So, the running water is the sound coming from the crevice? Murai wondered, floating on the spot and letting the water hit his face. It was filling the pool all so slowly, like a pour of a house over to a wide chasm. One would wonder how long it took to fill this up. The water that bathed him was normal apart from the heat it carried. Then, it turned into a mana-infused Celestial Pool in the end.
How it went was a secret hiding below. Murai was preparing for the subsequent problem that came with it. He didn't know how to leave this place, so his head was buzzing with blunders of his choice to plunge down like an idiot. He didn't regret it. If he did...well, he didn't know what else to do. He acted without thinking.
The walls were straight like a tower, and he couldn't even see the ceiling that was at least a few dozen meters tall.
Now what? I suppose this is my failure, yet if there is a source of something, there must be a way out too, he thought as he got back to his research. It wouldn't be pretty if I had come here in the past, but, I may be screwed now anyway. There is no way out of this unless one would have some damned wings... Wings?
Murai stopped himself from even stating what he wanted to think next. However, the matter of tell and show was a different thing. Murai flapped his wings in an attempt to do something with them, but they didn't do shit apart from splashing some water around him. As he fell from before, his wings weren't listening or acting as they should. He was at fault. He never had wings to care for.
Yeah. This is to be expected. The inefficiency of this "duck" stuff is apparent, he sighed in disappointment after his bath. Maybe more practice could be sufficient to get more experience with wings. What kind of... Nah. I know ducks can be good at flying but how in the world do they do this thing? You swing it, put the weight down, or...what again?
Murai observed his wings, looking at how wide and long they were thanks to his flexible neck. Fog obscured him, but not enough to see his own body.
What about gliding? Are ducks good at this? I have no idea if that's true or not. Hell, how would they even become one with demonic beasts or whatnot? That's what I call horror! Demons in the shape of a duck?! I like it. So what would a demonic beast be described as a duck? Will I grow to gargantuan properties like my Soul Manifestation or my Robust Spirit? Doubtful. Thinking of making a duck into a monster is utterly ridiculous, but here I am.
Murai kept practicing his swimming, forgetting the issue of how to get out at all. After a couple of hours into his long stretch of figuring out the surroundings, he didn't find anything that could help him. The walls were smooth, making them unreachable for him. The only open place was the one he used to get here or the crevice that was way above, and full of flowing water so he wouldn't do much with it anyway.
A few more hours into this swimming madness, and additional training of his Shaping and Conjuring, the Will of the Battleworld once again spoke to his soul.
[Soul Bond is completed, dear Citizen]
[Lisa is now the only person who can be called your Life Companion under the notion of the Battleworld. She will be the key person in your life as a Blessed, providing you with knowledge, and various benefits as Life Companion]
[There are many other ways of getting some help. Companions are popular, as Blessed have their worth in many layers. Some of them work with the premise of the Soul Oath, others at simple words, or brotherhood, or other things]
[You are free to make any companions, familiars, slaves, and so on according to your wishes, luck, and options]
[We don't care how, but one's willingness to follow you is mandatory to have. No amount of declining should make you force the target to submission. One's will has to be theirs]
[Oath makes this deal completed]
[Additionally, Celestial Pool has done its initial course.]
[Your legs have been quite something, but they are still too small nor powerful enough to change their status, or your swimming]
[It isn't refined, frankly, so try harder]
[Dexterity + 3, Strength +2, and Vitality +1 through the Celestial Pool]
[Mana Replenishment is passively increased in Celestial Pool by double the amount: 20 points a minute]
[Mana Replenishment: Level up!]
[Current Level: 2]
[Mana Pool Replenishment: 24 a minute, true replenishment: 12]
The Will of the Battleworld ended its massage, and Murai felt a thin sublime wave approaching, shaking the fog and water all around him. Just a couple of attributes hadn't felt that great, but the Replenishment did make a difference. He felt the increased flow to his core straight away.
Oh? 20% increase is a single Level? It's been only a few hours. Attributes felt like nothing. What a bummer, or I don't feel it because of the pool? Seems good enough, Murai thought. This reminds me of treasures that could empower the person and even their surroundings. Let's try to feel the Mana Flow of this Celestial Pool and maybe I will get some better results.
