I, The Anomalous God

Chapter 5 Second Lesson

At exactly one in the afternoon, the Worms came back to Knowsborough. “Welcome back, Worms!” Val the Grand Scholar greeted.

“Why are we worms?” Shiela, one of the newborn sprites, complained.

“What? You have to get use to it. That will be your title from now on.” Val said calmly. “Alright, listen up. There are 84 of you here. Except for Reborn, Anton and Trekka, all of you will be assigned to advisers. There are 9 advisers. 9 students per adviser.”

The students murmured. “I have a list of students here. I will call the leaders of each group and you gather your members.” Then nine sprite scholars came forward. Val introduced them to be the advisers. “The names I will call are the leaders. You come forward. Shunda, Akali, Boiler, Yati, Amaya, Mako, Ma-ah, Abuh, and Dion!” The sprites he called came forward and took the name list from his hands.

“Sir, what about us?” Trekka asked.

“You, Anton and Reborn will be under me. I will be your adviser.” Val said.

“That is great!” Anton exclaimed.

“Good! Okay, follow me.” Val stood up from his chair and flew out of the room. The three students followed. “Keep up!” Val flew down from the tree. Trekka and Anton flew down as well.

“Oh man!” Reborn looked at the three sprites who flew down fast. He sighed then decided to jump from the 7th branch to the ground. Anton looked back and saw Reborn jump off. “What is he doing?” he said in surprise.

“Oh!” Reborn screamed. “See you on the ground!” He said as he passed by Anton and Trekka.

“Did he jump from over there?” Trekka asked.

“He did!” Anton said smiling.

“But he is wingless! He is going to die!” Trekka exclaimed and dived down fast.

“Stop worrying! Grand Scholar Val is down there already!” he said and followed her.

The two of them reached the ground and saw Val hovering in the air while Reborn was sitting on the ground. “Hey, Reborn are you insane?” Trekka blurted.

“What?” Reborn was confused. Why is she calling him insane?

“Hey, hey, calm down, Trekka! He is alright. I told you, Grand Scholar Val will catch him.” Anton said.

“Shut up, Anton! And you, you are wingless! Why did you jump off from there? Do you want to die?” she complained.

“I don’t want to die, of course!” Reborn answered.

“You…”

“That is enough, Trekka.” Val interrupted her scolding.

“But sir…”

“He can float. There is no need to worry.” Val said.

“What?” Trekka and Anton blurted in unison.

“Okay, come on, we are going to the flower field.” Val said and flew away.

“You have a skill already?” Anton whispered to Reborn. He only smiled to him.

==================

The four of them arrived at the flower field. For the three sprites, the flowers were huge. They can even stand on the flower. But to Reborn, they are small. He can trample them down with his feet.

“First, I will tell you about your schedule. Every Shakh, Atuh and Taph, you will be having your specialized class with me. Every Panth and Toth, will be your class in general learning and history at the lecture hall. Shunte and Shantha will be resting day.” Val opened.

He continued, “Today is Atuh, so, we will be studying specialized class. Now, are you ready Worms?”

“Sir Val!” Anton raised his hand.

“What is it, Anton?”

“When will we be able to move from Worms? I hate being called Worm.” He said. The other two nodded their head in agreement.

“Okay, its good that you asked. There are 7 stages that you have to go before you gain the Grand Scholar title.” He explained. “1st stage, Worm. This is the lowest title for new scholar aspirants, 2nd stage, Pupa, 3rd stage Butterfly, 4th stage Scholar apprentice, 5th stage, Scholar, 6th stage, Master Scholar, 7th stage, Enlightened Scholar and after that is the Grand Scholar title.”

“How long would it take us?” Trekka asked.

“Well, it depends on you. Now, do not mind those yet. Let us proceed with our first lesson. Observance.” Val said. “Scholars are keen observers. You must open your eyes, your heart, your senses to everything around you. Pick a flower and sit on it.” He ordered.

