely teach techniques to others.

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‘Now that I think about it, that kind of knowledge will probably be something I can buy in the Tutorial.’

Sahndo had mentioned there being a lot of useful things in the Tutorial outside of just combat techniques that only appeared in the later Tutorial phases. Perhaps—

[New Area Quest: Survive the beast wave.]

Mentally prepared for a surprise event like this after hearing Sahndo’s warnings of them, I shot to my feet, ready and willing to take on the entire beast wave by myself because it was likely me who brought it upon us.

“Don’t—“ My immediate instinct was to yell Don’t panic into the air, but that rarely worked, so I cut myself off and reconsidered my words. “YOU ALL HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR, FOR NIKO IS HERE!”

I left my squad where they were and dashed around the parking lot, finding no threats making themselves known within the first few seconds of the Area Quest. Good. My people had time to move. I slid past the pockets of people who’d been working on becoming cultivators as they fled to the grocery store in terror before jumping up onto the store’s roof again, from where I could see a lot more.

One small woodland creature entered the parking lot from the east but somebody nearby had more guts than their fellows and punted it back into the trees. It seemed I could rely on at least a few non-cultivators to defend themselves. But most of them would probably be like the people in wild animal attack videos who were scared shitless by rodents or cats that weighed 1 to 20 percent of what they did. People who grew up in developed nations without much exposure to the wilderness were typically weak to it. Unlike Peni—that woman had been fierce.

I watched as my squad assembled in the center of the parking lot with weapons in hand, including with what used to be my mace, which I had offered to whoever wanted it because with my stats as they were a mundane weapon didn’t offer much value to me. If I encountered anything that posed a real threat to my life, the mace would add a little bit more crushing and stabbing power to melee attacks, but ultimately I wouldn’t be relying on meleeing in those fights at all.

I could still destroy countless weaker beasts with just my fists, but stronger opponents would be taken down by my spells. I was a proper mage now. Yes, I could imbue melee attacks with my Kindling Speck, but I had no compatible melee techniques to pair it with. Thus, my strongest combo was definitely a Speck-boosted Fireball.

Finally, the beasts began crossing the forest line en masse, entering my people’s humble habitat in groups of two and three. Only half of them were immediately recognizable. That was a feline, that was a canine, that was a tiny elephant with claws, that was a fluffy dinosaur, that was a bipedal frog with too many muscles… The other half were not anything I’d seen represented by species alive or extinct on Earth, though some looked like ripoffs of creatures designed in popular sci-fi and fantasy media.

While wondering where the beasts were coming from I became a blur, shooting off the roof toward the largest groups and simply backhanding them to Neverland. These spirit beasts stood no chance of surviving a strike powered by 90 Strength, even if most of their points were in Endurance. However, the creatures with more Agility than usual posed a threat to everyone else, so I prioritized squishing them over all others, including those animals with higher Levels of around 10.

With every four seconds that passed I killed at least three Agility-heavy spirit beasts, and soon enough everyone had armed themselves or evacuated into a building, surely making the beast wave a piece of cake to deal with—

[New Quest: Survive being hunted by a fellow cultivator of Yorgefan, with the stipulation that you remain on the defensive for the first five minutes or have your available Attribute Points seized and given to your opponent.

You have been exempted from the Area Quest.]

I internally screamed as the new prompt produced a mental clock in my head that I knew would summon my Hunter when it ended in roughly one minute.

The System was cruel. I couldn’t stay here lest endanger everyone because a fight at my power level could spill over and obliterate bystanders.

I flashed over to a few of Alpha Squad’s members, informing them each of my being hunted soon before I spent another twenty seconds clearing spirit beasts. When the internal countdown passed the halfway mark it was time to relocate, so while killing everything in my way I dashed in the only familiar direction: north.

‘Huh, so there are portals.’

