Somewhere within the hospital’s parking garage, at a secluded corner hidden in the dark, a large shadowy behemoth lay still.
Nearby, four men and women were tied together with tears at the corner of their eyes and their mouths gagged by dirty cloth, exposed to the cold air quite pitifully.
The shadow was O’Brien's expensive mobile home.
Under the cover of the night, sickle beetles were the most active and furiously roamed the streets looking for nutrition to further their evolution on their Queen’s incentive.
Unlike at the start of the apocalypse, these creatures were two circles bigger with harder shells, sharper fangs, and harnessed denser spiritual energy. They were much more dangerous than they were as newborns, any poor souls unfortunate enough to cross their paths were doomed to be devoured as regular bullets could now only impede them.
Fortunately for the poor captives, O'Brien already used deterrents in the surroundings and on the surface of the RV to keep away monsters, they were close enough to benefit from these methods.
Inside the luxurious RV, which was now in stealth mode concealing its bright exterior in the darkness, the interior was almost another world, akin to a luxurious penthouse hotel suite with a complete set consisting of a living area, kitchen, dining room, two bathrooms, a master bedroom and more.
A white-haired pale figure wiped away the droplets of water hanging from his hair as he sat down on the sofa near the large flat-screen TV.
He turned to his companions who had just joyfully finished their cold desserts, enjoying the lingering aftertastes.
O’Brien’s serious wounds had already recovered a lot and scabbed over thanks to Lea’s care. His own regenerative capabilities could do the rest of the work.
O’Brien exhaled some of his tension, took a relaxing breath, and looked over at the four women. He might be talking for a while soon, quite frankly, the thought annoyed him but he had promised Rose so there was no helping it, furthermore, they had discussed among themselves quite well from earlier on when they were heading to retrieve his stockpile of items and RV from storage, this was one of their requests that he had been putting off until now.
“Let’s begin then shall we.”
Several pairs of ears perked up and their eyes landed on the refreshed figure.
O’Brien yawned and took out several cards to use as learning aids.
“There are two major paths in the New World and several minor paths. The advancement deck path otherwise known as the ‘breakdown’ method and the natal breathing path.” He began.
“So getting stronger doesn’t mean just mastering your natal cards?” Roya felt things were headed in a completely different direction than she had initially expected.
“Yes and no. Yes, you get stronger by mastering your cards but it's a slow process. Advancement paths are a kind of cultivation, the path to transcendence i mentioned before. Think of it as shedding your mortality step by step. The use of cards is merely an external tool, this, this is an internal upheaval.” O’Brien shook his head to her question, this misunderstanding is why humans took so long on average to walk the path of trascendence although they had all they necessary clues starting from their natal cards and apertures.
“Now for the two major paths. The former is quite simple, you use certain cards of your choosing to gradually break down your aperture walls, and after using them to break down walls and or ascending realms you can obtain skills or characteristics of said cards.”
O’Brien cleared his throat and continued,
“The problem with this method is that card skills and characteristics cannot be selected and can conflict with each other risking health problems, lifespan reduction, stagnant strength progression, or even plain death. It also doesn't increase the depth of your card pool and only changes the quality of the essence.”
O’Brien graciously took his after-supper drink from Rose to moisten his throat.
“Of course, these are worst-case scenarios. Most people are fine. The next is the natal breathing path which uses a breathing method. Compared to several minor paths that can give you quick success but cut off your future prospects…” O’Brien felt a bad taste in his mouth despite the sweet drink, recalling his own choice to use the Clay Golem Advancement path, thereby limiting his use of cards to rock and non-sentient types unable to bring out the true power of anything else.
It also further stranded him as a Tier 2 Transcendent for the longest period even after he evolved his natal card.
Even the so-called flawed breakdown method was well out of reach for the previous him, after all, you needed valuable cards to use this method, typically rare high-grade cards as well. For the poverty-stricken him from the days of the future past, it was impossible.
“...This method is a slow and steady one, it has all-round improvement and brings out the full potential of a good natal card. If the breathing method matches the natal card well then it even has a stacking effect and can allow users to advance more quickly. It can also slowly penetrate more layers within your aperture allowing it to hold more essence.”
O’Brien shook off thoughts of his past foolishness and helplessness, reminding himself that he had a fresh start, then continued his explanation.
“Breathing method cards are in their own special category and also a one-time consumable, no matter the quality or rank, they disappear after use. You can teach it to others after learning it, however, so that's a plus. They are also a good medium to use different types of cards that exist, cards matching your breathing method are far easier to handle than most others, not that it’s impossible if you try, it just means that it's that much more difficult.”
