Hello again! Nothing really to say this time.

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 9: Second rest day

After eating breakfast with my teacher I decided to go back to my room to cultivate.

I was finally able to get to B-rank first realm. I should now have a strike force of 250 pounds.

After getting to B-rank it was late at night so I had no time to mess around with my laptop.

I wake up with my prosthetic arm on the ground yet again. I wonder if duct tape would keep it on better while sleeping? Maybe I should just start taking it off before going to sleep.

I sigh as I change into my day clothes. I look at the sky out the window. It was another nice day. Does it even rain on this planet? Does it have enough atmosphere to do that? How can we stay here if the planet has no atmosphere? So many questions...

Jared had left for the mage academy long ago. So I was alone in this room for now. I like it that way.

I really do wonder what people think when they sense heaven power coming from me though. Not a single person has talked to me about it either.

While worrying pointlessly I leave the dorm and head towards the cafeteria for my breakfast.

I walk to the cafeteria and secretly show my gold card to the lady handing out food. It apparently gets me better food. However it looks identical to the mush that everyone else is getting on their trays.

I sigh as I take the mysterious mush that is supposed to be food to the tables. I choose a table in the back of the room with no one sitting at it. I think I will gather the power of heaven and earth today. I need to get to higher ranks as soon as I can. At this rate, I won’t make it.

I sit down and eat my food while thinking of methods to speed up cultivation.

While I was contemplating, a young woman walks over, “May I sit here?”

I look up from the mush on my tray. She was quite tall and slender. Her hair was a light brown color and her eyes were a bright blue.

I shrug my shoulders, “Why not. I’m Ryu, nice to meet you.”

She smiles at me as she sits, “My name is Alice. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

I nod and go back to eating my mush on the tray. Wow, it is actually really good. It tastes like meat pie.

I quickly finish the delicious mush that was on my tray. Alice stares at me with a frown, “How can you find this stuff edible?”

I smile, “Mine must have been fresh.” I get ready to stand up from the table.

“Wait!” Alice grabs my arm as I stand up.

“Yes?” I tilt my head and look at her.

As we were in the back of the room there were not many people, and the people that were there did not pay any attention to us.

“I would like to talk to you about some things before you leave.”

“Sure.” I slowly sit back down to where I was before she grabbed my arm. I smile at her, “What do you want to talk with me about?”

She takes a deep breath after pushes her tray of mush to the side. She puts her elbows on the table and covers her mouth to one side and whispers, “Why do I sense the power of heaven coming from you?”

Finally someone who asks. I can’t believe it took this long. I give her a weak smile, “I have no idea what you are talking about. I am not a mage. I am a fighter. I use martial techniques.”

She frowns, “I am at the third realm. I am clearly able to sense that you are at the B-ranked first realm and have both the power of heaven and earth within you.”

I also frown, “If I still say I know nothing?”

Alice shrugs her shoulders. “Very well. There may be a chance that I am just seeing wrong. I apologize for taking up your time. I am in the third year wind class. If you would like to speak with me again, you may find me there.”

I nod and stand up, “Have a nice day.”

She nods, “It was nice to talk with you.”

I slowly exit the cafeteria. She was… weird. That may not be the right word for it. She was oddly polite at first, then quickly became questioning.

Whatever, I can’t be bothered with something like that. I want to do cultivation, but I cannot think of any methods to speed up my cultivation.

I look at the entrance to the female dorm. Currently waiting outside with a sword like object was ‘Queen’.

She sees me and I start to run towards the library as fast as possible. I run slowly due to the unfit body. I may be at the first realm but my body is inadequate. It is a miracle I’m able to walk normally now that I think about it a bit.

I look behind me. ‘Queen’ is running after me at full speed holding a real sword. Even with my very limited knowledge of weapons I can safely say that that is not a practice sword, and one meant to kill!

“Stop running!” ‘Queen’ shouts at me who is stopped.

I refuse! I wanted to shout, but decided to run with full concentration towards the library. If I make it there, she won’t try to kill me inside of the library… right?

