Monster Cultivation

An hour had passed, and the first student to complete the assignment was Shun, followed by Rei and Millia.

Drew finished fourth. This was the limit of having a medium-scale core. He knew how to properly clean his Ferna, but having more and higher-quality Ferna made the process easier.

For one, they had fewer impurities to remove. Second, more Ferna meant he could use greater force to cleanse them, like using a bucket of water instead of a cup to push a stone.

Additionally, having more Ferna made the impurities stand out more, making them easier to spot and eliminate since they had less chance to clump together.

It was a pointless assignment. Those more blessed by the heavens would always have greater advantages. And those less blessed would always have to find tricks just to keep up.

Drew had expected this outcome, so he didn’t feel disappointed like the other kids.

Shun got 10 points, Rei received 7, and Millia got 5.

Drew was standing in front of the teacher's desk, giving her his ID card.

She held the card but before doing anything with it, she looked up at him and asked, "Who taught you about cultivation?"

Drew answered, "No one. I just listened to others a lot."

"Really? You have a talent for it. If your core was just better..."

The reason she said that was because the other kids were far from completing their assignments, despite most of them also being medium-scaled.

Maroon's fingernail sharpened and secreted a yellow ink.

She was using a monster ability, an Inkling Beast’s power, which allowed her to produce and erase ink at will.

She added a new section at the bottom of the ID card labeled "Core Points" and carefully recorded his total: three points. After attaching the card to a neck strap, she handed it back to Drew.

He slipped the neck strap back on, thanked her, and exited the class.

Drew took a deep breath. With three points, he’d only be allowed to leave the campus for 15 minutes a week. There was no variety in the food for him. And only one meal a day.

Even when he was at his poorest, he ate at least twice a day...

While Drew was lost in thought, Shun spotted him and ran over. "Drew!"

They had never been friends back at the group home in this timeline, but Drew was the only person Shun knew here. He was hesitant to approach, thinking Drew would brush him off like he usually did.

Whenever anyone at the group home tried talking to Drew, he would respond, but his answers were short and dry. It was obvious he didn’t want to interact but didn’t want to be outright rude either.

So, Shun had always respected his boundaries and left him alone.

Drew glanced at him and smiled. “Looks like you took number one from me, huh.”

Shun laughed awkwardly. “Y-yeah…”

Other than the two of them, the courtyard was empty. The second-years were all out on missions, gaining field experience.

And the twins were nowhere to be seen. Of course, Drew knew exactly where they were. They were at hidden spots in this place, cultivating—exactly what Drew really wanted to do right now, but he was stuck playing nice with Shun.

Drew patted Shun’s shoulder. “I’m happy to see it. And I’m sure everyone else is, too.”

He wanted to get out of there before drama caught up to him. The more time wasted on drama, the less time spent advancing.

“Shun and Drew!”

Drew immediately recognized the voice and silently screamed.

It was Jiman. Only students and instructors were typically allowed on campus. Jiman was a retired martial arts instructor… but he’d blackmailed his way back in by bribing the head of the school.

Shun flinched when his name was called. Every time Jiman addressed him like that, it meant trouble.

So, his immediate response—despite Jiman’s smile—was to drop to his knees and apologize, hoping Jiman wouldn’t lash out at him.

Jiman looked baffled. “What’re you doing, son? Get off your knees and give me a hug!”

Shun stopped apologizing and slowly looked up, seeing the happy expression on Jiman’s face.

Drew wondered if he should allow things to play out as they did in his future self timeline.

Any sane person wouldn’t. But Drew was worried about how much things would change if he interfered. He didn’t want to lose one of his biggest advantages in this ruthless world, where any mistake could be your last.

Of course, Drew was planning to make some changes, maybe even big ones, but the changes he was planning on making were to his favor.

Shun stood up, and before he could move, Jiman gently grabbed his shoulders. “Anyone causing you trouble? Making fun of those clothes I got you?”

Jiman wanted to remind Shun of the gift, even though less than three hours had passed since he gifted Shun them.

As soon as he realized Shun’s potential, Jiman had rushed to buy them for him. Shun, a naïve and confused, but hurt kid, didn’t understand the sudden change in behavior.

Shun shook his head, barely managing to speak. He was terrified and confused.