Roughly fifty meters away from the parking lot’s edge was a collection of jagged rents floating above the ground spaced apart from each other, and out poured the spirit beasts that assaulted my people. One portal spewed forth the felines and small dinosaurs, another dropped leathery land squids, and all of them sometimes ejected shredded flesh out of their corners and uneven edges, where some beasts presumably tried and failed to go through. I was tempted to enter the portals to see where they’d lead, but I wasn’t suicidal. I tore through every beast I could on my way north.

Finally a safe distance from the grocery store, the expected message arrived.

[Summoning the Hunter]

I expected another portal to form from which someone would hop through, but instead a humanoid simply popped into existence ten meters in front of me, laughing in a high pitch.

“Hya hya hya hya! You can’t attack me for 5 minutes? This is unbelievably good fortune! Well, my grandpa did always go on about how our lineage was favored by the Heavens.”

Staring at me as though I were a pile of jewels free for the taking was what I could only describe as a young, orange-skinned catboy of around 15 years. He wasn’t a bipedal anthropomorphic cat. He was straight out of an anime—just an orange kid with perhaps a bit more hair—fur?—than usual whose cat ears stuck out from the top of his head. There was also a tail behind him.

‘To answer the age old question: no, catboys do not have four ears. Though the sides of his head are covered in hair or fur or whatever and it’s hard to see his skin, I’m pretty sure it’s smooth. No human ears.’

“You’re looking mighty comfortable for someone at a huge disadvantage while lacking a weapon,” the catboy said with a smirk, apparently amused by my lack of panic.

‘You’re looking mighty confident for someone within Fireball distance,’ I held myself from replying.

“Judging by the nature of your restriction you must have an Endurance build, but that won’t help you.” He unsheathed a sword from his belt and I immediately felt a distinct change in his aura as he began infusing his weapon with power from a Speck. “I am the most talented swordsman my family has ever produced, and because of that, you have my condolences, member of the newest Race to Yorgefan. After only two years I’ve comprehended the Sharpness Speck and am close to reaching Late grade. I expect this battle to help push me through the bottleneck, after which I will save the promised reward of a Dao treasure until I’m pushing on the Peak grade, possibly next year, if everything goes well.”

I impassively allowed the Hunter to waste his precious time, not at all threatened by his possession of a Middle Speck. If anything, I felt bad that I had to fight a kid. Even if he was a cultivator who’d probably been through more life-or-death battles than me, I didn’t want to end a stranger’s path when they had just begun because the System told me to do so.

But if he was a bad person it’d be a different story.

“Before I die, can we introduce ourselves so that this is not a fight between the nameless? I am Niko Tess, and my life aspirations include creating a paradise for anyone in need, whether or not they are members of my Race. For that cause I have become the strongest of my people in just the three days we’ve been here by seeking every possible Title and accomplishing everything solo in the Tutorial.”

The catboy raised an eyebrow before lowering his sword and formally bowing to me in a way reminiscent of a martial artist.

“I’d expected the System to task me with slaying someone who’d greatly sinned by mass murdering innocents, or something similar, but if what you say is true then…you are just a talented elite whom the System is giving a challenge?”

I nodded, and the catboy sighed.

“I am Rahesh Mohorioka. You have my greetings and still have my condolences, Niko Tess. I cannot forsake the Dao treasure that will come of killing you. My family requires that I lead them against our enemies when it is my time, and it is not an easy task. I need every shred of power I can attain.”

I nodded again, satisfied with his response.

“I lied a little bit, Rahesh. I am not going to die, and if you promise to be a virtuous person, neither will you.” I suddenly realized that I had no idea whether these Hunts could end with both parties alive. “Umm, I can choose not to kill you, right?”

The catboy gave me a look of bafflement.

“Uhh, I don’t know… This is my first Hunt and I’ve only ever heard a tiny bit about the ones that took place in my grandpa’s time against the Goblins and Ogres—the two Races added before yours.” His gaze sharpened as though he’d empowered them with his Dao Speck. “Regardless, there is only one way to find out.”