‘Queen’ was gaining on me. It seems she is only A-rank in the first realm. Why did she call me lowly at the C-rank if she was only at A-rank? She only has 100 pounds more of strike force than the me of that time. At low realms, a little bit of skill would allow a person to fight against a higher rank than themselves.

I see the library. There are many students in front of the library. I need to get in as fast as I can.

I see that the door to the library is open, there are just students talking to each other in front. If you’re just talking get out of the way!

I get to the crowd of students. Most of them are looking at ‘Queen’ chase me. Not moving.

I zig zag through the unmoving students like wind through trees.

I looks behind me to see that the students are trying to stop ‘Queen’ by questioning her. She swings her sword at some of them. My god she is scary! I don’t need that in my life!

“Stop running!” ‘Queen’ shots while the students start to crowd her, ignoring me.

That’s what you get for being popular! Wait a second. Why do all these people know her if they are all first year students? I guess some questions are better left unanswered.

I lose focus and bump into someone knocking them over. I quickly help them up.

It was a guy who looked like he could eat me for breakfast. Tall and muscular. He gives me an angry look, but moves on.

I sigh in relief as I enter the library.

“Welcome to the library. How can I help you?” A man wearing glasses calls over from the desk beside the entrance.

I try to speak but I am breathing too heavily. The man at the desk calmly laughs at my appearance.

“Were you running from someone and came to the library for safety?” The man at the desk asks me in a clam tone.

I catch my breath, and nod, “Yeah. I was being chased by ‘Queen’ but since I’m here I might read a few books.”

He scratches his head, “I think she is the person that spoke to the first years at the entrance ceremony. The entrance ceremony was not too long ago either if I remember correctly.”

I sigh, “I don’t know. For some reason she really wanted to kill me. She was chasing me with quite a sharp sword. She was even swinging it at other people to try and get to me you know.”

The man lightly laughs, “She seems to really hate you. Well, that doesn’t matter anymore. Very few people actually come into the library as they need silver cards or higher in order to read the books. Students only get bronze cards normally. So most people either come here for safety or for a quiet place to do some work on their own.”

I tilt my head, “Why do they need silver cards?”

The man sighs, “Anything that you can learn in the classes is in here. If a student comes here to read, there is a small chance that there will be a leak of answers on a test. Do you know what I’m talking about?”

I nod slowly, “I understand. Another question. Why do students come here for safety? I just came here on a whim, hoping that ‘Queen’ wouldn’t try to kill me with a large amount of witnesses around.”

He smiles and stands up, “Students come here because of the library rules. First rule: Try to stay as quiet as possible at all times. Second rule: no violence in the library. Third rule: No stealing books or reading above your authority level.”

I nod, “Those are simple rules.”

He walks to a nearby shelf and grabs a book, “So. If you would like to read please show me your card if it above the bronze level, I will take you to the section you request. I am the librarian here, if you don’t need anything, you may leave.” He opens the book and starts to flip through the pages.

I pull out my gold card, “I don’t really know what kind of things are here. It would be extremely helpful if you could show me around and tell me what kind of things are available for me to read.” I test the authority of the gold card.

The librarian reveals a shocked expression, then recovers his expression. He quickly closes his book. He then bows lightly, “Why of course sir. If you had a gold card, you should have notified me sooner. I would not have been anywhere near as disrespectful as I was. I will certainly do as you request.”

I frown, “I’m very sorry, but I do not know what this gold card means. I was given it just yesterday, and told its basic uses.”

The librarian nods, “Of course I can tell you sir. Let me start with the lowest level card. Bronze cards are for regular students. It is proof that they are a student here at this school and allows them to get food from the cafeteria and nearby cafes. Bronze card students may only leave the academy grounds twice a week. The next level up, silver cards, are for teachers and high ranking students. It allows people to get slightly better food from the cafeteria and more food from nearby cafes. Silver card students may leave the academy grounds four times a week. It also allows them to get low level access to information in the library. Silver card students are allowed to challenge any student to duels in the dueling arena once a week.”

