'Where am I?' I think, as I look around. 'What in the world? Why is everything pitch black?'
I find myself in a sea of darkness, with there being absolutely nothing around. 'What's going on? I remember fainting, but what's happening now...?'
Suddenly, the darkness transforms into an endless, grassland, filled to the brim with emerald grass. However, the grass is completely overshadowed by the huge tree in front of me. The tree was so huge, in fact, that I couldn't even see the top of it. For some reason, this place feels...familiar.
"Ah, you are finally awake." An ancient voice boomed in my head.
'Wh-what!?! Who was that?!?' I think as I scour the area to locate the voice. However, I couldn't find it.
"Calm down boy, I am the tree in front of you." The voice sounded again.
"..."
Huh? The...TREE? Well, I guess I am currently in a fantasy world right now. A talking tree isn't nearly the most unbelievable part of my situation.
"As much as I would like to elaborate further, or even teach you how to use your power, I don't have time for that. This is but a clone of myself I made of myself so that I could send you this message." The tree continued.
"Boy...ARE YOU F**KING STUPID?" it suddenly yelled at me, completely bewildering me. "Wh-what?" I manage to utter, hoping to quell at least a bit of its rage; however, my plan absolutely backfired.
"DON'T WHAT ME! YOU BROKE YOUR MAGIC CORE! IF NOT FOR THAT MYSTERIOUS POWER YOU HAVE HOLDING IT IN PLACE, IT WOULD'VE BEEN COMPLETELY SHATTERED! YOU WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO USE MAGIC, AND ESSENCE TO A CERTAIN DEGREE, EVER AGAIN!" The tree continued, gaining more and more rage.
"AND IF IT WASN'T FOR ME, YOU WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO CONTROL YOUR MAGIC EVER AGAIN, AS YOUR MAGIC CORE WAS BROKEN TO A POINT OF ALMOST NO RETURN!
"HOWEVER, THAT'S NOT EVEN THE WORST PART. FOR SOME STUPID F**KING REASON, YOU ACTUALLY GAINED A LOT FROM THIS! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR LUCK!?!?"
Although I was pretty grim about most of the stuff the tree said, the last line completely pushed those feeling away as I stood there baffled. "I gained something from this? How?"
Calming down, the tree explained. "Boy, your magic core was undeniably broken and there's not even someone as strong as me can fix. Instead, I simply replaced your magic core with a mana core.
"Oh and if you're wondering, the mana core will allow you to control your magic at least two times more efficiently."
"Wh-what!?!? Two times? If it's that good, why don't more people use this?!?!" I think out loud. I mean, it's a good question, right?
"Well, that's simply because in order for one to get a mana core, they need their magic core to shatter but somehow have the core still there. After that, if the being has affinity with mana, someone who's proficient with mana can come in and flow mana through the being's core, allowing it re-attach itself using mana as a medium. This process, however, is basically an impossibility. I mean, even I don't have a mana core." The tree replied.
"Anyway, boy, never do that again. While I might have been able to save you this time, I can't do it next time. Unlike a magic core, a mana core cannot be replaced, no matter what."
"I'm just curious, but what does shattering your magic core do exactly?" I ask curiously, making sure to have a respectful tone towards this being who seems to have saved my life.
"Oh, it wouldn't do much. Other than COMPLETELY TAKE AWAY YOUR ABILITY TO EVER USE MAGIC AGAIN, AND COMPLETELY CRIPPLE YOUR USAGE OF ESSENCE TO THE POINT WHERE YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO USE THE OTHER FORMS OF ESSENCE EITHER!" Ah, I seem to have made a mistake. The tree has regained its rage.
Before it started yelling at me again, I try to divert it with a question. "Mr. Tree, it's clear you're a strong being, so why are you trying to help me?"
To this, the tree roared out laughter. "Boy, do you not even know the person who created the legacy you obtained?"
Suddenly, the terrain around me started to fade.
"Oh, it looks like my time is up. Very well boy, and remember, your stick is your strongest weapon. After all, it is my legacy after all!" The tree said in a grandeur way before completely fading out, leaving me surrounded in darkness again.
-------------
A few minutes after my talk with the tree, I feel myself coming to.
'Oh man, I hope the forest didn't burn down...it would be pretty bad if it did.' I think as I open my eyes. What I saw, however, was not what I was expecting. At all.
"Where am I?" I mutter, trying to understand my situation. I could've sworn I was in a lush rainforest when I passed out, so how did I end up in this desolate desert?!?
The only explanation I had, however, were the two prompts in front of me.
「Due to increase in difficulty, tutorial simulation will no longer continue」
「The Administrators can no longer view the user」
Hold on...what does the system mean by...administrators can NO LONGER view the user. Does that mean they've been...
Alright, I'll worry about that later. Right now, I need to figure out where I am, so I most likely need to focus on the first one. Now that I think about it...tutorial simulation? Does that mean my journey so far...wasn't real?
How much of it wasn't real then? Was the inheritance real? Alfred and Barron? What about the Progenitor skills I had? And the stick?
Since I can test out the stick part easily, I summon my stick.
'Phew! Thank god, it's still there.' I think as I feel the stick appear in my hand. If the stick is real, the rest of it must have been real, right?
I open my status just so I can make sure and...let's just say it's better if you see for yourself.
「Status」
「Name: Caden Rossfield Class: Main - Manifestation Expert | Sub - Healer | Sub - Child of Mana
「Race: Human Level: 50 (100%)
「Essence Attribute: Mana
「Titles: One who Holds the Stick of ???, Natural Fainter, One Who is Blessed by Mana
「HP: 5,000/5,000 Mana: 5,000,000/5,000,000
「STR: 93 INT: 102
「DEX: 87 AGI: 88
「Bonus Stat Points: 25
「Traits: Stick of ??? (lvl 3), ??? (lvl 0), @*@#? (Locked)
「Inherent skills: Animal instinct (lvl 1), ??? (lvl 0), Unparalleled Manifestation Genius (lvl 1)
「Skills: Basic Cane Mastery | F (4%), Basic Staff Mastery | F (3%), Pain Resistance | F (49%), Great Heal | E (0%), Mana Sense | E (-), Manifestation Strengthen | E (0%)
「Techniques: Basics of Essence Control | E, Northern Cane Style | F, Southern Staff Style | F」
「Status」「Quests」「Inventory」「Equipment」「Forge」「Alter」「Temple」...
What. The f**k. MY SKILLS! MY PROGENITOR SKILLS! MY INHERITANCE! I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO PLAY WITH THOSE! THIS IS SO UNFAIR! ALL THOSE SKILLS ARE GONE! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
'Alright Caden, calm down, we still have a few of our skills' I think, as I was about to close my status tab until another few pop-ups appeared in front of me.
「Due to repeated usage of
「Due to increase in difficulty of the system, system has detected some of user's hidden abilities.」
「Detected abilities are as follow:
「
「Due to