Chapter 172: Mental Training

AN: Starting next month, I will be only releasing 2 chapters a week (Monday and Friday) for various reasons, one of them being health-related. It’s nothing major, just insomnia, but it’s bad for productive work when half the day, I’m too tired to do anything. The other reason is that I want to start preparing for the rewrite of this story which I hope to start next year. I will still work on this as it’s good to get the story in order and try things and see what works.

When I first started writing this story, I didn’t know where or even how to take it, I just had the start and end in mind and that was it. I didn’t know what I wanted the story to be, but that is much clearer to me now. I have a better grasp of my strengths and weaknesses. Fight scenes have taken a back seat, and there’s more focus on science and slice of life and especially the exploration of how the world works.

There are endless possibilities for me to explore this world; even if I run out of ideas for mana and magic, there’s still space and souls, anima, and so much more.

In the rewrite, I will cut out some things, characters, and story arcs that haven't worked out well. Others I will expand upon and see if I can’t salvage them; some I will reorder, so they happen at a later time than they did.

I have a mental checklist for what needs to be done before I start the rewrite; one is proper character building. Having a backstory and set personality for them to make them more fleshed out is one of my goals since I always felt like I could have done the characters better. I also want to do more world-building that isn’t mana physics, but things like culture, folklore, and other things like that to make the setting feel rich and real. I want to finish what I started with the Runalymo language, early criticisms kinda scared me away from it, but I feel like I can get it right.

So what does this mean for Patreon now that there will be fewer chapters? It just means that it will be cheaper. Instead of 2$ for 5 ahead it will now be 1$ and for 10 ahead will be 8$ instead of 10$; however, the 15$ tier will remain the same because I will be adding more to it.

For 15$ patrons you can help me world-build by giving suggestions. I am only one person with limited experience in life. I am not a musician, an architect, a linguist, a cook, etc. Everyone sees the world in a different way and may have a unique idea that may take me years to come up with, if at all. So every week on Wednesday, I will give a topic for suggestions in addition to my own ideas like Runalymo customs, folklore stories, past events, and mythical monsters like the Loch Ness monster or Chupacabra.

Obviously, it’s up to me if suggestions are accepted, and even if they are, they may not make it into this story.

So what’s the plan when I am ready for the rewrite? I won’t have deadlines for it. The chapters will be done once they are done but will also be longer. The first book will end after the Cursed being event. Once the book is completed, I will post it to RR and SH, but patrons will be able to read it as it’s written.

Also, changing the tier’s price requires me to delete the current one so I will do that as close as I can to the turn of the next month.

"Do you know where to find fairies or titans?" I ask Safyr. "It's probably a long shot, but it's the only lead we have for finding the other great monsters."

It's a long-term goal to find one of the three places the great monsters are hiding, but if I can ally with them, I might be able to protect myself from the gods, so my goals overlap.

I still need to cure my cursed skills, but I think I have it mostly figured out; all I need is a legendary point. I also have some training to do with Yrania before I gain my second class.

"I've heard of Titans but never seen one myself; I assume they don't spawn in this realm. The same can be said of Kaiju and fairies."

"They don't spawn in this realm? But there's a fairy in the dungeon" Obviously, the answer is that dungeons are like their own mini realm.

"Dungeons are the one exception." Safyr answers. "They can spawn any monster provided they have the mana to fuel their magic; however, they normally don't, or they spawn lesser versions, like lindwurms and wyverns for draconids."

So Sylanna is a lesser fairy? By the sound of it, Dragons, Titans, Kaiju, and Fairies are all normally spawned at legendary tier; are they perhaps incompatible with each other? A realm can only spawn one type of them?

"It is getting dark; you should return home. Otherwise, you'll worry your parents," Safyr says, dismissing me.

I bow and fly home, sending a clone into the dungeon to speak with Sylanna.

"Have you come to play?" Sylanna asks as the other Faeries swarm around her, playfully chasing each other around.

"Of course," I smile.

"You are always busy with something" She looks at me skeptically. "You should take time to enjoy life!" Sylanna flutters around me, her large wings fanning cold air in my face.

"Unfortunately, there are some out there who may not let me be," I say with a grimace.

