Chapter 4: Arrival of a Grandmaster
Personal System Calendar: Year 00012, Day 15-28, Month I: The Imperium
Imperial Calendar: Year 6857, 15th to 28th day of the 1st Month
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Turning Wheel
It was now the fifteenth day of the year, and the days continued with their constant revolution. More and more people were discovering the village, this little hidden enclave carved deep within the Great Forest of Lonelywood. What had once been an isolated settlement known only to a handful of people was becoming something of a regional landmark.
The village had constructed inns to accommodate the influx of merchants who wanted to conduct direct trade, purchasing goods without the need for intermediaries or lengthy negotiations through the imperial market system. Maya Village was also becoming a hub of sorts, a stopover point for travelers heading north or south through the region. The single road currently connecting the village to the imperial highway ran northward, which meant that anyone approaching from the south had to travel all the way north to the junction and then turn back southward to reach the settlement.
To address this inefficiency, the village council had begun discussing plans for the second road that would eventually provide a direct access from the south. The project would require negotiations with the neighboring beast lords whose territories lay to the west of the village's current borders. Fortunately, the new Guardian Beast who managed all the beast lords of the northern region was Aetherwing, which would make the diplomatic process considerably easier than it might otherwise have been.
August and Uncle Andy had traveled through the northwestern territorial lands before, years ago when August was on his quest to see the world beyond his isolated village. They had moved in a diagonal line, heading northwest, and they also discovered that the village was only about two hundred kilometers from the border if they just marched forward straight west, which consisted of a one-kilometer buffer zone between the imperial highway and the forest's edge. If the terrain allowed for a straight road in this direction, travelers approaching from the south would no longer need to make the lengthy detour northward before turning back.
A second access point would also improve security, providing an alternative route in case the northern road was ever compromised by bandits, beast attacks, or natural disasters.
But for now, this remains only a plan. The proposal would need to be debated by the two or three beast lords whose territories would be affected by the new road's construction. Until they reached an agreement, the northern route remained the village's sole connection to the outside world.
---
The Expected Guest
More immediately, August was preoccupied with the arrival of an important visitor. A grandmaster, an all-rounder combat specialist just like him, had been asked by the Emperor himself to come to Maya Village to train August and refine his skills. The opportunity was extraordinary. Grandmasters were rare, and having one who was willing to take on a new student was rarer still.
August's personal development had reached impressive heights over the past three years. His Personal System had advanced to Level 3, the Expert Tier, and he had recently achieved Level 67. The progression had been dramatic. Upon reaching the previous maximum level, he had accumulated ten million experience points in storage. When the system expanded to allow further advancement, those stored points had carried him from Level 50 to Level 67 in a matter of moments.
Currently, he stood at 723,000 out of 934,500 experience points needed for Level 67. The power difference was noticeable. He was stronger, faster, more durable, and his control over mana had refined to a degree that would have seemed impossible years ago, doubling almost all of his statistical attributes once again.
His equipment had also undergone significant upgrades. The armor, weapons, and accessories he now carried were forged from materials harvested from the most powerful beasts they had defeated during the great Beast Dominion War that occurred three years ago between the Forest of Lonelywood and the Lonely Forest of Shadowfen. Hides, bones that had been ground to powder and incorporated into alloys, scales that could turn aside even the sharpest blade strikes, and reagents from the beasts' other parts that enhanced magical conductivity, especially when one considered the Beast Lords', the Guardian Beasts', and even an Arbiter Guardian Beast's Mana Cores they have acquired. With the help of System Admin Magnus, who had become August's personal craftsman for his weapons, armor, and accessories, the upgrades had been in progress for three years and still had not been fully completed.
The delay was partly due to the inclusion of Mytherium, an extraordinary metal that August had acquired years ago under circumstances he still found somewhat embarrassing.
---
Mytherium: the Living Metal
Mytherium was known throughout the ancient world as "Century's Own Mortal-Metal," representing the absolute pinnacle of mortal metallurgy. The metal was a fusion of two legendary materials: Arkanium and Elmisium. The resulting alloy was often described as a living metal, a substance that pulsed with contained starfire and bore a deep platinum sheen threaded with veins of shifting azure that danced like captured lightning when exposed to magical energies.
The metal's appearance defied simple description. To most observers, it seemed to flow like liquid mercury while maintaining the solid strength of the finest steel. Under direct magical observation, the surface rippled with contained power, revealing glimpses of cosmic forces trapped within its crystalline structure. Ancient texts described it as "a starlight given form" and "the breath of the dying gods made into solid gold."
