The wonders of another world

Excuse some of the grammar mistakes. Grammarly can and will glitch out when reviewing such massive texts, so if you see anything weird, I encourage you to point it out. Be it grammar or something else.

Enjoy the chapter; more on it in the notes!

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"It's better than I thought."

The room was quite big. Philip estimated it to be around 8x8 meters wide and four meters high, with an extra bathroom larger than his bathroom back home.

The room was located at the far end of the corridor on the fourth floor of the left wing of the Palace.

The girls are on the right wing, and the boys are on the left.

Philip's room is part of the single rooms, having a nice view of the forest and the gardens beyond.

'I thought it would be smaller. From what I heard from the staff, this room was quite small. Well… They made it sound small.'

'This Palace is way too big. I may as well say it's a hotel at this point.' 

'Although most areas are restricted, like the basement and the worker areas like the kitchen. What's left is still so vast that I doubt we'd notice what's missing.'

'From pools to training areas, internal and external gardens, I've heard the ceiling is also open for us…' 

'I'm interested in knowing what's in the restricted areas but if someone is seen trespassing, she made it clear there'll be consequences.'

Thinking of that, Philip took a quick shower before putting some clothes on.

Albeit slightly surprised, he sat down on a chair and looked around with greater focus.

"Let's see…"

The room's furniture was… Incredible… But they were too old-fashioned for Philip's tastes.

A king bed right in the middle of the room, several wardrobes full of diverse clothes seemingly able to fit into him as if alive…

"This still feels a little off…"

'I got surprised when I tried one of them, I thought the clothes were trying to strangle me…'

'A fully functional bathroom with a bathtub, toilet, and shower with all sorts of options, such as a bubble bath and a… "Floating" bath.'

'Whatever that means…'

'This place is a mixture of magic and something like magicpunk technology… Although some things look rather modern.'

'If they developed this on their own, or if they took inspiration from past heroes… That's something I don't know. But regardless, it's rather impressive.'

'Not to forget but they did not take heroes solely from Earth… They implied this but didn't delve too much into it.'

'Meaning that there's a certain change, the previous generations of heroes may have come from a super technological world or a hyper magical one… Who knows…'

"But… Arg… These clothes…"

'I look like I came straight from the Victorian era.'

(Image)

"Well… There isn't much else to do now besides leaving."

He was one of the few who could maintain calm in this scenario. 

/Sparkle…/

"Hm?"

As he adjusted his collar, he saw a strange light flicker before him, and his eyes immediately sharpened.

"So you followed me all the way here. Should I say welcome?" He asked out loud as he laughed drily 

'Well… Let's see where this journey leads, I have places to go, I hope you don't mind me being a little selfish.'

/Open… Pull…/

He opened his Secondary Class inventory and pulled a sword from within.

Its appearance was quite odd but intricately crafted.

Its shape was like a claymore's, but half of its blade was gray while the rest was a lighter, paler shade…

In its middle, a dark line made of a strange material fused both sides of the blade together, going all the way to the hilt.

Strange writings were craved along the blade, telling a tale none could decipher, yet seemed to soothe the minds of those who gazed upon it… Or, in some cases, drive them mad.

Its hilt was rather plain, but following the design of the blade, half of the hilt had a particular aesthetic: one half was round and smoother, while the other was sharper and elongated.

However, the hilt seemed to be made of the same material, raising the question as to why its maker would go through the trouble of shaping it the way it was.

Oddly enough, the blade was clad in metal chains. They were rusty and dirty, but there wasn't anything special about them.

/Shine…/

The blade shone faintly, light reflecting through Philip's irises…

"... Right. Looks like I'm not the only one excited to explore this place."

'But one step at a time.'

[DarkLight Sword +10

A terrific monstrosity of a blade birthed from the crazy ideas of a talented weaponsmith and his professor in the pursuit of a weapon that could hurt the imaginary.

Made from the fusion of the two unique blades whose origins trace to the stars above, it was brought together by a material found deep below…

Looking at the sword invokes a feeling of distress… Seemingly whispering to its beholder, although few can discern its true words.

Its deep hue carved the night as whenever it went, light extinguished.

When exposed to the vast skies and the bright cosmos is channeled, its great blade will hurl a shadowy lightwave.

Its power remains sealed due to its creator fearing its true capabilities.

]

(Image?)

/Sniff…/

"Yuck… Even if the inventory helps maintain you, I guess you deserve some maintenance…" Philip said after he sniffed the blade

A thick, bloody smell adorned the blade. So vile and rancid he was afraid it would stain his peerless room.

