Irena blinked in surprise as well, tilting her head slightly. “The World Host. That was the system you created, and an entity you sent down to the world just before fast forwarding, right? I assumed you had sent it to help me take care of matters, as it arrived with the highest Spirit Hunter level any new spirit has had so far. It made it considerably easier for him to climb the rankings.”
“Ahh…” I wanted to pretend that I had sent it on purpose, to help her as she had guessed. “Tryval’s people were on the verge of a civil war that could wipe out the population, so I had to send a Host down to handle that. Though, I am glad that he was of help to you after he died.” As much as I wanted to look good for the people under me, that didn’t mean I wanted to lie and pass of an accident as intentional.
However, Irena seemed unphased by the admission. “Is that so? Still, it was much appreciated. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to visit the other gods. Due to my past circumstances, I have not received some of the same education as they have, which is now necessary.”
After she said that, Irena bowed deeply, giving me one last smile before leaving. Once she left, I went ahead and turned to the map, taking a look at the situation in the Underworld. To my surprise, there were already hundreds of small cities scattered around, though they gradually became bigger as they neared the center where the capital was. And at the capital, there seemed to be a great many people singing and dancing, with representatives from all the different races.
There were even a few people who began flying up into the sky, heading towards the castle that Irena had constructed above. Of course, there was an invisible barrier to stop anyone from approaching. It wouldn’t be too good for people to enter the flying castle and find that she wasn’t even there, would it?
Thinking back to what Ryone had explained to me, I decided that it was time to pay another visit to the world below. Though, there was no pressing matter that would require my intervention, and no plot that needed to be set in motion. Rather, I wanted to enhance my ki. If it were possible to do this in the Admin Room, I would happily do so. Sadly, according to her explanation, it required you to expel your entire ki pool into the surroundings. How was that even possible in a situation where all of the energies came in an unlimited amount?
Grabbing the piece of paper that Terra had sent me to communicate with the others, I wrote a simply message saying that I was going to descend for a little while. I wasn’t sure how long it would take, but I would probably need to stay down there the entire time until the process was complete. After all, if I came back up to the Admin Room, the unlimited raw ki might wash away the partially refined energy. It would only be stable once my body began to naturally produce elemental ki on its own.
Considering my last experience releasing large amounts of energy down in the mortal world, I decided to set myself somewhere far away from civilization. I did not want there to be another incident where I accidentally created a holy site. As such, I chose one of the uninhabited continents, the one directly west of the centaur continent.
For my race, I left it as a default human. Humans were well suited for training as a monk, and it took less effort for me to simply select my normal body to descend in, rather than create a new one. Once I was ready, I received the normal messages prior to descent.
Body verified. Human race selected. Beginning descent. May you work for the betterment of your world, Keeper.
When the blue light faded, I could hear the sounds of various insects and birds, as well as the sound of running water. The area I chose to place myself was at the edge of a forest, next to a large lake. I wanted to make sure I chose an area that would be easy to live in, just in case I ended up staying here for a while. With this spot, I would have easy access to food, fresh water, and some easily constructed shelter.
“Well…” I said to nobody in particular. “Might as well get started.” Ryone said the method needed to be repeated over a hundred times before it could work. Even if I managed to speed up the process by using my Keeper mana, I couldn’t see me being done before I needed to eat.
At the same time, though, I did not know how to clean and cook any of the animals I could find in the forest. I could pray and discover if fruits were edible, but I had a different idea. Tilting my head up to the sky, I sent a silent prayer. Terra, mind sending one of my swords down?
No sooner had I finished wishing for it, then a flash of light appeared beside me, my sword appearing stabbed into the ground. One look at it confirmed that it was one of the swords that was enchanted to increase both sharpness and strength. That was good, considering what I planned to do. Though, before I got started, I wanted to take a look at my stats, seeing just what I had to work with now that I didn’t need to hold back.
Name
Dale Mitchell
Race
Human(Keeper)
Health
130/130(36250/36250)
Mana
99/99(11449/11449)
Strength
7(108)
Ki
125/125(10630/10630)
Stamina
6(120)
Intelligence
8(93)
Dexterity
12(118)
Wisdom
13(177)
Luck
6(29)
Charm
5(43)
Class List
Alchemist 1(25)
Archer 0(52)
Architect 0(23)
Archmage 0(26)
Armorer 0(3)
Artisan 0(10)
Assassin 0(20)
Bard 0(13)
Berserker 0(29)
Blacksmith 0(19)
Carpenter 0(29)
Chef 0(32)
Cleric 0(5)
Druid 0(73)
Enchanter 0(20)
Engineer 0(2)
Farmer 0(39)
Guard 0(47)
Herbalist 2(32)
Hero 1(5)
Hunter 0(48)
Jeweler 0(3)
Knight 0(13)
Leader 1(40)
Leatherworker 0(36)
Mage 2(60)
Merchant 0(5)
Miner 0(38)
Monk 5(40)
Monster Tamer 2(33)
Ninja 5(35)
Noble 0(15)
Painter 0(12)
Priest 1(35)
Rogue 0(39)
Scholar 0(24)
Scouter 0(40)
Sculptor 0(16)
Shaman 0(25)
Spirit Hunter 15(23)
Spirit Tamer 6(40)
Swordsman 0(5)
Tailor 0(16)
Warrior 2(60)
Weaponmaster 0(14)
I was surprised by how many more classes had been unlocked since the last time I came down, but that just showed how quickly the world was beginning to discover them. By my estimate, almost all of the classes had been acquired by now. Most of the ones that were left required special conditions to receive, like the Black Knight and Templar. Still, it was only a matter of time.
