Learning to read and write in Yajashian was simultaneously quite difficult and much easier than I had been afraid of. As it turned out their written language used a series of different pictographs that seemed vaguely similar to the ones used by Asian cultures. Thankfully, these pictographs were closer to Hiragana than anything else in that it was a phonetic language with each pictograph standing for a specific sound.

By the time that someone came to fetch Vera and I for lunch I had written down each of the pictographs and made a note of the sound that was associated with them in a book that Vera had given me to write in. The pages of the book were made out of something that felt like really high-quality paper and the writing implement used a small amount of magic to change the color of the paper making it really easy to use.

It was a bit difficult to write with only one arm was I was basically forced to place the book on a board that Vera quickly provided for me and lean over it while writing. My arm had grown back a couple of inches overnight, but it would still be quite a while before I was fully back in action.

“Right, I think we’re done for today then,” Vera said as the young boy who had come to fetch us raced away. “You’ve made quite good progress and Burl told me that he and Drem were going to train you after lunch.”

“Thanks for helping me out Vera,” I said with a smile as I got to my feet. “I know that this wasn’t easy for you.”

“It actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Vera admitted. “You’re a good student and you’re obviously interested in learning which makes things easier for me.”

“Well, I don’t want to anger anyone, since even some of the kids have a higher Level than I do,” I pointed out as I recalled the Levels of the refugees. “The idea of being beaten up by someone half your size is a pretty motivator.”

“That’s a good point,” Vera chuckled. “Most of them understand that you don’t really know anything about our culture so I wouldn’t worry too much about it though.”

“My parents raised me to be as respectful of other cultures as possible,” I replied with a shrug. “Besides learning about your history was quite interesting. However, what I really want to do is reach the point where I can read some of the books on the System that you brought with you.”

“That’s a good goal to have,” Vera agreed. “I’ll do my best to make it so that you can do that as soon as possible. According to Burl your Soul Aspect is even more powerful than mine so you learning as much about the System and your powers as possible will be very useful to us.”

“Wait, you’ve unlocked your Soul Aspect?” I asked curiously. “What’s yours like?”

“I don’t like talking about it,” Vera replied after hesitating slightly. “And I like thinking about why I have it even less.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t know that,” I said but she ignored me and continued walking in silence.

Since it was clear that Vera wasn’t interested in talking to me anymore, I started looking around at what the Yajashians had been doing while she was teaching me. There were already several small houses that had been completed and many more that were well on the way. It was honestly daunting to see how much quicker someone with a higher Level in Nature Shaping could do. The houses looked almost organic as they grew around the bases of the trees that surrounded Tane. I wasn’t sure why they had chosen to build them there instead of in the open area where I had built the longhouses, but Vera wasn’t interested in telling me.

Burl and Drem greeted us as we approached so once I had retrieved my lunch, I sat down next to them at one of the benches that someone had managed to find the time to create. However instead of sitting down with the rest of us Vera headed back the way we came without so much as a glance over her shoulder.

“So, how did it go?” the older Yajash asked curiously. “Vera seemed a little upset.”

“Actually, things went pretty well until I asked about her Soul Aspect while we were walking back,” I sighed. “I didn’t realize that it was such a touchy subject for her.”

“I see,” Burl sighed. “Yeah, that would do it. Don’t worry it’s not your fault. Well, so long as you didn’t push her on the subject, she should get over it pretty quickly.”

“No, all I did was ask what her Soul Aspect was when she mentioned that she’d unlocked one,” I sighed. “I shut up pretty quickly when I figured out that I’d upset her. I promise that wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to learn more about Soul Aspects.”

“That’s fine,” Burl nodded. “I’m sure that she knows that. I’ll make sure to have a chat with her later too. As for your interest in Soul Aspects feel free to ask Dream or I anything that you want to know. We’ve both unlocked ours, so we know quite a bit about the subject.”

“Really?’ I asked. “I was led to believe that unlocking your Soul Aspect was quite difficult.”

