“Oh God just kill me now.” The boy moaned half in despair and sheer reluctance to serve his captives. He didn't seem to take the news well, especially since I only told him half an hour ago when he woke up in the carriage. I would pity him if it wasn't his fault that I was also  stuck in the same situation as well because of that blob.

The boy himself wasn't that impressive either. Skinny features, no muscles, short trimmed brown hair. Though perhaps the only saving grace; one he probably used quite often, was that he was relatively handsome. Well probably back home anyway, compared to some of the warriors I saw he might as well as look like a baby.

Though most interestingly are that the boy's eyes are a pure grey color. People with different eye color seemed to be special in this world; from what I've seen, though comparing him to the Purple eyed girl and Crimson Granddad, I can't help but feel I drew the short straw.

Speaking of my new 'friends' there didn't even tell me what their names were, Purple girl bowed after the agreement then flew away while the Crimson Granddad ordered some soldiers to bundle the boy into a carriage they brought from an interspacial ring. Well, I say interspacial ring since it acted very similar to the ones back home.

“Why did this happen to me?” Oh seems he finished his temper tantrum.

“Why? Because I had no other choice. If you want to blame someone for our current employment then blame whoever gave you that grey cylinder you wear around your neck.” And just to make absolutely sure he doesn't start resenting me. “Besides. I was the one who saved you from your impromptu executes at the hand of the effeminate guy in armor.” Silence. Though he still does have that defeatist look, meh he's probably thinking about something.

After an uncomfortable amount of time pass with neither of us making a sound. Eventually, I hear an exhausted sigh come from the boy. “Who are you anyway? Since your know living inside me now. Aren't you.”

Quite the deduction. Giving a soft chuckle I answered the boy. “Oh, I'm just an eccentric adventuring soul. Just looking for some fun. Oh and I'm your ancestor as well. Just in case they asked you how I'm doing.” Look at his face, he probably thought it couldn't get any weirder today.

“Fine. Don't tell me. Be mysterious, see if I care. Just tell me one thing and be honest.” No promises. “Why are you inside my body and not floating about being oblivious to the world.”

“I already told you. Blame that grey cylinder around your neck.”

Rolling his eyes at me he answered back, “Look I'm just asking a simple question. If you don't want to say don't say. Don't just try to make up an answer on the fly. Especially when you make the targeted option a useless trinket that my mother left me before she left to gallivant around with her mercenary company.” Well someone has some mommy issues.

“Well if you don't believe me, don't' believe me. But, and listen carefully boy, on this trip and wherever we end up. You will listen to me. Okay”

“My name is Henry.” He said anger rising on his face. “And why should I listen to you when you are the reason I'm in this mess.”

“Even though I saved you.”

“And straight into the employment of supercharged monsters. If you saved me from certain death, you could have got us away from them as well.” Ungrateful brat. If you want to be resentful do it to the people we working for now.

Huh, what am I expecting, he just woke up and obviously angry at his treatment. Maybe I should try a more peaceful approach. “I'm not going to debate with you. Just know this. When you calm down and think about our new circumstance think about the possibilities we now have and what I had to do to stop is being imprisoned instead of having this opportunity.” Silence again. Why am I getting angry at an eighteen-year-old. Huh. This past day's been too stressful.

Eventually, Henry pipes up again, “So.” Pausing to think of what to say. “What's going to happen now. I'm guessing I'm not going back to the Dralgan Kingdom anytime soon to get my stuff back.”

“If you'll look under your chair you'll find some stuff that our new employers had provided me. To at least give you the basics before we get to our destination.” I wait for him to bring out the three books underneath him. “Now. The blue book your holding is the meditation technique you're meant to be practicing, but won't be since it's useless for what I'm going to teach you. The purple one is for training your spirit. You're on your own for that one since it emphasizes one own fundamental understanding of oneself. And finally, the black book is an attack that looks very low-tier so you should be able to use it once trained of course.”

“So are you going to be like my teacher then.” Quite an optimistic person you are. But I have other plans for you. And they don't involve the easy way.

“Think of me less of a mentor and more as your science teacher.” That's gone and confused Henry. Better elaborate just to make sure they're no misconceptions. “For you see. While you were asleep I was digging around your body. And if you turn to page two of the blue book you'll notice two words. The Dantian and Meridians.” Henry on his part quickly skims the book for the relative information and after grasping the definition I continue. “Now in your body your Qi or as I'll be calling it mana is pitiful. Nothing was coming in and you weren't able to use any of it.”

