Beyond The System
Chapter 129: True First Disciple

“No more. I’m done,” I groaned, peeling myself out of the worst invention ever thought up.

I curled up into my best caterpillar impression and thought.

Am I just bad at this? I’d never ridden a car, bus, or a boat. Always walked to school. Maybe it was just a skill I never had to learn.

Was lack of exposure the real villain here?

“He’s funny,” Velea giggled, stepping over me like I was a rug. No attempt at polite detouring. “What is this place?”

She looked around with wide-eyed curiosity, soaking in every inch of the room; a stark contrast to her previous prim mansion backdrop.

“It’s the home of a prince, so be very careful,” Thea warned. “Don’t touch anything, okay?”

Naturally, I ignored that. I wobbled to my feet and collapsed onto a plush black leather couch. “Don’t listen to her,” I announced, waving grandly. “I’m in charge here.”

You’ve been quiet about cultivating, Luna. What’ve you been up to? I asked.

No answer at first. Then, after a few seconds: Been feeding energy into my Nexus. Wyrem said I should focus on Spiritual Sense before Body Refinement.

The more you understand the world, the better you’ll survive in it, Wyrem added, ready with a vague statement of wisdom.

It’s taking forever… Luna whined.

I glanced down at her and paused. Something looked off. Uh, you said you weren’t doing Body Refinement yet, right?

I wish… she sighed dreamily.

Yeah? Then why are you shedding right now?

Little black flecks were flaking off her like dried bark, just like before, back when she was refining her old body.

Wha? Oh. Ohhh. Hmm. Wait… she rambled, not really explaining anything.

Wyrem? I tried.

How should I know? I’m in your body, not hers, he snapped back.

I could check, but… Luna? Try explaining, please.

It’s weird, she tried. Not like normal purification. There are… small cores. Not full solid ones. They pulse, dense but soft. They attract the bad stuff. Then they turns back into internal force.

My pulse quickened. Are—are you purifying?

Hmmm… seems like it, she said casually. But I’m not doing it consciously.

That was it. The trait of the Harmonic Foundation. Each complete foundation had a benefit. Luna’s flower-body evolution might’ve been a species trait, but this, this was something else.

“Auto-purification,” I whispered.

“What?” Thea perked up.

“That’s what the Harmonic Foundation gives!” I shot up, completely forgetting I’d been dying moments ago. “She’s auto-purifying!”

Okay, sure, that wouldn’t be all that useful to anyone else right now except maybe Luna, but still, that still could become a massive deal.

Water Force took forever to purify through, and the gunk it left behind was a nightmare. Was that just a quirk of water? Or would other elements drag just as much?

I doubted it. It was started to feel like the further you purified, the harder the impurities would be to get rid of.

“Really?” Thea blinked wide-eyed. “You’re not joking? That’s… that could be amazing!”

She looked like she might vibrate out of existence, while Velea just gave her a sideways glance.

“What are you so excited about?” she asked.

“Cultivation, obviously,” Thea answered like it was the only answer that made sense.

Velea turned to me next. Would she ask about cultivation too?

“What’s up with your arm? And the flower? Why are you shedding?” She pointed, blinking innocently.

“Vel!” Thea snapped.

“A monster ate it,” I said casually.

“Really?”

I nodded. “Really.”

“Can… can I touch it?” she asked, cautious but curious.

I sat up and patted the couch. She and Thea settled in on either side of me.

“Here.” I held out my arm. “Careful with the flower. That’s Luna.”

“You named a flower?” she asked as she poked at my wooden arm. “What were the monsters like?”

I actually appreciated her frankness.

“They were kinda like gross dogs. All fours, all different, and they shut off all your senses,” I explained, skipping the more horrific bits.

“They really ate you?” Thea asked softly.

“It’s fine. Really. I told you before, Luna saved me.” I gave her a reassuring smile.

“What happened?” Vel asked, still poking at my arm like a curious cat.

“I blew them all up.” I spread my hands dramatically. “Used everything I had. Then, poof. Dust.”

“Wooow. And you did that with cultivation?”

I nodded. “No blessings here. Just cultivation.”

She clearly had more questions, but the conversation was hijacked by the sudden opening of a door and a loud voice.

“You should be honored!” Drake boomed in his most over-the-top tone. “To be chosen by a prince, by me, is your greatest fortune!”

Great. Now he sounded like a cartoon villain.