“It is,” Drem agreed. “Unlocking your Soul Aspect requires you to undergo severe physical, mental and even spiritual stress so normally only about 1 or 2 percent of a generation might unlock their Soul Aspect. However, that’s only in normal times. During times of war, it’s much more common but sadly the people who unlock them are usually kids and the experience can leave them, well let’s just say that it’s not a pleasant experience for most of them.”

“So, you’re telling me that there are more refugees that have unlocked their Soul Aspect?”

“Rick, we’re telling you that almost half of us have,” Burl sighed sadly. “Especially the kids.”

“I see,” I sighed as I leaned back in my seat. I suppose that learning this shouldn’t really surprise me too much but thinking about the idea that even the kids had gone through so much suffering that they had managed to unlock their Soul Aspect was frankly a horrifying one. Sure, it would make things easier when they grew up and their powers became more obvious, but kids should be allowed to be kids.

“Don’t worry too much about it,” Drem said as he laid a hand on my shoulder. “It’s not your fault and there isn’t really anything that we can do about it now other than help them deal with any issues that might arise.”

“Well, if there’s anything that I can help you with just let me know,” I replied. “In fact, could we set up a time for me to tell stories to them or something?”

“I suppose that’s possible,” Drem admitted. “But why would you want to do something like that?”

“Because there are a lot of stories from my world that I don’t want to forget and it would give the kids something new to think about instead of dwelling on the things that they’ve been through,” I replied. “I don’t even really think that it’ll help much but it’s got to be better than nothing right?”

“I don’t see why we can’t organize something like that,” Burl agreed. “I don’t know how many people will show up but I’m sure some of the others will be interested in stories from your world. It’ll give them a chance to learn more about you as well.”

“Sounds good to me,” I agreed. “So what training are we going to do today?”

“I thought that we’d focus on theory for today and go over the Skills that you have right now so that we can work out what you should actually be learning,” Burl replied thoughtfully. “Then if we have time, we can have a look at improving some of your spells since that’s actually relatively easy to do.”

“Okay sounds good to me,” I agreed immediately as I turned my attention to my lunch which was some sort of root vegetable that had been cooked and stuffed with Bug meat and some sort of spicy sauce. They were very tasty and quite filling.

Once we were done eating Burl and Drem led the way to an area that had been kept clear. I could see that several of the other younger Yajash were sparring with each other, so I was guessing that they had decided to use this spot for a training area.

“Right, can you bring up your Skill List?” Burl asked as we came to a halt. Upon hearing his words, I slapped myself on the forehead and groaned loudly. “What is it?”

“I hadn’t even thought about there being a Skill List at all,” I groaned. “I mean, now that you’ve told me it’s more than a little bit obvious.”

“Really?” Drem asked as he struggled to keep from laughing. “Were things really that hectic for you?”

“No, not really,” I sighed. “I should’ve realized that there would be something like that. I’ve got way too many Skills for there not to be. I guess that I wasn’t really thinking about having to keep track of them any time soon.”

“You know Rick, I can’t decide whether you’re smart or not,” Burl said as he shook his head in exasperation. “Alright, go over the Skill Increases that you haven’t looked at yet and spend any Aspect Points that you need to finish off the Aspect that you’re currently on. Once you’ve done that we can go over your current Skills and figure out what you should do next.”

“That’s fair,” I admitted with another loud sigh before bringing up the other new Skill that I had learned during the fight the other day.

Remote Casting (Specialized) Unlocked!

Remote Casting allows you to cast a spell through an individual that you have a close connection to like a Minion. Increases MP cost of the spell by 50%.

Growth Rate increased by 2 Intelligence.

2 Aspect point awarded for unlocking Remote Casting.

The new Skill was pretty much what I expected. It was an interesting utility Skill that I could see quite a few uses for. However, there was something that bothered me even more about this new Skill. The Gel Colony had been interested in Mana ever since it was a Giant Amoeba. So, I was a little worried that this wasn’t the last that I was going to hear about the effects of casting a spell through the Gel Colony.

However, there wasn’t really anything that I could do about that right now. With a sigh, I closed the notification about my new Skill and brought up my Skill increases instead.

Skills increased!

