NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 5: Superior Trio-Cultivator System
It was typically a 10 minute walk from the part of the forest Theo found himself in to the village, but, because of his injuries, it took him more than 15 to limp there. After the long, strenuous journey, he had arrived.
Sage Mellow Village,
Sage Mellow Village was a small village a few hundred miles west of the Human Continent's official Capital, give or take a few hundred miles. It was on the outer edges of the Kingdom of Aris, or the kingdom by which Sage Mellow dwelled under. It was easily the size of half a football stadium, so, even amongst the outer ring of villages scarred throughout the western countryside of the Aris Kingdom, it was considered small.
The Human Continent consists of mostly villages, baronies, towns and counties, with 4 major city-kingdoms. The Aris Kingdom has the largest metropolis-city, as it was the capital of the Aris Kingdom and the Human Continent.
The other Human Kingdoms — The Barbatos Kingdom, the Magenta Kingdom and the Evergreen Kingdom — alongside the Aris Kingdom, make up the Human continent and all its villages, towns and baronies, each contributing different factors to the Human Domain.
For instance, the Aris Kingdom has the largest military power, and sits closer to the eastern shores of the Continent by about 150 miles. The Evergreen Kingdom is the most resourceful and wealthy of the human kingdoms; its found 120 miles from the Northern coast of this continent. Meanwhile, the Magenta Kingdom has the most gifted mages in the Human domain, located only 135 miles from the western shores. And, finally, there is the human kingdom of Barbatos, the southernmost kingdom of the continent. Here, in this kingdom, warriors and barbarians rule over the weak in these lawless lands where only through strength does one determine right from wrong.
Or, at least, that's what the memories of the original Theo Kraven told him, and, considering Theo read pretty much everything in the village library, including modern maps and cultures, Theo was sure this information was still quite reliable.
Anyway, Sage Mellow Village was made up of stone-wooden houses with hay for roofs and similar buildings all throughout the village, many of which were built close to one another. There were narrow, winding streets and fields of agriculture. Little children played in the street while the adults worked hard. It was peaceful.
Until it wasn't.
Theo had just entered the eastern entrance to the village when the murmurs started around him, like waves of discourse from a crowd.
"There goes that strange lad again," one gruff voice said as Theo walked past.
"Why is he always so dirty?" another one asked, this one feminine, likely a mother. "Does he ever bathe?"
"Hmph, why does he still live here?" another glared at Theo with a stinky eye. "His existence is an affront to the ancestors. He should just leave."
"You'd think how we treat him would send him a message," another male voice sounded. "We don't want him here."
"I agree."
"Me, too. I don't like him."
"His hair… it's gotta be a sign of a curse, right?" came a feminine voice.
""Yeah, he's definitely cursed."
"Mommy, I don't want to be cursed! It sounds scary!" came a little girl's voice.
"Shh, now, sweetpea. That bad man can't reach you on my watch," came the mother's reply, standing protectively in front of her daughter as Theo walked past.
Theo ignored all their loud murmurs. As a black man in his last life, he was used to the prejudices others had towards him. He genuinely couldn't care if others disliked him, thought him cursed.
According to the memories he'd inherited, this response to his presence was normal in the village. The people of the village feared what they didn't understand, and the original Theo had strange habits — Being holed up in the library all day instead of playing with others his own age or going into the forest, alone, for hours on in instead of attending in the daily duties or youth activities others might have his age. All of this wasn't normal in the eyes of the village people, so, according to them, that must mean that Theo wasn't normal, and those who aren't normal could only be insane or cursed, or both. And his hair didn't help clear things up, either.
What the villagers didn't know was that Theo found peace in the quiet that was the forest, and, so long he didn't venture too far in, he would rarely encounter any beasts, let alone dangerous ones. And the reason he kept himself in the books, whether in the library or in the middle of the woods, well, the villagers weren't very welcoming, were they?