Murai went to the very middle of this cave; he wasn't sure where was the middle part, thanks to the fog. Mana Detection was also quite limited thanks to the endless and dense flow of mana in this place.
For now, he focused his mind, trying to conceive his connection to the core of his mana in its beginner stage. Unlike those numbers or abilities provided by some questionable voice, mana itself was something that no one should conquer like a tool. However, it was something that the Will of the Battleworld granted him in his evolution, as mana was a tool capable of empowering others. When it came to learning, he was on his own.
Working with mana was up to the individual benefits, though Will of the Battleworld did put its voice and abilities for everyone's benefit. At least for those deserving them, anyway.
Mana wasn't only in this world. It was an encompassing matter that went beyond common sense, fueling a lot of worlds, galaxies, and clusters of stars.
Upgrading was an impending accomplishment that depended on his efforts, and his experiences should give him at least some advantages. Battleworld shouldn't be giving him any limiting factors in that idea, as the biggest hurdle was one's head or body. Not some voice that accompanied his soul.
Using mana much more effectively was nothing but his problem in Shaping, though the Mana Shaping ability did have its leveling process and Grade. So far, it remained unchanging, even when he felt like he was improving.
Murai correlated this idea with basic learning, and these waves of powers wouldn't come at him on their own. They carried his accomplishments and training, or they had something to do with battles. Thinking of them as rewards or just numbers to go with his training didn't seem far off from the truth either.
Of course, the actual hurdle was the different body and drastic changes in efficiency.
Murai knew that if he was born a human, he would've gotten the hang of this mana without a single issue. Following this systematic Grade and Levels to higher stages just in a couple of weeks wouldn't be a dream. But he was no man, and his mana itself was unlike them as well. Calling his core a Beast Core would be almost poetically sensible
Where to start with Panacea magic? It was confusing to his memories and physical senses, feeling as if his reasons were overloaded when he tried to handle his magic. Mana should be familiar to him! An art that he mastered to a high degree.
It wasn't all terrible and clouded. At least he had his Universal Affinity, which seemed like something that didn't excel at anything, yet it acted with everything. He could change it by focusing on some affinity of his choice. Apart from that, his hefty amount of mana was huge even at the dawn of his core, allowing him to train longer if necessary.
Being a beginner mage after so long put a lot of memories in his head. This one had a different issue altogether, but the mindset remained the same. It wasn't as if he couldn't manage some Conjuration and Shaping simultaneously in his mind. Unfortunately, it went poorly, making mana and his body grow muddled in unfamiliarity.
Making it sustainable or better was a matter of practice. His lives always went that way as long as he would be persistent enough. It was still quicker than any beginner mage managed. Having already experienced some lives, this was exactly the reason why Blessed were this powerful.
Normal people would take much longer, although it depended on their talent, control, or a potential teacher. No matter the issues, Murai was still satisfied, regardless of his Beast Core playing a villain. It was trying him, he swore a couple of times, so he overwhelmed it with his pressure. Managing to hit some sort of sweet spot of his Conjuring and Shaping worked as long as he was squeezing it like a neck.
Mana was an encompassing form of energy that lived in almost everything within the River of Manaflow. It seeped into the world in huge waves, empowering stones, water, and living beings. Acquiring Mana Core wasn't something limitless. It required talent and considerable luck to maintain it without issues, and this world turned it to another side. Bloodline might be another variable, as all sorts of things fused under these powers.
When one got familiar with it enough, it was much better than using the mana of the world like any other element. The source within oneself acted like a huge Catalyst, giving a person an advantage that was hard to restrict. With a small, infinitely tiny River of Manaflow in the body, power flowed under one's grasp.
That was how Mana Cores were known to him in his previous lives. The principles were hardly unchanging, though cultures and settings did leave their marks in the history of power. The Success of the Mana Core was the largest benefit, strengthening the efficiency and power of one's spells and mana itself.
