"What's the most crucial lesson you've learned in combat, child?" Greg, my mentor and savior, inquired, his eyes piercing yet inscrutable. I paused, contemplating his question, before responding thoughtfully, "To shield my emotions in battle and resist all provocations." It was a mantra he had drilled into me over the past three years.
Greg remained silent, his features betraying a hint of disappointment. With a sigh, he corrected me, "Sealing your emotions is paramount, but it's not the entirety of the lesson. You must allow yourself to feel one thing: fear." His words hung in the air as he assumed his combat stance, a subtle shift of his right foot and the slight adjustment of weight signaling his readiness. His breathing slowed, his right hand poised near his chin, while his left extended outward, obscuring part of his body. The atmosphere grew tense, as if the very air around us had thickened. Greg's gaze bore into me, and I felt like prey before an unrelenting predator.
"I still fail to grasp the logic, master. If I clearly outmatch my opponent and I'm fully aware of it, why should I bear any fear?" I countered, the concept of fearing an inferior opponent feeling utterly foreign to me. Reflecting on my attitude, I realized I often questioned the lessons imparted to me, whether they came from Greg or...Baomu. While kindness seemed incongruous with my demonic nature, fear seemed even more absurd. Why should I fear someone weaker than myself, regardless of the circumstances?
Greg abandoned his combat stance, adopting a more relaxed posture, one hand cradling the other behind his back. He let out a subtle sigh before settling into a folding chair he had brought along. "It's a lesson that has been a long time coming, but it's better late than never, I suppose. Let me enlighten you about the dynamics of power in our world."
He proceeded to outline the intricacies of the five kingdoms, each representing a different race, and delved into the inherent issues within each kingdom as well as the conflicts between the races.
The human kingdom, Greg's birthplace, appeared deceptively simple. Situated on the northern edge of the continent, it was governed by a system of hereditary monarchy, where rulership was passed down through the royal family. Typically, the royal couple would have between three and six children, with the record standing at ten. This practice was designed to foster competition among the siblings, ensuring that only the most outstanding would ascend to the throne. Age only became a factor in extreme circumstances, such as when all other contenders were disqualified, and the eldest and youngest remained, or if the current rulers were too old or had been assassinated. Despite this system, Greg described the humans as proud and arrogant. They promoted a strong sense of nobility over commoners, leading to a significant class divide within their kingdom. The nobles embraced this classism, strengthening their position and making it easier for the royals to maintain their power, while the commoners suffered increasingly.
Moreover, the human royalty was characterized by greed and cunning. They would enact laws under the guise of benefiting the lower class, but these laws were often riddled with loopholes that the nobles exploited to further oppress the commoners and expand their influence through bribery.
Militarily, humans were slightly above mediocre. Their army relied on mana, a resource attuned to all races except demons, but their control and manipulation of mana were subpar at best. The most skilled human mage could perhaps rival an 'advanced' mage from another race, but true victory was rare. However, humans had a significant advantage in population size, easily outnumbering two or more other races combined.
There was also a widespread religion that permeated nearly every kingdom, except among demons. Most beings worshipped Cosmos, the god of light and hope. Cosmos was believed to guide them toward righteousness and a morally upright life.
Despite the human kingdom's flaws, Greg also highlighted some positive aspects. He acknowledged that while the upper echelon was often filled with deceitful individuals, there were also kind-hearted souls among them. He spoke of the commoners' generosity and camaraderie, noting how they would share whatever little they had in an effort to help their fellow humans survive another day. Even in the case of a stranger's child falling or appearing lost, commoners would readily stop what they were doing to offer assistance, displaying a remarkable sense of community spirit. Strangely, Greg's lips curved upwards as he recounted these stories.
Shifting his focus to the beast-men and their kingdom, Greg explained that their system of rulership was not blood-based, but determined purely by strength. Periodically, a tournament would be held, open to any beast-man aged between 20 and 65, with the winner earning the right to rule. This emphasis on strength resulted in beast-men being less inclined to share resources with strangers, but more likely to sacrifice their own needs for the sake of their offspring, hoping they would win the tournament someday. However, this led to a unique issue within their society: the treatment of those deemed to have inadequate talent. Children born with subpar abilities were often neglected or even shunned by their parents. In extreme cases, older siblings would resort to "accidents" to eliminate their talented younger siblings, a practice so common that parents would separate siblings if the age gap exceeded five years.
Despite their strong sense of unity, aside from siblings who threatened their position, the beast-men's interpersonal skills were lacking, and their population remained low due to their pride and difficulty in forming meaningful relationships. This was compounded by the fact that most children belonged to the reigning ruler, with kings having multiple wives and queens having multiple husbands. Strength was the primary attraction in their society, allowing the strong to choose their partners freely, while the losers of the tournament faced a much bleaker fate.
The beast-men displayed unconditional kindness towards all races except one: humans. Their kingdoms shared borders, and often the beast-men were targeted by royal human children seeking to prove themselves in combat. For a human to defeat a beast-man was considered a remarkable feat, although these reports often conveniently omitted the outside assistance received from guards and other troops, falsely claiming victory as a solitary achievement. The beast-men's already small population was further strained by the greed of human nobles.