“Using an analogy, what if there was a weapon that required no hands, three hands or even dozens of hands? While two hands might do the trick you can never really use it as intended. Without the right method that's how most cards will be to you.”
Although O’Brien had never used the breathing method himself, his past regrets and the constant moaning envy of all those surpassed in the future spilled many of its previously withheld or disbelieved secrets.
He also personally met his own roadblocks in trying to use certain cards and was pitifully crushed by others using the same exact card so he had first-hand experience in these matters.
**
Similarly, In New Roselee City, Celes was giving the same explanation to her team but she was a lot more detailed, having observed the scenery from greater heights, and having practiced the breathing method herself.
She also had unique insights into the advancement deck path or breakdown method, she scoffed when mentioning it.
“It’s a thorny road that punctures the soles of your feet. Essentially what you’re doing is using a card, typically a higher level one than the quality of the waters of your card pool, and using it to break down aperture walls. For instance, a Blue Stone grade card to help in the Card Apprentice realm and so on.”
Celes had previously informed them a bit about cultivation realms but nothing too detailed. The card pool aperture began with thin barriers of light that needed to be nourished and broken down in order to produce stronger card essence. The barriers were replaced each time, with a total of four barriers in each realm.
“This forceful method, while not obvious at first, has lasting effects. For one, it damages your aperture. Your aperture walls when shattered produce the catalyst and nourishment needed to bring your card essence to the next level, this method destroys some of that nourishment, it varies depending on the card's suitability and rank but it can be as little as 1% to as much as 20%. Four stages in each realm, four walls each time, it adds up.”
Celes shook her head, it might not seem like much at the start but it really does make a difference.
“Secondly, the influence of the cards used are both unpredictable and can penetrate deeply.”
“I’ve seen where certain unlucky individuals adopted the weaknesses of said cards. Thirdly, It limits your future path in several ways, the previous two issues are compounded onto some new ones, your natal card can no longer be evolved or it's extremely difficult to do so after being influenced by so many different cards.”
Celes recalled several people in her early team who couldn't keep up with her and fell in secret realms against powerful foes or eventually branched out, unable to complement her rising skill and power.
“Also using such a rough method eventually hits a bottleneck. When attempting to break through as a Tier 4 Card Lord, the aperture walls are far too thick, moreover, this is the start of transforming your card pool aperture and has an additional step, using external forceful means is no longer enough to overcome this particular hefty mountain.”
In the realm of Card Lords, the card master's aperture undergoes a fundamental metamorphosis, cracks from misuse and forceful means come back to form a deadly swamp that keeps you in place, unable to ascend to a higher realm.
“You said it’s one of two major methods right? But I only seem to be hearing disadvantages?” Minnie couldn’t help but question, Priya and Justin, nodding in agreement.
Old Wheeler was feeling a gap in their generations as he couldn't make heads or tails of what this talk of cultivation was.
Celes gave a knowing smile, “It’s simple really. The short-term effects are simply too amazing. Card masters are divided into several realms, each realm is like a different world, and each realm consists of stages or sub-realms like steps to a ladder which also enhance your power, fighting ability, and longevity.”
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Having risen through all these ranks before, Celes could say this with absolute certainty.
“Legend has it there are twelve realms but the truth of the matter is hard to predict, personally I don't rule it out but I could also see it being a load of crap. Anyway, this is as far as I know: Tier Zero Card Apprentice, Tier One Card Expert, Tier Two Card Master, Tier Three Card Grandmaster, Tier Four Card Lord, Tier Five Card King & Tier Six Card Saint. In the future the last three realms are extremely scarce, the latter two have never been achieved. We just know they exist.”
Explaining it now she couldn't help but think of the relics they found that described these realms, human power and deduction even with the help of cards only managed to reduce the first three realms.
Everything else, they discovered from ruins, secret realms, and trial spaces. The advent of the New World brought a great many things to Earth.
“Each realm is a quantitative and qualitative change, dozens of card apprentices have no hope against a bona-fide card expert. The difference in realms is stark. Each realm has sub realms as I said before: initial, middle, high, and peak. Advancing through realms is also like sailing against a strong current. Which brings me back to the ‘breakdown’ method.”
Celes drew a pyramid and further divided it into blocks then split those blocks into four pieces pointing at it.