It could also strengthen the mana pool that was within the Mana Core itself, as Success was like a Level. It carried growth within that would increase exponentially toward the peak, changing from Small Success to Medium, before reaching the Peak. Then, it would turn to a new tier of a Core in itself, replaying the cycle of improvements with higher ceilings, wilder flow, and endless training.
Murai had no doubt this world carried this idea in their modified principles, yet how much could it change from the norm? He doubted it would go too far. And if it would, why would he need to take this world for its rules? He could go against it! It wouldn't be the first time he would go against the norm. His entire living was one big torturous course to go against everything.
But there was no denying this world had its culture. He was getting numerical values, Grades, and other benefits. Murai had yet to discover the true value of his Beast Core, which wasn't like the Mana Core known to men. Was working with it the same as with the Mana Core? Time, materials, usage of the mana itself, and continued progression with Shaping and Conjuring did the basics. Mastering it, however, wasn't as easy as handling some treasure and hoping to become a king.
With enough time, it should be possible to crack any wrongdoings. His core should be a pretty high priority if he was seeking the highest amount of power quickly. Crashing it to Revolving Core would grant him a higher aptitude for Shaping, and Conjuring, and the might of his spell would increase exponentially.
Was Murai seeking power?
He always did.
Will of the Battleworld at least left him with a clearer picture of what he could work with. His basic Grade of mana was F which meant the lowest point of this world. That meant he was an utter garbage, wasn't he? He couldn't deny what he was feeling himself with his body.
He did not need some validation like an excuse for accomplishment. It sounded cheap. He always did his best, and when the best wasn't enough, reaching a higher ceiling that was previously unobtainable was his goal. This was a fundamental rule of his Cursed Living. A choice that caused many of his lives to be unlike the previous ones since the best was always changing.
That should be the same case this time, but he was skeptical about his ways and choice. The issue had a single core problem. He was a duck, albeit an unordinary one.
“Huh?” Murai's quack echoed in the cave. “This whole Celestial pool is seeping of the fire element, mixed with water element? There must be a source of fire magic beneath this pond and it shouldn't be ordinary. A treasure? What sort of treasure is this and how are they ranked?!” Murai asked himself, wriggling his tail in excitement without even knowing about it.
This called for an adventure.
During his rambling points, ideologies stemming from different Skies, and his Mana Detection that worked like an open-minded eye to mana, Lisa woke up in his Soul Space. She was exhausted from viewing his memory fragments, which she found to be a massive mistake beyond her means. She couldn't even continue trying for more than a couple of hours, fearing that her soul would crumble apart if she tried it for longer.
“You!” she shouted in his soul space. “Where do you think you are, Murai Hisagi?” Lisa shouted again with the full use of his name. She long discovered the strangeness of reality through her bond when she was inside of him. She comprehended what was happening in the outside world without being there at all. She was like a parasite sensing his soul, and allowing her to sense the outside world.
“You woke up at perfect timing, hah! Go back to sleep.” Murai barked at her with his Will, which amounted to thinking to himself. That was enough for Lisa to hear it. “Those few hours weren't enough. Go sleep some more. I bet my memory fragments made you more than exhausted. Considering you didn't dissipate, you are at least clever enough to view what you could take.”
He spoke with a dismissive attitude, but that didn't make her angry. She heard it differently. One could even say that she was hearing things that she wanted to hear while ignoring the rest. That was what made Lisa a self-centered person, but it wasn't wrong by any means. Murai was no better. Both of them had some similarities in their personalities, but both had different experiences and expectations of the past or the future.
“Screw your fragments, you lunatic!” she cursed him, unhappily floating in his soul space and looking at the glowing Robust Spirit that was curled up like a giant sleeping chicken. “ Anyway, I don't care about your fragments. I will view them one day. You bet on that. Right now, you are in a Celestial Pool. How? Where in the hell have you found it? Do you know what it even does for such a Child as yourself?” She said with a change of attitude, quickly correcting what she wanted to do. “Wait. Wait. I don't care about that! Let me out so I can see things myself. How about it?”
“You are a bother,” Murai argued, but one way or another, she might be more useful outside than barking in his head. It seemed she was quite surprised by his soul and memories, which made their power dynamic different than before.