“Uhm, sir? What about me?” Reborn asked.

“Oh, pick a spot and sit down.” Reborn found a comfortable spot and he sat down. “Close your eyes. Take deep breaths through your nose. Feel your surroundings.” Val said calmly.

The three Worms followed Val’s words. Each of them had their eyes closed. “Take your time.” Val added.

==================

Several minutes passed, the three Worms are still seated with closed eyes. Anton appeared to be just sleeping while Trekka and Reborn are trying hard to grasp what Val is teaching them.

Val, on the other hand, sat on a flower as well. He brought out a cup and kettle with tea. He looked at his students. He shook his head when he saw Anton. The kid is even drooling. “It will be hard for this one.” He commented. Then he looked at Trekka. “Hm. She is showing promise.” He said. Then he turned to Reborn. “Show me what you got, kid.” He said hopefully.

Reborn meditated more than half an hour but he did not feel anything. Whatever Val wanted them to learn, he is not getting it. Then heard a sound in his head.

“Ting! Meditation skill acquired.”

“Sir, I learnt a skill.” Trekka said before Reborn can voice out.

“Good. What did you learn?” Val asked.

“I learnt Nature Heart skill.” She said.

“Good, good. Nature Heart connects you more with nature, your surroundings. That is a handy skill for Scholars like us.” Val commented. “How about you Reborn? Did you learn something?”

“I did, but its different from hers. Meditation skill.” He said.

“Oh, a semi-passive skill. That is also good. Helps you clear your mind, makes your thoughts pure and heart clean.” Val said.

“Is her skill a passive skill too?” Reborn asked.

“Yes. Nature Heart is a passive skill. That is one of the skills that I want you to learn for observance.” The Grand Scholar said. “Wake that kid up.” Trekka flew close to Anton nudged him awake.

“Hm? What?” he rubbed his eyes then stood up. “I… I am sorry, sir!”

“Did you learn anything, Anton?” Val asked.

“Uhm…” He whispered something under his breath. He checked his status then shook his head.

Val sighed, “Sit back down and do it again. Do not sleep this time!”

“Yes sir!” Anton immediately sat down and closed his eyes.

“You two, do it again as well. Trekka, you have a passive skill now, you may learn skills related to observance much better now. Reborn use that meditation skill. You might also gain something.” He ordered. The two of them nodded and closed their eyes as well.

======================

The day was over with the three of them doing nothing but breathing exercises and trying to learn some observance skills. They went home after that.

“How was school, son?” Tatiana asked.

“It was good. I learnt meditation skill earlier.” He answered.

“Did you make some new friends?”

“Yeah. Sort of. I have two companions under Grand Scholar Val; Trekka and Anton.” He said. “Trekka is an achiever and a worrywart. Anton is a goofy and carefree kid.”

“Are you getting along well?” She asked. She was worried that other sprite kids might be making fun of him at school.

“Yes. They are good kids, mother. You don’t have to worry.” He assured her.

“That’s good to hear. Go wash up. We will have dinner in a while.” She said.

===================

In his room, Reborn was sitting cross-legged on his nest. He activated his meditation skill. He felt his mind cleared and his heart light, but like earlier, he did not learn a new skill.

“What am I doing wrong?” he asked himself. “Grand Scholar Val said it is a semi-passive skill. Does he mean it is an active skill and a passive skill at the same time?”

With that thought, Reborn tried meditating and floating at the same time. He floated 3 feet from his nest bed.

“Ting! Float skill leveled up.”

Reborn was surprised. After a week, no matter how much he used the float skill, it did not level up. It was much harder leveling the skill from level 2 to level 3 than leveling it from level 1 to level 2. And now, after just a minute, he leveled his float skill to level 3.

“Damn! I just acquired a cheat skill!” he blurted.

He decided to use telekinesis with meditation to see if he can level it up too. “Oh, so that is what semi-passive means!” He said in realization. He can activate meditation skill even if he is not meditating manually.

