Jun couldn't help but groan as something pushed into a sitting position. Her entire body ached with the pain of a hard workout as the smell of something familiar assaulted her nose. A bowl pressed against her lips and she reflexively sipped at it's contents, half swallowing as the bitter, savory taste of Shiori's soup jolted her awake. Her stomach recoiled and she turned to vomit, only for her Master's voice to fill her ears. "Drink the soup my stupid kitten."
Swallowing the rest of her mouthful with a struggle, Jun pushed the insistent bowl away as she looked at her master staring at her from the floor of her room. "What? Why?" she grumbled, holding the persistent bowl off with both hands. The effort to do so was immense, her arms feeling like lead.
"Because a stupid kitten didn't eat last night after physical training."
"I didn't do any training, just the tests... that I failed by the way..." she groaned as she slumped back onto the bed, remembering her abysmal performances.
Jun yelped as she was telekinetically hauled out of bed to float before her Master, the bowl of soup hovering menacingly in front of her face.
"What do you mean, failed? Tell me everything that happened yesterday," Shiori demanded.
Floating in her room in the predawn light, Jun slowly relayed everything that happened during the tests. The questions she could still remember about terms she'd never heard of before during the Arcana Theory test, how everyone else had Novice ranked spells but she only had the beginner spells Shiori had taught her, about her spellcasting and how the students seemed to mock her performance, her humiliation during the physical fitness and sparring, and how she felt totally unprepared for the general test. Shiori flicked her tail faster and faster with each new thing Jun relayed to her. When Jun described how she was just too drained after the day's events to do anything but come back and sleep, Shiori's tail froze.
"Drink the soup kitten," she said, her voice filled with steel.
"I'm sorry I failed you Master, but—" Jun started to apologize, but was interrupted by the bowl smacking lightly against her lips.
"Stop talking and listen," Shiori said firmly. "You did not fail."
Her Master's pronouncement stunned her. How couldn't she have failed? She'd struggled to do even the most basic of things, and the one thing she was confident in, her magic, was openly mocked. Numbly, she obeyed her Master's command and sipped the bitter soup as Shiori stared at her.
"You do not know that you failed. You only think that you did. You are still a kitten learning about the world. You are here to learn, not to be perfect without effort. If these humans are so foolhardy as to deny you the opportunity to learn simply because you do not already know what they have to teach you, then they are not worth learning from. Now finish your soup and prepare yourself, it is time for a new lesson."
Under Shiori's watchful gaze Jun finished the soup in several swallows, barely managing not to gag. Once the bowl was empty, Shiori let her down and commanded her to sit on the floor.
"Open your status screen kitten," Shiori commanded.
Jun did as she was told, opening her screen and automatically willing it to be visible to Shiori in full. As she read through it, she was shocked to see that some of her stats had changed!
Karmic Balance: 149,864,661,344 World: Merinthia (Tier 1) Name: Jun Titles:
Apprentice
Adopted Kitten (HIDDEN)
Level: 17 (+8) (56/100%) Race: Human (Balance) Gender: Female Mana: 290/290 Core Status: (HIDDEN) Stable (Tier 0) Stats: MIND - 30 (+1) CON - 30 (+1) STR - 30 (+1) AGI - 30 (+1) DEX - 30 (+1) CHA - 36 (+2) SPR - 30 (+1) Traits: (5/5) [Touched by Karma] (Hidden) [Born of Karma] (Hidden) [Magic Touched] (Disguised; [Affinity Hoarder]) SEALED [Fast Learner] [Charismatic] Skills:
[Karma Manipulation] (Novice 2)
[Body Cleansing] (Novice 8)
[Mental Resistance] (Novice 1)
[Soul Sealing] (Novice 0)
[Piercing Missile] (Apprentice 25) (+1) [Evolve? Y/N]
[Barrier] (Apprentice 4)
[Multi Casting] (Apprentice 12)
[Stealth] (Novice 8)
[Tracking] (Novice 3)
[Cleaning] (Initiate 1)
[Cooking] (Novice 4)
[Butchery] (Novice 9)
[Foraging] (Novice 6)
[Crafting] (Novice 2)
[Pain Resistance] (Novice 3)
All of her stats had increased by 1, except for Charisma which had gone up by 2 for some reason, and it looked like she'd even gained a level in [Piercing Missile] and it was ready to evolve? "Master... how did I gain stats? I thought I only gained stats when I leveled? What does it mean that my [Piercing Missile] is ready to evolve?"
