A Genius?
If there was one thing that separated this new world Akt found himself in and his previous one, it was the existence of Mana. Of course, it was not like he had never experienced things related to the supernatural. In fact, superhumans capable of massive destruction did exist back on Earth. Be that as it may, those superhumans still stood on the mortal scale albeit bordering inhumane or monstrous.
In this world however, just the existence of mana made the power scale so vastly different that the so-called superhumans could only be bottom-feeders amongst warriors.
The first time Akt found himself in this world, he witnessed a battle between warriors of astonishing strength, which belonged to the low-class tier according to some witnesses and gossips. As the strongest swordsman on Earth, he prided himself as one of the best warriors and a prodigy in the way of the blade. However, his pride shattered the moment he saw how much devastation these "low-class" warriors caused in the forest near the city.
It was then that he came to discover that the people in this world could become stronger by harnessing an energy they called mana from the environment to strengthen and evolve their bodies. This path, they named it "Mana Cultivation". Akt thought that it was truly fitting to call such path "Cultivation" because for one to cultivate was to nourish.
--
In a room furnished with high-quality furniture, a beautiful woman sat on a couch as she smoked from an old, blackish wooden pipe. If one were to see this person, one would be able to recognize that this woman was the receptionist in-charge of the transaction for the cultivation manual.
"Hah…" A tired exhale left the woman's plump lips as she puffed out the smoke up in the air.
Knock.
A door knocking sound echoed in the room. A few moments later, it was followed by a feminine voice as a lady of gentle demeanor entered.
"What's with the tired look, Rosalyn?" The gentle lady chuckled as she sat across the woman holding a wooden pipe.
Rosalyn could only smile wryly at her teasing. "Are you here to bother me again?"
"Come on, don't say that. And my question?"
"Nothing… I just had a really interesting encounter earlier this afternoon."
The gentle lady widened her eyes in surprise. "Oh! How rare of you to describe something as 'interesting'."
"Because it is…" Rosalyn had a baffling encounter earlier that afternoon. To be honest, that small incident did not only pique her interest but also bewildered her quite a bit. As a receptionist in the Adventurer's Guild, one was bound to see all kinds of things in the world, and such premise only made her apparent interest and shock more meaningful.
"Then, tell me about it."
The lady across Rosalyn insisted to which she replied in resignation. "Alright. Alright."
--
"A mana cultivation manual," said the white-haired young man named Akt, or so how Rosalyn remembered his name was.
It was not uncommon for people to purchase a manual for cultivation. Normally, it would be young warriors aspiring to make a name for themselves or people who simply want to start their journey into the world of martial arts. And so, Rosalyn was not surprised and simply nodded in acknowledgement.
"Alright, sir. An item matching your request is available. But before that, I would need to ask customer to show me the items you would exchange this manual with."
Akt was not bothered and simply put the leather pouch in his waist on the counter top along with a bloodied sack.
"Oh! Eight Low Knight-class beast cores and some neatly gathered wolf beast fur." Rosalyn exclaimed. "This should be enough to exchange for a manual. You also earn extra two silver coins as surplus."
"Alright." Akt was pleasantly surprised to hear that. He had not expected for there to be extra coins and two silver coins at that. He even thought that his items might not be enough, but that did not seem to be the case, fortunately. He definitely needed to learn how to appraise the value of the items in this world after this, he noted.
With a swipe of her hand, a ring on Rosalyn's right index finger shimmered. Right after, a neatly bounded book appeared with a title in its cover written "Mana Cultivation: Beginning stage".
"Do you need it wrapped in a gift wrapper, customer?"
Akt was delighted by the sight of the long-awaited book. He could finally try his hands on this mysterious cultivation thing that brought him fascination for the past couple of days. However, a question from the receptionist woke him up from his daze.
"Huh? A gift?"
"Yes. If not as a gift, then why would customer need this for? In all honesty though, it puzzles me as to why you need to buy someone a manual when you can simply teach the recipient the ropes yourself."
