Blue, clear skies. White, frothing tides crashing on the ocean coast. Beautiful coral reefs, a beach containing aged fisherman boats belonging to a nearby fishing village. Quite the harmonious sight.
"Fucking shit! Fuck us all!"
Only marred by Zhao Manyan's cursing.
"As the national team, they didn't give us a single cent of allowance, no private jet, no private coach, no hotels. On top of that, they even forbade us from riding planes. What the heck! We're meant to travel to Japan, are they seriously asking us to swim there?"
Jiang Shaoxu giggles, "How typical of mediocre people to complain."
"Alright, Miss Jiang, why don't you enlighten us commoners?"
"Obviously, it's a test. The advisors banned us from revealing our identities. That rules out planes, cruises, anything that requires identification."
"Thank you for telling us something so obvious. Any useful information?"
"I'm getting there, you boor. There's a fishing village here, and if I'm not mistaken, we're at one of the common stops for ships that sail to Japan. Therefore, it's probable that a port is nearby. We get on one such ship heading to Japan. Easy."
[Even when upbraiding him, she manages to act flirty and smile. An impressive skill.]
"I concur. Let's get to the fishing village and ask about those voyages." Nan Yu chimes in.
There's 10 official members: Ai Jiangtu, Nan Yu, Guan Yu, Mu Tingying, Nanrong Ni, Jiang Yu, Jiang Shaoxu, Li Kaifeng, Zu Jiming, and Zhao Xu. The three subs are me, Zhao Manyan, and Mu Ningxue.
Ai Jiangtu is secondhand familiar with me, although the reverse is not true. I've met and disliked Guan Yu and Zu Jiming. Jiang Shaoxu comes off as annoyingly flirty at best, stuck-up at worst. I'm friends with Zhao Manyan and (kind of) Mu Ningxue.
I suspect I'll sort the rest of the group into 'like' and 'dislike' in due time.
…
…
A rundown wooden fence surrounds the village, and we easily step through the gaps. The structures are dilapidated, constructed from wood and rock eroded away by the sea mist carried by the breeze.
A tanned old man carrying an oar rushes out to 'greet' us, followed by a few young men holding tools.
The old fisherman curses, "It's you again, don't you think you can bully us just because we're poor and uneducated. I'm telling you, you wouldn't want to mess with me! You've built a few houses with concrete and tricked the villagers who lacked resolve over. You even urged them to convince us to move over, saying that it's for our own good. Too bad, I know you're just planning on taking our land!"
Ai Jiangtu steps forth. "Sir, there must be a misunderstanding. None of us have done anything of the sort."
Nan Yu follows up, saying, "We're from an outing tourist group, heading along the coastline. We just came here to ask you for directions to a nearby port, if there is one."
The old man's stance relaxes, and he lays the oar on the ground. "Just follow the shoreline across the bay for a few dozen kilometers and you'll see Feiniao Harbor soon. However, you should be careful. Sea monsters inhabit that region."
"No worries, sir. We're capable of defending ourselves: we are Mages, after all. We appreciate the information." Ai Jiangtu offers him a parting nod, and the group starts pacing along the indicated path.
…
…
The bay appears in the distance just as sunset arrives, illuminating the buildings next to it in a serene, warm orange glow. It's quite the spectacle, with newly constructed high-rises, residences, complexes, and ongoing construction on dozens more. Feiniao City is larger and higher on the economical ladder than Bo City, boasting rich neighborhoods and a healthy port with ships continuously arriving and departing.
Ai Jiangtu asks the group for suggestions. "How should we hitch a ride to Japan?"
None respond, so he begins questioning us individually, starting with… Li Kaifeng. The man splutters, evidently lacking a plan, so our captain moves onto the next person, Zu Jiming. He's all brawn and no brain, and Ai Jiangtu picks up on this quickly. I'm called upon next.
"We'd save ourselves time and effort if we simply find a large ship and sneak aboard at night. We can wait a couple of days to choose the right target if necessary. I've got the Shadow Element, so I'll teleport you all in one by one."
Mu Tingying scrunches her nose. "And have our advisors label us as stowaways? Maybe a poor guy like you doesn't care, but the rest of us have dignity."
My face shifts from its serene expression approximately as much as a snowball might jostle a tank. "Dignity is a luxury. One less valuable than time. Moreover, it's our advisors that dropped us here with restrictions and lacking items that are directly responsible for a journey with less dignity. No money, no place to stay, no using our identities. They can't fault us for sneaking onto a cargo boat, which harms exactly zero people anyway."
