Chapter 298 - Getting Some Answers

"Would you like to see your bedroom?"

Eyeing Zelsh with frustration and annoyance, Oli looked up at Zelsh. "... Let me guess… I need to make it!"

"That's right!" Zelsh shouted. "You have the luxury of creating your own home from scratch!"

"And what about food? These things won't grow in a day, right?"

"Oh no, they take at least a month," answered Zelsh. "So be sure to plant enough for a month's supply and harvest the next batch of seeds as well."

"Then--"

"Are you not using dark essence right now?" Zelsh asked. "You can't see what's on the menu?"

Oli blinked and quickly understood.

Seeing the change in Oli's demeanor, Zelsh nodded. "Those scorpions and insects will be plenty of nourishment. You don't even need a farm if you don't want to make one, though a varied diet is always best."

"... Is there anything else I should keep in mind? Or can we finally talk about how you know this?" 

Sensing the sarcasm gradually build in Oli's voice, Zelsh shrugged. "I'll be checking on you daily, at random hours. And there's something else… Down here, you're alone. You're allowed to train in your gorilla form, or any form you'd like. But you must be able to use your essences in human form especially, for the sake of entering the championship."

"If my third essence is so rare and could get me in trouble, then why--"

"Trouble will come whether you like it or not," Zelsh answered, suddenly returning his darker, dead-serious tone. "Either trust me and do this, or let your family die. Which sounds better to you?"

"... How can I trust your opinion?"

"Do you have a choice?"

"..." Thinking, Oli tried to piece some sort of theory together. "Was it that man--"

"What does it matter? I know and I'm acting on that knowledge!" Zelsh's claim echoed through the cavern. "Which is better? Accepting your family's death sentence, or working hard on your cultivation? I know which one I've chosen, and hopefully your not stupider than I suspect."

Oli kept quiet while trying to take this all in. A few minutes passed with Zelsh just staring back at him, solemn and serious. 

"... What are you getting out of this?"

"Will you accept my mentorship or not?"

"..." Shaking his head, Oli sighed. "... Can you at least tell me what that man is planning?"

Zelsh's gaze widened but not in anger. A tinge of surprise fluttered across his eyes before vanishing in an instant.

"You met him, right? So did Rhyner, and others. But you know more than everyone, so did you--"

"Will you accept my mentorship? Yes or no?" Zelsh repeated himself, ignoring Oli's candid plea.

"If I say yes, will you answer at least one question?"

"... Perhaps."

"Then yes! Without proper options, am I even allowed to say no?" Oli reasoned. "Now, please, what does he have planned for me? Or why am I the one he's interested in?"

"..." Finally, Zelsh paused and thought for a moment before replying. It gave Oli a morsel of hope as he looked up to the powerful cultivator, but Zelsh soon shook his head. "Some things are best left unknown…"

"Then why--"

"Just train. That's more than enough to worry about. Too much information and you won't be able to focus on your current cultivation."

"... That sounds eerily similar to something he once said…"

"Good, then follow his advice."

Oli blinked again, coming up with a new question. "At least answer me this…"

Zelsh nodded, letting Oli proceed.

"You seem to know who he--"

"Just train."

"But--"

"Training is your life for the next two years!" Zelsh demanded, letting his voice reverberate off the walls. "You accepted it, so there's no going back. Be sure to hold onto your memories, because those will be your only escape from reality until you climb out of here."

"... Fine…" Unsatisfied to get no answers, Oli felt a little desperate to get a proper response. He began to ask questions about other things. "Will others be able to connect my beast life with my human life."

"With what will happen, no. Keeping you from fighting made that possible, so long as you succeed in creating a shared technique for your essences," Zelsh answered seriously but sincerely. 

Getting one answer, Oli asked another, "What if I want more than one nature? Can't I do what Korvik did, making--"

"No," Zelsh answered outright, "Korvik's case is something I wouldn't recommend. That was his choice but he'll struggle after becoming a perennial. He's spread himself too thin.

"Dual cultivators have three options. One, they diversify their natures to offer more possibilities in battle. Two, they merge their natures to amplify their skills and become a niche specialist. You know about specialists and generalists, right?" 

Getting a nod from Oli, Zelsh continued, "And third, they become dual-natured, or try to use both of the first options at once. That's what Korvik did. Each affinity has two natures, one alone and one combined. It makes cultivation a time-consuming nightmare and you run the risk of blocking your progress by confusing your essence. It's uncommon that perennials have dual essence and extremely rare for kings to have it. That should say enough."

"Okay…" glad to feel Zelsh's sincerity, Oli shared another question, "How rare is it for mortal beasts to have human form?"

"Practically impossible. Without your manual and powerful bloodline, you or no one else could pull it off." Zelsh mentioned, "The soonest anyone's ever done it would be as a peak-elder, or a high-elder at the very least. But I've never heard of an adept beast with a human form."

"How come I'm supposed to add my third essence now?" Oli's expression changed slightly, gradually upping the stakes of each question. 

Zelsh shrugged. "All I know is that if you leave it behind any longer, using it in the future is nigh impossible. Take Brak and Drogat for example. They were born with early-affinity for fire, but they disregarded that to focus on their perfect earth affinity. They chose to become earth specialists and let their bodies naturally breathe fire instead of spending time to wield fire with true expertise."