Picking up the sword, I gave a brief swing to confirm the effects it had on my strength. Without tapping into my Keeper reserves, it caused my normal strength to triple. If I did tap into those reserves, the increase was far less notable. Still, what I wanted right now wasn’t really a weapon of great power… I just didn’t have an axe or a spear.
Walking over to a nearby tree, I studied it for a long moment. Like many other trees around the forest, it stood tall, almost a hundred meters by my guess. The lowest branches were about five meters above me, so I crouched down slightly. Using only my normal level of ki, I jumped into the air, a small explosion erupting from where I stood.
In only a moment I had reached one of the thicker branches, and with a full powered swing of my sword it was easily chopped off. A bit overkill to cut down a single branch, but I didn’t have much that was less powerful. If I used my Spirit Hunter powers to create a spear with the lion spirit, I doubted I�
��d ever get what I wanted.
Instead, I landed on the ground, and picked up the branch that was thicker than my arm and longer than my body. Okay, so it was heavy, but I managed to lift it without too much trouble thanks to the enchantment on the sword. After which I carried it back out of the forest, setting it on the ground and began carving with a knife I had delivered via prayer-mail. Thanks to the training I went through with Terra, I was well versed on how to make a wooden spear, though this was my first time doing so outside of the Admin Room.
The carving of the spear itself took roughly ten minutes, likely shortened due to the high quality carving tools, and when it was done I had a passable wooden spear with a sharp tip. I gave the work a quick appraisal, making sure that it wasn’t too fragile. Though, at the same time I also received an annoying message pop up in front of me.
Carpenter Class Unlocked!
Wooden Spear Recipe Acquired!
I had not wanted to get any levels in this class, given that I had a very limited supply of levels. In fact, I would prefer not to get any levels at all until there was someone suitable to train me in the classes. Even if the levels carried the same statistical value now as they would in the future, the knowledge on how to use the classes was indispensable. Just imagine if I already had a proper monk to teach me how to use that class. I wouldn’t have to blindly stumble through the abilities.
Regardless, I could only accept the level. I wonder if there is a way to remove levels… I’ll have Ryone check the market for something like that later. If there was, it would be a big help. I’d also probably need to raise the level limit again soon, since people seemed to be approaching it.
Shaking my head, I stopped distracting myself, and stabbed both the sword and dagger into the ground. Before coming down, I had confirmed that there were no giant monsters or anything like that hiding in the lake or the nearby forest, so I didn’t have to worry too much about self-defense. Rather, it was more important to take the spear with me so that I had a chance to catch the fish. This is also the same reason I couldn’t use the lion spirit for this job, as I had no doubt that it would scare away any fish I might catch.
Channeling ki into my eyes, my vision increased drastically. I was able to see deep beneath the surface of the water, watching the movements of the fish as well as the different smaller monsters that inhabited the lake. Steadying my breath, I held the spear at the ready, making sure to keep my Keeper powers fully locked down. If I could make normal people nervous with my aura, it was likely that sensitive creatures like fish would get as far away as possible.
I stood there, waiting for a fish to swim near me. I didn’t bother keeping track of how much time passed. To my surprise, my ki did not seem to deplete when I used it in this manner, so I was able to maintain my state of super-sight all the way until one rather large fish swam near me. Finally , I thought to myself. Adjusting slightly, I watched the direction the fish was swimming. There were no larger predators near it, so I didn’t have to worry about my dinner being stolen.
Just before I threw the spear, I fully released my Keeper abilities, enhancing my speed and strength to the very limit. I knew that there was a large chance of me missing the fish if I used my normal stats, due to me not being very experienced fishing like this. But, like this, the wooden spear flew from my hands and instantly stabbed straight through the fish. The tip of the spear even continued to stab into the lake’s floor.
Although the strike had not hit the fish in a vital location, evident by the health bar above its head only emptying halfway and it flailing around madly, it was thoroughly pinned on the spear, unable to escape. With a simple hop, I was standing before the fish, reaching down to grab onto it. Together with the spear, I lifted it up and threw it onto land. “Okay. Dinner’s taken care of.”
Chapter 64
Taking a deep breath, I crossed my legs, focusing on my ki. There was a good chance that this process would get me a level or two in Monk, but that was alright in this instance. This was experience gained through study, so at least I am gaining information while I level up, instead of just gaining the experience in battle. This method would at least help build my foundations a little bit, though I will likely need a refresher course once monk techniques develop more.