Arkanium, the ethereal component, existed in a state between physical matter and pure energy. This deep-black, soul-reactive ore could only be mined in absolute silence, as it absorbed emotional resonance and became increasingly unstable when tainted by strong feelings. Found exclusively in meteorite impact sites near major ley line convergences, Arkanium exhibited the remarkable property of hardening in response to the wielder's intent and willpower.
Elmisium, the stabilizing component, represented the ultimate expression of terrestrial metallurgy. This translucent, violet-veined ore exhibited crystalline memory, the ability to remember and return to its intended form even after severe deformation. Harvested exclusively from deep places where starfire once touched the world's bones, Elmisium resisted all traditional methods of heating and could only be worked under ethereal flame.
The forging process, known as the Rite of the Mortal Flame, had been successfully completed fewer than a dozen times in recorded history. The ritual combined elemental mastery, mana manipulation, and soul alchemy in a process that forever bonded the creator's essence to the resulting alloy.
A finished Mytherium possessed properties that transcended normal understanding. Its extreme hardness rendered it immune to fracture or deformation under any known physical force. The metal could withstand submersion in starfire or dragon's blood without melting, and it grew stronger when exposed to powerful magical energies. When infused with mana by its bonded wielder, it became as malleable as clay, allowing reshaping through pure thought and intent.
Most remarkably, Mytherium carried within it an echo of its creator's consciousness. Items forged from the metal exhibited limited awareness, responding to their wielder's emotional state and occasionally providing guidance through dreams or intuitive flashes.
August had acquired the Mytherium during one of his first travels several years ago. He had encountered the Kirin Raiders while he was trying to save the few villagers who managed to escape and was being chased by them. He decided to destroy the Kirin Raiders as retribution to the evil that has been committed. It was just so that they had arrogantly remained camping at the village where Milo Stone and Nina Simone once lived. August had defeated the raiders and confiscated their possessions. What he didn't know at that time, but the raiders were carrying an elaborate chest that was hidden under the commander's desk and within it was the small ingot of the metal of Mytherium. It was clearly stolen, he only realized it later on given how tightly the empire controlled such materials that it wasn't even something the public knows or the empire directly acknowledging its existence.
He intended to return the Mytherium to the Emperor during his visit to the imperial capital three years ago.
But somehow, he had forgotten about it entirely. The ingot had remained in his magical storage equipment, unnoticed and unremarked upon, until System Admin Magnus rediscovered its existence while cataloging materials for his next equipment upgrades. It is the time when he (Magnus) remembered his research on how to craft it. Unfortunately, the amount August had was only enough for him to be able to craft a set of armor.
When Magnus informed him of the discovery, August had been mortified. Mytherium was definitely a state secret. The empire maintained a monopoly on the metal, and unauthorized possession was likely a serious crime. He had been carrying stolen imperial property for years without realizing it. No, it was right to say he had completely forgotten about its existence.
Magnus had assured him not to worry. The metal would be incorporated into his armor. Magnus would make sure that it would be unrecognizable to even the keenest eyes. And if one were to ask of its origins, the wearer of the armor could simply tell them that it was given to them by the gods.
(He he he
~Magnus)
August hoped the administrator was right. The last thing he needed was to be accused of theft, especially when a grandmaster was arriving to train him. Surely he would have some knowledge of it, right?
---
Waiting at the Gate
Today was supposed to be the day of the grandmaster's arrival. That was why August stood at the main gate, waiting with a small honor guard and trying not to look as anxious as he felt.
He had been waiting since dawn. The sun was now approaching its zenith, and there was still no sign of the expected visitor. August wondered if the grandmaster had become lost, or if he had been delayed by some unforeseen circumstance. Perhaps he was preoccupied with other matters.
That last possibility seemed unlikely. There were no beasts strong enough to preoccupy a grandmaster except for Guardian Beasts and Arbiter Guardian Beasts, and none of them would attack a human traveling peacefully through their territories.
The decree was clear as day, as it had been declared by the Dragon King Ignis who ruled over the Arbiter Guardian Beasts of the Great Forests that surrounded the Great Caldera of Arkanus where his seat of power resides, and the penalties for violating this decree was severe: death.
The Beasts of the Great Forests were under a State of Three Hundred Year Peace as decreed by Dragon King Ignis. It was done after the Beast Dominion War had concluded three years ago. The beasts were ordered not to attack any other beast territory within those 300 years. But they were also allowed to defend themselves if they were indeed attacked by any unwanted forces that intruded upon their lands.
