Seventh Realm Part 1: A LitRPG Fantasy series (The Ten Realms Book 8)

by Michael Chatfield

  Hip needs to pop.

  Erik collected his belongings into his storage ring and opened the door.

  “What?” he yelled at Rugrat.

  “Gonna go check on Gilly and George. Plus, we’ve got a training slot in the dungeon.”

  Erik rubbed his face. “Sure,” he mumbled, yawning and stretching out.

  Rugrat pulled out a breakfast burrito and stuffed it into Erik’s mouth.

  Erik glowered at the grinning redneck, grabbed the burrito, and took a bite.

  “Let’s go!” Rugrat led the way out of the workshop.

  Damn, this is a good burrito. Rugrat was a genius sometimes, and an idiot the rest of the time. “How have things been?”

  “Since you laid the smackdown on the Tolentinos and Willful Institute? Quiet. At least on that front.” Rugrat’s voice darkened. “The Adventurer’s Guild has sent more people for training and healing. It’s becoming common practice for them to burn their cultivation in moments of need.”

  “We can only help so much. We don’t know enough yet. With time, we can improve techniques to help them. It will be a long and slow journey to understanding, I fear.”

  “What would you do in their situation? Would you choose to burn your cultivation to help your fellow guild members or roll over?”

  Erik held up his burrito to speak, but paused, shaking his head and sighing. “I’d do the same thing.”

  “Right. Anyway, I’ve been switching from Vuzgal to Alva while you’ve been hiding in that alchemy room. Done some work in the factories. They can make the gear faster than I can. Besides, making custom weapons can take days.”

  “And one of us should be at least aware instead of locked away crafting. Sorry, brother,” Erik said.

  “No worries. The revival pills and concoctions will save lives. I’ll take sentry duty this time.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  Rugrat waved him off.

  Arriving at the teleportation pad, light enveloped them.

  “You been training much?” Erik asked as they reached the Wood Floor.

  “Every day, if I can.” Rugrat struck a pharaoh pose.

  “You’re going to blind the kids.” Erik munched on his burrito, tilting his head to Storbon and Special Team Four, who were protecting them.

  Rugrat flexed his back, completely ineffectual through his body armor.

  “Got the team on my back! The beach is over there. Take a right.” Erik rolled his eyes, smirking at Rugrat’s elaborate poses.

  They were walking toward the beast training stables when Erik and Rugrat sensed something above.

  “Geo—” Rugrat disappeared as a missile of blue flames and pink tongue dragged him backward, his feet leaving grooves in the ground. “—rge!”

  “Gilly!” Erik yelled with wide eyes, stuffing the last of the burrito in his mouth as a shadow covered him.

  She let out a happy squeak. Closing her wings, she dropped the last several meters to the ground. People ran for their homes as the buildings shook.

  It’s Godzilla!

  Erik dropped to his back as the Special Team literally jumped through walls.

  ==========

  Quest Completed: Beast Cultivation 1

  ==========

  One’s power is great, but the power of two united in a single cause is greater than the sum of its parts.

  ==========

  Requirements:

  Increase your Beast Companion’s cultivation

  ==========

  Rewards:

  Your Beast Companion has reached Body Like Stone.

  ==========

  ==========

  Quest Completed: Beast Cultivation 2

  ==========

  One’s power is great, but the power of two united in a single cause is greater than the sum of its parts.

  ==========

  Requirements:

  Increase your Beast Companion’s cultivation

  ==========

  Rewards:

  Your Beast Companion has reached Body Like Iron.

  ==========

  ==========

  Quest: Beast Cultivation 3

  ==========

  One’s power is great, but the power of two united in a single cause is greater than the sum of its parts.

  ==========

  Requirements:

  Increase your Beast Companion’s cultivation

  ==========

  Rewards:

  Your Beast Companion has reached Body Like Sky Iron.

  ==========

  Gilly took the impact easily, not giving Erik time to read the notification fully. Her powerful legs were as large as a man. Adjusting her wings to lie along her back, she flicked her tail.

  She stretched out her neck, licking Erik’s face.

  Hi! Hihihihi Hi master!

  “Gilly?” Erik held her head with both hands, pushing her away as he looked into her big eyes.

  Hi!

  Her thoughts were not only filled with emotions. She could communicate. Somewhat.

  Erik laughed, rubbing between her eyes. “Hey, you!”

  Ohh scratches, yuss.

  Gilly’s leg bicycled in the air, shaking the ground. She half-closed her eyes, her tongue falling out.

  “Stop slobbering all over me.” Erik got back up. Gilly’s body was as large as an SUV. Her neck as long as he was tall. Her tail was twice as long, and her head was the size of a chair.

  She had a base color of deep blue with yellow stripes running from her neck to her back and down her tail. Her markings were brighter. Her wings had developed enough to fly. She was a true dragon now, proud and powerful.

  “Who’s a good boy?” Rugrat wandered over with George, who was as large as an armored personnel carrier. The markings around his face had turned white and blue, extending into his coat. Except for the tongue hanging out of his mouth, he looked regal and proud. He pushed against Rugrat, making him watch his steps to keep from falling over.

