Origin Seeker

Chapter 11: Goals

The next day, Dream started compiling a list of things he wanted to do.

"I need a goal list. Mainly things I want to experiment with before I eventually go out traveling. I can't stay here forever, and I need to use this time to its fullest. It's a place where I don't have much to worry about."

Once he left, he didn't know if he would get much free time. 

So he got to thinking.

"First is finding the extent of my abilities. I still don't know everything about them. Next is world information. I'll have questions for Riddick. Next is this house. I should make it more comfortable. Maybe make it into a base to come back too? Then I want to keep experimenting with Savant and my summon ability. I actually think I have an idea on how to get internet."

Dream compiled various things. This is what he's gonna work on for the foreseeable future. 

"First, I should go talk to Riddick."

"Yes?"

"Shit!" *thud*

'Where the hell did he come from?!'

Riddick appeared behind Dream. It scared the hell out of him and he tripped on his feet while spinning around.

"Don't scare me like that!"

"Don't let your guard down. What do you want to ask me about?"

"...Let's talk at the table."

They walked to the table and pulled up chairs. Dream summoned out Oreos and put them on the table.

"What's that?"

"It's another treat from my world. Called Oreos. Try some."

Riddick tried it and was pleased. After he ate 5 more, they started talking.

"I'm guessing you want to ask about the world you're in."

"Yes. I've put it off but it's necessary now for future development."

"Do you plan to leave so soon?"

"Not really. But I don't plan to stay forever. Knowing what the standards of the world are is important."

"Indeed. Well, the first thing you should know is this world's name. It's called Kaban. Don't ask me what it means. All my knowledge comes from my many days in the Empires. "

"Question, how old are you?"

"...Another thing you need to know is that people's life spans are much longer than in your world. I am almost 140 years old."

"What?! So you really are an old man! Good job with the wrinkles."

"Boy! You best not push your luck! I am actually still very young. When you leave here, you will encounter old monsters who have been around for hundreds of years longer. Age is nothing in this world, only the power you attain."

"That's my main question actually. We have levels and stats, but how high do they go?"

"Good question. You've noticed how you have a class slot right?"

"*nod*"

"You get your very first class when you reach level 50. However, classes will evolve as you keep leveling up. The levels are:

Class 1- level 50

Class 2- level 100

Class 3- level 200

Class 4 - level 300

Beyond class 4 is the Immortal realm. I don't know much besides the fact that humans who ascend are called Saints."

"Very interesting...What level are you?"

"I'm level 227. I passed class 3. Another thing you should know is that class 3 requires energy pathways to be established. This is a requirement for us humans, but not other species. It's not totally horrible though, as we get great boosts to our magical strength upon doing so.

These magical pathways are actually what the 4 main Human Empires are created around. And they are:

1. The Spire of Mages
2. The Enchanted Mountain
3. The Mercenary Kingdom
4. The School of Blades

The Spire of Mages is a grand community of magical researchers and spell casters. They have many schools, but their biggest symbol is the energy pathway they establish. They design theirs in a way optimized for casting magic faster, and easier. Some will even design theirs based on their element of choice. Such as Fire, water, stone, or air. 

The Enchanted Mountain is a place of production. That's the place you want to go to get gear or weapons. In fact, you could say that the Enchanted Mountain is the most powerful kingdom due to their control over resources. They have any enchanted item you could dream of. And their name comes from the mountain that they were established above. "

"Above? Not inside?"

"Well, technically both. They carved out the mountain and built an underground kingdom where mostly everything is. But the main palace for the kingdom is actually floating above it. That floating palace is where the most talented craftsman and smiths reside and where some of the most valuable items in the world are traded.

Moving on. The Mercenary Kingdom is pretty self-explanatory. That kingdom was established on the ability to get any job done. It is home to some of the greatest warriors, Mages and Swordsmen alike, in the world. It can also be a dangerous place. Any job can be posted, and there is always someone willing to carry it out. I was once there and saw a bounty put out for one of the Great Mages of the Spire. A month after it was posted the mage was dead. The killer and the requester though were both hunted down not long after and brutally murdered. It's a dog eat dog place. 

