It was a hot sunny day, the sky was clear of clouds and what remained was a vast blue sky high above. Lyner laid lazily ontop of a haybale, a stem of grass was held tightly between his two thumbs and he blew on the thin edge of the grass stem. A sharp and annoying sound that was a mix of a kazoo, and that of squeezing a plastic chicken emitted.
It had been 15 years since he was born, and 7 years since he was abandoned by his family in this life. Originally Lyner was born as the prince heir to a royal family, but his aptitude and talent for cultivation was abysmal. Unlike all the other royal bastards, ahem royal siblings of his. Lyner was unable to cultivate, it was not unnatural as sometimes it took a while for children before they can start cultivating. But even by the age of 8, there was not a hope in hell anymore for Lyner.
The family had poured numerous resources and natural treasures into him, in the hopes of waking up his latent potential. He had been put through nearly one hundred different tests that proved there was zero talent for cultivation. However, His physical body, comprehension, Dao, Mana control, Blacksmithing, Formations, and Sword Talent were way beyond the normal. By the time children were five years old, they were given the clans cultivation method that best suited them, and started training in Martial Arts and finding what weapons suited them.
Lyner was an unfathomable genius when it came to Combat, Professions and his learning speed that had never been seen before, that was never doubted. While his father, who was a Duke of the Nethandriel Empire could not understand why his son was like this, he had given up hope on Lyner. Lyners blood related brother and sister, Azarinth and Leyara were the polar opposite. Azarinth had shown middle talent among Cultivators, but the hard work he constantly put in kept up with the others of the family. Leyara on the other hand was a genius in all aspects. Combat, Professions, Stamina Control and her learning speed even eclipsed Lyners.
On his 8th birthday, all his royal siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins were present. It was the very last test Lyner was given. And it followed in suit just like all the others, the testing device used to test a Cultivators aptitude didn't move even a single tick. Instead it showed a straight line of minuses across its screen. But shortly after it showed his Sword Talent had reached 18.75 stars, Mana Control 22.25 stars, and his Comprehension achieving a never before seen 25.0 stars. It was breathtaking and had roused a fervor pitch for the Nethandriel Empire.
The King and Queen personally came to present Lyner a medicinal pill containing a peak Soul Palace experts tribulation lightning inside it, it was capable of making anybody a Cultivator no matter what ones aptitude was. But due to the foul play of his royal siblings, he was given a beat down that put him into a coma for five months, while they ran away with their ill gotten gain.
Lyner clenched his fists just thinking about it, no one in his so called family gave a damn about him, all except for Leyara and Azarinth. Certain memories from his old life had eventually resurfaced, and Lyner was positive of it. Leyara was his blood related younger sister, and Azarinth was once a seed of some Archangels conscious left behind in a cultivation manual called the Heavenly River Demonic Art, not that he was capable of cultivating it.
Karma was a cruel son of a bitch, but at least Lyner had the right of mind to make sure that bitch was a beautiful one. Speaking of bitches, the villages pompous spoiled daughter of the mayor was fast approaching, something Lyner could sense within his Mana sphere from over 90 meters away.
She came to the bottom of the haybale with a red face, hands on her hips and yelled at Lyner mixing in all kinds of profanities. "Get your lazy ass up and get back to work, your break ended twenty minutes ago you dog fucker! If you can't contribute to the growth of the village then you should just fuck off! I don't know why dad would take a worthless piece of trash like you. He should have fed you to the wolves outside the village!"
Lulu Namoya, the villages spoiled brat. She always delegated work, and made full use of her being the mayors daughter. Lulu got away with everything and anything she did, even when she was in the wrong.
Lyner sighed hearing Lulus voice, he would much rather drag his balls across a mile of broken glass. He leaped down 15 feet from the top of the haybale, making sure he brushed his shoulder across Lulus as he did so.
"Yes dear." Is all Lyner said in response, not caring enough to look Lulu in the eyes. A tried and true method to not getting yourself any nookie. Lyner walked past Lulu brushing his shoulder against hers, all whilst thinking. "I once heard the art of war is don't start a war." -Demoz, AOTP
This was quickly refuted with Lulu flexing her forearms, five serrated Mana blades converged over top of her knuckles, and extended out into the shape of a hawks talons.