At the end of the day, it seemed washing it with rivers of red water didn't do much in making it smell any nicer had it?...

"Sigh… Summon Messenger shop." Philip said out loud as carefully held the sword

'Wait… Are all of my things like this?... Shiiit… At this rate I'll have to deep clean everything I have, otherwise forget about being stealthy, anything will be able to smell me coming from miles away.'

"Not that it matters but I don't want to be known as the smelliest one around…" He said out loud with a scoff as a fountain rose from the ground

/Grumble…/

/Shaa…/

The turbid pale water of the fountain parted open as a dozen tiny hands sprouted from within.

Six tiny creatures reached for the air, bobbing their heads around, confused.

"Yeah boys, we aren't in the dream anymore… Welcome to reality."

'I have no idea how they even function but it doesn't matter. For all I care, they help me and I'll help them as well.'

"Here. Clean it up for me, and while you're on it, clean this one as well." 

/Open… Pull…/

He took another item from his inventory, this time, it was a rather bulky pistol with tubes extending from its sides.

Its design was overbearing and heavy; one could tell it would pack the punch on whoever pulled its trigger…

[Beast Buster +10

Designed by a half-crazed mind towards an even maddening goal, crafted with extraordinary alloys under piles of corpses, this pistol was made to pierce through anything regardless of size and open a path to its wielder.

It packs a heavy punch, a small price to pay for the dormant potential within its chamber.

Enhanced from an Older Blueprint by a crazed Powder Keg, it needs a wielder with a lot of strength. Otherwise, their limbs will be crushed by its enormous recoil.

All of this power comes from its intricate mechanism and the engineering behind it. So, only a very experienced and specialized Hunter could maintain it properly.

]

(Image?)

"My custom made pistol… I don't like its description. What does it mean by a half crazed mind? I'm pretty sure I was clear minded when I made this." He said with a scoff as he gave the pistol to the messengers

'The description is a little wrong though. The pistol's power doesn't come solely from its engineering. It's a ritual chamber.'

'It condenses the blood of the creatures I take down before igniting it, blasting it all before whatever's before it. Usually decimating everything in its path.' 

'However… With my memories fragmented, I'm not quite sure how it works anymore. Much of this type of Arcane knowledge was based on… Not so tame sources…'

"Cleaning it likely won't do much since it'll end up like this again but that's no argument to stop. Otherwise why would anyone even shower?..."

"That said… It's time to move on."

He looked at the messengers, smiling at them before deactivating the Skill.

"My hand's all smelly now… Sigh."

After he cleaned himself in the bathroom again, he thought about his blade as he walked outside. 

'The idea for my Sword came from a mysterious encounter I had in the dream.'

'While exploring the nooks and crannies of the city for loot and other things, I came across an immigrant whose name I have long forgotten… In fact, I don't even know if he ever told me who he was.'

'He was a rather interesting man with no desire other than to continue his dying lineage. But not in a direct way… He just needed someone to take on his mantle and learn his techniques. Carry on with even if in name only.'

'At the time, I thought, why not? I needed every bit of teaching I could take so I accepted…'

'The man laughed eagerly, murmuring "Finally… Finally…" before succumbing to whatever plagued his body.'

"The issue was… Next time I opened my eyes I was in a desert… I had been dragged into a nightmare just like the one that trapped the Old Hunters."

'A Great desert beyond Yharnam and the Ocean… A land of golden rays and ancient legacies.'

'Since I was losing sight of what to do in Yharnam, I was happy to have something else to do so after fighting my way through countless creatures I had never seen before and diving deep into the nightmare, I found a sword being guarded by a strange mummified monster.'

'It was quite a strong monster as well, it used some kind of strange magic I had never seen before. But like everything before, it fell to me as well.'

"Only later would I learn its name… The Holy Sunlight Sword."

'Despite being worlds apart both blades shared similar stories. While the Moonlight Sword fell in the hands of a Hunter who inspired others into fighting and defying their fates, the Sunlight Sword became a symbol of purity and an icon of royalty and nobility.'

'Technically speaking, I stole it from its rightful owner straight from his tombstone… But it's not like the dead will complain… They'll only fight me for it…'

"Ahem…"

'After exploring the dream to the utmost of my abilities and finally finding the reason why the nightmare had been made, I managed to leave the great desert and return to "reality"'

'However… No one was there to welcome me.'

"To this day, I think it was quite a shame the guy died after I got out of the dream…"

'I did acquire his techniques by raiding the Nightmare but to this day I'm still confused as to why that Nightmare was even conceived.'