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Greg then shifted his focus to the elves, a peaceful race residing on the eastern border of the continent, between the beast-men and the dwarves. Their expansive forest homeland extended into beast-men territory, providing them with some cover from human attacks, although a clear boundary delineated the territories. Despite this, there was a peace and cooperation treaty between the elves and beast-men, with soldiers from both races stationed along the border to ensure mutual respect. Surprisingly, the atmosphere was far from hostile, and soldiers from both sides often socialized, drank, and partied together, although Greg doubted whether their respective leaderships were aware of these interactions.
The elves were renowned for their beauty, and Greg went so far as to claim that he believed not a single ugly elf had ever been conceived, although this assertion seemed dubious. Their beauty, coupled with their aversion to violence, made them frequent targets for the slave trade that operated between kingdoms. Consequently, the elves rarely ventured beyond the protection of the forest and their allies.
Regarding dwarves, Greg admitted to knowing very little, even less than about elves. He dispelled the common misconception that dwarves were significantly shorter than humans, noting that the average dwarf was only about a head shorter than the average human. He praised the dwarves as masters of whatever weapon they chose to wield, considering them to be the greatest warriors if not for their lack of mana.
Greg's knowledge of dragons was limited, but he described them as a proud and noble race, surpassing even human royalty in their demeanor. However, there were no known instances of dragons mistreating other races or even lesser dragons; they simply regarded themselves as too superior to bother looking down on others. Greg used the analogy, "Would you pity an ant for being an ant, or would you simply see it as an ant and move on?"
Regarding demons, Greg could only provide limited information. He explained that Demon Kings were a relatively new phenomenon, as demons had previously been nomadic and had not settled into villages or cities. Judging from the intonation of his voice as he briefly talked about it, he seemed to know more than he was letting on.
Mana was an ever-present force that anyone could tap into. Again, with the exception of demons. Humans relied heavily on mana in conflicts due to their relatively weaker physique compared to other races. While humans could wield all six attributes, there was no record of any human in history mastering all six. The highest known was four, but even this individual did not live long due to the strain it placed on their body. They weren't bad with weapons per se, but human combat skills paled in comparison to those of other races.
Beast-men excelled in water and air mana but preferred to rely on their own bodies, often using mana to morph parts of their bodies to reflect their animal ancestry rather than casting spells. Elves, despite the contradiction, were skilled in fire and plant mana. Dwarves were attuned to fire, water, and metal mana. Greg had only encountered one dragon, which could use all six attributes and did not seem particularly powerful, leading him to speculate that all dragons might possess this ability. However, their fighting style remained a mystery.
Demons possessed their own unique power system known as inner qi, which could only be used to enhance the toughness of their bodies, strengthen their attacks, improve eyesight, and other physical attributes. Despite their naturally robust bodies, some argued that this was a disadvantage since demons lacked the ability to launch long-range attacks, except for throwing their weapons.
"Speaking of which, put this on, Ashoc," Master ordered, handing me a silver necklace that glinted in the sunlight. Attached to the necklace was a dangling feather or wing-like ornament. I couldn't discern its exact nature, but I complied and put it on. Once the necklace was around my neck, I felt a subtle change. It was as if my senses had dulled, not in the sense of my eyesight or hearing diminishing, but rather as if my connection to the world had diminished. It was like experiencing the world through a veil. "Don't remove it unless absolutely necessary," Master warned, offering no further explanation. After spending enough time with him, I knew better than to expect elaboration.
"Now that I've explained the different kingdoms and peoples, it's time to continue your training. It's time for you to start using qi. Your body should be strong enough to bear the burden now, but you're still far from strong enough to face what lies ahead."
"Hm? What's coming?" I asked, scanning the surroundings in an attempt to spot whatever impending threat Master had alluded to.
"Don't worry about it, kid. Let's get back to why I taught you about the other races and the societies they've built," Greg sighed, the weariness evident in his voice. "What will you do when facing a dwarf in combat and your reaction speed and strength clearly surpass theirs? Taunt them?" He inquired, resting one hand on his chin as he leveled his intense gaze on me.
"I mean... if he challenged a superior opponent and lost, aren't I well within my rights to mock him for it?" I responded, suddenly feeling sheepish at my own words.
"And what will you do when, in the midst of your taunt, the dwarf casts a fire spell to distract you, then promptly launches metal from behind and through you? Will you blame the loss on the cowardice of the dwarf? For sneak attacking you?" He retorted, his gaze seemingly hardening.
"Of course, launching a sneak attack in a fight is the act of a coward!" I shot back, not caring that he was obviously baiting me into something.
"As good as your reaction and instincts are, you're limited by that childish brain of yours," Greg mused aloud, not bothering to hide his judgment. "Sure, he's a coward for taking advantage of your arrogance, but let me ask you another question. In the end, who died and who lived to tell the tale? Who's left bleeding out, wondering where it all went wrong and blaming a so-called coward, and who's making it home to their family? I won't lie and say that I don't look down on assassins and their methods, but there is no honor in death, child. Remember that," he finished, his gaze slowly drifting upwards, almost looking...sad.
Reflecting on his words, I decided to accept and live by them. His explanation silenced the rampant questions that plagued me and gave me the insight I needed to understand.
"Understood. Thank you for the lessons, master. I'm ready to begin qi lessons."
For the first time today, a wry grin appeared on his face as he settled back into his battle stance. "Finally believing your master, huh? Cheeky brat."