The girl lying on the ground shifted again—whumf!—her mana burst inward.
The air rippled around her still form, faint sparks of colored energy flickering beneath her skin as though her very soul was preparing to wake.
Man… did it really take me a week to heal? Jin thought, his eyes drifting toward her.
She's been here what, ten minutes? And she's already recovering?
…Unfair...
He sighed, leaning closer, trying to study her mana before she opened her eyes.
The last thing he wanted was to look like some creep gawking at a stranger while she slept—so he made sure to analyze fast.
Her mana was… fascinating.
Alive.
Every pulse of it shimmered with purpose, flowing perfectly through her like a living river.
He could already tell his entire way of using energy compared to their mana, would be completely different.
While Jin's energy simply stayed within him, self-sustaining and stable, hers was constantly replaced.
Every fragment of mana that did its job disintegrated the moment new mana flowed in to take its place.
It was efficiency born of necessity.
Her spellcasting, from what Jin could piece together, would rely heavily on how fast she could create that base white mana and transmute it into the colored kind she needed for a spell.
A slow thinker here meant a slow caster.
Jin assumed the main benefit to growing stronger in this world came down to a few key things:
The amount of white mana one could preserve and create.
The speed at which that mana could be transformed into other elements.
And the mind's capacity — sharper thought, quicker reactions, and a greater ability to grasp complex magic.
He looked inward, comparing that system to his own strange "energies."
His weaknesses were clear:
How much energy he could store,
how quickly he could command it,
and how he still needed to understand — or somehow unlock — entirely new kinds of energy.
As he thought deeper, a few patterns clicked into place.
If mana users grew stronger by preserving more white mana.
Then perhaps his own growth depended on expanding how much energy he could safely hold and control.
Assuming more energy means stronger spells… then I'd need to sacrifice the strength of one energy for another.
Jin absentmindedly bit his nails, his eyes fixed on the dirt.
If a fireball takes 20% of my energy storage as fire energy to use… that's 20% I can't use for anything else.
He started pacing.
If I want fireballs from both hands, that's 40% already gone. Add more power, more speed, or a wider blast — and suddenly I've got no room left for anything else.
It became obvious — getting stronger wouldn't just be about control, but capacity.
If that 20% cost could one day drop to just 5%, his spells could multiply exponentially.
Jin began tapping his foot, the gears in his head turning faster.
For once, there was a question he could actually get a straight answer to.
He glanced up toward the unseen voices that had been teaching him.
"Hey," he said, clearing his throat. "I'm assuming there are ways to get stronger, right? I've only heard of the Mongrel — and he's apparently a god?"
Sensing his curiosity, the wise one's voice rolled in like an old mountain stirring awake.
"Your confusion is natural, boy. Being locked up for so long, so I shall explain."
Jin listened as the voice began to outline the world's order—its hierarchy of strength.
"This world has ranks," the wise one continued, "though humans and beasts follow different paths to power."
Jin's brow furrowed. Beasts?
"Not all beasts are animals. Demons, spirits, spirit kings, plants that walk, mountains that think—anything not human falls into that category."
The ground gave a low hum beneath him as the voice grew heavier, resonating in the air.
"There are seven ranks of beasts."
"They all come naturally with time, as beasts naturally grow in power with age. But it can be sped up in some ways, like consuming other beasts."
The first flicker of flame-like heat passed under Jin's feet, as if marking the start of a lesson.
"Beast Toddler," the voice said. "Barely sentient. Primitive. Their power is roughly that of an slightly stronger normal animal."
"To an unarmed human, death is certain. To one with a weapon and time… survival, perhaps."
A long pause followed, then another rumble.
"Next—Beast Teen. A meager advancement. Most creatures barely change, yet some races begin to awaken their minds here."
"The humanoid kinds gain crude speech, though true understanding eludes them still."
The air cooled, faint gusts whispering around Jin's ears.
"Then comes the Beast Adult. Strength swells. Instincts sharpen. A beast that once fought blindly now begins to think."