"Was it despair? Conviction? Expectation?... Was that entire nightmare created by the man's desire to pass on his legacy to someone?... I can't tell."

'Something destroyed their civilization and he was one of the few remaining ones on this earth. Likely going to Yharnam in the hopes of being cured of whatever plagued him, yet he never had the chance to be "reborn"... I'd say that's a type of mercy.'

'And that was how I acquired the Holy Sunlight Sword, which once compared to the Holy Moonlight Sword, I realized how similar they were in both appearance and composition.'

'The Moonlight Sword was found deep in the Pthumerian ruins. And like its counterpart, there's no way to tell where they came from, much less what they're made out of.'

'And pondering over this issue… A thought came to me… Why not fuse them together?'

"A terrible idea… One I had no way of achieving due to their characteristics."

'The blades couldn't be melted or alloyed together, so I could do little but give up…'

'That was… Until I found this strange ore in the depths of the Chalice Dungeons… A strange material that seemed to absorb other things into itself without growing in size or weight."

'However, it couldn't absorb the two swords, reaching a "stable" form… So that's where the idea to forge a sword combining the three came from.'

'I heated the blades, removed their handles, rewrote the runes… I forgot the rest.'

'Maybe the System wasn't wrong in saying I was half-crazed… There's even a chance I was compelled by something to make it…'

'Nevertheless, this is the result…'

"To forge its hilt, I committed a great sin and used a metal I found in the belly of a… "Strange whale" I found on the shores of a fishing village…" 

"Since it also couldn't be absorbed by the metal, it served as the perfect handle as its only downside was the fact it was quite cold to the touch."

A bead of sweat fell down his forehead as he momentarily remembered what he had to do to get it…

"So far, everything went by 'smoothly'. The problem came with what happened after…"

'The more blood this strange metal absorbed from all of the monsters I killed, the stranger it got. Something that intensified even more after I killed a great one with it.'

'And another... And another one… Before I knew, the strange metal "grew" into the blades,'

'Fearful, I sealed it in the hopes I wouldn't be corrupted by it... More than I already was.'

"However, I don't think that is a problem anymore since this place is rather "safe", so I might as well unseal it… Once I need to, that is."

/Tap tap…/

Philip tapped his foot on the ground as he stretched his arms.

'The day is still long, and there's much to do.'

'While everyone sits around, I'll heat my legs a little. I can't stand sitting around anymore... Not without doing anything, at the very least.'

"Just because my mind has been "fixed", doesn't mean my body is."

'It's urging me to move… And so I will.'

'I don't think exploring the place will attract attention either. And above all, I need to move.'

'I can't b-line to the library. That may attract some attention, so a detour won't hurt.'

"On the way I can take care of this itch of mine… And maybe eat something as well."

/Growl…/

'A hunter has to hunt… But a hunter has to eat too…'

'And after eating garbage for an entire year or… I don't even remember how long I spent there... I need some decent food.'

/Creak…/

Philip opened the door and stepped outside.

The first steps into a brand new world!...

…

/Around an hour after they were escorted inside their rooms…/

Philip made his way through the corridor.

It was silent but unsurprising as most of the single rooms were empty.

The maid had given this privilege only to a few guys, although even now, Philip couldn't tell why.

What did she see in them to invoke such privileges? Was it to provoke competition?...

/Hustle…/

"Hm?..."

Just when Philip was about to go downstairs, he heard a strange creaking from a nearby room.

"Haaa… Yeah… That…"

"..."

'What the fuck?'

"YES!"

"..."

'No way…'

/Kacheng Kacheng Kacheng Kacheng.../

'Already?! These people… The person in this room…'

'Wasn't it one of the popular guys?... What a fool.'

'Old man Vista warned me about this, but even if he hadn't I wouldn't have fallen for such an obvious thing. Be it now or before.'

'Even if this culture is very promiscuous… Who would have the courage to risk getting some otherworldly diseases? This guy surely doesn't seem to care.'

/Creak creak…/

'Right… Did they already start?'

'A nice room, beautiful maids, good food, a nice environment, and those "special" benefits… We're being treated like Kings.'

'Who would want to leave this place?'

"Haaaa…"

"Sigh."

'They're way too loud! The rooms were supposed to have sound insulation…'

But while he was annoyed at the sound, he was also confused…

'Why did they target some people while leaving others? What are their criteria? I mean, I would've refused the maid but not being given the option is a little…'

"Haaa…"

'...For now. I should leave this place. Little brother made his choice, let him be…'

…

Philip met no one on the way, and that was to be expected. They were probably either reading the manual books or… Panicking.