Jiman turned his attention to Drew and noticed his measly 3 points. But Jiman wasn’t stupid.

The boy had competed against two others with high-scale cores. Coming in fourth meant he was the best of the ‘average’ students.

He wasn’t as valuable as Shun, but he was good enough.

Jiman offered a broad smile. “You did very well too, my boy.”

By then, many of the other students were leaving the class, dejected by their results.

Drew felt disgusted when Jiman called him ‘my boy,’ but he forced a polite smile. “Thank you, father. You’ve raised me well. But if you’ll excuse me, I want to spend my time growing stronger.”

“Ah. Why don’t we have a little lunch first? On me. Our secret. We don’t have to tell anyone.”

Obviously, sneaking in extra food for a student was against the rules. Anything beyond basic nutrition had to be earned through hard work.

“I can’t,” Drew said with a bow. “If I want to become a powerful Core weaver, I have to spend every waking moment cultivating. I want to surpass Shun, after all. Please understand.”

Jiman’s smile wavered slightly, but he nodded. “I understand. But before you go—take this.” He handed Drew a set of clothes.

It was a white and red robe along with somewhat baggy white pants. Stylish and expensive.

“Thank you,” Drew replied as he walked away.

Jiman watched Drew leave, concern etching his features. The boy was becoming unruly. While he showed respect, he defied Jiman’s wishes, using his desire to grow stronger than Shun as an excuse.

Even the 'thank you' he offered felt hollow, lacking genuine emotion. It was clear he wanted nothing to do with Jiman.

If Jiman reacted as he normally would, angry, he would only embarrass himself in front of the other students and jeopardize any chance of building a bond with the two boys. He couldn't afford that.

Drew entered the small school shop and greeted the only employee behind the counter. Handing over the clothes Jiman had given him.

Drew asked, “How much can I get for this?”

The clothing was of good quality and brand name, though nowhere near the caliber of Shun's, which was clearly intentional. Jiman wanted Shun to see that he valued him more when Drew wore those clothes, hoping to incite just enough envy in Drew to foster longing for what he provided to Shun.

The clerk examined the clothes, noting they were in pristine condition. “About 10 white marbles,” he said.

Drew raised an eyebrow. “My fellow brothers wouldn't be happy that I was scammed by a non-clansmen.”

It was easy to tell apart a clansman from lower-class citizens. Other than the third name/clan name they shared (Mufrun), they were all forced to wear a small gold stick in their upper ear. If a non-clansman did this they would be executed on sight.

The man's demeanor shifted. He quickly glanced at Drew’s ID and stammered, “O-of course not! I wouldn’t dare do such a thing! It was just a mistake.”

Drew held no ill will toward those lower on the class ladder, but he didn't like to be scammed either.

If a clansman were to kill the man, no one outside his own people would care as long as the reason was justifiable enough. Disrespecting a fellow Mufrun was a good enough reason in many of their eyes.

If you weren’t a clansman or a fellow Core weaver, why should your life matter? Such was the mindset of the society they were born in.

The clerk reconsidered, adjusting his offer. “We can buy it for 33 white marbles.”

Since the shop was owned by the school, Drew knew he couldn’t force the man to sell above market price; he could only ensure he wasn’t cheated.

What did the man stand to gain? Satisfaction and praise from his manager? Perhaps even a raise? Yet, if he were reported, that same manager might kill him on the spot, shouting, “How dare you cheat your lords?!”

“I would appreciate that,” Drew said.

The average clansman earned about 15 white marbles a month.

The shopkeeper placed the marbles in a bag and handed it to Drew, who accepted it with a nod. “Thank you for your service.”

The shopkeeper was still visibly anxious, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

Drew reassured him, “I’m not going to report you. But you should be careful; just because you’ve gotten away with it a few times doesn’t mean you always will.”

“T-thank you, sir!”

As Drew left the shop, he tipped the man four white marbles.

Drew's future self once caught a thief who kept stealing from him. Future Drew demanded to know why.

The third responded, "You act like stealing is inherently wrong. If you were hungry, why shouldn’t you take what you need to survive? Should you starve to death because of your morals? What if you have children, should they die for the same reason?

If you lived under oppression, why shouldn’t you steal from your oppressors? If they can abuse us, extort us, isn't it our right to take back what we slaved for?"