"You gained stats through training. The universe rewards effort, and it has finally deemed you worthy of earning stats through your hard work. Your spellcasting and physical work yesterday sufficiently pushed you such that the universe recognized your efforts and assisted in empowering you further. It also means you are finally ready to begin studying the third pillar." Shiori said with a nod.
"The third pillar? But what about my spell?"
"The spell is unimportant for now. The third pillar is something you have already begun doing, but in an unfocused fashion." Shiori flicked her tail and moved to the side as a detailed copy of Jun appeared sitting in a cross-legged position, except this version was faintly glowing purple, see-through, and completely naked.
Jun couldn't help but blush as she saw her naked clone in front of her. She knew intellectually that this was her, but seeing herself sitting in such an open, relaxed position felt lewd and inappropriate. "Master!, why is she naked? I mean me! Why am I naked?!"
"You humans are far too embarrassed by nudity, kitten."
"You're showing me off so lewdly! What if someone sees?!"
"The curtains are closed."
"Someone could walk in!"
"your friends are asleep."
"What if they hear something and wake up!"
"I'm blocking sounds from escaping our room, and unlike a certain kitten, I know how to lock a door."
"Why does my clone have to be naked?!"
"Because what you're about to learn is best done naked."
"Why?!"
"Because I don't do laundry, now observe."
Trying to ignore the awkwardness of sitting across from a naked clone of herself, Jun watched as a a spot in her chest between her breasts began to glow, growing brighter, before lines began to extend out from it, drawing a pattern that ran through her abdomen and down her legs to the tips of her toes before looping back around to meet the glowing ball in her chest. More lines extended up through her shoulders and down her arms to her finger tips, and up her neck into her head, touching her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth before looping back around to the glowing ball. The drawn pattern was fascinating, reminding Jun of the pathways her mana traveled through when she casted spells.
"This is your core and your mana network," Shiori said as Jun stared at the image. "It is basic, enough for casting spells." The network began to change and grow, new channels branching off the originals into smaller channels that slowly grew and split, again and again until every inch of Jun's translucent body glowed with mana. "As you level and develop your strength, your mana network will grow and change to accommodate more mana. This development is the process of leveling, aided and guided by the Universal System. However, as you accumulate power and experience, you also accumulate negative karma through psychological burdens, trauma, and toxins. Collectively, this negative karma can be thought of as impurities that weigh you down and hold you back from developing your full power. Stick out your hand." Jun did as instructed, holding out her hand to her Master.
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The black cat padded forward and put a paw in the center of her palm. A spark of warm seemed to leap from her Master's paw into her palm and flow up her arm, into her chest, and around her body, tracing a pattern as it moved. "When you first unlocked your magic, you expelled an enormous amount of impurities. Despite your being born so recently, you were born still carrying burdens upon your soul that weighed you down and blocked your magic until you cleared those channels away. While you removed enough to begin harnessing magic, you did not remove them all, and have since accumulated more. Some of these impurities are naturally expelled by your body over time, but there is another way to deal with them. Watch closely"
Her clone's mana core began to change, slowly splitting into two identical cores on either side of her chest. A web of new mana channels wrapped around the twin cores and linked them together before joining the other mana channels of her network. Jun's clone seemed to cycle mana through her channels, looping the mana back around to feed into the core on her right, then into the left, before feeding the mana back into the web of channels. As the mana cycled, the right core began to glow brighter while the left grew darker until the right was a brightly shining purple and the left a deep void.
"This is the Path of Balance, one of creating a core of pure mana and a core of impurities. For mana and impurities are two faces of the same concept, and balance cannot be achieved without accepting both sides." As Shiori finished speaking, Jun felt her Master's mana withdraw from her body. "I offer this path to you if you choose it, kitten, though be warned, it is a difficult path to walk."