The rest was either taking care of themselves, gathering the courage to explore, or doing some… "Side" activities like Philip's neighbor.

By books he meant the ones he found inside his room.

Apart from the rule book he had, Philip also found a very basic history book, together with a map of the Royal garden and a calendar.

Thanks to his traits and physical conditioning, he read them pretty fast, but the others would likely take a few hours to finish at a minimum. Assuming they memorize the contents in a single sitting...

'The people of this world have a year calendar pretty similar to Earth, the year being divided into 360 days as well, but with 24 months instead.'

'Each month has fifteen days, and each day still has twenty-four hours, following the same values as back on Earth, which is odd but not unusual.'

'This could infer that both worlds are extremely similar, which may be the reason why the summoning ritual was possible, or that the influence Earth has over Eden is larger than expected.'

'According to the calendar, today is the first day of our training, and it's called the "Introductory" day.'

'Tomorrow is the day where many of our questions will be answered, and it will be the day where we find our "path".'

'That's what it says on the calendar anyway.'

'Following that, we will be divided into groups, and our first week of training will start.'

'The first week will be a theoretical week. I suppose we will learn terms and common knowledge about this world before moving on.'

'In the second week, we will learn more practical knowledge. My guess is that we will start combat and skill training.'

'Following that, there will be a week reserved for more advanced training. Probably reserved for more complex subjects such as magic?...'

'And the fourth week will be reserved for teamwork. However, I doubt we'll only learn that. I expected other subjects to be mixed with those as time passed. Such as language and even etiquette.'

'I'm interested to see where this all goes. But above all, I'm curious about one thing…'

Philip passed through a window, gazing at the forest stretching into the horizon and the faint mountains beyond it.

'What is my purpose in this world? To grow stronger and stronger? But for what?...'

'Live longer? Get rich?...'

'I guess purpose is subjective to the beholder; after all, why did I go to university back on Earth?'

'Wouldn't both reasons be similar?'

"... I don't quite want to be a cog in the machine, but it remains to be seen what this world has to offer."

'Is there true freedom? Hard to say, even the King is bound by the many chains of responsibility and expectation… Not that I know much about him.'

'Maybe leveling up my skills and reaching their limits would be a goal?... Finding a wife and having a family? That seems like a good goal to have.'

'Are there Elves in this world?... Haa… What am I thinking about?...' He thought as he smiled slightly 

He turned to the side, continuing his journey.

'What's the point of thinking when I can just find out by myself?'

…

As he reached the entrance of the Manor, he was surprised to see someone standing guard next to it, as if waiting for someone.

"..."

'It's her. What is she doing here?'

"Hum?"

Noticing his presence, she slowly turned her head to face him, her hair gently waving behind her in an almost hypnotic pattern.

"Oh! It's you, m'lord… Do you seek anything?"

"..."

'… Her voice still gets into my head, but my skill did not trigger this time.'

'Is that good or bad?'

"M'lord?"

"… I am looking to get some fresh air and take a look around."

"My… There is no need to beat around the bush… You wish to explore this place right?"

"Go on… There is no need to mind me…" She said as she moved her hand to the side, gesturing to the door

"Sure… I will."

'...I can't understand this girl. But maybe I'm overthinking things.'

'I can deal with this later. I need more information about this world.'

"My recommendations would be the library and the training grounds as most are very excited to try their new abilities or to learn more."

"In which would you classify yourself as M'lord?"

"... A bit of both, perhaps?"

/Chuckle/

"I shall be here if you require assistance or anything else… May we talk again…" She said as she walked away from the gate, passing by him

For a moment, it seemed as if she was going to remove her veil, but her hands just passed by the side of her face and towards her flowing blue hair, teasing him with what laid underneath it. 

/Ba-thum.../

Philip's heart skipped a beat as this happened… Did his body react to that gentle movement?

'This woman is more trouble than I thought. This time my Trait didn't activate yet she influenced me. Maybe what I thought before was right. Even if I can protect myself, my Trait will likely not activate if it deems an action nonconsequential.'

'In the first place, I don't quite understand the circumstances for it to activate. It obviously has some, otherwise I would be an emotionless machine or an extremely cynical guy.'

'This could be both an advantage and a weakness… I'll have to test this further sometime later.'

'But still… How can such a mere movement incite such a reaction from my body?'

Before something else could happen, Philip stepped outside.

…

/Step step…/

The moment he left, a tall silhouette stepped out from behind one of the entrance hall pillars.