Last is the School of blades. The kingdom was founded on a school run by a very famous swordmaster and martial artist. It grew into a place full of schools designed to teach the harmony of body and mana. Everything from martial arts to archery can be found there. Their biggest symbol is also their energy pathways. You will find many who develop them to transmit into weapons, or some who develop them to strengthen their bodies. 

That's basically most of what you'll need to know to find a place to develop. You get all that?"

Riddick paused there and let Dream soak everything in.

'So there's 4 primary human Empires. He said human, and there are people like Luna and Iris, so there are animal kingdoms? He also spoke of energy pathways. I'll need to start preparing theory on the best pathways. And find my style of fighting. '

"You said human kingdoms. What about others?"

"Sharp. Humans occupy about half of the world. The world is divided into 3 main landmasses. All three landmasses are also connected by landbridges. Humans have taken over two of the landmasses. The secondary landmass that we took is actually smaller than the others. The humanoids and other species were left with the third landmass.  They have their own Empires and various techniques. And they are by no means weaker than us. They go by the same levels we do. They also have manufacturing and enchanting, but it is more toned down than us.

Humans naturally seek to control nature. We take a tree, cut it down, and turn it into buildings. Those from the animal kingdom are more attuned to nature and therefore seek to harmonize with it. However, this is not all of them. Many humanoids come to the human kingdoms and develop themselves. Humanoids like Luna and Iris are everywhere. People that are part human and part tiger or part wolf. There are elves who have been blessed by nature. Dwarves who are blessed by earth spirits. Oh! There are also spirits! Spirits are born when elemental energy gathers and gains intelligence. These beings are pure energy and have almost absolute control over their element. 

Anyway, I don't remember all the humanoid kingdoms. The main ones are elves and their Tree, Dwarves and their underground sanctuary, and the United Empire of Humanoids.

That humanoid kingdom is one that unites all species that aren't human. They are also the dominant force on that continent. They are utterly massive in size and population. That also means that they are just as strong as Humans, if not a bit stronger. I heard a legend that their main capital is built on top of a mana geyser that spews out massive amounts of mana, which allows them to maintain a fortress of untold power. 

Anyway so that's the main rundown for the general knowledge of this world. 4 human kingdoms, 3 main humanoid ones. And energy pathways which you don't have to worry about right now. The only thing you need to do is determine what style of fighting is right for you. Those weapons of yours are great, but without mana, they won't take you far."

Riddick ended there and Dream sat back for a second. The explanation was long but necessary. Now he knew that dwarves and elves existed. 

But he was right. Dream needed to find out how he was going to fight. What weapons is he going to use and how will his mana be used? These questions are critical and will determine how far he can go, especially when he hits class 3. 

'But I know my weapons best. Gunpowder technology is almost considered outdated. I haven't been getting electromagnetic weapons because they cost stupid amounts of mana to summon. Plus I need to find out how mana interacts with physical matter and the laws of nature. Once I answer that question, I won't need to worry about what I'll do in the future.'

Dream had come from an Earth that was nearing the end of the information age. Gunpowder weapons had been reaching their limit and humanity started looking towards magnetic railguns. These guns took much more energy to fire, but produced just as crazy results. And the technology that they developed in terms of strong materials and science had advanced leaps and bounds.

After pondering for a while on various possibilities, Dream stood up.

"Thank you Riddick. That information helped me with my goals. I will be trying to do my best during training. I also want to investigate my abilities. I still don't know all the can do."

"You haven't looked at their information yet?"

"...Excuse me?"

"Their information. You can look at descriptions for skills, titles, and classes. Don't tell me you haven't."

"I didn't know that was possible! I just kind of knew what they did! Somewhat anyway/"

"For heaven's sakes, Boy. Whatever. If you don't mind me asking, what skills have you earned so far? And what's that skill that allows you to bring items from your homeworld?"

"The skill that lets me bring stuff over is called [Summons from Another World] It actually doesn't have a level. Instead, it gives me a catalog in my status where I can summon things for a mana cost. That's where I get all my weapons, clothes, and food that you've seen."

"....Did you say that it has no level? Who granted you that skill, Boy? What the hell did you encounter for a diety to give you a skill."