"What will happen to me if I do this?" Jun asked her Master as she watched the clone's mana network expand.
"Your mana network fuels your body, allowing it to grow in power. The System does a version of this, though the System's methods are slow and general, represented by stat points and levels. Walking a Path in this way improves upon the System's methods, though you will need to overcome the pressure of the System enforcing it's pattern upon you. If done correctly, your mana network will grow with every step you take, augmenting the power granted by the System and growing stronger."
Jun stared at her clone, watching as her mana network began to grow and spread rapidly. As the mana network expanded, her clone's body seemed to grow stronger and more flexible, though visibly nothing changed. "What happens if I do it wrong?"
Her clone's eyes opened and met Jun's eyes with a confident smile, winking at her before it dissipated, leaving an empty space in front of Jun that Shiori moved to sit in. "You die," Her Master said, taking the clone's place in front of Jun.
The light of dawn began to peak through the curtains as Jun stared at her Master, the benefits and consequences of what Shiori offered weighing on her. She thought of the hopelessness she felt against the [Soul Parasite], how she had nearly died to the kobold, and how both times it was her Master that saved her with overwhelming strength. But her Master's strength was not enough. The [Soul Parasite] was sealed away, but the seal wouldn't last forever, and her Master had accepted a duel between Jun and the kobold in a year's time. Her Master couldn't, or wouldn't, fight all of her battles for her. Jun would have to fight her own battles eventually, and despite what her Master called her, she was not a kitten that could do nothing for herself.
Anxious thoughts filled her mind at the consequences if she failed. Death scared her even though she'd experienced it once before. In the short time she had been in this new life, she'd gained a Master that felt like the older sister she'd never had, new friends that seemed to care for her, and magic. It was a life she never would have imagined was possible, and she was afraid to lose it, despite the horrors she had seen and the challenges she faced. But holding on to what she had required strength too. She faltered in the middle of the battle with the goblins, overwhelmed by what she had seen and done. She struggled with many of the tests she'd taken, and already seemed to have enemies despite only being at the Academy for a day. She had only gotten into the city through the intervention of a powerful man that stopped another guard from taking advantage of her. This world respected strength, and if she wanted to hold on to what she had, she would need the strength to do so. Strength that required her to risk losing what she wanted to hold on to.
"I want to get stronger. I need to get stronger," she said, her tone serious as she looked at Shiori. "Is this the only way I can?"
"You can do as those at this Academy do and simply level. Some, like the Headmaster and the Captain at the city gate, are powerful, but all depend upon the System to guide their path and are weaker for it. What was once common knowledge, such as I offer, seems rare today, perhaps forgotten by most. It is possible there are other ways that I do not know, and you would be able to find them. I cannot make the choice for you."
The risk was high, but Jun trusted Shiori. Shiori was more than capable of surviving alone, but she had still taken Jun in when didn't need to. Her Master called her a kitten and treated her as such, teaching and training her, helping her find her feet and a way to move forward. Jun's resolve hardened as she made her decision, the dawn's light illuminating her room through the thin curtains.
"I want to learn," she said quietly. Something whispered to her that this was a momentous decision that required more than a desire to learn. Jun listened to her instincts, channeling the manners she had learned under a stern grandmother in another life, informed by a culture that had never fully been hers, and something of her new world nudging her forward. Jun shifted to sit on her knees, her muscles protesting at the uncomfortable position as she bowed low, touching her forehead to the floor in front of her Master. The proper words came to her from somewhere, knowledge without a source that Jun knew was right, telling her the words to speak. "Please guide me, that I may walk the Path!" Jun's words echoed in her ears, drowning out the sounds of a waking world beyond the walls of her room.
"I will guide you to your Path, young one, that you may walk forward to your destiny." Shiori's words were different. Weightier. As if the world heard and acknowledged them. A light force pushed at Jun, urging her to raise her head. "Rise, young one, that you may receive guidance to walk your Path."