"Would you look at that? I was wondering why you were waiting here by the door for so long… Looks like I found my answer."

A man's voice… Somewhat provocative and curious.

A guy wearing rather run-down clothes. He didn't look like a beggar as he wasn't dirty. His clothes were just rather old.

His face couldn't be seen because of the large circular hat on his head.

(Image)

"He is… Interesting." Lingy replied as she looked at the man, but her voice was a bit deeper this time, not as relaxed as before

"If one of the new recruits has attracted your attention, that means this isn't going to be as boring as I had imagined."

"Should I check him out for you, m'lady? Maybe find out what he likes and whatnot?" He asked as he pulled his hat down without revealing his face

"..."

She did not reply, uninterested in continuing this conversation any further.

He let out an audible sigh, putting his hat back in place as he stretched his neck slightly.

"Don't be like that, little girl. You know I'm just joking around." 

"How long has it been since you found someone to speak with? Someone that could resist your words without so much as a reaction?"

"I thought you were tired of only speaking with us. Maybe it's time you…"

"Enough. Don't bring the past into the future… Else, I will have to spill some of your misdeeds to his highness…"

"Woah!… Sorry about that, lady. I was about to leave. Bye!"

/Shooosh/

The man quickly vanished as he stepped behind the pillar, leaving behind only a faint current of wind that brushed past her.

"... Coward. You call this a conversation?"

She scoffed, turning back to the entrance.

"Someone I can speak to… Someone who can look me in the eye… He was the only one who tried."

"Can you say the same?

…

/Meanwhile…/

Following the map, Philip made his way around the Palace.

He didn't have a destination in mind; he just wanted to explore the area before heading for the library.

From large gardens to streets full of small manors, he eventually reached an area filled with caged beasts.

'According to the map, this is where they keep some creatures caged for research.'

'I wanted to take a look at the natural Fauna of this world just for comparison, to see which world was superior in this category.'

There weren't many people around aside from a few workers in white clothes checking the animals. 

Whenever he tried to approach one of them, they ignored him, walking away soon after.

They didn't seem annoyed by his presence but it was clear they had orders not to interact with him.

'I did find it odd how little people there were around. They likely removed most of the garden's inhabitants and left behind only critical employees for the sake of… Security?'

'That seems to be what's going on. It's the only thing I can think about anyway.'

He stepped inside the research "Zoo", entering a section to the right of the entrance.

A bunch of strange runes were written on the wall, they read: Transport Channel.

'This place is quite chaotic, I can hear hundreds of sounds echoing in the walls, dozens of smells blending in the air…'

The hallway was full of cages on both sides, but most of them were blocked with solid panels preventing him from telling what was inside.

Still, each and every cage, blocked or not, had a small warning sign with a few words describing the creature inside.

And while some were indeed empty, a many weren't.

He soon found an open cage with a creature inside:

"... How pretty."

A massive butterfly with a wingspan of over three meters long stood perched inside a carefully built habitat, slowly moving its wings as the wind blew by.

'Wait. Wind?... It must be artificial.'

'What a beautiful animal.'

The butterfly wings glew in faint green Neon light and the silk spewing out of its rear end clung to the walls, sparkling faintly.

'I don't remember butterflies producing silk… Only in their caterpillar stage. Is this even a butterfly? It looks like one but…'

He turned to look at the sign:

(Image)

[Western continent language(Incomplete) Lv0 has activated]

[Name: Predroric Laldoprara Nenioc / Giant Neon Butterfly 

Risk: Minimal: Possible allergic reaction.

Danger Level: 3

]

'Giant neon butterfly… That sums it up. What does Danger Level signify, though?'

He turned to the side, walking to the next visible cage a few steps down the hallway, looking down at a small creature that he could only describe as a bear.

But this bear was incredibly small. It wasn't a baby, it was just the size of his palm.

'What a cute guy.'

(Image)

[Western continent language(Incomplete) Lv0 has activated]

[Warning. Ferocious beast ahead, do not place your hands onto the cage!

Risk: Intermediate: Possible loss of fingers.

Name: Bertontus Ursine Minimalis / Micro Forest Bear

Danger Level: 2

]

"So that's your name… Micro forest bear… You are super cute, aren't you?"

'Danger Level 2… Does this mean you're safer to handle than the butterfly? Or is this a scale where the closer to 1 or 0, the worse?...'

"He is cute until you enter his enclosure."

"?"

While Philip inspected the bear, a man wearing butler clothes approached him.

His clothes were different from those used by the staff in the dormitories. They seemed more flexible, allowing for more movement. They were also slightly dirty.

