Luon’s first class ended uneventfully, classes were now over, and now it was time for leisure. Luon made his way to consult Bendan about methods to make him more physically stronger. His skill set did not match his physical fitness, and he didn’t have any authentic offensive skills other than wind magic.
Bendan was with the other two dorm mates when Luon found him, without any pretenses they greeted each other happily.
Although their combat instructor was a little mean looking and classes were a bit tiresome - the feeling of freedom, liberation and leisure time afterward washes away all possible stress and build up as they somehow magically recharge their mood to do more later activities.
Luon had little experience with friends in his simulations, he was a loner and quite an odd one as well. Instead of friends, all he had were comrades in arms, co-workers, and servants. The only time he had friends would be the first simulation, but they were more like regular classmates which after he started working in a company, never had contact again.
He gazed about the group who were smiling and laughing and their dumb conversations and thought ‘I guess this might be what it feels like to have friends.’
He couldn’t help but smile at the dirty conversation they were having about the beauties they have in class. Especially since even the expressionless Tyron had a small curl in the corner of his lips.
However, this mood didn’t last long. Luon shook off his joyful mood, what he needed to do right now is get stronger. For job stability, personal safety in this dangerous world, and to protect the smiles of his friends and family, he has to work harder.
With that in mind, he gulped nervously as he asked Bendan “Hey Bendan do you know any martial skills or cultivation technique that can improve my physique?”
Knowledge is power, and it has incredible value. People would literally kill for more advanced information that makes oneself better than others especially in the world of cultivators. These martial manuals passed down from generation to generation was sought for creating heaps of corpses and rivers of blood. To ask for a martial artists cultivation techniques was almost equal to asking for death itself.
Luon didn’t want their friendship to be ruined by such a thought, however, to his surprise, Bendan was very enthusiastic about teaching Luon some cultivation techniques.
Bendan, of course, wasn’t allowed to share his household cultivation techniques but he often spent a lot of time researching other cultivation techniques available to the Nexus solar system. He was a muscle head after all.
After a few minutes of Bendan lecturing Luon about his valuable knowledge about cultivators, cultivation techniques, attack and defensive skills and much more Luon was in a dazed state. He has not dazed in enlightenment, it was more akin to confusion, he had no idea what techniques these were or how to use them.
Bendan’s explanation skills were poor, the way he articulates and describes the moves can confuse even the smartest of individuals. After all who can understand what the Heavenly Tribunal Fire - Flaming Flying Sword Technique was? With such a long name adding to the confusion who else can understand what the move actually does with a couple of vrooom, swish, poof and boom sounds? In other words, Bendan spent several minutes in his own little world leaving Luon at a loss.
Gizmo seeing this scene laughed out loud. After he was done laughing he interrupted the lecture.
“If you wanted to read up on cultivation techniques then why don’t you go to the Nexus University library? Unlike most cultivation techniques you can read online on the database the school imports physical copies from the cultivators solar system with mental inscriptions on them to help express these techniques. It would be much easier to learn.” Gizmo felt like laughing even more at the dumb conversation they had but held it in.
Those words were like an oasis in a desert for Luon. He never knew that the school had imported real books and manuals from other solar systems when everything was practically digitized. He could have found out much earlier if Arisa hadn’t intercepted him before he had reached the library.
Luon was excited to go to the library, and since the other members of the group had nothing better to do, they followed along.
Along the way, Luon found out more and more about the universe from Gizmo. Industrialization had exhausted almost all of the Nexus solar systems resources which were the main reason for the digitization and preservation of materials. However, with the international trade with the other solar systems, the Nexus solar system traded scientific knowledge for natural resources allowing some leeway to get by.
However, trade had slowly stagnated as other solar systems quickly caught up to the technological levels of the Nexus solar systems. Not only did they succeeded in replicating their current level of technology, but they also fixed and learned from the faults of the Nexus solar systems steps in industrialization.
For example when they were introduced cars that emit harmful, unhealthy fumes in exchange for faster transportation they did not invest any of their efforts in that field.
Magical worlds already have tamed beast that can already go much faster, and with the invention of transposition magic, it was not needed whatsoever.
The group quickly arrived at the library, and Luon was surprised to find that the library was exactly how he imagined it.
A vast pathway hailed by the enormous bookshelves filled to the brim with tomes worth killing for. Luon had reached paradise.
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Immediately the group got to work to find a cultivation method that suited Luon the most.
Before there searched Luon was recommended by Bendan to find some offensive skills that utilize wind magic and qi energy combined together as well as a body tempering method that could at least help him reach the combat level of about 50 which just muscles and no skills as it suited him the most right now.
Time passes slowly and about a few hours in Luon had yet found a proper cultivation technique for him.
There were just too many books to read about for cultivation techniques he was clueless as the glossary and search engine filters didn’t help him that much in finding a technique just right for him.
“It looks like when your mind is occupied your awareness becomes even more lackluster.” As Luon made his way through the maze-like library shelves, an angelic voice startled him once more as he recalls this happening last night.
He used his senses and faced a particular direction to find a beautiful pair of crimson gems in a dark corner before him, and within the darkness, a beauty once again appears before Luon.
“We meet again, and it looks like your actually using the library right this time.” With a chuckle, Arisa slowly approached Luon.
Luon although surprised by her appearance relaxed and greeted her normally as they were currently classmates, she wouldn’t go out of her way to attack him in the library he thought.
