Chapter 2: Run! Sprint! Soar! Fly! …Monk!

Upon inquiry of the crystal pillar in front of me, Reccu stated that it served as a transportation device. The object itself is a mystery, however its functionality serves as the dungeon’s home base, according to her. The ability to teleport directly to this base can only be used by those of sufficient importance to the dungeon. She explained that we were both designated as this dungeon’s master, but Goddess Anastasia granted the power to bestow its name only to me.

“Shangri-La.” I answered.

“Shangri-La…” Reccu raised a finger and wrote the name onto the crystal pillar.

A shimmering light traced her fingers movement, merging the inscription into the rock. With her finger resting at her side, the four rings floating above the crystal pillar frantically rotated. Illumination from the crevices surged upwards, concentrating into the spectral of energy at the center of those rings. Settling at its core, the rings spiraled faster; the once discernable rings blurred into a magnificent sight to behold. Hundreds of small balls of energy from the core burst outwards into a curving trajectory that chipped away at the crystal pillar. It ate away at the crystals and its excessive stone fat. Hints of a small marble stone glimmering in a mystical blue coat peeked through as the process came to a finish.

One final burst of concentrated spectral energy shot to the sky, detaching into many other smaller spectral energies. All flew in its own direction, as if flying to a designated position to deliver a message. The rings gradually slowed to a stop. The heated energy fell to a slumber. With the marble stone fully fleshed out, Reccu traced her fingertip to spell ‘Shangri-La’ once more. A soft mist emerged from the pillar and flew into her very essence. The marble pillar oozed of magical energy, spilling into the crevices of the stone ground as once before.

“It’s done.” Reccu sighed, and stepped back with a smile on her face.

“Incredible…” A single word escape my lips, but it hardly did it any justice. The entire event was akin to a mastery magic show of lights. Capturing it on video could never deliver the same experience that I just had; these kinds of monumental experiences have to be witnessed live.

Reccu turned to me and mentioned that it’s partially functional now. The ability to teleport to home base has been activated. Touching any interconnected warp portal and saying ‘Temuair / Chrysalis / Legend / Shangri-La’ was all it took to be transported back here. In a heavy and solemn tone, she stated that sharing the keyword was restricted only to the most trusted and loyalist people. Proper procedure was to do an unspoken, mental incantation after making physical contact with a warp portal.

It was a lot of information to take in all at once, but I thanked her nevertheless. Keywords, warp portals, incantations, and absolute secrecy… I’ll have to keep those in mind.

Now with that all done Reccu probe my intentions and directions for the dungeon. Suggestions such as a proper defense or some sort of trap were offered. Times and dates of the construction process was brought up. Possibility of environmental advantages were brought into the discussion as well.

“Not at this moment.” I shook my head. “There’s nothing worth protecting here, yet. If someone manages to steal this warp portal, then we should be able to teleport to its location and take it back, right?”

“Yes…” Reccu nodded. “Warp portals are priceless, but that’s because they can only be activated once. If they find out this one has already been activated… they probably won’t take it. Then, what should we do?”

“Our Shangri-La will be the best sight this world has to offer.” I smiled at her. “But we have to take careful steps to get there. At the basis of them all is information and power. I need to learn more about the world, both major and minor details. We’ll be the pillars of our paradise, so we have to work hard to be strong as well.”

“The best… I like that.” Reccu energetically leaped forward, and pointed at me. “I don’t know everything there is to know about Temuair, but if we have to get stronger then, first, let’s choose your Path!”

“Path?” I looked at the ground, confused.

“You’re a peasant, aren’t you?” Reccu held a mocking grin. “There’s definitely zero-chance you can do anything the way you’re now. Let’s go to the nearest city and get you acquainted with a master.”

So that’s what she meant. I remember reading “Class: Peasant” from the character information screen on my desktop. If she calls ‘Class’ as ‘Path,’ then it’s highly likely that there are more terms that differ between in-game and real-life.

