He soared through the cloudy night sky. Though without moonlight or starlight, it should have been impossible to see much of anything, yet all that entered his sight and his smell remained distinct.
He could smell the warm blood of his enemies in the town below. Although the colors lacked any vibrancy, he could see the blurry details of the human-built structures under a slight light gray tinge.
He lunged downward and tucked his wings into his body as he spun and burrowed through a window, and with a lunge of the neck swallowed a scarred right cheek human’s head whole, before proceeding to swallow the rest of the body while chewing on it as if it was a delicacy.
He was hungry, and meat was meat. He saw an appetizing young human. The young of all beings were always soft in their flesh. But as he lunged forward for this special meal, the young human that had a tanned oval birthmark on his right forehead transformed into someone he recognized as Jein!
Rein was once again shocked awake by his dreams-- no, it was more accurate to call it a nightmare.
What a crazy nightmare. The words of the dragon Mystrygon echoed through his head: “Many humans that climb the advancer ladder with demon beast related materials and techniques often lose their sanity and become fallen devils.”
Rein figured that the nightmare must be his psyche fearing the loss of his own sense of self.
He momentarily closed his eyes. At the end of the day… dreams are just dreams. He got up from bed and got dressed and glanced out of his wooden hut. It was early daybreak, and the clouds had been blown away overnight.
With the sun rising, Rein finally had a chance to observe his current location. As he spun his head around taking in the sights, he struggled to fully comprehend what he saw.
Far to both his left and right rose cliff walls that stretched upward. The lower parts of the cliff walls were a healthy whitish light brown, but the higher parts became increasingly covered in a blackish soot, the signature appearance of the Bleak Mountains.
Far into his front and behind, he saw narrow winding paths that rose into the distance. The lower sections of these paths were obstructed from sight by healthy green shrubs, but following the path upwards, it too became covered in black soot.
Rein was clearly inside a hidden cleft or valley of sorts. Although there had been many exploration parties into the Bleak Mountains, this surprisingly healthy cleft filled with vegetation had clearly avoided discovery.
Upon sweeping his sights across this healthy gap, he could not help but frown. This was not because of curiosity about how the area avoided discovery, but rather the fact that he noticed a substantial village of sorts around him.
When he saw the inhabitants, they gave him a bit of a banditry vibe with their bodywear. At the same time, there were children mixed in here and there, which confused him to no end.
These people, hiding in the mountains away from the eyes of the king, seemed to be bandits. The only way of supplying this small village here in the Bleak Mountains was to steal.
With the children around… this must be a bandit village! Post-revelation, Rein’s first thought was to wonder if these bandits participated in the Golden Desert Town massacre!
At this thought, a hint of bloodlust flickered through his eyes. He barely managed to restrain it. If not for the fact that he required Master Yirn’s guidance, he might have immediately acted on his impulse. However, seeing as Master Yirn resided here, this village may have a role.
“What a nice view of a blossoming bandit village, right?”
Chenhr’s voice from behind startled Rein out of his contemplation. Rein turned around to be met with Chenhr’s innocent smile. It was clear to Rein that Chenhr had intentionally called it a bandit village-- was it to rile him up?
Chenhr continued on, completely ignoring Rein’s glaring eyes.
“I had thought that I would need to wake you up with another bucket of cold water. A pity I do not have the chance to do that today.”
Chenhr threw an item at Rein, and Rein caught the item in his palm. It was a sticky rice roll.
“Your breakfast. Finish it while we go meet the Master.” Chenhr beckoned with his hand and started treading deeper down into the cleft, with Rein following while rapidly consuming the sticky rice roll.
Along the way, the village bandits gave Rein glances of curiosity. Rein himself did not dare to meet any of their gazes. He was worried that he would end up wanting to chop their heads off.
As they traveled deeper, the shrubs turned into sprouting trees and tall grass as high as Rein’s waist. Eventually, the two figures entered a cave entrance at the bottom of the cleft.
After twisting and turning through a few convoluted tunnels accompanied by a whistling breeze, Rein finally entered a wondrous underground cavern that stretched into the distance for at least a few hundred kilofeet.
As he bent his neck back to look at the ceiling of the cavern, he saw glowing stalactites that illuminated the looming dark green forest below. He could also hear the noise of an underground waterfall and stream, as well as the sound of chirping birds.
“Those stalactites release the energy of the sun into this cavern… Master never explained the origin of this cavern, but I am sure he is the one who created this paradise in this desolate place. Master is both amazing and humble.”
A few rabbits hopped a few circles around a beaming Chenhr’s feet as he heaped praise onto Master Yirn, before they bounced back into a tall grass field.