A technique wrapped Rahesh’s lower half in brilliant ribbons of air Chi before he hurtled toward me at an unimpressive speed, going straight for the kill with what looked like a simple stab, not bothering with defense because he knew I didn’t have the option to retaliate for another four minutes or so. In fact, simply thinking about striking him with any intent that wasn’t to cancel out his attack highlighted the Quest prompt in my mind, reminding me how I’d really lose my 79 unused Attribute Points if I went through with it. To make things worse I had already tried to spend the points, and the System refused me the option.

Losing enough points to double one of almost all of my Attributes was not on my to-do list, so I took no chance at messing up and simply fled. I had an Agility build while Rahesh seemed to have a Strength build, after all, so what was he going to do? Throw his sword at me?

As soon as I began retreating at super speeds Rahesh understood that his impression of my stat distribution was wrong, but contrary to what I expected the boy simply stopped moving, though his eyes continued to track me.

My shoulder slammed into a barrier of glowing, floating Chi circuits I hadn’t noticed until moments before the collision.

“Good Lord of Yorgefan, Niko Tess, at Level 1 your Agility is as high as my Strength, yet I still feel from your aura that you have many more points scattered about. You have a high percentage increase to all stats? I haven’t felt you using a Late or Peak Dao Speck at all.”

Gathering my wits after that unexpected full stop, I looked the catboy up and down.

“Did you measure my Agility from how quickly I moved? Because that wasn’t my top speed.”

The catboy made an “o” face, seemingly remembering that he was talking to someone who knew comparatively little about everything that mattered. “Well, I guess you were not aware that you cannot run from these Hunts, normally. The restriction is especially tight against those who focus Agility like yourself, making the space you can move freely in quite small so that you can never fully escape the attacks of your Hunter—though, if I were an Intelligence magus that would change things because it would be unfair to limit your mobility only to areas I could easily sweep with a technique. The distance you can travel from me being as small as it is means we are roughly equal. Additionally, the System determined neither of us can activate any treasures we possess because my family is wealthy, so it’d be unfair.”

Feeling like a monkey trapped in a room with a bobcat I internally groaned at this messed up situation.

“Thank you for the information. It’ll be useful next time I’m hunted.”

To my surprise, Rahesh’s expression softened for a moment as he gave me a sad, almost lonely smile, before it reverted back to being full of grim determination. This poor kid. I looked forward to kicking his ass, finding him in his homelands, and comparing how we’d grown in the time it’d taken me to find him. Maybe possibly helping him against his enemies, too—depending on what the conflicts were about.

Rahesh resumed the fight. His sword glowed for a moment as Chi suffused it, and when he swung, a silver needle-like beam shot out of it, exuding his Sharpness Speck.

I dodged easily enough, but it wasn’t just his first swing that shot Sharpness needles. A handful sailed through the air toward me every second, and when all they did was wreck the trees behind me he did something to cause the count of his needles to triple at the cost of their power. Soon enough dozens of silver flashes began peppering trees and shredding bushes, though I still had no issue dealing with them because even when one struck me directly in the forehead it had felt just like being bonked in the head by a fork someone threw during a food fight, and all it managed to do was tear my skin a little as it bounced off the bone beneath. Warm blood slipped down the side of my face.

Still, having my skin torn and muscles poked a bit didn’t feel great, and Stone Skin only made it so they stuck in place rather than slide off, so I dodged as many as I could, and by the time Rahesh only had ten seconds on his immunity period I was prepared to land a Kindling Speck-infused Gust on him. Enough to hurt him but not enough to kill—especially if he weakened it with his own attacks.

The timer in my head ran out—though I still couldn’t distribute Attribute Points, piece of shit System—and I did exactly as I planned, slowing down just enough to aim a Speck-infused Gust.

As soon as the compressed air Chi mixed with some spicy goodness shot toward him, Rahesh took a moment to build up a counter, allowing my attack to nearly reach him before his sword suddenly shot out from his grip, pushing itself forward and him back with the power of what was definitely yet another Speck. His sword sped directly into my Chi blast and cut right through, heading straight for me.