The smell of dirt and fur adorned him. This man was likely one of the many caretakers feeding and grooming the beasts around.

'He's different from those people in white, they didn't smell like this.'

While Philip inspected him, the man interpreted his silence as something else:

"Sorry for startling you. It's just that its been a while since I saw anyone new and given the time… That means you are one of the "guests" right?"

"Calling me a guest would be a bit much…"

"Right. I heard there could've been some commotion… I heard things may have been hard on you. The atmosphere may be heavy but it's not as bad once you get used to it."

"That said, would you mind if I explained more about the Zoo itself?"

"Not really."

'The more I know the better.'

"Good! I won't take too much of your time."

"Where should I start… Right, let's follow this warning sign. Can you see the symbol in the top right corner?" He asked as he pointed at the sign on the cage

"..."

'Symbol?...'

"The wolf head?"

"Yup! That means this animal is a "feral". And in our classification system, it means he wasn't properly tamed yet."

"If you look at the enclosure on the left, you will see that it has another symbol. That's the one we use when a creature has been properly tamed and is relatively safe to be handled."

"There is one in the middle, for creatures who have passed through the taming process yet still show some type of abnormal behavior. So be careful of the animals you interact with."

"I see."

'But this bear is so cute, can he even do anything to me?... Well, it's the small things that are often the deadliest.'

"Next. It's the name of the creature. It follows a simple rule: Unique characteristics, Family, Species. But most don't use this definition given it's too scholarly." He said with an awkward smile as he looked at the sleeping bear

"Not all creatures have unique characteristics though… But that's up for the scholars to debate and define."

"What about the danger level?"

"Danger Level is a classification system used in all of the Kingdom. It's used to determine just how dangerous a creature truly is."

"The Danger Level of a creature is issued by the Royal Beasts' Institution, from the Academy of Mystics. A creature's danger Level goes from zero to ten. Beyond that, we call them by another name, not just beasts."

"Anything below zero is not considered a beast. Becoming just a normal animal. However, some ordinary animals can be given Danger Levels if they're dangerous enough. Many poisonous vipers are like that."

"Wait, so what is necessary for a normal animal to be classified as a beast?"

"A good question, one that is very easy to answer. But that will take a little longer so follow me. Let's sit for a moment."

They walked to a small open plaza with many tables and chairs, taking a seat next to a small table. 

"Do you know how we can get "roles"?"

"Yes I do."

"So this will be much easier. Animals, just like us, are born with a "role". Although the one they have is different."

"It allows them to grow and get stronger when all conditions are met. Sometimes it's just a change in their natural habitat, sometimes it's just normal growth."

"Some creatures naturally dive into developing their roles, others must chance upon it."

"So answering your question. An animal becomes a beast when his abilities go past a certain threshold, developing unique abilities beyond those we consider "ordinary"."

"Same thing for Danger beasts. When their threat surpasses a certain limit, they increase in rank. This is only for classification of course, and it doesn't mean anything for the creature. But this allows us to more efficiently deal with them when one appears in the wild."

"Some creatures often have multiple classifications for the many abilities they possess, but that would be going too far down. We're better off sticking with the average."

"Hm… How strong is a Level 2 Danger beast then?"

"Hum… It depends… We normally classify a beast in accordance with its "State". From States One to Ten, we give them Rank 1. From States Eleven to Twenty, we give them Rank 2 and so on."

"Sometimes, a creature may go beyond that. It isn't uncommon to see a Rank 2 beast kill a Rank 3 one. Although it is very rare to see a Rank 8 killing a Rank 9."

"The difference between their strengths grows to an unbelievable degree. There are many exceptions to these rules. But this should be covered in later classes."

"That about covers the basics. Although there's much more to learn about beasts and their habits." He said with a smile as he closed his eyes

Philip could tell this man seemed to genuinely love studying them. So he asked:

"How strong is a creature whose rank surpasses 10?"

"That's… They aren't of any importance to little us…" 

"They are normally seen as disasters from the normal folk perspective. Whenever one appears. If the Kingdom does not act in response, multiple cities will likely be evacuated… If at all."

/Bzzz…/

As he finished his words, the man's bracelet began to buzz, which prompted him to get up from his seat.

"Looks like I'm a little late. I hope we may meet again at a later date to discuss more!" 

Somewhat satisfied with his answers, Philip waved back at him as he left.

"... This was rather informative."

'Danger Rank 10, huh… I wonder how big of a deal a Rank 2 is.'

