Chereads / Shujin Spirits / Chapter 4 - The Beginning

Chapter 4 - The Beginning

As Ash cracked open the door, sunlight spilt in, harsh and blinding, creating a slight burning sensation. He proceeded to cover his eyes with his arm till the sun eventually stopped its assault. Ash eventually began lowering his arm to take in the view of the both familiar and foreign village.

'I know exactly how the village looks yet it still feels a bit foreign.'

'It definitely has to do with my other life on Earth.'

Ash questioned himself, but even he didn't fully understand why this was the case. He knew that he was neither the one who came from Earth nor the one who came from Perindo; he was both. Two lives, two worlds, fused into one mind, soul, and body.

'The merchants and customers are as lively as ever." Ash commented while smiling

The village buzzed with its usual energy. Merchants peddled their wares while customers haggled over prices, their voices weaving into a lively hum that filled the air. Ash smiled, the warmth of nostalgia stirring within him

In the early days when he and his brother had initially come to this village, after his parents deaths, they were lost and didn't even have enough food or money to last a week. They had to resort to hunting weak herbivores and selling the hides to get enough money for their basic needs. They had nearly been killed by rabbits on several occasions.

"Rabbits," he mused with a shiver. "Who would've thought they could be so deadly?"

On Earth, the average person can't even fathom the idea of a rabbit nearly killing them, let alone attacking them, but this wasn't Earth. The beasts in Perindo were on a completely different level, with even the weakest of rabbits being multiple times stronger than the rabbits on Earth and the stronger ones being able to effortlessly dimantle trees in one swift motion. Both Ash and his brother Marcus had barely come out alive after their first time encountering one of the stronger rabbits.

'Well, I think that is enough contemplation'

Shaking off the memory, Ash made his way toward the bustling plaza, calling out as he approached a familiar stall.

"Hey Leroy!"

Ash yelled at a man seemingly working at the front of a butchery.

"Oh, it's you," Leroy responded, his face neutral

Ash grinned. "Come on, don't be like that. Yesterday was just a bit of a simple misunderstanding. I was just playing around."

"Oh yeah. Playing... You almost got me killed!"

"All I asked was for you to act as bait," Ash said, feigning innocence. "And it worked! You even made some silver out of it!"

"Yeah so! You never told me it was a bear! You misled me by saying it was the usual, and I sure as hell know you don't usually catch bears, even though their far weaker near the end of winter!

"Ok, Ok, Im sorry? Please just forgive me."

Leroy proceeded to just turn his head to the side in disapproval.

"Fine," Ash said with a dramatic sigh. "Take the bear carcass, then. My treat."

Leroy's eyes lit up, his frustration evaporating in an instant. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just come grab it before I change my mind."

"Well, you said it yourself!" 

Leroy's previous angry, disappointed, and utterly disdainful expression had completely been replaced by a face of triumph and joy. Moments later, Ash hauled the bear carcass to the butcher's shop. Leroy's earlier anger was replaced with gratitude as he eagerly accepted the offering.

"Thank you very much!" Leroy exclamied

"Whatever," Ash responded with exhaustion

The mood in the room immediately changed as Ash changed from his usual playful demeanor. Leroy catching on to this followed suit. 

"I'm leaving today," he said, his tone quieter. "Heading to Lesring Peak."

"Ugh... I was wondering when you would finally leave." Leroy responded with a long exhale

"I could tell that this small village wasn't doing you any justice. We don't even have a single Arcanist here."

"Even you, who's only fifteen, is as strong as the night guards."

"So what are you expecting me to cry or something?" Leroy grinned

"Well yeah, Ash responded mockinly

Following Ash's comments, both of them began giggling as if they were little children. Their was some playfulness in Ash's words when he said he expects Leroy to cry, but truthfully, he genuinely had some expectations of something like that happening. They have been close friends for about two years and would always talk about anything and everything involving Arcanists. Everyone in this small village of only about eighty people knew this fact; they were best friends.