"Then just hide from them!" Sylanna says as if that's the most obvious thing in the world.

"I would, but I don't think there is a place where I can hide. Unless you know a place?" I ask, leading the conversation to see if she'll volunteer any information about the Faewild. I don't think she knows, but it's worth asking anyway.

"Here is a good place, I've lived here all my life, and most things leave us alone."

Well, that's a bust, but just to make sure, I should ask directly.

"Do you know anything about the Faewild?"

"Faewild? What's that?" Sylanna asks curiously.

"Apparently, it's a place made by some incredibly powerful Fairies," I answer.

"Hmmm? How strong are they? Are they stronger than me?"

"I've never met them, but I assume they are much stronger. I want to find the Faewild, but the only lead I have is that it was made by fairies."

"So you want to find some secrets, it sounds fun! Let me know if you find this Faewild!"

With the lead of the dungeon fairies going nowhere, I play with Sylanna for a few hours before sending that clone off to some other task.

The next morning I return to Yrania for more mental resistance training.

"While Allures, entrances, and mind dominations are the most common forms of mental attacks, there are other forms of mental attacks such as invasive mind reading and forceful memory intrusion. These, like all mind spells, can be good depending on how you use them. Mostly they are used to interrogate others; however, they can be resisted. You can use your second mind as a decoy and think your real thoughts with your other mind, or you can try to resist normally with your [Mental Fortitude]."

I nod and brace myself for the practical lessons.

"I'll start softly and gradually up the force of my attacks," Yrania warns me before pressuring my mind with hers.

It felt as if something is trying to drill into my mind. I resist, trying to harden my mind, which slows Yrania's attack.

"Try deflecting my attack rather than simply putting up a wall," Yrania coaches me. "A wall only delays an attacker; you want to stop their attack entirely."

I try pulling my mind back to make Yrania's attack slip past me, which did almost nothing.

"Keep trying; it takes practice."

I try over and over and over again for a few hours before I finally got the skill.

Ting! Mental Fortitude has met the requirements for a breakthrough and will continue leveling past level 120!

12th Breakthrough: You've resisted attempts to read your mind; this will help you resist interrogations.

Ting! Mental Fortitude has obtained levels 120-122!

"Now, instead of deflecting, try defending with one mind and attacking with your other. This is where having multiple minds is key in battles of the mind and where mind mages are strongest since it allows you to both attacks and defends. Against other mind mages, the one with more minds is at an advantage since they can attack all the minds of their opponent while still defending themselves"

Yrania pressures my mind again; however, instead of the usual pressure, she attacks with much more strength. Reflexively I wall up instead of deflecting her attack.

"Don't do that! You need to train yourself to defend properly!" Yrania chastises me.

I nod and attack Yrania's mind with my others, trying to drill into hers only for my attack to effortlessly glide past her mind even as her mind is attacking one of mine.

And to think she probably has dozens more minds. It quickly becomes apparent just how outmatched I am against a proper, mind mage master.

We spend the next few hours training, earning me several more levels in [Mental Fortitude].

"You probably already know this, but it's worth stating anyway, skill levels do not necessarily mean you are good at something. Many forget that and are surprised when someone of a lower skill level but more practiced is better than them."

"The magic of a skill is not indicative of skill mastery" I nod in agreement.

It would be easy for Yrania to level my skills up but learning how to fight a mind battle is an entirely different thing. Normally those with high skill level have had the practice to be good at something, but Yrania is Powerleveling me, which means I do not have the practice to become good; that is why we are spending all day doing just that, practice.

I return home late, arriving just in time for the Lojyo, and for the next week, I continue practicing with Yrania, who seems to enjoy my presence; she even initiates small talk. She's not like Safyr, who does her best to limit socialization; she instead likes engaging with others.

"The islands in the sky are home to a race of winged feathery people," Yrania says, telling me about the time she spent on an archipelago of sky islands, which is apparently a magic zone.

"There are two primary cultures found there; the first are nocturnal and worship the moons. They hate the sun, which they call the 'Great Flame', believing it to be unnatural and that it will burn off their wings and they'll be those on the 'lands below'. They hunt everything related to fire and usually kill those with fire bonds, believing them to be tainted. The other worships the sun and fire, serving as a polar opposite."