Running increased to Lvl 17.

Mana Manipulation increased to Lvl 27.

Mana Bolt increased to Lvl 12.

Acid Arrow increased to Lvl 6.

Stone Shot increased to Lvl 9.

Spell Targeting increased to Lvl 10.

Growth Rate increased by 1 Willpower.

Sticky Bog increased to Lvl 2.

Create Colossal Beetle increased to Lvl 4.

Create Gel Colony increased to Lvl 13.

Create Giant Scorpion increased to Lvl 9.

Swarm Control increased to Lvl 19.

Create Giant Dragonfly increased to Lvl 6.

Calm Mind increased to Lvl 17.

Telepathy increased to Lvl 11.

Cellular Regeneration increased to Lvl 5.

Available Aspect points increased by 23

Total Aspect Points: 27

Burl and Drem watched as I put the final 13 Points into my Aspect of Willpower 2. It was at this moment that I realized that this was the first time that someone other than Tane was going to see what it looked like when I saw the visions of my internal world that my Soul Aspect showed me.

“Oh, by the way, when I add points into one of my Aspects my Soul Aspect makes me see visions of what it calls my internal world,” I explained quicky as my finger hovered over the confirmation button. “I don’t really know what that looks like from the outside. I just thought that you should know that.”

“That’s fine,” Drem nodded. “We’re well aware of how Soul Aspects work. I’m sure that it’ll be fine>”

“Just wanted to make sure,” I replied as I confirmed my decision.

Any worries that I had about what it would look like on the outside while I was viewing the changes that had taken place in my internal world disappeared with everything else as the first vision began.

I first found myself in a field surrounded by massive bugs. Both the giant beetle-like creatures that I was used to seeing and other creatures. There were far more varieties of these beetles than there had been the other times that I had seen them. Where there had once been only one type of beetle there were now dozens of different types of varying sizes, colors, and shapes. However, it wasn’t these beetles that this vision was focused on but a group of long-legged creatures that didn’t really resemble anything that I was familiar with from back on Earth. Their behavior on the other hand was somewhat familiar to me.

These things were acting like pack animals stalking their prey. The pack only had about ten members, but it was the first time that I had really seen large predators working together in groups like this. I watched interestedly as the creatures crept carefully up on one of the smaller beetles before suddenly bursting into motion and leaping on the beetle. Even though the beetle that they had targeted were more than twice their size it was clear that there was no way that the beetle was going to survive this fight. Sure enough, the beetle was practically torn to shreds in less than a minute.

The next moment everything changed, and I blinked away the disorientation for a few seconds before looking around at my new location. To my surprise I was surrounded by Gels again. Or at least that’s what I fought at first but there was something that seemed different about them. It took me a few moments to realize what it was but when I did the difference was immediately obvious. Instead of the greenish color that I expected from my gels these were closer to blue and seemed to have streamers of some sort of blue energy flickering out from their nuclei. I immediately realized what was going on, even before one of the Gel Colonies fired what looked like a Mana Bolt at a flying insect that passed overhead killing it instantly. As the scene faded away, I considered what this might mean for my minion. While the ability to use magic was obviously incredibly useful to me, I was willing to bet that it also meant that it meant that these new creatures were going to be much smarter. This was especially important considering that Swarm control meant that this creature was part of a hive mind that included both my other minions and me.

As I came to, I saw that Drem, and Burl were watching me with calm expressions on their faces. They seemed to be aware that my vision was over but were waiting patiently for me to let them know that I was done. As such I turned my attention to the notifications that had appeared in front of me and started reading.

Aspect of Willpower 2 has been completed!

The most respected people in the world are those who use their Wisdom, Charisma, and Willpower to guide future generations. However, it is important to remember that this requires you to live long enough to do so.

+2 Wisdom and Charisma.

+1 Constitution.

Willpower is one of the most important Stats for a leader, but it is also important for those who lead a solitary life. This is because it can allow you to prevail against stresses that would cause normal people to just give up.

+10 Willpower.

Growth Rate increased by 5 Willpower and Charisma.

