Vain was overjoyed and surprised. "This is it." He finally heard the strange voice mention something else besides the blood absorption and rank increasing. "This must've been what I heard that time after I absorbed the Mutated White Rabbits blood, but what does it mean? What exactly is blood bssence?" Vain was deep in his thoughts when Uncle Ale turned him around and hurriedly checked his body from head to toe, saying in shock, "No way, this... why can't I sense your aura? I've never even thought about it until now." Uncle Ale stared at Vain for a long time like this. Vain didn't quite understand why Uncle Ale was so shocked, but that didn't stop him from paying close attention to Uncle Ale's actions. He wanted to figure out just what shocked Uncle Ale so much, but Uncle Ale didnt say anything else. He just finished prepping the carcass and quickly brought the carcass and Vain back to the cabin. Uncle Ale tossed the corpse to the side of the shed and quickly took Vain inside the cabin. He took Vain to the bedroom and speedily undressed him on the bed "Hey Uncle pervert what are you doing!?" Vain squealed angrily but he couldn't speak yet so Uncle Ale payed him no mind at all. In-between the changes of Uncle Ale's expression Vain saw bewilderment, curiosity, and doubt. Finally, after about 5 minutes or so of Uncle Ale observing Vain's body, he dressed him back up and said "Outstanding. Little fella you're absolutely outstanding. Hoho haha, you're just like your uncle here. I guess we both have something special." "Bastard." Vain said with a red face. He was not happy he was stared at naked for five minutes just for his Uncle to brag about himself. "Ok little fella, I was afraid that some accident would happen with the monsters further in the woods, but it seems that I don't need to worry about you too much. From tomorrow on we can go further in the woods and get you some Unordinary Rank monsters for you to absorb." Uncle Ale said with a serious expression. After hearing this, all of the anger in Vain immediately vanished and turned into joy. Vain let out a happy sound and a bright smile. When Uncle Ale saw this smile his heart warmed and a part of him changed. He promised to himself that he would raise Vain with all of his effort and become a strong person for Vain to rely on in the future. Just like that, Uncle Ale and Vain started venturing further into the woods.
A year passed.Vain was now a year and a half old, an Unordinary Rank 5, and could finally talk. Not that he wanted to say that much. He thought that if he spoke too much Uncle Ale would find something suspicious about him. Not much else had happened in this timespan of a year. On this day, Uncle Ale and Vain just finished a hunt and started to head back to the cabin. Vain was still quite slow when it came to walking so Uncle Ale still carried him for the most part. Vain didnt mind this. After all, Uncle Ale had been taking care of him all this time and the effort the man put in was very obvious. It was a very peaceful and tranquil walk. Even though there was a numerous amount of creatures in this part of the woods, the scenery and sounds were something Vain just never got to witness in his previous life, so he enjoyed it quite a bit. While Vain was taking in the scenery Uncle Ale suddenly said, "Hey little fella, how about I teach you how to read today? That way you can start going through all of my books and information about all of the creatures and environment around here? If you learn what I have in those books I can be assured when you're older and come out to hunt on your own." "Can I come out here to hunt on my own Uncle?" "Of course. In about ten years or so you should be all set" Uncle Ale said sternly. "Ten years?" "Why do you sound disappointed? Stinky fella, in ten years you'll be eleven." "Uncle, don't you think I'll be strong enough to come out on my own before that?" "No. Not a chance." Uncle Ale said disappovingly."
"Why?" Vain asked "Because this world is too dangerous. Do you even know where we are living? Why haven't you seen a single other person all this time? Have you ever asked yourself this? Of course you haven't. Little guy, I'm not trying to belittle you by any means, in fact your talent is outrageous and you can definitely call yourself a genius, but you know what? "What?" "A dead genius is no genius." Uncle Ale stated. Vain went silent. He never really thought about any of this. After all, Uncle Ale had always handled every creature they've come across with ease. But now that Vain thought about it, they never really traveled far from home, maybe two or three kilometers at most. Does that mean the beasts just keep getting stronger and stronger the further out they went? Most likely. This would also explain why Vain has never seen another human being in this neck of the woods. Uncle Ale chimed in again and said "So learn the basics first. I'll teach you how to read and write, I'll teach you the basics you need to know to survive. How to start a fire, how to spot a creatures weakness, how to scout ahead without being detected, in due time little guy. I Uncle Ale, will teach you everything you need to know so you can survive in this messed up world."
