Sbu dreamt of running — not from monsters, but from an endless stream of pop-up ads that said "TRY CULTIVATION NOW!" Every time he closed one, three more appeared.
When he woke up, he realized it wasn't far from reality.
The first thing he did was grab his phone. The battery was at 12%, and the world was worse than before.
Headlines glared at him in bright, doomsday colors:
> 🗽 U.S. DEATH COUNT PASSES 1,000: SPIRIT BEASTS RAVAGE NEW YORK
🇬🇧 BRITAIN DECLARES MARTIAL LAW AS MONSTERS BREACH LONDON
🇿🇦 SOUTH AFRICA REPORTS MASSIVE ENERGY ANOMALY NEAR KRUGER PARK
Sbu froze.
"Wait… Kruger Park? That's right next to—"
"You," Lungelo finished in his mind, voice dripping with mock concern. "Congratulations, cub. You're now in the 'up next' category."
Sbu sat up, heart pounding. "You mean those things are close?"
"Close enough to make this boring little town interesting. Which means it's time to stop being lazy."
Lungelo's golden form flickered faintly in the air, lounging on an invisible cloud. "Let's try again. Properly this time."
---
He hesitated.
Last time he'd tried cultivating, he'd died. That wasn't exactly something you forget easily.
But when the news said the monsters were spreading south, hesitation wasn't an option anymore.
"Okay… fine," he muttered. "Let's do this."
He sat cross-legged on the floor, closed his eyes, and inhaled. The qi in the air was thicker now — like warm mist swirling through the atmosphere.
Lungelo's tone softened. "Focus on your breath. Don't force it. Qi is a current — let it flow, don't choke on it."
A warm pulse entered his chest, spreading outward.
One by one, faint sparks lit up across his body — his meridians trembling as they opened.
"Good. One channel down. Eleven to go."
Time blurred. Sweat dripped from his brow as he followed the rhythm Lungelo set — inhale, exhale, circulate, repeat.
Something inside him clicked, like gears turning for the first time in centuries.
Then came a final surge.
It was like lightning in his veins — painful, exhilarating, alive.
---
When he opened his eyes, the world looked different. Sharper. Brighter. He could see threads of light swirling faintly around objects, drifting through the air like invisible rivers.
A soft chime echoed in his head:
> [System Update — Channels Fully Opened]
Cultivation Tier: 0 (Mortal)
Qi Channels: 12/12
Qi Capacity: 100%
New Feature Unlocked: [Exp Tracking System]
Gain Exp through combat, training, or comprehension.
Sbu stared at the air like it just spoke math at him.
"Did… did I just level up in real life?"
Lungelo smirked. "Technically, you're still trash-tier, but at least you're trash with potential."
---
Later that afternoon, Sbu sat at the back of a crowded kombi heading into town. His last few hundred lilangeni jingled nervously in his pocket.
"Remind me why I'm spending my survival money on sword lessons?"
"Because, cub," Lungelo said lazily, "if the beasts don't kill you, your bad aim will. You can't cultivate qi if you can't swing straight."
"I could've gone for, like, self-defense or gym—"
"A sword school sounds cooler. Don't argue."
Sbu sighed as the kombi rattled through the streets of Mbabane. Posters were already up for "Qi Control Classes," "Spirit Awareness Groups," and "Emergency Prayer Circles."
The world was changing fast — too fast.
And yet, for the first time since the Voice had spoken… Sbu didn't feel powerless.
He looked out the window at the mountains in the distance.
"Fine, Lion. Let's learn to fight."
Lungelo yawned, eyes gleaming with amusement. "That's the spirit, cub. Let's make your ancestors regret sending me to babysit you."
---
> [System Interface]
Host: Sibusiso Mthembu
Tier: 0 (Mortal)
Qi Capacity: 100%
Exp: 0 / 500 (Next Tier: Spirit Initiate)
Guardian Spirit: Lungelo — The Lazy Lion
Objective: Train. Survive. Try not to die during sword class.
And so began the first real step in Sbu's cultivation journey —
not in a hidden temple or a sacred mountain,
but in a small sword school in Mbabane, paid for with pocket change and desperation.
---