Growth Rate increased by 2 Wisdom.

Growth Rate increased by 1 Constitution.

Aspect of Evolution (World of the Swarm) has reached 350!

Pack animals have appeared in your internal world. They may look different to the pack animals that you are used to, but they are no less dangerous or intelligent.

+2 Intelligence.

+1 Charisma.

Growth Rate increased by 1 Intelligence.

Due to you casting magic through one of your minions they have developed the ability to use magic themselves. They are still weak, but they are still only the first of the beings within your internal world.

Create Gel Colony has been Upgraded to Create Slime Colony!

Allows you to create a Slime Colony. A Slime Colony is a colony of Slimes that spend most of their lives as part of a greater whole. When threatened these creatures can split up into their individual parts and either escape or overwhelm their enemy with numbers. They can also use weak magical spells, but their Mana is very limited.

Current Maximum MP: 75.

Current MP regen: 1/min.

Cost 60 Essence.

Requires an upkeep of 40 Control Points.

Growth Rate increased by 1 Unassigned Stat Points.

Growth Rate increased by 2 Intelligence and Willpower.

“Do you mind if I take a look at my Status quickly?” I asked.

“Sure, that’s something we want to ask you about anyway,” Burl nodded. “You don’t really have to tell us if you don’t want to, but we’d still like to know since we can give you better advice that way.”

“Yeah, I can tell you if you want,” I agreed. I was willing to bet that asking someone you barely knew the things that I was going to tell Burl and Drem was very impolite. But like they said they could give me better advice if I told them, and I wanted to reach the point where I would be helpful as soon as possible. Having come to this conclusion I brought up my Status Screen.

Status

Level 8

Exp: 47%

HP: 674/757 (-83)

MP: 2047/2047

HP Regen: 71.5 per minute (+1)

MP Regen: 150.9 per minute

SP: 657/657

Essence: 76

SP Regen: 59.8 per minute

Control Points: 158.2 (68.2)

Str: 106 (+15/Lvl)

Agi: 134 (+16/Lvl)

Con: 112 (+12/Lvl)

End: 100 (+10/Lvl)

Tou: 109 (+12/Lvl)

Int: 309 (+48/Lvl)

Coor: 100 (+11/Lvl)

Vit: 110 (+10/Lvl)

Wis: 205 (+32/Lvl)

Will: 317 (+55/Lvl)

Per: 184 (+29/Lvl)

Cha: 110 (+12/Lvl)

Additional Growth Rate: +32 Unassigned Stat Points/Lvl. +40 MP/Lvl. MP regen increased by 1.4/min per Lvl +5 Control Points/Lvl.

Unassigned Stat Points: 0

There wasn’t that much that had changed but it was good to see that the deficit to my max HP due to my missing arm was beginning to decrease. This meant that my arm was regenerating which I already knew, but it was still nice to see solid numbers regarding my recovery.

“Alright I’m done with that,” I told Burl and Drem. “Now, how do I actually show you my Skill List?”

“Well, you have to bring it up first,” Burl chuckled. “I trust that you can manage that?”

I ignored the slight barb in Burl’s words before trying to bring up the Skills List. As it turned out it was actually just that easy as an unfamiliar screen appeared in front of me.

Skill List

Combat Skills

Dodge Lvl 6, Knife Mastery Lvl 6, Stab Lvl 5, Axe Mastery Lvl 7, Chop Lvl 4, Exoskeleton Lvl 2, Unarmed Combat Mastery Lvl 4, Front Kick Lvl 1, Roundhouse Kick Lvl 1, Neurotoxin Lvl 1.