“Choosing the right cards can allow for a rapid pace of advancement, the breathing method might achieve the middle stage from the initial stage for Card Apprentices in several weeks and even months depending on the specific situation and other variables but in most cases for the breakdown method, you can do the same in as little as a few days, moreover you also have the chance to gain some abilities or characteristics of the cards used to advance which can be a steal for some powerful and rare cards. It can even be economical where you use the same card to break through several stages and realms, increasing the likelihood of obtaining its characteristics."
Gaining the raw strength and physique of a Stone Cyclops or Dwarf Giant was not out of the question and there were real-life examples. Among other benefits. Just this opportunity alone was enough to persuade even users of breathing methods to dip their feet in the water of the ‘breakdown’ path.
“Furthermore, breathing cards are very rare and are consumables so they bowed out to the breakdown method initially. Actually, until years down the line, they weren’t even worthy of being compared side by side.”
Celes wryly shook her head, she was one of the staunch believers from the start and dealt with a lot of naysayers as a result of staying true to the breathing method, both methods weren’t exactly mutually exclusive so she was always pushed to use the breakdown method but she stood firm in pursuing the pure unadulterated path.
It made a big difference when advancing step by step and across realms with the breathing method alone, compared to half-assing the journey and trying out the breakdown method, the benefits to be gained were simply all-encompassing wonders.
Just then, Justin hesitantly spoke up, “Well, it doesn’t seem all that bad now that you say it like that.”
In fact, it was quite good. A shining light flickered in his heroic pupils.
Celes let out a sigh seeing the look in his eyes, “I figured some of you might react like that. But the flaws catch up to you later on and even exist at the start. Like many minor paths of advancement stumbled upon, pioneered, or inherited. Your means suffer.”
“Means?” Old Wheeler butted in, still largely confused but starting to understand a little.
“Yes, means.” Celes continued, “Look at it like this, you’re choosing a profession and job site at the same time. Starting as a menial worker at the bottom, the equipment you have access to is quite limited. Without necessary permits, training and factors like the wealth of the company as well as the age and operability of equipment on the worksite are things mostly set in stone, not due for any major overhauls.”
“The breakdown method strands you on an island or job site with such limited scopes.”
“These are things you will come into contact with later, you’ll start to understand more clearly when you actually start to use cards apart from your natal card. I’ll say this for now. There are steps to using cards. Levels of mastery if you will, which makes a big difference.”
Celes pointed to her rapier and pistol.
“Like a newbie versus a seasoned veteran using a sniper rifle. Refinement and Resonance. With the breakdown method no matter what card you use, you are a jack of all trades, master of none. You can at most achieve 20-30% refinement and 1st circle resonance.”
Celes had no intention of theory dumping everything on them as they simply wouldn't understand at this point. For now, she was only introducing the concepts and in the future, when in combat or having gained some experience with cards, then she could truly teach them the ropes.
She continued, “This difference plays a role when fighting against other card masters. Basically, you can think of it as either cutting off some fingers or losing some finger nerves, something like that."
“So for the long term, the breathing method is better?” Minnie asked.
Celes nodded before continuing her explanation.
“These are the immediate effects, the later ones are simple, as I said before cultivation is like sailing against a current, although the breakdown method allows you to do so very rapidly, it damages your vessel, as you go farther and farther against this grand current at fast speeds. Your vessel suffers damage and might leak, continuing you can only patch up the weaknesses but these will eventually succumb to the violent waves.”
“On the other hand, the breathing method is like slowly upgrading your vessel from a dingy boat without sails and made of wood to a tough cruise ship made of reinforced metal. It's a slow process since it's a complete transformation but it's so worth it.”
***
Two people separated by countless miles were in the midst of the same process, the knowledge contained in their words something many would kill for if they knew the truth of the Apocalypse.
O’Brien took out several different liquid containers gesturing to the four women.
“Let’s call the water in your card pool aperture: card essence or card yuan. Those are the dominant terms from Eastern and Western sources.”
He sloshed the water in his cup.
“A good breathing method can double the efficiency of yuan cultivation. That is, ascending through the aforementioned Card Master ranks.”
"We can compare the power of yuan to water. Breathing not only replenishes water to the body, but also creates a water tank. The better the quality of the breathing method, the larger and stronger the water tank will be, the more water it can hold, and the faster it can be filled without worry.”
He roughly poured out some almond milk into a larger container from its original box. He tossed some more nuts inside and shook them in the container.