Feeling the Mana behind him surge as weakly as it did, Lyner didn't look back and just kept walking back into the village, his right hand up in the air waving carelessly. Just barely visible to the naked eye, a Mana shroud covered Lyner and extended out 15 feet, which was the current distance between Luli and himself.
"You have a fifteen feet safety net, if you come within that distance of me. I will retaliate, you have been warned Lulu. My patience with you is at its breaking point. If you dare tread on a path that you are not wanted in, you better make sure your head will stay on top of your shoulders!"
A smoldering killing intent blasted out of Lyners "frail" frame, Lulus eyes widened in terror as she could swear she had seen 2 gates of hell appear behind Lyner. The ornamental Skeletons that adorned the ancient doors eyes flashed red, staring into her eyes but 'seeing' through her. Lulu felt a pain in her soul and knew then if she approached, her soul would be shattered for encroaching upon Lyners claimed sphere of influence.
The feeling of existential dread that consumed her vanished as quickly as it had appeared, in her eyes the form of Lyner now looked like that of a spawn from hell itself. Before she knew it, her whole body from head to toe was covered in cold sweat. She felt a sting at her jugular, putting her hand to it when she brought it back it was covered in blood. Taking out a small pocket mirror, Lulu realized with horror the aura Lyner exposed momentarily left a thin cut line 1 centimeter away from cutting through her jugular.
Lulus senses sharpened as she felt something approaching her, raising her other hand expecting an attack to take her life. A small palm sized container bounced off of her forehead. Lyners voice entered her ears from over fifty meters away. "A healing balm that will disinfect, close up and heal your accidental injury after immediate use."
Lulu looked on with a new fear and realization that if Lyner wanted to, he could exterminate all the lives in the humble village. Would he, she didn't know for certain. Now she would keep a distance from Lyner, not willing to bring the threat of death upon herself again.
Lyner entered the village proper not long after, in the middle of the square there was a flower bed with spiritual herbs surrounding a water fountain, a statue of the founder of Harmony Village stood straight. A Knights shield strapped to the women's back, 2 Bastard Swords were held with the dull side of the blades resting against her shoulders. She had cascading long hair reaching down the middle of her back. Her name Casmia, and holds a much respected history. Harmony Village was once a part of the Demons continent. Casmia fought through the endless demonic hordes, and gave her life for the Nethandriel Empire to reclaim the lost land the Demons had taken.
Lyner didn't know why, but looking at the statue of Casmia brought a feeling of peace to him. He paid his respects every day, and maintained the flower bed diligently. Everytime that he had done so there was a slight feeling of eyes watching him, even with his peak tier 2 Mana Body and sphere of influence it granted him. Lyner could not put together why he felt those eyes, or the feeling of deep gratitude that his soul sensed.
Stolen story; please report.
Knowing he had actually been in the wrong and pushed his break far too long, Lyner quickly made his way back to the Blacksmith shop in the village.
"Brat! Back to work now. I want 15 Swords done by the end of the day." A deep rumbling voice boomed as soon as he entered the shop, it was Cassius the villages Grand Master Blacksmith. He was a terse man in his early fifties, however, he looked like he was still in his early twenties. Under his strict but efficient teaching, Lyner became an intermediate Blacksmith in the 3 years Cassius took him under his wing.
Cassius had extremely high hopes for Lyner, and beamed with pride and joy treating Lyner like he was his own son. Cassius only pursued Blacksmithing in his life from the age of six on, just about anything else but Blacksmithing was dog shit in his eyes. The only thing that Cassius made exceptions for this was Formations, and Mana.
Cassius' eyes nearly shot out of his sockets when he learned Lyner was sneaking into his shop outside of working hours. That rage quickly turned into stupefaction, at the sight of Lyners advancement to the Intermediate stage and his first "real" weapon being a Mana Weapon. Not only that, it was a growth based Mana Weapon, and had the base to possibly even evolve into a Soul Mana Weapon.
Cassius never said a word to anyone about such a stellar achievement. If it had become known, the royal families would burn their pitiful village to the ground to claim such a treasure. Even if it was only a 0.01 percent chance, Cultivators in the Soul Palace realm would slaughter an entire Empire to get their hands on such a prized weapon.
Lyner shrugged off Cassius' yell and threatening glare, which he knew was more of an act like a kitten trying to make a lions roar. Lyner rolled his head to the sides cracking it numerous times, and rolled his shoulders as he loosened up and got ready to work.