He pointed his palm towards a cup on his bedside table. He activated telekinesis on the cup. The cup trembled and started to float above the table. He maintained the cup floating for a few minutes. He did not hear the familiar sound. So, he closed his eyes and meditated, his meditation skill still activated, and the cup is still floating above the table.

===================

“Reborn, get up, son! You will be late for school!” Tatiana called from outside Reborn’s room.

Reborn opened his eyes. He was still in his meditation posture. “Did I meditate the whole night?” he muttered. It was a surprise to him. He did not feel tired or weak. No sign of having lack of sleep. He opened his status screen to check. He was so deep in meditation that he did not notice the familiar sound if it rang.

Name: J¤•■ A¤<□♡□$

Level: 1 (Exp. 2.56%)

Race: Human

Class: Worm

Age: 1 week, 3 days

Health: 12100

Mana: 15460

AP: 4380

DP: 8623

Strength: 15 (+300)

Dexterity: 10 (+300)

Intelligence: 100 (+508)

Vitality: 100 (+505)

Wisdom: 50 (+290)

Agility: 10 (+302)

Active Skills: Telekinesis (Lv.3), Float (Lv.3), Divine Light (Broken), Sprint (Lv.1), Force Shield (Lv.1), Meditation (Semi-passive/Level 2)

Passive Skills: Universal Language (Max), Fear Resistance (Lv.1),

Title: Anomaly (Awakened), Tatiana’s Son, Contracted, Reborn, Coward, Worm

Title Skill: Danger Sense (Passive/Lv.1)

Status points: 0

He first noticed his experience percentage; it has gone up. Then, he noticed his mana points. His intelligence and wisdom status were added with 5 points. He checked his titles and there was a new title. ‘It must have been that’ he thought.

“My Telekinesis skill did level up and my meditation skill too!” he said. He also noticed the changes on the skills. There is a clear division now of active and passive skills. “My status screen is always changing! The system likes to update!” Then he stumbled on to another weird word. ‘What does ‘update’ mean?’ he thought.

“Reborn! Get up now!” Tatiana called again.

“I am coming, mother!” he replied then he noticed. The cup was still floating. “Oh!” he telekinetically put the cup down on the table. No wonder his telekinesis leveled up overnight.

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“Good morning Worms!” Greeted Val.

“Good morning, sir!” The three students answered in unison. They are at the flower field. “Are we going to do same thing as yesterday, sir?” Trekka asked.

“Yes. Even at home, you must do it. Make it into a routine. One hour, practice those breathing exercises I taught you in concert with your observance related skill. That will give you a boost.” Val answered.

‘Excuse me, sir.” Anton raised his hand. Val nodded at him. “I have not learnt an observance related skill yet, sir.” He said.

“That is because you slept instead of practicing.” Val pointed. Anton dropped his head low. “Go, find a flower and sit down. Do the breathing exercises in peace, but do not sleep!” Anton quickly found a flower and sat down. He closed his eyes and started breathing deep through his nose.

“Trekka do the same. Practice with your Nature Heart skill.” He said to Trekka.

“Yes, sir.” She said, then found a flower to sit on.

“Reborn come with me for a second.” He called. They went far from the two, enough that they will not be able to hear what they are going to talk about.

“Did you read the scroll I gave to you?” Val asked.

Reborn shook his head, “Not yet, sir. Last night, I lost track of time in meditation.” He said truthfully.

“That is fine. Did you gain something from that all-night meditation?” Val asked.

“Yes, sir. My telekinesis and float skills are both level 3 now. And I learnt that I could activate meditation even if I am wide awake, like now.” He said.

“So, your meditation skill is active now?” Val asked. Reborn nodded to affirm that.

“Not only that, I maintained my telekinesis on a cup all night without me being needed to be conscious about it.” Reborn added.

“What? Did your mana not run out?” Val asked.

“Ah, no. You see, I have a very large amount of mana.” He said.

