Chapter 160- Learning (Part 1)

Chapter 160: Chapter 160- Learning (Part 1)

Chapter 160- Learning (Part 1)

Rize took a while to recover inside that small cave. He was beyond exhausted, and every fiber of his being wished for him to fall asleep and not wake up for a few more days. However, he refused to succumb to that feeling, mainly because he knew he didn’t have time, and also because he wasn’t certain whether he would even wake up if he fell asleep at this moment. His body had reached a state that he had never experienced before.

Rize wasn’t new to the feeling pushing his body beyond its normal limits. However, even then, Rize had never been put under such immense stress before, both physically and mentally. It was the closest he had gotten to death ever since he came to this world, and that is saying something considering the life he had lived so far.

"Sigh..." He wiped his face as he wrung his clothes dry. The cold temperatures made the water freezing, and his clothes felt immensely uncomfortable. He then looked at Venera and Rose, and he noticed that their clothes were soaking too.

’Their body temperatures would drop dangerously low if I don’t dry them.’ He thought to himself with a frown. Rize wanted to avoid doing anything to their bodies that might make them feel uncomfortable, but he couldn’t risk them getting extremely sick or worse. Hypothermia was a serious threat for them now that they couldn’t use their own powers.

Baragon, who was sitting nearby, looked at him before he rolled his eyes. "What are you trying to do, human?"

"Dry their clothes." He said. "Turn your head. It’s better if one of us looks rather than two."

"Human, there is no-"

"Please turn your head," Rize said. "It’s out of respect."

"..." The man looked at him before he sighed as he floated to the other side. Rize nodded his head and finally focused on the girls. He then closed his eyes and started undressing them while covering them with a layer of his essence to make sure they didn’t feel colder than they already did. Then, he wrung their clothes dry with his eyes closed.

Rize luckily had strong enough senses to do all of that without looking. However, even then, touching their skin and feeling them didn’t feel right, and he knew it would probably upset them if they were conscious. Rize, however, was ready to take the blame for that, as he would rather do that than have their bodies die before he could regain their souls.

Just a single look at their skin told him how bad the situation was. There was a bluish hue to it that only appears in bodies that are hypothermic. So, Rize hurried as he dressed them again and then wrapped them in his essence.

Finally exhaled as he looked ahead. ’I’m so tired... And hungry...’ He rubbed his face. ’I’m already beyond exhausted, and I still didn’t even get to my destination yet. The storm is only getting stronger, so I can’t start moving yet...’

Rize was certain that the storm was going to take a day or two at least, and he naturally can’t afford to wait that long, so he decided to simply wait till it subsides a bit before he starts moving again. He knew how risky that was and how lucky he was to escape death the first time. The second time, he might not have the same luck.

But what other choice did he have? He either had to risk it or lose the two of them. He had to somehow do it.

’I think I can manage if I just recover a little bit.’ Rize thought to himself. ’However, his recovery speed was far from fast enough.’

He wasn’t regaining energy as fast as he needed to. At this rate, to regain any reasonable amount of energy for the climb ahead, he needed three days, and that wasn’t an option.

’What should I even do?’ Rize rubbed his head in frustration as he looked down. ’I’m so screwed, man.’

Baragon watched the boy face that mental struggle in silence. He could guess what Rize was thinking of. He was contemplating his options, which wasn’t an easy thing for someone as young as he was. So far, Baragon was beyond impressed. In his entire lifetime, he had never come across a boy as unique as Rize.

The things he had done so far explained a lot of things to him and made him realize things he never truly thought he would witness with his own eyes. Yet, here he was, staring at the truth before his eyes.

’The prophecy could well and truly be happening before my eyes now.’ Baragon mused. ’Should I... Should I interject? Should I do something?’

He didn’t know if his existence here at this moment wa s a part of the prophecy or if he would risk destroying everything if he helped Rize. However, at the same time, a part of him simply couldn’t just sit still and watch. He wanted to see how far this human boy could reach. What ceiling does he have? And if he is truly what Baragon has been looking for, then he had to make sure the boy made it alive.

"Listen, human," Baragon said. "Have you ever heard of the word ’cultivation’ before?"

"..." Rize looked up with wide eyes. "Cultivation?"

’Wait, where did that come from?’ Rize asked himself in his head. Rize naturally knew what Baragon was talking about. Cultivation is a concept that was introduced into the story at later stages, when the main protagonist reached a whole new level and he had to break through to reach a new realm; so cultivation was his tool toward that goal.

’You can only cultivate, however, when you reach tier 3 or higher. You cannot do it when your core is still very small and weak.’ Rize thought to himself. ’Why is he mentioning this out of nowhere?’

Rize didn’t want to show that he knew what Baragon was talking about, so he decided to feign ignorance.

"What is that?" Rize asked with a confused look on his face.

"Hm, it is expected that you now know. However, in simple terms, Cultivation is the power of controlling your own core. A lot of you humans rely on killing and absorbing your enemies to grow. However, those same people aren’t able to control their own cores or make them absorb all the essence in the air, which is a far more stable and effective way of growing your power. Cultivation is the key to unlocking that growth and becoming a force to be reckoned with."

"..."

"If you could learn how to cultivate, you will never have to worry about recovery or exhaustion because your body will constantly take what it needs from the air around you, and as long as you’re in a place where essence exists, you will be able to always regain all your capabilities faster than anyone else," Baragon explained.

"That sounds... so impossible..." Rize muttered. "To be able to control your own core and absorb the essence in the air? How could that even be real?"

’Of course it’s real; it’s just such an advanced thing that I wouldn’t learn it in a million years, even if I dedicated my life to it right now.’

Rize was far from strong enough to even attempt such a thing. But he still wondered why Baragon would bring it up. He should be aware of the fact that Rize is still weak. However, what the boy heard next shook him to the core.

"I can teach you how to cultivate." The man said in a cold tone. "If you are willing to learn, that is."

"Wait... What?" Rize muttered. "You will... teach me to cultivate?"

"Yes."

’Wait, huh? Hold on, that shouldn’t be possible. That can’t happen... I would literally die. Is he not aware of that? Maybe he doesn’t think I can’t handle it at my current stage?’ A thousand questions crossed Rize’s mind in a split second as he blinked slowly.

However, at the same time, a part of him told him that an ancient being like Baragon can’t be that stupid. He probably has thousands of times the knowledge Rize has so for him to not be aware of something as basic as that sounded so far-fetched.

"Are you willing to learn, human?" He asked.

Rize looked at him for a second. ’If he truly knows what he’s doing, then I absolutely need to learn cultivation. It will quite literally change everything about me instantly.’ Rize thought to himself. His already fast growth will reach a whole new level he could never even fathom.

"But I must warn you... What I will teach you now is something that is extremely difficult to learn." The man said. "You must control your own core and adapt to how your body will react. If you lose focus for even one second, your core might collapse, and you will face your demise. All I can do is bestow the knowledge upon you and let you do it. If you aren’t worthy, then you won’t make it."