Chapter 7: Rank-0

After the students returned to the classroom, Teacher Turner, who had disappeared since the morning, entered the classroom again.

He briefly clarified some points in the Basic Meditation Technique once again before the class moved to the training hall.

The students were once again seated with their eyes closed as they began their training.

Most students were still working on spirit energy control.

Previously, Ain had used Deduction to adjust the technique to himself, and the results were outstanding.

He couldn’t help but wonder if he could change the technique itself. Could he improve it to suit himself better?

Ain didn’t hesitate and immediately attempted it.

He focused his mind and activated Deduction. Similar to before, some of his spirit energy was consumed, but this time, it stopped after a second.

This was not a sign of success, but nor was it a sign of failure.

‘As I thought, Deduction heavily relies on the knowledge I already possess. I failed because I lack enough knowledge about meditation techniques. If I could acquire more meditation techniques, I might succeed.’ Ain sighed inwardly, easily understanding the reason for his failure.

However, gathering more meditation techniques posed a problem. He didn’t even have a good source to acquire them. With his upgraded 2-star Cyberspace access, Ain had already browsed some markets and trading forums, and techniques were difficult to find. But more than anything, the ones he did find were beyond his purchasing ability.

Having thought this far, Ain temporarily abandoned this idea. He would reconsider it when he had a larger wallet.

Ain returned to his training and began meditating again.

...

Time passed unknowingly as Ain was in deep meditation.

“Alright, students, training is over. Make sure to practice some more when you return home! I’ll introduce spells tomorrow, so don’t forget to be here,” Teacher Turner’s voice sounded at this moment, informing students of the end of the training session, as well as the plan for the next day.

Most students ignored the first part of the sentence, as the last part captured all their attention. They were excited about finally being able to learn spells.

Ain was also excited. He briefly chatted with Hugo as they went to receive their uniforms before boarding their respective hoverbuses.

Hoverbuses were the favored mode of transportation for most students. Some families didn’t even own a personal rover and opted to use public hoverbuses instead.

Ain wasted no time and immediately returned home.

In the afternoon session, he had made great progress. He could already sense the prototype of a spirit core forming. He just needed a little more time.

As soon as he entered, Ain quickly fed the cat and freshened up before sitting cross-legged on his bed.

He agreed with Teacher Turner’s words. This year, he needed to work harder than ever before. Only by standing out would opportunities present themselves.

He understood more than anyone else the impact certain opportunities could have on one’s future.

At the age of ten, in an orphanage, it was a simple ‘yes' and 'no' question that led to an opportunity resulting in him meeting his mentor. There was no other realistic way Ain could have imagined meeting him.

Soon, Ain entered a meditative state and began his training again.

A few hours passed quickly.

The sun had already dipped below the horizon, casting a final glance at Ain's window.

The cat lay on the bed, observing the motionless Ain until it noticed a slight twitch in his eyebrows.

A faint glow appeared around his body as a mystical stream of air rustled the bed sheets. The cat’s fur also swayed as it stood up in curiosity.

Ain opened his eyes, a simple smile appearing on his face as he thought, ‘Finally, I’ve officially become a spirit tamer, albeit only a Rank-0 Spirit Tamer.’

He immediately sensed the changes in his body. The aimless spirit energy in his body had concentrated into an ethereal round object.

Ain touched slightly below his chest, at the supposed location of the spirit core, but he knew that this was just an illusion. Spirit cores would manifest in a metaphysical state. They weren’t physically located in the torso.

Sensing further, Ain realized that his upper capacity for spirit energy had increased. He would be able to enhance his abilities for a longer period.

He also noticed another phenomenon. His spirit energy seemed slightly thicker. He was aware of its significance.

As mentioned in the meditation manual, when a spirit tamer ranked up, the quality of their spirit energy would change. It was similar to having different grades of fuel. The same volume of fuel would burn longer if its quality was better.

The meditation manual also included a breakdown of the different stages of a Rank-1 Spirit Tamer.