Before long, Lyner was soon in a rhythm of pounding iron mending the metal to his will, it was like music to Cassius' ears. Despite Lyner being more than four ranks lower than the man himself, the power, momentum and technique he showed was far beyond his Intermediate rank. The sounds the metals rang out with was only what Cassius had heard when Divine Blacksmiths were forging.
The afternoon blazed by as soon more than 20 Swords were completed, and submitted to Cassius in the back room of the shop. Cassius looked up from his mug of ale, watching Lyner place the completed products down.
"Kid, sit and have a drink with an old man would ya." Cassius eyed the throne of a chair that was obviously placed there long ago. A wide platter of various fruits, meat, cheeses and breads were laid out on Cassius' desk.
Lyner knew he had fucked up, reminiscing and trying to put everything together earlier in the day. So he obliged Cassius, sitting down comfortably across from the burly man. Before Cassius could speak up, Lyner asked cheekily. "Since you have a wide assortment of food laid out, do you have any more of that good stuff laying around?"
Lyner eyed Cassius mug of ale. A great big grin split the mans face as his pearly white shined, knowing full well Lyner enjoyed his drink just like he himself did.
"Aye brat, but it will cost you. Be back to the shop on time after your break for the next two weeks."
Lyner made a pained expression and held his hand over his heart in a showing of dramatic pain. "You know damn well I take my job seriously. Even if it means making some puppies now and then on works time." Lyner stated with a face splitting grin of his own
Cassius howled slamming his hand on the top of the table. "That you do brat, just be lucky you're not somewhere else pulling shit like that. Taste this, it's a new honey mead me daughter brewed and has become a local hit. Even those snobbish ass hats from the capital come with an endless thirst for this stuff."
Lyner took his mug with anticipation, taking a small sip to savor the taste. And then before he knew it his head was knocked back, looking into the bottom of his mug with the sweet after taste of the honey, but the harshness of a hard liquor that was by his estimates 30% alcohol.
Lyners face heated up as he felt the burn in his stomach, but soon a cooling sensation rushed throughout his meridians. A moan of pleasure escaped his lips without control.
"Aye it be some good shit my boy. The premium stuff Jackie keeps for her ol man, although it don't last long!" Cassius' eyes were as thin as a needle from how hard he was laughing, clearly already hammered and in a jovial mood like a crackhead finding a 50$ bill on Metcalfe street back on Earth.
"Brat, you be the son that I Cassius Nethandriel have never had! All those bullshite- hic customs in the royal palace, all the assassination attempts, the politics hic and back stabbing fucks are no good. You be a real man, me boy! You work hard, train harder than any mother fucker round here. Don't you let anybody tell you what you can hic and can't do hic. Fate is your bitch hic take your future into your own hands. And make sure you tell everyone to fuck right off! As men we must live proud no matter what status we have or don't have!"
Lyner nodded his head, but the slip of the tongue Cassius let go, he did not miss at all. It was bonkers to believe a remote village, 12,500 kilometers away from the Nethandriel Empires capital city had a Grand Master Blacksmith lazing about. And he was now sharing in drink and food with such a figure.
The blares of horns from the villages sentry towers boomed into the early evening. Shouting from the outside instantly sobered Cassius up, Lyner was even faster on his feet with a burning desire in his eyes.
[System Event: Beast Tide. Conditions: Defend Harmony Village from the monster tide. Difficulty D+ Warning: There is more than 1 Alpha leading this pack of beasts. Rewards: Minor weakening of the curse on hosts souls.]
Lyner already had two short Swords in his hands, he was running across the village at a speed that nobody had ever seen him show before. Leaping into the hair, two nearly invisible Mana chains spread out 40 feet apart from him in both directions. The chains clasped and wrapped around onto the sentry towers, and then shot him like an arrow from a bow.
Lyner rocketed into the air zooming past the thirty meter tall village walls with a resounding "BOOM" of his Mana pushing him beyond a speed anybody but a Cultivator could achieve.
Lyner flashed forward across the treetops, the tips of his toes barely landing on the tree crowns before pushing himself forward with a greater speed each time. Lyner crossed 6 kilometers in less than a minute, and then he saw it beneath him. The tide with thousands of beasts approaching Harmony Village.