"You don't know that! What if they do fault us?"
"I, unlike you, have faith in the integrity and intelligence of our advisors. I'll be sure to let them know you believe they are untrustworthy dimwits."
She bares her teeth in a savage grin. "Watch what you say, rural bumpkin. Who the heck carries a bow around? Everything about you just screams 'peasant.' I could crush you like a gnat."
I coolly reply, "To answer your question, someone who can send an arrow flying into your cranium from hundreds of meters away."
"You absur-" "Enough!" Ai Jiangtu cuts our verbal spar short.
"Let's get a second plan, then have a vote. Jiang Yu, if you please?"
The youthful man pushes up his glasses. "We could do some good for the city and exchange our services for a ride on a boat. Fairly simple."
"Concise. All for Yang Jianyu's stowaway idea?"
Zhao Manyan and I raise our hands immediately, but surprisingly, Guan Yu and Zu Jiming follow suit. We need three more. Zhou Xu and Li Kaifeng are the fifth and sixth. Unfortunately, not a single one of the 5 girls is amiable to the plan, so we're stuck at 6 out of 13. Jiang Yu's strategy wins.
[They probably don't want to get dusty and covered in spiderwebs while hiding in the recesses of a ship.]
It doesn't matter. I harbored no affection for either one; the only reason I preferred mine was the factor of time. Perhaps doing some good will render the extra time spent worthwhile.
…
…
In the meeting room on the highest floor of the Lin Group's building:
"I hope you're not wasting my time. There is a whole pack of sea monsters roaming the ocean close to Feiniao City. They first appeared around seven years ago, but their numbers have increased tremendously over the last few years. The state council sent people to annihilate them, but they couldn't do anything!" Lin Junxian stares at us sternly.
After Ai Jiangtu convinces him we don't lack strength, he reluctantly agrees to supply us with necessities such as medication and antidotes. Nan Yu hands him a list of items we need, and he promises to get back to us within a couple of days. In the meantime, he offers us rooms in a nearby hotel. We exit his building, the mood lifted from successfully carrying out the first step of our plan.
"By the way, do we really need so many things to kill the sea monsters? Aren't you listing a bit too much?" Zhao Manyan cautiously asks Nan Yu.
"The supply is not only for the sea monsters. We still have a long way to go. It's to prepare for our journey to Japan, too," she replies.
He raises a thumb in admiration.
…
…
At night, I sneak out of the hotel, melting into the shadows to reach the ground. It's been so long since I fought anything, and my arms are itching for battle.
I head to the beach, diving into the water. Water Magicians aren't really resistant to Water attacks like Light Mages with Illuminate or Fire Mages with Fiery Fist (though of course, Mages with exceptional Water Spirits might beg to differ), but their passives are more than enough compensation: allowing me to walk on the water's surface, breathe underwater, move underwater almost as if it's air. I'm a creature native to the ocean, swimming into its depths with clear vision thanks to my Shadow Element.
It isn't long before I encounter a sea monster: a Warrior. I've read about these: an adult Scarlet Soaring Demon, 4 meters tall, red scales, long claws, affinity for water magic. It propels itself at me by casting jets of water beneath its feet, but water resistance doesn't affect me nor the speed of my swords, which cleave its head straight off its neck. What a pathetic display of intelligence: it assumed I was prey and unable to defend myself in close range.
Shaking my head, I continue circling around the ocean. Abruptly, I sense a potent concentration of Water magic coming my way. Alarmed, I head for the surface; the definition of reckless behavior is engaging a Commander underwater when I'm not familiar with it.
The beast chases me all the way to the beach, and I take in its appearance once it steps out of the water.
It's not large. Relatively speaking. It towers over me at maybe 9 meters tall. Its humanoid figure ripples with dense muscles, and meter-long claws extend from each of its webbed fingers. It's essentially the Scarlet Soaring Demon but bigger and nastier: the Scarlet Rending Demon.
Water and slime trickle down its gleaming red scales as it slowly stalks towards me. In a blur I can't even track, it lunges, swiping its left claws through the air. I dodge to my right, avoiding the deadly talons and the resulting sharp rifts in the wind. It's quick: before I can punish its failed thrust, it regains its balance and hurtles at me once more.