Of course, I dodged to the side, but the surprise factor remained, and I just looked at him while the blade that had missed me took a wide turn in the air before gliding right back into his hand. Had the blow landed I definitely would have died.

‘Damn, that’s cool,’ I thought, but on the outside said, “It’s over. You can only graze me.”

“It has only just begun,” he replied, expression unperturbed. “I haven’t even shown you all I have, yet.”

At that, I shrugged. Obviously neither had I shown him everything.

While I shrugged he showered me with yet more weak needles, scoring one poke while I was distracted.

“Unsportsmanlike,” I grumbled while rubbing my right bicep which felt like I’d been stabbed by a pencil.

“I told you; I need this Dao treasure,” he sighed, before launching himself forward with his Strength.

I decided to humor him.

I sidestepped his blade swings and the Sharpness needles, dancing circles around him and kicking him with about half the force I could have mustered as he struggled to turn fast enough to fight me. The image was pretty funny until his sword grazed my cheek, and I realized his incompetence from second before was a feint.

Then when he finished building up energy, instead of shooting his sword again in what was probably his fastest attack, floating spikes of silver that looked just like the icicles shot at me back in the Tutorial but of a different color formed around him and locked onto me. They moved almost as quickly as me, one even grazing my leg. With the difference in speed being so little since they were also boosted by some kind of wind Dao Speck, I was forced to back off, but when I expected the sharp spikes to give chase they didn’t, instead returning to float around him defensively.

“Damn, that’s cool,” I said aloud this time. “Also unfair. Do you have any weaknesses?”

“Intelligence builds,” he admitted freely. “Which you don’t seem to have, judging by that wind technique being so condensed.”

“True, but Intelligence is also my weakness, while you have Strength, some Endurance, and…a healthy dose of Wisdom?”

He nodded.

I shot toward him, a Fireball in each hand, both empowered by my Speck of Kindling. His spike sentinels rushed to meet my attack as he swung his sword, showering me with weak needles yet again, forcing me to dodge and preventing me from getting too close. However, I still managed to throw both my spells at him before retreating again.

Although Rahesh dodged, his sentinels acted on their own, and one of their spikes met both my Fireballs. One Fireball set it ablaze and greatly slowed it down. The other finished the job by melting the spike. Just three more to go.

“You also focus Wisdom,” Rahesh reasoned from how my basic technique empowered by only one Early Dao Speck managed to destroy a technique empowered by two Specks, one of them at Middle. “And more than me. This disparity in points is a little depressing.”

“Actually, I have the same score in Strength as I do in Wisdom,” I laughed. “When you got in close I could maybe have fractured your bones if I fully committed, but I’m not trying to kill you or open myself up to being stabbed, remember?”

The catboy’s eyes went wide. “Y-you’re joking. Trying to put me off-kilter.”

I smirked. “Shoot another of those needles.”

Rahesh visibly gulped before taking in a deep breath, affirming his sword stance, and narrowing his eyes. For a moment I thought the fight would continue in full, but he did as I asked and launched just one fully powered needle.

I gave it a Strong slap and it shattered against my palm, breaking through only the first layer of skin and failing to draw blood. I wondered if with high enough Strength and Agility someone could just treat themself like a wrecking ball and obliterate everything in their path. Unfortunately that felt out of my reach at the moment, as I could only put a good amount of Strength into well-performed punches and kicks. Or slaps, in this case. Just not my whole body, for whatever reason.

“Ay ay ay,” he muttered, which I found hilarious. The System had translated whatever frustration he’d vocalized into Spanish to get the meaning across, which I didn’t think could happen because I really only remembered a handful of words and a few phrases from School.

“Grateful that I’m letting you live?” I asked smugly.

The kid swung his sword again but instead of a shower of the smallest needles he launched only what could really hurt me as he moved closer, his sentinels ready to do as much damage as his sword. He’d figured out that if he continued to fight like he had been for the last minute or so that I could just launch Fireball after Fireball to destroy his defenses before going in for what he thought would be the kill.

