World Keeper

Chapter 254: Martial Plight

Sorting out my priorities, the first and most important was to begin training the new class, the Saint of Five Lights. This could be considered my trump card, since it allowed me to restore my own wounds and gave a variety of bonus abilities not commonly seen in other classes. More importantly, as an advanced class the stats that came with it were quite high.

The only question was, how should I go about training the class? I could target high level monsters, and restrict myself to my normal levels. That would likely give me the greatest benefits, and also improve my combat experience. At the same time, I could go with a non-combat training routine.

After a brief query with Terra, I had learned that the Ki of Beginning was able to purge diseases from a creature. I could use this to go around and save various people that were suffering. As long as I was careful to avoid places infected with the pinnacle plague, I could do a lot of good with this.

Of course, there was nothing saying that I had to choose one or the other. I could easily train myself to a somewhat higher level in the class, and then go around taking care of people. I’d just need to use a separate identity when I did so, otherwise it could create a bad impression with the people. Why save this person, and not another? Why not come for the people they care about, and that type of thing.

So, I decided to go with using both methods to train. Combat to start, and then use the other method to unwind. And for a combat test… It took me a moment to find her, but soon I was establishing my body as that of a human before choosing to descend in front of her.

“…Keeper?” Scarlet’s face seemed to show some surprise at my sudden appearance. Not unexpected, since her and her family were currently running ten miles above the surface of the ocean, traveling between two continents. “You feel… different.”

Nodding my head, I released some of my new ki, letting it flow through my body to allow her a more appropriate sense of it. Her eyes widened in shock before she forced her face to calm again. I did this for two reasons. One to allow her to properly sense my new power, and the other…

Okay, so the achievement is different from what I expected, but it was enough to get me the new class. Terra, Saint’s Eye, please?

There was an amused sigh over the connection before Terra began to explain, while several other high ranking martial spirits gathered behind Scarlet, as if to protect one another. Think of it like an upgrade to your ability to read talent. The information you get will be a little more detailed.

Okay, that was good to know. “Scarlet, I’d like your assistance with something.” I said rather plainly, clasping my hands behind my back as I looked to her. I knew that Aurivy was busy maintaining her world, and did not want to keep bothering her to send me everywhere. Besides, Scarlet had been around long enough that this wouldn’t cause too much of an issue.

Sure enough, she let out a brief sigh at my words. “Very well, Keeper. What may I help you with?”

“I’m attempting to train the new energy I just showed you. In order to do so, I must find suitable monsters to fight. Normally, I would ask Aurivy to help me with this. However, I feel it best not to disturb her for now.”

Scarlet tilted her head, unsure of how to take that. “I… see. So you came to us, because we are able to sense the existence of powerful monsters. And with me as the eldest of our kind, you considered me your best option.”

I saw no reason to deny her assumptions, and simply nodded my head. “I hope that you will be able to help me with this matter.” In truth, I could just use the Admin Room to find opponents on my own and descend repeatedly, but that was tedious, and more to the point lonely. At least this way I’d have company.

Scarlet shook her head, seeming conflicted. “I am not against helping you. However, it will be several days before we reach our destination. Our kind are not as welcomed among the races, as our bloody appearances cause them to regard us as evil. The actions of our lesser kin do not aid us in this. So, we do not have access to their gates.”

I simply nodded again, having been expecting something like that. Otherwise, the martial spirits would have been far more well known. Even now, monsters of high levels were spawning in abundance, so it should be no problem for them to create new members of their kind.

“I can take care of that. Just tell me where you are trying to go.”

Scarlet’s face showed surprise once again, before she sank into thought. “Very well… Our current destination is a source of energy eleven days’ run to the west. I can feel a gathering of strong ki sources there, and the last time I was in that area it was uninhabited.”

Eleven days’ run… how far even is that? As I was thinking to myself, Scarlet spoke up. “If you need an exact distance… It should be roughly thirteen or fourteen thousand kilometers, judging by the intensity of the energy I feel.”

Nodding my head, I closed my eyes and focused, sending my world sight out to the distance and direction she specified. Roughly thirteen thousand kilometers away, there was indeed a group of monsters. Each around level six hundred, their bodies brimming with ki. They had the appearance of silver bulls, two pairs of horns jutting out of their heads, with their bodies six meters tall and eight long each. “I found them.”