I evade the next few blows by sidestepping, ducking, or flashing away through the shadows, and finally, an opportunity arises. It's casting a spell, conjuring up a 60 meter high tsunami from the ocean and sending it my way. However, it remains still for a moment during the channeling, and I don't waste the opening. Summoning my swords, I flash to the creature's shadow. Fear flitters across its eyes as it cancels the spell, attempting to escape my range, but it's too late. The swords shear right through its waist and shoulder, instantly killing the monster and leaving behind three chunks of flesh.
Most Lesser Commanders aren't a problem, especially if I can take advantage of a flaw like that spell channeling. Still, my heart's racing. I lure some more Warriors onto the beach, fighting them individually mano a mano, pummeling their skulls with my fists covered in glowing armor. I unlocked the 5th tier Light Intermediate spell, Light Blessing: Impervious Juggernaut! Double the defense of Juggernaut, and like its predecessor, the armor is condensed enough to gain the properties of material things.
I spend the better part of the night engaging in hand-to-hand combat to my heart's content.
…
…
Unlike the land, where a safe zone is guarded by watchtowers, keeps, and fortresses, the boundaries of the safe zone on the ocean are maintained by a few lighthouses, which are manned by a few Battlemages at most: hardly a proper defense.
Luckily, the sea monsters are not as active in shallow water, allowing relatively small numbers of Magicians to protect the shoreline. However, Feiniao City is a special case, where the sea monsters have been showing up far more often as of late.
"During the most recent operation, the Magicians arrived at a rocky island. They were ambushed by the sea monsters when they were resting at night, resulting in great casualties." Ai Tutu points at an island on a map that Lin Junxian procured.
"Which means the sea monsters will most likely show up at that island. By the way, what kind of sea monsters were they? If it's Deep-Scales Sea Monsters, we should pack up and go home. We are screwed if it is a whole pack of them," Jiang Yu warns.
Jiang Yu's clean appearance framed by spectacles yields a studious demeanor. He can identify a demon creature, its age, and gender by looking at a single hair or scale from its body. Most of the time. My studies merely allow general knowledge on what abilities and overall prowess I should expect, since identifying demonic beasts isn't my primary motivation for gaining knowledge.
I casually refute his worries. "Just lure them onto the island and ensure they can't leave. I'll snipe them from afar. No need for the rest of you to engage: I'll whittle down even 2000 creatures in a few hours. We can tactically retreat if there's too many to handle."
Guan Yu sneers. "Do you really expect us to trust you with such a critical role? Know your place, substitute. As for you, Jiang Yu, grow a spine. If we strategize before commencing battle together, I'm sure we can defeat a couple thousand sea monsters."
"The next time you condescend onto me, I'm putting you in your place. Consider this a threat," I warn.
Ai Jiangtu grows frustrated. "Stop arguing. We'll head to the island first and decide our course of action next."
…
…
Unsurprisingly, the landmass called Rock Island is nothing but rocks surrounded by water, albeit a collection of rocks with a two kilometer diameter. Destroyed tents, torn clothes, and medical supply boxes are remnants of the battle between the previous team and the sea monsters. They suffered a humiliating defeat, explaining why Lin Junxian had totally lost hope for the city.
"Look at this gash; the claws of the sea monsters were at least a dozen centimeters long!" The observant Jiang Yu notices trios of marks on the rocks.
"Three claws, a few scarlet scales… it's a rare species. It's not really described well in the books, but I'm guessing that it's the Scarlet Soaring Demon!" Jiang Yu confidently asserts.
"On the contrary, I'm well informed on these creatures. They possess the capability to cast Water spells when in the ocean, though they generally attack by slicing their victims apart with their signature claws. Adults are Warriors, their elites nearing the prowess of an Advancing Warrior if in the water. In packs, or tribes, their leader is usually a Commander-level Scarlet Rending Demon." I offer my input.
Jiang Yu and the others are slightly shocked at my detailed descriptions.
Ocean demonic beasts fascinate me, so it's often the case that I'm well read on obscure ocean species like the Scarlet Soaring Demons.
"If we lure them onto the island with the Demon-gathering Beacon, I'll prevent any retreats. I suggest we don't attack right away, allowing time for most of them to crowd up the island. Give me a couple of days, and I'll set up a simple, brute-force formation that I can activate once we're ready to go on the offensive: it'll just conjure shields all around the shore that prevent entities from leaving, but not necessarily from entering."