Immediately after condensing his spirit core, Ain could be considered a Rank-0 Spirit Tamer.

At this stage, the spells Ain could learn were limited, and he couldn’t contract a spirit pet yet.

The next step was to condense a spirit ring around the spirit core. At this stage, one would become a Beginner Rank-1 Spirit Tamer. This stage was characterized by the ability to contract a spirit pet.

The spirit ring served as a medium to contract spirit pets. Thus, when one reached Beginner Rank-1, they could contract their first spirit pet.

The spirit pets and the spirit rings would be bound together after the contract.

To become an Intermediate Rank-1 Spirit Tamer, one needed to start branding the spirit ring onto the spirit core. In this step, the spirit ring would begin to fuse into the spirit core.

The success of branding largely depended on the foundation built beforehand. The spirit core needed to be polished and strengthened with spirit energy, enabling it to better withstand the branding process.

When the branding succeeded, this stage was known as an Advanced Rank-1 Spirit Tamer.

This stage was characterized by the ability to finally use ring spells.

Moving further, when the second spirit ring was condensed, it would be a breakthrough to Rank-2.

Later ranks were similarly divided into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. While the basic process remained the same, the manual stated that there would be additional requirements for those who progressed further on this path.

Ain was in no hurry to find out. He had yet to even reach Rank-1.

“Meow.” At this moment, the cat’s soft cry sounded. Ain immediately understood and quickly got up to prepare food for both of them.

After a feast, he realized once again that normal food was no longer sufficient for his needs. He had seen food prices on Cyberspace earlier, and though they were not exorbitant, Ain would still struggle to afford suitable food for Rank-0.

He had just lost one of his income sources, and the city subsidies didn't account for his needs as a spirit tamer.

Alongside his thoughts on acquiring different meditation techniques, Ain was even more determined to earn more money somehow.

He didn’t want to lose training time; that’s why he had resigned from his previous job. But not consuming nutritious food would impact his training efficiency. And not investing in meditation techniques would be squandering one of his greatest advantages.

As Ain contemplated ways to reach a compromise, he glanced at his current balance of 2,405 star coins.

His weekly food expenditure was about 50 star coins. With his current needs, he would require about 250 star coins per week for better food. That was a fivefold increase. And the increase would only be more significant over time.

Even with the monthly subsidies, he could only sustain this for about three months. He needed to devise a solution.

After finishing some chores, Ain went to bed early in preparation for the next day’s training.

...

Early morning.

The classroom for Class B was abuzz with noise as the students chatted and boasted.

Hugo, who had been conversing with some students, immediately walked over as Ain entered the room.

“Ain, guess what? I managed to circulate my spirit energy after some practice last night. I’ll be able to condense my spirit core soon!” Hugo's excited voice resonated.

“Not bad. I've also made significant progress,” Ain replied as he found his seat.

They engaged in small talk before Hugo changed the subject, “Have you heard of Leila Everett?”

“The champion of this year’s Champions Path?” Ain asked.

“Yeah, I found some information stating that she condensed her spirit core on the very first day of spirit academy. It only took her a couple of hours after she began training. Only with talent like that can you achieve Rank-2 in just one year like her.” Hugo couldn’t help but sigh as he spoke.

“Didn’t the news mention that she was an Advanced Rank-2 spirit tamer?”

“You're right. One year to approach the threshold of Rank-3. I wonder where I'll be a year from now.”

“You'll be where you need to be; don't overthink it.”

Ain and Hugo continued their conversation.

During the chat, Ain realized that it had been a while since he had peers.

Before attending Red Oak Spirit Academy, he only vaguely remembered socializing a bit at work, where the instructors were older than him and the clients were younger.

He would behave professionally in the presence of his mentor, occasionally chatting with his assistant, Ms. Livia.

Developing a network of connections would be beneficial, so he didn't shy away and readily made some friends.

Of course, he didn’t want to make random choices. Although Hugo had initiated contact, Ain didn’t dislike him based on their interactions so far.

As class time approached, Teacher Turner finally entered through the open doors.