Lyners eyes lit up with a slightly blue flame of his Mana activating, and hw propelled himself downwards, rotating his body as he was like a spin top slicing through dozens of beasts. His two short Swords elongated as a Mana blade more than 6 meters long and 18 inches thick condensed over top. Lyner slashed down with a speed defying a level 50 Cultivator, two crescent arcs of Sword Qi shot out, leaving a 15 meter trench in the earth to both sides of himself.
Lyner pivoted his body to the right side, claws the size of his thighs swiped down missing their mark. Lyner crouched down momentarily, then pivoted his center of gravity, his hand already on the blade handle and the other on the sheath, Lyner slashed out vertically splitting the Alpha in half.
Lyner then gathered all his Mana into the tip of his blade, with both hands in one swift motion, stabbed downwards into the ground beneath him. A beam of highly condensed Sword Qi pierced downwards, splitting a humongous mole like Alpha beast right down the middle.
Bringing his sword horizontally across his back, a massive paw connected with his blade, Lyner then rotated his momentum throwing the third Alpha beast off balance, a white-black energy cyclone formed in the middle of his palm. Lyner palmed out into the Alpha beasts chest, and a 3 meter wide Light-Dark cyclone of energy consumed the upper body from the waist up of a 10 meter tall Alpha bear.
Lyners blades each turned black and white respectively with his Dao. A clone of energy formed right in front of him, purple briefly flashed in his eyes as he combined the Daos of Light, Dark and Thunder. A highly condensed beam of Mana shot down from above into the middle of the Dao cyclone. Then it self imploded as Lyner covered himself in a barrier of Mana. The aura waves shot out 200 meters, claiming the lives of hundreds of beasts.
The carnage Lyner wrecked soon broke through their beastial intincts, and Lyner made himself the new Alpha as his killing intent seethed making all the beasts below level 97 freeze on the spot, then drop dead. Lyners eyes leaked blood as the strain on his brain made itself known following a pounding headache.
[System Event: Beast Tide. Optional Mission Activated: Slay the Beast King. Warning: The Beast King is at the beginning of the Soul Flame realm. Reward: Permission to unlock the Level, Class and Cultivation systems. Difficulty based on Hosts current strength A++ chance of death: 85%]
[Yes/No.]
Lyner froze on the spot in utter shock. He knew there was an intricate curse on his soul, not only did it affect him, it was also a burden on Azarinth. The System, that unparalleled being itself placed a curse on his and Azarinths soul. Yet here he was now, an independent System unique to him that could circumvent the real Systems own bindings. But with only a meager 15% survival rate. Lyner thought briefly before he decided to do what he had always done, pressed yes as this was not a present Lyner issue, but a future Lyner issue that was seconds away. And that meant he would come up with a solution under extreme pressure.
If there was one thing he remembered his teachers on Earth drilling into him. Diamonds were made under pressure. The context in this situation may not be what they were describing, but it nonetheless applies to this current situation.
A pressure built up in Lyners chest, it was excitement, uncontrolled excitement. For 15 years, Lyner did not have a single fulfilling battle that roused his battle lust like the System prompt just did. He needed this more than he ever believed. The excitement of dancing on deaths blade. It was... ecstasy! Pure and completely unadulterated ecstasy!
The cells in Lyners body bounced around his innards like they were children in a bouncy castle. His blood boiled like magma bubbling under his flesh. The Mana around Lyner crackled and steam billowed off of his body. And that devilish grin. That goddamn devilish grin that had been in resting for 15 years, finally resurfaced!
"AWOOOOOOOOH!" A howl containing so much overwhelming power bellowed less than 3 kilometers away from him. The undations in the force of the air currents made dozens of lacerations across Lyners body. Golden blood seeped out from his wounds.
Majestic golden aura with the scarlet hue of materialized killing intent shrouded Lyners body. Shooting off the ground with tremendous force, the ground beneath Lyner sunk in 10 meters deep as if a comet had crashed down. Lyner super charged the Mana in his body condensing it to an extreme point on the tip of his Sword. He held the Sword parallel to the ground as his figure flashed through the forest proper. The surging Sword Qi around him cut all the trees down. At the very last minute of entering the Beast Kings territory, Lyners aura vanished completely. Reappearing behind the Beast King, Lyner slashed out fifteen times in a single second. But to his amazement, the Beast King only lifted a single finger. That's right a finger, it was not a beast in front of him. But a humanoid Mutant being, and Lyner knew, he had fucked up.