"Look at you, rambling in your flights of fantasy. Nan Yu is our most experienced formation expert, yet even she didn't propose such a ridiculous idea," Mu Tingying laughs.
Instead of taking her criticism lying down, I opt to show rather than tell. The others watch in fascination as I extract my black Runic Pen from my pocket. Over the course of a few minutes, I draw a dozen runes forming a table-sized circle in the air with mostly Light and a bit of my only null-attribute Element, Chaos. The subsequent array activates when I channel my Light mana into it, forming a golden barrier that separates those close to me from my peers further away. Everyone tests it with their limbs, and it's indeed a two-way obstruction: a one-way like I had in mind is more complex. Quite a simple array, one fundamental enough to construct on the spot without memorizing any runes or layouts beforehand.
Complicated expressions litter the faces of my teammates. Ai Jiangtu is the first to admit, "We've underestimated you."
Even Mu Tingying falters for a moment, and her retort is half-hearted. "If you really weren't bluffing and you can carry out your plan, why not just create a formation that kills everything inside?"
A wry smile flashes across my face. "Brute force defense doesn't require much technical rune knowledge. These dozen runes plus a few more are all I need to draw around the island, albeit in large sizes and quantities. Attack is far more complex. Brute force attacks, like blades eliminating everything inside the formation, necessitate energy costs orders of magnitude higher than brute force defenses, which consume little energy to maintain and only spike in energy usage when sieged. On the other hand, targeted attacks are indeed much easier to supply with sufficient power (though still consuming far more than brute force defenses), but the tradeoff is complexity. Even if I had enough runic knowledge to draw the hundreds of runes needed to pull off such a feat, my measly Chaos Stardust can't channel the required mana into the Runic Pen to engrave them, even with weeks to prepare. With defensive runes, at least my Light Galaxy can support the creation of enough to form a circle with a 1 kilometer circumference in a few days."
"Your Light Galaxy?"
"Chaos Stardust?"
"You're already an Advanced Mage?"
Nan Yu's question bears more substance. "You're glossing over the 'supply with energy' part. How exactly do you plan on powering the formation without energy-rich materials, ones we currently lack? Don't tell me…" Her eyes widen as she realizes. "You…"
"Are capable of constructing a Gathering Array. Yes. Most of my time learning about formations was spent trying to familiarize myself with it, hence why I'm lacking technical knowledge for defensive runes and even more so for offensive runes."
At this, even Mu Ningxue's eyebrows lift in shock. Reasonably so; it's no petty feat, and it required immense concentration for a month just to create a shitty version of it that eventually powered a candle flame. However, my skills have improved significantly since that practice, and I'm confident of constructing a larger version of it, enough to power the trapping formation for a short time while we take out any stragglers trying to escape.
"So? Who's with me?"
Everyone but Guan Yu, Mu Tingying, and Zu Jiming nods their heads.
"Perfect. Zhao Manyan, you'd be a great help if you channel your Light and Water mana into my Runic Pen when I run out of my own. Anyone with null-attribute magic, I'd appreciate your assistance as well…"
…
…
It's ludicrous how efficiently we can handle undertakings like this as a group. On my own, I'd need at least a week and a half, but the surplus of mana and Nan Yu's formation expertise sped it up to just over 5 days. The circle contained by our formation spans over 300 meters across, and it's powered by a Gathering Array the size of a room that took me 3 entire days to build (mostly spent meditating to recover the Chaos mana). It's woefully tiny compared to the shield array, but I'm hoping that just a few stragglers won't require much energy to stall long enough for me to snipe them or for the others to take them out.
During the process of construction, I developed a camaraderie with most of my teammates. They're diverse, interesting people once you peel away the layer of sophisticated arrogance, one that exists because they're the most talented students in China with the biggest backgrounds.
Hopefully they won't disappoint in the upcoming battle. The Demon-gathering Beacon works by pulsating sonic waves at a range of frequencies too high and too low for humans to hear: demonic beasts interpret the sonic waves as an indication that delicious humans are nearby.
We switch on the device at the center of the formation and wait. A few minutes later, the first Scarlet Soaring Demon appears: a red, humanoid fiend with long claws, about half our height.
Choosing not to snipe it, I allow the others to familiarize themselves with our foe. Guan Yu is the first to engage, gusts of wind enveloping his figure in a Wind Trail. Claws to match the sea creature's materialize on his right hand, and he lazily dodges the swipe directed at him. He elects to return the gesture, shearing apart the scales on its chest and drawing streams of blood from deep cuts.