As for Rein, he was simply mind-blown into silence as he followed Chenhr down a path marked with a continuous number of gray stone slabs across the grassy plains that entered a forest.
He was awed by the godly power of this place. The ability to carve life in a place of death… If Master Yirn created this cavern, then it must be some power Rein had yet to encounter. None of the powers Master Yirn displayed to him could possibly accomplish this feat.
Or perhaps, this was but an extension of an origin skill. Perhaps Master Yirn was an origin advancer as well. Or a godly treasure? Rein had heard of the existence of unique treasures in the advancer world. His draconic metamorphose bead was such a treasure..
Before long, within the serene atmosphere of the paradise, Rein found himself ascending stone steps into a nine-floored reddish brown octahedral tower. Every floor of this tower had overhanging roofs projecting outwards, and provided cover for each floor’s extending balconies.
Similar to all the buildings Rein had seen within the crevice, this structure, too, was covered with inscriptions. However, these inscriptions had a golden hue to them that signified an additional level of power. No doubt, the reddish brown wooden material had been strengthened well beyond mortal limits.
Aside from the inscriptions, there were no other cosmetic decorations on the tower. Upon entering, Rein discovered that internally, this was the same.
Funnily enough, this only served to increase Rein’s impression of Master Yirn. That’s right. He needed power and strength. It is the power of inscriptions that strengthens treasures. Decorations? Both Master Yirn and Rein have no use for it. An absolute waste of resources.
This was followed by a slightly uncomfortable thought. Why was he starting to praise Master Yirn like Chenhr just one day in? He did not wish for himself to become similar to Chenhr in any shape or form.
Master Yirn phased in at the center of the first floor of the tower. His body looked incorporeal at first, but gradually became solid. Rein did not even bother to think about whether Master Yirn was truly here in body or if it was just an illusion. Master Yirn was already an unfathomable expert within Rein’s mind.
Both Rein and Chenhr immediately hooked their fingers as they paid their respects. “Master.”
Master Yirn’s dark eyes stared into Rein’s as he rejected the youngster in his gruff voice.
“You will not be one of my disciples. However, if you agree to assist us on a mission, I will consider you a half-disciple in advance. Another requirement is that you will not be allowed to use psychedelics to accelerate your growth. If you accept, you will still show respect to Chenhr as he is the third disciple.”
Perhaps some would have been absolutely crestfallen at this turn of events, but Rein himself was ecstatic. He had only wished to gain knowledge of the advancer world and its magics. Being a half-disciple was enough to gain such knowledge.
He was more apprehensive about being banned from using psychedelics, which to his knowledge was rather useful. Then again, his elemental affinity had been transformed with the metamorphose bead, so perhaps that clause, too, was acceptable.
“The mission?” He wished for clarification.
“You will have to enter the Hall of Heroes. I need eyes and ears within their outpost in the Green Trout City.”
“I accept!” Rein turned to pay respects to his now official senior disciple Chenhr, only to be met with an outburst.
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“Master, this is a mistake! Do you not remember the betrayals of the other disciples?! At best, he should only be allowed to join the villagers here! He should not be even allowed to be a half-disciple!”
“That is precisely why I requested your junior disciple Rein to pay respects to only you.” A glare from Master Yirn quietened Chenhr’s complaints. Master Yirn’s firm tone indicated that there was no room for discussion. “And as mentioned previously, you will play the role of instructor for Rein.”
Chenhr hardened his face at this statement, clearly dissatisfied with this arrangement. However, he no longer protested, clearly a loyal follower of Master Yirn.
“Rein.” Master Yirn stared deep into Rein’s eyes. “You can still reject the task once you have learned more of the Hall of Heroes and the risk such a task might entail.”
Master Yirn then raised his arm forward, and a simple wooden longstaff materialized out of nowhere.
Master Yirn then threw it directly at Rein, who barely managed to catch the weapon, half expecting it to be just an illusory item.
“Your weapon will be a longstaff.” Master Yirn’s words were firm.
It was Rein’s turn to protest. He needed a sharp weapon to better kill his enemies swiftly. A staff?
“Master, Half-Master? I… I was thinking of using something sharp, like perhaps a chopper or a sword, or maybe an axe. I mean--”
Master Yirn only raised an eyebrow and denied him.
“You will only use the longstaff in my presence. Otherwise you can leave. If so desired, you are free to seek learning elsewhere. But Chenhr will only teach you the longstaff and the human adaptation of the dragon style.”
