Depthless Hunger

As far as Kai had read, there were few nasty tricks when it came to Physique Level. It was simply the raw amount of mana your body could process, which usually happened subconsciously, so people could advance and even break barriers simply by physical exertion. That meant there were no hidden pitfalls, but there weren't any shortcuts for him either.

He sat down on the floor and held the flask in his hands. That wasn't part of any ritual or practice he'd encountered, it just kept his mind centered. It would be tonight.

Even though his basic exercises didn't do much for him at G-9, Kai went through them anyway, as quickly as he could. He flexed his mana as well, finally getting his heart rate up. When he felt the burn all the way through his body, he opened the flask and drank it to the last drop.

And nothing happened. Kai frowned and looked down at the flask, wondering if-

His body seized up and he fell to the floor, thrashing against the stone. Intense heat spread from his chest throughout his body, tightening every muscle. It was like the tension of a healing potion except a thousand times worse, as if his flesh was being forced through a tiny hole.

Yet, even though he was slamming against the stone, it didn't hurt at all. The tension increased to the point where he thought he couldn't bear it, then it was gone. Kai lay on his back, panting for breath. Not only had the unnatural searing vanished, the body heat he'd built up during exercise was gone as well. He felt as cool and refreshed as if he'd just come out of a deep sleep.

Not trusting himself to get up yet, Kai simply opened his spiritual senses.

Name: Kai Granfian

Total Power: 54

Physique Level: F-0 (30)

Soul Level: 4 (16)

???: ???

???: ???

>

Finally he'd reached it: Physique Level F-0. Even with barely any support from his Class, he had the same physical strength as many adult hunters. Maybe it wasn't enough, but he wasn't going to stop. The jump from G to F rank had been worth five times any other step, so he could only imagine how significant the next would be.

Numbers alone couldn't sustain his excitement, though. Kai sat up and grabbed one of his old swords to run across his arm. Gently at first, then harder when it didn't cut. His body felt no different from before except where the sword touched it: instead of any pain, his skin just felt a bit hard and cool. His skin probably wouldn't turn aside a direct sword thrust, but he was clearly no longer an ordinary human.

More importantly, now that his body was infused with mana, Class skills should no longer tear him apart in the same way. He wanted to test against someone, but had no one to ask. No doubt Inafay's wind would be far stronger when he next saw her, but at least he wouldn't have fallen behind.

As his energy ebbed, Kai realized that he was fatigued. That morning, he had still been out in the wasteland, struggling back to the city. Now, after running between so many errands and making a breakthrough, he was mentally done even though his body felt fresh. Best to sleep well for whatever his mentor had planned tomorrow.

Kai lay down, sure he would be too excited to sleep, yet it felt like the next moment he opened his eyes it was morning. Instead of groggy, he felt entirely refreshed.

Now he had a different problem: what to do with all the time before noon. Minor errands felt absurdly trivial compared to the unknown meeting with Gunjin. Kai decided to return to his usual routine, since he missed it after so long in the wastelands.

His normal exercise routine was simultaneously easy and yet rewarding. Before, it had felt like he had plateaued on many exercises, but now he could feel his muscles responding again. Everyone had spoken about the wall between ranks, he just hadn't expected to feel it so obviously. Allegedly F-ranked Physique Levels developed slower than the previous rank, but he was eager to see how quickly he might advance.

Once the others began arriving, the training yard grew less comfortable. They couldn't directly throw him out, but he could sense how little they liked his presence. Kai decided to depart of his own free will and focus on other training.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

After a full round of spiritual exercises, he cleaned himself up, put on the new clothes he'd bought yesterday, and went to meet Gunjin.

He arrived at the Hunters Guild a little early, but his mentor was waiting. The older man didn't speak, simply tilted his head slightly in one direction. They climbed a side staircase that curled around one side of the guild, passing the portal chamber where he had entered the Hunter Trials, and kept climbing. Eventually they reached the top of one of the taller buildings, where a traditional shrine sat alone. He could only assume it operated as a portal, but they were so valuable he'd only used them for the Trials.

They stood silently for a time before Kai spoke. "We're using a portal?"

"Yes," Gunjin said, "but it isn't prepared yet."

"I see." Kai swallowed, waited a little more, then decided he couldn't waste this time. "I suppose you're not going to tell me what we're doing, if you haven't already. Can I ask some questions?"

"If it's about training, it would be unproductive to discuss now. But anything else, you may ask."

