"Information not available. Please continue to explore your new world to unlock new information through analysis and observation." the voice sounded in his ear.
He didn't really pay attention to it as his gaze was fixed on what was in his father's hand. "Did he just say that's a gu worm?" he pondered. "It looks more like a beetle, doesn't it?" He couldn't quite grasp what his father was talking about, but he was intrigued nonetheless.
Ma Ren Shi inquired, "Where did you find it? How did they even give it to you? You have the lowest rank in your group."
His father looked puzzled for a moment before retorting, "What do you mean by that? Even though I am the lowest rank, I'm still rank 2."
She nearly burst into laughter but managed to compose herself and simply replied, "Yes, rank 2 initial stage. And you just achieved that a week ago, so you don't even have any rank 2 gu, which means you're the weakest rank 2 in the world." She said In a sarcastic voice.
Ma Rue Sa became embarrassed and quickly interjected, "How could you say that in front of Ma Rue Bu? How can he ever respect his father again?"
"Ma Rue Bu, couldn't you have tried to pick a better name?" he thought as he digested the rest of the information, pondering the response to the question he had asked the voice in the middle of their conversation.
"Analyse what they just said, take into consideration everything that just happened." he requested.
"Analysing... analysing!!"
"Rank 2 initial stage? Then how many ranks are there in total? 2? 3? 4? 5? 6? 7? 8? 9? 10? And how many stages to the ranks? From Ma Ren Shi's sarcastic tone, it seems that rank 2 initial stage isn't that impressive. But she does sound like she is teasing him, so is it in the middle? Maybe there are four ranks? Maybe more, and there aren't any clues to how many stages there may be, other than linguistic clues. So maybe 3 stages like 'initial stage' then 'middle stage' and then the 'final stage'?"
"Besides, this man is already 25. How many years did it take him to go up just 2 ranks? Does he just suck or is it this hard to go up the ranks? What are the ranks? Ma Ren Shi mentioned that those gu have ranks too, and it seems that every human that has a rank must have a gu of the same rank, or they would be the weakest of their rank?"
"So, according to the analysis, the potential ranks are up to 5 ranks. Just 1 or 2 ranks are out of the question, as Ma Rue Sa is already a rank 2. Just 3 ranks are not likely because of Ma Rue Sa again, he would be more impressive in the eyes of Mu Ren Shi if that were the case. But we are more in favor of 4 ranks because of how Ma Ren Shi and Ma Rue Sa speak of rank 2 as middle ground or even worse. As for stages, there are only linguistic clues to go by, so we are in favor of 3 stages: initial, middle, and final stage.
As for what the ranks are, it seems that in this world, people use these 'gu' as 'weapons' and every person with a rank has to have a 'weapon' of the same rank, or they would be the weakest of that rank, or at least not as strong as others of the same rank. So, we can assume that the ranks refer to strength and level, not political rank and power, but the two are, most likely, linked as Ma Ren Shi said that Ma Rue Sa has the lowest rank in his group because he is just rank 2."
That was a lot, even for a 61-year-old toddler. It took him a while to understand and digest all of that, to the point that he even missed some of the conversation.
Ma Ren Shi: "..Well, whatever you say. What is its effect anyway?" She sounded angry for some reason, but Ma Rue Bu didn't know why, as he had missed quite a lot of them arguing.
Ma Rue Sa thought for a second and then activated the gu. It glowed briefly, then dimmed again, as if it were struggling to uncover the secrets of the world, only to be thwarted by some mysterious force. Then Ma Rue Sa explained, "It's a wisdom path gu. It helps me think quicker. However, no one in the team was interested in a gu that has no rank 2 recipes, not even incomplete ones. And although it does enhance my thoughts, the effect lasts for just under a minute. Additionally, it consumes 5% of my rank 2 initial stage primeval essence as a rank 1 gu. It's not ideal for fighters who charge straight ahead like most tribe members, but it suits me, as I prefer to provide support from the back." Ma Ren Shi appeared to believe him, although she didn't admit it.
The voice started analyzing again: "According to the question asked by Ma Ren Shi, it seems that every gu has a different ability. And according to Ma Rue Sa's answer, there are different types of gu worms, with one of those types being the 'wisdom' path. Additionally, if you want to know the effect of a gu, you seem to need to activate the gu first. As Ma Rue Sa activated the gu to prove the effect to Ma Ren Shi and make her believe him, and it seemed like she wouldn't believe him and couldn't be sure about the effect unless the gu is activated. That may be dangerous to try unknown gu on oneself.
Furthermore, there is a kind of requirement to activate the gu which Ma Rue Sa called primeval essence, and he linked it to his rank as a rank 2 initial stage primeval essence. So, it leads us to believe that every rank has a different kind of primeval essence. Additional information is that gu can be upgraded with recipes, and they seem to be rare, or not every gu is going to have an upgraded recipe in this tribe."
Ma Rue Bu tried to digest the new and old information as Ma Rue Sa and Ma Ren Shi already left the room, leaving him alone in the dimly lit and almost silent room, with him and the voice in his head trying to sort out this mess of information.
.
.
.
As he engaged more with the voice, carefully analyzing every word spoken by his parents, he gradually grasped the fundamental workings of this strange new world. Though the voice initially made mistakes, it quickly adjusted its understanding: there were actually 9 ranks, not just 4, and instead of 3 stages, there were 4. This realization left it momentarily puzzled by the concept of an "upper stage."
He was taken aback by the stark contrast between this world and his previous one, yet he couldn't ignore the striking similarities. Learning about the distinction between mortals and Gu Masters, and occasionally hearing tales of Gu Immortals, intrigued him, however, most dismissed these stories as mere fairy tales, given that no one had ever laid eyes on an immortal. But such concerns didn't consume him, all he could focus on was becoming stronger. He refused to let these new figures known as Gu Masters dictate his life as they had in his previous life, In that world, one's ability to use mana was predetermined at birth, if your parents lacked mana, you were doomed from the start, as you wouldn't even get the chance to try, much like he had been. But here, in this world, things were different.
"not really, it's still a shit hole too, but at least the mortals get to try their luck in this shit hole, and who knows maybe they will be able to climb the hole eventually, and even though they would still be covered in shit at least they're out of the hole, and the tribe may get a new hero, or maybe not, and nothing would change. Plus, my parents are already Gu Masters, not the biggest names, just rank 1 and barely rank 2. But still, it's a step up compared to my previous life." Pausing to gather his thoughts, he concludes, "So, to get stronger in this world, all I really need is some luck and, most importantly, Gu!"