Scarlet seemed to do better at controlling her expression this time, though the same wasn’t true for the others. Judging by her surface thoughts, Scarlet seemed rather interested in how I was going to get all of the people here over there like I had said.

That part was actually pretty easy. “I am the one who stands above the heavens. My word is the law of the universe.” I imagined a circle being drawn in the air, encompassing myself and the couple dozen martial spirits that had been traveling with Scarlet, and then another one above us.

“A destination has been chosen, a path has been set. Guide us upon the world’s will to end our travels.” I had to admit, having practiced this repeatedly already did help it be slightly less embarrassing to perform in front of other people.

As I spoke, two green circles lit up, one above and one below us. They slowly expanded to form a green bubble as natural energy surged into the elemental spell. The bubble shook for a few moments before popping, and when it did we were now standing above a wide field, still high in the sky.

Scarlet smiled bitterly when she realized that I had used the abilities of an elementalist to move us all. “Sorry… we are not capable of wielding mana or natural energy, so I had been hopeful to learn a method to travel through ki or spiritual energy, aside from what we already knew.”

If I was correct, the only travel methods they knew were to convert themselves into spiritual forms, and to hasten their steps with ki. So it was understandable for them to desire another movement method. Nodding my head, I made her an offer. “There is a method to travel through spiritual energy. However, it is not one that I can teach. If you would like, the information is recorded in the Sky Citadel’s library.”

Scarlet couldn’t contain her surprise this time, and when she looked back to her brothers and sisters, they were sending her pleading gazes as well. It seemed that this had become a real problem for them. So, sighing, she turned and faced me again, nodding her head. “Very well… when we are done here, I will stay within the citadel to study for a time. Will I be free to leave of my own accord when I am ready?”

“Of course.” I responded easily. “Tsubaki… the one you sensed before as being similar to your kind back when the representatives were first appointed… She has created a portal technique that can even move through the barrier around the citadel. You need only inform her when you are ready to leave.”

“I thought I still felt that one… Her aura has only grown stronger, so she must have fought some great battles in her time serving you. Hopefully, her loyalty is as you seem to believe.” Scarlet said, nodding her head gently. “Either way, we are near our targets. How many of them do you wish for yourself?”

Given that each of them were around level six hundred… “I’ll be lowering my power in order to train myself. So, one or two should suffice. I’ll let you have the rest.”

She gave a thankful smile when she heard that, her face softening. From her thoughts, it seemed that she had been expecting me to take the majority of them for myself. “Are… you still having so much trouble growing your family?”

“No, not really.” Scarlet shook her head at my question. “In fact, we have split up a few times. I imagine now, we might number over a hundred. But that is still only a hundred. When you compare it with the humans who number nearly ten million times that amount, we are still just so small and weak. So much that we may never be taken seriously on a global level.”

“You want to start a martial spirit kingdom…” I said, mostly to myself. However, Scarlet nodded her head to confirm my thought.

“A kingdom is the political tool that the races use to show their influence. I believe that my kin could establish one as well. Even the lesser kin are prepared to join, so long as our numbers grow sufficiently. I do not wish for much, just one thousand kin to form the foundation for our kingdom, the rest populated by the lesser.”

“And for that, you split your family, so that you could all go and grow.” I briefly considered offering to make a higher tier martial spirit, now that I had access to the proper abilities to do so. However, that thought was quickly rejected. If I did, that entity would become the new leader once their power grew a little bit, and there would be unrest in the entire martial spirit population. It’s not like the case with the world spirits, because they had a hivemind that naturally caused them to follow the strongest leader without question.

“That is correct, Keeper. However, our progress is repeatedly slowed due to the long travel time between our harvests, which often leads to the targets being hunted down by other beings before we arrive. Since we require a monster with powerful ki, one of another type may eat it, and we will not be able to gain anything.”

“I see… If I can be of assistance, just let me know.” Scarlet had been around long enough, watching after her people. It was not wrong for her to want to build a nation where they could all be safe and have a home. If anything, it would simply bring them onto the political stage, forcing the other races to take them seriously. Of course, I’d have to be watching that… just to be safe.