Nico opened his eyes and walked closer to the manaherbs.

As he concentrated and entered the trance again, he could see the hidden structure of the manaherb. There were ancient lines and symbols inscribed onto each part of the herb. Nico moved to a different plant of the same species. It had similar symbols, but more of it, likely indicating its age.

After examining the different herbs in the garden, Nico immediately went inside the house and wrote down his observations about the symbols.

The symbols were unusual in that it didn't have a specific scale. No matter how much Nico had attempted to measure the symbols, he wasn't sure if it was tiny like a mustard seed or large like a coconut. All he knew was that he could read the symbols clearly when it was nearby, and blurry when it was far. The symbols also didn't have a dimension. No matter what direction he read the symbols from, it remained the same shape.

The next morning, Nico attempted to examine the manaherbs with Minko's vision. Although Minko was swimming about, Nico wasn't able to enter a trance.

Nico wondered if it was a fluke.

After the sunset, Nico tested it out again. This time, he was able to inspect the herbs as Minko. Minko was true to its name, being more active during the nighttime.

Nico recorded the changes from the manaherbs after using the lifeless water. All the herbs had more symbols than the day before.

He also examined the structure of the manafish core and the lifeless water infused core.

The lifeless water infused core had more symbols.

Since he was only able to use the trance at night, he would never get the opportunity to a.n.a.lyze the lifeless water, which was only available after dawn. He could make some a.s.sumptions from the diluted version, but it may not be the same.

Nico figured out that every-time he initiated ma.n.a.link with Minko, it would use up 1 MP. It could explain why he wasn't able to continue making flame talisman after a certain amount of time.

He still wasn't sure what FP was.

****

It took two weeks to complete the manafish task.

He was rewarded with Plus-One Pill.

Tasks:

*new* Kill 5 Manabeasts. Reward: Roulette Coupon.

Plant and harvest 25 Bushel of Manaherb. 7/25. Reward: Roulette Coupon.

Tame 1 Manabeast. Reward: System Reward.

Like the balm, he wasn't able to meet the basic requirement of the Pill.

The new task was getting more difficult. He wondered if the system had taken his stats into consideration when a.s.signing the task. After eating the manacore, his stats have increased, but he could feel the effect of the manafish core waning.

Status:

Manaroot: None

Mananode: None

Manaspirit: Midnight Koi 17

Strength: 19

FP: 4/4

Defense: 14

Speed: 15

Magic: 17

MP: 32/34

Resistance: 19

Casting: 12

If he wanted to complete the manabeast task, he needed to explore the Lindan Peak again without Pesticide.

Before he was going to take the risk, he wanted Rooster to train him. From what he had heard from Chambers, Rooster was at least in the 2nd stage Condensation.

"Haha! You want this old man to teach you how to fight?" asked Rooster. "What are you training for anyway?"

"Juo said it's the strong can rule the world?" Nico responded with a question sarcastically.

"That pipsqueak is right, but you're planning to rule the world?" Rooster burst out laughing.

Nico just wanted to protect himself.

"All right, I'm not going to make it difficult for you," said Rooster. "Juo belong to the clan, so he's required to train if he wants to compete for his grandfather's inheritance. It's not required for most people, but it's good to learn and protect yourself. The world outside this village isn't pleasant, and I can tell you're the type that will enter that world eventually."

"Thanks Rooster!"

"Why ya calling me Rooster! You should be calling me master from now on."

Nico wasn't willing to call him master, but Rooster didn't truly care.

Rooster inspected Nico body first before he decides on a specific lesson.

Everyone had a different body type, root and meridians that were geared toward a certain path. Many people he had trained in the army had roots and meridians that were geared toward combat. Those who were gifted were quickly taken by academies.

Rooster thought Nico's body was a bit odd.

Nico's root was an average grade mortal root. Most people with mortal root have difficulty cultivating.

Even worse, all of his meridians were blocked. Meridian was necessary to gather spirits into the root. Many clans have secret skills based on the meridians to transform the mortal root into a spiritual root.

Despite a mortal root and no meridians, Nico's body was very st.u.r.dy and exhibited a bit of spiritual aura.

"What have you been eating kid!?" Rooster cried.

"A lot of manafish cores," Nico answered honestly.

"You have some luck," remarked Rooster.

If a mortal ate 50 manacores, they might not see as much benefit as Nico was getting.

"Before I start, I'll tell you about the basic branches of combat."

Nico nodded.

"Combat is divided into six main cla.s.ses," Rooster explained. "Scout, tanker, archer, warrior, magician and healer. I'm not a magician or healer, so I can't explain much about them other than one is focused on attacking magic and the other is focused on healing.

A scout is considered the information specialist and rely mainly on speed. You will often see the scout or magician in the role of the leader in a party.

A tanker is in charge of defending the healer and magician. Strong spells require long casting time and concentration. Many magicians and healers will pair up with tankers to travel with them.

Archer specializes in long range attack.

Lastly, warrior is in charge of attacking. Within each cla.s.s, there are subcla.s.ses based on weapons, roles and styles."

"Why is there a need to divide the cla.s.ses?" asked Nico. "Isn't it just easier to have multiple roles and attack the enemy?"