“Prince? What kind of prince does that to someone?” Trevor grumbled, but there was no real bite in it.

“The prince saved you. Be more grateful,” Griffith muttered, face glowing a dangerous shade of red. He looked like he was regretting all of his life choices just for being in the room.

“Well… yeah. Thanks,” Trevor mumbled eventually.

I turned as he spotted me.

“You look better than before,” I said.

His attitude certainly seemed better. A few lingering bruises, sure, but a big step up from the sorry state I’d last seen.

“Dude! Peter!” He jogged up behind the couch. “This psycho bring you here too?”

“Sort of. How’ve you been?”

He shrugged. “Not good, not terrible. After what you taught me, I found a book and started training. Still weak, but I figured out a way to get points from a job so—”

“You’re welcome,” Drake chimed in smugly.

“So I’ve been able to forfeit most matches,” Trevor finished.

These training centers made less and less sense the more I learned.

“You taught him?” Vel asked, narrowing her eyes at Trevor. “He doesn’t look that smart.”

Trevor mostly ignored her. Mostly. “Who’s the brat?” he asked, then glanced at Thea. “Aaand hello.”

Just like that, his attention veered straight off me. Like I didn’t exist.

“My name’s Trevor,” he smiled, brushing his swept-back blond hair.

I’d love to say he could rival Elric or Drake, but no... Trevor just had confidence. Too much for his own good I think.

Thea gave a polite smile, but I felt Vel’s grip on my arm tighten like a vice.

“I’m Thea.”

“She’s my sister,” Vel cut in.

“Thea... What a uniquely wonderful name,” Trevor said dreamily.

“I’m gonna be sick,” I groaned. “Thea’s my girlfriend, by the way.”

Trevor looked at me. Then at Thea. Then me. Then back again. Then pinched himself. “Ow!”

“You’re not dreaming, jerk!” I yelled, feigning outrage.

“Well?! What do you expect me to think?” he protested.

“Alright, enough messing around.” Drake cut in, finally reclaiming the stage. “Peter, let’s get ready. We’re leaving.”

“Now?” I asked, caught off guard.

“Now. Trust me; we don’t want Lucan to act again.”

I stood, brushing myself off. “Trevor, do you—”

“We’re ditching this hellhole, right?” he said before I could finish. “The big guy told me. Danger or not, I’ll die here eventually. Better to go with someone I know and die there.”

“Thanks for the confidence,” I muttered with a smirk.

He smiled, and we followed Drake into another room… and, of course, a massive Gate.

“This’ll take us to the guild,” the commander explained as we squeezed in.

I found a corner to sit in, still half-recovering. That’s when I felt a tug on my sleeve. Vel.

She leaned in close and cupped her hands around my ear. “Can you teach me?”

I looked at her, then to Thea, who could obviously hear us with her enhanced sense, but was politely pretending not to.

I waved Vel in closer and whispered, “You don’t want Thea? She’s a better teacher.”

“I want to surprise her.” She pulled back and pressed a finger to her lips, a conspiratorial grin playing on her face.

I chuckled softly. Her eyes met mine and I admired the familiar grey, but with flickers of violet dancing through them, like tiny sparks of something uniquely hers.

I nodded.

She smiled.

And yeah, Thea was definitely trying not to smile, but she failed.

Guess you’ve got your first real student now, Wyrem commented. Just be careful. The young ones are always the most difficult.

How am I difficult? You’re the one always giving useless advice! Luna snapped back.

They’ll never appreciate you, Peter. But don’t give up, it’s the natural way of things. Wyrem sighed, philosophical as ever.

I’m going back to training. This explosion Thea mentioned still isn’t happening. Luna huffed.

Maybe the space in your Nexus expanded after your foundation completed, I thought. Could be another hidden benefit, or maybe it just takes time.

My thoughts drifted toward how I’d actually teach Velea. Something simple, something fun. Thea might’ve overwhelmed her by explaining too much too fast. Maybe I could meet her where she was, curious, but a bit chaotic.

Maybe I would be a better teacher, for her at least.

The gate doors closed, and we moved.

To my ultimate dismay, Trevor looked only mildly inconvenienced by the travel. Barely even queasy.

Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as before.

Still bad. Just… not terrible.

The doors slid open.

“Let’s head to the others,” Drake said, all command. “Then, we’ll leave on the mission.”

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