Vain was not disappointed by Uncle Ale's words. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Vain wanted to become the best of the best. He strived to be the strongest, the most knowledgeable person he could be. This was so absolutely nothing could get in his way, nothing could stop him from fulfilling his dream of never having to face death again. He disdained the thought of facing death for a third time. Vain swore to himself that no matter the pain, no matter the hardships, no matter what life threw at him, he would push through and laugh until the end. Seeing that Vain wasnt disappointed but instead became enthusiastic, Uncle Ale nodded approvingly. About two hours passed and the two of them finally made it home. Today, instead of Uncle Ale dressing and preparing their meal first, he sat down with Vain and brought out a book for Vain to practice. Seeing the words on the book, Vain heaved a sigh of relief. This was becuase he recognized all of the words in the book. That meant that at least the basic written language was the same which would save him a great amount of time. However, he didnt want to act like he knew the words in the book, so he planned to struggle for at least the next few weeks, and for the next few weeks Vain did exactly that. A few weeks passed in the blink of an eye and Uncle Ale was again surprised by Vain's learning ability. Seeing that Vain seemed to have a complete grasp on the universal language, Uncle Ale brought out a few older looking books and started to teach Vain a few more languages. This had Vain completely stumped for a short time. He wasnt a smart man to begin with, at most he was of average intelligence in his previous life, but so what? Vain would persevere even if it meant using 110% of his brain power in this life, and just like that, Vain persevered. In just six short months, Vain learned a few new languages, "Maybe its true that the young learn languages faster. But wait, am I considered young?" Vain thought to himself. But he didn't really think so. Of course Uncle Ale wasnt idle during this time either. While Vain was learning from the books, he brought Vain and the books with him on the hunts to continue raising Vain's level. This time period was like bliss for Vain. He didnt even have to lift a finger and Uncle Ale would hunt the creatures for him to absorb the blood of. In this period of six months Vain's power level was raised to Unordinary Rank eight from Unordinary Rank five. Comparing the time it took Vain to reach Unordinary Rank one, to the time it took him to go from Unordinary Rank five to Unordinary Rank eight, it was obvious that the higher one went, the more time, energy, and tempering was needed.
Uncle Ale was extremely satisfied with Vain's current progress. He felt that Vain's rate of growth and his knowledge retainment was extremely high. Thinking about this, Uncle Ale thought it was time for Vain to move on from studying languages and cultures to studying the local fauna and flora. He did not want Vain to learn any combat skills yet. After all, Vain was just a two year old boy. His little body couldn't handle it yet. Uncle Ale put his thoughts into action and immediately placed two gigantic books on the small desk he made Vain. He also grabbed a few other items that had related knowledge and placed them on the desk. "Little guy, try to learn all of this as fast as you can as well. Once you've learned everything in here, you can tell me. I'll test you and see what you've learned. If you can learn everything in all of these books and scrolls I'll give you a reward." Uncle Ale said with a flash of sympathy in his eyes. Uncle Ale thought that all of this constant studying would bore Vain to death, which he wasnt completely wrong. Although Vain was bored most of the time, he didnt care. He needed to learn as much as possible as soon as possible and this was a good way to do it. What's more is that Uncle Ale always took him hunting while studying so he didnt lose out when it came to growing his power everyday. Accepting his new task, Vain began vigorously studying all of the material Uncle Vain had just given him. Just like before, Vain and Uncle Ale went hunting, ate and bathed everyday. This routine continued for a year. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed. Vain was now Human Rank one, three years old, and about half way through his studies on the local flora and fauna. The list of flora and fauna was just too big for him to complete in a short amount of time. However, Vain didn't mind this. He was extremely patient when it came to things that would benefit him. Although this was the case for Vain, it didnt exactly mean that he only wanted to study the same things each day and night. Therefore, while eating dinner with Uncle Ale tonight, Vain asked a bunch of questions and Uncle Ale barely answered, "What Rank comes after human rank" "Why does it matter right now?" "Where do we live?" "The woods" "What rank are you?" "What does it matter?" Vain was displeased with every answer Uncle Ale gave him. They were simple questions, why couldn't he get simple answers? Uncle Ale chimed in, "Everything will be revealed once you're older and stronger little buddy. You're only three years old now. Try not to worry about the worldly affairs just yet." "What worldy affairs?" Vain thought to himself. These were just some of the most basic questions. However, this wasn't the first time Vain asked Uncle Ale questions and didnt get any corresponding answers. It seemed that Uncle Ale would only answer the questions relating to his current studies. Vain sighed, "One thing at a time I guess."