"What do you mean? It's not… really a present…"
"Huh? Then for whom is this manual for?" Rosalyn asked, unable to suppress her curiosity.
"Isn't obvious? It's for me, of course."
"Wait... You?" Rosalyn paused, as if thinking about something before asking once more. "Don't tell me you hunted all those beasts yourself? Surely not, right?"
It was then that Akt felt that something was amiss with the receptionist's behavior. He thought that this woman was strange for asking obvious questions, but he answered nonetheless.
"Yes. If not, then how could I afford the manual?"
Rosalyn's eyes widened in astonishment. She felt weird inwardly seeing the "Isn't obvious?" expression on the young man's face like what he said could not be more normal. Normally, those who purchase cultivation manuals were people who had yet to step into the cultivation road. Rookies as what some may call them.
But seeing Akt bring beast cores of knight-class level, she thought that he did not need the manual for himself. Hence, she assumed that it might be for someone else.
But if she was wrong like what she thought, it could only mean one thing. A non-cultivator having the ability to slay knight-class beasts with his innate ability— a genius. Even while dumbfounded, the receptionist, fortunately, still had the mind to confirm her thoughts. "Then, does that mean that you have yet to start cultivating?"
"Yep. That's right. Is something wrong?" Akt asked suspiciously. Just like he thought, something was strange.
The receptionist could only sigh at the young man's cluelessness. Whether to feel astonishment or exasperation was something she did not have the mind to think about. She could only explain, "Of course, something is very wrong, dear customer… You dared to hunt knight-class beasts without a speck of cultivation. Normally, it would take dozens of ordinary people with good equipment on top of that to hunt one of such beasts, especially so if a cultivator was not present. Normal people would have died several times over if they ever encountered one by themselves even if knight-classes are the weakest ones among the beasts with cores in them."
Akt finally understood the reason behind the receptionist's ever-changing expression and series of weird questions. From his point of view, such happening was only normal. After all, he was one of the strongest on Earth— a superhuman. However, from the perspective of the people in this world, they could only see a person slaying beasts outside his supposed capabilities. A non-cultivator besting a beast with cultivation.
Rosalyn continued, "I don't know if I should view what you did with astonishment or call it foolishness. But at the very least, you were blessed and capable enough to do so without even a tiny bit of mana in your body. For that, I can only commend you, sir."
"S-So, that's what you mean… Well, I've always had a strong body ever since I was a kid." Akt stuttered as he replied. It was not like he could tell her that he was a superhuman, and he also could not tell her that he came from another world. Well, it was not as if she would believe him if he ever did so. Even he thought that the idea was preposterous even if he experienced it himself.
Rosalyn looked at him with suspicion but did not press any longer. It was, after all, not good manners to poke into customers' secrets. She could only push her curiosity at the back of her mind and finish the transaction.
"Well then, I thank customer for a successful transaction. Please come back again once you obtain more items to sell!"
Remembering that he also had to submit the proof of completion for the mission of hunting wild beasts, Akt did not linger any longer, quickly stuffing the newly obtained manual in his chest pocket.
"Well then, thank you very much."
Seeing the back of the young man getting further away from the counter, his white, soft hair fluttering as he walked, Rosalyn felt slight excitement budding in her chest.
"Did something good happen to you?" A guild staff passing through asked.
"Nothing. It's just that this place might get a little exciting in the future."
--
After finishing her story, Rosalyn turned towards the gentle lady sitting across her seat. "It's quite something, right?"
"Indeed. You might have witnessed the beginnings of a genius cultivator. How lucky you are." The lady chuckled. "Well, the future is not yet set in stone, so we might have to wait for a bit longer before taking this seriously."
"Hm. You may be right."
--
After settling all the matters related to the Guild, Akt made his way back to the inn he had been staying ever since he earned his first coin. With giddiness threatening to jump out of his chest, he hurriedly closed the door to his room and sat on the bed.
"Finally!" He exclaimed while taking the book out of his chest pocket.
With trembling fingers, Akt opened the book as the signal of his new beginning in this world.