[Those are some sharp claws on that gauntlet.]
Even though it's merely a Soldier, the fact that his claws aren't normal Magic Equipment is plain as day. I suspect it's a high quality continuous-use Magic Gauntlet. His fighting style that got him onto the team is a classic speed-and-ambush type: there's few Magic Armors owned by students that those claws wouldn't rake through.
Zu Jiming casts Earth Wave: Quicksand, trapping the sea demon's legs. Guan Yu finishes it off by cutting through its throat.
[Not bad, two Basic spells to kill a single Soldier.]
However, a Soldier is merely the beginning. A small group of Scarlet Soaring Demons show up, and one of them is 4 meters tall, towering over the other 1 meter tall fiends. A Warrior. Bloodlust is visible in its reptilian eyes, and it's heading straight for us. Scratch that, straight for Nan Yu. She doesn't falter one bit. Death Song: Bow!
Beautiful dark silver musical chords materialize around her, coalescing into a bow and arrow. She releases the projectile directly at the Warrior's head, and the ground shakes from the resounding thrum of sound. An explosive burst of sonic waves, engendered at the point of the arrow's contact with the demon's skull, crushes all the soft tissue in its cranium into so much juice and pulp. It collapses, blood leaking from its orifices.
[Sound Element. An Intermediate spell, how overbearing.]
I allow my thoughts to wander for a moment. How would I defend myself? Dodging isn't feasible: the arrow is a collection of Sound Elements, and its speed is… the speed of sound. Far beyond anything I can react to. No, I'd have to use a Light Intermediate spell. It's frustrating, but I can't do better than an even consumption of mana.
Ai Jiangtu's motions interrupt my contemplation. Like me, he only requires a single thought to align 7 stars into a Star Path. Telekinesis: Void Claw!
Four juvenile Scarlet Soaring Demons are crushed together by an invisible hand, smooshing into a bloody pile of flesh.
[Just a Basic spell? It took out four Soldiers like nothing.]
Space, Sound, Chaos, and Summon are special Elements: they compose Dimensional Magic. Along with the Psychic and Curse Elements, Mages don't improve their control and potency with Elemental Spirits, since none exist for these Elements. Instead, Spiritual Attainment separates the elites from the rest.
Spiritual Attainment is a completely separate path of cultivation from the clusters of stars. There's 9 tiers or levels, and three tiers are in each of three realms: basic, intermediate, and advanced. An immeasurable gap of power exists between realms. I suspect Ai Jiangtu is in the intermediate realm, maybe even higher than the 4th level, and he's able to focus his Will and channel enough energy into the Basic spell that it exhibits the strength of an Intermediate spell, or even more. A Mage at the 1st level might not even indent a strong Soldier's skin.
Nan Yu is probably at the intermediate realm as well, and I'm just a step behind her: peak of the 3rd tier. I've only been stuck here for a month or so: my Spiritual Attainment improved rapidly upon awakening Chaos because my will and mental strength matched that of a 3rd level Spiritual Attainment, explaining why I was able to resist the Three Step Tower's pressure and fight through the pain during Stardust and Nebula expansions.
Anyway, Ai Jiangtu's Void Claw easily demonstrates why he's the captain. Even I'd be forced to match him spell for spell: there's no dodging Space's instantaneous effects unless I precisely predict when he's planning to attack. He and Nan Yu are the only ones who wouldn't be crushed by me immediately in a fight.
The remaining Soldiers are taken out by Mu Tingying's Ice Spread: Blizzards and Zu Jiming's Venom Veil: Poison Fangs.
Over the next hour, Scarlet Soaring Demons invade the formation in greater and greater droves. I kill around 300 with the Chaotic Piercer. The others manage around a hundred to two hundred each, and we're all capable of killing even the Warriors on our own.
The bulk of the pack of Scarlet Soaring Demons arrives, over a thousand at once. However, they promptly try to escape upon noticing the piles of dead bodies outnumbering the live ones. Fortunately, the one-way barrier works, and they find themselves slamming into yellow and blue partitions of light. I accounted for their maximum jump height: it's merely half of what's needed to leap over the barrier.
I can sense the Gathering Array begin to strain to supply enough energy to the formation, so I act with haste.
"Go! It won't hold for long!"
