Beyond The System
Chapter 123: A Scholar First

I didn’t feel comfortable continuing the experiment until Thea was back to normal, and able to actually test the effects herself. Not that we had much of a choice, considering she was currently chasing Bristle in circles like they were trapped in a cartoon loop.

He didn't help, sprinting around just as wildly.

Still, as I watched the spectacle, a thought struck me. “Hey Lyra, how’re you going to damage your channel? Can you use that ability on yourself?”

She paused mid-laugh to answer. “Not through the system. I could try by cultivation… but I wouldn’t be able to use Precursor Energy.”

I glanced over at Elric, expecting an idea. Instead, he just shook his head. “Haven’t figured out a single one of her skills, and it’s not like her explanations help.”

“What?” Lyra shot back sweetly; too sweetly. I heard the venom under it too.

“It’s way too complicated for someone like me to understand,” he continued flatly. “No waaay that’s her fault.”

She shoved him, but he powered through. “Seriously though, her blessing type is already rare to begin with. Not exactly in any textbook.”

“Maybe we can figure something out…” I said, though honestly, I had no idea how.

“One of us could just try it without the boost,” Sia offered, staring directly at Elric.

I joined the growing trio of expectant stares.

“Fine,” he relented. Then he leaned in close, locking eyes with me. “Just… be gentle.”

“Sia, would you like to take over?” I asked, not wanting to continue with the look he was very intentionally giving me.

“Nope. You two have fun.” She smirked. “I’ll assist Lyra.”

I glanced back at Thea, now gleefully dodging icicle shards from Bristle. Yeah… they’ll be fine.

Lyra laid a hand on Elric’s back, then I took her place. He didn’t react at all to the spell, just stayed quiet, eyes darting like he was expecting an ambush. Even Thea had acted at least a little loopy on her first go. Elric? Paranoia.

“Been a while since I saw him like that,” Sia whispered.

I focused inward, repeating the same process I used with Thea. “Feel anything?”

“Pressure,” he said simply.

I pushed a bit further and felt his body tense under my hand. “Painful,” he added, “but not worse than Grand Carving.”

“Okay. Anymore and I’m through.”

“Do it,” he said, bracing.

Sia and Lyra moved in close, hands hovering near mine in case something went wrong.

I didn’t count down or give any warning. I just pushed the needle through.

“Urg.” Elric let out a grunt, stiffened, then went limp.

“Elric?” I opened my eyes.

Lyra looked focused. I circled around to meet his eyes, sealed shut.

“Lyra?”

Sia joined me, concern clear on her face.

“I—I think he’s fine,” Lyra said, letting out a tense breath. Sweat dotted her brow. “I used the spell again, but it’s not safe to stack. I think he just passed out from the pain.”

“Elric’s tired already?” Thea walked over, panting from her recent cardio. “Is he okay?”

We helped lay him down gently.

“How often can you use it safely?” I asked Lyra.

“Every two days, ideally,” she answered. “More than that and… I don’t know. It messes with the mind. The system doesn’t exactly tell me why it’s dangerous.”

“I don’t think that should be a massive issue for anyone but you,” I said, just as Bristle flopped into my lap, panting. “We could pierce multiple pores per use, but if it’s this painful…” I glanced at Elric, still unconscious. “Even a few will take days.”

Lyra didn’t seem concerned. “The solution is simple: do what we can. You all focus on getting stronger, form the foundation, and maybe you’ll discover something better along the way.”

I nodded. “You’re sure?”

“I’ll focus on leveling up. With how the system’s evolving, who knows? Maybe I’ll unlock a better way to handle this.”

“I’m level four!” Thea declared from behind, thrusting four fingers in the air.

I reached back, took her hand, interlocked fingers, and gently lowered it. “So, after your mission and Sia’s dad’s situation; you don’t have ranks anymore?”

“Class. Level. Experience. Stats.” Thea listed off without stopping. “But no missions, not yet.”

“And experience?” I asked, though I had a pretty good idea.

“We fill it, and we level up,” Sia explained, adjusting her legs to the side. “Stats improve, we unlock more skill info… but it’s all still new, and experience gain here has slowed way down. Now it’s basically nothing.” She sighed.

The conversation drifted after that. Everyone had their thoughts, their priorities. We could keep going. Lyra, if she kept gaining XP in battle, would have her own path forward once we were out there.

Still, I didn’t feel great about leaving her behind, but like she said, when we’re stronger, we’ll find a solution.

“I guess I’m technically the only one who can still train cultivation,” I said. “Maybe we should head back. I can practice anywhere.”

“We’ll continue with me once these two are back to normal,” Sia added as I lifted Thea’s hand. She’d started to doze off, slumped against my shoulder.

“Sounds good to me,” Sia nodded.

Lyra gave a small nod as well.