“A breathing method also determines the type of cards that will benefit from swimming in the water, whether it's predisposed to cards of the earth element, fire element, and so on. Breathing methods close to certain cards can create a faster card resonance, akin to giving the fish aka cards a good home to thrive in. Certain breathing methods can also have special effects.”
As with most things, compatibility couldn't be ignored. Modern apps couldn't run on old systems. The natal card might have already shaped your aperture somewhat, but breathing methods could continue that process.
“This is an internal method of cultivation that surpasses the advancement deck or breakdown method in the long run. For you especially Rose, Blessed Ones using the breakdown and other methods is like poisoning the waters in which they thrive. It’s akin to crippling themselves bringing them down to us ordinary folks level, a tragic sight.”
One many took pleasure in seeing. The noble and powerful God’s Favoured grew weaker and eventually sank to their level or they caught up to them.
“The most important thing to me at least, is that the breathing method users are the strongest. That’s all that matters. The other methods can never be compared at the later stage. I know of quite a few advancement methods that start out strong and it's just a steep cliff from there.”
O’Brien smirked slightly, recalling something else. He had taught a special someone the strongest advancement method of the minor paths that he knew of.
Even better than his own previous Clay Golem Advancement Method.
It was a bet he hoped to cash in one day, hopefully, that person didn’t disappoint.
Back to the present matters, he continued,
“Like I said before, once you learn the method it's gone, it stays only in your mind. For Rose’s sake, I’ll throw you guys a bone, not that I could stop her from secretly teaching you guys anyways.” O’Brien glanced at Rose who looked like she was blushing from embarrassment hearing his words.
Roya smiled at this, glad Rose was recovering well from the previous tense situation, they almost came to blows with O’Brien though fortunately, it worked out. Still, she was more interested in the advancement methods O’Brien was talking about at the moment.
“Cultivation… is it really so amazing?” Roya felt it sounded somewhat absurd from the things O’Brien had described.
He simply looked at her, “Like an ant gradually becoming a whale… the differences are simply unbelievable, even an ant becoming a dog or even an elephant is crazy enough, a whale… now that’s a fucking sight. It's like making your way from ordinary superpowers which are already amazing enough… to godhood.”
A bright flame burned within the depths of O’Brien's pupils, while absent in humans he had seen some of the transcendent races in action. The power of the Leviathan was nothing short of God-like.
Such powers… before he couldn’t even imagine attaining them. Now, he had hope.
“The supernatural energy in the air, wielded by monsters and aliens is enough to show you a glimpse of what's possible. This energy will continue to grow and become more powerful.”
O’Brien seemed a bit melancholic recalling his various encounters with Card Masters and Monsters of higher realms. Unfortunately, while they had something of a novice protection period at the start of the apocalypse, this quickly broke down into a chaotic free-for-all later on.
After a while, he took out a few more Cards.
It was no exaggeration to call O’Brien the Card Baron with the expansive collection of cards he now possessed. He likely had everything one could think of, although he didn’t exactly know how to use the majority of them. A few were all he needed to make a difference.
He didn’t dare try and activate each card one by one to see what worked as the chance of something bad happening was too high of a risk, a largely unnecessary act as O’Brien was in no major rush.
Furthermore, once bitten twice shy, in the past he would have never imagined that the Clay Golem Advancement Method was so harmful. It was something dozens of mercenaries fought over and he won after a difficult fight lasting over a week. It was his baby at the time.
He was simply too ignorant and eager for quick results that he didn't want or dare to do any research and jumped head first into the fragrant rocky pits.
This time, he would choose a smarter approach.
O’Brien took out a fortune-type card, the Grey Ash grade [Greedy Merchant’s Pupils], then he overclocked the card by flooding it with his fully recovered grey ash card essence, afterwards, he used it to find the highest-ranked fortune card in his vast collection and a replication card.
His eyes glowed a turbid green before they quickly dissipated.
After finding the replication card, he was able to pick out six more of the same once he recognized its appearance even after the effects of the [Greedy Merchant’s Pupils] faded.
He held up the highest quality fortune card he possessed, well it seemed to be more of a mental/deductive type card with a weak fate attribute instead of a pure fortune card like the [Greedy Merchant's Pupils].
‘So it’s called [Stargazer’s Myriad Deductions], a Green Copper grade card. My card essence reserves definitely cannot meet the requirements to forcefully activate such a card.’
The card depicted a phantom figure gazing at shifting constellations, the rear surface of the card was almost pure black adorned with flickering silver-like gems at the centre of geometric lines and grooves.