Nan Yu's Sound waves explode their heads to pieces. Ai Jiangtu's Space compressions squish their bodies. Guan Yu's claws tear through their scales. Mu Tingying's Ice Locks pierce and cripple their limbs. Jiang Yu's Contracted Beast, a cute black cat, belies its appearance and decapitates even the elite Warriors among them. Jiang Shaoxu pacifies them, making their relaxed and still bodies easy targets. Li Kaifeng blows them to pieces with Fiery Fists. Zu Jiming's Venom Veil: Poison Fangs causes them to collapse from the toxins. Zhou Xu and Zhao Manyan crush their bones with Violent Waves.
Mu Ningxue is the flashiest, enveloping dozens of Scarlet Soaring Demons with her Ice Domain. They freeze to death without a hint of resistance. Eventually, the area of snow expands to cover hundreds, and only the Warriors are able to move around, albeit with tremendous effort and fatigue.
I simply keep an eye on everyone, firing arrows at critical moments. No one really needs any saving, but my assistance removes the pressure of being surrounded by hundreds of Soldiers.
After a few minutes, not a single magical beast displays signs of life. We all cheer, smacking our hands against each other's in loud high-fives.
[To Japan we go.]
…
…
As expected, Lin Junxian swiftly handles our passage over the ocean, giving us an entire boat manned by an expert helmsman. To ensure diplomacy wouldn't be an issue, the boat's name and registration are all in Japanese, allowing it to smoothly enter Japan's maritime space. We set off into the horizon filled with sparkling blue waters.
…
…
Our destination is Tokyo, but the advisors sent people with instructions to stay at a temple on the waist of a mountain.
The temple is called Yanming Temple, a typical Japanese structure. The symbolic stone frame is located at the foot of the hill, with stairs made of marble leading up to the temple. It's of a modest size, and there aren't any visitors around. Apart from a few monks, we're the only people in the area.
The temple has two stone-carved turtles at the front, their size similar to guardian lion statues. Leaning against one, I enjoy the picturesque landscape: the clear blue waters frame the horizon nicely.
"You… what do you think you're doing? You can't defile the Sacred Turtle, I've never seen such a disrespectful visitor!" a fairly good-looking monk comes up and scolds me in Japanese.
Realizing my mistake, I push myself upright, responding in Japanese. "Apologies. I was wondering, your temple's decorations are attractive, the location is excellent, and you've got a good wi-fi connection. Why aren't there more visitors?"
"Sorry, I should have spoken in English… wait, you know Japanese?"
"Yes, not to a native fluency, but enough to hold a conversation."
"I see. You were leaning against the Sacred Turtle, an utterly sacrilegious act. You'll receive the Punishment of the Ocean if you head out to the sea!" The self-righteous monk continues his rant.
Something's off. I take a closer gander. The monk is around my age and handsome. His eyebrows are frowning sternly, yet he's clearly proud and arrogant.
"You haven't answered my question. Why the lack of visitors? This place is the perfect tourist trap."
Fuming, he strides away, but his steps on the marble path are just wrong. It's like… he's walking on air. I lower my head to the ground, and sure enough, he's levitating a few centimeters off the ground. Unfortunately, he's already gone.
[I had better warn the others.]
Making my way to the group currently setting up tents at the foot of the hill, I can't detect anything abnormal.
"Ai Jiangtu, I'm concerned about sleeping here. I met a floating monk at the top of the stairs, near the entrance to the temple."
He frowns. "Are you sure you didn't imagine it?"
"I was conversing with him, and he grew frustrated for no reason at all. On reflection, I believe he wanted to get rid of me, but he was attempting to hide something while taking the moral high ground to prevent me from growing suspicious. His strides were bizarre, and when I lowered my head to the floor, his shoes were clearly a few centimeters above the marble path. This explains the absence of visitors: locals avoid the place and smart tourists mimic the locals. In addition to the fact that this is a fairly remote location, far from Tokyo or other populous cities."
"With that much detail, I'd be foolish if I didn't take you seriously. I'll inform everyone."
But without warning, Nanrong Ni and Mu Ningxue are running down the hill carrying an unconscious Zhao Manyan.
The healer pants, "Mu Ningxue and I were strolling around the greenery, but we saw Zhao Manyan on the ground when we got to the temple's entrance. He still has a pulse, but I couldn't figure out why he isn't awake."
[Huh? Ah.]