The atmosphere again shifted back into a humourless environment.

Ash hesitated, his usual confidence faltering. "Come with me, Leroy. You've always wanted to be an Arcanist. You don't have to stay here, tied to this place."

Leroy shook his head. "I can't leave my dad to run the butchery alone. This is where I belong, Ash."

"No," Ash said firmly. "You belong out there, chasing your dreams. Your dad would understand."

"Yes, but I know what's best for me at the moment."

Silence ensued shortly after. Ash knew it was a hopeless case but at least he tried. Times were tough in the village, and Ash knew very well just how much worse it could get for their butchery if Leroy were to leave.

"Well, that's fine, but promise me one thing," Ash said while staring directly into Leroy's eyes with conviction.

Ash said, turning toward the door, "Once I have eventually become successful enough to be able to retire your father, I need you to follow your dream. No excuses."

Leroy nodded, his voice barely above a whisper. "I promise."

They parted ways with a firm handshake and a lingering sense of finality.

The atomsphere was tense, but Leroy just nodded his head in agreement and bid farewell to Ash, gifting him some more dried meat to aid him in his journey. 

Ash soon decided to put what just happened behind him, as he couldn't afford to worry about anything or anyone else besides himself. Ash then walked towards the main gate and began internally contemplating.

Travelling to Lesring Peak would be hard, taking upwards to a year, and by the time he reached there, he would most probably have at least reached the Pure Red Core.

'My main stop will probably have to be in Iron Village'

Iron Village was one, if not the most upbuilt and productive village in Acron Keep. It would be far more fitting to call it a town, as even some prominent towns cannot compete. Overall, this is a very busy village filled with life, especially Arcanists, which can be found in every corner of the village. The reason? Iron Village is the main resting hub for those hoping to reach Lesring Peak.

Arcanists needed all the rest they could get when attempting to enter Lesring Peak, as the first trial requires you to climb the mountain till you reach around the halfway point, and then the second trial commences. Ash only knew of the first trial as it was widely known, but the second trial was a mystery to most, but he could guess it had something to do with combat, which Ash greatly lacked at the moment.

Ashs potential is definitely above average; not many could boast nearly reaching the Deep Red Core without any formal training or killing Luminaros, Beasts, and absorbing their soul cores. Even though he had acquired soul cores while hunting, his brother needed them far more than him, which resulted in Ash staying in the Black Core longer than he needed to.

When it comes to getting stronger, there are two main ways in regards to your soul core. Firstly, absorb the spiritual energy that flows naturally in the atmosphere. Secondly, kill other living beings, extract their soul core, and absorb it to fuel your personal growth. The latter is far more difficult, especially once you reach the higher grades, but with that difficulty it also proves to be a lot more effective.

To put it into perspective, if you were, for instance, to absorb an average dragon's core, it would take a month of constant atmospheric absorption to get the same amount of growth that you get in the few days it takes to absorb the dragon's core. Of course, as you become more proficient in your internal energy flow, the gap between the methods gets closed gradually and is nearly equal the moment you master unconscious energy absorption.

The safety of the absorption of the atmosphere's energy makes it more effective long-term with no risk and a fine reward, but the danger of absorbing soul cores makes it much more rapid progress with an extremely high risk and an outstanding reward. 

Ash himself didn't have a specific preference, but he would be focusing on the safe option on his way to Iron Village, as he did not want to unnecessarily risk getting injured or, better yet, dying just for slightly better progress. He would, however, definitely need to absorb some soul cores on his journey, as there is now a possible way he could be safe from the grips of a Beast or Luminaro.

"Phew, preparations should be set."

Ash felt ready, but there was something in the back of his mind that kept on bugging him. He chose to ignore it and step foot out of the village to begin his journey and eventually live his best life.

On his way out, he looked back at the village, thinking about all the memorable times he had. The tears, laughs, and cries were all so vivid. He would never forget this place and its value, no matter how many different memories or experiences he goes through. 

Never.