After a quick breakfast and a set of morning workouts fashioned after the old man’s training, I started preparing for my journey towards Martial Citadel.

I took out my Guider to input the new coordinates and get it to trace out a new safe route for me.

Before I did so I took an appreciative look at it. When I thought about it I wondered how much trouble this thing had saved me from, the directions it gave me were always the safest and most optimal.

It was only when I traveled with the Toltemic people that I didn't use it as much, but that was because I had safety in numbers when I traveled with them and the Toltemics Ancestral travel route didn't diverge that much from the guiders recommended travel path.

I excitedly input my desired destination Martial Citadel.

[Calculating fastest and safest route to take to Martial Citadel... Route has been confirmed, it will now be visible through the map and will constantly update with your location]

The Guider was truly money well spent.

Thinking more on it I hadn’t played with its options all that much. I was too inept and inexperienced when it came to technology so I had held off on it.

I hadn’t even fully figured out all of the Guiders map functions and that was the feature I had to use the most.

I looked over the features again and decided to play around with them for a little bit.

I selected, [Image Capture Mode], and did my best to figure out how it worked.

The part of the Guider that showed the map to me suddenly changed colors, it took me a while to realize that it was showing the image of the ground below.

It was as if the Guider was transparent.

I moved around the Guider and indeed as I swiveled it around the image in the Guider changed matching the environmental background toward which I pointed it at.

Suddenly when looking at a part of a forest, I touched the Guider where the image was showing and an option in contrast with the image appeared.

[Capture Image yes/no]

I clicked yes and the image shuttered for a fraction of a second before it continued to display the surrounding environment without a glitch.

The difference now was that there was a smaller image in the bottom left corner. I clicked on the image and several options appeared.

[save image in files]

[analyze image]

[edit image]

[Imprint image]

[delete image]

By this point, I was not even surprised by the options the Guider offered me through the simple act of capturing an image.

I already had surmised that “Image Capture” was probably a feature of the Guider that functioned as a camera.

In Volunterra cameras weren’t anything special, we knew and had access to them.

But like many things related to technology, there wasn’t a stable or well-developed domestic market for them for several reasons, most important transportation and logistics cost.

And so consequently cameras were just one of those expensive things that weren’t needed. Most of the villagers in my hometown just paid someone who did have one to let them borrow it when they did require it usually for special events or family reunions.

But now that I was more experienced I could see how a thing like a camera could come in handy in a survival, exploration, or in my case a travel situation.

I decided to delete the image I had taken as it wasn’t anything important.

Even though I wanted to see the Guiders features I didn't want to get too sidetracked, I still wanted to make some headway towards Martial Citadel.

I decided to check out one or two more features of the Guider as I decided it was better if I took my time figuring out its capabilities.

I went straight to the option that had intrigued me the most the [Dual System Scanner Mode].

I clicked on it and immediately a set of new options appeared.

[Magic Scanner]

[Universal Light Spectrum Scanner]

[Dual Scanner]

[Owner Physiological Data Scan]

[Owner Battle Data Scan]

I analyzed the options and tried to come up with my best guess of what they entailed.

Two experiences had made me very curious about this type of technology.

The first one was when the Black Market vendor had scanned my Seeier Organization File as part of my trade for this Guider.

The second was when the Guider itself scanned me and gave me precise information on my physical condition.

I had just undergone a year of surviving in the wild and nearly another year of training in Martial Arts. I wanted to see what my progress was.

I immediately clicked on the “Physiological Data” option, and as soon as I did the same faint blue light that had scanned me before did it again. After only a second new updated information popped up.

[Guso- Basic Physiological Data-

Biological Age: 21,

Density Mass Weight:170 pounds,

Measured Height: 5 feet 9 inches,

Energy Fluctuations: slightly altered, high energy consumption, healthy,

Mana Energy Levels: 1 unit of Magical Energy,

Special Conditions: none,

Abnormal Statuses: 2 unknown, (no health risk detected),

POF capable of producing: 2000 pounds average,

Intelligence and Cognitive Index: 9(average)/119 (decent),

Chemical Balance: stable]

Despite seeing big improvements in my physique I was in no mood to celebrate, something else had ruined my mood.

What was this? I had 2 abnormal statuses last time I checked myself I had none.

What happened between then and now, that could’ve changed that?

I thought long hard for a while trying to recall anything I could. I came up with 3 possibilities.

My near-death experience, the healing medicines I consumed with the Toltemic, and finally the fact that I was supposedly now a Ranker.

There seemed to be something marking me as a Ranker as the first time I met old man Kemoro after our bout he identified me as one without me telling him.

Remembering that old man Kemoro was also a Ranker had me spitting out blood.

Why hadn’t I asked him more about my Ranker status?

I knew why, most of the time I spent with him I was either training hard, listening to the chatterbox talk, or half-dead recuperating my exhausted body. But still, I should’ve made some time.

I wouldn’t be here having a nervous breakdown if I knew more about what being a Ranker entailed.

Regardless I still felt uneasy, that could only explain one of the abnormal statuses what about the other one.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that for some reason I now had Mana, which was also random and weird.

I decided to attribute it to the medicine and food I ate while with the Toltemic and not worry about it anymore. In the end, the Guider told me they didn’t pose any health risk so why worry about it if I can’t do anything about it.

It was probably best to put the Guider away and focus on continuing my journey to come back from that pseudo heart attack I had just experienced.

I decided to have another look during lunch or dinner, after all, I still hadn’t fully explored the capabilities of the Guiders Scanners.

Just with its ability to scan my body, I had learned a lot about my progress. Mainly that I more than quadrupled the pounds of force I could produce.

That in itself was a huge boon to me.

The Training I did with the old man was excruciating.

I was happy it had actually paid off in some way or form. For the first time in my life, I felt confident with every step I took.

After packing up my stuff and setting up the packing sled I made haste towards the northwest, I was ready to get out of the wilderness and go back to civilization.