"Uhh...When I died and was brought over to this world, I was granted some skills and a Title. I've actually only learned two skills since coming here."

" *Sigh* Boy, what's your title?"

"It's called [Origin Seeker]."

"...Interesting. What about the description? Every Title grants something and your title sounds unique. It's also just good to know."

"Ok. How do I view the information?"

"Say the skill name and then description. Like you're asking for it."

"Ok gimme a sec."

Dream pulled up his status and tried what Riddick said but to no avail. He then remembered Savant and thought he could give it a try.

'Savant! Can you show me skill descriptions?'

[Yes]

'Good! Pull up the description for my title!'

[Confirmed]

[Origin Seeker]: Granted to the one who has given everything for the chance to attain enlightenment. They refuse to be left in the darkness that is ignorance and their path is the one to uncover the secrets of the universe.

Remark: The one who has blessed you with this Title wishes for you to one day escape the shackles that is the Record. The foundation to do so has been granted.

Perks:

1. 6x experience gain
2. Your skills gain proficiency 5x faster
3. The mind of the Individual cannot be influenced 
4. The Secrets of Ascension will be gained upon approval]

Dream read the details of his title. The Description was interesting, but the Remark was shocking.

'Escape the Record? Isn't that like ascending to godhood? How freaking long is that gonna take?! I don't even have my first class!'

He despaired a little at the impossible expectations put upon him by this unknown being. He then told Riddick the description but not the Remark. He also left out the last perk.

"6 times the experience?! And another 5 times proficiency?! What kind of god-defying growth speed have you been given?! Not only that, but you are immune to mental attacks? How unfair could this world possibly get? I dare say there's no better Title than that one!"

Riddick cursed the gods above for how unfair things were. Dream didn't actually disagree with him. 

Dream had been wondering why his skills could grow so quickly. Turns out, he only needed to kill 1/6 the number of enemies everyone else did to level up!

"I was also granted 3 skills besides the summoning one. They're called [Savant], [Copycat], and [Awareness]."

Dream then pulled up the descriptions for those.

[[Savant]- A 'skill' meant for computation power and information processing. Has little wisdom of its own, but grows with the individual. Remark: Mathematicians always carry a calculator with them.

[Copycat]- Allows for the mimicking of skills through understanding energy flow and transformation. 

Required Skills: [Visualization], [Awareness], [Savant].

[Awareness]- A skill with the purpose of obtaining information. A skill that utilizes the will of your soul to sense energy around you. This skill also enhances the primary bodily senses.]

Dream went through each one and was finally clear on those skills. Copycat had been a mystery as to exactly what it did. Savant and awareness were rather easy to figure out though so he wasn't surprised. Riddick on the other hand,

"Wait so Savant talks to you? And it's still considered a skill? And you can combine that with Awareness to use Copycat? How do you have a fusion skill that retains its base skills?"

Riddick rapid fired his questions. Dream just stared dumbly at him because he really didn't know what to say. They were indeed insane skills but what could he do?

After seeing Dream look like that, Riddick sighed and sunk in his chair.

"Boy, don't go telling those skills to everyone. Everything about what you have is dangerous. However, your secrets are safe with me. Although you probably knew that since you told me. Anyway, I don't have much more information to give you. We will train every day after our hunts and breakfast. After lunch, you can teach the girls about your weapons and gear. Any other time you're free to do as you wish."

"Thank you. I probably only need a couple hours a day to teach them. Things aren't really that complicated once you get passed the learning curve. I actually have many experiments I want to carry out. And I wanted to get your permission for something."

"What is it?"

"I want to be able to change things around the house. I will definitely be adding things to my room, but I was planning on 'modernizing' the rest of the house as well. Basically just adding things from my world. And believe me when I tell you that things become much easier with our technology. Lights, food storage, comfort, communication. Let's just say you'll love my changes as much as you love those treats I've given you."

"Hmm...Alright. I don't have any complaints. Just let me know what you plan to do before doing it."

"Sure thing. I might also need your help with some of it. It won't happen right away though. I need time to test some things first."

"Alright. I look forward to more surprises."