Oak

"Ack!" Aru hiccuped. It was completely involuntary. 

What happened just before him was something he never expected. He was shocked beyond words. Even in the memories of the child Aru, he had not seen something similar. 

It was the first time Aru, the six-year-old, and the adult Alex saw something so magnificent. 

A cloud of mist, snow and dust burst apart when the illusionary image of the spirit smashed its hand on the ground. It spewed outwards covering the vision of the kids. Some kids even lost their footing and fell feeling the shockwave of impact from the ground. 

'So the spirit was not just a metaphor!' Aru thought with awe. This world was much more magical than he expected it to be. 

"Awesome!" He exclaimed. 

While the other children gasped at the display of strength by the chief, Aru felt excitement brewing inside him. 

'Maybe, I can become someone stronger,' he thought. 

Although he ignored the chief's words until now, his attention was completely focused now.

Along with the cloud of dust, the phantom of the chief's spirit disappeared, leaving a crater behind. You could imagine the force the spirit generated to punch and create a crater like that on the hard ground of the training area. 

If it was an attack directed at himself, Aru knew that he had no way of escaping from it.

'So, why are they still living in fear? What kind of monsters exist beyond the walls of the village that forced them to live in fear for their survival?' More questions popped up in his mind after seeing it. 

Aru felt a little excited and afraid at the same time. In this world, humans were not the strongest. There were things the owner of this body did and didn't know, he concluded. 

"What you saw was the condensed form of my spirit. You can do something similar once you become a rank 3 warrior.

"But that's something you would achieve in the distant future. Before that, you have to become a rank 1 and rank 2 warrior." Speaking up to this point, the chief dusted his clothes while gazing at the awestruck children. 

Every year, he would see similar eyes and never once was he bored of seeing them. 

Being appreciated for his strength was the best feeling a warrior could have. 

"Does anyone here know what a rank 1 warrior is?" The chief asked, waking up the kids who were in stupor. 

"I know." Para immediately jumped in to answer. "The rank 1 warrior is someone that is capable of using spirit energy to strengthen their body. It is the first stage in becoming a warrior." Para said proudly showing his knowledge. As a six-year-old, he had reasons to be proud of knowing that. 

"That's correct." The chief nodded happily hearing his eldest grandson's reply. "The existence of rank 1 warrior symbolises control over your spirit energy. And it is the first test you will be facing." 

"But how can we become a rank 3 like you chief?" Adi, a hot-blooded child who awakened the grade 2 bloodline spirit of fire element spoke. Instead of focusing on what the chief was saying, she wanted to know how to become rank three fast. It was right to say that the strength of the chief completely enthralled her. 

"Rank 3? HA ha…" The chief laughed slyly. He knew what was going through the child's mind. "You want to become rank 3?" He asked jokingly. 

"Of course," Adi replied. According to her, there was no reason to not be ranked 3. 

"Then master the basics first. You need to build a solid foundation to build a house. So, you have to get progressively stronger. Only by being a strong warrior of rank 1 can you make a breakthrough into rank 2. Similar was the case for rank 3. Hence, don't even think of being rank 3 for now." The chief explained. 

"Ah? It's easy then. I will become a rank 1 warrior first, then a rank 2 before catching up to you chief." The child, Adi replied without losing confidence. 

And it was the exact thing the chief was hoping to see. That's why he didn't scold her even though she interrupted his speech. Kids were supposed to ask questions. And it was better to give them the answer and let them find the way rather than snuffing out their curiosity.

As a grandfather, the chief knew it better than anyone. 

"Ha ha… Then work hard." The chief said and began to explain the details about controlling the spirit energy and how to become a rank one warrior. The steps included sensing the spirit energy, controlling it and increasing the quantity. 

Aru observed the scene from the sidelines, absorbing the knowledge like a sponge. Once the details were explained, the children were excused.

There was nothing much to do after that. The kids were young and everyone knew it would take them a while to grasp what they had learned. With a promise to train every day in the training ground, they were sent home. 

Aru too returned home.

His mind was filled with thoughts as he walked towards a dilapidated house made out of stone, wood and mud in his memory. The house was situated near the northern part of the village. 

Aru was an orphan. So, he walked alone towards the house. 

The house was made by the parents of Aru. Once they passed away, he began to live alone in it. Through the memories of real Aru, he knew that food, clothes and other daily necessities were provided by the village and other friends of his parents.

Some people were willing to accept Aru into their family, but it was Aru who opposed it and stayed alone in the house. 

'The kid was weak, sick and a loner.' 

'Sigh!'

'Anyway, it's better for me if there are no emotional attachments. I think it's time to test my system.' Aru thought and hurried home. 

—

Once he reached his house, Aru swiftly ran towards the backyard. The place was empty and covered in snow. And there stood a giant Oak tree. It didn't have any leaves as it was the beginning of winter.

Aru's first target to establish a link was this tree. That was why he was hurrying home. 

'An oak tree lives for a long time. Because it's a tree, it wouldn't have any consciousness that opposes the establishment of a link, I think. Even if I have less spirit energy than it, I may be able to establish a link. And most importantly, it still had the potential to grow and was within my area of control. No one would randomly come and chop it off.' 

'It checks all the right boxes.'

'Should I start by trying to establish a link?' 

Aru seriously pondered because he was about to make a life-changing decision. 

'Let's see what the info window would show before deciding to make one of my links.' 

With that, Aru willed and selected the oak tree as a target for the link. Similar to before, a holographic blue window popped up before him showing him some information about the target and confirmation buttons. 

[Initiate link - Normal Oak Tree ]

[Confirm ]

"9.7! That's a lot more than the spirit energy I have. Can I really establish a link with it?"