It felt more like he was trying to preach to Drew. But all Drew could think was how foolish the thief was. He was stealing precious stones, not food!

Why didn't the thief way weigh the risks against the rewards. It’s easy to think, “I got away with it five times; I can do it again!” Drew knew this well. He recalled the time his future had his eyes gouged out for such thinking, living without sight for 76 years until he obtained a monster with regenerative abilities.

Of course, Drew’s situation had been quite different. He had attempted to steal the preserved brain of the first queen of the largest dynasty to sell on the black market. Perhaps he deserved his punishment.

Drew found a secluded spot behind the dormitory to cultivate. He could have gone inside, but he anticipated chatter and distractions that he didn’t want to deal with, especially not from someone eager to befriend him.

With his eyes closed, he focused inward, examining the impure, dusty Ferna within him. He set to work, using the Ferna to extract and expel impurities piece by piece.

Time slipped by quickly, and before he knew it, morning had arrived. He felt both exhausted and ravenously hungry.

He fell back, reflecting on how, in his future's prime, he’d needed neither food nor sleep. Such limitations were infuriating.

However, he had successfully advanced his core to level 4, and his Ferna was half-clean, which was evident in his smoother skin and increased energy—far more than someone who hadn’t slept would normally possess.

At first, the changes were subtle, but they would compound over time.

Drew entered the cafeteria and noticed the kids feasting on generous portions of food—enough to last them until 2 PM.

He grabbed a plate of rice and fish and sat alone. Many kids clustered around Shun, vying for his attention, while others gathered by Rei, who reveled in the attention. Occasionally, their gazes drifted toward Shun.

Milia, on the other hand, sat alone, likely having rebuffed the kids who sought her friendship.

She feigned enjoyment of the solitude, but deep down, she loathed the loneliness. It gnawed at her, and having just one friend could alleviate that pain, but she was too stubborn to allow it.

While Drew couldn't remember every detail of his future, he knew a lot about her. Because she played a big role in it, mostly negatively.

After finishing his meal, Drew stood up and walked over to her. “Core's at level 4. What about you?”

Milia had a wooden spoon in her mouth when she heard the question. “I don’t care what level your core is,” she replied.

“I’m curious about yours.”

“Better than whatever you have.”

“Better than 4?”

“You’re clearly lying.”

“Fine, it’s 5.”

Milia turned to him, her eyebrow raised, a mocking smirk on her lips. “If yours is 5, mine’s 9.”

“Then mine must be 9000.”

“That isn’t a thing.”

“Not yet, maybe.”

“But if it were, I would reach it.”

Drew smiled. “I’ll need to see it to believe it.”

“You think you can outmatch me?”

"Yeah."

She raised both eyebrows and chuckled in an egotistical way. "Whatever you say."

He made his way to class, ignoring the stares from the other students, who struggled to engage her in conversation.

This time, perhaps things would change, and she wouldn’t try to grasp his heart—both figuratively and literally. But mostly the latter.

Everyone gathered in the monster pen on the first floor, where the weakest monsters were chained down behind a glass wall. Everyone watched from being the glass walls.

They didn't look like what someone would call monsters, but since they were extremely dangerous people called them that. In the same way, someone could refer to a shark as a monster. Or perhaps how people would treat dinosaurs.

Most of the monsters looked like animals or plants but with odd properties. Extra heads, limbs, tails, or bodies composed of stones, fire, and sometimes they look like body parts.

The manager of the monster pen sat on a stool beside Miss Maroon ready to answer any questions about the monsters.

Miss Maroon asked the children, "Anyone here know what are monsters?"

Rei raised his hand, and Maroon nodded at him.

He answered, standing with a straight posture. "Ferma-ganisms. Vile and disgusting creatures that feed on Ferma."

She smiled. "Very good! And why do we capture monsters? Someone else... Drew, answer."

Drew said, "So that we can utilize their abilities as ours."

"And what's the first step towards that?" She asked, looking at Millia.

"Uh.. Creating a vessel out of ferna in your body to store it there."

“Yes! You all must observe the tier 1 monsters here, gauge their strength, and then go home to create a vessel for it. When you’re done, come back and select which one you want. Your vessel will reflect your strength. If the monster is too powerful, it could break free, destroying your core, killing you, or even seizing control of you!”