  “Hey. Sorry. They got a little excited,” Rex said as he jogged over. He glanced at the people recovering in the small Wood Floor village. “Shall we get out of here?”

  “Whoops! Gilly get small.”

  She jumped up, turning smaller, and landed on his shoulders.

  Erik waved his hand, smoothing the ground. Rugrat fixed the walls that had been broken. The Special Team watched the area, patting off the dust that came from jumping through buildings. Erik’s reprimanding finger turned into a hand as he scratched Gilly. He couldn’t punish such an innocent-looking face.

  Erik and Rugrat winced at the annoyed stares they got from the people of the Wood Floor village and escaped to the training areas beyond.

  Gilly and George returned to their full sizes as Erik and Rugrat petted them.

  “So, a few things have changed since we started training,” Rex said. “First thing was that I got them food that aligned with their natural element. Then we ran tests, saw what increased their strength even more. Attribute dense mana beats pure mana every time. Their bodies absorb it rapidly. They also learned a lot by training and working with beasts on the lower floors. It accelerated when they went into the dungeons to fight against beasts of the same attribute. Their attacks are stronger, and they now have more of them. Through what I’ve learned, their advances are closer to the body cultivation side of things than magic and spells. The attributes have purified their bloodline, altering their bodies. A bit different from how we cultivate, but faster.”

  “Wait, bloodline?” Erik asked.

  “Yes, all beast cultivation is based on bloodline. Their heritage and environment, at a young age, creates their bloodline. The element that the beast draws in, usually environmentally dependent, is the first element they’ll master, unlocking their bloodline and gaining sentience.”

  “George already communicates a few words with me,” Rugrat informed Rex.

  “Same.”

  “They might know small phrases through communicating with you all the
time. Think of them as babies on the human scale. Once they get their human forms, they’re like young children. They supposedly get knowledge through their bloodline, so they mature rapidly.”

  “So, we’ve got kids?” Rugrat asked.

  “No, no. They’re still tamed beasts. It’s just the way of things in the Ten Realms. Beasts retain everything from before and can change back into beasts. that is when they are strongest, though they can now learn.”

  “My body cultivation says that I need to purify my bloodline.” Erik pulled up the quest. “Well, it... I guess it is its own cultivation path?”

  ==========

  Quest: Bloodline Cultivation 1

  ==========

  The power of the body comes from the purity of the bloodline.

  ==========

  Requirements:

  Form an Earth Grade Elemental Core with 2 elements

  ==========

  Rewards:

  Earth Grade Bloodline

  +100,000,000 EXP

  ==========

  “Purify your bloodline?”

  “He also formed a monster core.” Rugrat tapped his chest.

  “What?” Rex looked at Erik’s chest.

  “Yeah, I tempered my body to Diamond and that unlocked my bloodline. Now it wants me to purify my bloodline.”

  “Well, a monster core is similar to a mana core, though instead of storing mana, it stores the elements. Have you checked what elements are stored within it?”

  Erik turned his sight inward, focusing on the small clear marble within his chest. “Nope, nothing. Wait, I’m sensing it with mana sight, I’ll search for the el—Woah.”

  The clear marble turned into a nebula of drifting smoke that intertwined with one another.

  “What are you seeing?” Rex asked.

  “It’s filled with elements. When I was watching my tempering, I was looking for the mana the element was attached to, not just the elements. It’s easier because all of my skills, spells, and sights tend toward mana. It’s like the vapor stage of the mana core. There’s red, yellow, and black vapor drifting around in there.”

  “Fire, earth, and metal elements.”

  With just a thought, the elements slowed their movements, separating into their own clouds.

  “I can control them, but what do I do with it?”

  “Beasts eat a ton of elemental ingredients and cores to overload their bodies, storing it in their core. Can you try to cultivate the elements?” Rex shrugged.

  “I'll give it a shot.” Erik sat down. Gilly and George watched him with interest. Erik took a deep breath. His body drew in the ambient elemental mana. Elemental energy spread throughout his body. He drew it into his veins, then through his arteries, before drawing it into his elemental core. The clouds of elements increased in size and density as Erik felt a warm feeling in his chest.

  He let out an easy breath. It was like stretching after waking. The very fiber of his being was crying out in joy.

  His elemental core grew larger for some time before Erik started to feel a tension in his veins.

  He pushed onward, but the pain increased while the elements dried up. Erik released his hold and relaxed. He looked through his body. Faint green shoots had pierced through his skin. Each of them felt like a bone burr driving into his soul.

  The wild elements that filled his body had decreased, contained within his elemental core, which had grown several times. Now it was the same size as the tip of his thumb to his first knuckle.

  “I’m on the Wood Floor. Those green shoots must be the wood element,” Erik muttered as he watched them fade away, released from his body.

  “What was that?”

  “I’ll need to go to the Earth, Fire, and Metal Floors to make my elemental core bigger. I can’t cultivate water or wood elements within my elemental core yet. I can absorb and temper my body with the water element, but skipping ahead and tempering it with the wood element isn’t a pleasant experience.”

  “You want to try consuming a monster core?” Rex asked, holding one out.