I hold up my hand to stop him, “Dueling arena?”

He nods, “They are beside the training field, sir. Have you perhaps not ventured to the training field?”

I shake my head, “I have not gone there yet. I will maybe go there after reading for a while.”

The librarian nods, “Certainly. Then I shall continue. Along with all that silver card students are able to skip two classes a week for personal training. The next up is gold cards. People with gold cards are normally high ranking people within the school, and important guests from other sectors. I have never heard of a case where a student has a golden card so I do not know what extra privileges you have in that category. I recommend you ask the principal if you are unsure. Gold cards allow you to get the best quality food from the cafeteria and you may order whatever you want from nearby cafes. It also allows you to have access to all information within the library except school records. Teachers will usually escort those with gold cards around, making sure that no students try to harm them. However you are a student, so you clearly do not have an escort. Would you like to request one?”

I shake my head, “I’ll pass on the escort. I would like to know if there is any information in this library about cultivation, and possibly methods to speed it up.”

The librarian bows, “I am sorry to inform you that I am not ranked high enough to go near the gold section. I can lead you to it. The principal himself is the one that manages the gold section. Most gold card individuals are guided here by the principal himself and he shows them where things are.”

I sigh, “Can you at least lead me to where I need to go to read things about cultivation then?”

He nods, “Why of course I can sir. If you need anything while reading just come to me and let me know and I shall have someone help you get it.”

The librarian leads me to a corner of the library with a large metal door. There is what looks like a key card scanner to the right of the door.

He points to the scanner, “If you pass your gold card over the scanner the door should open. I will go back to the front desk then. Have an enjoyable time reading, sir.” He lightly bows then walks away towards the front of the library.

I slowly think to myself before opening the door. Why did he not tell me to be careful with the books? Are people with gold cards so important that people instantly trust them!? I should try not to abuse this. My identity in the other world may be the reason for me getting this. If so, I have to work hard to live up to my reputation of the world’s strongest.

I wave the gold card in front of the scanner. A red light flickers, then with the sound of a lock opening the light changes to green.

The large metal door slides to the left, opening the room. I calmly walk into the room.

As I get past the door the room is brighter than the rest of the library. There are only shelves on the walls and there is a large table in the center of the room with ten large office chairs around it.

The door closes behind me as I enter the room.

I walk towards the shelves. ‘Theoretical cultivation’ ‘The art of manipulation’ ‘Questioning theories on cultivation’ ‘Fred’s theory on cultivation’ ‘Cultivation 101’ ‘Nonsensical cultivation’ ‘Going against the gods’ ‘Dragons’ ‘Atlas of monsters’ ‘Omniscient beings among us’

So many interesting titles. Which do I read?

I come across a different book that catches my eye, ‘Spatial Energy’

I grab the book from the shelf and go to the table. I wanted to find a couple books before sitting down, but I am intrigued by the title of this book.

I sit down and open the book.

‘Spatial Energy’

‘Part one of two: How I came across it.’

This seems like it is a groundbreaking theory. If this got out to general public I have a feeling that bad things might happen. I haven’t read it yet, but I can tell this is probably groundbreaking.

‘Thank you for first and foremost, picking up this book. My name is Dr. Frizen. I have written this book in order to share my discovery. Only one copy will ever be printed. So if you hold this in your hands, fate must have favored you greatly. I will now begin to explain the theory.

I have been in this world for seventy years as of 2023. I have long since reached the ninth realm. I started to devote my time to thinking of ways to getting stronger. Until it happened one day.

To make this clear. I was already at the A-rank of the ninth realm so there was nowhere else for me to go.

I was in the middle of cultivating when I sensed a very small amount of this foreign energy within the power of heaven and earth. I decided to attempt to inspect it.

Here. I made a series of mistakes.

1: I was overconfident with my ability to control the foreign object.

2: The object itself seemed to have a will of its own, and I was forcefully inspecting it.

3: I absorbed it after it seemingly looked harmless.

There are my mistakes. If you come across this. DO NOT forcefully inspect it!