Agreeing to her suggestion, Reccu jaunted onto the north-east road, one of the many roads connected to the warp portal.

Tall full-of-life trees flanked the sides of the dirt road. Lots of debris from natural erosion and loose grass held a knife to the only road in sight; this particular road wasn’t well-maintained or used a lot, evident by nature overtaking a quarter of the space available. Despite the quality of the road the shades provided by massive trees and the occasional chilly breeze made the journey refreshing.

As we walked, I asked her about the various daily activities she partook in and hobbies she has. My voice was met with quietness and a jog into a frisk pace. The distance between us grew large, and evidently, I found myself having to put in effort to keep up. A glance back exposed a playful smirk, daring me and challenging me, as if asking, ‘Can you stay on my tail?’ Abandoning the idea of a relaxing walk, the sudden increase of our speed was no less than a marathon.

We ran and jump, regardless for the quality and condition of our clothes. Our appearances, unseemingly or not, held no spot in our minds. With all my might I was able to retain the gap between us, but no longer had a surplus of agility to shorten the gap. Climbing, jumping, and gliding from tree-to-tree had us on a detour. The road was still in view, but that came second to the race that we’ve uphold.

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This… is exhilarating!

No longer am I bounded by unhealthy lifestyle choices. Through the pressing of the wind against my body, I could see how lean I was compared to real-life. The adrenaline in my body screamed more and more. Memories of track and cross-country played in my mind, telling the story of a life in high-school.

Run! Sprint! Soar! Fly!

The rush of wind combed through my hair. The ever-changing scenery stole my breath. My body was so fluffy and floaty as I traced Reccu’s tail. All the fun I’m having had me rediscovering appreciation for a palate I’ve long lost: the nectar of nature.

Travelers on the road, caravans hauling cargos, and workers working through the day all heard a melody of innocent laughter. Their eyes caught a glimpse of two competitors with an unbelievable happiness about them, seemingly from running. Joyous mirth flew out of the forest and into green, open plains with many interconnected roads.

Their genuine amusement caught eyes of everyone they passed, up to an enormous stone wall that spread to the horizon. Persisting chuckles had spectators affected by their smile, naturally curving their own lips. It was a sight to behold -- in a life of hardships and troubles, just seeing how the two of them can be so genuinely happy made them hopeful.

Their festive melodious laughter came to an end, leaving behind one final message: Life is worth living.

Reccu fell onto the bottom of her trench coat, gasping for air with her head tilted high. Swaying left and right, her hair danced to a gentle gust of wind. Droplets of sweat watered the ground. Heaving in a stomach-full of air, she exhaled, satiated.

Some people say beauty lies within the eyes of the beholder. I think they haven’t personally witness something that could be universally beautiful.

I collapsed onto the road in front of an open giant gate with soldiers stationed on both sides. My heart pounded so loudly that I may just enter into a state of heart-attack. Breathless, and desperate for air, my mouth refused to shut-tight.

Reccu glanced at me, and I looked back. Nothing could’ve wiped the smile on our faces as we helped each other stand tall.

***

Entering the city was free, and without any bodily checks by the guards.

The bustling noise of the streets inaccurately depicted the density of the crowd. Roads in the city were oversaturated with all kinds of folks: impoverish beggars, merchants, vendors, caravans, and cheaply-adorned adventurers were a droplet in a puddle. Shop workers routinely added liveliness to the road; blacksmiths hammered away, merchants bargained for cheaper prices, inn-keepers kicked and shouted patrons out of their business. Caravans and cargoes retained most of the road, and pedestrians paid careful attention to their belongings as they went about their everyday lives.

At the center of the magnificent city was a warp portal that was magnitudes larger than the one at our dungeon. It was the tallest obstacle in view, saved for the ginormous castle wall that was elevated in the northern section of the city. This was probably the busiest place of them all. Constant orbs of light spawned beings that resembled humans. The majority of them were equipped with a ragged T-shirt, uninspiring pants, and worn footwear -- just like me. Peasantry came to mind, but there were also sprinkles of variety mixed within the massive crowd; Warriors geared in sword-and-shield appeared, magical users in robe-and-hat held staves and wand, and scarves-mask wearers held bows and daggers.