"It's possible, but a.s.signing a cla.s.s makes it easier to strategize and give orders. In a real battlefield or during a manabeasts attack, everything will be chaotic and people are placed under a lot of mental stress. If people are trained to focus on one particular role, they are more likely to perform that role and succeed. However, nothing restricts a healer from attacking or a warrior from healing. Performing outside the role in a battlefield may cause confusion, and I have seen it happen during desperate times."

"So there aren't hybrids?"

"There are advanced cla.s.ses that are hybrids, but they are rare and very powerful people.

Warrior is the most common and balanced cla.s.s. Tank is almost entirely strength and weight training. Scout is mainly dodging and aerobic training. Archer is entirely archery training. I am a.s.suming you want to train as a warrior?"

Nico nodded.

"Which weapon would you like to use?" asied Rooster.

So far, he liked using the spear. It had a better reach than a sword and easier to handle. However, it wasn't easy to carry a spear around. If Nico wanted to move about quickly, a sword was a better option.

"Can I learn one technique from different weapons?" Nico had little experience with weapons, so he didn't know if he had a preference.

"Greedy b.a.s.t.a.r.d. I can teach you the basics for different weapons, but in the future, I suggest sticking to one and mastering it," replied Rooster. "A specialist will usually always beat a good well rounded weapon fighter. Each weapon has its advantages and disadvantages. Also, a single weapon will have many varying styles, stances, counters, attacks and defense. In most situations, a spear is better. However, many weapons become secondary against cultivators."

That was certainly true, thought Nico. No matter how talented a fighter was, if an opponent had a bazooka, it wouldn't really matter.

Nico began training with Rooster.

*****

"So, what's the situation with the northern border?" s.h.i.+rley asked the traveling merchant.

In the winter time, there wasn't much to be done except for chatting at the bar. s.h.i.+rley waited at the Cerbu restaurant inn where many merchants stay during their travel.

"Not particularly good," replied the traveling merchant Wundron. "Everyone is tensed in the capital and I heard General Erju is being a.s.signed there."

"That's unfortunate," said s.h.i.+rley with a worried expression. General Erju was known as the G.o.d of Havoc. "We haven't had a war in 9 years. A couple of families still haven't recovered from the last one. Did you hear anything about a potential draft?"

"So far, not yet," replied Wundron. "All we know is that the Teragin Empire have stationed more than 80,000 soldiers by the northeastern border. They say it's precaution against potential manabeasts attack from Kimson Mountain, but you never know. Their new emperor Korbosho is said to be quite a ruthless person."

"Ha, what are you worried about!?" asked Pauley from across the room. "Not only do we have General Erju, we also have the Warlord Defender General Tairun. The northern border is pretty much secured. We should be more worried about the increased taxes."

"Ya always worrying about money," said Rooster drinking at the bar.

"What do you think of the situation?" asked Chambers sitting next to Rooster.

"You know what the Emperor is like."

"Emperor Limain is a cautious person, and won't go to war unless it is clear that the Teragin Empire is planning something," said Chambers. "Pauley is right about the northern border, it is extremely well protected. If Teragin wants to make a move, they should be attacking from the northwest."

"That is what concerns me," said Rooster. "Imagine, if the Teragin Empire is moving their army because of the manabeasts, what sort of attacks are they so worried about that they need to mobilize 80,000 soldiers?"

"You don't really think they are telling the truth about the manabeasts attacks?" s.h.i.+rley pondered. "That hasn't happened in over 40 years."

Everyone in the restaurant remained silent. They were all of the age where they could remember what had happened 41 years ago.

"Ah, so, I haven't seen Nico in awhile, what has that kid been doing?" asked Chamber breaking off the eerie silence.

Rooster broke off in laughter.

"The rotten brat went off to Lindan Peak for training apparently," replied Rooster.

Chamber slammed his drink in response. "You can't be kidding!? You're sending a kid off to the wilderness alone? But you never send any your soldiers off to the wilderness alone."

"Haha! It isn't like it's his first time out there."

Rooster grabbed Chamber by the neck and pulled him closer.

"Okay Chamber, be ready to be amazed!" Said Rooster burping out his beer.

Chamber pushed Rooster's face away. The stench was making him vomit.

"You know, the first time I started training the kid, I thought it would be somewhat cute," said Rooster. "He's not too much younger than the kids they normally bring in to boot camp, you know, the 13-years old boys.

We started training with a short staff.

His initial stance was defensive, but it wasn't too bad. However, after a simple slash from me, his staff flew out. He didn't have a firm grip, and still green when it comes to combat.

So I taught him the different guard stances.

Afterward, he was able to maintain his weapon and put up a good defense. His attack was still on the weak side.

We did a lot of striking, thrusting and cutting drills.

He was strong already, so it was easy for him to achieve basic attacks once I show him the form. His movement was lacking quite a bit, so I taught him several footwork and steps.

Before I know, the kid had already bested me."

"The kid beat you with a staff?" asked Chamber.

"Not just the staff," said Rooster. "He might falter the first few times, but once he gets the hang of a certain weapon, he wouldn't lose a fight."

While they were in the midst of conversation, Nico was in the middle of a Mexican standoff against a giant manasnake.