He threw a vial full of a dark liquid at Chenhr. “Guide him.” His silhouette then began to fade into the breeze that blew through the tower.
“Half-Master! Wait! I have this interesting dagger!” Rein had taken out that elegant dagger with the intricate ringed crossguard.
The fading figure of Master Yirn glanced at the dagger, and his haunting laughter resounded deeply through the tower.
“That dagger remains a mortal weapon unless you can find a dragon’s eye. Or augment it with blacksmithing skills.” With that, his figure fully faded into nothingness.
Both Chenhr and Rein sighed at the very same time, both dissatisfied with the arrangements. On realizing the similar yet odd situation they were both in, an awkward silence ensued.
The silence was finally broken by the sound of running feet coming toward the tower. A bulky brown skinned ‘bandit’ appeared in front of the two.
“What’s the matter, Xeeran?” Chenhr inquisitively questioned the ‘bandit’.
Noticing Rein, the newcomer, Xeeran could not resist scanning him up and down. Rein increasingly found this ‘bandit’ somewhat familiar… as if he had seen a shadow of this man somewhere before.
“We are ready to act. The target has set off.” He looked at Rein. “This is…?”
“Just another abandoned by the gods.” Chenhr monotonously replied.
Xeeran sighed. “Indeed. The Golden Desert Town task is just the beginning for those of this village.”
This bandit was at the Golden Desert Town massacre! Rein tightened his grip around the wooden staff in his hand as his eyes grew crimson.
Rein had never had much weapons training. However, supported by his mid-inner advancer level that he had advanced to at the moment of discovering his origin skill, as he swung the longstaff in his hand at Xeeran head, the sound of wood whipping air could be heard.
If Xeeran was a significantly stronger advancer, he might have been able to react quickly. However, if he was a proper advancer, would he be dressed like a bandit in the first place?
Xeeran saw his life flash before his eyes. It might just be a wooden longstaff, but his skull would still crack and his brains bleed to death. That might be even worse than a quick death from a knife to the neck...
Clack!
A folded bamboo fan held by Chenhr blocked the longstaff a finger away from Xeeran’s head, diverting the wooden pole diagonally upwards.
“Go and complete the mission, Xeeran,” Chenhr ordered. “And do be careful that the target may have surprise backup defenses. Don’t get counter-ambushed.”
Xeeran hooked his fingers toward Chenhr, before turning towards Rein, and opening his mouth as if wanting to say something. However, he hesitated then chose to keep his mouth shut, before quickly turning to leave the tower.
For a moment, Rein wanted to swing the longstaff at Chenhr, but he quickly remembered who was in charge of his advancer lessons. Not to mention, Chenhr had already displayed his prowess the previous night…
Rationality won out in the end, and Rein suppressed his rage.
Chenhr was fanning himself with his treasured armament again. “I truly wonder why the Master bothered accepting you as a half-disciple. You are worse than the other traitors. However strong could your advancer base truly become with such a weak mind?”
“But I suppose it’s not like you really know what being an advancer is about… so as your instructor, I suppose I must educate you properly, as the Master has ordered.” Chenhr smirked.
“The inner realm is all about controlling your heart, your emotions. You see… the path of an advancer is about discovering the wisdom within all beings in the world. If one’s judgment is clouded by their emotions, how could one truly discover the way of the world?”
“However, that is only one part of it. Because there is also wisdom within emotions as well. Thus, one must be fully aware and understand their emotions, while not letting it cloud their judgment.”
“Master Yirn referred to it as such: Heed, control, employ, suppress, but never repress or become its thrall.”
“When one truly gains mastery of the emotional aspect of the self, their aurae will be stable and balanced, therefore thoroughly transforming the body equally. If there is a lack of mastery, the body’s balance will be tilted in various areas, creating an unstable base.”
“An unstable base will impede the advancer from reaching the shell realm-- that is unless they cheat by using a psychedelic drug. However, the psychedelic drug is costly and only provides a momentary enlightenment that allows one to break through. Regardless, you are not allowed to consume any if you wish to retain Master Yirn’s support.”
“In the long run, it is a cheat. For the unstable element may eventually rear its head and completely devilize the advancer if the inner base is lacking. The exception is if the advancer is eventually able to recall that momentary enlightenment without the use of psychedelics, and integrate that back into his base. Now, you… you clearly lack anything that would make a strong reliable base.”
Chenhr shook his head disappointingly. Rein’s brain was bursting with information, so he did not react to the additional insult. Frankly, he expected it from this half-senior of his, who had shown disapproval of him since his arrival.