A bulletin board half the height of the warp portal displayed useful geographical information of the city. The map was large -- easy-to-see given its elevation. An X marked the center of the map to inform viewers of their current location. Map symbols -- a legend -- decorated the bulletin board with all kinds of symbols, denoting the location in respect to the X marked at the center. The bulletin board wasn’t static; it changed periodically: from an overview of the map, to different enlarged sections of the map, and then to advertisements of various stores and schools.

One advertisement was especially eye-catching, with its bolded text and rule-of-cool graphics. The content of the advertisement appealed to the Monk path, which adventurers can freely advance to. It dared adventurers with a catching phrase: ‘Harmony with nature. Become tranquil and be at peace. The land is dormant, waiting for you to control it.’

Needless to say, I was sold. I was more than sold. Reccu let out an indecent yelp as I suddenly grabbed her hand and dashed to ‘Suomi’s Dojo of Cail.’

Arriving at the Suomi’s Dojo of Cail, shouts of ‘HAH’ and ‘CHAH’ were rambunctious. Their unison roars pierced the wooden wall of the eastern-inspired architectural building. Ascending a small flight of wooden stairs, we slid the door open, and there -- a carefully orchestrated show was on display. The teacher had massive bulks of muscles, impressively and thoughtfully grown to provide strength, yet not to hinder movement. Shouting, punching, and kicking -- barefooted and barehanded -- in front of him were hundreds of people in single-color Doboks -- an eastern-inspired loose-fitting garment that maximizes movement with decent protection. They were in a rhythmic sync -- choreographed with the beat of their breaths.

“Do you wish to be at harmony with nature?” A man approached us with both hands clasped behind his back. Bald headed and half-naked, the man boasted lean muscles with chains of bead around his neck and wrist.

“Yes!” I immediately answered.

The brother Monk guided us to a separate room, where the shouts of the practitioners could still be heard. A large chest sat to the side of the only other two significant items in the room. One white circular pillow laid at the center of the room, with another white pillow facing it. Sitting down on top of it, the disciple clasped his hand and gestured me to do the same. Complying with his gesture, I sat down, clasped my hand, and bowed just as he bowed to me.

“To walk this Path is to forsake the desire of your Earthly Tethers.” The disciple spoke with his eyes closed. “To walk this Path means that you will forsworn valor, wealth, and envy. Harmony is what you seek -- searching for beauty in nature is what you desire. Your hands and feet opens the gate to nature’s deepest. Leave them free; uninhibited by materialistic desire. Do you wish to walk the Path of Cail and his allies?”

I discarded the boots on my feet and laid my hands on the ground. With a bow, I said, “Yes.”

The disciple opened his eyes, walked over to the chest, and procured a white Dobok. Presenting it to me, he said, “Welcome, brother.”

“Thank you, brother.” I gratefully accepted his gift and stood up.

“May you find harmony.” The disciple stood up and made his way to the door.

Reccu gave me a proud slap-on-the-back and cheered for my success.

Oddly, the disciple didn’t offer Reccu the same proposition he offered to me. Before he slid the door open, I quickly called out to him, respectfully. “Brother, my friend would also like to join.”

The disciple turned around and clasped his hand. “She has already chosen a different Path. One who does not walk the Path of Cail, or his allies, cannot aspire to be a Monk. If you wish to forsaken your deity, please do so within your tradition. Cail will always accept you, if you wish so in the future.”

Reccu reassured that she wasn’t here for herself. Forcing the new outfit onto me, she sized me up-and-down, nodding at my exposed physiques. Circling around me had me a bit nervous, but I stood still nevertheless.

“Okay!” She smiled. “Now that you’re not such a weakling anymore, let’s see which one of us is stronger!”