It took about an hour to reach Satya City—a 500 km journey covered in just 60 minutes. The train ride felt surreal, the hum of advanced engines blending with my restless thoughts. But now that I was here, I had to focus on the next step.
Finding Richard Park would wait until tomorrow. For now, I needed a place to stay. The streets of Satya buzzed with life even at this hour, neon lights casting sharp shadows as I wandered. After some time, I stumbled upon a small lodge tucked between towering buildings.
The prices here… I honestly had no idea if they were fair. In this life, I’d never had to worry about such things. But with a mix of my past life’s common sense and snippets of book knowledge, I managed to strike a deal or at least I thought so.
Currently, I have 244 gold units left. I’d burned through a hefty amount securing the fake ID and account. The ID, normally priced at 10 gold units, had cost me 35 due to the rush order. The money account had set me back another 15 gold units.
For the lodge, I paid 9 silver units for three nights. Not bad, I supposed, though I couldn’t shake the feeling I might have been overcharged. Either way, it was a roof over my head, and for now, that was enough.
With the key in hand, I made my way to the small, unremarkable room. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, but tonight, I could afford to rest.
I entered the room. The dormitory room was a lot bigger and comfier than this,
“Sigh”
I sighed knowing I couldn’t do anything about this. At least for now, I don’t want to waste my money on comfort. This room has a small bed with white blankets on it and two pillows. No desk, no chair, At least I have a private bathroom.
I sat on the bed which was unexpectedly clean. Now that I sat and had a moment to relax I wanted to do one thing before sleeping.
Status
I called it out in my mind and started checking my stats. Before today I would have thought my stats were just above average and that I placed 12th just because I was good with sword.
Status Screen:
Name: Aaron Solarius
Age: 15
Aspect: None (so not everyone has aspects, only a few were able to awaken aspects.)
Rank: D-
Strength: D
Agility: D-
Stamina: D
Endurance: D
Intelligence: C-
Mana Capacity: D-
Charm: B+
Luck: D+
Martial Manual:
* Crescent Dance(Grade 4): Crescent Dance is a battle art designed to turn unpredictability into opportunity. By maintaining fluid motion, the user can adapt seamlessly to unexpected attacks or shifts in the opponent's tactics. The movements mimic the arcs of a crescent moon, allowing wide, sweeping strikes that transition effortlessly into defensive counters. While performing this art the battle area will get cold.
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* Windstride(Grade-4): a movement art that is designed to focus on rapid footwork, smooth transitions, and maintaining high velocity in both combat and maneuvering through different terrains. It emphasizes maximizing speed while maintaining balance and precision, allowing Aaron to move like a gust of wind.
* Tempest Fist(Grade-4): a battle art that emphasizes speed, precision, and fluidity in unarmed combat, harnessing the principles of Windstride to maximize agility and make every strike unpredictable
Skills:
* Mana Refill(D+): Due to your special body condition the skill can offer a 20-30% refill of the mana pool. The cooldown period is 6 hours.
I couldn’t help but think how different I was from Adrian. In the book, Adrian and his companions were unstoppable. They shattered every limit as though the world itself were conspiring to see them rise. Ranks? They breezed through them. Two years after their awakening at thirteen, they had already reached C-rank, a feat so absurd it sounded like legend. Compared to them, I was nothing. Even among the so-called prodigies, they stood untouchable, in a league all their own.
And me? I was the irregular the one who clawed for every inch while they sprinted ahead. They were born to ascend, while I had to rip progress from the jaws of my limitations. Extra hours on the training grounds until my limbs screamed in agony. Extra potions to force my mana pool open, to squeeze out every drop of growth. Extra care to keep my body from collapsing under the constant strain.
If their rise was like a river flowing toward greatness, mine was a climb up a jagged cliff with bleeding hands. But I climbed all the same.
And now After checking my status screen, I decided it was time to break through. Since my rank was still at D-, I figured there was no better place than this room to attempt it. I settled onto the floor, took out a mana potion, and drank it. With my eyes closed,
I pushed aside any distractions and focused solely on my mana. Slowly, I let it flow through my body, every part of me pulsing with energy until it reached my core. There, I guided the mana into a slow, deliberate swirl, concentrating all my attention on it.
The pressure built up as the core began to crack, and I could feel sweat trickling down my face, but I refused to stop. My focus remained fixed on the core, willing it to reform. For every rank, the core had to break and be reshaped, and I wasn’t going to falter now.
After what felt like an eternity, the core finally stabilized. I had broken through, advancing from D- to D rank.
I didn’t know how long it would take to reach the next stages, D+, C, and eventually my true potential—but for now, I could only take it one step at a time.
I opened my status screen again, just to satisfy myself.
Status Screen:
Name: Aaron Solarius
Age: 15
Aspect: None (so not everyone has aspects, only a few were able to awaken aspects. )
Rank: D
Strength: D+
Agility: D
Stamina: D+
Endurance: D
Intelligence: C+
Mana Capacity: D-
Charm: B+
Luck: D+
Martial Manual:
* Crescent Dance(Grade 4):
* Windstride(Grade-4):
* Tempest Fist(Grade-4):
Skills:
* Mana Refill(D+): Due to your special body condition the skill can offer a 20-30% refill of the mana pool. The cooldown period is 6 hours.
I checked my status to assess the difference in my strength. It wasn’t a massive leap, but it was noticeable. Just as I’d expected, my mana capacity had jumped two ranks, and my agility, strength, and endurance had increased as well. During training, I’d focused heavily on physical attributes, pushing my swordsmanship and conditioning to their limits. Even though I had only recently started practicing battle arts, my solid foundation and exceptional mana control allowed me to pick them up quickly. This would serve me well in the battles to come.
As I savored a brief moment of relief, the stench from my body and clothes hit me like a tidal wave. After the breakthrough, my body was drenched in sour, sticky sweat, and I could practically feel it clinging to my skin.
"Sigh..."
Tomorrow, I will begin my search for Richard Park. He is the key to everything that I’m planning. I couldn’t afford to waste time. The city was vast, and I had no idea where to start, but I would figure it out.
After a while, I finished and dried off, slipping into the loose, comfortable clothes I had bought earlier. As I lay down on the bed, my mind raced with possibilities. There was still so much to do, and so much to learn, but I felt more focused than before.
"Sigh..."
I let out a deep, weary exhale, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. It had been a chaotic day, and I could still feel the weight of it pressing down on me. But tomorrow would be different. Tomorrow, I will find Richard Park. Tomorrow, I will take the next step in my journey.
For now, though, I allowed myself to rest.