“Hello Arisa, nice match you had today. So how can I help you?” Luon unfazed by her intimidating aura replied.
“Well seeing how you just offended Zythos from the Mythos clan I just came by to grab some loot before you mysteriously disappear overnight.” Arisa smiled at Luon as she stretched on hand out in Luon’s direction as if asking for something.
Luon was confused. She already had her NG-Arms making her about 20 combat levels more higher than the average of a new student what can she possibly want from Luon?
Seeing Luon act dumb Arisa declared to Luon, “Give me your sword, X-Reaver was it? I used my BMPU earlier. Tsk tsk, that sword would be perfect in my personal collection.”
Hearing those words Luon mind began to operate if he were to give her the sword couldn’t she shelter him from the Mythos clan? He wouldn’t have to worry about Zythos then.
With that in mind, he gulped and firmly said to Arisa. “This sword was made with my own efforts, isn’t it normal to trade for it?”
Arisa chuckled at those words as she slowly articulated “Why do I need to trade with a dead man?”
Her words froze Luon a bit but he started unwillingly at Arisa, he had already offended one faction who cares about another? If there was a single line of hope, he could only pray for it.
Seeing Luon’s firm stance, Arisa nodded at his demeanor she then said “Fine I can trade for it, but I can’t give you too much for it. That includes protection against the Mythos clan, tensions are already tight enough.”
Luon was disappointed to hear that her family couldn’t protect him from the Mythos clan and he began to think what would be helpful for him.
He then asked if she can give him a set of NG-Arms or some legendary cultivation techniques or something akin to that.
Arisa frowned and said “If you want NG-Arms you should go ask Shizuka, as for the rest of what you want isn’t there too much difference in value? Hmph, at most I can give you a unique grade cultivation manual I found lying around in my house for your unique grade sword.”
Luon pondered for a second if he wanted another excellent sword all he had to do is craft one later when he has the money to buy the materials. A unique grade manual seems more useful to Luon right now.
Luon agreed with her off and pulled the sword out of his intraspatial bag, and they exchanged items after she did the same.
Luon used his Eye of Insight skill right away at the manual to find out whether or not her claim was valid.
[Damaged - The path of the Asura]
[Rank - Unique]
[Writings and notes of enlightenment about obtaining the immortal body of the Asura. Due to wear the writing has become illegible in a significant amount of sections.]
Luon found the book was indeed a unique rank manual however it was damaged. It may have possibly been a higher ranked level before it was deteriorated, but now it was a garbage manual.
Luon turned to face Arisa only to find her completely missing from the scene, after the exchange she fled silently without alerting him.
Luon was angered, he wanted to vent his feelings on the damaged manual but decided against so. No matter what he did not, he couldn’t possibly do anything as the deed has already been done.
He sadly packed away the manual to check out the value later and went to regroup with the others.
After spending so much time at the library, they could only find a few manuals that were useful for Luon.
“Thanks for your help guys, I really appreciate it,” Luon said as he thanked them honestly.
What he obtained today was 5 manuals, but he lost his sword. Besides the manual, he received from Arisa the others were perfect for the current him.
“Great! Now that you have you found something let's go have some fun at Varz!” Gizmo who was bored at reading through cultivation manuals to help Luon out bellowed excitedly.
Luon frowned at his words, his experiences at Varz wasn’t so satisfying so far. It only made him realizes his helplessness in his combat abilities against an army of virtual Inzektors and the disparity between himself to other heroic figures.
Rather than waste his time honing his already well-defined skills it would be better to start cultivating with the newly obtained body tempering technique to create a physique to match it.
Gizmo who saw Luon’s expression questioned Luon’s dissatisfying response in which Luon replayed his first time at Varz for Gizmo.
After hearing Luon out, Gizmo nodded his head and said, “Well I wouldn’t be surprised at how your experience went with the tutorial, after all, it was made for you to lose. But besides the tutorial, there is a player versus player rank system, local practice matches, and a practice-cum-study mode which is extremely fun. Instead of fighting those Inzektors all the time what do you think of fighting Orcs? Dragons? Heck, kobolds and gnomes are also fun to beat up, and I am pretty sure you would definitely enjoy beating some beastman after today classes right?”
Luon after hearing those words grew more interested in Varz, the system can replicate hundreds of other races combat potentials and possible thought processes through its AI system.
Seeing Luon ponder about it Gizmo urged the group to Varz situated on the campus in which he booked a room for the four of them.
After entering the Vortex container, Luon logged into the lobby room to find a very awkward and weird sight in front of him.
Before Luon were two females and a tall barbarian and at first, he thought he was in the wrong room, but one of the women confirmed his suspicion.
“Hey man, why are you using the default avatar? Why not change into something you can never experience before in real life?” Gizmo who was one of those females replied with a bell-like voice which crept Luon as he knew what he was like in real life.
Apparently, avatar changing was popular in virtual reality the sensations the system provided was very close to the real thing which made a lot of users become girls (Guys in real life) in the game. Of course, this was also the same for the vice-versa as it wasn’t uncommon for a group of girls to appear as men online. Luon thought about how deceiving and awkward it is to be on the network filled with traps and tricks.
He imagines a group of girls playing as guys online acting exceptionally intimate and he grew goosebumps at the thought.
Was this really practice? Or were they here just to play around?
Luon can only sigh at the fools.