CH5: Martial Sovereign and Grand Space Pirate King
***
[Acquiring preliminary knowledge of the world from new User...]
[Knowledge acquired!]
[Analysing Causality of User's home world...]
[Analysis complete!]
[Altering Sanctuary to meet the Causality of the world and the User's needs...]
[...]
[Alteration complete!]
[Arcane Sanctuary is now ready for use!]
[User may access the Sanctuary Space after providing the unlocking fee of one Mid-grade Mana Stone or Two Mid-grade Beast Core (from either beasts or Monsters are acceptable).]
[Please note, subsequent unlocked Pocket Space will require at least one Nest Core to unlock. User is advised to prepare as many Nest Cores as he can.]
-
Leo, who had just regained consciousness, saw multiple familiar messages in his mind before he even regained control over his body.
It confirmed his last memories were not a dream, but welcomed reality.
'When will you give me the power you promised? Do I have to pay a Mid-grade Mana Stone to unlock this Sanctuary? I can't afford that!' The boy huffed mentally.
[User can access ad-hoc support like knowledge and scriptures without unlocking the Sanctuary Space. However, User will not be able to receive any physical support or items without unlocking the Space. User will also not be able to pay in physical items without unlocking the Sanctuary Space.]
[Arcane Sanctuary can provide whatever the User needs for a price.]
[As long as it exists in your home world, or is allowed to exist in your home world, the Sanctuary can provide.]
[The price for the requested support is determined by the Law of Causality in your world. It ranges from an equivalent exchange of items or knowledge, simple tasks, complex challenges, sacrifice of a part of physical self and at the extreme, sacrifice of a part of Spiritual self.]
'What is the Law of Causality? Will you tell me the cost before I get the requested support or will you just take it?' The boy asked.
[The Law determines how powerful or balance-breaking the requested support is in and to your world. The more powerful or balance-breaking the request, the greater the price to be paid.]
[The host will always be informed of the price before the request is granted and payment is collected.]
'Okay.' Leo heaved a sigh of relief.
His childish mind still didn't comprehend what the Law of Causality was, but at least he would be told the price for anything he requested.
"I want to be able to store and use mana!" The boy said.
[Calculating Causality. Please standby...]
[Calculation complete!]
[To fulfil the request, Sanctuary will need to remodel the User's body in order to implant the necessary post-natal mana vessel.]
[Cost: All of User's lifespan.]
[Remark: User will be killed a minute after gaining the ability to use mana.]
'What?' Leo was horrified. 'I will die after finally being able to use mana? Why?!'
[Correcting the defect that has left the User unable to use mana infringes on a fundamental principle of this world, thereby increasing the Causality related to it. Hence the price.]
Leo was broken.
It was bad enough never having hope, but to be given hope only to get it squashed in front of you was so much worse.
'So, I either remain a weakling forever or die for one moment of glory? Why? Why is life so cruel?!' Leo's mind was on the brink of breaking from agony.
[Does the User want strength and power or mana?]
The question suddenly appeared.
[If the User wants strength and power, there are other ways to get it.]
'There are other ways to get power other than mana?'
[Strength and Power come from energy. Mana is only one form of energy. User can gain power from other forms of Energy even if mana is blocked.]
[Would you like me to calculate the causality and suggest a suitable method?]
'Yes!'
Leo didn't understand half of what the Sanctuary transmitted. However, as long as there was still a possibility, he would take it.
[Permission granted. Calculating Causality. Please standby...]
[Calculating...]
[...]
[Calculation complete.]
[The most suitable method for the User is to inherit the techniques of the past Users of the Arcane Sanctuary. This will allow the Sanctuary to shield the User from the fatal backlash of Causality. But be warned, the price will be significant.]
[Do you still wish to continue?]
'Yes!'
[Releasing imprints of Past Users for a suitable matching.]
[Checking...]
[Match found (2)]
[Uploading to user's mind.]
[Please be ready. Preview template about to be uploaded.]
[Uploading now.]
Leo's consciousness suddenly blacked out again.
When he came to again, he found himself in a white space.