This energy had a will of its own and did not like being probed. I will spare you the details, but I will say I was incredibly injured. This energy did not like me.

After recovering I searched for it again and found that it was as common as, if not more common than the power of heaven and earth. It is extremely more powerful too.

I regret that I forcefully absorbed this energy, for if I gave it time to attempt to acknowledge me, I might be more powerful than any other person.

So here is my theory.

I think that this energy works in tandem with the power of heaven and earth in order to raise realms. During my painful experience of attempting to absorb this foreign energy I figured this out; there are more internal veins than just those for the power of heaven and earth.

If you choose to keep reading, be advised that the rest is unimportant knowledge that theorizes more about this energy.’

My god. What is this energy? I have never sensed anything like that before. Have I?

I set the book down on the table open so that I do not lose the page.

I close my eyes and steady my breathing. I enter into cultivation.

I sense the power of heaven and earth around me. I slowly open my eyes while still sensing the power of heaven and earth. The air is slightly vibrating, but there is no change in color.

I try to sense for foreign energy within the power of heaven and earth but feel nothing. What was this guy talking about?

A sound that could be likened to glass shattering resounds through my head.

A massive pain wracks my entire body.

“Arggghhh!!”

I scream involuntarily. Am I dying? Was I murdered? This room has no windows though. Why was there glass shattering?

My vision darkens. I’m losing consciousness!

But I am able to retain normal thought! What is happening!?

I forcefully stand straight up.

As suddenly as the pain started, it randomly stops.

What was that? I look around the room. It is the exact same as it was before. I wasn’t attacked. Then what was that sound?

I sigh as I sit back in the chair. That was a little much for a random burst of pain.

I grab the book and continue to read.

‘Part two of two: Spatial energy?

I have many questions about this energy, but only one main question that I really want to be answered.

What can this energy do?

A simple question, but sometimes the simple questions are the hardest ones to answer. I have travelled around from planet to planet and found that the level that this energy is at is constant throughout the entire universe.

I went and asked my colleagues about their opinion, but most thought I was crazy. Those that listened to me tried to sense the same energy.

One out of ten were able to sense it. The first time sensing it, those below the ninth realm said that they heard a light sound and a small headache before they were able to sense it. The lowest realm of my colleagues that tried and succeeded was at the B-rank in the seventh realm.

I do not have time to research any longer as my funds are getting lower and lower.

I leave this for anyone who wants continue this research. None of my colleagues were able to be acknowledged by this energy. They all suffered serious injuries, but all managed to recover fully.

I have arbitrarily named this energy, “Spatial Energy”

Thank you for reading this. It may not be as detailed, but it is the one with the most traction compared to other theories.’

The pain from earlier? Was that the trigger for me being able to sense the energy?

I take some deep breaths to calm myself. There is no use getting excited about it. Especially if I don’t get the approval of this strange energy.

I enter into cultivation…

An energy that seems many times more unfathomable than the power of heaven and earth is moving throughout everything.

I take a deep breath and just watch it floating through everything. It looks… peaceful.

I do not dare to do anything with it in accordance with the book I just read. I will wait until it comes to me before I try to absorb it.

I sigh as I go put the book back to where I got it from. I am about to start looking for other books when a voice runs through the room.

“Attention people that are in the library. The library is closing now. Please leave the library unless you are being escorted by a higher up. Sorry for the inconvenience and have a nice day.”

That’s my call to leave I guess. Did it really take all day to read that? Maybe I actually did go unconscious at some point.

I wave my card over the scanner and the door opens once again.

I walk to the front and see the librarian. He looks at me, “Oh, did you enjoy your time here sir?”

I nod slowly, “Yeah. The books in there are very informative. I wish I could come back first thing in the morning, but I have classes to attend to.”

The librarian smiles, “You’re welcome to come back any time you want sir.”

I leave the library and thankfully, ‘Queen’ was not there to greet me. I sigh in relief as I start walking towards my room.

I think today was a very good day.

I can’t wait for the day when I can use this energy.