Perhaps other disciples abandoned Master Yirn since they weren’t allowed to use psychedelics. Supposedly, Chenhr himself was stuck at the peak of the inner advancer realm.
Rein felt like a mountain had been placed in front of him. If Chenhr, a middle-aged mortal, had yet to reach the shell realm, then without these ‘psychedelics’, how long would it take himself to grow?
His desperation was etched on his face, and Chenhr seemed to revel at the sight of this. However, Chenhr eventually sighed.
“However, you are… a little different. Master has already informed me of your circumstances. Somehow, you are in some ways, something of a beastkin.”
Rein patiently waited for further information. To him, this information was of utmost importance. Most humans did not refer to demons as beastkin.
“Historically, humans that have advanced with beastkin items, or techniques designed specifically for beastkin have a huge risk of losing their sanity.”
“The reason is simple. Humans start off with high intelligence but a weak body. Beastkin is the opposite, a strong body but low intelligence. Thus, early beastkin advance by consuming other beings.”
“This act itself, when overly indulged in, is the reason why some are called demons by the humans. Ultimately, that is the source of devilization.”
“A beastkin, at least early in its growth, lacks the intelligence to understand the gravity of their actions. Thus, they may remain sound of mind after they gain their intelligence. Humans, who already have the intelligence to understand… if they participate in such an early beastkin advancing method, the mind is highly likely to become warped.”
“That is your situation.” Chenhr now stared at Rein coldly with a squint in his eyes.
“This means that you may be able to grow rapidly by consuming the flesh and magical cores of all beings across the realms. However, that also increases the risk of you overindulging in certain emotions and eventually becoming a fallen devil, your sanity trapped in a haze.”
Chenhr’s eyes had a hint of sorrow. “And the fallen? They are just twisted beings of their former selves. They forget their memories, eventually being driven by a primal urge, losing their humanity…”
“But worry not, my dear junior.” Chenhr had returned to smirking. “That is precisely why you are unlikely to do any better than the other disciples.”
His smirk disappeared as his face grew expressionless and he whispered. “And this time, I will definitely strike down the devil that forms in your heart. For although Master Yirn might be willing to take a chance again, I have my doubts. I will keep a close eye on you at all times. On second thought, Master Yirn must have made me your teacher because he believes that only I will keep a close enough eye on you!”
Rein stayed silent--again. He was feeling increasingly apprehensive about the whole idea of becoming an advancer.
However, he did not waver. If he avoided becoming an advancer, he would never have the chance to take revenge for his parents or find his younger brother?
“Now, let us begin.” Chenhr threw a scroll at Rein. “This scroll records the elementary longstaff technique of Master Yirn’s creation.” Rein caught another scroll. “This one is the human adaptation of the dragon style. It is popular and easily accessible in most sects in this nation.”
“This is just a weapon technique and a hand-to-hand combat technique. Open the scrolls and imitate the forms. The scroll itself has magical abilities that will guide the flow of your aurae as you practice.”
“This first floor of the tower can be used for your own practice for now. You are expected to be here for the morning. Afternoons will be focused on meditation and training of the mind.”
Rein felt compelled to speak up for himself. “I’ve always been able to think calculatingly as taught by my father. You may be be my half-senior, but to claim I unable to truly advance--”
“Hahaha.” Rein’s protest was quickly cut off by Chenhr’s resounding outburst of demeaning laughter.
“You? Calm and calculating? Let me ask you this: What do you believe is the best way to find out who your enemies are?”
Rein had a desire to prove himself, thus he took a moment to think before answering. “Infiltrate the enemy of course.”
“And how would you do that?” Chenhr asked with a raised eyebrow while holding a mocking grin.
“Hmph, naturally, I simply need to hunt these mercenaries and bandits down to find out who hired them!” Rein wished to wipe that damnable grin off of the increasingly contemptuous Chenhr’s face.
Rein did not bother with trying to prevent the details of his own tragedy from being known to Chenhr. With his power, Master Yirn was definitely aware of it already. Naturally, Chenhr would be aware of it to some degree as well-- probably.
“And… What if these bandits and mercenaries do not know the identity of those that hired them? Would you care about the identity of someone if they paid you a handsome fee? And what of their likely disguise?”
Rein reconsidered. “Then I simply need to pretend to be a mercenary or bandit so that I can come in contact with these people. Perhaps, I can find the identity of their backers or…”
Chenhr reached out and gave Rein a few ‘friendly’ pats on the back. His tone was that of victory.
“Well done, dear half-junior. You’ve finally realized that you very nearly smashed Xeeran into pulp. He is our infiltrator into a wider network.”