Jun raised her head and felt Shiori's paw press against her skin between her eyes as knowledge flowed into her. A flood of memories and insights not her own flashed through her mind and she struggled to capture them all. Hard won knowledge slipped through her fingertips as she tried and failed to capture a river with her bare hands, but drops of insight remained. The river flowed through her soul and condensed into a lake, untapped but for the few drops that clung to her spiritual hands. Guided by the knowledge shared with her, Jun sat in a lotus position and closed her eyes as she guided her mana through her channels, pushing them to grow and spread throughout her body. Her flesh burned as the mana carved new channels throughout her body, pushing her network to grow. Soon, her entire body hurt as thousands of new mana channels siphoned mana from her core and into her flesh. Her muscles grew firmer, her bones stronger and more flexible, and her skin more resistant as her body drank in the mana from her core.
Soon, her core was empty, yet her body continued to drink, pulling at the very structure of her empty mana core, cannibalizing it for fuel. Her core shrank by a tenth, then a quarter, then a third, before her body's thirst was slaked, leaving her core at half the size it had been.
In a daze, Jun slumped to the floor with exhaustion as screens flashed before her eyes, putting to word what she already knew.
Merinthia welcomes another disciple upon the Path of Balance.
WARNING!
CORE STRUCTURE DEGRADATION IN EFFECT
CORE INTEGRITY 90%...
79%...
65%...
52%...
39%...
17%...
CORE RESTRUCTURE DETECTED.
CORE INTEGRITY 25%...
42%...
58%...
81%...
100%.
CORE STATUS: STABLE
Karmic Balance: 149,864,661,344 World: Merinthia (Tier 1) Name: Jun Titles:
Apprentice
Disciple of the Path of Balance
Adopted Kitten (HIDDEN)
Level: 19 (+2) (07/100%) Race: Human (Balance) Gender: Female Mana: 17/140 [59/min (.5 MIND + SPR/min)] Core Status: (HIDDEN) Stable (Tier 0) Stats: MIND - 32 (+2) CON - 38 (+8) STR - 36 (+6) AGI - 40 (+10) DEX - 42 (+12) CHA - 46 (+10) SPR - 43 (+13) Traits: (5/5) [Touched by Karma] (Hidden) [Born of Karma] (Hidden) [Magic Touched] (Disguised; [Affinity Hoarder]) SEALED [Fast Learner] [Charismatic] Skills:
[Karma Manipulation] (Novice 2)
[Body Cleansing] (Novice 13) (+5)
[Mental Resistance] (Novice 1)
[Soul Sealing] (Novice 0)
[Piercing Missile] (Apprentice 25) (+1) [Evolve? Y/N]
[Barrier] (Apprentice 4)
[Multi Casting] (Apprentice 12)
[Stealth] (Novice 8)
[Tracking] (Novice 3)
[Cleaning] (Initiate 1)
[Cooking] (Novice 4)
[Butchery] (Novice 9)
[Foraging] (Novice 6)
[Crafting] (Novice 2)
[Pain Resistance] (Novice 5) (+2)
Smiling, Jun watched her smaller mana core refill. She'd chosen her path and sacrificed much to take the first step, but she gained much in return. As she lay on the floor covered in sweat, the aches in her body slowly eased as mana filled her core and overflowed into her network, soothing her tender and swollen muscles.
"Well done kitten. Congratulations on taking the first step," her Master said. Jun felt her heart swell with pride at her Master's words, but the feeling was soon crushed. "But you made a dangerous mistake."
"W-What?" Jun asked, her heart beginning to race as she forced herself to sit up and look at her Master.
"You didn't take off your clothes, and now you've soiled yourself," Shiori said, pointedly moving to the windows and opening it.
As the fresh air of morning flowed into the room, Jun noticed the smell, worse than the first time in the forest. Looking down at her hand, she saw that it was covered in black gunk that clung to her uniform. She could see the mana in the enchanted clothes struggling to purge the filth from itself as the impurities hardened into a crust. The sound of another door opening and a loud yawn told her that one of her roommates had woken up and was outside, blocking her way to the bathroom. Panicked, Jun frantically turned to Shiori as she stood in the open window, her tail swishing. "Master! Help me please!"
"I told you, disciple, I don't do laundry." Not waiting for a reply, Shiori jumped out of the window, leaving Jun to deal with the mess.