As Damian entered the carriage, heading back to the orphanage, it was important to note that he was still improving and maximizing his mana control. During the six months of training, he had achieved exceptional mana control and perception, but that didn't mean he had relented. Omni had advised him to passively engage with the ambient mana of the city as they headed to the harvest festival.
The road back to the orphanage wasn't eventful. He entered the carriage that was filled with people he didn't engage with much, so he just sat quietly. He actually needed the silence, as he was contemplating what could be so important that Cassie wanted to have a general audience with the orphanage.
[Damian,] Omni called out.
'Omni,' he responded. 'It's nice you called, I would like a look at my profile.'
[Sure thing, Damian. Here is your updated status,] Omni replied, projecting the glowing blue interface only Damian could see in his mind.
[Profile loading.....]
----
[Status:]
Name: Damian Throne.
Age: 16
Cultivation Realm: Elemental Affinity Realm (Late stage)
Cultivation Rank: Rank 7
Affinity: Fire
Health: 450/450
Mana: ∞/∞
---
[Cultivation Stats:]
Mana Control: 2000
Mana Capacity: ∞
Essence Purity: 0
Soul Strength: 0
---
[Combat Stats:]
Strength: 290
Agility: 190
Endurance: 130
Intelligence: 410
Aura: ∞
---
[Skills:]
-Fireball (Common) - A basic mana skill that creates a small projectile of fire.
-Flame Burst (Common) - Expels a short-range burst of fire from the user's hands.
-Minor Healing (Common) - A basic self-healing skill that mends small cuts and bruises.
-Dagger Mastery (Uncommon) - Increases proficiency with daggers.
-Thousand Heavenly Piercings (Epic) - An epic mana skill that summons an endless rain of swords from the heavens.
---
[Trait:]
Infinite Mana Vessel (Divine)
----
Inventory:]
* Tenth Gate Dagger (Legendary)
Damian viewed his stats, taking note of his significant increase in mana control, 'Mana control is increasing exponentially.'
'The same is still happening, working on my mana control has some effects on my other stats.'
[That's right Damian, improving your mana control does have some good effects on your other stats, especially those that have a more direct link to Mana.]
'That really makes it an efficient way of training.'
[A good way, that's true, but efficient is stretching it.]
[Damian, you're looking down. You do know I can detect your emotions, and you're somewhat anxious.]
'Just a little bit,' Damian agreed.
[So, tell me what's on your mind, Is it Agnes, or is it Cassie's urgent announcement?]
'It's Cassie,' Damian admitted. 'She has never done a thing like this. What could be so important that she has to gather everyone? I mean, she's meant to be my sister, but she's always kept to herself. It just feels... unusual.'
[You're right, it is unusual, But you're worrying about it won't change anything. If it's truly urgent, she'll tell you soon enough. Until then, you should focus on your passive mana gathering. That's a much better use of your energy than stressing over a mystery]
'I know, I know,' Damian sighed. 'It's just fucking hard to turn off the anxiety sometimes. One minute I'm having a great time with Agnes, and the next I'm back here, remembering all the weird and dangerous shits about this world. Cultivators, demons...'
[And you? Don't forget you are the weirdest, most mysterious thing in that carriage. You are a soul from another world wearing the body of a boy with a maxed-out Mana Pool. Try to remember that you are capable of handling whatever your sister throws at you.]
'You literal fuck. You're the one that brought me here, and you're saying that I'm the weird one.'
[That still doesn't make it any less weird. Anyways, I have decided to initialize a new profile section, one that will track your assignments.]
'Assignments?'
[You can't really be that daft. You should remember the assignment, you defeating all the demons of the Netherworld.]
'I fucking remember that! I'm just asking the use of "assignments," like it means more than one.'
[Oh, that makes sense. Your primary objective is the destruction of the Netherworld. To summarize everything thus far, humans who can't cultivate, the dormants as they are called, are combusting into demons. The combustion itself isn't the issue, but the unusual increase in the number of combustions that's currently happening.]
[So as we speak, someone out there is literally burning in black flames as they have combusted. If this combustion carries on, it will have a great effect on the inhabitants of the Mortal Realm. That's where you come in. With your abilities, you can stop this by ending the Netherworld.]
'Okay, to fucking put it straight,' Damian said. 'This world is weird as fuck. What's even more fucked up is that I have many questions I'd like to ask, like why isn't the Omni Queen doing the brunt work of destroying the Netherworld? But I know you'll shut me down with one of your, "I'm sorry Damian, but I have been instructed to keep my fucking hole shut." Fuck you.'
[That's not exactly an accurate impression of me, but I'll allow it. Now, back to the basics, destroying the Netherworld isn't all that straightforward. You won't find a grand gate that instantly transports you there. For you to even enter the Netherworld, you must first shatter the known ceiling of cultivation in this universe.]
[That's where I come in. I will guide you by creating a series of sub-quests designed to make that goal easier to follow.]
"So I still need to do more things?" Damian asked initially, until he came to the realization that it all made sense. "Wait, no, don't answer, I—"
[Wasn't going to anyway,] Omni interrupted.
With a deep sigh, Damian continued, 'It makes a lot of sense that I'll need to do a bunch of stuff first before I can have the grand climax.'
[Alright, with that out of the way, I'll get started on creating the new interface.]
[Quest Log loading...]
[Quest updated.]
[(Quest: The Supreme Elixir)]
[(To achieve the next stage of Cultivation, you must refine your infinite mana reservoir. Your task is to venture into the hostile Land of the Ancient Trolls and acquire a supreme-grade Potion essential for this powerful refinement process.)]
Damian had a good look at the system prompt, reading the quest description, he didn't know how to react, 'how can I refine something that's infinite, and what's up with this ancient trolls?'
[Don't worry about anything for now. Regarding the Ancient Trolls, they are indeed powerful cultivators, but they reside thousands of stars away from this planet.]
'Thousands of—'
Then,
All the carriages creaked to a stop, the Matron opening the door, ushering the children out in an orderly line.
Damian hopped down, his hand now empty but the warmth of Agnes's touch still lingered. He fell into step with the other children, following the stream toward the general hall.
The vast hall was usually only used for the occasional mandatory lecture, but tonight, everyone, from the youngest orphans to the oldest residents was packed together. The noise level was lowered, replaced by an anticipatory tension. All eyes were fixed forward.
At the very front of the hall, stood Cassie. She was so relaxed as she stood with an unusual straightness. Her gaze swept over the crowd, her eyes now filled with gratitude at the sheer size, and when her eyes found Damian, they lingered for a moment.
"Thanks for coming everyone," she began.