“Really? What level are you?” Val was skeptic, so he asked.

“Level 1.” Reborn revealed.

“And how large is your mana reserve?” Val pried again. Reborn was hesitant. Should he really tell him? He feels that there is something wrong with the number shown in his status.

“Around 5000.” He lied.

“What?!” Val was startled. “You are a level 1, but you already have 5000 mana reserve? How is that possible? You should become a magician!” Val exclaimed. Reborn made the right decision. 5000 MP already startled the Grand Scholar, if he told him the truth, that his MP is almost 20000, then he might get a stroke.

“I think the elders are right to fear you. Man, I hate for you to become my enemy. You are already frightful while Level 1. It scares me to think what will happen if you level up!” Val said still shocked.

“You do not have to worry about that, sir. I am not planning to fight against the sprites.” He said to comfort the Grand Scholar.

“You really are special. I do not know much about other humans, so I cannot compare you. But in comparison to other sprites, they are much behind you. A level 1 sprite should have around 500 MP. I should probably change the way I teach you.” He said. “Okay, just practice the breathing exercises for now. I will think of other ways of teaching you to maximize your potential.”

Reborn heard Val and found a spot to sit on. He closed his eyes and started to practice the breathing exercise. He decided to practice his float and telekinesis skills. He found three pebbles. He picked them up through telekinesis while he was floating cross-legged.

Val saw how Reborn was practicing three skills at the same time and he shook his head. “I found a troublesome student!” he whispered under his breath.

==================

Meanwhile, inside a room in the Father tree, “How are you doing, Ju-Mo?” Elder Mishap asked.

“I am doing fine, master!” he said.

“Good! That is good!” he complimented. “Tell me everything that you learnt?”

“I learnt Nature Heart, Flame Touch and Language skills.” He revealed.

“That is great! You are truly a blessing. Other than the princess, you are the only one who can learn three skills at once!” The elder laughed happily.

Ju-mo checked his status and it said,

Name: Ju - Mo

Level: 1 (Exp. 3.59%)

Race: Sprite

Class: Warrior

Age: 1 week, 3 days

Health: 1000

Mana: 760

AP: 252

DP: 508

Strength: 15

Dexterity: 15

Intelligence: 20

Vitality: 50

Wisdom: 24

Agility: 17

Active Skills: Flame Touch (Lv.1)

Passive Skills: Nature Heart (Lv.1), Language (Lv.1)

Title: Truth Seer

Title Skill: Eyes of Truth (Passive/Lv.1)

Status points: 0

He felt proud. Amongst the 1000 newborn sprites, he was the only one who acquired a title and a skill during the naming ceremony just like the princess was during her time.

“Alright, practice the breathing exercise I taught you every day. Train your Nature Heart skill first. It will make things easier for you.” The elder said. It made Ju-mo confused.

“Why do I have to focus on leveling my Nature Heart skill, master?” he asked.

“Son, you must be thinking, it is only a passive skill, what can it do? Right? Let me tell you, that passive skill will save your life more than any other skills.” The elder told him.

“Are passive skills really important?” he is skeptical. He should be focusing on his active skills if he wants to become strong.

“Son, passive skills build your foundation. If you want to become strong, you must learn as much passive skills as you can. Of course, it is not wise to focus only on passive skills, but as you are still beginning to learn, acquire passive skills first before the active skills.” The elder explained. “Soldiers, magicians, scholars and other classes, the very basics to that classes are to learn passive skills first. Build a strong foundation before supplementing it with a strong active skill.” The elder added.

Ju-Mo went silent. He took everything the elder said to heart. “I will do as you say, master!”

=====================

Three hours passed, Anton came out from his meditation and exclaimed, “Sir Val! I learnt a skill! I did it!”

“Good. What did you learn?” Val asked.

“I learnt Focus.” He said.

“Oh? That is good. That is what you need most. The gods still gave you mercy.” The Grand Scholar said.