He was the boss here, so he gave her his permission to get out of his Soul Space. Lisa materialized into reality in a similar motion as she fused with him. Azure flaming waves spread from him, and a couple of seconds later, the same glistering wings, long hair, and glowing body emerged.
Without caring about his words, she began to fly around, feeling the world around her as his official Life Companion. Murai watched her, feeling that she seemed a bit different than before. She disappeared to fog, though she was more vivid, clear, and firm. She also grew a little.
As a former Blessed and soul form of unknown origin, rank, value, or rarity, she had some abilities that Murai was unaware of. One day, he would understand how this encounter messed up the rules, as well as how Battleworld was undeniably messy.
The Soul Bond with a dead spirit—or with soul form in general—was an insane idea, similar to the Blessed concepts and what their Life Companions depicted. There was a catch in nearly everything Murai came to know, which all stemmed from this world. Was it too high? Important? Could he solve the highest hurdle of his Cursed Living and actually find a sense of peace in this endless loop?
Lisa wasn't some ordinary soul, but one that was plenty powerful long before she became... this. Whatever it was that did this work was the utmost monster with godly comprehension of the souls. Perhaps Afterlife was involved with this too.
Her past was weird, but her soul became one with mana in her re-creation, sending her to her new purpose. It was nothing normal. Even amongst the Gods, few would dare to call themselves all-knowing about the souls. This was definitely suspicious.
“Hisagi Murai, what in the world do you think this is?” she asked again, obvious to the lack of care Murai gave to her.
He long paid attention to other things, leaving her floating alone and lost in the fog.
“Hey! Don’ ignore me! This is a good treasure place you found!” Lisa said, gliding right to his face outside of the fog. She found him thanks to their irreplaceable bond, which made Murai a bit annoyed.
Ignoring her was the least he could do since discovering flowing currents in this place was more intriguing. He also considered whether diving into the water was a good idea or not. From his common sense, ducks seemed like possible divers.
“Shut up. I am trying to look at what I can do,” he quacked at her.
“Why do you need to leave?” she smacked his beak, catching it between her palms. “You should use this Celestial Pool of Grade A as much as you can to grow. It could be unstable, but you can do this. Your species, I mean. This sort of thing isn't created so easily and one doesn't come that often upon them. This is a huge one, with some elemental affinity—” Lisa explained, nodding to her valuable words before Murai quaked at her, freeing his beak by smearing her palms to mist.
“I said it before. I've seen this enough times. I don't care either way about some meaningless companion who knows no boundaries. I said it too. Set something up. We don't want to be annoying to one another. We definitely don't want to be enemies, right?”
“I suppose,” Lisa waved her reforming head as if she felt no pain.
“Figuring out stuff by myself was always the best thing I was good at. You might help me against some odds of this world and setting, so I will let you slide. Hearing your chirping and naggin is unnecessary, however.” He declared, leaving Lisa stunned by such straightforwardness. It wasn't terrible. She expected something worse coming from him.
“Alright. That is my bad of thinking of this as equal, but it isn't equal. Life Companions could be various. Some could be like teachers, and some Blessed could be the souls of children or even animals who've reached some sort of enlightenment. Then, some Blessed think of them as slaves, pets, and... what do you think of this anyway? I haven't asked.”
“That I can grow to hate it or love it. Nothing in between, but you are the one responsible for my opinion. Don't jinx it, but don't destroy it if you want to,” he replied calmly. “I meant it as a warning. Nothing else.”
“Alright. Apologies then,” she said in a sorry manner, remembering little of the chaotic memory fragments she was able to see and feel. “I am sorry. I am, but I don't mean it in any bad way. Celestial Pools are a precious treasure that does come naturally, but never on their own. There should be a source somewhere underwater. Do you know that?” Lisa said, pleading with fake teary eyes to make up for her annoyance.
“Shut up.” Murai glanced away. Lisa figured this might work. “I am well aware of how mana-infused dwellings work. This isn't some normal place.”
“Dwelling?” Lisa folded her arms, observing the water closely.
