"Ugh, my back."
I sigh tiredly as I feel the pain in my back once again.
Throughout the week I spent in the sect, I did nothing but observe the spirit stone and try to sense that strange feeling and control it.
Meanwhile, I was getting my food regularly from Li Chen, whether it was game or products bought from the village on the island.
And of course, I had to buy some animal hides in order to make a primitive bed so I wouldn't sleep on the ground—I took a loan from Li Chen, since any money I might have had was buried in the ruins of my house.
Even so, sleeping on a bed made of animal hides is still a form of painful torture.
And that's not all; I underestimated just how backward this village is, as there are no private bathrooms or any kind of entertainment.
"All the isekai stories were lies. The medieval world is a real hell."
"If this lifestyle doesn't change once I obtain superhuman power, I might kill myself."
At the very least, I was learning how to read and write from Li Chen, and also learning from him about the world of cultivators; for example, I discovered why spiritual power is called spiritual power, while the process of gathering it is called qi gathering. Li Chen said that when spiritual power enters the human body, whether by gathering it from the air or from spirit stones, it turns into qi.
"Even though he's talkative, he's really bad at explaining."
At least I was doing my best to adapt to this world and trying to control the spiritual power within the stone.
"Sigh."
"I suppose it's time to visit the village again."
Li Chen had a habit of visiting the coastal village every morning, and since I had nothing to do, I often accompanied him to the village.
---
"Thanks for coming out with me again today."
"Oh, it's nothing. I'm the one who should thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have gotten this precious opportunity to go out and breathe some fresh air."
"I understand how you feel. Even I suffered from the boredom of cultivation in my early days, but once you reach qi gathering and experience the power of different spells, you'll become addicted to the feeling of your strength increasing, even if only a little."
I start chatting with Li Chen as we stroll through the village's unpaved streets.
"By the way, where are we heading?"
Upon hearing my question, Li Chen takes out a rough bag made of animal hides.
"We're heading to the harbor to give this to Uncle Yu and thank him for taking care of my junior brother during my absence, then we can return to the sect."
"Harbor?"
"Ah, I sometimes forget that we're on an island. Actually, this will be my first time seeing the sea."
I can't help but smile as I recall the beautiful beach scenes I used to see only through a phone screen.
"Hmm, you've never seen the sea before?"
Li Chen seems surprised by the fact that someone living on an island in the middle of the sea has never seen the sea.
Honestly, I don't blame him, but I can't tell him that I'm not from this island—I doubt he'd believe me—so I look for a different excuse.
"Ah, as you know, I spent most of my life isolated in my home, far away from the villagers or the harbor, so I never saw the sea."
"Oh, I see."
It's amazing how easily Li Chen accepted this excuse, as if it were the truth.
"Well then, since it's your first time visiting the sea, I'll take you on a tour around it."
I smile warmly at Li Chen's promise.
---
"Is this a black sea?"
"Of course. What's strange about that? If the sea weren't black, what color would it be?"
Li Chen looked very confused, as if he were baffled by the absurdity of my question.
While I was the one who felt the absurdity of his words.
"I don't mean—since the sea is made of water, I expected its color to be like the color of water."
"But the sea isn't made of water?"
"..."
"..."
"Forgive my ignorance, senior brother. It seems that staying isolated in my house all these years has made me ignorant of obvious things."
Li Chen still seemed surprised by my lack of knowledge, but he began explaining the sea nonetheless.
"The Sea of Pain is formed from the blood of the ancient legendary Beast King."
"It is said that in ancient times…"
At the dawn of this world's history, chaos was spread everywhere, and legendary beasts ruled the world with unparalleled violence and cruelty,
enslaving all races weaker than them and treating them like food and toys.
Thus, they ruled the world tyrannically for tens of thousands of years.
Until one day, five immortals appeared who pitied the world and its weak beings, and decided to end the era of the legendary beasts' tyranny.
The immortals united their power to kill the legendary beasts and end their bloody reign, until the Beast King—the strongest and most evil among them—was able to resist the five immortals and fought them in a legendary battle that nearly destroyed the entire world.
The battle lasted seven days and six nights, and on the night of the seventh day, the legendary Beast King died.
However, how could a legendary beast that ruled the world for tens of thousands of years perish so easily?
The blood of the dead Beast King turned into a terrifying sea filled with strange curses, while his flesh, bones, and organs disintegrated and transformed into sea beasts of various forms.
But the most terrifying of all were the fragments of his soul, which gathered together to become the new Beast King. He assembled a gigantic army of sea beasts and rose to the surface, ending the short era of prosperity that came after the death of the legendary beasts,
causing a bloody war that nearly returned the world to what it once was—were it not for the return of the five immortals, who this time, instead of killing the Sea Beast King, sealed him, scattered his army across the world, and cursed them so that sea beasts would never again be able to gather together.
And so, the sealed Sea Beast King, his heart torn apart by the humiliation and pain of his defeat, cursed the descendants of the five immortals who were left to rule the world, so that their feet would never be able to step into the waters of the sea without feeling pain greater than the pain of death.
And thus, the Sea of Pain was born.
"..."
As Li Chen's story comes to an end, I feel my stomach churn as I recall all the fish I've eaten since entering this world.