He did not mind what the Grand Scholar said. He asked him, “Where are Trekka and Reborn, I got to show off to them.” He gazed around and saw Trekka still meditating. Then when he turned around towards a certain tree, he found Reborn floating in the air cross-legged. On his right hand are three pebbles floating around.

“Whoah!” is what he only said.

“Close your mouth, son. A fly might enter it.” Val said jokingly.

“Even if there is a fly, it won’t fit in my mouth.” Anton complained. “What is Reborn doing, sir?”

“Practicing.” The Grand Scholar said.

“I can see that. I meant to ask, what skills is he practicing, sir?”

“Oh, that! Telekinesis, Float, and Meditation skills.” Val answered truthfully.

“Three skills at the same time? How long is he doing that, sir?” Anton was very surprised.

“Hm… around three hours more or less.”

“Is he fine? Should you stop him, sir? He might faint due to mana loss!” Anton suggested.

“You do not have to worry about it. He got it covered.” Val said. “Worry for yourself instead. Now, go back. Meditate more and use your Focus skill.” he ordered.

Anton looked at Reborn deep and hard then went back on his flower. He sat down and meditated again. After a few minutes, Trekka came to and she had the same reaction as Anton. She was also told to meditate again as well.

The Grand Scholar sighed, “He will surpass me in no time!” he grumbled.

==================

“Ting! Nature Heart skill acquired.” Reborn heard a familiar sound. He opened his eyes and saw the Grand Scholar staring at him.

“What is it, sir?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing. Stop practicing and come here.” Val said. “Anton, Trekka, you too. Wake up.”

The three worms gathered around the Grand Scholar. “Alright. Practice the breathing exercise I taught you every day and build your passive skills first. Remember, level up your passive skills first before the active skills. Do you understand?”

“Sir?” Anton raised his hand. Val nodded at him. “Why do we need to level up our passive skills first? Not that I have active skills already.” He asked.

“Okay. Second lesson. Building your foundation. You must first learn and level up your passive skills. Passive skills strengthen your foundations. For example, Trekka’s Nature Heart skill, it helps her connect with her surroundings more. It will help her make sense of everything happening around. Your Focus skill, Anton. It will help your mind to concentrate which you lack most. The meditation skill you have, Reborn, it helps clear the mind and heart and boosts your learning ability. Do you understand?” Val explained.

“We understand, sir!” the three said in unison.

“Alright, I will see you in the lecture hall tomorrow for the general learning and history.” Val said. “Go home and rest.”

“Are we not going to meet up this afternoon, sir?” Trekka asked.

“No, rest up. Or you can go to Knowsborough and make some self-studying.” He said.

After that, Val left the three on the flower field. “Hey, Reborn! Tell us honestly, how many skills you already learnt?” Anton asked.

“Well, there’s telekinesis, float, meditation, and I newly learnt Nature Heart skill earlier.” Reborn said to them.

“Wow! You already have two passive skills and two active skills! You are amazing!” Anton complimented while Trekka was silent. “Hey, Trekka, what is wrong? Why are you silent?”

“Oh, nothing.” She said then flew away.

“What is her problem?” Anton complained as he looked at her leaving back.

Reborn smiled. He realized she must be jealous or something along that line. “She will be fine, I guess.” Reborn thought that she will get over it. She is an achiever and seeing someone achieve more than her must have hurt her.

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During the afternoon, Reborn went into the woods near the border. He decided to explore his skills. He wanted to learn the Flight skill but for that, he needed to max out his telekinesis and float skills.

“Float!” He activated his skill and started to float 5 meters above ground. “If I can just move, then it would be like flying.” He mumbled. He raised his hand and looked at a branch. He activated telekinesis and aimed at the branch. He pulled himself towards the branch using telekinesis while still floating and he moved.

A light bulb seemed to have lighted above his head and Reborn was enlightened. “I can use telekinesis while float skill is activated! I can simulate flying!”

He laughed so loud and started to practice his newfound technique all afternoon.