Two silhouettes floated with him in the space, but he couldn't make out their figures.
The figure on the right suddenly spoke, "Power for the sake of power or without purpose will always corrupt. Only when one seeks power for the good of others will one be able to tame the power they obtain."
The figure waved his hands and Leo was immersed in what seemed to be the figure's memories.
Years-worth of memories far greater than Leo's paltry ten years of life flash through his mind in an instant.
The boy could barely remember much after it was over.
What he did remember was significant enough.
This figure was born in a world where people cultivated Internal qi to improve their martial arts, and martial art was supreme.
Similar to Leo, this figure was also born with a birth defect, one that made it difficult if not impossible to circulate qi in his body, the Nine Yin Meridians.
As a result, his body was incredibly weak and he couldn't train in internal qi.
Thanks to being found by the Arcane Sanctuary, this figure developed a way to improve his body without using internal qi, by strengthening his body directly.
He was able to use just the strength of his flesh to negate the effects of the Nine Yin Meridians and rise to become the Pinnacle martial artist in his world.
What's more, the man was the image of uprightness and morality.
Even after he found his way, he didn't torment those who ridiculed him, instead, he helped the weak in their time of need.
By the end of his life, he was the most respected person in his world. Not only for his power, and the sheer grit to overcome the situation, but even more for his upright character.
The man's only regret was that he had been too focused on martial arts that he failed to have a family, not even disciples.
The reason his imprint resonated with Leo was due to their similar starting point and the possibility of passing down his life's martial arts to a successor.
The story of the man's life was an inspiration to Leo, and the prospect of receiving the man's martial arts excited him.
However, before then, the other figure spoke.
"More so than heroes, villains are not born, they are created by the cruel, unforgiving world!"
The figure pointed towards Leo's forehead and once again their life was transferred to the boy.
Leo's eyes went hazy for a moment before they recovered.
Like with the Martial Sovereign from before, he had experienced the life of this individual as well.
Their early life was nothing short of tragic.
By 7, his parents were slaughtered in front of his eyes by the invading force of another interplanetary power during a surprise war.
At 14, his adoptive parents were killed by a scheme of the governor in charge of his new home planet.
By 16, he was a prisoner for a crime he didn't commit.
By 30, after managing to rebuild his life, his wife and newborn child were killed by a natural disaster.
By 35, his honesty was taken advantage of and he was schemed against by those he thought as friends. Everything he owned was taken away from him and he was sold to Space Pirates.
At this point, the man completely gave up on life. He was hit down time and time again by the world, and whenever he got back up, he was hit back down harder. It was like the world didn't want him to rise.
It was at this lowest point that he was offered a new life by the Pirate captain of the crew he was sold to, a life as a Space Pirate.
Between being sold as a slave on an asteroid mining colony or being a Pirate, the choice was clear.
The man was done being a good person. If the world wanted to throw him away, then he would also throw the world away.
It was at this point that he came across the Arcane Sanctuary.
Slowly, he rose up the ranks.
And from his pillages, he slowly amassed a myriad of Esper training manuals which he used to raise his powers as an Esper with the help of the Arcane Sanctuary.
Eventually, the man became the ultimate powerhouse and villain of his world, the Grand Space Pirate King!
A name that sent terror in whatever star sector he found himself.
The man had gone from a kind, honest, faithful and hardworking man to a deceitful, cunning, distrustful and lecherous man.
He had committed every act of evil one could think of, but at least he lived his life the way he wanted, giving the world a middle finger.
He had no regrets even when he was schemed against and killed by his illegitimate children from different women he couldn't even remember their faces.
As his final act against the world, along with his death was the destruction of the Ultimate Esper Training Scripture he developed with the aid of the Sanctuary.
The scripture believed to be the greatest his world had ever and would ever see was destroyed along with him.
This ultimate scripture was now offered to Leo.
For in Leo's situation, the imprint left behind by the man saw embers of his own life.
He wasn't exactly doing this to help Leo. Instead, it was to enjoy the prospect of causing disarray in another world from beyond the grave.
Leo now had a choice to make.
(To be continued...)