"While I was in the wasteland, I met someone who claimed to be from a different continent. I couldn't verify that, but her power, appearance, and clothing were like nothing I've seen before. All I really know about her was that she said her name was Zae Zin Nim."

Gunjin stared at him. "Please don't tell me you managed to start a war with a different continent. Surely even your luck can't be that bad."

"I didn't! Honest. I mean, I'm not saying she liked me, but I think she was just a traveler."

"To be honest with you, Kai, dealing with the Frontier has filled my life. Travelers with three names like that are generally from the Cloudspire continent, and they do use a different sort of mana. But that's all I can tell you."

Kai was a little disappointed, but since his mentor didn't seem interested in the subject, he moved on. "One odd thing about spiritual sight. I don't think this is a training question. When I've examined myself, I've noticed some unusual symbols below the ones I know. They don't seem to interact with the others, but they've been stable, so there must be something to them... do you have any idea what they are?"

"I noticed those when examining you earlier." Gunjin didn't even turn to look again. "Sorry to disappoint you, but this is just a veteran problem you've run into early, due to how hard you work. Those represent fragments of power that you aren't capable of using. For example, you may have absorbed some foreign mana from the woman you mentioned earlier. It would be best if you expelled them from your soul."

"But... could I learn to use them?"

"If you could, they would be more comprehensible in your spiritual sight. No, everyone picks up detritus as they train, and if you train hard enough, it needs to be purged from time to time."

"Is it actually doing any harm?"

"Not at your current stage of development." Gunjin glanced at him and then rubbed the bridge of his nose. "This is far more advanced than you need, but in brief... the soul has a limited number of capacities. You can gain the strengths of several different nations, but you can't go on gathering them forever. As your soul becomes full, the useless fragments will begin to clog up your growth, and you'll find yourself running into barriers that offer little reward."

Kai accepted what he'd said, trying not to sulk. Most likely his mentor was correct, since the man was far more knowledgeable than him... but Gunjin didn't know everything. The Cloudspire continent was unfamiliar to him, and he was wrong about the strange power being a type of mana. For now, Kai was going to hold on to the strange fragments of power no matter what anyone told him.

Gunjin noticed his anger and shook his head. "Look, Kai, I will say this: those two fragments are stronger than average, and they're causing less disruption in your soul than would be expected. If you're so determined to keep them... well, if anyone can turn them into something, perhaps it's you."

Before Kai could ask another question, one of the four archways of the shrine shimmered. Instead of showing the other side of the roof, Kai saw a wasteland landscape beneath the arch. It was similar to the portal he'd entered to begin the Hunter Trials, except this one was less obscured... and far more powerful. He knew that portals required more mana the further they traveled, so just how far was this one?

"Come along, then." Gunjin moved straight toward it at a fast walk, so Kai hastened to follow.

Going through this portal wasn't quite as disorienting as the first time, but Kai still stumbled on the other side. As his vision stopped spinning, he froze for an entirely different reason: he wasn't standing in a wasteland like he had seen, he was on top of an enormous wall.

Kai slowly walked to the edge of the monument he had heard about a thousand times but only seen in paintings. The top was formed of impossibly large slate gray blocks, and when he reached the side his gaze slid down the smooth surface. No bricks, no mortar, only a sweep of stone all the way to the ground. It had originally been smooth, but claw marks and burns marred the inner side.

This was the wall that marked the Frontier, officially separating the lands ruled by humans from the deadly wasteland at the heart of the continent. There was nothing below except a few shriveled plants, so Kai's gaze wandered to the sides. He'd expected the wall to be circular, but the territory it surrounded was so vast he only barely saw the gentle curve. The entire circle had been raised by an act of impossible power, so long in the past that no one remembered how it had been done.

In theory, this was the battle line that was his ultimate goal in life. The air itself felt more deadly, yet to his surprise he felt less ambient mana than usual. That must be the second threat aside from the monsters: the sucking void of mana that veterans said made the true wasteland especially dangerous. Just being present atop the wall was a huge risk.

"All the way to the Frontier...?" His voice was almost a whisper when he turned back to Gunjin. "Why here?"

"I brought you here for three reasons." Gunjin raised a fist and uncurled fingers as he answered. "First, I have arranged for you to meet with someone who may be able to offer you a second chance at power. Second, this is the best place for us to have a serious conversation about your future. Third, to test you."

Kai could only stare at his mentor and hold his breath.

"It seems that our guest hasn't arrived, and we've spoken enough, so..." Gunjin uncurled his last fingers and pushed Kai over the edge.