His eyes sharpening, Philip returned to the containment cage where the bear was, focusing.

/Growl…/

"Looks like you woke up. This makes things simpler."

/Extend…/

"Come, try to bite me." He said with a light smile as he put his hand inside the cage

Because of the bear's size, the cage itself was more like a glass box than an ordinary cage with bars, but that was no issue for him since there were many holes for air to pass through.

As long as there was a passage, Philip had no problem phasing through with his level of mastery.

However…

/Silence…/

The bear merely sniffed at his hand from afar before taking a few slow steps back, looking at his hand in fear and disgust.

"Can you smell it?... I don't blame you."

'This vile blood. Maybe deep down, even if not belonging to the same universe, a creature can tell when it's in extreme danger… Or this could be a property of the origins of this blood.'

'That said, I can't just stop here can I?'

"I wasn't intending on doing much given where we are… But this much should be fine." 

/Shaa…/

/Growl!.../

Philip turned into smoke and in the next moment, he was inside the bear's habitat, causing the creature to yell threateningly at him.

"Still not attacking. I feel like the bad guy now…"

'This could be a good time to test that ability of mine…'

Philip tried to focus, to feel the emotions of the bear… And augment them.

'This is hard. I can tell there's something around, but is that his emotion or something else? What is reality and what is a figment of my imagination?...'

'Well… Whatever those are… I just want this bear to go berserk.'

He sought that strange feeling, and with a heavy hand pulled at the bear's heartstrings.

"!!!"

/ROAAARR!/

The small bear's expression suddenly twisted as it fell into an animalistic rage, vanishing from view!

/FWOOSH!/

/SWIPE!/

But it hadn't turned invisible, instead, it moved so fast it phased out from view!

/Evade!/

Philip turned his head to the side, evading the tiny bear's claws as he tried to slice his throat.

'Fast, but not overwhelmingly so. I'd say it's as fast as a rat scurrying about…'

/FWOOSH!/

/SWIPE!/

The bear kicked on the glass wall, jumping back at Philip who once again evaded it by twisting his head…

/SPLURT!/

"Hm?!"

Yet his neck was cut!... Before it healed almost instantaneously.

'What was that? Did the wind on its claws condense? Sword Qi or something?'

Laughing drily at the pain on his neck, Philip turned to the bear, impressed.

/DASH!/

But maybe, his mockery had reached the bear as its speed increased even further after that!

/SWIPE!/

/CLANG!/

"Heh."

The moment its claws were about to collide with Philip's he flicked his right index finger at them, deflecting the bear's paws upward before using his finger to push the bear back to the end of the cage.

'The art of deflecting your opponent's attacks is what defines the Ripost Skill. However, while the Skill seems to possess a universal constant that defies logic to some degree, it's still possible to learn how to simply parry your opponents attacks with pure skill.'

"You're fast, little bear, sharp too. But even a rat had more combat affinity than you…"

'Those accursed rats. They were weak and insignificant but even if you burned half of their torso they would still try to bite you and rip you apart.'

'This bear on the other hand seems to put a great deal of effort into protecting itself as it attacks me. I guess this is the difference between a mere beast and a monster.'

Philip's thought process was inhumanly fast. By the time he was done, the bear touched the ground, its claws carving faint lines on the ground as it growled faintly.

"Hm…"

'I don't know where this bear stands on the food ladder but given its rating, it's likely a "State 20ish" creature. A Level 20 monster.'

'While its physical attributes aren't anything to scoff at, the issue lies on its unusual supernatural powers. Something I imagine many other creatures will inherently possess from here onward.'

'I shouldn't have issues with other beasts, but what to say there won't be a monster that can just "will" me out of existence?... Figuratively or not.'

/DASH!/

The bear rushed at him, faint blue bolts of lightning surrounding its body as its claws faintly glowed…

"!"

'How fascinating…'

Mesmerized by the light, Philip did not evade…

/Clang!/

/Thud!/

"... You didn't expect something to happen rushing in a straight line did you?"

Philip had a gray shield in his left hand tilted slightly to the side. The angle caused the bear to ricochet to the side, slamming its forehead against the glass before it fell unconscious and thankfully, unhurt… For the most part.

'I'll stop here. I had enough torturing this poor creature. I gathered enough data for today, it was fun.'

He turned to face the glass, passing his hand across it.

'Not even a dent… As expected, creatures aren't the sole irregularity in this land. It's materials are also beyond my understanding.'

'... I'm getting excited.'

/Sniff…/

/Frown…/

Philip detected a strange scent in the air, someone was nearby.