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I make sure to scan his face to see how he reacts to his current status, and he seems quite fine, though he does cringe a bit at having been called pitiful. “In the book, it mentions that to bring mana in you have to absorb it through the heavens and into your body where it will then travel through your Meridians and into your Dantian.” Henry nods along as I monologue. “Now this is bollocks and I will tell you why. Because the mana isn't given from the heavens since it's already in the air and is integrating into everyday life alongside oxygen and carbon dioxide.”

Henry's face is just blank. Eventually, he snaps out of it and asks a non-important question. “What's Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide?”

“Ignore that for now and focus on the important stuff. Now back where I come from mana was a building block of life. Without it, we would have died. But coming over to this place mana is more of a supporting role since it is evident that humans here are sufficient enough to live with the mana they were born with and have no need to constantly bring new mana into they body to replace the exhausted mana.”

“Now your none Qi or mana practitioner would replace the life-sustaining mana automatically. However, to actually use mana as a tool or weapon you had to train and expand your pool so as to allow more mana to flow in which wouldn't be used by the body to sustain itself. Understand so far?”

“Yes. But where does this come into my training exactly?” Henry asks being rightly bemused at the foreign subject.

“Well, it's the reason for telling you to ditch the meditation book, because instead of training you to not only sense and take in the mana which will take god knows how long with your aptitude. So instead I'm going to etched runes onto your soul which will automatically draw the mana in for you.”

“E-etch into my soul?” He sounds a bit frightened, goodness knows why I'm experienced with this kind of stuff. He should be glad it's the me of now and not either the old me or my mentor doing the etching process.

Better calm him down before he attempts to run away or something. “Don't worry Henry. The process will only hurt slightly and in return, you can gain an immense amount of power without having to sit all day meditating. Besides it's not like I'll being etching all one thousand five hundred and seventy-two rune's now. I've only opened a couple of your meridians so at most I'll be able to etch five to ten rune's on you now.” Otherwise, you'd explode from having too much mana in you.

He pales slightly at the number of runes mentioned but still manages to ask a fairly sensible question. “Opened my meridians. The book states that only the owner of the body can open new passages when they are ready.”

“Don't believe everything you see in books kids. Opening those meridians was a simple process of pushing my own mana through them until they fully opened. Though it did seem that the meridians have their own numbering system, so finding the right one to open was a bit off a hassle but didn't take that long since I just stole some of the pitiful mana that you have and started throwing it at every tunnel until it had a slight reaction.”

What's with that face, did you think I discovered it by playing detective, a hands-on approach is always the best option when it comes to experiments. Nevertheless, still reeling from the shock Henry, this time, asks a fairly silly question. “Isn't there a less harmful way.” I think for a moment though since there are less harmful ways but, with this unknown situation there too much at stake just to allow Henry here some temporary comfort.  

“There is.” Wow, look at the change in his expression. Well, not my problem. “But I'm not going to do it. This way is better and easier for me.”

“B-but it's MY body you can't just do what you want with it.” Putting up some resistance I see. Well, that'll help in the future to have a backbone. But for now, nothing is getting in my way.

Casting a formation to lock him in place I look him dead in the eye and tell him my answer. “Like I said before Henry. What I say goes. And right now this method will be much better for the future.”

“But...” I quickly silence him before he starts again.

“Look, Henry, you'll thank me one day for this since be much more powerful than with simple runes. Besides it better to start the runes younger and with less power since it'll allow your power to rise more exponentially due to the Dantian bloating and expanding.” Well, that's what happens with a mage's manapool anyway. The Dantian should have the same effect.

Looking at him there still a hint of resistance in his eyes. But he looks to be beginning to accept his future now. “Well, now that you have stopped struggling I can begin. Word of warning you're going to be awake for the operation. I'm casting a numbing formation. Buuuuuut, since it's your soul I'm operation on your going to feel some slight comfort.” Before he can even get the first hmmmm out I jump straight into his body and to his soul.

Thankfully his soul has healed somewhat. It's no longer on the verge of collapsing and the cracks have begun to heal. If I had more time or information I'd wait a month until I could heal it fully up. But need must, I'll just make sure to stay away from the cracks while etching the runes.   

Though to be safe I'll apply another dose of my mana onto his cracks just to make sure there aren't any unnecessary problems while working.