It seemed obvious to me that everyone who is religious would worship the gods, the great spirits who are literally titled by the system as a god, but it seems this world is a lot more diverse than I thought.

"Is that uncommon?" I ask. "How many people worship things or beings that aren't titled, gods?"

"Hmm." Yrania thinks about it for several seconds. "I'd say only about half the cultures out there do. It is surprisingly common for local legendary beings to become a god-like figures, like the Gareen, Lavaerd, and his Sorroth believers. Plus, the Great Spirits rarely do anything for their believers, which often results in their faith dying when a more active being is present. To be honest, I am surprised you Runalymo don't worship my grandmother."

"Do you honestly think Safyr would tolerate worship?" I ask rhetorically.

"...That's fair," Yrania says after a brief pause.

"Dragons seem... honorable?" I say, not sure how to word it. "Safyr has mentioned before about paying favors or debts; she even tolerates us for something Kayafe did. Why is that?"

"It's more about pride," Yrania answers. "We hate arrogance and hubris, especially when such arrogance can't be backed up by strength. It is not uncommon for dragons to destroy entire kingdoms because they think the kingdom is too full of themselves; however, I don't believe this to be a nature of dragons, but rather a trait common to spawned monsters. They believe that power should speak for itself and acting like you are strong when you are not annoys spawned monsters."

Yrania continues speaking passionately, going into detail now that her subject of study is brought up.

"I believe Dragons answer each other's call not because of honor, although that is the justification, but rather a primal instinct that facilitates reproduction. Most species' instincts and cultures are strongly defined by their mating rituals and sexual roles. This does lead to a strong sense of honor among dragons, but that feeling of honor is designed for dragons to meet one another, this leads to other behaviors not related to reproduction, but that is just a side effect."

"Why do you think spawned monsters hate arrogance and hubris?" I ask, ignoring Yrania's tangent about dragon reproductive instinct.

"I believe it's a drive to get stronger," Yrania answers, happy someone else is showing interest in her field of study. "Spawned are born with power, but relative to others of their level, they are weak, so they must get as stronger as fast as they can to survive; this nature they are spawned with serves a good purpose, even if it does lead to most monsters dying young."

I continue to talk with Yrania as we train my mental fighting skills. Unfortunately, I have to use all my minds for this practice since it slows down my work with everything else. I have to set up my airship industry, buy a house for myself, study mana, complete the Lunaley leviathan armor orders, study inscriptions, train my other skills, and so much more. I need to be everywhere at once; I need my second Class soon.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The pieces of the puzzle are coming together, the involvement of Myrou a thousand years ago, the identity of the Archive of Eternity, Fafnir being real, and the existence of the Faewild. The rumors Safyr once thought were exaggerations, or misunderstood phenomenon turns out to be true.

Safyr raises her up to the red moon. The clouds of ash are particularly thick tonight, blanketing it in black. The black moon makes sense now, the coming of it every one thousand years, the fact it brings darkness to the whole world. It is related to Umbra in some way, the only surviving Great Elemental, according to Alysara. What tier is it? Fabled? Mythical? It will be arriving again in a few years, a chance for her to see what it truly is.

Safyr thought herself to be at the pinnacle of power, being one of the strongest dragons, but now she understands that she is only among the weakest of the strongest.

The flame of desire stirs in her chest, growing stronger and hotter. It has been so long since she had gained any real strength since she has seemingly hit a wall concerning her ability to level and grow her Bond. She is missing something; she is perfectly bonded to her Bond, yet there is more, somehow.

The Bond is divinity; it is order, her suspicions are confirmed thanks to Alysara. If she can learn more about it, maybe she might be able to break past the wall and grow her Bond to heights previously unknown, but she can't do it on her own; she needs Alysara to teach her the few pieces of the puzzle still missing.

"It seems like the Great Spirits will need to learn why I was called the 'Saphire Tyrant,'" Safyr mutters.

They will not get their greedy hands on Alysara so long as she calls the east Nexus home; she is under the protection of the Guardian of the East Nexus.