After comparing what we were capable of he was now desperate, but the change in tactics was for naught, because I was just too powerful.

Too Durable for his widest attacks to do meaningful damage.

Wise and Intelligent enough that my techniques could match or overpower his.

Strong enough to break his bones if he was struck unprepared.

Too Agile for anything he threw at me to hit if I really didn’t want it to. Landing a blow with his sword was really his only method of killing me, but I just didn’t let him get close enough for that to happen.

……

It wasn’t long before a victor was decided. My opponent’s clothing had rents that were stained red from where my sword and Chi blades left cuts, while I was bruised and burnt all over. I’d even failed to fully disperse one of his fireballs, allowing it to set my head ablaze for a few critical seconds before my combined Dao Specks could purge the Speck-empowered fire Chi. He’d taken the opening to kick me just once, and that was why I laid sprawled on the ground with my sword a dozen steps away, a few of my ribs broken, and my beautiful fur singed away.

This was not how I imagined dying. In my sleep at the hands of enemy assassins, or with a sharp root through my gut in battle against those damned trees? Sure. But burned to a crisp by a Level 1 member of a newly integrated ape-descended Race that had only been on Yorgefan for three days?

I was almost glad for the fact that I’d soon be too dead to feel embarrassed.

I closed my eyes while silently giving my apologies and goodbyes to Mother and Grandfather, prepared to embrace the end.

…

…

…

“Oi, get up. I need your help before I let you leave.”

Apparently still amongst the living, I opened my eyes to find the Human standing very close with my sword in his hands, staring at me as though he hadn’t just kicked my ribs in after scarring my face.

“I began seeing sharpness Chi—or whatever it’s called—during our fight and now I need your help with figuring out a Dao Speck.”

I painstakingly blinked my burned eyelids at him.

“I mean, I don’t need help figuring out that I want a Sharpness Speck, but I want to get a better feel for it before you go. I want to see you use it without my being distracted by having to dodge.”

I was alive.

He hadn’t lied.

I’D BEEN BESTOWED MERCY!

All at once a wave of both repressed terror and newfound relief overwhelmed me, and despite the pain in my torso I began choking out sobs.

Niko Tess was a man of honor! He’d spared me when I had fully intended to kill him!

I could feel my already inflamed skin burn hotter from embarrassment as I tried covering my face and hiding my shameful self with my hand, but my sword arm was also broken, so I lifted my left for the task.

“Oh, uhh…” the merciful man muttered.

I was going to see Mother again! I was going to train under Grandfather again! And Leyana! I wouldn’t take her presence for granted anymore! As soon as I healed up and regrew my fur I was going to propose!

But most importantly…

“You’ve opened…my eyes…” I wheezed. “Niko…Tess… Thank you… I will be virtuous.”

……

[You have bested your Hunter and they have wholeheartedly surrendered. You have the option to accept their surrender, after which they will be returned from whence they came. However, doing so will cost you the prize option.]

I did not accept the surrender…immediately, because I needed Rahesh’s tutelage.

“Want your sword back for the demonstration?” I asked, holding the blade out to him.

Rahesh shakily stood up and seemed to be having difficulty breathing, but he ignored his physical state and shook his head while wiping his face with the back of his functional hand. “No need, I…can do this well enough…with my claws.”

I watched in amazement as he powered up and lazily swiped his creepy hand in front of him—which had bulging fingertips from where thick and retractable claws grew—producing a weak but fully recognizable Sharpness needle.

“Wow, can everyone with the Sharpness Speck do that, or just people with claws? And why don’t you just fight with your claws? I’m pretty sure the attack was only weak because you didn’t put your all into it.”

The catboy shook his head.

“No…just people with claws… Why fight with a sword…if a knife would function? It’s not practical… Metal weapons have better reach and more…durability. I can shoot techniques relatively…easily, but when it comes to melee…you want a weapon. Pugilists use gauntlets for a reason, but gauntlets for…Sharpness still lack reach. Get stabbed by spear.”