“Yeah, if you doubt that, follow me. I am exploring, so don't waste too much time with unnecessary talk,” Murai said his rules and to his surprise, Lise followed behind in silence, interested in what he would do.
Murai swam around many times and noticed a few noticeable currents. They were small, hiding, and weak, but they were there, creating a possibility there was an opening down below. He didn't know how deep this cave was, how further the Celestial Pool was reaching its effect, or what it was hiding. It had its source, however, and he wanted to see it.
It was time for diving.
How to go about this? I learned how to swim, so is diving different? It is swimming underwater basically. How many seconds can I keep my breath for? Are the temperatures below dangerous? Murai thought to himself.
Lisa heard his worries. “You don't have to worry about half of those issues, Hisagi Murai. Anatidaes have high heat resistance thanks to their tough and silk-like feather,” she added a surprising fact that even Murai found worth a small praise. Unfortunately, the praise was gone the moment he looked at her smiling face. Her whole body was glowing and looking pretty in its magical curves and flowing patterns.
“Wait a damned second. I think I am forgetting something important. You did mention something about Anatidaes before,” Murai suddenly remembered, turning his beak to her face.
“Yeah? I guess I didn't talk much about it. I wonder why?” she innocently rolled her eyes. “I wasn't able to do so since you think too little of me! Serves you right.. Hmph!” She flickered her wavy hair away in an upset manner.
“That's fair enough because you are exactly that,” Murai added, and before even hearing her words, he dived right into the water, leaving her pouting alone.
“I was trying my best for that idiot,” she cursed at the ceiling before looking down.
Murai used his beak, neck, and as much body strength as he could muster to move underwater. His tiny legs were surprising main elements that helped him go further, and so did his wings. Flapping them forced him down, but there was a surprising amount of resistance.
He was far from being perfectly capable above, let alone underwater. Frankly, he wasn't good at anything.
Half a meter under the surface, Murai was in a different world. His eyes didn't even need adjusting. There was probably some membrane on his eyes, but not like Murai cared about it. What he did care about was the view, glowing glittering crystals in the walls, and an immense amount of heat and resistance.
His Mana Detection felt overwhelmed under the water, so he decided to stop it before he would go blind, or his mind would collapse. There were many interesting things deep at the bottom of this Celestial Pool.
As for how deep this was, Murai found it much... much deeper than he thought from his eyes alone.
The bottom of this cave was at least a few dozen meters deep, surrounded by many crevices and caves. It used to be a normal cave system that must have gotten flooded from the crevice above through many years of continuous water flow. That was kind of strange since the water flowed very little, and for it to submerge this so much, it must have taken a long time.
Alright, Murai thought. I can see great. It seems the eyesight of this species is great from the get-go, and my eyes feel as good as my Mana Detection, but only in physical realms. Well, Mana Detection has its merits in other capacities. For now, it isn't worth much.
Soon enough, he was out of breath. His body winced and panicked, so he flipped his body up as fast as he could back to the surface.
Paddling and shoving his little legs in a quick motion, Murai swam upwards as if he never wanted to live so much. There, he began his chaotic attempt to breathe. “Holy! Carp! This breath was way too short for my liking!” he grimaced and noticed a giggling Lisa not far from him. She remained on the surface, enjoying the scenery and his diving attempt.
“You don't know anything better, Murai Hisagi. You are still Level 5. Not that many high-level abilities are within your body, or something usable. Well, apart from this soul of yours,” she said, pointing her finger at him. “No wonder you are struggling in your flesh. You aren't even trying enough with your mana or using your abilities to strengthen yourself. And don't even let me start on your attributes. They are strong, yet you aren't using your body enough. You are like a fish out of water. Do I have to tell you more before you will listen to me?” Lisa stated, puffing her chest in importance.
Murai paused with whatever issue he had, observing Lisa's obvious, yet serious face with an annoying glare.
He never wanted to slap someone in this life so much. Could his beak touch her? Could his feet stomp her? Could his wings slap her like a fan squashing a mosquito?
Finding answers to these questions never felt simpler.