"Jiang Shaoxu, can you inspect his unconscious mind? I suspect soul damage."
Startled, she obeys. After a minute, she wears a puzzled expression. "His soul hasn't suffered any harm as of yet, but he's experiencing a strange illusion."
Ai Jiangtu conveys my altercation with the handsome monk to our teammates.
"I'll bet everything he'll wake up once we kill that ghost." Zhou Xu recommends a violent approach.
I take his side. "Nothing about his current condition suggests his soul is bound to the ghost, so I agree."
Mu Tingying seizes the chance to mock me, as usual. "If the hillbilly thinks it's fine to kill the ghost, I don't mind. It's his friend on the line, not mine."
I ignore her, climbing the marble steps. After a brief pause, the others follow suit. Upon reaching the top, the handsome monk is innocuously sweeping the ground. I'm having none of it, aligning 343 Light stars into an intricate Star Constellation.
The 1st tier Advanced Light spell, Descending Light: Plummeting Rays!
The monk senses the torrent of Light mana and screams in fear, trying to phase out of the material world. Unfortunately, dark creatures like him have one bane: Light magic. Hundreds of arrows of dense Light mana eviscerate every square centimeter of his ghostly figure, burning him into nothingness.
Expressions of shock litter everyone's faces. Wait, no, it's confusion.
Ai Jiangtu is the first to recover. "What did you just attack with that Light spell?"
"That monk I told you about. What, didn't you see him?"
"... No. No, I didn't."
Perhaps waiting for the most perplexing moment, Zhao Manyan chooses this precise time to wake up, spouting nonsense that bewilders us even more.
"Woah, I just had the weirdest dream. I wandered up a random trail through the shrubbery on this hill and found a small clearing with a Buddhist-style wooden clapper. It got kind of fuzzy after that, but I think I was being bombarded with all kinds of spells and monster attacks, and I had to defend myself with my Light and Water Elements until I randomly regained consciousness just now."
"..." "..." "..."
Avoiding the awkward silence, I check around the temple. None of the monks are floating, always a good sign. After two circuits, I don't see anything amiss, so I let Ai Jiangtu know we're done here.
"Jianyu, want to see if that trail exists?"
"Sure, I'll accompany you on your flight of fantasy."
"Hey, it felt vividly real, like it actually happened."
"That's what 'real' entails, no need to clarify."
"Fuck you."
…
…
My jaw drops further and further. The trail, clearing, and wooden clapper all exist. What's more, I'm shocked with yellow sparks of electricity when I try to grab it, but Zhao Manyan picks it up like nothing. There's dense clusters of runes covering every bit of its surface, and my head's dizzy trying to discern the purpose of a single array, let alone the whole thing.
"Maybe that dream let you… claim it?"
"That's what I'm thinking."
"The evil, bald, young, handsome monk said something about a Sacred Turtle, and you said your dream contained images of a turtle so large that large isn't an adequate adjective. I think this wooden clapper is the Lifetime Vessel of a Totem Beast: that turtle."
".... Explain every term you just threw at me."
"Totem Beasts sheltered humanity from demonic beasts when we hadn't discovered magic, and they disappeared after Mages started reaching the Forbidden level. There were 4 Sacred Totem Beasts that ruled the rest: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise. I think this Sacred Turtle is either the Black Tortoise or its offspring. Guardians of Totem Beasts essentially form a bond with them, and this bond is often made concrete via a Lifetime Vessel. As the name suggests, you keep it your whole life, unlocking its secrets and powers over time."
"How do you know all this?"
[Can I tell him I was suspicious of Nyx's origins and abilities?]
No, the entire world might know the next day.
"I'm a general knowledge guy. I know a bit of everything."
"Fat chance. But I appreciate the information. So I should be on the lookout for some massive turtle?"
"You don't need to do anything of the sort. Just keep cultivating and playing with the wooden clapper. Figure out what it does and how it works."
"Got it. Thanks."
"Is there any need for thanks between us?"
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The monks acquired train tickets for us to express their gratitude for eradicating the malicious presence, allowing us to circumvent the identification requirement. Apparently, we're going to Osaka at the advisors' behest instead of directly to Tokyo. The nation's defense team is at the national embassy there, so we're planning to obtain a victory before proceeding to Tokyo's infamous maritime battlefields.
The anticipation of my first battle with talented students from a foreign nation has me on the edge of my seat the entire ride. I'm looking forward to this.