Seeing the catboy’s sorry state I regretted my choice to ask for his help and offered to send him back home, informing him of the System’s latest message.

“Not yet… I have to return even a small…portion of the favor you’ve bestowed.”

I was grateful for his willingness to assist me but I still felt bad, so I resolved to learn as much as I could as quickly as possible so he could return to be treated by his family. That burnt head of his looked…not so great, though I really couldn’t have done it any other way. The kid was too good of a swordsman with useful techniques, and powerful Dao Specks that made him stronger and his attacks faster, so I couldn’t have defeated him with just some punches. He would have chopped me to bits. Even wanting to pummel him with the Gust spell had been me underestimating him.

“Thank you very much for putting up with being injured for my sake, Rahesh. Now let’s begin. Please demonstrate the Dao again so I can focus my entire attention on comprehending it.”

“Right.”

……

[You have gained enlightenment into the Sharpness Speck (Early)]

“No way… After just thirty minutes?” Rahesh asked incredulously. “It took me months of meditation after several years of learning my family’s sword style. Is this…proof of the integration Dao comprehension boost?”

I shrugged. “If you mean to say that Races being integrated into the multiverse have easier times comprehending the Dao, I’d believe it. Makes sense to me that if the System is willing to go through all this trouble, with the Tutorial and Quests and whatnot, why not give us a good shot at learning the Dao too?”

Rahesh’s shoulders slumped. “It’s just…a little unfair. I’d give up a lot to have that advantage. Imagine how powerful I’d be by now. I would probably have a Peak Speck!”

I remembered all the heartbreaking stories of Sahndo Bedri’s upbringing as a small child during the integration. He’d said he would give anything up in order to undo the integration and return his people to his home world. Sahndo had wisely been eager to make me very sympathetic toward Goblinity by going over the many ways they’d suffered and how his experience could help me help Humanity.

Shit sucked for them, and it sounded like it was because they had the same faults as my own Race, mostly being greed and selfishness. Even when leaders had power they didn’t use it. They simply used the power they’d gained from luck to gain more power from selfishness. Hoarding resources without using them responsibly, and all that.

“You probably would,” I agreed. “But would you have everything else? If your parents and grandparents had been mortals and your population had been integrated while you were this age, would you still be where you are? Would you have discovered your talent for the sword? Your family would not have had their own sword style and Cycling Technique to pass on, right?” I guessed, since he hadn’t mentioned the Cycling Technique.

Rahesh looked shocked about the revelation for a moment before covering his face in embarrassment again, his now-hairless cat ears flopping down.

“That is absolutely a reasonable point, Niko, and for that I am ashamed. Please take this and send me back.”

Rahesh removed an empty but large drawstring bag out of his battle robes, removed a sword from it that I thought he’d hand to me, but instead presented the apparent bag of holding.

“I wish for you to take everything except for this backup weapon.”

I looked between the two swords—one ornate and lined with very nice reflective colors, while the other looking as bland as possible.

“I get the feeling that this sword is important to you, so I wasn’t planning on keeping it,” I replied, handing back the fancy weapon.

“Oh thank you thank you thank you!” he shouted, quickly trading blades, causing me to laugh.

“Now how will I find you later when I’m powerful enough to explore the other nations of Yorgefan?” I asked, feeling like a middle schooler who was about to transfer schools and wanted to keep in touch with the friends he’d made in the pre-iPhone era.

“Umm, you’ll have to find our territory on your own because I don’t think anyone but the Lord has a global map, but in the spatial storage bag is a map of our territory so that when you do find it you can navigate it. Just ask around my home province for the Mohorioka Clan.”

“Very well. Then I will bid you adieu. Until we meet again, Rahesh.”

“Likewise, merciful Niko.”

With the mental acceptance of the catboy’s surrender, he was gone.

And then I remembered that I didn’t know what his Race was called.

“Fuck.”