One of the reasons he approached the cage in the first place was because he felt no one was around. And despite being on guard, there was no reason to be overly paranoid either.

If there was someone capable of evading his senses, there was no way to ever tell when they were around so trying to remain hidden at the expanse of progress was a ridiculous notion, even if safer.

But this time, he felt an odd scent approaching, and fast at that…

It wasn't only the smell, he could also hear and "feel" a presence.

'One of the workers most likely. The bear hitting its head against the glass did echo rather loudly in the area. I should leave before others arrive.'

'Also… I'll have to get used to this. The ability to feel the emotional states of others around me isn't a pleasant feeling. At least not now.'

'It feels invasive like wearing a pair of glasses for the first time. Not hard to get used to but something to pay attention to.'

'Speaking of glasses, it seems the cursed blood has also healed my myopia. Although it remains to be seen if I'll retain this aspect once I switch it.'

'I can also feel… His heartbeat? Is this thanks to my newest Skill?... I can't seem to feel the bear's though... Is it because of its high level?'

'Questions…'

/Shaa…/

Philip turned into smoke, quickly erasing some of his superficial traces before dissipating into the wind.

He didn't expect to cover his tracks since doing so was irrelevant, but it was a habit he formed during his many sleepless nights in the dream.

As he reappeared in the distance outside of the park, he began walking into the distance as if nothing had happened, wondering:

'I think this much exploration is enough for the day. I already went around the Palace and scouted the area… What's important anyway.'

'If I am to scout this entire place I might as well forget being sneaky. If I add all of the Palaces and the roads in between them, this place would be as large as an entire city.'

'Centuries of Nobles building Palaces and leaving them behind like darned pyramids for successive generations… It's time to go to the library.'

'I never thought I would sit down and study if I entered another world but here I am seeking a library out… Well, not like I ever put much thought into it either.'

'If I knew this was going to happen, I would've put more effort into myself, that would've made things easier… But one can never redo the past, can they?'

Smiling faintly, Philip followed the brick road into a lush forest, disappearing soon after in the leaves.

…

/Meanwhile…/

/Step step step…/

"What's going on here?... Oh dear. How tragic." Said the zookeeper as he kneeled next to the edge of the cage

It was the same man who just moments before taught Philip about the place. His forehead was sweating slightly as he breathed quickly, likely from running around the place too much.

Seeing the small bear knocked unconscious but uninjured, he breathed a sigh of relief but remained distraught.

'As expected, it seems the Heroes aren't being too kind with the animals this time either.'

"No signs of conflict… It seems it hurt itself more than the other way around. Good to hear."

'It seems I wasn't wrong.'

"Only someone who fought against nature for survival can truly appreciate it." He said out loud with a sigh as he tapped on the glass, causing it to fold like a piece of tissue paper

/Grunt…/

The little bear opened its eyes slightly, looking at the man with slight indignation.

"Shhh… I know. It hurts but "bear" with me…"

/Snicker…/

/Grunt…/

"Haha… I wasn't laughing at you little one." He said as he played with the bear a little

He looked into the distance, the same path Philip had taken as he left.

'The cycle renews itself. Where will their path take them this time, I wonder?'

With a faint smile, the bright worker carried the bear outside of its cage, walking into the distance, unaware of the gazes in the dark.

…

.

.

.

Notes

This chapter was originally called "Rising Era," but since I cut it into two pieces, essentially removing the reason why it was named that, I decided to name it a stand-alone instead of calling it Part 1 of 2.

This kind of division will likely repeat itself multiple times from now on, especially since most chapters post-editing tend to be 12K+ words long, which, honestly speaking, can be a bit of a drag to read.

Since my chapters were always so big, involving multiple plots or themes within them, aside from a few cases like fights or extensive events, I could easily divide them into stand-alone pieces if necessary. 

And since I'm adding quite a few interactions every chapter, which will likely only increase from here on, it would feel like I'm dragging things, which I'm definitely not.

This is to make things less uh... What's the word?... "Less like a drag" and more fluid for me since it's a shore to look at 15K+ Words, which is usually 60+ pages on Google Docs, and sit down to work.

It'll also make the chapters appear more frequently, so expect more. 

Thank you for reading!

For those who read this before, are you enjoying the changes? Or are they far too few? 

Either way, expect plots to begin changing from here onward. Things will likely change pace once we're outside of Volume 1.

I don't expect to scrap entire chapters since that would escalate things, but I do expect to cut large chunks of it. I've already cut down over 3000 words of this novel so far, although I've added over 30K, most likely...

Peace!