"What should I do now?"
Even though Yuto was determined, he now sat beside a flowing river.
The clear water reflecting the silver orb in the sky looked so beautiful, accompanying him in the stillness of the forest.
His mind spun, devising a strategy for how he could live in a world where lives were already predetermined.
With the existence of a talent within each person, this was not only an advantage but also a curse.
Once someone awakened their talent, their life would surely settle into the fate assigned to them.
Such an easy life they have. No worries, and they could live their life to the fullest.
It was very different from his previous world, where everyone had to discover their own strengths and weaknesses.
Most of them fail in that search quest and would live as part of the society's system.
But of course, with every advantage, there were also flaws.
Because a person's destiny was determined from the start.
This system would make people resigned to their fate, living life without complaint and simply moving forward, not daring to dream anything new.
Like a robot, programmed to perform something until its end of life.
Monotonous, painted in shades of grey.
In his contemplation, Yuto sat cross-legged and hunched over.
His face was contorted because he couldn't find a solution to the problem he faced.
'Cultivation? A talent leaning towards agriculture?'
Yuto groaned as he clutched his head tightly, spiraling into a vortex of thoughts that dragged him into a pit of regret.
"Man, if I'd known this would happen, I should have studied farming more deeply."
Yuto sighed deeply as his forehead almost touched the ground.
He suddenly straightened his posture and slapped his cheeks several times.
A dry clap resounded through the dim forest, marked by redness on his cheeks with a stinging pain that opened his eyes wide.
"No, don't give up yet. Let's think positively and calm down, Yuto."
Talking to himself, Yuto closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly.
He did this several times until, on the third inhalation, he felt a strange sensation enter his body.
"Hm? What was that?"
Yuto opened his eyes, and his vision distorted for a moment.
It was fleeting, but Yuto saw something pass by, floating like a gentle river current, glimmering in silver.
The night wind blew cold, biting Yuto's skin and making him shiver.
His heart thumped slowly; the warmth in his body indicated that he was still conscious, and the scene before him was real.
"Is that, Mana?"
Mana, a mysterious entity floating in the atmosphere. It was associated with mages and wizards because of its capability to be converted into magic.
Yuto remembered Elias's childhood, often seeing his Mother giving small magic demonstrations while playing together in the garden.
A garden full of fragrant, heart-calming flowers, but now that memory exhaled a pungent, heart-wrenching smell.
He shook his head furiously and looked forward.
Yuto raised his hand and slowly tapped into the source.
A gentle current coiled around his finger before it seeped into his nose, settling inside his body.
"Woah, what is this?"
Realizing that his mind became clear with just one breath, Yuto inhaled deeply and felt a refreshing sensation enter his lungs.
His mouth parted, and he couldn't deny the fresh air in this new world.
"This is amazing."
Yuto sat upright and began circulating his breathing, slow yet deep.
Each time he did that, the world seemed to change with sparkling glitter that pleased the eye.
His tired body slowly rose, filled with raw strength.
"I'm getting addicted to this."
Yuto continued until his heart pounded so loudly that it stopped all his body functions, no, even the world around him.
His eyes widened, and Yuto realized that the world around him was filled with streams of mana gathering to form a vortex around him.
A white aura kept swirling like a cyclone, gently enveloping him.
'What's happening?'
Yuto's vision spun as he realized he was now floating in endless darkness.
In the midst of it all, something pulsated as if announcing its weak presence.
Like a giant neuron star that could be seen from afar, it began to flicker until it expanded like a radiant white sun.
'What?'
When he tried to reach for it, his consciousness returned, and he felt a warm sensation below his navel.
'This?'
Yuto's body felt warm, full of vitality.
Time returned to normal. He sat, panting in the middle of the forest, watching the still surface of the water.
Yuto reached for his lower abdomen and felt something.
'No way!?'
A memory from his past flashed. He used to read fantasy novels about another world and Eastern cultivation.
With his clear mind, Yuto immediately connected the dots: Elias's true talent was not about agriculture.
But something that would lead him to the pinnacle of the heavens as a Cultivator.
