4 How Things Operate

I glanced at the minimap then at reality. I understood nothing. I only knew those patches of green and grey were mountains and grass based on everything high school ever taught me. But that's it. It's not that I'm incapable of reading a map. I just don't have a frame of reference as to where I am right now. That's why I asked the most reliable partner I ever had.

"So… where the fuck am I?"

[You're in the outer disciple area of the Spirit Sword Sect. A high-tiered sect in the most powerful continent in the world.]

"Oookay… and based on the state of my body from before,"

[It's safe to say that you're being bullied.]

"Goddamn, this world is harsh. Bullying someone until they're dead. Though it's not as if the previous one is any better, the difference was only between physical and mental abuse."

[As a great man once said, evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling… Makes no difference. The degree is arbitrary. The definition's blurred.]

"I never knew you're a philosopher type."

[I had lots of knowledge stored in my CPU. Of course, I could spout some lines here and there.]

"That's a good line though."

[It's from a game from Earth called The Witcher. They used a quote from Andrzej Sapkowski's work, The Last Wish.]

"Earth? I am from earth and I have never seen a game like that."

[Not your Earth.]

"Ah, I see. The timey-wimey dimensional thingy. I'd love to chat about that stuff, but adventure awaits!"

I don't really want to chat about that stuff. That's why I quickly went outside to bask in the morning sun. Looks like I was just in time since a bell tolled and other people quickly came out of their huts. They started walking towards the mountain peak, and I followed suit. Because this body's original owner left me without any memories whatsoever, I slowed my pace in order to have everyone else guide me to where they were going. It was the wrong choice. I could feel a group gazing at me with my upgraded senses. It felt prickly and wrong.

The gazes finally stopped. Not because their interest in me waned, but because we reached our destination, the peak of the mountain. It was flat like someone sliced the mountaintop with a sword. On it was another hut. From the peak itself, you could see other mountains in the distance circling around a larger one in the middle. I guessed each mountain corresponds to some kind of usage. I think I'm on the outer disciple's mountain.

After all the outer disciples had assembled themselves in rows and columns, someone came outside of the hut. It was a young(?) man that had a sword strapped to his back. I remembered him, he was the guy on a flying sword that passed by this morning. He talked a bit about cultivating the sword, along the lines of birthing your sword heart or whatever, then tasked each outer disciple team with chores on every mountain peak. I don't know which team I'm in, that's why I will wait for them to call me. However, the prickly gazes came back. It was from three people who stood together in the back rows. One was big and strong and his face looks like a gorilla, I will call that one Gian. The other two were twins with shifty faces like a fox, I will call them left Suneo and right Suneo. After the young(?) man had dismissed all of the outer disciples, the trio came for me.

"Hey, hey. Looks like someone still had a healing pill left!" Gian slapped my back harshly. He talked as if we were best friends.

"You don't want to leave your friends hanging with wounds, right?" Both Suneo showed a small cut on their fingers.

I really don't want to deal with this kind of bullying, especially in a Cultivation world like this where the old will always come forward when you beat the young. It's endless. I don't want that to happen, so I'll just lay low for a while. I know, I'll just say that I don't have whatever it is they wanted. Saying no works on bullies, right? Right?

"I don't have any of the so-called healing pills you're talking about. Let's just do our job and be done with the day."

Gian's nostrils flared after he heard what I said. He was pissed. Looks like saying no won't work on bullies, noted.

"What did you say?" He gripped his fists, looking as if he wanted to punch me into pieces.

Did the previous owner always give in to this? Well, I could empathize with him since he doesn't have a backing like the System. But tough luck to Gian over here, I'm not the previous guy. If he's looking for a fight, I'll gladly give him one. I still need to get used to the modifications I've been given after all. However, the fight didn't happen as the young(?) man came to our group.

"I trust everything is okay here, junior brother?"

"Senior brother Ren, everything is okay here." Gian bowed his head.

"Hmm, go do your jobs then. I have to borrow your junior brother Cho for a while, I hope that won't disturb your chore's progress."

"It's okay senior brother. Junior brother Cho doesn't have a lot of strength, so the task of thinning out the spirit beast herds will be hard on him.

"Thank you in advance then. Please come with me junior brother." He wrapped his hands on my shoulders.

I was led to the young(?) senior brother's hut. Inside, he gave me a seat and started making tea for two. Looking out from the window I could see Gian fuming while breaking rocks. Also apparently this body's name was Cho. Cho, Joe, the more you know. The young(?) senior brother put a cup of tea in front of me while he took a sip from his.

"So… Cho. What will you do about that problem of yours?"

Because I'm not Cho, I don't really know what problem that is. So I'll just say some empty words to him and be done with it.

"I will push through it, senior brother. Thank you for asking."

"No, no. You don't understand. Losing your golden core meant that your path will always be shallow. You're still young. I would suggest you go back to the mortal world and stop dreaming about cultivation. You could even be a great merchant or a powerful martial artist there."

Ah. I see what's going on here. If the sect itself had a rating system, a failed cultivator would only serve to decrease merit. This is the reason he tried to persuade me to return to the mortal world. I would certainly refuse to do so if I'm a protagonist from a cultivation novel, then he would make my life miserable, which shall serve as my obstacle and stepping stone at the same time. Lucky for him, I'm not someone like that.

'If I could contact the system just by thinking it would be great at times like this.'

[You can contact me however you want.]

'Nice! Did the Spirit Sword Sect have a rating system for their recruiters?'

[They have one. If their outer disciples lagged in their cultivation, they'll be held responsible. I suggest quitting the Sect itself. This zone is too high level for you right now.]

"I see. I will do what you say, senior brother."

His eyes lit up. He quickly took out his flying sword and he gestured at me to follow him. I climbed aboard the sword and we took off into the large mountain in the middle of what seemed to be a formation created by the eight mountain peaks.