The process of getting through the locks in his training room still fascinated Dante. Just the price of one of those doors should be enough to lead someone to gold.
Now that he was a little more sure that he could keep advancing, since he had the resources, he allowed himself to imagine what the secrets of the realm of the sovereigns might be.
All Dante knew so far was that after gold, platinum closed the realm of metals. Since no one he was close to had ever managed the feat of ascending to heavens, Dante did not know the details. He could only imagine the sheer amount of resources required for ascension.
When he entered the training room and saw Isaac arranging one of the flames, he wondered what his power stage was. However, Dante had learned not to ask the man too many personal questions, so he thought it wise not to get into more personal matters just yet.
Dante barely stepped into the room and already felt an atypical heat. It seemed that Isaac had kept his promise and increased the potency of the place's fire aura.
A brief glance from the master was enough to make Dante fully focused on the here and now. He could give nothing less than his all.
"Good work, young man. I see you've had breakthroughs again. Come, tell me what you have discovered of your new type of Qi. I'm going to give you some interesting path options today," Isaac said, as he approached the center of the room, where a wooden arena stood.
Sparing no detail, Dante told Isaac what had happened. He told him not only about his discovery, which would probably allow him to advance at a monstrous speed, but also about the conversation he had with his team.
Listening attentively, Isaac was careful not to show any feelings. It was not unheard of for someone to have made such rapid advances, but it was impressive nonetheless. Perhaps the dragon's faith in Dante was not misplaced.
"I think you are right in your theory. Should things really work out that way, you will have one of the most favorable environments here for advancing quickly through silver. I assume you have looked at the map of the region, and seen that there are different types of climates. The monsters are suited to the climates, so you will be able to face a variety of enemies. I imagine that advancement won't continue so easily into gold, but there's still a long way to go," Isaac said, looking less stern than usual.
Dante didn't fail to notice that he hadn't mentioned the fact that he had told his friends part of the secret. Seizing the opportunity, he asked, "Master, do you think it would be possible for the others to use some room down here to train too? We have enough space here is, and I think we could help them as they helped me."
"That decision is not up to me," Isaac lied. In fact, he was not even sure that Dante would ever see the dragon again. If only the boy knew the rarity of the audience he had with the monster. Not even high-ranking Slayers could get similar attention.
"Okay. Hey, master, do you know anything about demons? One of the girls from my team, Sabrina, Rim commented about her having a demon as her core formation," Dante asked. Since Rim had made a recap of the team, he was worried about this.
To Isaac, it was no surprise that he didn't know about the existence of demons. However, it would be good for the boy to begin to understand how the world behind the curtains worked. If he could use his Qi properly, maybe one day he would be one of the showmen.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
"There are three branches of what we know as 'monsters,'" Isaac said, raising three fingers of his hand. "The type that most cultivators and slayers possess are characterized as the 'beast' type. Your new monster is what we call a 'legendary' beast, meaning it is unique. So, there is no optimized path, and we don't even know how your physique will develop with interaction with such a specific Qi."
Turning his fingertip red, he burned the surface of the wood in a circle. Then he made a partition in the middle.
"Beasts are neutral monsters. Despite individual vanities, there is no predominance or standardization of behavior. Beasts make up the majority of monsters that inhabit our world, so it is common for most people to be unaware of the other types."
Dante kept his attention riveted on the explanation. He wondered if there were any other disciples with a legendary beast. If only Dante possessed it, any outcome but approval would not satisfy him. It was the least he could do with the opportunities he was given.
Continuing, Isaac pointed to the right side of the circle, which had written 'good,' "on one side, we have what we know by the term angels. They are not restricted to the descriptions of some religions, but are a type with several species among them. Angels are predominantly good, and legend has it that they do not associate with just any cultivator, only those who are genuinely good at heart. They are the rarest type of monsters. Many argue that they should not be characterized as monsters, but the classification continues because they are not human and use Qi, hence, monsters."
Isaac paused in his explanation when he saw Dante's expression indicate that he wanted to ask a question. Even if he didn't like to admit it, Isaac knew that one of his great gifts was to teach. Before the tragedy, he even often imagined himself spending the rest of his life peacefully, teaching new Slayers.
"Master, don't take this the wrong way, but I can't understand something. If legendary beasts are so rare, why me? I remember that the dragon said something about compatibility, but I was just at the beginning of silver..." said Dante, with a sad look on his face. Even after seeing for himself the results of his training, he still couldn't fully believe in himself.
"The thing is, Dante, that when dealing with ancestral monsters whose mere existence would put life as we know it in check, there is no adequate answer. Two plus two does not result in four, because it is not an equation, but a mystery. I suspect that it wasn't the dragon who chose you, but," Isaac said, as he pointed to the area where Dante's core was, "the monster itself. Make no mistake, if it were easy to find someone compatible with such a powerful monster, there would have been a slayer with it in him long ago."
Not quite knowing how to take those words, Dante concentrated. He still wanted to know about demons.
Faced with his pupil's silence, Isaac didn't take long to resume what he was saying.
"Finally, we have the demons. They are the opposite of angels, that is, inherently bad. They only choose someone who has a negative feeling deeply rooted in his heart. They are more common than angels, but still rare around here. It is not surprising that a disciple has one, but I advise you to be careful with her. Both angels and demons tend to manifest themselves more overtly in the personality of their cultivator."
Although it made sense, Dante was afraid that he would not be able to take Isaac's words to heart. Sure, Sabrina had shown a cold, dark side by quickly killing two other people, but he simply didn't think she was evil.
She just seemed more... broken. As if something very precious had been forcibly taken away.
"Now, I'm going to pass you five paths and explain your routine. It's time for you to strengthen your foundation, just moving forward won't provide you with getting to the gold. You also need to advance your core correctly."
Leaving in front of Dante five tablets, Isaac showed him how the items were used. He also instructed Dante to go to the library when he could, as he could find useful information there.
The training regimen proposed by Isaac made Dante's Qi awaken at full throttle.
Isaac had explained to Dante that he was free to go after monsters in the morning and afternoon. Then he should come to the room to cultivate the fire area and solidify his Qi. Dante should also study the paths whenever possible. The sooner he found a technique that would fit him, the better.
Asking permission to go to Hector's dinner, Dante left the room and went to meet his friends.
Just like the first time he had met them in his room, his heart was pounding. This time, it wasn't the anxiety of seeing how things would turn out, but to see the other three. It was comforting, after all, not to feel so alone.