[ Deck of the Forbidden Arcana ]
-Primordial-Tier
1. Valiant Force Deck (B-rank) [ 1/4 cards—0 Inspirations—0 Epiphany ].
'Interesting. If this deck is B-rank, then if I test my gift again, will it show B-rank?'
Aeron roughly knew what Inspirations and Epiphanies meant. Inspiration was card creation, and Epiphany was card evolution.
However, he had to trigger them through his own actions and perceptions.
He didn't know how, but according to the knowledge he got as he focused on those words, it was an automatic process activated based on his every action and thought, so he just had to do what he wanted to do.
Discovering the supernatural and feeling this power coursing through him stirred up more desires within him. He was feeling a high and anticipation of a future he had never felt in his life.
And he liked it. He was looking forward to this new life instead of a nine-to-five life in an office.
"Here we are."
Aeron looked up at the massive floating board.
[ Vaar City Arena ]
The building of this venue was one of the tallest in this city.
"Where is this city in the first place? Is it on Earth? But the sky is already dark here while it was afternoon on Earth." Aeron followed Aira while expressing curiosity about this city. "But I also see the moon, which is the same."
Aira chuckled. "It's the Earth. You were out for over three hours after you drank that black potion."
"Oh…" Aeron was dumbfounded. "It didn't feel that long to me."
"Yep, that's normal."
Soon, Aira and Aeron arrived at a battleground and took their seats among the audience. There were five battlegrounds in this arena, and this one didn't even have half of the audience.
"Look at their battles. This is a fight between two Tier-2 lifeforms. Just one stage above you."
Aeron watched the battle.
The two men, one wielding a longsword and the other using two daggers.
He could see distinct styles of those two.
The clash of their weapons and their fast movements made Aeron's heart race. This was unlike any MMA fight he had seen.
Both of them were bleeding from multiple places, and it was a close battle.
Aira told him about the intricacy of the battle as it went on.
"That's the gift of that longsword user. He can lengthen any weapon or sword he wields swiftly and retract it. The other guy doesn't seem to have any impactful gift, but both are still equally clashing, and that is because of their techniques."
Aeron nodded. "It's amazing. I want to fight like them. I want to learn and train."
"I'm glad you are pumped up about this." Aira chuckled.
"Who wouldn't?"
As the battles continued one by one, Aira told him, while showing him what people were using in their fights, how to get stronger, and other stuff regarding this supernatural life.
After watching the battles of different people for one hour, Aira and Aeron left the arena.
"Now we will have to part briefly as I have to do something. But before that, I'll take you to the place where you can learn and train. An Academy."
"Academy." Aeron's eyes lit up. "That sounds great. Will I be able to learn those so-called techniques you mentioned there?"
"Yep." Aira smiled. "And our ride is here."
A flying open carriage descended and floated next to them, five meters off the ground.
Aira grabbed Aeron's hand before she flew, taking Aeron along and sitting inside the open carriage.
"You can even fly…" Aeron was shocked. He saw some people flying, but only a few.
"To naturally fly without using any techniques, you need to open five hundred Spirit Chakra Points. At that, you will be attuned to the world's atmosphere, allowing you to form a field around your body that circulates the world's energy. You can control that field to fly around."
"Five hundred Spirit Chakra points… I have forty-two open so far. So how long does it take to open five hundred of them?"
"That depends on you. It's easy to open one hundred chakra points of both Vigor-type and Spirit-type. But after you open one hundred of each using potions and stuff, the next chakra points require your focus and perception deep in your body solely to open them yourself. This is a time-consuming and highly focused activity that requires consistency. Never miss a day of trying to open your chakra points."
"I see."
Soon, the carriage flew for tens of kilometers as they arrived at the edge of the city in the south, where Aeron saw a mountain filled with various big buildings.
A huge and wide staircase stretched from the base of the mountain to various parts of the mountain around it, branching and going up.
"This is the Vaar City Academy. Pretty massive, right?"
"Yeah, it's absurd."
The carriage landed at the mountain base.
"This academy is not like regular ones. You don't need to pay fees or anything to enter."
Aira walked toward one of the multiple booths next to the stairs on both sides.
People were constantly on the move, some descending and some ascending the mountain.
People of all ages.
And people of all races.
Aeron just couldn't stop looking for a bit as he saw demons, elves, humans, dwarves, and beastfolk.
'Aira is a demon…'
Arriving at the booth, Aira said, "Scan your ID here to register your entry. Every time you want to enter, you have to scan your ID. If you don't and enter the stairs, it will trigger an alarm, and the guards will quickly escort you."
Aeron wryly smiled. "Got it."
He scanned his ID card.
"I won't go up, so listen. The stairs are special. Once you start climbing, you will start to feel drained, and it will get harder to go up."
Aeron blinked, surprised.
"You see that building?" Aira pointed at the first big building that was a hundred meters up on the mountain.
"That's the Tier-1 Base. You won't be able to reach there today, but you will encounter multiple small buildings and branches of the pathways. They are dojos."
"When you think you can't go up anywhere, no matter how much strength you are putting in, it means it's time to stop, and you must enter one of the dojos to train there to become stronger. There are challenges in the dojos as well, and if you complete those challenges, you can earn Credits."
Aira smiled and continued. "Eating, sleeping, and learning mystic techniques will require credits. You will be able to learn basic techniques in the dojos for free, but to use their signature techniques, you will have to pay credits."
"Wow." Aeron was amazed, the shake of excitement he was feeling seeping through his mostly controlled voice. "This system is good. It's like playing a game."
Aira chuckled. "Exactly. I think you will have great fun here."
"Me too." Aeron looked at her, feeling moved. His life was at its lowest, and she just scooped him up into a fantasy. "I don't know how I'm gonna repay you…"
Aira laughed. "You're doing a job for me, remember? This is just the process of it. But it would be good if you could become happy and find a new purpose through it."
"Now then." She patted him on his shoulder and smiled. "Good luck and all the best. I'll find you tomorrow wherever you are."
"Alright."
"See you later." And so, shadows whipped out and devoured Aira as she vanished.
Aeron looked at the stairs, his eyes bubbling with anticipation as he began climbing.