It wasn’t hard for them to carry Elric, so we walked quietly back to the inn. The scent of food greeted us at the door, along with chatter from the kitchen.

“Mom! We’re back,” Sia called, passing off a sleeping Elric to Lyra.

'Peter.' Luna’s voice cut into my mind as I carried Thea upstairs. 'Something’s off. Not like before.'

My heart skipped. 'Like at the arena?'

Yes.

I bolted down the stairs. Thea, stirred by the motion, mumbled sleepily, “Mmm… No bouncing.”

“MARCUS!” I shouted, praying that only their private moments were being monitored. Well not that either, but hopefully nothing dangerous was said.

Marcus came out of the kitchen, startled. “What’s got you all worked up?”

I held a finger to my lips, signaling him to be quiet.

“What?” he asked again, baffled. “Why do I need to—”

“Sir. Marcus. I came to inform you of suspicious activity.” I switched to an obedient tone.

He stiffened immediately, eyes scanning the room. “You’re sure?”

I nodded. “Definitely.” I didn’t really understand how it all worked. Luna’s perception of World Force movement still seemed to far outstrip mine

Was it the sound? Motion? Some kind of other monitoring? I had no idea how they listened in, but something was watching.

He glanced back at the others. Elric was settled in a chair, Lyra by his side. Everyone looked calm, but Marcus raised his hand and gave them the same hush gesture.

Then he turned to me again. “Forgive my family,” he said, loudly and clearly. “They just speak casually. War matters unsettle them.” He gave the others a look and a subtle signal.

I nodded, playing along. “Would you accompany me to meet with the tank instructor? I wish to report this to both of you.”

'You should learn that boy’s skill,' Wyrem said in my mind. 'It blocks force, doesn’t it?'

'It’s my skill,' I corrected. 'He just refined it.'

'The point still stands,' Wyrem shot back.

Couldn’t argue with that.

I gently laid Thea down in a chair, now sound asleep, then turned back to Marcus.

“Let’s go,” he said simply, already heading for the door.

We walked in total silence to the tank guild. When we arrived, I asked again for Ironscribe, and thankfully, he was still in.

‘Luna?’ I called out as we sat down across from the mountainous scholar.

‘Safe,’ she confirmed.

I didn’t waste time. “I want to leave. We are going. Elric, Thea, Lyra... the group. Everyone.” I looked at the commander, then at Marcus.

Griffith looked stunned. Marcus just grinned.

“Already thinking that myself,” Marcus said, gripping my shoulder. “But I don’t know many places that are safe.”

“I don’t want to go somewhere safe,” I said, still focused on Griffith. “First: it won’t help with the new systems you’re working on. Second: no one searches for others in a place that’s too dangerous to enter.”

“Peter, you can’t just—”

“I want you to come. Drake too, and I need his help to find Trevor and reach Thea’s family.”

Griffith leaned back and rubbed his temples. “Is this what you meant by purchasing my services?”

I nodded, then turned to Marcus. “You told me about a place no one returns from once they go too deep. I want to go to the Shattered Expanse.”

Marcus’s grin froze as his entire demeanor shifted. “When I say no one, I mean it. Not a single person I’ve ever heard of came back, and they were much stronger than you.”

I nodded. “What about you? When you complete your foundation, when you fuse your pet skills with Precursor Energy and cultivation?”

I turned to Griffith. “And you?”

“That…” Marcus didn’t answer, only sat back, deep in thought.

Griffith kept rubbing his temples. “Drake hates his position. I don’t think it’ll be hard to convince him to go adventuring.”

“Yeah?”

“But he wants to rule this country,” he sighed. “And I won’t leave without him.”

“Can he actually win as he is? Honestly?”

Griffith met my eyes. After a pause, he shook his head. “No. He wouldn’t stand a chance against his brothers.” He glanced at Marcus. “You of all people should know what a Starborn can do.”

I pushed that aside. “Thea and I, Elric, we’ve built a path to real, lasting power. And it stacks with blessings. I swear, I’ll keep growing and share everything I’ve learned, but I need strong allies first.”

There was a pleading note in my voice I hadn’t meant to put there, but it was real. Without the older guys, difficult might be the best-case scenario.

‘I’ll share anything too,’ Luna added.

‘If they can grow wings, I’ll help you out,’ Wyrem said. ‘Besides, the wilds will have way more beast cores than this place.’

“I’m in,” Marcus said at last. “Helen is no slouch either, and with the cultivation the kids have already shown her…” He smiled and gripped my shoulder.

I looked at Griffith. He still seemed conflicted, so I added one more thing.

“I want your main job to be research. Energy systems, cultivation, Precursor Energy. A teacher and scholar first. A defender second.”

A small smile curled the corners of his mouth. “Being hired by a child. That’s… a strange feeling.”

He exhaled and looked between us. “We’ll have to act quickly.”

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