Anyways, back to focusing. I could clearly feel the ki flowing through my body. According to what Ryone said, in order to convert my ki I would need to expel it from my body. From what I’ve learned through practice, ki does not drain as you use it inside of your body, like how I used it to enhance my sight. It only drains when you bring it out of your body. Though, when using ki to enhance a throw or a jump, it’s natural that you will leave some of it behind on the object you are throwing or leaping from.
If this is true, then ki can be considered a valuable resource. Until it mixes with another energy, it won’t disperse on its own, but that probably also means that it takes longer to recover. Then again, I’ve never taken long enough to experiment with how long it takes ki or mana to recover, because I’d always level up before that happened.
Well, with this thought in mind, I began pushing my ki outside of my body, keeping it close to the outer layer of my skin. I could feel that pushing it much farther than that would push it outside the range I could draw it back in, so I wanted to be careful. Keeping an eye on my status bars, I saw a yellow bar representing ki rapidly depleting. Once the depletion hit the halfway mark, I pulled all of the ki back into my body, stopping the process.
With my ki back inside my body, I closed my eyes to carefully examine it. I wanted to find any irregularities that would show the progress of converting my ki. As I worked my way through my own energies, I spotted a tiny portion, likely only one or two units which had a different feeling. Still, those one or two units of ki showed a clear change, and I was rather eager to see where it would lead me if I continued!
Of course, that would have to wait a little while, as I needed to give time for my ki to recover. Keeping my pose, I waited patiently for my body to produce more ki. The process took… a lot longer than I had planned. After what felt like half an hour of waiting, I had only recovered five ki. If it continued like this, wouldn’t I only be able to use this method once a day?!
Groaning in frustration, I decided to go ahead and prepare the fish that I had caught, using my knife to clean it. Once it was ready to be cooked, I carved a basic fire spell diagram into the ground. Skewering the fish on the spear I had used, I stuck one end into the ground and had the other end leaning over the formation.
From then, I just used a bit of mana to trigger the formation, letting it slowly cook the fish. Of course, before I did this I had confirmed that the fish wasn’t poisonous or anything by ‘praying for guidance’. Though, even if it was poisoned, my Keeper health would help me last long enough to make it to the Admin Room before I could take any serious damage.
I waited patiently for the meal to cook, and as I did there was some movement out of the corner of my eye. Turning to look, I saw a… blob, slowly rolling towards me. Its size only came up to my shins, and inside I could see two tiny balls, looking almost like eyes. It felt strange seeing a slime with two cores, but I easily confirmed that that was what it was by checking its name. Moreover, it was only a level two slime, so it did not pose any danger to me.
I thought about simply wiping it out, keeping the area clear for me to train in. However… if this was going to take as long as I was fearing, having a weak monster around to entertain me wouldn’t be all bad. Just to be safe, I sent a prayer up to the Admin Room. For anyone listening, there anything I should be concerned about with this slime, or is it fine to just let it hang out around me while I train?
The response that came back was, surprisingly, Accalia, the lycan Goddess of the Hunt. There shouldn’t be a problem. Slimes at that level can only burn through weaker substances. Although your clothes might melt if it hugs you long enough, it won’t be able to melt through the skin of someone at your level. If your skin starts t
o burn while it is touching you, just go ahead and smash it. Also, it seems like that one is getting ready to split, so it is probably looking for nutrients.
The detailed answer from the new goddess surprised me. Though, she did have Hunt as her domain, so maybe information regarding monsters was a part of that? However, a moment later, Aurivy spoke up into my mind, the childlike voice a stark contrast for the more adult lycan. It’s pretty weak right now. If you feed it, it’ll probably be a good pet to keep you company!
I considered her words while waiting for my fish to cook, but ultimately the slime took matters into its own hands. Even though it moved at a snail’s pace, it eventually made its way to the discarded waste materials from the fish, things such as the head or guts that I had removed before cooking it. Its small body slowly moved to encompass the pile of trash.
The small body of the slime gave off a little shake as I could watch the materials inside it slowly dissolving, one little piece at a time. Just like Accalia said, the slime really had been preparing to split, as by the time it had finished there were two slimes sitting there. Each of them had a separate core in their small bodies, and they slowly moved in my direction.
Part of me thought they might be seeing me as just a larger meal, but that thought disappeared when they stopped a couple feet behind me. I wasn’t sure what was going on until I saw a message appearing in front of me.
You have tamed two Green Slimes - Level 1
...Okay, so apparently they are now my pets? I had gained the Monster Tamer class back when I fought the pack of lion monsters, but I still didn’t really know how it worked. Aurivy, Accalia? What am I supposed to do with two slime pets?
Again, it was the lycan goddess that spoke first. Slimes are simple-minded creatures. However, their key aspect is mimicry. If they watch something long enough, they will start to replicate it as best they can with their bodies.
World Keeper: Birth of a World Page 48