Personally, Theo didn't care, though. Even in his last life, people often ostrichsized him because he was way too smart, creative, in ways others wouldn't have been. And being too young and too smart were horrible combinations when dealing with neighborhood bullies. He didn't typically fit in with those of his age group, even as an adult. He learned long ago that it was best to just ignore people like these, and go about one's way.
'So long as they don't get in my way, they'll keep drawing breath,' Theo thought, as he arrived before the Orphanage.
The building was a beaten down two story stone building, with cracked and busted glass windows; wooden planks were nailed at some of them, blocking visibility to the window glass that had been completely broken in. The area reeks of poverty, decay and malnourishment, but that wasn't a scent that this Theo wasn't used to, so he decided to enter.
After checking in with the caretaker — an old man on a cane named Old Yeller due to the fact that he often heard nothing unless speaking directly before him but spoke very loudly — Theo decided to head to his room, where he found a barely held together bed, a closet with minimum clothing wear and a stack of books he had already read 10x over.
He picked a shard of reflective glass from the floor by his bed, chuckling at his reflection. What looked back at him was a coffee brown skinned boy, with wild blue hair, black at the roots, a thin build and green eyes. He was covered in dirt and blood and grim from his tussle in the woods; he'll have to take a bath tonight. He knew the original Theo tried to wash the blue out of his hair out many times, but did not succeed — Strange as it was, it was naturally occurring, ironically, despite it being a most unnatural shade.
"Tomorrow is my birthday," Theo said, as if to himself. "I'll be 13 years old… Technically, I'd be 24, but I'll not think about it. Either way, I'll be old enough to awaken — Then, when I do, I'll have 6 months to get strong enough to take the entrance exam at the Grand Royal Academy."
The Grand Royal Academy was the best school those of the entire Human Continent could go to — It was located at the very center of the Continent in a hidden town most don't know the name of. While it is a tricky secret place to find, it is known by all as the greatest school for both types of cultivators in the Human Domain, as only those truly gifted are admitted.
'I still haven;t be able to access any of the powers or blessings yet,' Theo thought as he put down the shard of reflective glass. 'Maybe I'll be able to when I awaken?'
Theo made his way to the bathroom, which was really simple. It had a tub, a water bowl to wash hands and soap. He was surprised to see that even in this medieval world, there was a proper savage system and a proper toilet, pleasantly so, in fact. There ain't no way he was finna survive this reincarnation without a toilet to poop in, that's for sure.
He turned on the water, pushing up and down on the lever repetitively to get the water up the pipe and into the tub, where he took his clothes off and bathe best he could.
Getting out, he couldn't help but notice how thin he was. His ribs were basically visible beneath his bruised and battered skin. He was thinner than a scarecrow. He'll have to fix that, too.
In his past life, Theo was always big on physical wellness and exercise. You couldn't properly be your creative self if you're not healthy physically. The body and mind were your oldest teammates; if one is lacking, the other would soon follow suit.
Getting in bed, Theo dosed off immediately, unaware of the screen before his vision, and the changes that began occurring to his body following his unconsciousness.
[Ding! Requesting data…. Downloading Data… Data Downloaded!]
[Ding! Welcome Host to Superior Trio-Cultivator System!]
[Attempting Synchronization with Host…Synchronization Failed! Host Body and Soul is Too Weak!]
[Issuing Daily Quest]: Get Stronger!
[Quest Parameters]: 100 Situps, 100 Pushups & 100 Laps Around Village
[Time Until Completion]: 23 hrs. 57 min.
[Rewards]: +3 Innate Affinity Awakening, +3 Core Skills, +4 Bloodline Skills, +1 Random Skills, +1 Class, +1 Beast Core, +1 Warrior Core, +1 Mage Core, +2 Attribute Points, +2 Skill Points, +1 Agility, +1 Strength, +1 Stamina, Access to System Status Function!
[Penalty??]: - 50% of All Stats for 24 hours!