Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Becoming a Soul Cultivator (2)

Strafe was tongue-tied. He had just become a Soul Cultivator, and he could already harness the power of the Soul and create physical attacks. This was a high-tiered move that would have taken years to master. In fact, it was the very opposite of Spirit that the Biron Monks cultivated!

But even more disgusting was that Dyne’s simple words had caused the monk Tetsu to fall into an epiphany. Based on what Strafe could see, Legaia, which didn’t have a single Soul Cultivator, finally birthed one despite having no proper inheritance!

“How did you...?” Strafe asked.

“Ugh. Never mind!” Strafe disregarded the questions he had. It was the first time that he saw someone being able to interpret the soul's changes and would immediately know what to say to help Tetsu. Dyne didn’t even know about the mysteries of Spirit!

“Was it a lucky guess?” Strafe pondered.

“What?” Dyne asked.

“Never mind. Alright. Now that you are a Soul Cultivator let me explain why I choose Legend of Legaia as your first game.” Strafe began.

“Legend of Legaia employs the usage of high-tiered artifacts known as Ra-Seru. As Tieg, I followed the game designs in your memory. I divided the Seru-Kai and Legaia. Do you know what that implies?”

“No.”

“Where do the souls of the dead in this world go to?”

“Noaru Valley. That’s where the second to the last boss battle happens in this game...” Dyne answered.

“Yes. Because the design of this world is that those in Seru-Kai will house Serus, which are soul creatures, Legaia houses the physical world. Let me put it this way. Humans have Body, Mind, and Soul. But as for Serus, they only have Soul.”

“Erm... don’t they have a body?”

“That is a high-tiered Soul technique of creating a physical manifestation of your soul. Just as how you made an imprint, strong soul cultivators could create powerful weapons and armors. We call these Soul weapons. For Serus, they are actually powerful Souls. That used their power to create a physical form.”

“Wait. If you said that we have body, mind, and soul, and Serus only have soul, does that mean they can’t think as we do?”

“Correct. As soul creatures, they are only given to instinct. This was why when they arrived in this world, they did not attack the humans but bonded with them. It is because, when combined with a human, they become something stronger.”

“I see. It’s a mutual relationship. They give us their strength, but in turn, they get this body and mind that we have.”

“Yes. And to a Seru, that sensation is extremely elating. Their soul bonds with a human and links with it. This is also why they would choose the humans over the monsters in Legaia to bond with.”

“Yeah. I was going to ask that. Why not with monsters?”

“Because they can’t bond with monsters. Didn’t you wonder why the Gobu Gobu didn’t want to get the experience points from the monster you killed? It’s not that he didn’t want to, but he can’t. He has no soul that could gather the energy coming out of the body. Not to mention, he couldn’t absorb that energy because he doesn’t know the technique I bestowed in your heart.”

Dyne was frowning.

“But wouldn’t it be easier if I just scooped it up and ate it?”

“Eat what?”

“That gold energy thingy that the Gobu Gobu released when it died.”

“Wait... You saw the Gold energy? The one that appeared after you killed those Gobu Gobu?”

“Shouldn’t I? Wasn’t that the thing that I was supposed to absorb?”

Strafe didn’t know what to say. He instructed Dyne that Dyne would have to concentrate on the monster before him and use the technique that Strafe planted in Dyne’s memories on his first kill. This was because he thought Dyne couldn’t see the energy. He didn’t have the heart to tell Dyne that seeing that golden energy made him a monstrous genius that may just have surpassed all Soul Cultivators ever born.

Looking back, Strafe wondered why Dyne offered the experience to the Gobu Gobu. He didn’t know the Gobu Gobu couldn’t see the energy!

“No wonder... no wonder it had to be you who would meet me that night...” Strafe muttered as he recalled the strange arrangement that the Sovereign of Dyne’s world did.

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“So can why can’t monsters absorb it?” Dyne asked again.

“The souls becomes the passageway and the conductor that converts that energy to physical power. Besides, he couldn’t see the energy that you saw because he has no soul. I – uh... made you Soul Sensitive. So you could see that energy. But I don’t think anyone in the village can see it as well.” Strafe went ahead with his explanation. If he told Dyne that he was a freak, he might get lazy.

“Oh. If it’s soul related, then not everyone in this world can level up? I mean... they can’t see it and probably don’t know how to absorb it.”

“That is correct. In this world, other than the Ra-Seru heroes, and uh... you who was erm... made with a body that is uh soul sensitive...”

“Why are you stuttering?” Dyne could not help but ask.

“Hey. I am tired and am dying. So what if I stutter? Anyways. The concept of leveling up cannot be applied to normal citizens here. Tetsu got his strength through physical training and meditating, which is by drawing the energies of the world and absorbing it into his soul.”

“But can they level up the same way as I can? And what do you mean the world? You mean Tetsu couldn’t absorb the energies from the monsters here and level up?”

“Tetsu’s legacy and the entire legacy of Biron monks are from a poor and shallow Soul cultivation technique. They don’t know how to absorb the energies.”

“Wow. So is that why Biron Monks are strong in Legaia?”

“Yes! That is also why soul cultivators are so strong in my world. No. It’s not just strong. To reach the peak, it is necessary! If you are a Soul cultivator, you could grow twice, no four times as fast compared to other cultivators! Those who cannot see the soul energies never know how to absorb energies from fallen creatures' souls! The truth is, the technique I sent into your brain was a heavenly technique! Even Tetsu doesn’t know about it!”

“Oh? That experience points gathering thing?”

“Yes! You can use it in my world! By killing or rendering an opponent unconscious, you can absorb whatever remnant energy they have in their bodies and send it straight to your soul! Your soul will then convert those energies and send them to the body. But only the top cultivators of our world know of this. We also limited the knowledge of this because it may cause massacres and destroy the smaller kingdoms which were necessary to give birth to the greater things.”

“I see. I thought I was eating their soul or something.”

“You’d have to be a high-ranking Soul Cultivator to achieve that.” Strafe explained.

“So if I can make the people of Rim Elm Soul cultivators, they can level up like me, correct?”

“Not necessarily a Soul Cultivator! Remember, when you got here, you weren’t a Soul Cultivator. If the people of Rim Elm can become Soul Sensitive and learn that technique, I thought, they can do that as well. I will allow you to teach them that technique as long as you control your friends. So if they do learn it, they can level up even if they don’t have a Ra-Seru!”

“Oh, I get it!  You’re saying the reason why Vahn, Noa, and Gala can level up is that they have the Ra-Seru who could gather the energy thingy when they can’t!”

“Exactly! Again, I made this world to shape your path as a Soul Cultivator. But you- ugh. Never mind.” Strafe didn’t want to tell him that he initially expected Dyne to become a Soul Cultivator through constant exposure to the soul and energies that the Ra-Seru would feed them.

“What about Serus? Can normal Serus do the absorbing thing?”

“Yes. But I designed Seru to have a cap in their strength.”

“Right. Like a Gimard spell can only reach level nine.”

“Yes. And because the Seru have no mind, they can’t transfer the energy they get from the dead and give it to the humans.”

“So if I want Rim Elm to learn how to level up, I should just teach them that technique?”

“You can try.” Strafe answered mysteriously. He wanted to see how Dyne will use his imaginations in making Rim Elm a Soul Sensitive group.

“Sounds fun. Every town I liberate I can help strengthen!” Dyne laughed.

“You should check up on Bertugo. You’re in for quite a surprise.” Strafe laughed mysteriously.

Dyne’s expression changed, and he began to look around. He noticed that while all of the townspeople except Tetsu was still asleep, Bertugo and the Slime was not around.