"Most remain slaves to their natural elements, but the wiser ones can learn, speak, even reason."
Jin nodded slowly, feeling each word etch into his mind like a carving on stone.
"The next rank is where the first drastic change occurs among beasts."
Fwoosh—!
A column of molten fire erupted from the ground, roaring skyward before collapsing back into the earth just as fast.
The air sizzled, heat waves dancing above the scorched stone.
"Beast Jester," the wise voice rumbled, "is where we beasts earn the right to choose a Wyrd."
Jin blinked. "A Wyrd?"
"A Wyrd is like a passive ability," the old one explained.
"Something only a few humans ever gain. It cannot be learned or trained for—it is granted through very specific circumstances. Many call it fate's blessing… or curse."
The tortoise's deep voice grew proud.
"Depending on a beast's race and mind, we are given different choices. For me, I chose the Wyrd of Expansion."
The ground trembled beneath Jin's feet.
"It allows me to spread my lava and heat far and wide. Should a creature wander into my domain, their body will dry out… their flesh will burn… until all that remains is ash."
Jin swallowed hard.
So he's basically a moving desert that actually wants to kill you, he thought.
"All beasts that reach Jester gain full sentience," the tortoise continued, the rumble of his voice shaking loose dust.
"They can quickly learn other tongues. It's also the stage where we can branch our powers—a physically focused beast may begin training in magic… or an ice-born creature could even learn to wield lava."
After that, the wise one's tone grew brisk, as if summarizing a story told too many times before.
"Every rank beyond Adult grants another Wyrd—alongside mental and physical refinement.
After Beast Jester comes Baron, then Lord, then Ascendant."
"The differences between ranks depend not just on power, but experience. A beast may live in seclusion for thousands of years and rise to Lordhood…"
A pause. The heat shimmered again.
"…yet that Lord might still fall to a skilled Baron."
Jin, still absorbing the lesson, raised his hand hesitantly. "What about a Beast Ascendant?"
A silence followed—then the heat surged. Jin felt sweat bead down his temple as the air grew heavy.
"That," the wise voice said slowly, "is the beast equivalent to a human god—the same rank as the Mongrel."
The ground cracked under the pressure of his words.
"It is not a form that can be reached by patience or time. No one knows the path. Only through mastery of one's Wyrds and self may a beast touch godhood. For that reason, Ascendants are not born…"
He paused, voice lowering.
"…they are forged."
Suddenly, a slicing gust of wind cut through the air, silencing everything.
The stern one's voice followed, low and commanding.
"She will wake in a few moments. Be quiet."
Jin's jaw dropped.
Huh? Wait, no—! I didn't even get my question answered! He never told me about the human ranks!
He clenched his fists, wishing he had the balls to talk back to the Eclipse Owl.
Instead, he took a few hesitant steps back and sat down, trying not to look suspicious.
Last thing I need is her waking up and thinking I'm some creep hovering over her…
Just as the owl said, a few moments later the girl's eyelids fluttered—then snapped open.
In an instant, a surge of green mana burst from her body, swirling into a protective orb that wrapped tightly around her like a shield.
Then, without hesitation, she raised both palms toward Jin.
He blinked. Tilted his head.
"...Huh?"
When he noticed the red mana pooling in her hands, his eyes widened. He quickly threw his arms up in surrender.
"Hey, hey, hey! I'm in the same situation as you! Just—just talk to them!"
For a tense second, neither of them moved. Jin stood frozen, praying one of the so-called "teachers" would step in before he got turned into ash.
But the girl didn't even look at him. Her eyes darted rapidly, scanning the land—the stones, the sky, the lingering shimmer of mana in the air.
Finally, she looked up.
Her voice came sharp and confident, dripping with arrogance.
"So you're my teacher? An Eclipse Owl."
Then she turned her gaze down toward the ground.
"And a Furnace Tortoise," she added, unimpressed. "Both only at Jester rank. I assumed the Mongrel had prepared more for me."
Jin groaned internally, dragging a hand down his face.
Great. Another crazy, arrogant person I'm stuck with. Perfect.