Magic Skills

Essence Drain Lvl 9, Mana Manipulation Lvl 27, Mana Bolt Lvl 12, Nature Shaping Lvl 16, Calm Mind Lvl 17, Spell Targeting Lvl 9, Mana Blast Lvl 2, Magelight Lvl 1, Mana Shield Lvl 2, Spellcrafting Lvl 4, Stone Shot Lvl 8, Earthen Armor Lvl 2, Mana Blade Lvl 4, Mana Edge Lvl 2, Create Slime Colony Lvl 13, Condense Water Lvl 7, Sticky Bog Lvl 2, Earth Grip Lvl 1, Rock Spear Lvl 5, Heal Minion Lvl 1, Share Senses Lvl 1, Telepathy Lvl 10, Overwhelming Presence Lvl 3, Create Armored Scorpion Lvl 9, Gust Lvl 1, Candlelight Lvl 1, Regenerate Lvl 2, Gravel Shotgun Lvl 4, Enchanting Lvl 6, Caustic Bomb Lvl 5, Acid Arrow Lvl 6, Empowering Aura Lvl 1, Create Giant Dragonfly Lvl 5, Tremor Lvl 1, Nature Construction Lvl 5, Weapon Shaping Lvl 1, Create Giant Beetle Lvl 1, Magic Sculpting Lvl 2, Spider Silk Lvl 2, Wind Gloves Lvl 1, Web Shot, Create Giant Webspinner Lvl 1, Remote Casting Lvl 1.

Misc. Skills

Spoken Yajashian Lvl 10 (max), Unbreakable Will Lvl 4, Sneak Lvl 3, Heat Resistance Lvl 1, Dark vision Lvl 6, Biomass Absorption Lvl 3, Inner Vision Lvl 4, Running Lvl 17, Observation Lvl 9, Photosynthesis Lvl 1, Laborer Lvl 13, Mapping Lvl 8, Survivalist Lvl 2, Cooking Lvl 2, Zoology Lvl 10, Botany Lvl 8, Dissection Lvl 3, Digging Lvl 6, Swarm Control Lvl 18, Cold Resistance Lvl 1, Controlled Breathing Lvl 5, Poison Resistance Lvl 2, Trapping Lvl 3, Fall Resistance Lvl 1, Cellular Regeneration Lvl 2, Contact Admin Lvl Maxed, Danger Sense Lvl 1.

Holy shit I had an awful lot of Skills. Most of them didn’t have a particularly high Level which I was willing to bet I was going to be called out on when I showed Burl and Drem. Still, it was quite interesting to see all the Skills that I had learned since I had arrived in this world.

“Alright, so how do I do this?” I asked once I had finished reading through the screen.

Burl talked me through a method that would allow me to show anyone I wanted to any screen that I wanted. Once I’d done that Drem and Burl settled in to read through my Skill List. Their feedback was pretty much what I’d expected. However, what really surprised me was that Burl had an explanation for one of the biggest questions that I had which was why my Survival Skill was so low.

“Basically, it’s because of two different things,” Burl explained. “The first thing is that your affinity for the Skill wasn’t really that high and the second is that you weren’t really trying to use the Survival Skill itself. There could be a few other reasons like Tane helping you out as well.”

“Okay, I guess that makes sense,” I replied. “Or at least more sense than nothing at all.”

“No one said that the System had to make sense Rick,” Drem pointed out. “If there’s one thing that we’ve learned over the years it’s that every time we think we understand how that System works it proves us wrong.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” I sighed. “So, what are we going to do next?”

“Well, we can’t do anything regarding your actual fighting Skills until your arm grows back,” Drem replied. “So, I think that I’ll leave most of your training to Burl until you’re fully recovered. Unless of course you’re really interested in learning Crafting Skills.”

“No, not really,” I replied with a shrug. “Like they’re obviously useful Skills to have but there are plenty of people who are far better than I will ever be. So, unless there’s something that I really want to learn I think that we should focus on other things for now.”

“Good answer,” Burl nodded. “Now what do you think that we should actually focus on?”

“Well, most of my most effective Skills seem to be my summoning Skills,” I replied thoughtfully. “So, I definitely need any training that you can give me in those types of Skill as well as my magic. Other than that, I think that I need to learn tactics. I don’t know if there are specific Skills that I can learn like that, but I suspect that I’ll be able to control a massive number of minions once reach a similar Level to you guys. So, being able to use them effectively seems to be something that I should learn.”

“That’s an excellent answer,” Burl laughed. “That’s pretty much what I’ve decided to teach you. So, how about we get started?”