Chapter 3: Past – Ryun

Chapter 3: Past – Ryun

ACT I Ryun

First Steps

Ryun put in the first one hundred Essence into his path, and immediately reached the the first step in Cultivation, the Early Mortal stage of the Path of the Final End. It was a strange sensation, one moment he felt like he normally did, and in the next there was a heat inside of his stomach. He could feel his core, the Qi inside of it, the channels stretching through his body. It was an incredible experience. With the purchase of the path he knew exactly what he had to do in order to advance, his core needed Essence to advance, and he could get it in several ways, such as by meditating and drawing in from the environment or by using the Essence he earned from the world. After spending one hundred Essence, he had another four thousand left since hed bought a pack just like Zach. Looking on his path screen he was disappointed to see that he needed forty thousand Essence to advance to the next stage. It seemed like a lot, but he had gained attribute points from his first advancement, five to every attribute, along with the ability to use his paths base technique, {Empower}.

He brought his screens up and looked at everything.

Name

Ryun Nacht

Race

Human (EarthIteration Seven)

Titles

First Kill

Essence

4,000

Strength

11

Dexterity

12

Vitality

12

Endurance

11

Intelligence

12

Wisdom

What did you do? Zach asked.

Sold it in the shop, Ryun said.

He had a suspicion that he couldve gotten more if he had processed the corpse somehow. Still, it was good to know that he could do that. Seeing as Essence was both a currency and a fuel for his path, he needed to get as much of it as possible.

Lets go. Zach shook his head and put his pack on his back before walking away. Ryun did the same and caught up to him.

So you leveled up, right? Ryun asked. He could still feel the heavy atmosphere between them lingering. But it would passit always did.

Yeah, Im level nine now, Zach answered.

Whoa, thats great. What are your stats? Ryun asked, and Zach told him.

That That is a lot more than me, Ryun said.

Really?

Yeah, all of my stats are around ten. I only got five points per attribute, and I cant choose where to put them in. I need a lot of Essence until I reach the next stage, Ryun said. He knew how many points he would get per stage, all the way up to Foundation Realm. He knew that once he reached the Foundation Realm he would get an increase in how many points he got per stage, but from what Zach told him, a Class always gave the same amount of points. Eventually his path would overtake the amount that the Class gave Zach, but that was far in the future. There were other benefits that Cultivating a path carried, but those were all in the next Realm.

Still, it made sense, as the Cultivators in his stories started slowly, building up their base until they reached higher stages where their power shined. He had Qi, too, something a Class couldnt use, and he could use Qi to close the gap somewhat. For a moment he wondered if he shouldve picked a Class instead of a Cultivating path, but he dismissed the idea. Sacrificing quick strength now for more in the future was a price he was willing to pay. He would just need to be more careful.

How much Essence do you need until you can reach the next stage? Zach asked.

Forty thousand, Ryun said.

I cant tell if that is a lot or not. I mean I am already level nine.

I think we got lucky with the reward. We were the first people in the world to kill a monster. I dont think that you wouldve gotten that far ordinarily.

I dunno, but Im glad that I have, even though it wouldve been smarter to run.

Right, I know that, I justgot carried away.

You need to think more, Ryun, Zach told him seriously. This is not a game. Our lives are at stake, and we dont know much. Besides, Im not sure that I trust anything that that Dealmaker told us. I was acting weird when I was there, almost as if I were drugged.

Me too, it was like my inhibitions were lowered.

Now that you mention it, that was exactly right. I dont know why, but I didnt question the being at all. I believed everything that it said.

Ryun didnt respond. Instead, he thought a bit more on his own encounter. It was not that he thought that the Dealmaker had lied, but he was aware that he had just accepted everything that the being had said at face value. He even failed to question him on why all of this was happening or who was doing it. He shook his head; there was no point in dwelling on it, and he needed to be alert in case they encountered any more monsters.

Still, as they walked, he took the time to look at the shop. The basic shop didnt have much in the way of items, but only some simple weapons, armor, and some supplies. There were three more shops, however: Class, Path, and Skill. For a moment he was tempted to look at the Classes, but he didnt want to split his focus, as it would only make his advancement on the path that much slower. Instead, he looked at skills. There werent many; it looked like he could only see those that he could buy. He wondered if buying a skill would be prudent. He didnt want to spend his Essence, but on the other hand he was lacking in stats compared to Zach. Perhaps he could use skills to bridge the gap a bit more. Before he could look through the options, a loud scream echoed in the forest.

Ryun dismissed the screens immediately and Zach met his eyes. A moment later, they were running.