  “Not the worst thing you’ve eaten. Remember that snake whiskey in Asia?” Rugrat teased.

  Erik shuddered right to the base of his spine “That was an affront to whiskey and snakes.” Erik took the monster core, inspecting it.

  ==========

  Monster Core

  ==========

  Do you wish to absorb this Lesser Mortal Grade monster core?

  YES/NO

  You will gain 5,000 EXP

  ==========

  “Yes.”

  The monster core melted, entering Erik’s hand. A thin sliver of experience entered his body. Erik used his mana sight to watch the changes within his body.

  “Yeah, that doesn’t happen to normal people,” Rugrat said.

  Erik ignored him.

  Earth, fire, and metal elements were refined out of the absorbed monster core. It was barely a drop in the ocean compared to the elements that had filled his body moments before, but they were there.

  He drew the energy into his elemental core, increasing the density of the swirling clouds by a small amount.

  “Okay, that works, but I don’t see how this helps me unlock my bloodline?”

  “When beasts get their monster core to the Greater Sky Grade, then I think that’s when they develop human characteristics. If you get to that stage, maybe something happens? Do you feel different?”

  Erik stood up, shaking it out.

  “I feel deflated, but in a good way. It was like my body was under stress all the time, but now it’s relaxed. Like I was squeezing every muscle in my body, but now they’ve unlocked.” He threw out a few punches. “No decrease in power. It seems to flow easier now. What the hell is it with this quest? It’s going to take me forever to increase my elemental core to a high level, I’m guessing. But won’t I need all the damn elements to complete it?”

  “I have no answers.” Rex shrugged. “This is all new to me.”

  “Maybe it’s like the mana gate quest? A lot of people have that quest but never complete it because of how hard it is. Plus, they don’t have the right information. We did it and got a bonus. Sounds like something you can only complete after you’ve tempered your body all the way, if you need all the elements, right?” Rugrat said.

  “While beasts get access to more of the human mana cultivation system as they increase their power, we get more access to the beast cultivation system?” Erik looked at Gilly and George, who looked at one another, then back at Erik.

  “Possibly.” Rugrat shrugged.

  “I just deal with beasts. I’m not sure what’s right or wrong. But that is a hell of a thing if you can use not only the experience but also the monster core. Have you absorbed a lesser mortal monster core before?”

  “Nope.”

  “Try absorbing another.” Rex held out another lesser mortal monster core the size of a twenty-sided die. “If a human uses one, they usually get experience, and that’s it. If they use the same class of monster core later, they get a much smaller amount of experience, so it’s considered a waste. Beasts are always consuming the flesh and body of their enemies because of the elements they contain.”

  Erik absorbed the monster core. There was no experience, but the core melted into his hand, entering his body instead of turning to dust.

  He drew the elements into his elemental core.

  “It works. Different break down of elements but it has power in it all the same. I wonder if I took tempering pills if I could absorb the elements directly into my body.”

  Rex eagerly pulled out an earth tempering pill.

  “It’s a little strong. I use them to train Gilly. Should work with your body tempering.”

  “Good thing you work with animals. They’re more robust. You go around trying these out with people all the time, and someone is going to say something,” Erik muttered but grabbed the pill.

  He smelled it, using Reverse Alchemist to understand the pill and its ingr
edients.

  “Should work.”

  Erik took the pill and swallowed it. It started to fall apart before it hit his stomach. His own body was stripping out the earth element from the pill.

  “They still taste like dirt.” He wiped his tongue.

  “Like you weren’t going around tasting all the ingredients in every market we could find when we first got here.” Rugrat yawned and stretched.

  “This is a ton of earth element. They’ve upgraded the formula since I used them for my earth tempering. It is smoother, though. Still, it would be a lot for an untempered body to contain.”

  The earth element spread through his body. Erik directed it through his veins. Like rivers toward the ocean, the earth element flooded through his veins and into his elemental core.

  “Okay, more energy than the lesser mortal monster core, all earth. This time not as much as what I dragged in from cultivating the elements. You’re going to have to tell Melissa Bouchard about all of this,” Erik told Rex.

  “Why?”

  “Because she’ll have us in there for hours if I tell her, and I want to go dungeon training. We got sidetracked. How are Gilly and George doing?”

  “They’ve been growing crazy fast. They train in the dungeons and eat tons of concoctions. Their bodies are heartier than humans, so pills and concoctions that are too strong for humans, they can take just fine. They spend a lot of their time on the floors associated with their element. They are both level sixty-eight. Seems they’re a little competitive. Gilly’s power increased faster. She has two elements, and they were unbalanced. Once they balanced out, she increased steadily. They’re peak Seventh Realm beasts, I would say.”

  “So, they could train with us?” Rugrat asked.

  Rex looped his thumbs into his belt. “Sure, exercise is the best, and fighting brings about the fastest increases in power.”

  Gilly and George clearly understood part of it as they perked up, bristling.

  Erik looked from them to Rugat. So who wants to show off the gains we’ve made more? Erik coughed at the errant thought.

  “Something wrong?” Rugrat asked.

  “Nope, nothing. Something caught in my throat.”