A year passed. Vain was now four years old, Human Rank two, and had just finished studying all of the resources that Uncle Ale had given him. "Finally! I can finally be done with all these damn books!" Vain said joyfully. He didnt mind studying, but two and a half years in a row was just too much. It started eating away at his patience bit by bit. "I wouldnt be so sure about that." Uncle Ale said with a sneer, "Didnt I say I would test you after you said you finished it all" "Bring it on Grandpa Ale!" Vain said with a fire in his eyes. *Smack* "Ouch! " Vain cried out. "Smelly brat, I'm only twenty six years old this year. How dare you call me grandpa?" "Sorry Uncle." Uncle Ale snorted and said, "Never mind never mind. Aren't you ready for me to test you? I'll go and get the materials, wait here" "Ok" Vain said obediently not wanting to be hit again. Just a short while later, Uncle Ale returned with six containers of herbs and certain pieces of creatures. Pulling out the spirit herbs first, he said, "Ok smart guy, what are these three herbs and what are their uses?" Vain said knowingly, "The first plant is the Human Rank Purple People poison plant. Its name is self explanatory as its entriely purple and its main use is for poison. The afflicted parts of the body will turn purple and itch terribly but besides that nothing else really happens. It is not a lethal poisonous plant unless gotten in the eyes or mouth. The second herb is an Unordinary Rank Candlelight Cane. Its a fire attribute type plant easily recognizable by the curved shape appendages that give off an orangish colored light. Its known to be used to cauterize wounds and can be used as feed for fire type attributed beasts. The third herb is also an Unordinary Rank herb but it can be more rare than a Human Rank herb : the Mint Moss, it is edible for all creatures and tastes just like mint so most creatures fancy it. Thats what makes it so rare." Uncle Ale - "Not bad not bad. Alright, time for the second half." Meanwhile elsewhere, while Vain was taking the test - on top of a sheer white mountain there sat a Gigantic palace, this palace was surrounded by seven different shades of resplendent light and lush vibrant flora. This was the palace where the prodigal gathering was being held. Even though this was the Northern Region, it was not difficult to influence the surroundings using all sorts of methods, especially arrays. Therefore, inside the arrays set up by the host, the environment was particularly good and couldn't even be compared to the real spring season in most places. This made the palace seem like an oasis in an icy hell hole where there was only ice and nothing else. In front of the palace, there was a large gate with numerous guards in front of it. What's more, is that each of these guards were extremely terrifying. Of course such a splendid place wouldn't be easy to gain access to, even more so with all of the young prodigies that are expected to arrive from all of the great clans and sects. If something went wrong and a young master of a powerful family were to be harmed or killed, it could be the spark that lit numerous powder kegs leading to the start of many different conflicts or even wars. For this reason in particular, the host (Amethyst Ice Sect) made sure that the security was so tight that even water couldn't get through without an invitation.