That was why the Great Forests had remained quiet right now. It was relatively safe to travel, especially on the Village's Territorial Domain, though that did not really mean anything beyond that, especially on other Beast Lords' Territories. Anyone was still bound to the dangers that lurked in the forests, especially when entering a beast's domain.
That was why the village's existence was an anomaly itself. But it was an anomaly that had been won fairly through blood and sacrifice, it was done through their defense against those seven Grimfang beast lords who chose to attack them. Thus they had earned the right as the victors to be recognized as inhabitants of the Great Forests, and that they were indeed the rightful owners of the 8,100 square kilometers of land they currently owned.
That being said, August was left more puzzled. When would Grandmaster Miles Daemon arrive?
What August did not know was that Miles Daemon was already in the area. In fact, he was currently inside the village itself, scouting the settlement while blending in perfectly with the other visitors and residents. Miles looked like a normal traveler, perhaps a bit weathered from the road but otherwise unremarkable. The grandmaster was approximately five hundred and fifty-five years old, even older than Master Ben, who was only in his three hundreds, approaching four hundred years old in a few decades.
Miles had received word from the Emperor two years ago that his services were required. Unfortunately, as a wandering soul with no fixed residence, he had been difficult to locate. The imperial messengers had spent months tracking him down. When they finally found him, Miles had agreed to take on another student as repayment for past debts owed to the Emperor.
He knew very little about this prospective student. All he knew was that he was an all-rounder, like Miles himself. The prospective student's name was August. And because he was recommended personally by Emperor Janus, this further suggested someone of genuine talent rather than a noble's spoiled child being foisted on him as a political favor.
Currently, Miles was wandering through the village and asking casual questions about someone named August. He learned quickly that the name was well-known here. August was famous in the village. That was interesting. Famous could mean many things, not all of them positive, but the tone people used when they spoke of him suggested respect rather than notoriety.
Miles gathered more information from the more talkative residents. August was the Supreme Military Commander. He was the last of the original surviving third generation of settlers who founded the village. He had survived the massacre that nearly destroyed the village. He had led the defense during the Beast Dominion Wars. He was bonded to a legendary beast species, who was named Aetherwing, the Mighty Peregrine Eagle who now served as Guardian Beast of the northern territories and August's own personal Guardian Beast.
This August was clearly someone special.
Eventually, the village guards approached Miles. He initially thought he was under suspicion of espionage, which would not have been unreasonable. His behavior thus far, if viewed from a certain angle, was rather spy-like.
"Excuse me, sir, but are you perhaps Grandmaster Miles Daemon?" one of the guards asked respectfully.
Miles was surprised. The guard knew him? But he did not recognize the young man. "Well, yes. Why do you ask?"
The guards looked at each other and smiled. "Sir, Commander August has been looking for you. He's been waiting at the gates all day long. He wondered why you never arrived."
"Ah." Miles felt a flicker of embarrassment. Now that he thought about it, he had sensed a strong presence near the gates earlier. He had assumed it was simply a guard captain or military officer. To avoid drawing attention to himself, he had joined a merchant caravan and suppressed his mana and aura almost entirely, making himself look like a wandering person. It was enough to fool anyone's eyes. It was even enough to fool August, even with his powerful Personal System aiding him, the grandmaster was able to avoid being noticed before entering the village.
That had been his mistake. He really had not wanted to stand out, but in doing so, he had caused his student to wait unnecessarily.
---
First Meeting
August was informed of his guest's location and immediately headed to meet him. When he arrived, he bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Master Daemon. I am August Finn."
Miles studied the young man carefully. This was the powerful presence he had sensed at the gate. The quality of August's aura, even suppressed as it currently was, spoke of someone who had seen real combat and survived encounters that would have killed lesser warriors. He was a mere fraction of Miles's age, yet his combat foundations were already very solid, his mana control was refined, and his overall bearing suggested someone who had already reached the High-Tier Master Rank, not just in skill but also in bearing.
This boy was close to becoming a grandmaster himself. If nurtured properly, then even he could not see the limits of the boy's abilities. This must also be the reason why the Emperor suggested he train the lad. Now Miles felt his heart begin to pound with excitement. It had been centuries since he had encountered a student with this much raw potential already developed.
"Tell me how you trained," Miles said. "How were you able to reach this level at such a young age?"
August answered honestly. He explained his early experiences surviving in the Great Forest, the necessity of adapting his combat style to an environment where a single mistake could mean death, the lessons he had learned from hunting and fighting the powerful and legendary beasts not found in other lesser forests outside the Great Forests of Arkanus, and the battles he had fought to protect the village from those that had meant to harm it.