A realization dawned upon him like lightning. Yuto's fingers curled tightly around his stomach, and unconsciously, he burst out laughing.
"Ahahahaha..."
His laughter erupted in the silence, echoing like a psychopath drenched in killing intent.
The leaves rustled violently as if not wanting to be outdone by Yuto's voice.
He clenched his fist tightly and struck the dirt beneath.
Dirt was scattered, and Yuto barely felt anything on his skin.
When his gaze shifted, he found that the silver energy coated his skin, though the aura enveloping him vanished instantly.
"Huh?"
The small fire burning in his lower abdomen also extinguished like a candle.
His body suddenly felt heavy, and Yuto rushed to correct his posture, closing his eyes.
'Alright, for Cultivation, it should be possible if I absorb the energy of heaven and earth. Let's try that, but...'
Yuto hesitated.
He read enough novels about cultivation and knew very well the risks of self-taught practice.
Most of those people would suffer from Qi-Deviation or a reverse flow of Qi in their bodies, causing them to suffer and die miserably.
This was his trial.
Not knowing how the Cultivation system worked made Yuto's mind suddenly hit the brakes.
His eyes narrowed, and Yuto gritted his teeth.
'If I'm afraid of things like that. I'll never achieve anything.'
Closing his eyes, Yuto emptied his mind and slowly inhaled the surrounding air.
Once again, a warm energy coursed through his lungs.
His breathing was smooth, and the mana or Qi in his body became denser.
Yuto's consciousness seemed to be pulled, and he stood in infinite emptiness above the neuron star within his body.
'No, it's not a star, it's like... a vessel?'
Slowly but surely, the pure white vessel pulsated like a heartbeat.
Like water filling a glass, the color and light within grew denser and warmer.
He stood frozen in awe by the phenomenon before him. Then felt his vessel tremble violently.
'Ugh.'
Yuto's brows furrowed, and the warmth now turned hot.
His body tensed with high heat that almost reached its highest temperature, making Yuto's body drenched with sweat.
He gritted his teeth, and by the time his body could no longer withstand the cruel torment.
Crack
A crack appeared, and the Qi contained in his vessel leaked out, as Yuto's consciousness surged like being immersed in boiling water.
"Urk!"
A soft groan escaped his mouth, and his face turned pale blue, thinking he had made a mistake.
Until he saw a star.
All the Qi leaking from the vessel was sucked towards the small star above it, then scattered in every direction.
Like a constellation but resembling a human frame. Yuto saw something inside his body that made him sigh with relief.
His body temperature stabilized, and with Qi bathed his body. It felt as if wings grew on his back.
'...Is this what they called: meridian opening?'
Yuto immersed his thoughts and continued to cultivate until he realized that, no matter how much Qi he absorbed from the atmosphere, the vessel in his body no longer reacted as before.
The Qi's movement in his meridians also slowed down, proving that it was time for him to stop.
"Huff."
Yuto exhaled slowly before his stomach churned with severe intensity.
A pungent smell like ancient waste permeated his nose, forcing his mouth open.
"Blergh!"
Thick black mucus poured from his mouth, soaking the ground and staining a part of his clothes.
He kept vomiting until nothing left and immediately leaped backward.
"...ptooey, disgusting!"
His face twisted in horror, realizing the sludge was stuck to his clothes.
Without hesitation, Yuto jumped, and to his surprise, his body launched into the air from a single stomp.
"Wow, aaaaa."
He splashed into the river.
Splash
Cold enveloped him, but there was no denying that the water was very refreshing and also washed away all the worries in his mind.
With his height, Yuto's feet managed to touch the riverbed. The water only reached his upper chest while his eyes were fixed on the moon.
Unconsciously, his mouth curled into a smirk, and he began laughing loudly.
"Ahahaha, it turns out you're not trash like they said, Elias. You are the best, hahaha."
Staring at the black sky, water from his wet white hair dripped onto his shoulders.
He raised his clenched fist upwards as he saw the images of the boy whose dead body had been possessed by him.
"Rest well, Elias. From today on, I will live as Yuto."
A neglected child cast aside by the world began his own legend, unaware that in his very first attempt, he had skipped several realms of cultivation.