Chapter 5: Learning

----

"You guys are old enough. At this age, it is imperative you understand the state of this world. First and foremost...it is not a very good one," Danyul solemnly stated.

"As you should all know, our planet is known as Astarat. Inside this world, there are multiple towns, cities, provinces, countries, and continents. However, they are not all inhabited by us, humans. This planet was invaded and the events that were recorded were terrible."

A 10-year-old interjected, raising his hand. His face was still childish but there were hints of handsomeness appearing on his cheeks. His name was Aaron and unlike the others, he was the only one who interacted with Apollo.

They were cousins, Apollo's father was Aaron's mother's younger brother. Both before and after his demise, the two grew up together.

"Uncle, uh what was it that invaded the world, and where are they from?"

"Hold on, can't you see I'm explaining...impatient! Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted; their origin was from another world. It was said that a piece of a planetary-mass collided with our world, but the future soon unveiled that as untrue.

"According to history and research, eons ago, an object thought to be a meteorite crashed into Astarat. Only, it was learned to be something far worse than a meteorite. One that changed the very way of life.

"Unknown to the civilizations present at that time, it was a homing beacon; a beacon for beings of terror. With that, the arrival of the Terrors came millennia later. Ignorant to both their true origins as well as names, we simply dubbed them what we call them now—Terrors; overcomers of Worlds, personifications of death, terror, and destruction," Danyul grimly shared.

"Whoaa! Sounds cool..." muttered a few kids causing Danyul to shake his head exasperatedly.

"You're missing the point! Those things are nothing but dangerous beings," Danyul screamed, feeling a vein pulsing in his forehead.

In the back, Apollo listened intently. This was the information he needed. He needed to know about this world. What did he need to overcome? What did he have to battle against?

"With the arrival of the Terrors, the state of the world soon changed. Originally, it was us humans who predominantly inhabited this world but after those events, nearly ⅓ of the world was commandeered and transformed completely!

"Their very existence caused plague to spread as they brought destruction on many fronts. From their anatomy, they emitted a terrifying blight, both toxic and lethal to humans. In turn, that blight brought the human race to the brink of destruction. At that point, hope was a fleeting ember.

"The human race was fighting a losing battle in an area that drained their vitality. Pushed back, they were forced to retire to more distant areas of the world. The site of the battle is known by many names; the Armageddon Battlefield, The Catastrophe Line, the list goes on. Just know this, it's a long stretch of land which stretches across all continents and comes in contact with at least one side of them; events beyond your imagination took place there.

"Further beyond is what's known as the Forsaken Land or the Endless Death Domain. While people still venture there, it is only the ones who have achieved sufficient strength."

"Woah! Where is it located, what's in this forsaken land? Oh, and how strong are the people who go there?" Dylon asked excitedly. The youthful curiosity toward danger was apparent in his behavior.

"I just told you, beyond the borders of our continent! As for what resides there the answer is quite obvious you bumbling idiot—the Terrors! As for how strong they are...that doesn't really matter. You lot haven't even begun Body Cultivation yet, how can this information help? What you need to do is now focus on yourselves, " Danyul urged, withholding certain information.

"Excuse me, what is cultivation, and how do we do it?" Apollo waved his hand, causing every child present to turn around and look towards him.

Due to their actions, he gazed into their eyes just as forcefully.

"Why does it matter if you are a weakling. You're probably the only one amongst us who can't cultivate due to your fragile body," Axel remarked with a sneer.

Additionally, Dylon chided in, "Yeah, you lived in bed half your life! Haha, how can your body even think about cultivating?" 

However, looking at Apollo, Danyul nodded. Although he knew he was weak, he found it commendable that he sought knowledge.

"Cultivation is an art that didn't exist previously. At first, it was developed to combat the onslaught of the Terrors millennia ago but now it has also become a way of life. In short, notable figures developed ways to absorb and channel Natural Essence to strengthen themselves.

"This world is rich in various types of essences comprised of numerous elements, and with those esteemed figures there now exist ways to absorb and claim them as our own.

"You must remember though, among methods, there is a minute to a large difference. Based on the currently known ranks, from lowest to highest it is; Mortal, Earth, Spirit, Heaven, Saint, and Divine grade techniques but each holds its own prerequisite."

"How do you know if you're able to cultivate?" Apollo questioned further.

"Good question, that will be determined by the Grand Elder. He will be performing your talent assessment to find out your physique grade in an hour."

'Physique...the system had a column about that. What was it…? Oh right Mortal.'

"Uncle, what does having a Mortal Physique mean?" Apollo asked yet another question, his curiosity appeared to be unparalleled.

"It just means your talent is amongst the lowest possible. The absolute bottom would be a Low Tier Mortal Physique," Danyul succinctly answered.

"Oh…" Apollo blankly nodded.

'So my talent is weak. I have a Low Tier Mortal Physique. I don't think I should participate in the Talent Assessment. I don't want to be embarrassed again…'

"Now let's go into more detail about Cultivation."

"There are two types; Body Cultivation and Spirit Cultivation. However, not often do you find a Spirit Cultivator not belonging to the 12 War Academies or 9 Great Families. If you do, their identity is often illustrious or a rogue cultivator."

"As for us, all we know at this moment is Body Cultivation. After all, the methods to undergo Soul Cultivations rest with Academies, Great and Supreme Families. Never mind that, back to the matters at hand, everyone, when born, starts off within the 1st rank of the Mortal Realm."

'Hm? Why do only these people possess the method to do so? I thought it was imperative they go against these things known as Terrors. In that case, wouldn't it be best they circulated the methods to improve the overall strength of their human race?' thought Apollo as he pondered the information given.

'Ding!'

«System Alert! Status Update»

«Body Cultivation: N/A → Mortal Realm Rank 1»

"To quantify this realm, we use the term Zuls. Each of the first 4 ranks of the Mortal Realm is reached after your body can withstand 10 additional Zuls of Force. Meaning, until you can withstand or wield 11 Zuls of Force, you are still a Rank 1 Mortal."

To put it in perspective, one Zul would equate to what is known as 5 Kg of strength. In other words, a strike from Apollo at this point would be one different than dropping a 5 Kg weight on one's toe. However, when thinking about this, one must take into account the sturdiness of the opposing side's physique. Hence, in reality, that would turn out to be negligible at best.

'Oh...that's what Zuls are."