Miles listened carefully, asking questions that were respectful enough not to intrude on August's personal secrets but specific enough to understand the foundations of his abilities. He had already suspected beforehand that August's unique development had something to do with the forest environment. The boy's confirmation validated that assumption.
"Impressive," Miles said finally. "This is something even I had not reached at your age. Your combat style was born from necessity, shaped by your environment. That kind of authentic development is rare. Most warriors learn in controlled settings and must later adapt to real combat. Your style of combat that was learned in real combat from the beginning is something worthy of praise, and no amount of theoretical teaching could match it. However, theory and practical experience are still needed. One aids the other and complements it to become whole."
August felt a mixture of pride and relief. He had worried that his self-taught approach might be seen as crude or unsophisticated. Instead, the grandmaster seemed genuinely impressed.
"Your foundations are already strong," Miles continued. "What you need now is refinement. You have the raw skill of a High-Tier Master, but your techniques lack polish. We will work on that. By the time I am finished with you, you will be a grandmaster in truth, not simply in potential."
---
The Training Begins
The following days fell into a new rhythm. August's duties continued, of course. He could not simply abandon his responsibilities as the village Supreme Military Commander or neglect his daily patrols and administrative work. But whenever he had free time, he trained with Master Daemon.
The training was unlike anything August had experienced before. Miles did not teach him new techniques or introduce exotic combat forms. Instead, he focused on refining what August already knew, correcting minute flaws in his footwork, improving his timing by fractions of a second, teaching him to read an opponent's intentions from the smallest shifts in weight or posture.
"You fight well," Miles explained during one session. "But you fight like someone who expects every encounter to be life or death. That instinct serves you well in the forest, but it limits you. A true grandmaster must be able to fight at any intensity, from a light spar to a battle for survival, with equal skill. You must learn control. Power without control is simply violence. Control without power is useless. You will need both to create balance. I've heard from Ben before that you have gone into an uncontrolled rage, driven, if I could guess, by emotions. While it did get the job done, you must also remember that there is nothing more dangerous to an ally than one of their own who has gone beyond reason. So I want you to master your emotions first."
He paused before continuing.
"Hence why I haven't taught you anything beyond your already established capabilities. You are already strong enough as it is, and even if indeed you have that power you couldn't control, you could already mostly go toe to toe with a grandmaster-ranked individual. If you could get that power to be truly your own, that is, then I assure you no foe could defeat you in battle, not immediately anyway."
August absorbed the lessons eagerly. For the first time in years, he felt like a student again rather than a teacher. It was humbling and exhilarating in equal measure.
He gave it further thought and remembered the times he had undergone such uncontrolled unleashing of his powers.
First, when he almost died the system had to take over his body to let him survive. It occurred a long time ago, his system went on an emergency state to override his own conscious will, to enact a power vested on them by his other self, though it was only usable once he learned of it.
The second and most recent was roughly three years ago, it was when those shadow demons attacked the village. He mostly forgot what happened after his mind went black in an uncontrolled fit of rage. His anger got the better of him after hearing the wails of death, and his emotion snapped his control giving in to his anger. He realized afterwards that the only reason he did not die was because his SYSTEM went into an overdrive mode to keep himself alive. Yes, he could not refute that it had indeed happened, and without the SYSTEM'S interference each time he would have killed more than just the shadow demons.
And now more than ever he realized that he also possessed powers that could become more of a liability when left uncontrolled. One of them was the use of his Divine rated Skills, Elemental Apocalypse and the Primordial Flames' powers, which, if his emotions were left uncontrolled and unchecked, would do more harm to his allies than to his enemies. So he realized that his master's words were true. So before he could get even stronger, he must rein in his own powers and control his own emotions, so that no mishaps will occur in the future, something that he would terribly regret.
Meanwhile the villagers quickly noticed the change in August's routine. They saw him training with the elderly stranger at odd hours, observed the intensity of their practice sessions, and drew their own conclusions. Word spread that the Commander had acquired a new teacher, someone of extraordinary skill.
Miles kept a low profile when he was not training August. He explored the village, spoke with residents, and observed the unusual harmony between humans, beastfolk, and intelligent beasts that coexisted here. He had traveled throughout the known world during his long life, but he had never seen anything quite like Maya Village.
This place was special. And August Finn, his new student, was the heart of what made it special.
Miles found himself looking forward to the months ahead. Teaching someone with this much potential was a gift, one he intended to make the most of.
The days were filled with training, refinement, control of one's emotions through meditation and with it comes the gradual transformation of a highly skilled warrior into something greater.